Guest Critics: Kenny and Elizabeth
Kenny: Kenny works in construction finance for Kaiser. He volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and his hobbies include golf, soccer, the outdoors and music. This "Weegie" is originally from the west coast of Scotland.
Elizabeth: Elizabeth is a commercial real estate investor. She is active in many Portland nonprofits and is busy raising her two-year old daughter.
Halloween noshings: Halloween is about liberation. It's a night of intestinal sodom and gomorrah and releasing social chains of restraint. And there's no better way to do it than by attending a toddler Halloween party. Parent hosts, Elizabeth and Kenny, decorated their table with salty savories to counterbalance the reason for why we were together. For that unspoken and intended main course--the candy. And while our sticky mouths blissfully reminisced on old candy favorites, we watched our costumed, sweaty children engage in a disturbingly familiar pattern of unencumbered sugar euphoria. Sometimes, its better not to recognize oneself in a two-foot tall human being. Naturally, we had to chase our syrupy, sweet palates with several bottles of wine in order to soften that hard slap of reality.
- candy! (bags and bags of old favorites)
- Elizabeth's secret-recipe artichoke dip
- Gwyn's cheese ball
- Elizabeth's secret-recipe deviled eggs
- meat and cheese munchies
- Sinister Hand, Columbia Valley (Rhone blend), 2006
- Evil, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005
- 'Val de la Pierre', Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2006
- Domaine Famille Ligneres, 'Aric', Languedoc-Roussillon, 2002
Posted by Denise on October 31, 2007 9:00:00 PM PDT
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Domaine Famille Ligneres, 'Aric', Languedoc-Roussillon, 2002
Smell: Peat moss.
Taste: Herbacious--peat moss. Slightly sweet. Like an organic compost pile. Like manure (in a good way).
Finish: Manure (in a good way).
Cost:
Rating:
6.0(Blend: Carignan 60%, Mourvèdre 25%, Syrah 15%)
'Val de la Pierre', Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2006
Smell: Like champagne--currant, raspberry and blackberries.
Taste: Rocky--the terroir. Nice tannins. A hint of raspberry and blackberry. Great drinking wine--great with food. This has major potential in several years.
Finish: Mineral and rocky. Clean, crisp--not overbearing.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Evil, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005
Smell: Like grape soda pop.
Taste: Totally evil. Syrup. Like a Luden's cherry cough drop. All you need to do is show a picture of this bottle with half the wine still in it and the quote, "Enough said." This would make a good cooking wine though.
Finish: Fortified alcohol.
Cost:
Rating:
1.0
Sinister Hand, Columbia Valley (Rhone blend), 2006
Smell: Plum and cinnamon.
Taste: Prune--its the geriatric wine. Sickly sweet at the beginning, but mellows out a bit.
Finish: Heavy on the tongue without being buttery. Very chalky.
Cost:
Rating:
4.0
Guest Critics: Don, Caleb and Cheryl
Don: Don is a journalist for NW Labor Press and Willamette Week. He is a direct descendant of Don Quixote. Don is a lover of words and a dance enthusiast.
Caleb: Caleb works for Metro. An environmentalist, Caleb cuts his grass with a push mower. He loves everything French, kitsch and chocolate. Caleb is very easy to shop for.
Cheryl: Cheryl is a professional photographer who works for Stewart Harvey Photography. She's a Yooper (originally from the upper peninsula of Michigan) and very proud of it! When Cheryl isn't photographing events for her friends, she enjoys reading, gardening and fine dining.
Lunch: This lunch was an impromptu gathering of old friends who had originally stopped by for a light brunch of coffee and chocolate chip banana bread. I was working over-time, trying to play hostess, care for my child and chop vegetables for a soup--all this on my birthday. Even though Jason and I had just celebrated it the night before, we slowed down, took a deep breath and said to the group, "Let's eat and blog wine!" There's nothing like a table with bowls of warm soup and long-time friends to soothe a harried soul.
- mixed green salad with blue cheese, candied walnuts and dried cranberries
- cream of celery soup
- baguette sandwiches with gruyere cheese and salami
- grapes
- chocolate chip banana bread
- coffee
Wine:
- Trimbach, Pinot Blanc, 2004
Posted by Jason on October 28, 2007 12:30:00 PM PDT
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Trimbach, Pinot Blanc, 2004
Smell: Wet cedar and rubber. Sweet but not in a cloying kind of way--its like your nice neighbor rather than your sticky sweet aunt.
Taste: Tangerine and unripened pineapple. Feels cleansing. Very coiffable--easy to drink, not complicated. Kind of like a champagne without the bubbles. We'd drink it again.
Finish: Dissolves on the tongue. Lingering fruit taste like subtle grapefruit peels.
Cost:
Rating:
7.0
Our Date Night at Le Bouchon
Dinner: With the grandparents on deck, Jason and I escaped for a fun night out without the boy. The reason: to celebrate my 37th birthday--and to celebrate that we were a mile away from any family-friendly restaurant with an Italian or Mexican theme. This evening swept us into the country of l'amour et la gastronomie: France. Or more precisely, Le Bouchon. In this quaint French bistro, I felt compelled to speak to the servers in French (un petit peu comme une vache espanole, mais je peux parler en Francais quand meme). But what really seduced our tongues were the impeccable dishes and an incredible pinot. Jason and I agreed that on those rare nights as a liberated couple we would return to this little corner of French Portland. And we promised, like the many times we had in the past, that one day we--all three of us--would set foot in France as a family.
- feuilletage l'Oree du bois (baked brie and mushrooms with a garlic cream sauce in a pastry shell)
- coquilles St. Jacques gratinees (baked scallops and mushrooms in a white wine and butter sauce)
- salade verte aux deux vinaigres (green salad with aged vinegar dressing)
- bouillabaisse (seafood stew--Denise)
- saumon grille au coulis de tomate (grilled salmon with a tomato coulis--Jason)
- tarte aux pommes (apple tart)
- gateau au fromage (cheese cake)
- cafe au lait (coffee and cream)
- Domaine Marchand-Grillot, "En Songe", Gevrey Chambertin, 2004
Posted by Jason on October 27, 2007 9:00:00 PM PDT
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Domaine Marchand-Grillot, 'En Song', Gevrey Chambertin, 2004
Smell: Mineral, grass, rose petals, rocks, strawberry.
Taste: This is one of the better pinots we've had in a long time. Mineral, grass, rocks. Femine and dainty. This is a very flirty and fun wine because new flavors and textures emerge with each sip. There was an amazing transformation during dinner. At first, the wine was very light and perfumy, then later, became creamy with strong maple flavors. The terroir was present throughout. This wine didn't leave a doubt as to which country has perfected the pinot--France wins hands-down over Oregon (malheureusement!).
Finish: During the first courses: Fruit, rocks, earth and a bang of strawberry! A skim milk consistency. During the last courses: strong mineral (terroir), vanilla, maple. Very creamy. Turned into a 1% milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
9.0
Guest Critic: Jeef
Jeef: Jeef is a physical therapist. His hobbies include scuba diving and wind surfing. One time Jeef tried to eat a baby loaf of cheddar cheese (two pounds) in 15 minutes while everyone chanted to the Pixies, "Jefrey with one F, Jefrey!" Jeef failed miserably and went to bed sick. His punishment for failing: the purchase and viewing of "Dorf Goes Fishing" (of which Jeef is still the proud owner). Jeef lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his super-smart, PhD degree-holding, environmental engineering wife and their one-year old son. Fortunately, they both like cheese.
Wine:
- Evesham Wood, Pinot Noir, 2006
- Daedalus Cellars, Pinot Noir, 2005
Dinner:
- garden salad
- leek and potato soup with cream
- chanterelle mushrooms in a butter and herb sauce
- cheese tortellini with marinara sauce
- satsuma mandarins
- chocolate chip cookies
- cheese
Posted by Denise on October 21, 2007 9:00:00 PM PDT
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Daedalus Cellars, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Chocolate, vanilla, mossy, earthy. Very oakey--this one is oaked up pretty well.
Taste: Chocolate and black currant. Excellent!
Finish: Vanilla. Smooth but sharp. A yeasty aftertaste that will probably go away as it ages. Very good.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Evesham Wood, Pinot Noir, 2006
Smell: Floral and rasberry. Strong alcohol--like hairspray.
Taste: Floral--rose and geranium. Light. Good. Its like your aunt's perfume--the one who loves to squeeze your cheeks and give you lots of hugs and kisses. Slightly young--should be really good a year from now.
Finish: The aftertaste is like tasting air after scuba diving. Very light. A skim milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0
Ventana, Monterey, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003
Smell: Hits hard with the oak, but mellows out quickly and the fruit comes forward. Dark berry--like dried cherries. This is a "walk the plank" kind of wine--there's an immediate pirate hit. Smells like pirates: cane sugar, white sandy beaches, pineapple, flat hats, scurvy and rusty nails.
Taste: Blackberry, cherry and possibly currant. Tropical: sugar cane, molasses and those damn pirates. A hint of sweetness. A little sour like the skins of a plum--you get that zing.
Finish: Tropical and pineapple with a bang. Smoother than a normal cab--not gritty. A puckery, thin finish.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Guest Critics: Amber, Albee, and Audrey
Audrey: Audrey is a retired art gallery owner. She is also a pianist and continues to perform recitals around Portland. Even though Audrey is in the twilight of her life, Audrey's irreverent mouth and sharp wit maintain a youthfulness that make twenty-year olds blush. Audrey originally hails from Chicago.
Amber Kara: Amber, a former whale biologist, is the Director of Programs/Program Facilitator at the EnCompass Institute, an educational nonprofit serving families from diverse backgrounds. Amber is co-author of Win-Win Games for All Ages, a book of cooperative games and activities for groups of all ages. Amber holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from The Evergreen State College.
Albee Kara: Albee has worked at the EnCompass Institute for 12 years as a program co-designer and facilitator, leading groups of families, children, and professionals through experiential learning programming. Albee holds a B.A. in Music from University of California Santa Cruz and is also a co-author of Win-Win Games for All Ages, a book of cooperative games and activities.
Dinner:
- crostini and goat cheese with roasted garlic cloves, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes
- romaine and parmesan salad
- bread soup with collard greens, potatoes and parmesan cheese
- cauliflower gratin
- cheese ravioli with marinara sauce
- apple crisp with vanilla ice cream
Wine:
- St. Innocent, Freedom Hill, Pinot Blanc, 2005
- Ventana, Monterey, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003
Most irreverent quote heard around the dinner table that made us choke on our food and swig a large glass of wine:
- "I'm the poster girl for abortion before Roe v. Wade!" --Audrey
Posted by Jason on October 15, 2007 8:00:00 PM PDT
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Guest Critics: Mimi and Dan
Mimi: Mimi is "a typical housewife/mom." She loves being a mother--it is her most favorite job out of all her previous professions. Mimi loves traveling, especially to Switzerland, Greece, Hawaii, Paris and the Swiss Alps. Also, Mimi loves to eat good food, take walks and admire artwork.
Dan: Dan in an engineer at Intel. He loves to travel. And travel. Dan really likes to travel. Also, Dan likes tinkering with electrical projects around the house. Dan has been a proud MAX commuter for seven years and counting.
Dinner:
- crostini and goat cheese with roasted garlic cloves, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes
- romaine and parmesan salad
- bread soup with collard greens, potatoes and parmesan cheese
- cauliflower gratin
- mushroom ravioli with marinara sauce
- apple crisp with vanilla ice cream
Wine:
- A to Z, Pinot Noir, 2006
- Spellbound, Petite Sirah, 2003
Posted by Jason on October 14, 2007 9:30:00 PM PDT
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Spellbound, Petite Sirah, 2003
Smell: So intense that after one sip, it was calming. Smells like an Oregon forest--ferns and moss.
Taste: A sweet opening. There are a lot of tannins to it, but not nasty tannins--pretty balanced. That Oregon forest reappears--earthy and mossy.
Finish: Very strong.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0
A to Z, Pinot Noir, 2006
Smell: Mellow but intense--really like the smell. Fruity. Soft--opens up very slowly.
Taste: Mmmm, good! Definitely tastes like grapes. It doesn't feel like there's a middle. It's very good. Definitely berry--raspberry.
Finish: Smooth.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Blason de Bourgogne, Cuvee, Pinot Noir, 2006
Smell: Strawberry
Taste: Slightly artificial strawberry--like bad jam (Smuckers). A bit sour.
Finish: Berry. Slightly sweet and sour. Light--the consistency of 1% milk.
Cost:
Rating:
3.0
Six Vineyards (Lemelson), Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Berry--strawberry and possibly raspberry.
Taste: Strawberry and possibly currant and raspberry. Subtly sweet with pepper and spice.
Finish: Pepper with a hint of berry. The consistency of 2% milk.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0
Stag Hollow, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Earthy, soil, musty.
Taste: Spice and complex dark fruit--currant and cherry.
Finish: Cherry. The consistency of 2% milk.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0(honestly a bit disappointing as we're usually huge Stag Hollow fans ... in past years this was much better)
