Every city has secrets. Steam punk lamp shops, rooftop Christmas parties jammed inside alleyways, fortunes, coins, spa coupons, lonely soul mates sipping wine in shop windows, street-side graveyards… it’s just a matter of looking. Or, in some cases, not looking at all.
I find myself in an unusual situation as a doctor working in public health by day, and a nascent wine blogger by night. A large proportion of my work recently has been around alcohol policy – a conflict of interest perhaps?
Public health is a broad church, and reducing alcohol consumption forms only part of the work we do, and yet there are times when I feel simply unable to speak about my interest in wine. I’ve heard the ‘battle’ to reduce alcohol consumption likened to the campaign to ban smoking in public places more than once. Wine has been part of European culture for centuries, yet of late it seems to be increasingly unacceptable in some quarters. In particular, it strikes me that the ‘middle income wine drinker’ has become the scapegoat for this movement.
Whilst on the surface there are similarities between alcohol and smoking, and I’ve certainly seen first hand the devastating health effects of excess alcohol in patients, this demonization of all wine consumption (and wine drinkers) worries me. There are undoubtedly health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, but I’m not going to try to advocate those through rose-tinted spectacles. The true effects of alcohol, and the causes behind alcohol abuse, are broad ranging and complex. Surely though, there’s a place for promoting drinking well – and that’s partly the aim of this blog?
The Wine in Moderation Programme is an initiative of the European wine sector aimed at ‘promoting moderation and responsibility in wine consumption and contributing towards preventing excessive consumption and misuse of alcoholic beverages in Europe.’ Whilst you might argue that the wine industry has a fairly major conflict of interest in trying to discourage the abuse of alcohol, on the other hand it’s refreshing to see this stance.
Here’s to drinking well.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the evening with Nika for a lovely dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the LES, a snowy stroll through Alphabet city, Tarot cards, astrology, and of course some fabulously funky wine. After such a marvelous evening how could I not make a post?
(c) Graz LLC, image courtesy of www.cafe-katja.com
We began the evening here, at Cafe Katja in the Lower East Side, just a couple doors down from the Tenement Museum. It’s a tiny family owned restaurant and bar, serving authentic Austrian food at very reasonable prices. The atmosphere is trendy, but not pretentious, sporting exposed brick walls, mirrors, candles, and a glass facade; perfect for dates, or just a night out with friends. The food is unique and absolutely delicious. I have yet to have something there that I didn’t like, whether it be their marinated herring salad, homemade pretzels(which I had before I was gluten free), cheese plates, root vegetable dishes, rich and refreshing spatzle, or any variety of their Austrian sausages. Last night I had hickory smoked salmon with mashed potatoes and spinach, while Nika braved blood sausage with a sauce and herbed side dish(we’re still not quite sure what it was, but it was good!). For two large entrees, a cozy dinner out, with tip, only set us back $36. If you’re ever taking a journey down to the LES, you absolutely MUST go.
Cafe Katja is located at 79 Orchard St. It’s a block down from the Tenement Museum, south of Delancy, between Broome and Grand.
Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning, image courtesy of barnesandnoble.com
After a small stroll north in the snow, and picking up some fabulous Bitch wine on Ave C(the store was fabulous but I didn’t snag a card, an update will come later), Nika and I were finally able to sit down for some serious Tarot card work. We’ve both been reading for a while, but still have so much to study. It was also a new experience for me to have somebody else do my reading, as well as reading for her with her deck. If you’ve ever been interested in getting started with Tarot, pick up a Rider Waite Tarot deck(this is the standard ) and a copy of Joan Bunning’s book, Learning the Tarot. Most major bookstores should have it, and it is an absolute must have for any and all beginners.
For more ideas on yummy places to eat, or of course tarot advice, check the Bites section, or send me an email: eastblocktalk@gmail.com
Last night after I finished babysitting, Alex and I headed out to Happy Hour. We always have a great time socializing with our normal Wednesday gang. We talked about Olympics, crazy Hunter stories, car recalls, Alex’s job — among many other things. I brought my camera to snap some shots.
Something's funny
Me and Alex
After we got home, Alex finished packing for his trip. We hung out with Hunter and of course watched some Olympics.
Making a mess of our bedroom
What'cha doing?
Remember how I told you that Maryland was sold out of Wiis. Yesterday when I got home I had a surprise waiting for me. Alex found one! He didn’t even tell me he was getting it. It’s an early birthday present for me — and I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t even notice the stealth white box that was propped up next to the TV. After about 10 minutes Alex had to say, “Why don’t you turn the TV on?” So I went over and as soon as I saw it sitting there I screamed! When Alex finished packing we played some Wii sports. Surprisingly I was really good! I beat Alex in bowling by 30 points!! We made our characters and we had some serious fun. Next all I need is the actual WiiFit game and I’ll be all set. Now if only I could find an extra $100 laying around.
This morning we woke up early to spend some time together before Alex had to leave. We were planning to have sausage and biscuits, but since we’re both trying to be healthier (especially after last night’s nachos) we settled on a banana smoothie and an english muffin. It was yummy! Hunter licked our glasses clean once we were finished. He loves bananas, as you could see from yesterday’s picture.
Today I’m going to work out (even though my legs are burning from yesterday’s Valslide exercises!) I’m going to continue my job search and babysit this afternoon. I’ll probably spend a lot of time reading since Alex left. And I’ll spend some time perfecting my Wii and Playstation skills.
More from me later — Have a great day!
My first creative passion was music, the practice of taking a bunch of random noises and mushing them together to make something not just recognizable but emotionally resonant. It felt really good, and my guitar and I had a decent run. The tragedy of music is that you can’t eat it. Or, to put it another way, unless you are very very good–like Mark Knopfler good–people do not sit around the dinner table waiting for your tunes to spill into their bowls.
My Martin may sit on its stand collecting dust, but the All-Clads I got as a wedding gift, shit, they get a workout every day.
It’s been a few weeks since I put anything up on this blog, but as that self-indulgent preamble hopefully indicated, it’s not because I haven’t been cooking. I did individual puff pastry mushroom pies fortified with a reduced leftover goose stock, pulled together a mighty fine crab bisque, whipped up perfect diced potato home fries by taking the advice of America’s Test Kitchen (cut evenly, toss with oil, microwave for 5-10 minutes and then fry in a hot pan with butter), and speaking of whipping, made mayonnaise not once but three times. In one week.
During that time I also read Michael Ruhlman’s The Making of a Chef and acquired both the CIA’s Professional Chef (8th Edition) textbook and On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee, all three titles combining to get me as close to the inside of a Culinary Institute of America classroom as I will ever be–except for those classrooms that just happen to double as tasty–and highly entertaining–restaurants.
Speaking of restaurants, I did a lot of eating out, and spent a day tasting wine in Woodinville. This site is decidedly not about other people’s creations–as superior to my own as they generally are–but I will note that the wine tasting visit with our friends Julie and Addison (a sommelier who appears in these pages here and there) turned up some fascinating bottles: Efesté, a Cab-Syrah blend called Final-Final; at Mark Ryan, a Cab-Merlot called Water Witch and the white Dissident, which is I believe Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc; at Gorman, the Pixie Syrah and the Big Sissy Chardonnay; and even at Chateau Ste. Michelle, a surprising Cinsault.
When it comes to cooking, the most important thing that I embarked on was a joint cooking venture with my friend Noah, culminating in what will heretofore be known as The Feast of February 13th. We are both cooking nerds, but Noah is such a cooking Poindexter that I at times feel (depressingly) like a dumb jock next to him. Nevertheless, he was kind enough to let me share marquee billing as we masterminded, procured and boiled up a six-course Italy-weighted Continental dinner that tasted and looked restaurant good. Of course, we had a full day and only four mouths to feed (including our own), and there was ample wine from Noah’s cellar to shine bright rays of optimism on any near fuck-ups. But I think it was smashing, and I’m going to prove it to you. The next post I put up will be food porn and liner notes to the Feast of February 13th. Make sure you have something to munch on because I realize that salad and dungeness crab pics might not make you hungry, but everything you see coming up will. Here’s a teaser:
By the by, I know you’ve been sorta thinking about that mushroom puff pastry since I mentioned it up above. Fear not, my fellow mycophiles, it will be the subject of a story all by itself very soon.
Soups in general are very comforting, but I would argue that there isn’t a soup in the world more comforting than french onion soup (though tomato gives it a good run for its money!). I mean, this soup comes with toasted bread and melted cheese as a part of the package! Not to mention, it is both sweet and savory, and it makes great leftovers. In the past, I always tried to save the cheese and make it so that I can have a little bit in each bite. But when I’m making my own, I can put however much cheese I want on top, so I don’t have to be so stingy! Hooray!
French onion soup always reminds me of this restaurant near Nonnie and Grandpa’s house in Sarasota called Manhattan Bar and Grill. I don’t even know if it is still in business, but it seriously had the most amazing soup. Dan and I would insist on going every time we visited. And since we are spoiled brats, they always obliged.
When you are picking out your onions for this soup, go ahead and get a couple of different kinds. Much like apple pie, this is best when you have a variety of tastes coming from the onions. I used half yellow onions and half Vidalia onions (I think), which ended up working well.
French Onion Soup (adapted from Tyler Florence):
1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef broth
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 pound sliced Provolone cheese
Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn’t burn, and cook for 5 or so minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for at least 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Toast the baguette slices in the oven on a large baking sheet (you might as well use the broiler since you will be using it again in a minute anyway). Just spread the slices out in one layer and toast for just a few minutes. Keep an eye on it because they will burn quickly..
Ladle the soup into heat-safe bowls and float several of the croutons on top, and then top with the slices of cheese. Put under the broiler until bubbling and brown. Be careful while handling the bowls and wait for a few minutes before eating because it will be hot!
It may be just past 8:30, but I’ve already got visions of sugar plumbs dancing in my head.
Today was exhausting- of the “I love my job, my whole body hurts from laughing and smiling all day” variety. I was having so much fun at one point that I was kicked out of my own classroom for disturbing the other groups. (Don’t worry, the special education coordinator and my teaching assistant were the ones who gave me the boot.)
I can’t wait to climb into bed with a hot cup of tea! Reading will certainly follow before my eyelids become too heavy.
So, before I take the night off, I want to share (most of) my eats from the day.
Coffee with frothy milk and cinnamon.
Pumpkin oats with pecans.
Lunch was leftover couscous from last night. No photo.
After school snack of bread, cheese, and red wine.
Veggie loaded baked noodles with tofu.
That will do it for me today! Early to bed will hopefully = early to rise; I have a morning work out planned!
Question: Are you happy in your current job? What is your dream job?
This is another Chinese dish I cooked the other night. I must say… this is very good with rice. The “black bean garlic sauce” is what gives this dish a great flavor. It has that salty and slightly nutty taste from the black bean sauce. With the green and red bell peppers… onions and ginger… this dish is rich in flavor and taste. Of course… as with any Chinese dishes… you’ve got to enjoy this with rice. This is fairly easy and quick to make.
Here’s what you need to prepare this mouth-watering “Shrimp with Black Bean Garlic Sauce.”
Ingredients:
1 ½ pound raw, peeled and deveined shrimps
3 TBSPs. medium dry sherry, or rice wine, white or red wine
½ tsp. kosher salt
3 TBSPs. cornstarch
In a large mixing bowl… mix the sherry or wine, kosher salt and cornstarch. Stir until salt and cornstarch dissolved. Add the shrimps. Let the shrimps marinate while you make the sauce and chop the vegetables.
Sauce:
1 ½ TBSPs. soy sauce
1 ½ cup chicken stock or water
1 ½ tsps. sugar
2 TBSPs. medium dry sherry or rice wine, white or red wine
1 ½ TBSPs. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
In another medium size bowl… mix all the sauce ingredients. Stir until the brown sugar and cornstarch dissolved. Set aside.
Vegetables and other ingredients:
4 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped
¼ cup sliced ginger
½ large onion – sliced
1 green bell pepper – seeded, membranes removed and diced
1 red bell pepper – seeded, membranes removed and diced
3 TBSPs. ‘black beans garlic sauce’ or fermented black beans – available in Asian Market
2 TBSPs. sesame oil
Using a large wok or deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the marinated shrimps and stir fry until halfway cooked, about 3 minutes. Removed shrimps unto a plate.
Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Sauté the garlic, ginger and onions… until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the “black beans garlic sauce, “the green and red bell peppers. Stir to combine all the vegetables… about one minute. Add the shrimps and stir until vegetables and shrimps are well incorporated… about one minute. Make a well in the middle of the wok, by pushing the shrimp and vegetables to the side.
Stir and pour sauce in the middle of the wok. Quickly boil the sauce by turning the heat to medium high. Stir to combine the sauce, the vegetables and the shrimps. Keep stirring until the vegetables and shrimps are well coated with the sauce. By this time the shrimp should be pink, the bell peppers are bright green and red. The whole mixture should be saucy. Remove wok from the heat.
Serve Shrimp with Black Beans and Garlic Sauce hot over rice. Serves 3 – 4 people.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
Tess
Matt and I have been together a long time, and it sometimes amazes me how different we can be in our interests and still be so compatible with each other. He is a stock market junky and loves nothing more than to listen to Jubak and others give their insight on the market. He is a huge Warren Buffet fan and found out about this book…which has now become his new investing “bible”.
Oddly enough, as he was discovering this book, he also stumbled across an article that struck a chord with my area of interest…it being about an artist and having a full time job…that discussed a book that might as well have been written just for me. It’s a quirky book about how to survive in the everday working world as a “legit” artist. Just what I needed. So, I sat down to read it as I listened to JIMMY Buffet in the background 
.
So, he’s the numbers guy drinking the gin and tonic and I’m the creative one with a glass of Cabernet Sav…maybe it’s the things that we don’t have in common that helps us get along so well. Although I do enjoy a glass of Tangueray and tonic myself.
We received our February wine early and since we renewed our “wine of the month”, we got a free bottle! I have the pics on my other laptop (and of course I’m too lazy to go transfer it over at this moment) so you’ll have to take my word for it.
The red has to be held (best from 2011 to 2016). It’s a 2008 Trius from the Hillebrand Estates Winery. “A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. This full-bodied wine has soft tannins and balanced acidity and showcases a bouquet of sweet spice, toasty oak, black cherry and plum. This wine leaves flavours of cherry, red berry and currant with a hint of licorice n the palate.” Interesting notes from the winemaker:
We had a dream to create a wine that would set a new benchmark for winemaking in Niagara-on-the-Lake. And in 1989 at Hillebrand Winery, Trius was born.
We selected the best Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes and perfected the art of the blend in a wine simply called ‘Trius Red’. Just two vintages later, Trius Red won the trophy for the best red wine in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, UK.
We opened the white last night (and enjoyed it with the shrimp cocktail). It’s a 2008 Lepp Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from the Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery. “A nose of yellow apple, hay and watermelon with a touch of fresh cedar. The palate is nice and crisp, medium weight with flavours of white grapefruit and mineral.”
The free bottle is a 2007 Merlot Reserve from Legends Estates Winery. “This Merlot is big and bold! It represents our record-breaking 2007 Vintage perfectly. Aromas of blackberry, cherry and even a hint of chocolate. The taste is rich almost jam-like, with a very long finish.” Sounds yummy!
I’m still learning how to figure out what it is I’m tasting and all the different flavours and notes, etc., but I figure the more I taste, the better I’ll become.
Ok. I was at a friends house tonight, just chillaxin.. Drank some wine, played a few games… I decided to go home. BIG MISTAKE! I was at the subway station 2 minutes before the train was about to come, but when I got there they announced that it was running late, the entire subway was running late due to some disturbance in the traffic or whatever. I had to wait for my fucking train for 30 minutes…!! 30 minutes!!
When I got to Slussen I managed to get on my bus, or like two buses after the one I originally tried to catch. I fell asleep on the bus and woke up 3 stations away from mine. FUCKTARD! I started walking back, went to the bus stop and looked at the time table. I missed the bus by 30 minutes and the next one wasnt supposed to go until 5 in the morning. I started walking back… Did I mention the snow storm and -14 degrees celsius??
After like 2 minutes THAT FUCKING BUS DRIVES BY and Im on the sidewalk where no one has walked for a really long time (which means Im walking in like half a meter of snow) cursing at myself for not waiting at the bus stop. I then decide to take shortcut through the woods, kinda. ANOTHER BIG MISTAKE! That walk killed me. I almost died. For reals… Or at least I thought I would. That shortcut = a long hill and tooooons of snow, untouched snow. Can you tell it’s not my day??
I managed to get home somehow and now Im so fucking pissed. I have to get up early tomorrow for work. FML!
I’ve just discovered my new favorite wine (or only favorite, since I had none prior). Its called Puydeval 2008 Rouge. A great red blend that has a fresh berry taste and is dry though mild. 14% alcohol- I was warm and fuzzy after half a glass, and after a full one I was in another world. The label says it goes especially well with pizza, and they aren’t lying because I made some homemade Greek pizza and it was a match made in Dionysian heaven. Try it.
My Chicken Chasseur was supposed to be served for our Valentine’s dinner, however, that did not happen. I did, however, prepare this amazing dish the next evening along with my favorite smashed potato recipe, steamed asparagus and the cute little heart-shaped creme brulees for dessert!
I had been cooking SO much prior to Valentine’s Day because it had been so cold and snowy that I just could not drag myself back into the kitchen. (What else does someone like me do when the weather outside is frightful??) And besides that, we had been eating and drinking and drinking and eating, so it was rather difficult to get motivated once again to get in the kitchen. Some days this girl needs a break! 
Instead of terrorizing my kitchen yet again and wearing myself out to the point of total exhaustion, I heated up some Boeuf Bourguignon that was in the freezer and we had creme brulee for dessert on Valentine’s evening. Not too bad, for a last minute Valentine’s Day dinner!
With Boeuf Bourguignon one evening and creme brulee for dessert, followed by Chicken Chasseur, I am beginning feel like I am on a gluttonous French gastronomical tour! Where did my so-called diet go??? I am waiting for temperatures above 40 degrees on a consistent basis and then I will get back to more reasonable cooking. But of course, that reasonable cooking will have to wait until after my dinner party this week. Wait until you see what dishes I am preparing for that! I need to be running laps just thinking about it!
So back to the chicken, Chicken Chasseur is one of my hubby’s favorites that I make. That is why it was intended for Valentine’s Day! I saw Bobby Flay preparing this dish on a Saturday morning several years back. He did a show on French classics (just my kind of stuff!). I, of course, made this dish that evening. It has since become a favorite in our home.
The ingredients are easy enough to find. There are a few steps in preparing the dish, so it is best to have everything chopped and ready to go! You will need a couple of tablespoons of clarified butter to saute the chicken. The recipe also calls for enriched chicken stock. If you do not have your own stock, you can reduce the packaged stuff by half to make enriched stock (I like Swanson’s organic chicken broth when I do not use homemade).
The recipe says to cut the chicken in quarters, however, when I watched this show, the chicken was cut into more pieces (I do not remember how many precisely). We usually cut a chicken into 8 or 10 pieces (10 pieces if the breast is very large). I do serve the chicken on the bone (this recipe says to remove the breast meat from the bone).
The sauce is incredible with the chicken, so be sure to take the time to reduce it properly. Just keep your chicken warm until your sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It does take some time. You then finish it with a knob of butter and some fresh herbs! Voila!
Here is the recipe from Bobby Flay Chicken Chasseur
We served the chicken with a lovely bottle of 1999 Crognolo. Crognolo is a Super Tuscan wine made with the Sangiovese grape. With ten years of aging it struck just the right note. It was phenomenal! This was definitely a bottle that was ready to drink! The cork was fine, but the wine had the potential to not be so good in an other year or two. My hubby took a picture of the cork. Note how far up the cork the wine had penetrated. Had the wine reached the top of the cork, the wine in the bottle would be exposed to air and begin to oxidize. This is just one way a bottle of wine can go bad. On that note, I say, drink up and Bon Appetit!
After a hot day in the tropics nothing is better than a nice glass of white wine. We selected a ‘2008 Yering Station Chardonnay’ from the Yarra Valley. Yering Station is the oldest vineyard in Victoria. The winery is a must visit if you are touring the Yarra Valley. It’s located just outside Yarra Glen.
Only very recently had this wine arrived in our supermarket in Thonglor, Bangkok. It’s moderately priced for Thai conditions (less than 10 EURO or A$ 15) and a very lovely drink.
Wine on the terrace: 2008 Yering Station Chardonnay
Yering Station has still ‘grape growers with contracts’ and our friend Steve Sadlier is one of them. If we want to drink wine from his grapes, Yering Station is the winery to buy it from. Steve produces excellent cool climate fruit in the Yarra Valley.
We were a bit homesick and needed a reminder that Australia can be very near. Cheers folks
Hello hello everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful mid-week evening
I’m gonna have to make this quick, because American Idol is on in a hot second… but I just must tell you friends about the fabulous dinner we had tonight!
Plans with The Man’s dental work ended up changing so we decided that is was time for a nice night out so that I could enjoy a delicious meal & some drinks before the big surgery! On a side note: I also came home to a completely clean house & washed dishes, sometimes it’s the little things that just mean the world
We ended up heading back to a place that we’ve been before, just because it was so impressive last time that I just couldn’t imagine going anywhere else tonight.
CAFE CATURRA
The coziness of the fireplace, the delicious simplicity of the food plus a selection of wines that can’t be beat, I am in love with this place
To start things off I ordered two “3 oz. pours” (right Brit 
) and was apparently channeling my inner Australian?!
The red was sooooo good, the Chard was good but nothing impressive. Either way, I savored every sip bc it’s going to be a while…
To share we ordered the Caprese Crostini, which was a favorite the last time around and just too good to pass up again!
Rustic baguette drizzle w/ extra virgin olive oil, sea salt & coarse black pepper served with oven roasted tomato, whole milk mozzarella, balsamic glaze & fresh basil.
Perfect, no other words come to mind 
To go with we ended up sharing the Cuban Panini w/ side salad (topped w/ dried cranberries & walnuts), more than enough food for 2!
Rustic campagne bread with tender smoked pork layered with thinly shaved ham, aged provolone cheese, sweet pickles & spicy ground mustard, grilled fresh.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here friends and declare this the best sandwich I have ever had. This sandwich was ah-may-zing, I don’t even know how to describe how good it was. Okay twist my arm, here goes: this sammie would be a sole reason I will never be able to not eat meat – how’s that
Whoa blurry, guess this pic was feelin’ the wine too mwuhaha
Alright, and I’m out! I’ll see you lovelies tomorrow for the last day of ‘normal eats’ pre-surgery… hope it’s a good one!
Nighty night
WIN ME! WIN ME! WIN ME!
