Posts Written OnFebruary 2012

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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A New New York Cork Report is Coming

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor This site has had more-or-less the same format and design for much of its almost 8-year life. I've always felt that content is much more important than design. I still feel that way. I'm a writer, after all. But that doesn't mean design is unimportant. And so — the New York Cork Report will be undergoing a major facelift in coming weeks, including a brand new design and a move to an entirely new platform. This move is long overdue and will help us present our content in a much better way and hopefully grow…

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The “Beers of the Year Finalists” That Didn’t Win… That We Loved

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor The best and worst aspect of our “Beers of the Year” program is the difficulty of choosing a favorite; while we agreed on Krysztoff, and Mark Tichenor has plenty more to tell you about that particular Baltic porter (look for his post next week), several beers caught the crew’s attention in a big way. I highly encourage NYCR readers to try all of the finalists if they haven’t already. The first time I had Ithaca Beer Company’s Brute I found it truly staggering. I had just begun exploring sour beers and this one was a…

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What We Drank (February 15, 2012)

Here is a sampling of what our editors and contributors have been drinking…. Evan Dawson: Standing Stone Vineyards 1995 Riesling and 1994 Pinnacle The first question when encountering wines of this age is simple: Are they alive? The next question is more complicated: Are they any good? It was a tremendous pleasure to drink the ’95 Riesling, which takes its place in my memory alongside the Hermann J. Wiemer 1994 Riesling as some of the best riesling I’ve ever had from this region. It’s the kind of wine that is difficult to describe for those who haven’t tasted mature wines.…

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Wine Blogging Wednesday #74: Happy Bitch Wines “Happy Bitch” NV Rose

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor This month’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the 74th such edition, is being hosted by Tim Elliott, long-time blogger and podcaster at Winecast.  The theme: Value Sparkling Wine, which Tim has defined as anything $25 and under. Perhaps not surprisingly, I usually try to wedge a New York wine in as my WBW entry when possible. Most of my favorite local sparklers, sadly, do not qualify. They tend to be $30 and up. But then I remembered that my friend Debbie Gioquindo sent me a bottle of Happy Bitch Wines “Happy Bitch” Rose a few…

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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Bedell Cellars Winemaker’s Dinner at Jamesport Manor Inn on March 2

On Friday, March 2, Bedell Cellars will co-host a winemaker’s dinner at The Jamesport Manor Inn at 7 p.m. The menu, prepared by Executive Chef Michael Mandleur and paired with wines by winemaker Richard Olsen-Harbich, is below. Seats are $70 per person and $65 for wine club members. Call (631) 722-0500 for reservations.           Bedell Cellars Winemaker’s Dinner Menu March 2, 2012 at 7 p.m. Slow-braised barbeque pork belly with Michigan cherries, hazelnuts and frisee Bedell Cellars 2007 Blanc De Blanc Peconic Bay Oysters on the half shell with lemon granite and cocktail sauce Bedell Cellars…

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The 2011 New York Cork Report Wines of the Year

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I think I can speak for my fellow editors and contributors when I say that our 2011 Wines of the Year tasting was a fun, challenging and inspiring day of 16 wine tasting flights. I always come away with myriad story ideas swirling in my head after this tasting. This year is no different. Look for pieces from the team over the next few weeks. But today, we announce the winners — including our first-ever New York Wine of the Year, Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate. Our 2011 Regional Wines of the Year…

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2011 Beer of the Year: Custom Brewcrafters Krysztoff Baltic Porter

On behalf of the New York Cork Report I’m proud to announce our 2011 Beer of the Year: Custom Brewcrafters Signature Series Krysztoff Baltic Porter. We’ll have more commentary on this amazing beer, and on other beers that impressed the entire crew, in the next few days, but at this time I would like to congratulate Bruce Lish and his team on a simply fantastic accomplishment. I’d also like to congratulate all the incredibly skilled New York brewers who created this lineup of finalists. I think I can speak for all Wines/Beers of the Year attendees when I say that…

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NYCR Wines of the Year Weekend Kicks Off This Afternoon.. With Beer

Last year’s (much smaller) WoTy tasting. By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor The planning is complete, all of the wines and beers have been gathered, and later this morning the non-Long Island members of the New York Cork Report family will hit the road, heading to the North Fork for our third-annual Wines of the Year Weekend, which we’ve taken to referring to simply as WoTY. As with our staff and coverage of New York’s adult beverage team — this year’s WoTY program has grown significantly compared to last year’s. Last year, we dipped our toes into beer, adding a small…

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