The flavor of love

Yesterday was Father's day and a great day it was.  All that was needed to complete it would have been this presence of my middle daughter, Serena and my wife, Eva.  Alas, had a terrific time with Michelle and Jamie.  Watching them talk and get on like... well, like very close sisters made me proud to be a dad.  Top that off with Michelle being of legal drinking age and we now have an outing that includes wine tasting... And picking blueberries.

There is a blueberry farm just south of Buellton on highway 101 where you park, get a bucket, and walk out to the massive rows of blueberry plants and fill your bucket with the freshest tastiest blueberries this side of South America.   look up www.santabarbarablueberries.com for more information.

But this was AFTER tasting some very good wines from the very talented and hospitable folks at Foxen winery.  
Make no mistake about it.  Foxen makes great wine.  Actually... They make great WINES!!!

Their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and their Sangiovese blend (which one person who worked the called a great pizza and pasta wine -- we agree)... Are all very noteworthy and would pair well with such a variety of foods that one could conceivably run out of culinary ideas along the way.  At this point I would recommend just drinking the wine.  Food will eventually work its way into the scene as biology takes over.

No matter.

That's not my point.

Great wine.

Great blueberries.

Great times with daughters.

These experiences don't just show up and say hello.  If they do, you better fucking listen because it ain't happening again.

Because usually it involves an investment. 

Not of money, although that might be a footnote, it's not a requirement.

I am talking about time.  It means taking time to nurture and participate and listen and love.

Speaking of love.  Yesterday was filled with it.  It was evident in thwarting conversations between the three of us... Me and Michelle and Jamie.

It was evident is the wine.  Great wine, like great family ties, doesn't come without the joyous and ambitious and loving investment of time.

It was in the blueberries.  Fields of this delicious and exotic fruit beckoning one to taste and sample along the quest to fulfil a basic primal need to gather food.  Talk about a bucket list!

You can taste it.  You can touch it.  You can feel it.  You inhale it.

It fills your senses with joy.

Great music does this.

Great wine does this.

Great food does this.

But most of all,  a father experiencing all three with two reasons he loves being a Father in the first place, well... You can insert the tears of joy right here.

Serena we missed you.

Eva we missed you.

Love love love.

Cheers!

Wilfred Wong and the BevMo 5 cent wine "sale"

Do you ever wonder how BevMo is able to sell wines at a nickel?  Do you ever wonder why so many of these wines are rated in the high 80's and low 90's by Wilfred Wong?

Let's start with Wilfred.  He works for BevMo.  His job is to help them sell wines.  Occasionally, his ratings will appear next to comparable ratings from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate, or others.  However, very often, wines rated lowly or not at all on these reputable publications seem to be disproportionately rated high by Mr. Wong.  

For example, the 2009 Zynthesis is rated 91 points by WW.  Wine Spectator rates the same wine at 82 points with a release price of $11.  Normally, BevMo sells this wine for $10.99.  However, with the 5 cent sale, they have jacked the price up to $16.99, almost six bucks higher than the winery price!

Another is the 2010 Tapiz Malbec.  Again, WW rates this at 91 points.  Although I cannot find this vintage rated on the major publications, BevMo's regular price is $10.99 but the "Sale" price is $17.99 - a $7 increase.

Again, we have the 2009 Santa Rita Carmenere 120.  WW rates this 90 points but the same wine is rated 84 at Wine Spectator with a release price of $8.  I also know from experience that this wine can be bought at Trader Joe's for $5.99 on a regular basis, sometimes $4.99.  BevMo's sale price is $9.99.

Finally, check out the 2005 Bodegas Muriel Ciranza, normally $9.99 at BevMo, the price is jacked up for this 'sale' to a hefty $17.99.  While WW gives the wine a strong 90 point rating, the Wine Spectator rating was a dismal 68 points and compared the wine to shellac.  Yes, that's shellac - as in paint!!!!

Now, one can do the math and figure that, if two bottles are purchased - even if the first is at an inflated price, the overall deal per bottle is decent - but not so much that the price can't be beat elsewhere.  

My recommendation is: know your prices.  Check Costco, Trader Joe's, World Market, and even your local grocery chains that often discount wines for folks with their rewards cards in hand.  

It's also probably a good idea to just buy one bottle somewhere else and try it.  Wilfred Wong is in the business of selling wines.  He rarely if almost never rates anything under 80 points - a good wine by the standards of most publications.  This is very telling.  

Be smart... drink well... and cheers!

Brussel sprouts

We didn’t go to Morton’s steakhouse in Anaheim for brussel Sprouts. However, I remember growing up, and my mom would put brussle sprouts in a pan with butter and lightly grill them, then sprinkle salt before setting them in front of us as a side dish. Actually, for us, there were times when the sprouts were the main course.

It isn’t the brussle sprouts that make the memory so delightful; it’s the whole environment. Mom made these because she really wanted to make something special for us. In our corner of the universe, small town Americana, anything but meat and potatoes for dinner was considered exotic. It is also the fact that we had all the time in the world to eat. And, contrary to rural mythology, it wasn’t because we weren’t allowed to leave the table until we finished our brussel sprouts. It was because we were at home in a warm kitchen with the smell of butter in the air and this really unique flavor on our plates.

Fast forward a number of years and we are sitting at Morton’s steakhouse in Anaheim, CA. By ‘we’, I mean my wife of 22 years who is celebrating her birthday, two of our daughters, and friends of ours who are also celebrating a birthday. There are seven of us and I’m sitting in a way that allows me to see the classic chalkboard menu and the kitchen just to the right. I see a whole bunch of steaks and some of the most competent people at mixing meat and fire around.

And while we have ordered steaks, salmon, vegetables, salads, potatoes, appetizers, drinks, and desserts, the subject of brussel sprouts surfaces. It’s such an oddity, I think. This is when, Jabe Amato explains to me the difference between the way he learned of brussel sprouts and the way they are prepared at Morton’s. Now, forgive me at this point since this conversation took place 2-3 glasses of wine after we sat down but, as I recall, it involved grilling, bacon, onions and a suggestion from Jabe that we try them.

This is where I pause to reiterate those dinners of my youth where time was not important. It is the same at Morton’s. To say we felt welcomed into this restaurant is an understatement. From Nathan’s greeting at the door to the friendly handshake from Patrick to Jabe’s natural hospitality, we truly felt like the table we occupied was ours and ours alone. The feeling was pretty much like being invited into someone’s home: a pleasure and honor at the same time.

This is why brussel sprouts make sense. It’s down-home food. It’s comfort food. And, when I think about it, much of what Morton’s has to offer falls along these lines. Yes, there are the more exotic fare such as crab or soufflé or sea bass, never mind the number of preparation options available, but this is a steakhouse: steaks, potatoes, and vegetables. It’s a place where a bottle of wine or two makes perfect sense. It’s a place where dinner conversation over a round table evolves with smiles, reflection, and celebration. It’s a place where we enjoy the best hospitality this side of mom’s kitchen. It’s a place where one can enjoy a prime cut of Cajun-spiced rib eye steak, a salad, hash browned potatoes, a glass of wine, and brussel sprouts.

It’s a place where birthdays can be celebrated.

It’s about the feeling.

It’s about the experience.

It’s why we keep going back.

Cheers!

P.S. special thanks to Jaffurs Winery in Santa Barbara for their amazing 2008 Petite Syrah and to Rosenblum for their 2007 Rockpile Road Zinfandel.... wonderful!

Everybody must get stoned

It's 4/20 and, whenever I hear that Bob Dylan song I think back to how I thought it was a literal celebration of the joys of marijuana.  Now, I think it might have been about human rights abuse and the barbaric practice of stoning.  Either way, makes me wanna light one up.

But, I don't do that anymore.  The last time was about 14 years ago after seeing the Rolling Stones at Dodger Stadium.  I got home and burned a fattie with my father in law.

Yup.  My father in law.  One of the coolest dudes on the planet.  A man who welcomed me into his family without hesitation, even though I was dating his daughter.  A man who let me hang out with him next to the BBQ at family gatherings and we would drink beer and sample the meat off the grill before anyone else got a taste.  A man who never hesitates to encourage and stand by those around him.  A man who appreciates good times, good food, good drink, and a good buzz.  A man with soul.

Which makes me wonder.

Are we heading toward some far-right-morality swing?  I hope not because I don't think people who talk about morality are that moral in the first place.  I think they're full of shit.  If you're one of them, you need to read this MORE than the choir I might appear to be preaching to.

You see, 4/20 is special to me, even though I don't smoke pot anymore.  I don't even have the desire to do it.  But 4/20 is all about freedom of choice.  It's bigger than just a few plants being harvested for a good buzz.  It's about being able to choose your buzz OUTSIDE the realm of corporate control.  Alcohol is corporate controlled.  Cigarettes are corporate controlled.  The food we eat is corporate controlled, unless we buy it from a local farmer before it hits the corporate controlled marketplace.

Unless we grow it.  Like marijuana.  Who has the self-delusional right to tell you that you can't grow something in your own backyard for personal consumption?  Nobody.

And yet, there are people with enough money and influence to create laws that accomplish just that.

But the revolution has begun.  And those of us on the side of free choice have to win.  We have to win all over the globe if only to spite barbarians who are bloodthirsty for control and money.  These people will preach religious peace out of one side of their mouth then kill you for not submitting to their version of peace.... or their version of the 'peace' of the pie.

And don't get me started on the thought police.  You see, 4/20 is all about controlling your thought.  Because, when you alter your own perspective, independently, and freely, and openly, you see things from a perspective that those living under the illusion of power cannot grasp.  You have taken yourself outside the realm of their influence - which is all around you on billboards, TV, radio, computers - and into the realm of introspection and thought.  This is a place they cannot touch.  This is a place where new ideas come about.  This is a place where you can just be free.

And if you grow your own, it's damn near free.  It's about as free as it gets.

This is why I brew my own beer.  After I spend a nominal amount on all-natural ingredients, I can brew something specifically to my liking and the corporate beer-mongers get nothing.  Nothing.

You are told that you need to consume.  Even the drug dealers masquerading as pharmaceutical companies want you to consume what they are selling.  The thing is, they can't control pot.  They have no say so.  They can try but they can't stop it.  And rightly so.  They inflate costs at random, pump billions into lobbying and advertising to get you hooked on their product.

Ladies and gentlemen, if more of us smoked pot, fewer of us would be looking to these clown-suits for solutions.  We'd solve them ourselves.

Oh, pot doesn't solve the problem.  But pot does put you in a mental place where you can digress from the bullshit and then divorce yourself completely from it.

You wake up the next morning... walk past the TV remote without even blinking... (except for the occasional cartoon).... grab some cold pizza, and ice cold beer, and beckon a new day full of possibilities and new ideas and you are beholden only to your family and friends.

Social Darwinists, fuck off.

Cheers and happy 4/20!!!!!

Wine Fucking

Stay with me on this one as I'm really intoxicated and may not be speaking clearly... even though I'm not technically speaking at all.. I'm writing... no, that's not it... I'm TYPING.  And I can type whafuckerthe hell I want. 

Okay..... whew.... as if I've got alot of integrity anyway.... huge number of followers... thank you.  All 4 of you.  This is for you.

Shit.  The room is spinning.  Okay... whew!!!.... Shit... still spinning..  I'm serious about this one.

Okay. 

Brewed my own beer tonight.  This is something I usually do every 4-5 weeks.  I love doing it and, after about 18 months in the trenches, I can honestly say that the beer doesn't suck.  It's quite good actually.  I'd pour it against most American ales at this stage of the game.

ANYWAY, I'm boiling the grains and decide to invoke the pleasures of an Arrogant Bastard.... lovely beer... no, fuck that.  Not lovely.  Kick ass!!!!!  This fucker has hops and malt and grains and hops and alcohol.... too much alcohol.  But I don't care.  (damn, thank God for the backspace key!!!!)

ANYWAY #2.... I grill a steak.  I have a decanter of Rosenblum Syrah that I paid about $45 bucks for a few months back... can't remember the vineyard... Rosenblum always designates their wines from a particular vineyard... the reserves, anyway...

ANYWAY #3... this wine was sitting in a decanter for about 48 hours.... it was too ripe, fruit forward, and all that crap.  It tasted like grape juice.. IF I WANT FUCKING GRAPE JUICE I'LL BUY WELCHE'S THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

ANYWAY #4... Over the last few days, I've also opened a bottle of Red Lion Cabernet (don't ask) and a bottle of Marquis Philips Grenache... please hold your questions until the end.

(shit, I can't even type... my fingers aren't responding to what my brain says to respond to... etc etc etc....)

ANYWAY #5... My Rib eye steak is USDA Prime from a local market (Orchards Fresh, but I'm not mentioning names).... and It's tender, and juicy... and I decide, rather than open new wine, I'll just see what I can do with what I have.

ANYWAY...

whatever.

The Rosenblum is too over-ripe.  The Grenache has some nice light licorice and acidic qualities but can't hold up... The Cabernetl, in spite of being a wimpy cab... has some tannic structure to it....

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

I blend a 4 oz concoction of the Cab and the Syrah.... the tannins actually offset the over-ripeness of the fruit in the Rosenblum...

THEN, I mix (same ratio) the Syrah and the Grenache.... EVEN BETTER!!!!  The Grenache makes up for what the Syrah does not have and vice versa vice versa, etc cte.... whatever.

Of course, I need to mix the Grenache and Cab... shitty.  Two bad wines don't make a good wine.

BUT, I've settled on the Syrah-Grenache blend... it's good.  Dark fruit mixed with mid-level fruit, some light licorice hints, and balances nicely with the grilled Rib-Eye steak. 

FINALLY!

I pour the Grenache and Cabernet into the decanter with the remaining Syrah and discover something along the way....

I'm fucked up.

That's it.

So , I call my daughter on the phone and talk about Android and iPhone apps until I can see straight.

Then I decide to write this. 

And it doesn't matter.  I'm squinting right now just to read the words I'm writing on the computer and if it wasn't for spell checking... Id eb srewcd rghit nwo.

That's it.

Csheers....!

Live from LA.... Fleming's Steak House!

On the corner of Olympic and Figueroa in Los Angeles is one of the finest steak houses I've had the pleasure of visiting.  In fact, about 10 days ago, my wife and I visited after receiving gift cards from her dad.  He said it was a great place for steak. 

It IS a great place for steak... and wine... and dessert.... and hospitality... and in a great location for a special and memorable evening out in one of the greatest cities on the planet. 

It's hard not to write something like this and have it sound like a restaurant review of sorts but, in a way, that's what it is. An it's also a bit of a journal entry - for two really great nights out. 

Our first night was scheduled to coincide with a Prime Rib dinner offering that Fleming's is promoting during Sundays in January only and it's quite the deal.  It included a salad, a 12 oz cut of Prime Rib, a Side and a Dessert all for under thirty bucks.  Here's the deal - my wife and I could have shared one and been completely satisfied.  That is how much food this amounts to.  But we each ordered our own.  And took home leftovers.  And ate them the next evening.

We brought our own bottle, as is usually the case; a bottle of 2006 Sea Smoke Southing to be specific and it worked perfectly with the food - and the seasonings.  Our server was Elizabeth - a genuinely friendly individual who welcomed us as if we were a guest in her home.  We were also greeted by David Shelton, who usually manages at the El Segundo store but happened to be standing in during this particular evening.  If the friendly professionalism of David and Elizabeth are an indicator, I would stand here and recommend any Fleming's to my readers.

The first experience was so delightful, that we invited friends to join us again this week.  We were greeted, seated, and again made to feel right at home by Kent - a person who paid close attention to every detail in our experience but also ensured that we had the space to enjoy our evening as if there was nobody else in the room.  We were also visited by Michael DiGiambattista, an operating partner, and whose name I recognized from his signature at the bottom of an e-mail thanking us for joining the "Friend of Fleming's" club.  Michael was hospitable enough to thank us for coming back - acknowledging that we had visited previously just over a week before.  The warm greetings and friendly, top notch service set the tone at Fleming's. 

The food kicks things to another level altogether. 

I'll be brief and to the point.... Salads... Oysters... Fillet Mignon... New York Pepper Steak... Lamb Chops... Mac and Cheese (yup), Mushrooms.... Chocolate Lava Cake... Creme Brulee... Espresso... Cappuccino... all paired wonderfully with the two bottles we brought with us: the 2008 Denner Syrah and 2007 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet. 

Are you hungry yet?

To top things off, the receipt had a web link to a survey at the bottom and the customer receives a $25 credit toward their next visit just by completing it.  And it only takes about 5 minutes. 

Fleming's is a place that seriously wants its' customers to come back again and again.  And they live up to their own high standards by making frequent visits very enticing and something to look forward to. 

We'll be back.

Cheers!

2010 Roadblock

Sounds like the name of a wine, but it's not.  It's the result of my lack of interest in much of anything, or perhaps my interest in so many things that I became incapable of doing much more than just dabble in a bunch of stuff.  Over the year I brewed 13 new homemade beers, mostly IPA's.  I wrote 17 new songs, 12 of which are going on my new album.  (Yes, it's a new album - even for those of you who didn't know that I had ANY albums at all.)  I began school again - yes, again.  I guess I needed to get out of my head and open myself up to new ideas, even old ones that I'd not considered. 

And I tasted some really good wine.

And I got pretty cynical about wine in general.  At what point does it really matter?  I mean, we have our individual taste buds and some of us like one thing while some of us like the other.  Take note: taste buds don't know that you have a credit card.  They can't read tasting notes.  They can't distinguish between wine of the year awards and those that are never mentioned. 

But taste buds can tell the difference between the things you've decided that you like and don't like. 

Personally, I care as much about what I don't like as what I like.  The dichotomy of these polar opposites give me perspective and reference points.  So, when I opened a bottle of Penfolds bin 128 Shiraz that I paid $18 for and find out that I like it less than the $6 Pillar Box Red, I take note of both. 

That said, my favorite wine for 2010 - the one that resonated with me the most - is the 2008 Pali Riviera Pinot Noir.  I like the price and the 'big-ness' of this otherwise delicate pinot stunned me.  It's flat out delicious. 

So is the 2008 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet - tastes like chocolate.  I love chocolate.

The 2006 and 2007 Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez Syrah's are both magnificent.  As is the 2008 Marquis Philips Shiraz and the 2009 Mollydooker Boxer and Two Left Feet. 

The 2009 Santa Barbara County Syrah from Jaffurs in, um, Santa Barbara is a wonderful treat.   My daughter, Michelle, and I joined them early September to help with bottling.  The kind folks at Jaffurs served up a tasty Mexican lunch with many different wines before we jumped to the mobile bottling assembly line.  A very fun day!

I drank some Sea Smoke, some Williams Selyem, Mondavi, Justin, Yellow Tail, Layer Cake... found something enjoyable in all of them.

Love what Rosenblum has been doing over the last couple of years, especially in the Zinfandel area - they know what they're doing, in my opinion.

And this is all my opinion.  That's it.  Tonight I'm going to cook a steak and open a bottle of something; I don't know what yet.  I'll let the moment decide.  Meanwhile, have a great Christmas season and I'll catch you next year.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!