it can not go unmentioned...the red sox are world champions, and for most of us it means we can wake up and go to work without the haze involved with watching 4 1/2 hour games late at night. it also means that people will start straying away from their homes and/or our local sports bars (of which there are many) and start coming back to our restaurant (we DO have a flat screen, by the way. FYI for next year...) anyway, it was a heck of a run and i watched the whole thing in my usual style: surrounded by food and wine (and cans of Modelo beer--a new world series tradition, i think.) last night, leigh (my fiancé and worthy Scene-It On Demand rival) and i celebrated with a home cooked meal. earlier in the day we had made a trip to Whole Foods Supermarket in Boston and i can't say enough about how impressed i was with the quality of the food sold there. we made chicken cutlets with an olive, caper, shallot and dried cherry sauce. we reduced some vegetable broth down, mounted it with butter off the heat and poured it over the cutlets. we had it with some basmati rice and it was delicious. did i mention the 2004 Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Rouge? a Burgundy Pinot Noir that mirrored the flavors of the dried cherries with a soft mouthfeel that didn't overpower the flavorful ingredients. we were astonished at what we had put together and look forward to more healthy and delicious meals. i urge you to treat yourself to good, healthy, fresh ingredients when you cook at home. it really makes a difference.
on another note, i'd like to remind you of the fantastic wine tasting we have coming up tomorrow. Olivier Schoepfer from Accents du Sud Ouest will be guest-hosting the Tuesday tasting and he's bringing with him some beautiful wines from the Southwestern area of France. these are eclectic wines that have just shown up on American soil and you will be some of the first to taste them here in Boston. thanks drew for putting it together. i can't wait to sit down with everyone and taste them right along with you.
oh, i almost forgot...we have just received a huge shipment of burgundy wines from Domaine Chevalier based in Ladoix: Aligote, Passetoutgrain, Bourgogne Rouge, Bourgogne Blanc, and Ladoix Rouge. these are classic bistro wines in France and guess what? we're the only restaurant to carry them here in Boston. ian (the owner of Les Zygomates and Sorriso as well as high scorer in our cut-throat fantasy football league this week,) melissa (general manager/halloween party hostess with the mostess,) michael (business manager with a heck of a palate,) and myself tried them all upon arrival in the states and we think they're spot-on! perfect for our menu and just a joy to drink.
so here's to the red sox, patriots, good food, and great wine! it's almost the holiday season so prepare yourselves for some good times at Les Zyg!
all hail mike "the moustache" lowell,
geoffrey
go sox!
Keenan Wine Dinner Wrap-Up
well, i knew it was going to be a great dinner. the wines of Keenan Vineyards never disappoint and the menu looked delicious: lamb shank, terrine of duck and pork, mushroom soup, beet salad and cheese. what i didn't know, was that i would be sipping on a 1976 Keenan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon that Michael Keenan had brought in as a surprise. it was the first year Keenan made wine. WOW! thirty-one years old and still maintained its bright fruit and zippy acidity, but taking on a figgy, dried cherry characteristic. unbelievable. twenty-five people attended and it was so much fun. i can't wait to have Michael back, and to do more dinners like this in the future. in the meantime, our Tuesday Night Tasting Series continues next Tuesday with Petite Sirah: the mysterious grape that almost screams Fall Favorite--inky black, condensed dark berry flavors, thick and rich. hopefully, we'll see you there.
a bientot,
geoffrey
geoffrey's new haircut
so while my male friends were, i'm sure, huddled around flat screen t.v.s at sports bars around the country, i was at home throwing a haircut party. what's that? no no...you heard right. the thing is, my girlfriend has recently taken to calling me michael douglas. apparently my hair started to resemble michael douglas's hair from the movie Wall Street. well this was just to much to bare. it was one thing when she called me james spader hair (blaine from Pretty in Pink) but michael douglas from Wall Street??? so we had some people over and invited a hair-dresser friend of ours to come over and cut our hair. it was fun and it kept me from watching the horrifying red sox/indians game. we drank wine and talked about sextuplets, gender studies, why "tell me you love me" is the best show on television and basically had a blast. what's my point? oh yeah...we had this amazing bottle of inexpensive wine: 2005 La Corte, Salice Salentino from Puglia, Italy (the heel of the boot.) This is one of my favorite Italian wines at this price (around $12.) It's made from the Negroamaro grape and it has a really intense blackberry flavor. There's also notes of seamist, figs, earth and tobacco. so much complexity for such a bargain wine! try it with a spicy tomato sauce, grilled portabellas or chiicken cacciatore. we had it with pizza from santarpio's in East Boston (for my money the best pizza in the city.)
so i'm going to go look at myself in the mirror for a while and see if my haircut is too "Flock of Seagulls." remember the Keenan Vineyards Wine Dinner tonight at 7PM. Michael Keenan will be there and the wines are STUNNING! 617-542-5108 for reservations...
properly coiffed,
geoffrey
martha's vineyard harvest festival
hi all! i have just returned from the martha's vineyard FIRST annual harvest festival and, man, was it fun. probably the best part for me was that my event, a symposium on the merits of merlot, was cancelled. fortunately, this happened when i was already "on island" so i basically spent the weekend on martha's vineyard not doing anything. actually, i was able to crash ian's private dinner for twenty four at a private house in edgartown. the house itself was stunning. vast lawns, in-ground pool, huge dining rooms, massive kitchen, even a bowling alley in the basement! the owners were kind enough to have us join them for a quick bowl after dinner, but the pin setter malfunctioned and, alas, there would be no bowling. one of the owners of the house said sadly, "this thing is always breaking." stay strong, my friend...stay strong.
the dinner itself was spectacular. we started with gruyere puffs and smoked salmon on toast for passed appetizers with Veuve Cliquot Brut Champagne and Stag's Leap Sauvignon Blanc. next we sat for the soup course: a perfectly seasonal pumpkin bisque paired with Stag's Leap Chardonnay. then it was on to perfectly roasted squab over wild mushrooms and onions paired with Stag's Leap Merlot. the real treat for me was the mustard rubbed Colorado lamb chops over a bed of couscous risotto with ginger cream. it was absolutely decadent with not one, but two single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from Stag's Leap: the Fay Vineyard Cab, and the S.L.V. Vineyard Cab. the Fay was a bit spicier while the S.L.V. was more deeply textured and fruitier. an artisinal cheese plate followed, paired with a library selection from Stag's: the 1998 Fay Vineyard Cab. the pairing was reminiscent of a port and cheese pairing. big, rich, dark berry flavors in the wine against the rich, buttery flavors of the epoisses (haven't tried epoisses? do so.) we ended with, of course, dessert. Ian presented a classic tarte tatin, and by this time the crowd was huddled in various parts of the house loosening belts, smoking, and chatting about all things martha.
i had a blast on the vineyard. ian and his father showed me around, as i had not been to M.V. for many years. it is so beautiful, and i have promised myself to return soon.
i'm already looking forward to the second annual harvest fest. perhaps next time i will actually have a gig and not just freeload at ian's. i just hope the bowling alley works!
don't forget the Keenan Vineyards Wine Dinner tomorrow at 7PM. talk about great Napa wines... call 617-542-5108 for details.
cheers,
geoffrey
Brett Favre, Martha's Vineyard and Merlot...
No, this is not an episode of Jackie Rogers Jr.'s 10,000 Dollar Jackpot Wad. Rather, some thoughts swirling around inside my head watching the Green Bay vs. Chicago game last night. I was watching my man Brett Favre (QB of my fantasy football league...I'm involved in a highly contested matchup with our business manager and pal o' mine) and drinking some 2004 Hedges Red from Red Mountain, Washington State and it made me think of the bashing Merlot has taken over the last few years (Washington State is famous for their higly extracted and richly flavored merlots, cabs, and syrahs...) Ever since the movie Sideways came out (a small indie flick you probably never heard of) everyone is all of a sudden against merlot. I think it's really unfair. Merlot has been a staple in the wines of Bordeaux for, I don't know, a thousand years and it finds itself in more bottlings of California "Cabernet" than you might think. Under California law, a bottle of wine need only contain 75% of the varietal listed on the bottle. Merlot is often used to flesh out an otherwise weak Cab. Now all of a sudden, offering a glass of merlot is like offering a cup of dirt. "Oh I hate merlot!" Oh yeah? Merlot hates YOU!
My Hedges Red is 62% Merlot, 33% Cab, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot--a very Bordeaux-esque blend. It would probably cost about 22 dollars retail and it is AWESOME! Notes of Boisenberry and Black Cherries with Sandalwood and Spice on the nose and flavors of wild berries, black pepper, dust and wood on the palate--very rich--very delicious.
So I'm going to Martha's Vineyard this weekend for the first annual Martha's Vineyard Harvest Festival and I'm on a panel discussing the merits of merlot. This is such a "B-Team" gig. You know that somewhere else in Edgartown, there will be a "Pleasures of Pinot Noir" tasting, but I don't care! I love Merlot and I don't care who knows it! Our fearless leader Ian will be on island as well, hosting a private wine dinner and pairing with wines from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. Hopefully, I can crash. It's not often I can get Ian to cook me dinner! Check out www.mvharvest.org for details.
Speaking of great California wineries--I'm gearing up for our very cool wine dinner on Tuesday, October 16th. We will be welcoming Michael Keenan from Keenan Vineyards in Napa Valley as he shares some of his wonderful wines alongside a five-course meal paired specifically with the wines. Call 617-542-5108 to reserve.
More later...
Now and Forever,
Your trusted Vino Henchman
