Notes to Self

Allow me to make a few notes for future stuff.

Next to emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash and washing the bed sheets before we left for New Jersey, stocking up and then coming home to a solid wine stash was brilliant. Do that again, me.

While we didn't make it to Peter Luger's Steakhouse because getting to Brooklyn seemed like a PITA, I did find their famous steak sauce at the little market by the family beach house in Stone Harbor. This lead to all kinds of thoughts swirling round my head.

First, it needed to stay refrigerated, which made traveling interesting. Don't do that again.

Second, in anticipation for sampling the sauce, I had to come with a new cooking/marinading technique. Enter a cooking site Tom introduced to: http://www.seriouseats.com/ . Once there, I got wrapped up in why I should salt, and how much, when and how to grill. Information overload, especially since Beth was already working on some sides. Next time, try 1 new thing and see what I see.

As for the sauce? I liked it better as a cocktail sauce for our shrimp, um, cocktail.

On to wine...

A while back I loved this WTSO purchase and wrote this.

See that 2008 down there? 2009 is not the same. The '08 took home A-/B+/A type ratings. I would have gladly tried the '09, but the point is, I didn't notice what I'd picked up.

The 2009 version grade: B-. It did not taste nearly as good as it smelled.

In German White news, picking out a solid semi-sweet crisp wine is like bowling with bumpers.

So what'd we learn?
Stock up on wine prior to vacationing.
Order sauces that need refrigeration on-line or at a local market.
Pay closer attention to vintages.
Germany does whites well.

Vacation Consumption

We're in the final week of a 3 week east coast vacay. While the extreme heat and humidity has led me to the Hammontons and Summer Shandy more often than the vino, I've still managed to crack a few bottles worth mentioning.

First, Monchoff has some competition in the under $15 Riesling category.

We've had this a few times and it's been loved by all. Super crisp, clean, not too sweet. Like Monchhof, St. Urbans-Hoff makes a $25ish priced Riesling. I haven't tried either of the higher end bottles. I'm slightly curious, but maybe in a shallow sort of way, I question how much better it could get. This is rock solid.

Grade: A
Beth's Grade: A

In Italy news, Beth and I found that not all Italian wines taste like Chianti. We spent 2 nights in New York City (fantastic trip, btw) and what we discovered was that the 2 Italian restaurants we went to for dinner, Becco and Gallo Nero, both in Hell's Kitchen, only offered Italian wines.

Dinner @ Becco with Kaldi and his, um, work friend!

Dinner at Gallo Nero

I should've taken some pics, for I can't recall what varietal they were, but I felt odd snapping pics of wine bottles in swanky Manhattan restaurants, (though it didn't bother me to wear the same shirt two nights in a row). I apologize. But there is hope for Italy after all!



Last night we celebrated Beth's and her mother's birthdays at La Campagnola, the Italian restaurant where Uncle Pete is an assistant to the chef. I've picked out a few bottles to bring:

2007 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon and 2008 Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma


The food tonight was tremendous. It was a solid 4 course meal with apps of clams casino, calimari, bruschetta, caprese salad. Then dinner salads, followed by my entrée option, a double bone in pork chop in a balsamac reduction sauce with baked sliced apples, augrautten potatoes, and veggies. Then we topped it off with just about everything on the dessert menu from cheesecake to gellato, teramisu, and peanut butter pie. I don't need to eat til Wednesday. Phenomenally full. 


As for the wine, both bottles were smash hits (I also brought along a bottle of the Riesling mentioned above). I think the table was split on a favorite. The girls seemed to favor the velvety smoothness of the Faust, while us gentlemen seemed to lean towards the slightly spicier, peppery yet smooth Zin. Both were great though.


Faust Grade: B+      Seghesio Grade: B+



Oh, and yesterday, Joe and I did a barrel tasting at Sharrot Winery in Winslow, NJ. It was a cool concept in the barrel room, sampling the barreled 2011 Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon, and Chambourcin (I hadn't heard of it either), side by side with bottled versions from 2010.

Obligitory pic that proves I was there, that I'd heard of them first:

Hope everyone's enjoying their summer. Cheers!