Posts Written OnJune 2012

Lost and Found Pop-Up Restaurant: 3 Local Chefs Look to Reclaim “Farm to Table”

Kyle Fiasconaro and Dan Shannon and Doug Weiler, the three local chefs behind Lost and Found are on a mission — a mission to make “farm to table” mean something again. “Many restaurants claim to be ‘farm to table,’ but what we have found from our collective experience in the industry, is that the majority of the time this is either a lie, or a tremendous exaggeration,” says Weiler. “The term has become somewhat of a buzz word, which seems to instantly attract people to a restaurant.” He points to the practice of only sourcing salad greens from a local farm, but…

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Benmarl Winery 2009 Slate Hill White

You don’t see many blends of chardonnay, riesling and traminette, but that’s what Benmarl Winery puts together to create it’s Benmarl Winery 2009 Slate Hill White ($17). The riesling (30%) and traminette (5%) aren’t overt, but no-doubt contribute subtle complexity and acidity. Pear, apple and pineapple fruit aromas dominate the note with subtle lemon and lemon zest notes. That pineapple character steps forward on the medium-bodied, well-balance palate, with pear and sweet lemon notes in the background. Simple and overtly fruity, it has a round mid-palate that is kept fresh with acidity, leading into a medium-length finish. At $17, I want a…

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Finally! A Good Reason to Open Cab Franc Ice Wine

I’m probably being a bit unfair in the title of this post. After all, some of the region’s top producers make a cabernet franc ice wine. And on occasion, it’s nicely made, drinkable. The problem is that too often, it tastes like ballpark nachos. I suppose the science types among us might be able to explain why that is. But even if it’s good, it’s hard to find a good occasion to open a bottle. How much can you drink? Let’s pretend, for a moment, that you recently purchased a bottle on a wine trip at one of the lesser…

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Peak Organic Brewing Company Local Series: New York

Peak Organic Brewing Company isn’t a New York brewery –– it calls Portland, Maine, home. But their beers are so consistently good that I forgive them. Now they’ve gone and made a beer with New York ingredients, which, for various reasons, is more than I can say for many of the excellent brews reviewed on this site. Peak has embarked on a Local Series, with each brew in the series featuring hops and barley from a certain state (Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York) to showcase that state’s particular terroir. Their New York example is here, and it’s a very…

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Hunt Country Vineyards 2010 Cayuga White

Aromas of sweet candied lemons and and dried apricots lead into an extremely fruity palate oozing with lemon and peach candy and just a hint of foxiness. Though off-dry (2.5% RS), crunchy acidity (9 g/L) brings solid balance. Simple and somewhat short, but refreshing and well-priced at $10. Producer: Hunt Country Vineyards AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12% Price: $10*   (2.5 out of 5, Average-to-Very Good)

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Blind Bat Brewery and the New York Cork Report Announce Series of Unique Collaboration Ales

Collaboration beers are hot right now. It seems like I can find a handful of them at each of my local beer shops. Breweries large and small are teaming up to brew some unique, interesting, and often delicious beers. The idea of two (or more) brewers coming together to create something new isn’t reserved for big, well-distributed brands either. About a year ago Greenport Harbor Brewing and Southampton Publick House brewed a Strong Ryland Pale Ale together and more recently Blind Bat Brewery and Long Ireland Beer Company brewed a saison together. Today, I’m excited to announce a different kind…

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Macari Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay

I seem to have built up a backlog of chardonnays that need to make their way to the NYCR tasting table. So, over the next couple of weeks, you can expect it to be a focus of reviews — along with some roses, some newly released summer whites and some other wines, of course. We’ll start the chardonnay parade with this Macari Vineyards 2009 Estate Chardonnay ($19) fermented in stainless steel, but showing some interesting lees characteristics on a nose dominated by juicy pear, pineapple and green tea. The nutty, slightly yeasty lees quality is bit more pronounced on the dry, snappy,…

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Sprout Creek Creamy and Sixpoint Craft Ales Join Forces to Produce “Point of Origin”

Beer and cheese make a perfect pair. I have said it many, many times here at the NYCR, behind the counter at a cheese shop, and talking with other cheese geeks. It is pretty universal that when these two are brought together, there is an opportunity for good things to happen. As the Specialty Products Coordinator for Whole Food Market, Chris Manca takes concepts such as beer and cheese together, develops them, and finds a way to make a product from them. With the plethora of local artisans and producers in the Northeast, what better way to celebrate this than by…

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Restaurant Week in the Finger Lakes: Local Food, Large Crowds

On the first night that acclaimed restaurant Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine was open during Finger Lakes Restaurant Week, owner Bob Stack found that nearly half his customers had ordered the all-local Restaurant Week menu. Some of those customers had come specifically for the event; others hadn’t known, but were eager to try the chef’s special hyper-local creations when given the option. “We’re off to a wonderful start,” Stack told me as we finished our meal on the deck overlooking Seneca Lake. “We’re very curious to find out how other restaurants are doing with it. We think it’s a great idea.”…

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Rocky Point Artisan Brewers Gets Microbrewery License

Editor’s Note: The story was written by our friend Alan Wax and published on his blog Corks, Caps and Taps. No. 1260239. This number means everything to Mike Voight and Donavan Hall, principals of Long Island’s Rocky Point Artisan Brewers. It’s the serial number on their just-granted New York State microbrewery license. The brewery submitted its application on Jan. 3 and five months and 20 days later, it became a realty on June 20. The project has been in the works for three years. “It just took so long,” Hall told Corks, Caps and Taps. “They kept giving us so many…

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