What a wonderful thing - 4 Years and counting!

Ah, we had a GREAT time last night at the Sip & Spa Salon at Hunt Valley Laser & Skin care. There was over 50 of you who showed up to taste some great pink wines (and one wine with a pink fish on the label Thanks to Spirits of Mt Vernon for helping us pick out some fantastic libations.

People enjoyed a variety of services including:

Mini Facials

Makeovers

Hand Vibraderm Treatments

Skin Analysis

Botox & more….

Laser treatments to address those pesky veins… and other unpleasantries.

We gathered well over two dozen pillows for the Domestic Violence center - whoo hoo!

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Baltimore4Her.com

Baltimore’s Best Party Entertainment

Brick Bodies

Baltimore magazine

Cabot Creamery/Cabot Cheddar

Feiji water

KAWG&F

Tydings & Rosenberg LLP

Silpada Designs

It was a great time.

Next event is in Bel Air - at the fabulous, prestigious and oh so wonderful - Maryland Golf and Country club.

Check out the site for details - postings of what wines were served last night is coming soon too!

Toodles!

A day in the life of…getting ready for summer

Ok - so here’s the deal, I have very pale skin - so pale that small veins, look 10 times worse on me - than they do on someone else. If you’re over 30 - you know the veins I mean. Left untreated…they can turn into spider veins, and worse varicose veins.

You can be a tight size 8 (as I am - thank you very much or a size 80 - it doesn’t matter. It’s one of those things the longer you wait - the worse it will be. Initially I thought I might go in to get some info about other “cosmetic” procedures - but truth be told, after a long consultation with the pro’s - Terry and Anita at Hunt Valley Laser & Skin Care (check ‘em out here) it was determined that the most practical and immediately beneficial would be laser vein therapy.

I did go in with some trepidation, I mean - was it going to hurt? Would it work? I had done some injected vein zapping last year - and had hated that. I mean - had to wear these goofy tight compression hose, was bruised, not to mention it wasn’t exactly pleasant to be pricked several times with a needle (no matter how small).

Well, I was amazed - the veins dissapeared before my eyes, there was only minimal (even on alabaster me) redness and the pain was not intense. Tolerable, very.

I am so happy with my result - and even happier that the down time is minimal and I’ll be able to get into my shorts A LOT sooner and with renewed confidence.

Anyway - great experience, and if you are considering ANY kind of cosmetic procedure - make sure the place you’re going to - has a Dr on staff who knows what they are doing… Hunt Valley Laser & Skin care was born out of Dr. Hartig’s thriving and wholistic family practice - and you can tell. Everything is handled with integrity, you get lots of information upfront and if something isn’t right for you - it’s OK.

one two THREE

So,

Last night, went to try THREE near Patterson park, the Chef/Owner is formerly of the Pazo pursuasion and you could tell, as per the “small plates” format favored. The highlight of our meal - was by far, our waiter. A jovial, charming, well intentioned and pleasant wait person - who walked the fine line between informative, funny, pleasant and respectful (an art many have yet to master in this darn town).

We tried…

The grilled octopus - LOVED it! ****

The Eggplant puttanesca - Loved it *** though tad too salty…however, they’d benefit from frying the Rabbit as delicately, believe me.

The venison (at our waiters suggestion) - Loved it! ****

The Jerk Pork (not very “jerky” more caramelized) and still not sure about the “banana bread” as a side, would have preferred something creative with plantains as combined with mango salsa of sorts, just TOO sweet for me. Would have liked more balance.

Spinach (ridiculously expensive at $6 for the portion size - come on people - I get the whole “quantity over quality” but we are talking spinach… not fennel, and not foie gras…none the less, tasty and pleasant once you get past the bare half a cup portion and no, they aren’t cooked down - if they had been, try two tablespoons of spinach at best.

The Greek Lamb - served with Feta, kind of was confit, rather than cooked. Very tasty - just everything around it too salty, I would have soaked the feta to balance it more, as the olives were also - very salty… I was beginning to wonder if I wasn’t at Salt - as things were, a tad too salty overall…except for the pork.

The disapointment was a dish that sounded GREAT - the Cajun “fried” rabbit. First of all - Cajun implies to me anyway - somewhat spicy. This was tepid in terms of spice and a bit greasy (see above and treat it like you do the eggplant, gently - the poor thing doesn’t need to be killed twice)…not for very good eating in my books. lighten up the frying (use a different oil maybe?) and actually season this - and you might hit the mark (my humble two cents). Thankfully the beans (who’d have thought one would wax about beans..) were creamy, flavorful (detected some tasso ham in there…mmmmm…smoky good) and sort of made up for it - but if it were up to me, I’d skip the rabbit (or make it differently) and order extra beans.

Good wine list, good service… too much salt - but hey, at times there isn’t any - so made up for all the bland dishes of many meals past. Good place, very pretty small terrace out front. Nice. Good eating but definitely AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Let me know your thoughts!

No dessert - I had my heart set on Cinghiale’s soft chocolate cake with molten salty caramel center. Of course, upon getting there and waiting an eternity for valet to get car… we found out - Chef decided to change the menu and had some chocolate, rosemary thing that frankly… didn’t float my boat, despite TF’s romantic description of it - almost gave Andreas at Center Club competition but came off sounding too flowery and complicated to be satisfying…sorry. This being said - by all means - try it and let me know. Please.

Next time - when my heart isn’t set on a given thing, I might try it - their other desserts are good, this should be too. But it kind of reminded me of when you crave chocolate ice cream and all you can find is lemon sorbet…aint’ going to do it for you, ya know?

Sounded overly complicated and more of the mind of intellectual stimulation and trying to impress than good eating. Why mess with something when it isn’t broken? Don’t get that - that other cake was a WINNER with a capital W. So it is.

We skipped over to Lebanese Taverna, where a French martini more than adequately quelled my sweet tooth - as did the GREAT O’s game! Extra points to the Cinghiale people as they were kind enough to accomodate us and hold the car, even though we were going there. Classy - given I was bereft at not having my dessert dream realized, that time anyway.
Ok - off to a Rugby game, for some street food, cold beer and ambiance!

Last night’s Women’s Wine & Dine - What you missed…

Well, last night’s event was AWESOME - we had over 50 ladies there, it was a blast. We paired Domestic VS. Imported wines, Content our board member (and partner with Tydings & Rosenberg LLP) spoke about why you should care about alcohol legislation, in Maryland especially. Our amazing guest speaker was none other than the fabulous Jane Brewer, who is co-chair of the Tax department at KAWG&F (yes, tax at this time of year is an exciting subject and with the addition of good wine, it was positively scintillating). Our featured charity was Art With a Heart, which offers art therapy to disadvantaged children and adults throughout the Baltimore area.

One of the biggest thrills was the food - we had an amazing menu. As usual the folks at Chris Daniels outdid themselves. I had the flat ironed steak over gorgonzola potato foam (this is NOT your normal rubber chicken dinner networking meal ladies by a long shot but those that had the almond covered rainbow trout with shoestring potatoes & fennel, were just as pleased as punch.

The crowd at March 26th Women’s Wine & Dine

As promised - here are the wines - prices indicated are approximate:
Domaine St Vincent Gruet New Mexico $10.99 -

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Domaine Saint Vincent Brut is a Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine produced by the Gruet family in New Mexico. Gruet makes more than a million bottles of French Champagne every year, and their Gruet Brut from New Mexico has long been our top-selling domestic sparkler. As the second label of Gruet, Domaine Saint Vincent Brut is surely one of the best values in domestic sparkling wines on the market.

Domaine Saint Vincent Brut is a soft yellow-gold in color, crisp and lively, with a nose of apples, citrus and vanilla. Light/medium in body, it is dry with flavors of apples, lemons, flinty earth and bread dough. Well balanced and food-friendly, this sparkling wine offers a clean and refreshing finish.

Domaine Saint Vincent Brut goes well with all kinds of food, and its friendly price makes it the perfect sparkler for summer parties. This one always blows away the wine snobs and know it alls… for that alone, I LOVE it.

Great value for your money!
Don Conde Cava SPAIN $9.99

Great - hey, this is drinking like the “good stuff” but it’s cheaper! wine

Sparkling wine from a specific part of Spain, Made by the champagne method, Cava wines use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well as Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarello grapes. Many of these wines should be drunk young to enjoy the most fruit flavor.

This is my - I want bubbles, but I don’t want to bust the budget bottle of choice. Great for Graduation parties !

Windy Ridge Heron Chard $12

Nestled high atop the hills in Temecula California lies the newest Winery in the Temecula Valley. With the daily afternoon winds it is appropriately named Windy Ridge Cellars.

The Proprietors, Steve & Valerie Andrews plan to operate a small boutique winery with the finest details personally attended to.
The 10 acres are terraced and planted with Zinfandel, Syrah, Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals. Tasting open by appointment only at this time.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE EVENING’S FAVORITES - LOTS OF LADIES LOVED IT, AND i HAVE TO AGREE! Most tasty!

Jim Jim Unwooded Chardonnay AUSTRALIA $11

Milbrandt Pinot Gris $14
Cornaro Pinot Grigio $8 ITALY

Heron Merlot $14
Altosur Merlot CHILE $10

Front Porch Cab $11
Man Vintners Cab SOUTH AFRICA $10

Good eats…really

Ok - so I’ve not been on a lot - hey, I’ve been eating…ok? First, gorged on Mary Sue chocolate like any bad Catholic would this past Easter… but if you’re talking “real” food…where have I been eating? Many places.

The most memorable of late include…One Eyed Mikes with my friends D & T - really neat place in Fells, is it new - no? But frankly, nothing new inspires me… They have great food (don’t go without a reservation though unless you’re willing to wait or eat in the bar), they are the world’s first ever - Grand Marnier club (really), the bartenders are smart, sassy, cute and fun…and it’s about the most interesting place I’ve been in a while…that was until last week and Henninger’s Tavern.

Ok - I can hear you snobs and know it alls saying “Ha, she claims she knows food in Bmore and she’s NEVER been there?” Well, yes, get over it. The truth is a while back a good friend (and fellow lover of good food) suggested it  - and when I heard the word Tavern, it wasn’t fitting the mood and dress that day…however, another friend - A - suggested it this week, and well - glad he did. I felt (as people probably always do - so forgive the clichay….) like I was somewhere other than Baltimore (Ironic as it’s a Baltimore landmark). The mix of classy, fun, funky, great food, good wine list (with even better prices), pinup girl memorabillia, and just plain fun - made me love the place. Yup - destined to become an “M” spot! 9 on 10 and please (you know who you are) don’t make this your new hip “take a date”  spot - I don’t feel like running into you and your harem,  when all I want is a good dinner, and great drink NOT TO MENTION peace. Gracias!

Now, for the other places I visited - I finally - after the hoopla, you know i hate hitting a restaurant when it’s “Just Opened”… I went to Meli - liked it - didn’t LOVE it. On a scale of 1-10 - I’d say 7. Service wasn’t tops - but they were understaffed, and you gotta give them a break as they were extremely gracious about it. Interesting menu - lot’s of influences of honey - hence the name Meli. In the spirit of objectivity - I should go back - and I will, promise to give you an update.

Went back to Tsunami (actually did Tsunami for sushi first - then Lemongrass for Entrees) - and really, have to say - LOVE it. The food, the atmosphere - the service…all good. On the scale 8.

Compared to RA which looks great, but is anything but ZEN. Can someone leave the loud music for a little later please? I lost my appetite…Didn’t love RA - left me, well - raw. Not great for the digestion.

Speaking of Asian - The Sun recently reviewed Pho Dat Than - a place I reviewed almost two years ago for the Baltimore Examiner (come on people - wake up - will ya?). Again, if you MUST venture to Howard County, here’s a civilized place to get some really good - authentic - Asian food, Vietnamese if you please. Great - fabulous and cheap… Save the money and hit Arundel Mills up the road

Ok - enough for now. Off to prepare tonights Women’s Wine & Dine!

How to Start your own Wine Cellar at Home

THE BASICS OF STARTING AND ORGANIZING A HOME WINE CELLAR

 

#1 - The Amount of bottles doesn’t matter – the System does. Find your system. But pick a system you can STICK to. I like the simple – 3 tier – Everyday, Special Occasion – Do not Touch under penalty of death.

 

#2 – Pick a place to store it. Pick a place away from the light, and ideally in a climate controlled area – actual temperature is not what’s most important – stability of temperature is. Spare closet, bedroom or basement (provided not too damp or too dry or hot) are all ok. You don’t need fancy racking you can do very well with sturdy wine boxes piled on one another.

 

#3 – Get yourself a little black book/composition book and if you have the energy – write down what you have - and organize ON PAPER what goes with what.  If that is TOO time consuming – just keep your receipts when you buy wine and put a little number next to each item (section #1, #2, #3) and you’ll know where to put them when you bring them home. It’s also good to keep receipts for insurance purposes and to keep track of what you’re buying.

 

#4 – Get the little sticky dots from Staples or Office Depot and use a color coding system on the top of the bottle so you can “at a glance” when they are lying down on their side – pick which ones are “ready to drink – green” , “save for a special occasion or not yet – ready- yellow” and “do not touch or ageing – red”.

 

# 5 – Have fun with the cellar – don’t be a slave to it. Do research before you buy lots at auction or spend a lot of money as you can make mistakes.

Out and About - Urbanite party…& more

Toodles…

Well, went to the Urbanite bash at Center Stage yesterday - great party. The food presented by Taste and our friend Chef Ann was amazing. The pulled pork sliders were my favorite - wine was supplied by Macaroni Grill and the Chianti - was pretty good - who knew? The meatballs from Georgies (Canton?) were also quite tasty. Good party food - actually no, great party food, a rarity at times.

It was a good crowd, there was music and lots of energy. An artist was painting - very nice event. Great job…well done, is there anything the Urbanite doesn’t do well? Methinks not.

Had I not been coming down with the flu - I would have probably enjoyed it MUCH more.

Here’s an interesting video from Sloane Brown and the Baltimore Sun….

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/custom/modernlife/bal-sceneandheardgallery-flashplayer,0,6862216.htmlstory?coll=bal-modernlife-utility

J Paul’s in the Inner Harbor - not bad, not bad.

This weekend, I went to J Paul’s with a friend, my expectations were low but I actually had some delicious beef sliders, oysters - Blue Points to be exact and some great Sam Adams Winter Ale. The crab cake sliders…um, not so good. The rest - very tasty though.

Wines from The Women’s Wine & Dine event on February 27, 2008

Well, we did it - people didn’t think we would but we did it - we drank….egads, BOX wines! at the last Women’s Wine & Dine.

Now, why did we did we do this? Precisely because lots of people out there think you SHOULDN’T. Here’s the deal - is a box wine going to rock your world like a small production, single vineyard fine wine - NO. But then again - you shouldn’t be expecting a KIA to beat a Mercedes in a drag race either. Everything (and every wine) has it’s purpose in life. Box wines - their time has come.

This year, I’ve found myself making the acquaintance of several people who do the “boating” thing - whether sailing or power boats, one across the board rule seems to be “no glass on the boat”. So, what’s a girl to do? I mean - I like my glass of wine while I’m watching the sun set on the bay et al…Box wines baby, to the rescue!

Now, were we in VA where they are civilized to the point of allowing people to purchase wine in the grocery store, even at Target… we’d have a MUCH greater variety of wines to choose from - however, we live in Maryland - and the system is not into making wine easy for you to get your hands on (sorry). So, the selection is somewhat limited.

Last Wednesday we sampled the Box Star wines…

The Cabernet, The Shiraz, The Merlot and yes, the Chardonnay (Mucho thanks to Allison & Stu Doris of Four Corners for helping out on that)…they were great! We served them instead of our usual bubbly and everyone agreed - for the price ($17 a box which holds the equivalent of three bottles) mighty tasty.

We also tasted some “bottled” wines as well…

Here’s the lineup:

Barnard Griffin White Riesling Washington State, USA ($10) OK - Why Riesling you ask? Here’s the deal… Easter and Passover (no this wine is not Kosher but if you do the meal and don’t necessarily keep Kosher it would work, make sense?) This slightly sweet wine works with a variety of salty, sweet, savory foods. It is crisp enough to keep your tastebuds snappy and can go with a LOT of different things.

Man Vintner’s Chenin Blanc South Africa ($10) - In the Loire Valley, in France - they GET Chenin Blanc, they understand that it is a highly versatile grape that can make still, sparkling, even sweet wines… In South Africa, they get that as well. Why Chenin Blanc? Well - every try to please everyone and find it darn near impossible? Here’s the deal - Chenin Blanc will usually appease both the Sauvignon Blanc AND Chardonnay drinkers…plus, at this price -it’s great value when cooking or entertaining.

Graham Beck Railroad Red blend South Africa ($12)- I just love this red wine. It drinks SO MUCH more expensive than it is. It is a lovely blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Yummy. Everyone there loved it too…this was by far one of the most favorite poured.

De Bortolli Petite Sirah ($11) Australia, with a screw cap - can’t beat that!

OK - We tasted this to help show case the difference between Petite Sirah and Syrah or Shiraz. I have a phrase I have coined (really) that goes like this: “No Sirah, Que Shiraz, syrah…” Meaning Sirah is separate from Shiraz and Syrah - which are the same animal just pronounced differently in different parts of the world.

Happy Drinking! (in moderation of course).

Great Tastes & Heart Ball - One Yummy Weekend!

Ok - so you know the people at Moorea - Greg and his team of gorgeous girls (who are all whip smart to add to that) put on a great event. This year’s Great Tastes was NO exception.

Check out a neat article on the event courtesy of BmoreLive

http://www.bmorelive.com/get-a-taste-of-foodie-culture-great-tastes-culinary-expo/

The fun started with an Oyster and Beer event on Thursday night.

I took a new friend an old friend and a friend’s husband - who I guess - qualifies as an “old friend” too - though I see much more of her than him.

Bill my favorite oyster shucker (aside from Bennet in Louisiana) in all of the world - was putting some righteous beauties on my plate and with Clipper’s killer stout - it was - well, let’s just say I was in heaven.

No pictures as frankly - it would be embarrasing to actually show you how obscenely big these beauties were. Thanks to Ryleighs for great ursters.

Friday night - I took the glamazon’s and myself (along with token glamazon for the night - Tiff who is actually a nurse at Hopkins) and we partied with the Green Fairy - that’s right LUCID Absinthe. Delicious stuff. We opened up the dance floor, when do we NOT do that, and had fun. Even better funds were raised for Susan G. Komen foundation.

The day of was great - my apologies to those of you who showed for the 12pm seminar with me - and had to wait due to overspill from previous seminar with Nancy Longo and the kiddies. God Bless Chef Longo for doing that - I mean - come on people we WANT our children to learn how to cook - all the better from a pro -no?

Chef Chris Paternotte of VIn was kind enough to allow me to encroach on HIS time. We tasted some great wines including (Thank you Abby, Paul and Mary of Reliable - you are the best and totally rock!)

In no particular order…. all showed great:

Ghost Pines Chardonnay

Root 1 Sauvignon Blanc

Solaire Cabernet
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs (sparkling)
Rodney Strong Russian River Pinot Noir

As to other neat things at the show (other than the ton of people - whew - next year I’m getting an addendum on my rider - I almost got asphixiated by the crowd there were so many peeps)….great tapenade from Whole Foods (who knew?) - Terrible line at the Lebanese Taverna booth (and you the crazy lady who almost hit me because you thought I was budding in line - I hope that the chicken fell off your plate). Caroline’s cakes were there again (this year I swear I’m getting the caramel for my birthday - and eating the WHOLE thing)… and cheese at Foodies and Cinghiale were some of the best.

Drink wise - loved the wines being poured but my fave has to be Patron cofee tequila liquor. Sorry - hands down - just one of my favorite end of the day sippers after all that food.

KJK you are a Prince for pouring - nobody does it better

OK - change of pace - Heart Ball.

Where to eat on Valentine’s Day in Baltimore

OK - here’s the deal, why have I NOT provided romantic suggestions for dining in Baltimore City today - because people, Valentine’s Day - albeit a GREAT day for restaurants, is a horrible day for diners. People are stressed, service is spotty and the food - not always at its best.

My personal favorite - takeout from Wegman’s, Eddie’s or Graul’s (in that order) or Angelo’s carryout (if you live near the Rotunda you know why).

Whatever you eat - make sure it’s with someone you love.  Life’s too short to waste food over empty emotions, and that means yes - carrying a small pocket mirror and dining alone - is perfectly fine.

Smooches to you my darlings, may much love come your way - today and the rest of the year.

Love reminds you that nothing else matters.

- Amy Bushell -