Posted 06/30/2008 at 08:58 PM by Cathy
By Grace GuFor a long time – about 2400 years to be precise – scientists and gourmets searched for a term to describe the delectably meaty, savory characteristic that dominates foods ranging from aged parmigiano to soy sauce. It wasn't until 1907 that Japanese professor Kikunae Ikeda identified the source of this unique taste, which was neither sweet, nor salty, nor bitter, nor sour: the breaking down of an amino acid called glutamate through processes like curing, smoking, ripening, and aging. ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/29/2008 at 11:42 PM by Cathy
It was as though my subtlety gene had gone into recession.I was sitting at the bar at I Trulli, an enoteca on East 27th Street in New York, with three glasses of three different reds in front of me. And, try as I might, I just couldn't tease out much in the way of absolute distinction between the three.Fortunately, if it's one thing restaurant people appreciate in their guests, it's effort.The bartender noticed my struggle with the "Earthy and Elegant" flight she'd recommended: Rosso Piceno 2005 ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/28/2008 at 10:23 PM by Cathy
Centiole's in Girardville, Pennsylvania, about 15 minutes from where I grew up, makes pizza. To say that the pizza has a cult following would be an understatement of mass proportion. Let me tell you the factors that contribute to its beyond-cult status:? Very limited opening hours. Centiole's is open two nights a week, Friday and Saturday, from about 5 until about 9:30 or 10. And that's it. In the 20 years or so that I've known them, the schedule has never changed.? Very limited supply of pizza. ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/27/2008 at 10:00 PM by Cathy
Central Pennsylvania isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of wine country. But the grape growing industry has been nurtured there for several years now, encouraged partly by favorable legislation from the state and partly by small family farmers with long histories of toiling the soil.Shifting to growing grapes, rather than corn or wheat, seems like a shift from third gear to neutral, from high-powered monoculture to a more diverse crop selection. The Zimmerman family, of Shad ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/26/2008 at 03:29 PM by Cathy
You're living in Burgundy but you have a very strong connection to the Boston area. Tell me about that.Im grew up in Concord, MA, my parents are still there and I return from time to time. It's a compelling place, so beautiful and so much history. Later I went to Boston College and lived in Allston for some years, while working at the Prudential Center and then at Boston University. I eventually moved to New York but I remain faithful to my Beantown roots, and I love Boston restaurants like Upst ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/25/2008 at 03:57 PM by Cathy
? "This Gewurztraminer is like the first time you have sex. It's a little awkward, and it takes a little getting used to. But now, when it's almost finished, I love it!"? "This is a celebratory dinner so we won't be having wine."? "I just think better after two glasses of wine at lunch."? I sat next to someone in a café who had brought her knitting and a book called The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity. She ordered her wine – a 2005 Trimbach Gewurztraminer – only after she tasted the gril ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/24/2008 at 11:14 PM by Cathy
By Tracy KimThe expectation, going into the Portuguese wine class tonight hosted by The Second Glass, was lots of Vinho Verde and other simple summery white wines, and maybe a port to finish.The reality was something quite different.By the time I made it to Ivy Restaurant, the last thing I wanted was a simple summer white. Venturing outside tonight meant rain boots and a tough skin against the hail and thunderstorms. I was wet, I was cold, and I did not want to be drinking summery white wine all ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/23/2008 at 05:21 PM by Cathy
Last week we wrote about the mystery of a "bad" wine that turned out to be from the Languedoc region of France. "At least for now," we wrote, "white wines from the Languedoc just to do not it for us. The good news is that we can learn about why they aren't as appealing as, say, a white wine from the Loire. The other good news is that, knowing our sensitivity to whites from the Languedoc, we can look to try other producers and other vintages until something clicks."I got my first post-bad-wine-fr ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/22/2008 at 10:04 AM by Cathy
What I didn't expect at Finale today were the curveballs.You've got to order before you sit down, which gives the place an unfortunate cafeteria feel to it. Unfortunate, because the desserts' beauty (and prices) ascend well beyond any cafeteria I've ever pushed my tray through.The service is painfully slow, even though "service" here normally means someone takes your order and rings you up. The rest is pretty much up to you.I came this afternoon to check out their wine list. And to have a whoope ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/21/2008 at 06:52 PM by Cathy
There's an awful lot of focus at T.W. Food restaurant.Partly the focus is a question of square footage. Three cooks manage their choreography in a kitchen that looks to be smaller than my first studio apartment in Manhattan. (Trust me, getting three people to move about comfortably in that space was a feat of admirable coordination.) And diners, despite the loft-ish, lifting décor and well-spaced tables, are aware nonetheless that they're taking up a very limited number of seats. For cooks and f ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/20/2008 at 05:28 AM by Cathy
Sometimes a food and wine event is simply NOT about the wine. Last evening was one of those times.Taste of Cambridge, held in Technology Square, had wine, technically speaking. And I even tried some. But it simply did not hold my attention, not up against the food, not even up against the cocktails.Possibly it was a matter of logistics. Taste of Cambridge is a walk-around event and none of us has enough hands to hold a Misty Kalkofen cocktail, a hunk of cheese from Formaggio, a dense chocolate p ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/19/2008 at 05:14 PM by Cathy
The location of American Seasons as a restaurant has a fantastic history on Nantucket. Could you tell me about that?The restaurant is on the site of what used to be Benjamin Franklin's grandmother's mill. It used to be on the edge of Lily Pond, which is no longer there. The mill burned down and the current premises was built on its foundations. It has been a commissary and a restaurant since then, we believe that it was built in the early 1900s.How long have you been involved in American Season ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/18/2008 at 09:24 PM by Cathy
There are rules to being a pastry chef.Always sift your flour, even if it's half of a cup.Always strain your cake batter before baking, just in case any untoward egg particles are hanging about.Separate eggs when they're cold.Whip egg whites when they're at room temperature.And so on.There is good reason for pastry chefs to be so particular. Bake your shortbread just 30 seconds too long, for example, and it's toast.Good thing that the rules for pairing pastries and desserts with wine aren't quit ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/17/2008 at 10:12 PM by Cathy
Few events in the wine-drinking universe are more satisfying than witnessing the breakdown of a stereotype. Stereotypes – such as "Spanish reds are all hot, spicy, and alcoholic" – probably do have some germ of truth to them but for the most part they're clichéd overgeneralizations which, among other things, is just bad form.Spain has made serious strides in recent years to overcome its unfortunate wine reputation, a reputation that ran deeper than just that its wines were all hot, spicy, and al ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/15/2008 at 07:48 PM by Cathy
"This wine is just bad."I don't often say that, partly because "bad" is simply an ineffective adjective and partly because I can usually find something to like (or at least to appreciate) in a wine.But it was Father's Day and the wine, though I hadn't tried it before today, came recommended by someone whose palate I trust. I had rolled the dice and lost. The wine was bad (there's that adjective again), we were in the middle of an otherwise lovely lunch at home, and I was grumpy.How could this be ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/14/2008 at 06:05 PM by Cathy
Once in a while you'll hear some scandalous gossip about a wine and, just like any good scrap of gossip, you want to know more.Or, in this case, to taste more.I wandered over to Ned's Groceria's tasting table a few days ago at the Cape Ann Marina in Gloucester, and I was greeted by a very unassuming-looking man pouring some very unassuming-looking wines.But he was a man with a secret. Sort of.The 2007 Enotria Cortese he was pouring was, he said, the very first time in the United States that the ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/13/2008 at 05:21 PM by Cathy
What do you know about wines from Israel?"Not much..." That seems to be the most popular initial answer right now, along with a shrug of the shoulders and a questioning look of, "Why? What do you know about wines from Israel?"Not much either. But here are a few bits to keep in mind, FYI:? Many of Israel's best wines tend to come from the Galilee, an area in the northern part of the country that includes the Golan Heights.? Wines from Israel don't have to be kosher. Non-kosher producers would rathe ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/12/2008 at 07:47 PM by Cathy
Tell me about the genesis of Bin Ends. What's the big idea?My business partner Craig Drollett and I began to discuss plans for a fine wine retail shop in January 2007. Our original thoughts were more along the lines of an upscale boutique wine shop. A month and a 100 page business plan later we shelved the idea. It was a vanity play, requiring too much start up capital, and taking too long to return a profit. The upscale segment of the market is a small niche market and there were already a lot ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/11/2008 at 11:05 PM by Cathy
Last week we wrote about how to get the down lo on wine happenings around town. Scour reliable sites on the internet, we said. Read print publications, we said.Talk to people, we said.All good advice, we still say. But today we have an addendum to the list.Ready for this?Walk around, and keep your eyes open.Revolutionary, we know, but sometimes it's the simplest lessons that reap the best rewards.We were on our way somewhere else today when we noticed a sandwich board outside Scollay Square on B ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/10/2008 at 09:22 PM by Cathy
Strawberries were ready for picking today, for the first time this year, at The Food Project's farm in Lincoln. We went to pick up this week's CSA share (CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture), and I for one was tickled to see "One pint of strawberries" enumerated on the chalkboard's list of pick-your-own options this week.Strawberry picking is an old early-summer ritual in my house. My mother's father took her to little-known patches on the hillsides of Pennsylvania, and she took me. T ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/09/2008 at 09:45 AM by Cathy
Say, hypothetically speaking, that you've got some wine left over from the bottle you opened last night. Say, also, that you aren't an extravagant person in general and you'd like to do something useful with the leftovers. What are your options?Option A: Drink it the next day. Easy enough. Most wines will not be quite as good as the day before, it's true, but they'll still be perfectly drinkable.Option B: Use it in a marinade. Put your meat (like chicken or steak) in a Ziploc bag, add the wine, ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:35 PM by Cathy
The high where I live, north of Boston, was 57 degrees on Friday. Today it was 93.Friday it rained nearly the entire day. Today, with all the sun, would have been bone dry were it not for the humidity in the air that made the temperature feel even hotter.It was a shock to everyone's system.If I had gotten around to drinking wine sometime during the day today, I'm certain I would have reached for something light and refreshing and, most of all, cool. But since it was nearly 8:30 in the evening an ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/07/2008 at 10:15 PM by Cathy
Today in his Turtle Creek Winery in Lincoln, winemaker and owner Kip Kumler hosted a group of 20-some participants in the first session of a four-part series called Winemaker's Cycle.Four times this year -- beginning with today's focus on the spring-time bud break -- the group will convene at Turtle Creek to follow Kumler and his team through the year-long process of growing and making wine.We invite you to walk the rows of vines with us -- notice the lady bug (a welcome visitor to a vineyard), ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/06/2008 at 05:17 PM by Cathy
The Butcher Shop's list of wines by the glass is, arguably, the best in town. Okay, I admit I'd have a soft spot for anyone who offers me a 2006 Trimbach Muscat, by the glass or the bottle or even the magnum, for that matter. But which restaurants' wine lists, other than those like The Butcher Shop that Cat Silirie outfits, can boast such a thing?None, at least none that I know of. Silirie gets wines no one else in town gets, and she isn't stingy about sharing them.The Trimbach Muscat is a case ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/05/2008 at 08:15 AM by Cathy
First thing's first. Please explain why you own a winery in Sonoma yet still live in Massachusetts. I owned and operated a retail store in Burlington, Massachusetts for 18 years, and I know pretty much all of the players in New England regarding wholesalers. This seemed the most likely area to launch our new label. I do all of the marketing and distribution at this point almost exclusively in New England. I have a young family and New England is our home.?Does your work here in Massachusetts sup ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/04/2008 at 09:45 PM by Cathy
Tonight I sat down with the folks at Bin 26 Enoteca to taste through some wines we thought would be appropriate for 365daysofwine.com's very first Wines by the Glass Club.That's a little bit like saying, "Tonight I sat down with the editor of Vogue to look at handbags."In other words, they wrote the book.365daysofwine.com is so local and so right here that we wanted the wines to be something unique to Boston, something our readers couldn't get anywhere else.Two of the wines we chose from Bin 26' ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/03/2008 at 10:18 PM by Cathy
Most times we find out about wine events around town the same way you do. By subscribing to the newsletters of our favorite wine shops, restaurants, and retail outlets. By keeping up with Boston-based wine, food, and entertainment blogs. Sometimes even by reading actual print publications we pick up from vending boxes on street corners around town.But every once in a while we find out about an event on the down lo. It'll be just a cryptic whisper, like "Someone told me some people were getting t ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/02/2008 at 08:32 PM by Cathy
Once in a while you get a completely unexpected crash course on the biography of a particular winemaker. Some common detail (often unrelated to wine) catches your eye and you're hooked. He might be from your hometown. She might own the same breed of dog as you. He might have once lived in the same apartment building as your second cousin twice removed. Before you know it, you're listening to the rest of the winemaker's story with the kind of rapt concentration that, applied properly, would have ...
0 comments
More >
Posted 06/01/2008 at 11:51 PM by Cathy
Lychee is one of those aromas some people claim to smell when they stick their nose in a glass of white wine. Don't you hate when that happens? What is lychee, anyway? Personally, I didn't get it. But there was a very simple reason for that: I didn't know what a real live lychee smells or even looks like. I asked around, and all but one person was on the same page with me. The exception was Grace.Grace grew up eating lychees, and she strongly encouraged me to walk my nose through Chinatown to get ...
0 comments
More >
