The Chardonnay That Changed My Mind
If I didn’t learn something invaluable on the Napa Valley Wine Train, I would say that the tourist trap was a phenomenal waste of money.
But it wasn’t even my money. I was compelled to get on the train for some kind of business affair well over a decade ago. My memory for these kinds of things is surprisingly long. For example, I remember the salad was topped with a wedge of Cambozola, and that I ordered the filet mignon. I also remember that after dinner I found myself in conversation with the inventor of the Clif Bar.
The food was passable. I suppose for being made on a train it was remarkably good. However, Napa isn’t just wine country, it’s food country as well. And it’s a crime to have sub-par food while in the region. Plus seeing the wineries from a passing train did nothing for me. The point is not to just see the wineries. The goal should be to experience them. But we’ll save that for a later post.
The wine on the train however, was memorable. Well, at least one of the wines was. In fact, the one wine was so memorable it completely eclipsed the other. That wine was Far Niente’s chardonnay.
Long Island Potatoes
If you told me that there are farmers growing potatoes on Long Island, I would likely be incredulous. I know for a fact this is true, and I still have a hard time believing it.
Perhaps part of the problem is my prejudice about Long Island as a whole. These prejudices aren’t entirely unfounded, mind you. I have family in Great Neck, Huntington, and East Hampton (my aunt is a townie).
But Long Island is a big place. And admittedly, beyond those three towns, I haven’t seen a heck of a lot of it. These potatoes that I am talking about are grown near the island’s north fork around the town of Baiting Hollow. I imagine they would be hard to miss, since they take up over 5,000 acres.
I learned all this about Long Island potato cultivation from Richard Stabile, the distiller at Long Island Spirits. We met at the craft-distilled spirits tasting and seminar in Saratoga Springs last month. For the sake of full disclosure, Mr. Stabile gave me two bottles of spirits to take home and enjoy in a more focused setting.
It has been a pleasure tasting his LiV vodka over the past few weeks. I am very excited about the return of farm based distilling to New York. So let me tell you a bit more about this unique spirit.
I Can’t Believe It’s Butter
I guess I have butter on the brain. For obvious reasons yesterday’s post got me thinking about butter.
Specifically it got me thinking about my favorite butter.
Before my cholesterol numbers spiked, I would keep the refrigerator stocked with a minimum of two butters: one for cooking and one for eating. Perhaps this is the reason my cholesterol spiked.
The eating butter was always some kind of fancy-pants thing picked up locally at the Honest Weight Co-Op. For as much as I don’t love the place, I find myself shopping there a lot.
But there is one butter that stands above the rest.
Albany’s Marvelous Taverns
For all that I complain about the state of food in Albany, there is one perpetual bright spot on the landscape. And that is the region’s marvelous taverns.
There is no equal to these establishments on the West coast. Perhaps the closest match would be California’s Hofbräus. But that comparison doesn’t do the tavern justice. On some level they share an aesthetic, and probably a similar history, despite their difference in geography. But it is geography that I think really shaped the institution of the tavern.
Upstate New York is cold. And its winter is long, dark and bleak. The antidote to these inhospitable living conditions is the warmth and conviviality of the tavern. Almost every neighborhood can lay claim to at least one tavern, and it’s a gathering place. Bodies make warmth. It’s a place for people to eat hearty portions of comforting food at reasonable prices. And it’s a place for people to imbibe and rekindle their spirits.
If you are from around these parts, you know all of this. Maybe you will care to read my love letter to the institution. But if you live beyond the Capital District, you should read about what we do well out in this corner of the world.
Manly
I’m not the most manly man. I’ve never been into cars or sports. I do not own any tools, and I cannot fix things. The great outdoors has little appeal to me. And I am very satisfied with my monogamous marriage.
That is not to say I do not have any manly interests. I have always enjoyed action movies, and will watch just about anything with Bruce Willis (another handsome bald man). Videogames have been a part of my life since the invention of the Atari 2600. And I have never picked up an issue of Playboy for the articles.
Truth be told these are the few exceptions in an otherwise not-so-manly lifestyle.
So perhaps I’m not the best person to be declaring what should or should not be manly. But that’s not going to stop me.
Judging Wings
Tuesday, January 26 was an awesome day. I was up in Saratoga Springs and tried my first slices of Pope’s pizza. Then I attended an amazing seminar and tasting of New York craft distillers. Later that evening I participated in the judging of the best wings in the Capital Region at the Times Union’s headquarters.
They had us sign documents that prohibited participants from blogging about the event until after the story ran in the paper. If you want to see how it all turned out, and see some pictures of the Profussor in action, the article ran yesterday and can be viewed here.
Beyond the tasting itself, I was excited to finally get to meet Ruth Fantasia, the predominant restaurant critic in the region, in person. Superfan Sarah M. wondered, “Ruth Fantasia eats her wings with a fork, yes?”
And having met her I cannot tell you, simply because none of the Times Union staff was on the panel of judges. Ruth was a gracious hostess, and I salute her bravery for inviting my participation.
Now let’s discuss this judge’s perspective on the proceedings and the results.
It’s Freezing
Kitchen tools can really take over one’s life. After many diligent years of shopping, I can safely say that I now possess everything I need to have a happy life in the kitchen.
That’s not to say that I have everything I want. But we have a rule:
When a new must-have object comes in, another one goes out.
Recently I inherited my grandfather’s prized chocolate malted machine. To accommodate the new addition in the small-appliance corner of our kitchen counter, the automatic bread maker had to go. Sadly the bread machine is now relegated to the garage, where it can be called upon as needed. But a few chocolate malts, a mango lassi or two, and some monkey milk from the new machine help to wash away the sadness.
When my daughter was born, I was struck by the need for another kitchen tool. And while Mrs. Fussy met it with some initial skepticism, this appliance has become a favorite of ours. It is our chest freezer.
Super Bowl Gorging
Coming from an advertising background the Super Bowl has a special place in my heart. Part of my enjoyment on game day comes from keeping a running tally of the ads, complete with the break it ran in and the position that it held. For example, if Doritos ran their giant mouse ad, and if it were the first commercial of the third commercial break, it would be coded as 3A. I have mentioned before that I’m a bit of a numbers geek.
This list gets long. And more importantly it gets messy. By the end of the game, my papers are splattered with buffalo sauce, blue cheese, and pizza grease. Sometimes there may be a bit of ketchup or barbecue sauce. Also after four quarters of washing down spicy and fatty food with beer, my penmanship slips awfully close to illegibility.
You may get the picture that it’s not just my list that is a mess.
Every year I say this is the last time I’m going to do this. I say, “I’m getting older and my body just can’t handle it anymore.” When the game is over, there is the Profussor, stuck on the couch. The belt has long since been loosened. The button has been opened. Going to sleep would be nice, but I’m much too full and bloated to sleep.
The truth is that the game had a special place in my heart even before I was in the business. And it has always been about the food.
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