>gazelland: love>>

So, I am very excited to announce that I've been chosen by Gazelle Paulo, founder and editor of Gazelland Magazine to write an article for his next issue: the Love Issue! Gazelland is a lifestyle magazine dedicated to the fashion, art, culture and style from the biggest cities around the world from New York to São Paulo. For the upcoming issue, I had to choose a letter from A-Z and write about something I love corresponding to the chosen letter. C is the letter that I picked, and champagne is going to be my topic of choice.

As you already know, I've been an avid lover of the bubbly stuff for quite some time. Even if I do stray away and enjoy something else from time to time, I always return--I feel there's nothing that champagne can't be enjoyed with. You'd even catch me enjoying a glass of the stuff with a nice steak and not an ounce of regret!

I've already completed the article just last night at promptly 3:16 in the morning. This is a truly exciting experience for me because although I've been writing for various online publications for a number of years, this will be my first piece of writing to be published in print! Although the Love Issue will be the eighth issue for Gazelland Magazine, the current issue, Photography, is the first to be made available on newsstands. The issue was previously only available for purchase online and at a few select boutiques in New York, London and São Paulo. Additionally, publication for the current issue has jumped from its regular printing of 1,000 copies to an impressive 10,000!

Gazelle has been a dear friend of mine for a number of years and I am more than honored to be chosen as a contributor for the upcoming issue.

>next stop... france!>>

So there was no wine class last night, off for the holidays... :( But I've already picked out my 2 elective classes needed for ICE's Premier Cru wine certificate. The first one I'll be taking is Wine Etiquette for the 21st Century led by wine critic, W.R. Tish and the other will be How to Enjoy Navigating a Restaurant Wine List, led by Richard Vayda, my current instructor in Wine Essentials. I think the latter course will be especially handy in my line of work.

Once I've fulfilled all the requirements needed for my Premier Cru certificate, I plan to enroll in ICE's Advanced Wine Essentials course to work towards their Grand Cru certificate. In addition, I plan on brushing up on my (very dusty) French. I'm thinking I'll begin private tutoring lessons during the break in between my Wine Essentials and Advanced Wine Essentials courses (the latter beginning in April) and then continue in May when I "graduate" and receive my Grand Cru certificate!

>favorite eateries>>

So due to the prompting of a co-worker at the establishment at which I work. I am going to post some of my favorite eateries (in SoHo). Really, there's only (about) two.

First and foremost, when it comes to burgers (which I am truly mad about) Lure Fishbar (below Prada - Mercer & Prince) is hands down, top dog. But, you have to be sure to get the Lure Burger, as opposed to their regular burger (offered for $2 less than the Lure Burger's $17 price tag).

I don't know what it is about this burger, whether it's that they use really, really, fresh ingredients, but it somehow has an amazing quality to bring me back to life!

There've been more than a few times when I've walked down the stairs, into Lure, and propped myself up at the bar, feeling tired and brain-dead (read: like a zombie), and after polishing off my Lure Burger (which comes deluxe, with fries) have felt amazingly alive, refreshed and alert! (read: like a human being again)

This is the only burger in NYC that does this for me; and I am a burger aficionado so believe me, I've tried many. (Although, I've yet to try the burger at Standard Bar & Grill, another favorite eatery of mine, perhaps the most.)

But anyway, the burger I'm describing is not as complex as you may be beginning to think it is. Basically, it's served on a very lovely brioche bun and they top the burger with shredded lettuce, some thin pickle slices, cheese (it comes automatically), a secret sauce (which I think may just be a ketchup-mayo combo), and then the burger is sliced in half and pierced with two wooden spears which serve to hold in place two perfectly fried (and large) onion rings which rest on the burger--ever so gracefully... (Oh, and it comes with tomato slices too, but I always take them off, I hate tomatoes--except for heirlooms, in season.)

And for the french fries, (yet another culinary masterpiece offered by Lure's chef de cuisine) they are "thick-cut," like the size you'd find at diners. But at Lure you get nice long fries, no digging around the bottom of the bowl as you polish them off. And the fries are fried perfectly, not overcooked, not undercooked; and with just enough salt too.

And did I mention the dishes? Lure is a pretty classy place (even though the restaurant is designed to look as if you're eating inside of a yacht) so the dishes are classy too. The burger comes in a large white dinner bowl and the fries come separately in their own bowl set on a square plate which also serve a trio of ketchup and mayonnaise--but they always ask if you'd like mustard too, which I always opt for.



>add'l notes:>>
I'm also a fan of their Yellowtail, Jalapeño roll and they have a Falanghina by the glass which is quite nice. And if you like your cocktails on the sweet side, try Purple Rain. They make it with concord grapes which they press, in house. yum :)




My other favorite place to eat in SoHo is Blue Ribbon Brasserie (there's also a Blue Ribbon Sushi) on 97 Sullivan St, between Prince and Spring streets. Now the first thing I have to say about Blue Ribbon is that (some) of their prices are, as my partner d would say, ridonculous. What they put in their Paella Royale that affords its $125 price tag I do not know (especially since you can get a half portion for $32, but maybe you're not supposed to know that...).* But even though I can usually only afford to order a burger ($14.50) or duck club ($19.75) when I go there, nonetheless, I still love the place.

However, I have managed (somehow...) to try almost everything I want on their menu. Let's go through it line by line...


1. Escargot
Quite nice. I don't want to get the description wrong, but I will say that it's not served traditional style, in its shells with garlic and butter. They're already shelled and they're served in a small bowl with a slightly sweet, slightly thick brown sauce along with pieces of bread (and carrots, I believe) soaked in it. Whatever they put in there, it's delicious!
2. Fried Oysters

These I did not care for so much, but I'm not saying they were bad. They also are served shelled, and they bread the oysters in a nice, crumb-y breading--not batter; and they're nice and dry to the touch, not at all oily or greasy.

3. Beef Marrow & Oxtail Marmalade

This I've been told, is the best oxtail in the city. The dish comes with maybe three or four beef bones along with some crostini for the marrow. The second time I tried it, I had to muster up a little courage, marrow & oxtail is not exactly my thing. The first time I tried it, I was already a few cavas deep, so I dug in without missing a beat. Overall, I'd say it's pretty good, but I don't know if I'd ever order it myself.

4. Sauteed Calamari

Served simply sauteed, sans batter or breading.

5. Salt & Pepper Shrimp

This is one of my favorite appetizer dishes at Blue Ribbon! The shrimp is served in its own shell which you're meant to eat. And it is simply amazing. Very, very crispy and delicious! Oh, and it also comes with a nice, little shredded salad with a light asian sauce.

6. Oysters

I only order the Malpeques.

7. New Orleans Shrimp

To die for!

8. Shrimp Cocktail

I don't know what they do to their shrimp, but this is the best shrimp cocktail I've ever tasted. Much more worthy than its name.

1. Shrimp Provencal
Nice, elegant.
2. NY Strip Steak

I almost got to try this, but I left it, after my birthday dinner, on the subway along with a half of a duck club. Some bum had a really good dinner that night.

3. Chicken Burger

I opt for this one over the beef one.

4. Roasted Duck Club

I like this a lot. Although, I think they changed their recipe. Either that, or cava is affecting my memory. Anyway, it's served triple decker, on whole grain bread, with plenty of red onions, shredded lettuce and dijon mustard. (I think that's correct.) And it's served with sweet potato chips that I also like a lot.

So as you can see, that's not everything, but just some highlights. I first started going there because it's the only real restaurant in SoHo whose kitchen is open late (until 4am). But since then I've really grown to love the place. The place is small and the staff, in their skinny ties tucked in below the second button, is aloof--you have to earn their respect; and they play quirky music (they once played "Borderline") and have original artwork of seafood & such lining the walls. And they seem to be the only place that knows how to properly shuck an oyster.

Beef Marrow & Oxtail Marmalade

>add'l notes:>>
Try their Marolo Grappa for a nice finish to your meal. $18 a glass, but worth it.

*Correction: So a fellow Blue Ribbon patron informed me today that the Paella Royale feeds six, and the Paella Basquez, for $32, feeds two. (It's the $17 paella for one that's supposed to be a secret.)

>wine notes>>

So this is the famed Salentein bottle that I've been talking about in my last two (a.k.a. first two) posts. I'm actually not 100% sure that this is the bottle I liked because I got some of my tasting notes mixed up in class. But it's either this bottle or a bottle of Chateau Greysac that I really enjoyed. (But I doubt that it was the latter because it was a "Cru Bourgeois"....)
Anyway, the only place that I've been able to find the bottle so far is on the website: WineChateau.com.




And this is the amazing Sauternes that d and I already enjoyed over the weekend--just look at the color! The bottle I purchased was a 2003, not a 1998 like the one shown above, but nonetheless, it was truly divine! I purchased it from a wine store on the Upper West Side - Gotham Wines, B'way just below 96th - and the guy was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. At $49.95 (plus 10% off, holiday promo), it was worth every penny. I would totally drop the $300 if I saw it on a wine list at a restaurant, granted the occasion called for it... and the in-laws were paying.





And lastly, but hopefully not least, I end with a Henri Darnat Meursault. I couldn't find the one I was really looking for - Louis Jadot, Les Perrieres, Premier Cru - 2006 - but when I asked the wine seller for something comparable, he said the Henri Darnat Meursault was "wonderful." I've yet to try it, so I still have some doubts. It was an A.O.C. bottle, but it was mis en bouteille par Henri Darnat as apposed to au chateau or a la propriete. I've never met Mr. Darnat.

italy

So last night we studied Italian wines. Which I must say, I didn't care for (at least none of the ones we tasted last night). I guess there were maybe one or two that were not so bad.

We tasted a nice Valpolicella Superiore. It'd go nicely with simple foods, a Margherita pizza perhaps. It might be a good bottle just to have around the house for everyday dining. And when it comes to simple foods, that we have a lot of in my house....

But the one wine that I liked most of all from last night was the Brunello di Montalcino. It reminded me of the Salentein which I've yet to find (actually, I did find it online when I was shopping for my partner's holiday gifts, but I would not have gotten it in time to give it to him before he went home to visit his family), but to me, it was a "lighter version"--similar in taste, but with a lighter weight and less pack in its punch.

But overall, I'm definitely a heavyweight fan when it comes to wines!

To have a thick, heavy, juicy/flavor-packed wine to roll around on your tongue just seems so much more interesting that a light, fruity or "elegant" wine. But that's just where I am right now. I'm sure that over time, I will start to appreciate lighter wines as well.

But as for right now, I could totally picture myself enjoying a glass or two of the Valpolicella with a simply prepared chicken dish. And at a mere $14 a bottle, it's not a bad place to start.

first post

So I've decided to start a blog. Well, to be completely honest, I am starting a blog, again. I once had a 90's music videos blog, but it started making me (nearly) late for work because I'd update it obsessively in the morning before I'd get into my car and drive off to New Jersey to go to work. And because I started to run out of videos that I thought were cool enough to 1. Warrant being posted on a blog that I promoted on facebook and 2. Spend 15 somewhat minutes trying to write witty/intelligent snippets to go along with them. Then I wanted to start a blog about all the ridiculous things I'd see everyday at work at my other job in SoHo, but I was afraid that if corporate saw it it'd be the end of my time there.

But anyway, here I am sitting down typing away in front of Blogger yet again. (But this time I'm going to try to not edit and re-edit until I feel my post is worthy of a Pulitzer prize. *aND * i'm not going to worry about the appropriate usage of a semicolon and whether it's okay to put a comma before this and and whether or not it was okay to start that sentence with a but. So please, take no offense, all of you English majors out there....

Anyways....

It's been a year (well actually a year and exactly one month) since I've joined leagues in the lovely restaurant biz! I still 'work' at the Title Insurance office in New Jersey even though I haven't been there in nearly a month; I'm basically there on a Per Diem basis. I recently began taking a wine class at ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) in Chelsea. The class is called "Wine Essentials." It's a 6 week course devoted to teaching the novice wine drinker a few wine basics and to help you to fully appreciate and enjoy drinking good wine. To be completely honest, I don't even like wine -- at least not when I began this course.

I used to enjoy wine years ago, but then I got on a Champagne kick (thanks to Mireille Guiliano - French Women Don't Get Fat) for a few years, then onto an old fashioned cocktail kick, then, Scotch (partly because I saw an old guy in a Hitchcock show order Scotch & water at the bar). For a very short window, I was even drinking "Champagne with a little Scotch in it" - Cava with Chivas to be exact.

But now, I am learning alot about wine - at least much more than I knew before. And now, I am beginning to, perhaps for the first time ever, truly enjoy and appreciate wine. So, this blog is going to be dedicated to the experience of me learning about wine. (I'll also probably touch on, from time to time, where I am in regards to my journey in the restaurant biz) So for the first post, my first two wines to mention are Sauternes and Meursault; I bought them both for my partner for Christmas.

I was actually also looking for a very lovely Salentein we tasted in class (a Malbec/Merlot blend I believe), but couldn't find it anywhere. The exact Sauternes and Meursault I tasted in class I couldn't find either, but I believe I found some very nice comparisons.

When it came to the Sauternes, I asked the wine seller for his recommendation and he pointed out two bottles. The one that I picked, I did so based on 1. It was an Appellation... Controlee and 2. It was bottled at the chateau. I figured with those 2 requirements being met, it seemed to be a pretty safe bet. And, it was $50 so I figured it wouldn't be a bottle of junk.

It was absolutely lovely! As soon as I uncorked the bottle, I smelled the cork and it was heavenly. I paired it with some really lovely Roquefort Blue cheese (Roquefort Societe) I found with the help of the cheese guy at Westside Market and the pairing of the two was nearly orgasmic! I couldn't believe that after just two sessions of class I was able to make such an intelligent decision in picking out a wine! I usually just let my partner pick the wine or I pick up something I know he likes or has previously picked out (Vouvray, Blanc de Blanc...). But now, I can pick something out on my own and *d, don't read this part* even better than my partner I think!!