An Evening with Paulo Scavino

A couple months ago my stepmom asked me to help her find something special for my dad’s sixty-fifth birthday celebration.  We going to have a “once in lifetime” sort of dinner at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in San Diego and we wanted to do something really unique.  After a good amount of research and with a bit of a budget in mind, we decided to surprise Dad with a mini-vertical of Paulo Scavino’s Bric dël Fiasc Barolo.

A colleague who’s been collecting for a couple decades generously sold me an ’88 and ’89 from his cellar.  I packed them very carefully and sent them off in my luggage, with a wave and a furrowed brow.  Several times throughout the flight I worried not for my own life, but for the fate of those priceless bottles.  I imagined myself on the shoreline, with the cast members from Lost, frantic over two bottles of Italian wine.  When I arrived in reality in CA I eagerly found them still snuggled in their stryofoam amongst my t-shirts.  I unpacked them and set them down carefully on my brother’s kitchen counter with strict instructions that sounded something like “Don’t touch these or I’ll kick your @$#%ing ass.”

The next day, observing all speed limits and taking each turn with extreme caution, I drove from Lemon Grove to La Jolla like this:

Buckle up, Paulo!

I arrived at Torrey Pines a little before sunset and took in the view.  La Jolla is without question among my top three favorite places in the world.  Then I very, very gingerly took the bottles from the backseat and walked through the lot.  I fought back the anxiety of dropping one or both of them and tried to apply football’s four points of pressure technique. I made it safely inside and I gleefully handed off the bottles to my curious father.  A round of hugs ensued, followed by a chorus of “I need a glass of wine” and we went into the restaurant.

The Lodge at Torrey Pines is certainly an experience.  We arrived just in time to see the grandeur of the last rays of light shining on the fairway below, with the roaring Pacific just in the distance.  The dining room was smaller than I expected, quaint and even a bit old fashioned, but extremely comfortable.

Our attentive server opened and decanted our Barolos for us while we sipped a superb demi-sec Champagne.  The plan was to save some to accompany dessert.  Yeah, right.  We enjoyed our amuse bouche and ordered extravagantly.  Sweet corn and crab soup for me, followed by an elegant seared duck breast with cous cous.  Incredible! My parents shared something delicious I don’t quite remember and Steve had fish that wasn’t, thankfully, the salmon he almost ordered accidentally.  The food overall was very good, although not wonderfully original or memorable.

The desserts however, were simply spectacular.  To be fair, the pastry chef is the daughter of a friend of my parents, and was responsible for our royal treatment that evening.  But what she sent us for dessert exceeded anyone’s wildest imagination.  I remember figs, and apricots, a custard, and chocolate, and home made sugar plums…. plates and plates of creative gluttony that would put Willy Wonka to shame.  I tasted each blissfully and flirted with both the remainder of the demi-sec and a fantastic 20 year tawny.  If I were to re-visit this restaurant I would simply take in the exquisite dessert course.

Bric dël Fiasc

As for the main event.  The wines were extraordinary, although the ’88 took longer to open up.  Once it did, it showed violet, truffle and hints of rustic raspberry.  It was soft and refined, although not extremely substantial.  The feeling was that while delicious, this wine was teetering on the end of its long, illustrious life.  The ’89, on the other hand, was truly remarkable right out of the gate.  It still possessed all the power of a great Barolo, but had softened and evolved into a beautiful, elegant masterpiece.  It still tasted of ripe, exotic berries, plums, red and purple flowers and something rich and stewy.  1989 was a stellar vintage in Piedmont and this was an eye-opening experience in what a difference a year makes.

We had an amazing evening at Torrey Pines, thanks to good food, great service and incredible (albeit too many) desserts compliments of the lovely Jennifer Costa.  But mostly this night was all about Paulo Scavino… and my pops.

Happy birthday Daddy!

Dinner at Torrey Pines

Tomatoes, Tomatoes and More Tomatoes

Tomatoes and Rosé

Nothing gets the cook in me tingling like tomato season.  Since I don’t grow my own yet, I always depend on the kind donations of friends and colleagues, and this year is no exception.  Thanks to a few generous folks I’ve been making salsa, pico de gallo, pasta sauce and of course, the classic tomato salad.

Absolutely nothing goes better with fresh tomatoes than a good rosé.  My clear favorite this year was the Gustav Lorentz Rosé of Pinot Noir from Alsace.  It’s delicate but full of personality, and with a great tomato salad makes for a fantastic Sunday afternoon.

I’m enjoying it all now before it’s gone in the blink of a Chicago eye…..

Grape of the Month: Zinfandel

I’m so sick of white wine I could puke. I’m sick of drinking them, talking about them, looking at them, and selling them. Enough! It’s time to get down and dirty, to break out the big hefty reds, to start thinking about fall. And, most importantly, it’s time to ring in a new season of football and tailgating.  And frankly, there’s no better grape to do it with than the one grown best right here on our home turf.

Zinfandel is considered by most America’s heritage grape. We made it our own, and you can’t find it like this anywhere else in the world. Sure, DNA reports have proved Italy’s primitivo is its ancestor. So what? Zinfandel is ours, and no lame scientist is going to take it away. Call it home field advantage. It is saucy, sultry, overstated and just downright American. Like Monday Night Football, apple pie, Bruce Springsteen, and childhood obesity.

Zinfandel grapes generally don’t need too much attention.  In fact, this grape is best grown in dry, hot conditions, where the roots have to work extra hard to produce healthy fruit.  The warmer, sunnier parts of California have turned out some awesome zins over the last two decades, specifically Paso Robles, Lodi and Dry Creek Valley.  These wines are in-your-face, full-bodied, full-throttle and just plain sexy.  In recent years some zin producers have shied away from hefty, overripe styles; leaning more toward soft and elegant wines.   These zinfandels may have complexity and longevity; but in my opinion, are lacking in real style.  For me, the best zins are ripe, spicy, fruit driven, and outrageously flashy.

Sight: This wine is very dark, maroonish, almost purple in hue.  It shows slow-moving, thicker legs due to its usually very high alcohol content.

Smell: On first take the wine shouts “Beware!” It reeks of ripe, sensual blackberries and raspberries.  Then, faint at first but accelerating into prominence are the discernible hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, cedar, and smoke.

Taste: Even the first sip of a great zin is extraordinary.  This wine is everything an American palate dreams of: big fruit, intense spice, deep, rich flavors, and soft but supple tannins.  Good zin really grabs you by the collar, shakes you a bit, and slaps you in the face with its substantial flavors.  It tastes of raspberry jam, strawberry rhubarb pie, licorice, pepper and cinnamon.  And the best zins balance all these flavors in one (albeit big) sip.

Pairing: Pasta with spicy tomato sauce, chili, barbeque ribs or slow-cooked pulled pork.

Recommendations:

  • $10-15: Gnarly Head, Rosenblum Vintner’s Cuvée, Cantele Primitivo
  • $15-30: Four Vines Biker, Hartford, Dashe, Quivera, Pezzi King
  • $30-50: Old Ghost, Robert Biale Black Chicken
  • Before you die: Martinelli

Cucina Paradiso

Cucina Paradiso

An old friend and colleague of mine mentioned this Italian restaurant in Oak Park.  I’m in the neighborhood once a week, so last week I thought I’d check it out.

Here are my general impressions:

  • Food: 7/10
  • Wine: 5/10
  • Service: 4/10
  • Ambience: 4/10
  • Value: 8/10
  • Overall: 6/10

Food: Apparently I lucked out and stopped in on $3 appetizer night.  Sweet.  So I ordered the baked goat cheese and the crabcake.  Perhaps not the best choices for an Italian joint, but both sounded good at the time.  The crabcake was average.  Both the flavor and consistency were good, and the dijon sauce that accompanied was quite tasty; but there was nothing spectacular.  The baked goat cheese, on the other hand, was fabulous.  It was served in a spicy tomato sauce with basil coated crostini.  Really delicious, and the serving was large and filling.  There were several more things on the menu that sounded delicious, but I was on a budget and a bit of a time constraint.  If I revisit this café in the future I will update accordingly.

Wine: I was confounded that there was no Prosecco on the menu.  This is a regrettable oversight and brings my rating down considerably.  Prosecco is the aperitif throughout Italy and certainly should be in an Italian café.  Instead I started with the only sparkling wine the bar offered: Veuve de Vernay.  I thought it fitting that it’s supplied by the friend that had referred me.  (You’re welcome.) Unfortunately I could tell the bottle had been open for a day or two and was a little disappointed.  However, it was a decent price and a good pairing with the crabcake.  To accompany the goat cheese with tomato, I ordered the lone Southern Italy representative: Luccarelli primitivo.  It was really tasty, and an exceptional pairing.  Later, disovering Paradiso offered no dessert wine options, I went for the traditional limoncello.  Yum.  Overall I thought their wine program, while sufficient, was predictable and unimpressive.

Service: Having been a server and bartender for years, I tend to cut restaurant professionals an awful lot of slack.  I know how hard it is.  I know how dull the job can be on a Tuesday.  And I know it’s easy to misjudge a patron.  However.  I still don’t like being on the receiving end of it.  As soon as I sat down I felt I was merely an annoyance for this guy.  It took him five minutes to even acknowledge me, then another five to get me a glass of wine.  He didn’t explain the special bar prices that evening nor took any initiative to help me navigate the wine list.  Instead he chatted it up with the two broads next to me who probably would leave him a shitty tip, and doted on some other chick I discovered later was an off-duty employee.  Huge mistake.  He spent far too much time and energy fraternizing with servers (see below.)  My champagne glass was empty for several minutes before he asked nonchalantly “Did you want something else?” Later, when I asked him who supplied the primitivo I enjoyed, he responded “I don’t know, we have a lot of different distributors.”  Gee, thanks buddy.  I also discovered throughout my stay he was a Sox fan.  Yuck.  But generally he was sufficient and accurate, and I can only fault him so much for not being wonderfully attentive to a weird single diner at the bar on a Tuesday.

Ambience: I will not sit in the bar at this place again.  It was horrible.  I sat near enough the service well that I was in firing range of every single conversation between the bartender and other employees, professional and otherwise.  One server actually mocked another customer right in front of me.  I can’t stress how much this kind of thing bothers me.  So freaking unprofessional.  I found the wastebasket in the ladies’ room overflowing and water all over the sink and on the floor.  Not dirty, but not exactly tidy.  The other bothersome detail in this building was there was absolutely no cell signal.  geeky I know, but it’s 2010 and that’s annoying.

Value: I happened to stop in and sit in the bar when appetizers were cheap, so my view may be distorted.  But prices for regular menu items looked fair, and the portions I received and saw at tables were substantial.  The volume of carry-out orders I saw come and go says a lot considering the fairly affluent neighborhood.

Overall: I will give Cucina Paradiso another chance but, as I stated, would not dine at the bar.  If given the opportunity I would like to see what the dining room experience is like.  Or, I may order and take home some pasta or perhaps a Margherita pizza for Jeff.

Grape of the Month: Verdejo

We’re going to think a little outside the box this month.  We’re well into summer now; it’s hot and sticky, stormy, and just plain gross.  Plus we’re in the heart of bikini season, which means salads are the dish of choice for most sunbathers.  So what grape is light and refreshing, works great with salads, but is fun, interesting, and widely available? Several grapes fit the bill but this one is at the top of my list.

Verdejo

Verdejo has become one of Spain’s signature white varietals.  Together with albariño it has opened people’s eyes (and tongues) to wines apart from the great reds from Rioja.  And it is absolutely perfect for this season.  Verdejo (ver-day-ho) is a light to medium white wine, with the lively acidity of June’s sauvignon blanc and, potentially, the complexity of May’s elegant viognier.  Historically producers in Rueda turned these grapes into oxidized wines reminiscent of sherry.  But over the last decade it seems winemakers have discovered a much better use for this varietal.  And we’re quite lucky they did.  Often verdejo is blended with Rioja’s white viura (macabeo) and sometimes sauvignon blanc.  I simply love these wines, not just situationally, but for almost any season and any circumstance.  And, perhaps best of all, most wines made with this grape are very affordable.

Sight: You’ll see a bright goldenish hay color with a very very slight greenish tint.  A clear rim should appear on the edges and legs will probably be thin and quickly moving.

Smell: This wine usually smells like a ripe citrus grove.  Orange, nectarine, grapefruit and a hint of peach fuzz really come through.  On the very outside of all this is a faint hint of something slightly herbal.  When blended with sauvignon blanc, more grapefruit and lemon notes come through, while viura’s influence gives it a nutty, floral flair.

Taste: Its flavors are typically driven by tangy grapefruit, peach and tangerine, with fascinating herbal and almond undertones.  It can range from incredibly racy to lithe and supple.  Most will be light and crisp, but slightly viscous and nicely balanced.  Oak treatment is rare; but one barrel fermented verdejo I encountered was stunningly elegant, with a creamy mouthfeel and a lovely hint of nutmeg and vanilla.  These wines are a marvelous match for salads and light pasta dishes, especially anything with oregano or tarragon.  But it is also a unique and vivacious summer white for sitting out on the deck.  Or for me, sitting in the recycled but comfortable air conditioned living room.

Pairing: Scallops with tarragon buerre blanc.  Spinach salad with mandarin oranges.  6-12 month aged manchego.

Recommendations:

  • $10-15:  Paso a Paso, Alta Plata, Ipsum, Shaya
  • $15 + up:  Shaya Habis, Naia Des

Mediterranean Pork Chops

Here’s one of my favorite dishes to cook.  It’s fairly quick & easy and I love to try new wines with this meal.  Try your own and tell me what you think!

  • 2 8-10 oz American cut boneless pork chops
  • 1 link chorizo, diced
  • ¾-1 cup dry red wine (See pairings below)
  • 1/2  cup lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper.  In large skillet, warm oil over medium heat.  Cook chops about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat, drain all but about 1 tbsp of oil, and set aside for about 10 minutes.  While chops are resting, mix wine, lemon juice, peppercorns and capers. This is a good time to make your rice or veggies. Return skillet to burner, warm oil, and add garlic and chorizo.  Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until garlic is slightly browned.  Reduce heat to low-medium, pour in wine mixture and continue cooking for about 6 minutes, turning chops and stirring sauce frequently.

When ready to serve, pour sauce, capers and peppercorns generously over each chop.  I usually serve this with risotto or roasted potatoes and green beans or broccoli.

Best pairings:

  • Belle Glos Rosé
  • Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir
  • Dashe Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
  • Domaine de Janasse Côtes du Rhône
  • Domaine de Boussiere Gigondas



Grape of the Month: Sauvignon Blanc

In Chicago, summer comes on very quickly.  One day it’s a lovely sixty-eight degrees with a little cloud coverage and a wonderful cool breeze at night.  The very next day, it’s a sticky eighty-five, with relentless sunshine and palpable humidity.  It stays this way for what feels like forever with very few reprieves.  Yuck.  On many parched days we reach for a cold beer; sometimes we’re even reduced to drinking (gasp!) plain old water.  But if wine is in your blood, what you’re looking for this month is something fresh, vibrant, light and refreshing.  And when that’s what you’re thirsting for, there’s nothing better than sauvignon blanc.

Sauvignon Blanc

For a long time, France had the corner on this grape.  In the Loire Valley, it’s the most notable white varietal.  The areas Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé  (hence the moniker fumé blanc) produce extraordinarily clean and complex wines of distinct minerality and grassiness.  In Bordeaux, sauvignon blanc is usually blended with semillon for a rounder, slightly honeyed style that can age for a decade or more.  It also plays a part in the noble dessert wines of Sauternes.

Californian producers have really made a run at it in the last couple decades, mostly from Napa and Russian River Valley.  Here it’s mostly about the crisp, citrusy acidity but the better ones are fashioned after the great Sancerre.  The recent popularity of this grape however, is thanks to a surge of great, affordable sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.  They aren’t overly intellectual wines, but are great sippers and certainly have a place on the dinner table.  From here the wines are zingy and tropical, and dominated mainly by grapefruit and mango.  Many also have a distinct and barely tolerable ammonia aroma.  As far as the rest of the world, the verdict is still out.  Chile and South Africa are coming around on this wonderful white varietal and seem to be establishing their own styles, though generally inexpensive sauv blancs from these regions typically leave a lot to be desired.

Sight: The wine is a very light straw color.  Generally this is a cooler climate, low alcohol wine so you shouldn’t see too much glycerine.  It’s also usually consumed when young so there will a very clear, almost watery rim.

Smell: Because there are so many distinctive qualities based on region, these are just some of the aromas: Lemon, lime, grapefruit, melon, peach, herbs, chive, hay, tangerine, apple, fresh cut grass, nickel.

Taste: Sauvignon blanc always reminds me of the filling for lemon meringue pie.  It can be insanely lemony and usually mid palate I’m thinking “Ugh, this is too tart, I can’t take any more.” But somehow, by the time I finish the sip or the bite of pie, my whole mouth is refreshed and can’t wait for the next dose.  This wine is light, crisp and downright invigorating.  The flavors in play are typically lip-smacking citrus fruits and tropical melon, with hints of  straw and steely minerality.  Its acidity refreshes and stimulates the palate like no other wine can do, but the best ones have depth and elegance that would make chardonnay blush.

Pairing: Shrimp ceviche.  Caesar salad.  Fresh goat’s milk cheese.

Recommendations:

  • $10-15:  Indaba, Honig, Monkey Bay, Dry Creek, Beckmen, Jolivet Attitude
  • $15-30:  Mulderbosch, Frog’s Leap, Bird, Isabel, Santa Rita Medalla Real, Vacheron Sancerre, Cliff Lede
  • Before you die: Didier Daganeau Silex, Chateau Pape Clement Blanc

Grape of the Month: Viognier

May is one of my favorite months!  Here in Chicago the weather is usually perfect– the skies are blue, there’s a delicate breeze, and the sun is warm but soothing overhead.  The ivy is growing at Wrigley, and my Cubbies still have a shot at the title.   Hey, there aren’t too many months I can say that.  Let me enjoy it while I can.

But I think my favorite part of May is watching and smelling the flowers blooming all over the landscape.  While I’m not lucky enough to have my own flower garden just yet, my dreams often include planting one someday.   And though most greenthumbs might choose the glamorous rosebush, my garden will be full of daisies, orchids and gardenias, with a few lilac bushes on the outskirts.  In my dreams I sit in my colorful garden, relax and take in the beautiful day, watch butterflies flitting about, listen to the Cubs on WGN (shameless endorsement) and sip a wonderful, elegant, sumptuous glass of viognier.

Viognier

First of all, it’s pronounced vee-ohn-yay.  Don’t say it wrong or your local wine pro will scowl at you and give you Fetzer or worse.  And it’s home is the Rhône Valley, one of my very favorite wine areas in the world.  Viognier is the main white varietal there and is known especially in the region Condrieu, and as the aromatic zing in Côte Rôtie.  It hasn’t really taken off in the States probably because it’s difficult to say, but mainly because the good ones aren’t cheap.  This is due to small production, mostly because of the grape’s finicky nature.  But it finally seems to be increasing in popularity, thanks to many solid offerings from California and Australia, as well as reasonably priced whites called Vin de Pays which often use mostly viognier.  But do yourself a favor: Spend a little more on this grape.  You can scrimp on something else.

Sight: In the glass it’s a bright yellowish-golden.  It’s a pretty viscous (alcohol-y) wine so you will see more “legs” than many other, lighter whites.  It also appears much more vibrant and shiny than most others.  Oh who am I kidding, by now you’re not even looking at it anymore because…

Smell: Viognier it’s what heaven smells like.  Imagine: The Pearly Gates, Saint Peter, Jesus, harps, all your loved ones, a gigantic comfy couch…  Take a deep breath……  There.  Beautiful.

No? Ok, take one or two daisies from my garden and take off the petals.  Grab a handful of lilacs too.  Don’t worry, the dog is tied up.  (I don’t have a dog, but in my dream I have a gorgeous chocolate lab.  Just go with it.) Now find an empty box of fruit loops– the kind where all the cereal is gone but there’s still that fascinating sugary powder still sifting around at the bottom of the box.  Toss the flower petals in there and give it a good shake.  Head for the nearest orange grove.  Now open the box and smell.  That’s viognier.

Taste: Viognier is perfect for people that think they don’t like white wine.  It’s weighty on the palate, but not heavy or dense like most reds are and some chardonnays can be.  It is rich and complex but has a refreshing, cooling lift.  The flavor is dominated by apricot, tangerine, and orange peel, with flashes of of lilac and violet, and a very faint hint of honey.  Depending on fermentation technique and oak treatment, some have a very slightly creamy edge and subtle hints of vanilla and spice.  Some producers leave a touch of residual sugar to take the edge off the alcohol, so a teeny tiny hint of sweetness isn’t unheard of.  And the late harvested dessert wines I have encountered made from viognier are to die for.  But typically viognier is dry but intensely fruity, complex but subtle, refined, luxurious, and absolutely mesmerizing.

Paring: Grilled salmon or swordfish with a orange-mango salsa.  Spicy Thai dishes.  Any kind of stir fry.

Recommendations:

  • $10-15:  Chono, Yalumba, d’Arenberg “The Hermit Crab”
  • $15-30: Jaffurs, Qupe, Fieldstone; $30-50: Darioush, Georges Vernay, Guigal Condrieu
  • Before you die: Chateau Grillet