Getting into Funky Burgundy!

For wine afficionados the words “burgundy” and “funky” do not generally belong in the same sentence.  Burgundy is serious stuff. Great stuff. The polar opposite of funky. Right?

Well, that is true of the famous burgundies that cost an arm and a leg and sit in your cellar for decades. But not all burgundies are meant to be treated that way. It turns out that there ARE funky burgundies.

I had no idea.,

Vincent Thomas makes some at his Domaine de la Chappe. You only need to check out the bottle to see what I mean.

Alpoline? Marissa Ross writes

Judging by her portrait, “Apoline” is a woman you want to have a glass with (I feel like she tells good jokes), but more importantly, this is an Aligoté—Burgundy’s second most popular white grape after Chardonnay—that you want to drink.

And the key point

“Apoline” is versatile and food-friendly, but what I love most about it is it’s enjoyable to drink and reasonably priced (typically around $33/bottle). It’s Burgundy without the hemming and hawing of whether you should open it, without the need to wax poetic about over it. You can just fucking drink it.

And there is more! Check out Marissa’s post to go further into the world of funky burgundy.

Who knew?

Advertisements

I don’t Get it: Why Aren’t there more Wine Clubs?

The answer may be that wine sellers are not as clever as Chris Leon in Brooklyn. Chris runs a wine club that just got a rec from BA. 3 wines a month for ,$75 — and great selections with helpful notes describing what you are drinking. He ships nationally.

This is such a no brainer. So why aren’t there more Chris Leons in the world? Or are there and I just don’t know about them?

I am Opposed to Spatchocking! Are You With me?

What, you might ask, is spatchcocking?

It sounds devious. But, in fact, it is just a bit silly. A few years ago, some chefs went bananas over the idea that whole chickens tend to roast unevenly. So they devised a method — called spatchcocking — to remedy that. Spatchcockiing entails removing the chicken’s backbone and splaying out the legs.

Doe sit work? It does not make the bird worse. But does it offer a significant improvement? I say no. And I agree with Joe Sevier that it is a lot of unnecessary work.

So I say down with spatchcocking! Are you with me?

Dave Lebovitz Has a Bad Hair Day in Paris

It is tempting to think that if you lived in Paris, every day would be better than the last. The sun would always shine. The food and wine would always be amazing. And dog poop would smell like roses.

BTW. in the old days, Paris used to be loaded with dog poop. You could not even walk between parted cars. That got fixed with a “pick em up” law. Thank the Lord!

Back to life in Paris. The fact is that life anywhere on this planet has its ups and downs. And Dave Lebovitz posts about a down day that had a very up ending. Making shortcake has a way of fixing just about anything, right?

Enjoy … even if you are having a bad hair day too!

Rome: Santo Palato is the Place to go!

This is not my opinion. It is the opinion of Elizabeth Minchilli.  Back in February, she wrote

if you haven’t heard of it then you haven’t really been reading anything about new restaurants in Rome over the last year or so. The chef, Sarah Cicolini is the young and extremely talented powerhouse behind this completely fantastic trattoria.

Got it. Santo Palato goes on my “must visit” list on the Rome page. Back to Elizabeth’s post, her opener gave me a smile

Here follow some very sorry looking photos of a very fantastic restaurant. Know that the quality of the photos is directly related (in the other direction) to the amount of fun (wine) we were having and the sheer joy in the food. (yes, that is food on my iPhone that is blurring the images). 

And btw, she offers a lot of photos! Check it out!

BTW, the rec is confirmed by Rome by Mouth

New York: Just How Do You Drink the Shochu Cocktail at Bar Goto?

The problem is that it comes in a cardboard box!

There is a way! And finding that out, along with a million other things that are waiting for you to try out in New York is one of the  pleasures of living these days.

Living here in Tartu, I would not know much about this stuff — especially not the people who make all of that happen, except that there are folks who regularly write about their food and drink experiences in the big apple. My hat is off to them.

And my hat is off to Amanda Shapiro for her commentary on the BA list of 100 great New York spots. Check it out! If you need a glimpse, here is a quickie. Enjoy!

Amanda is reminiscing about her experiences with places on the list.

I remembered myself as a twentysomething at Lovers Rock (#73), arguably Bed Stuy’s loudest bar, downing rum punches and dancing with strangers. I remembered biking all the way down to Tanoreen (#52), the temple to Middle Eastern food in Bay Ridge, on my birthday with someone I loved. A bad first date at Chilo’s (#80) but at least the huitlacoche tacos were amazing. I’ve trekked through a winter storm for the pancakes at Tom’s (#7). I’ve corralled groups of friends to wait for a table at Win Son (#51), where the Lazy Susans spin with platters of new-Taiwanese specialties. (Like Emily Schultz, I dream about their fried eggplant on the regular.) I’m never more happily tipsy than when I’m at tiny Bushwick pizza joint Ops (#56), where I couldn’t tell you what natural wine I’m drinking but I’m always thrilled to be drinking it.

Hot News: 10 Heddon Street to Open Next Week in Mayfair

Perhaps you do not usually link “hot news” with “Mayfair”, but there it is. I am seriously into it!

And next week 10 Heddon Street opens.

Go for it!