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At Gene McCarthy’s, a Local Irish Pub Gets a Beery Makeover

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor A very old Irish pub in a very old part of Buffalo is getting a fresh start and a bright future thanks to a group of local-obsessed craft beer freaks. Gene McCarthy’s, located in Buffalo’s historic Old First Ward, has long been a cozy setting with a surprisingly sophisticated tap list thanks to the influence of its neighbor, the world headquarters of the Brewing News publications. Now, Brewing News founder and owner Bill Metzger is teaming up with passionate locavore and brewer Willard Brooks; general manager David Bittner, an avid gardener and brewer; and Matt…

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Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars 2009 Rkatsiteli

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I was first introduced to the Rkatsiteli grape when I tried the 2006 vintage bottling from Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars. I was quickly hooked by the aromatic white that can be described as riesling-meets-gewruztraminer-meets-sauvignon blanc in its aromas and flavors with a beam of beautiful natural acidity. Since then, Dr. Frank’s Rkatsiteli has been a bit up and down for me — always drinkable, but sometimes without the verve and length of that first taste. Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars 2009 Rkatsiteli ($15) is lemony on the nose with notes of citrus…

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Not Your Average Riesling: The Story Behind the 2011 NYCR Finger Lakes Riesling of the Year

To understand why the Hermann J. Wiemer 2010 Dry Riesling Reserve is such a special wine, it’s important to understand that not all rieslings are created equally. Nor are all wines created easily. Winemaking at Wiemer is more difficult, more patient, more risk, more reward. There is perhaps no better wine to exemplify this than the NYCR Finger Lakes Riesling of the Year. “For me, the 2010 Reserve is the finest riesling I’ve made,” says winemaker Fred Merwarth. That’s an extraordinary statement for a winemaker who prefers euphemism to hyperbole, and who has built a prolific portfolio in 10 short…

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Lenz Winery 2007 Estate Selection Merlot

If you’re looking for innovative, modern winemaking or flashy branding, The Lenz Winery probably isn’t for you. Lenz isn’t in the Long Island Wine Council and isn’t particularly active on channels like Facebook and Twitter. Instead, Lenz has relied on winemaker Eric Fry and his traditional, Old World-styled wines and the periodic, well-publicized blind tasting against top Boredeaux, to build its reputation. And it’s worked. Lenz has a devoted following and Eric’s reds are often among the most complex in the region. Carrying on a tradition of well-priced, age-worthy merlot, Lenz Winery 2007 Estate Selection Merlot ($24) offers aromas of…

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At 171 Cedar Arts, Real Culinary Education by Finger Lakes Chefs

By Rochelle Bilow, Finger Lakes Food Correspondent Most celebrity chefs guard their secrets closely, denying consumers and fans their recipes and techniques. And why should they share? It’s their repertoire, after all. There’s a certain unspoken fear in the restaurant world that if clients can replicate dishes on their own, the banquettes and bar stools will slowly empty as home ovens steadily warm to a roaring fire. The chefs in the Finger Lakes believe otherwise. For years, a core group of culinary professionals in the region have been teaching specialized and themed classes to laypeople, unraveling the mystery and mystique…

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Sparkling Pointe and Pork Belly Benedict Take Over at Wading River’s La Plage

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent It seems every time I decide to eat at La Plage, I can’t remember how to get there. It’s somewhere near Wading River by the beach, hence the name “La Plage,” but the exact route I take always seems to allude me. Eventually though, I do happen upon Sound Road that winds me to the small restaurant. For years now, Chef Wayne Wadington has been making waves across the North Shore with his eclectic, French-inspired cuisine. Clean, straightforward and always delicious, Wadington’s food is based upon fresh, seasonal ingredients. Recently, my wife and…

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Is Wine Tasting a Family-Friendly Endeavor?

By Tracy Weiss, New York City/Long Island Correspondent Photo by Erika Bocknek A wine tasting experience is a sum of its parts. As I sip and swirl and slurp, the wine can only be enhanced or diminished by the elements around me. The silent quaint town of Bouzy on Easter Sunday brought the liquid gold of Paul Clouet’s Grand Cru to legendary status. A simple table wine in Barcelona was elevated when paired with tapas in a rustic café and shared with the restaurant’s owner. I’m the oenophile who remembers more than the notes or structure or acidity after sampling.…

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Scenes from the 2012 Long Island Nano Cask Festival

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor At beer events, including the 2012 Long Island Nano Cask Festival last weekend, I’m often introduced as “A wine guy who likes beer too.” I’m not even sure that’s accurate anymore. I drink nearly as much beer as I do wine. There’s little I like better after a long day tasting wine than a couple pints — preferably of a hoppy, bitter-but-barely-balanced IPA. With beer, I know what I like and don’t like, but I don’t know anywhere near as much as the talented NYCR beer team — including our Long Island Correspondent, Donavan Hall,…

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2011 Beer of the Year: CB’s Brewing Company Krysztoff Baltic Porter

Some breweries just don’t get a lot of respect. Then again, some breweries haven’t always taken the steps to earn it. For most of its history, Custom Brewcrafters subordinated the desire to make truly world-class beers and clung to their original business model, making small-batch, neutral, house-label beers for Rochester area bars and restaurants. You could see that mentality start to shift a few years ago with the launch of the CB’s line of signature beers launched by then-brewmaster Jason Fox and continued by Bruce Lish, the current head of brewing. These beers marked a turnaround for the brewery, which…

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Carmelo’s Restaurant Introduces “Butcher’s Supper”

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Editor Foodies who pride themselves on eating local have found Carmelo’s Restaurant in Lewiston, NY as a destination for some of the best “farm-to-table” cuisine in the region. Never before has that term been more literal than with the restaurant’s “Butcher’s Supper.” Chef Carmelo Raimondi and sous chef Bruce Wieszala have created a three-course feast featuring a suckling pig from T Meadow Farm in Lockport, NY as the main attraction. “We’re breaking new ground here,” says Raimondi. And he’s doing it with style. When I was lucky enough to share in the first of such dinners,…

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