Posts Written OnNovember 2004

As I mentioned in a previous post, Nena and I cooked dinner for her parents and some friends last Saturday night. After two days of turkey-centric meals, we decided a small plates/tapas-style dinner was perfect. After over three years together, Nena and I have finally learned the best way for us to cook together…cook separately. We’re both great cooks…but both like to do things our own way…so we came up with a menu together, split it in half and each took ownership of half of the dishes. Dishes served included: Turkey Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry-Pear Salsa Asian Lettuce Wraps with…

Do you love wine and live on Long Island? Want to make new friends and learn about Long Island wines (and wines from around the world)? I’m trying to form a casual (but  organized) wine tasting group out here in Suffolk County (we live near Port Jefferson). My thought it to try to get together at least once every couple of months (to start), drink wines, talk about them….and maybe even get a Long Island winemaker to join us on occasion. Interested? Email me and let me know!

Yesterday, Reuters published a story on Long Island wines and wineries. I was glad to see the story because Long Island wines don’t get nearly enough national press…at least in my less-than-humble opinion. The piece was a disappointment. It had the usual "Long Island’s climate is the same as Bordeaux’s" slant, compared the region to Napa Valley 25 years ago and  quoted representatives from some of the Island’s lower tier winemakers. This is all old news that most everyone has already heard about the region. I don’t claim to be a climate expert, but I bet there are dozens of…

Above, you’ll see my place setting for Thanksgiving dinner, though the picture doesn’t really do the table justice. We had an absolutely great time in Schoharie this year over the long holiday weekend. Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by FMIL, was delicious. The turkey, which you can see here, was perfectly cooked and accompanied by her famous stuffing (which was even better the next couple of days!). Keep an eye out for pictures of and a recipe for FMIL’s awesome day-after turkey pot pie. It’s her own creation and I highly recommend it to all of you! Some of the great pictures…

(This column appeared in the 11/26 issue of Dan’s Papers) This summer, if you drove east on Sound Avenue toward wineries like Lieb Family Cellars, Martha Clara, or Macari Vineyards, you probably saw an “Opening Soon” sign for a new winery in Riverhead – Roanoke Vineyards. “Soon” ended up being a couple months longer than owner Richard Pisacano hoped, but after stopping in last weekend, I’d say it is well worth the wait. A Long Island native, Pisacano has worked with vines and wines on both the North and South Forks since high school, including stints at Mudd’s Vineyard in…

In just a few hours, Nena and I will be well on our way to her parents’ house in Schoharie, NY for Thanksgiving weekend. Schoharie, though a tiny little town (with just one light…a blinker), is a beautiful, peaceful country setting for the holiday. Nena’s mom, known in these pages as FMIL, will be creating a spectactular meal for the big day…and her soon-to-be famous turkey pot pie Friday evening. Our contribution to Thanksgiving dinner is, expectedly, liquid in nature. Saturday night, Nena and I are also whipping up a pile of appetizers/tapas/small bites to have as the main meal.…

I just finished reading a very interesting and insightful post on the value of aging wine (or buying well aged wines at a restaurant) on a great wine blog — Vinography, which also hosted Wine Blogging Wednesday a couple months ago! I’ve never had the opportunity to try a Bordeaux from the 60s or 80s…but I wonder if my palate, one used to much younger wines, would be able to appreciate an older wine like that. I’ve had a few wines from the mid-90s (a 1994 Rioja that Nena brought back from Spain and a 1996 Shiraz I picked up…

Don’t you just love Riesling? It’s one of the single best food-friendly wines if you ask me…so why not participate in Wine Blogging Wednesday #4, hosted by Derrick at An Obsession WIth Food? The theme? New World Riesling…and there are a lot of great ones to choose from. Have one with your Turkey dinner…just don’t post about it until December 1st!

I don’t know if this is true (I need to investigate) but my dad sent me a joke email about it…. Some Wal-Mart customers soon will be able to sample a new discount item: Wal-Mart’s own brand of wine. The world’s largest retail chain is teaming up with E&J Gallo Winery of Modesto, California, to produce the spirits at an affordable price, in the $2-5 range. While wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of Wal-Mart brand wine into their shopping carts, there is a market for cheap wine, said Kathy Micken, professor of marketing at Roger …