Super Bowl... and Prosecco?

two proseccos from the noted Treviso region of Italy

CONTINUING where I'd left off with A Decadent Holiday, 2014's holiday season was filled with enough bubbles to carry David and I well into the new year. Just ahead of our Christmas dinner in, my good friends at Colangelo PR sent two bottles of D.O.C. Treviso proseccos with the anticipation of "hearing [my] thoughts."

WANTING to start with a prosecco that I'd not tasted before, I opened the Villa Sandi "il fresco" prosecco. At first taste, I was surprised at how similar it tasted to Valdobbiadene proseccos--one of my favorite prosecco varieties. Immediately, I recalled the light, flowery taste, synonymous with "Valdo" wines; but it wasn't until I had done some research that I'd learned that Valdobbiadene is a town within the province of Treviso (in the region of Veneto). According to prosecco.it: 

[Valdobbiadene wine] is a wine you will be able to recognize "blind" once you have tasted it...

Although the aforementioned wine may not come from Valdobbiadene proper, when considering its floral character and light crispness: the regional terroir (in this case) does result in a quality quite similar to those "inimitable" wines of Valdobbiadene. The second bottle from which David and I drew tastings was the Mionetto brut spumante. Harvested from grapes grown on clay-rich hills in an area near Valdobbiadene, this D.O.C. wine carries characteristics congruent with the Villa Sandi il fresco, but with a drier finish.

... but what does all of this have to do with Super Bowl, you ask?

Well, the savvy folks down at Colangelo PR put together these spirit-rousing game-day pairings that will ensure a buoyant time for all (and I do always love me a good bubbly and pizza)!

Thanks to its low acidity, moderate alcohol strength and fresh, light flavor, Prosecco DOC is extremely versatile and can be served with almost any game-day snack you can imagine. Below, you'll find several fun, interesting ways to serve up your bubbly, from kickoff all the way through the fourth quarter!

With take-out pizza: A margherita pizza, with fresh tomatoes and gooey mozzarella pairs perfectly with prosecco. The light, citrus flavors of the proscecco balance out the richness of the mozzarella and parmesan, which keeps your guests from getting full too fast!

With blue cheese dip: Though most might say a nice port should go with blue cheese, this is Sunday Night Football. You want something that's going to work with your dish and your mood. Prosecco is the prefect pick--it's light, it'll cut through the richness of the cheese and it has a little bit of fruitiness to counter the tangy, funky qualities of the cheese.

With jalapeño poppers: When you pop the fried, cheese jalapeño into your mouth, the first thing you'll want is something bright and refreshing to clear out those sharp flavors. Prosecco has the bubbles and the acidity to cut both the fat of the cheese and the spice of the pepper and in turn, refreshes you for your next snack.

Cin cin!

Inwood Goes Yuppie (With Tryon Public House's White Truffle Burger)

Tryon Public House's long-awaited food menu debuted this week
(no more B.Y.O.F.)

INWOOD'S recent transplants (I'm referring to the Darling Coffee, The Park View and the Starbucks set) must have heard the choir of angels and witnessed a parting of clouds when Tryon  Public House opened its doors just three weeks ago. While in recent years, additions such as Beans and Vines, Inwood Local and The Park View have given Inwoodites a bit more diversity when it comes to their dining options, it seemed that many were still waiting for an establishment that would get things one-hundred percent right. There are places that get the decor and atmosphere spot-on, but their menu needs tweaking; and others that serve Upper Manhattan's finest cuppa joe, yet serve lackluster dishes in a cramped, ill-looking front room; and there's also the neighborhood's most recent openings, which--more often than not--eventually fall victim by morphing into the ill-fated hookah lounge, ultimately killing the business. With the murmur of a brand-new pub opening, opposite Fort Tryon Park, serving craft beers and pub food to boot, it seemed all signs were pointing to a probable success.

Tryon Public House serves a medium-rare down pat

A week after Tryon Public House opened its doors to the public, David and I strolled west on Thayer Street to have ourselves a look-see (and a libation). Quickly scanning the room, David selected a high-top table for two at the far end of the pub, opposite the bar. Noticing only beers on the beverage list, I readily decided on a Bulleit rye; I was glad to see they'd carried it. The completely brand-new pub (previously the place of several separate storefronts) was the nicest-looking pub I'd ever seen; and several reproduced, vintage Inwood prints circa the 1940's and 50's lent a bit of "street cred" to the place, as well as a nod to the 'hood. With the sound system churning out something likened to The Smiths, I'd heard the remark that it was the whitest music they could have possibly been playing (and looking around the room, the patrons mimicked that notion). But before I could take a third sip of my brown beverage, I'd noticed that each song on Tryon Public House's playlist was as different from its predecessor as it could have been (which seemed to me a very deliberate--and wise--move on their part).

THIS AFTERNOON, I visited "TPH" a second time, to try their truffle burger. Served with "white truffle mayo," gruyère cheese and caramelized onions "on a plain ol' brioche bun," it's the most expensive dish on the menu ($14); but it does come with "hand cut" fries or a side salad. Saddling up at the bar, just past the 3 p.m. opening, I was quickly greeted with a hearty smile by one of two who were tending behind the bar. When my truffle burger arrived, I was a bit surprised (and saddened) that it didn't come on a plate, but rather inside a tin basket of sorts (but then I reminded myself that I'm a snob and I quickly got over it). I was glad though that the bartender supplied me with a knife and a fork, for this burger was so massive and piled high that I don't think I could have eaten it by hand without the use of several napkins! I decided to start with a few of the hand cut fries, which did not offend me at all, before slicing the burger in half and taking a peek at its inside. I was impressed: my medium-rare-ordered burger was served medium-rare. Slicing my first portion, I'd tried my best to get all the elements of the burger atop a single forkful, but that proved to be difficult as it seemed someone in the kitchen had assembled my burger in a rush. Yet, with my first bite I was perfectly pleased with what I'd tasted therein.

A lovely char-grilled taste lent itself to the patty while the brioche bun seemed completely suited for the variety. As for the "white truffle mayo," I detected no truffle taste or aroma anywhere on or around the burger; and it seemed that all the caramelized onions had been portioned to only the bottom left corner of the burger (the center seems a natural placement to me). By the meal's end, I'd say the biggest offense was that the brioche didn't seem all that fresh (but maybe I'm just too used to the stellar brioche at The Park View, just across Broadway). $15.24 (plus a $3 tip) later, I was beyond sated; but TPH wouldn't let me leave without a proper farewell and an invite back. 

If Tryon Public House's food doesn't keep you coming back... their hospitality will.

Tryon Public House, 4740 Broadway, Inwood (646) 918-7129

A Decadent Holiday

stocking the fridge for New Year's Eve

AS the 2014 holiday season approached, I'd known the time for selecting champagnes to celebrate with was also upon me. As per usual, David and I celebrated Christmas with an intimate dinner at home prior to his leaving for his folks,' a few days ahead of the holiday. Since we'd enjoyed it so, last Christmas, I again opted for the infallible Bollinger to kick off our holiday season. A little more than a week later, I returned to my local PJ Wine and picked up three bottles of some of my favorite sparklers before heading south to Mondel Chocolates at 114th Street for some confectionaries--"the best in the world" (Katherine Hepburn).

"The time we shared... intimate conversation, and lots of dark chocolate (the best in the world) came from a small shop on Upper Broadway called Mondel's--turtles, almond bark, and breakup..."

--Kate Remembered, by A. Scott Berg 

Post-Mondel, I'd found myself on a hunt for real caviar on the Upper West Side and nearly took to Twitter for help in procuring it! I'd eventually found a modest jar at Zabar's near 80th Street; with a point of my finger, the two-ounce jar was sealed and ready for pick-up by 'P. B.'

good things come in insulated travel packs

As is often the case when David's home from school, the cooking (for our New Year's Eve dinner) was left to him (after all, I'd picked up the wine, caviar and sweets)! Alas, come the 31st of December, David was laid up in bed with a fever; we had to postpone the dinner to a later date. Then within a few days, I'd followed suit with a fever and in the days proceeding, a stomach virus to boot! It wasn't until nearly two weeks into the new year that the both of us were well enough (and free) to crack open the caviar and bubbles.

a delayed New Year's wish...

Ahead of our ailments, I'd been dropping hints to David regarding how we should enjoy the caviar: Do you think we should do the classic HB egg? ... or we could do baked potato like they did in Brideshead Revisited. David heard nothing of my comments... but ended up making both, twice-baked potatoes and French-style scrambled eggs!

I never do mind "brunch" for dinner!

Nearly two bottles of Moët (my favorite "over the counter" champagne) later, the Mondel chocolates (champagne truffles, cocoa almonds, chocolate-dipped apricots and almond bark) were the perfect end to our "belated" New Year's Eve dinner.

But, that wasn't all that we'd had...

To be continued » 

Open Call: Food Writers' Salon Series, 2015!

programs in production for December's debut event

AMONGST my resolutions, plans and projects for 2015 is the continuation of the live reading event, the Food Writers' Salon Series (#FoodWritersSalonSeries). 

press release from LocalWineEvents.com

The purpose of the salon is to bring together/create a community of young food writers and allow them the opportunity to read their works--live--directly to an interested community. The debut salon last December was a stellar success: The Quarter's PDR was filled with twenty-something twenty-somethings, mainly industry folk including servers, chefs, bartenders, publicists and of course... writers.

on the back of a successful debut, a celebration was necessary!

For 2015's Food Writers' Salon Series, I'm reaching out to all food writers to submit their work(s) for a chance to read it live at an upcoming salon (slated to happen approximately every two months). The first event for 2015 is nearly under way at our for now home, The Quarter and I'm thrilled about two pieces already on bill for the event!

What can one expect at a Food Writers' Salon Series event?

While we try not to take ourselves too seriously... we do take our work seriously! At December's salon, one reader flew all the way from San Antonio for the event to impart her witticisms with the essay, "Dining and Dating." And embracing the alternative spirit of the evening, Ms. Araiza's "On Being A Throw Up Ninja" had the lot of us in stitches!

At 2015's first salon, you will hear a short story having to do with the "fragrances" of cheeses and another about chablis as an "allegory for my life." Following, I hope to conduct an exquisite corpse reading in the near future!

artist bios from December's programs

Calling all food writers!

Please submit your food-related writing of any kind (maximum reading time of 30 minutes) to pmb@patrickmbradley.com with "SALON" in the subject line. Selected readers will have their bio and/or links included in the salon's programs (it's a networking event too!). The Food Writers' Salon Series is a truly unique platform to not only read/hear creative writing, but also an opportunity to meet and mingle with a community of similar interests! Who knows whom you might meet at the next salon!

#FoodWritersSalonSeries