morton's wine tasting

we attended a wine tasting at Morton's as a preview of the "evening with charles krug" benefit occurring later this month. the wine tasting on april 21st benefits the make a wish foundation. i recognize a wine tasting is not the optimal place for a pregnant woman, but i couldn't pass up the invitation and the chance to hobnob with fellow bloggers wine me, dine me, 5chw4r7z and don't call me mrs, the hoperatives, and my wine education (the last two, interestingly, are blocked by the VA net nanny).

The four of us attended (krissy, me - beth, eric and brian). krissy was able to enjoy the food and unfortunately only sniff the wine. neither krissy and i have been writing much (who are we kidding - i'm not the biggest writer here to begin with!) and thought that this even sounded like fun and a good way to get back into the swing of things.

the thing about writing this post that i struggle with is that i'm not overly informed on wine. i know good wine and i know bad wine. rather, i know what i like and i don't like. i'm not always able to find the flavors/smells unless someone is pointing them out to me. as someone who has been known to enjoy some pretty low class chilled wines on a summer evening, i agree with beth. i just know what i like, and if i happen to like it paired with a twinkie, who cares?

the first course was was a mini crab cake, endive with blue cheese, and tuna tartare with tomato and avocado. (shown below). i have to say i'm not a huge seafood person -- what that means is that i'm willing to try anything once or twice but don't really prefer it (and rarely order it in a restaurant). i enjoyed the crabcake and the tuna tartare. i probably wouldn't have even known that i was eating tuna if i hadn't been told. i never knew this about beth, but apparently she doesn't like cucumber because it was left on her plate. i only ate the crabcake, which was fine, but had kind of a funny texture for a crab cake. probably due to the fact i am used to eating cheap crab cakes with lots of breadcrumbs and fillers rather than lots of crab. i could take or leave the cucumber, but to be completely honest, it was left because i wasn't exactly sure how to eat it (and not embarass myself) with the cucmber. so i left it.

it was paired with the sauvignon blac (napa valley). it was described with apple and grapefruit aroma. i noticed it once it was pointed out to me. i really enjoyed this wine because it was very smooth and fresh tasting. i'm looking at eric's tasting notes and his say "yummy". it is recommended that it be paired with fish. it smelled REALLY good. it tasted really good too.

the second course was a mixed field greens topped with grilled colossal shrimp and paired with the chardonnay (carneros) i thought the salad was delicious. the shrimp wasn't rubbery like so often found in landlocked cincinnati. brian commented that the apples were the best part. consequently, that was the only part he ate. i tried the shrimp, thought it was ok and passed the rest to eric who really enjoyed it. i think its funny that brian liked the apples because i didn't think he ate fruits and vegetables (he doesn't really).....i could eat that salad every night and be very very happy. the wine was also good. i recall them describing it as buttery and thinking that was a good description. although i don't know much about white wines i enjoyed both of them very much.


the third course was single cut filet mignon, chive mashed potatoes, and roasted tomatoes stuffed with spinach and shiitake mushrooms. it was paired with cabernet sauvignon. i could have taken a bath in the sauce accompanying the filet. i wanted to lick my plate. the tomato i could done without. it was flat and the spinach overpowering. as for the mashed potatoes, i'm pretty easy to please when it comes to starch, but i prefer a creamier, less pasty version of mashed potatoes. at home i add milk and butter until the starchy dryness is extinct. i liked the potatoes. i agree about the tomatoes. i had high expectations for the tomatoes. the wine was WONDERFUL. i'm pretty sure i drank mine and krissy's. it should be noted that i'm going to try and buy some of this for home. oh yeah, this is the wine i succumbed to and sipped because it smelled so perfect. actually sipped twice, once wasn't enough. i don't usually like reds, cabs in particular, but yum!

the fourth course was was a cheese and fruit plate with goat cheese, gouda, gorgonzola and jersey cow milk cheese. it was paired with a port wine. please note: MOST AMAZING GOAT CHEESE EVER! i abandoned pretext and was eating it with a spoon. i love cheese. i could eat it all day. i haven't had a lot of port wine. when i have, it was with chocolate. i didn't have the same experience with the port and cheese as i did the chocolate (and port) in the past. it may be that i wasn't supposed too.....i would like to learn more about port wines. brian basically took the port as a shot. he really doesn't care for red wines of any sort, and was just trying to swallow quickly as to avoid appearing rude and ungrateful for the wine.

since this was a sampling of what is to come i would have to say anyone who partipates in the funraiser will eat good food, drink good wine and enjoy socialzing with the staff at morton's. all staff were very welcoming. plus participants get to hang out with peter mondavi, jr, and harass him with questions about enology and viticulture. the evening includes bidding on an exclusive 27-liter bottle of charles krug, vintage select 2006 cabernet sauvignon. i really don't know how anyone can be expected to pour from a bottle that large, but it's not something i have to worry about. the last bottle of this magnitude was auctioned off for $27,000, clearly out of my price range.

food as a weapon?

in chillicothe, i don't have TV. i mean, i have a tv, but no channels. so i've been spending my downtime recently catching up on oscar-nominated films (up in the air, the blindside) and tv-on-dvd. i am fairly obsessed with glee. in fact, i'm embarassed to admit how many times i have watched the dvds. even all the sex and violence in true blood could not divert my attentions from the mesmorizing saccharinity and sly humor which is glee.

my point? since the glee kids are living in the sub-basement of the high school hierarchy, they are frequently accosted with slushie baths.

granted, i have not been in high school for some time, but i don't recall ever being drenched in high fructose corn syrup or smacked in the face with hostess cupcakes. and, as you may well imagine, i was fairly nerdy. i don't even remember a food fight.

maybe it was the omnipotence of catholic educators and the baby jesus that discouraged this behavior. hell, to this day i'm still afraid to deviate from the sidewalk and cut across the grass. maybe it was single sex education. perhaps the barbarianism of boys dictates food be projected into another's face as a warning against those who diverge from the herd. (elder alums, care to weigh in?)

did anyone else experience this phenomenon? and, whether it's throwing eggs or purple slushies, why is food the new scarlet letter?

cod and god 2010

ok, so i have been quite the slacker this year when it has come to the fish fry. getting home late on friday nights from chillicothe has not helped my cause. as easter is rapidly approaching, it seems unlikely i will be able to analyze a large sample size this year. i only have comments to offer on one westside fry: st. martin's.

and, i have only one thing to say about it.

the right amount of grease is a good thing.

the wrong amount leads to two people throwing away their fish fry dinners from st. martin's. the fish was batter dipped and so greasy it soaked through the bread. the fish inside the batter dipping was overcooked and falling apart. brian said the mac and cheese wasn't even good.

the next day we were shopping and i kept wondering what this horrible smell was. finally, it dawned on me that the smell was eminating from brian's jacket, which he had worn while waiting in line 20minutes for our fish the night before. grease odor marinating on a fleece jacket did not improve my opinion of our experience.

sorry, st. martin's, but you disappointed me.

wal-mart wine?

people who pay attention more than me have probably heard this, but i was appalled to learn on my drive to work this morning that wal-mart is producing its own wine with the assistance of ernest and julio gallo. the goal is to produce inexpensive, accessible wine for the masses. price point of $2-$5/bottle.

my initial reaction to this is revulsion. i must ask myself, why? is it my innate loathing for the evil empire of wal-mart? my wonderment at the reasoning behind having to reduce everything to the lowest common denominator? worry that it might actually be palatable?

and what's wrong with them just carrying some two buck chuck?

a lenten debate

ok, it probably seems like i am totally obsessing over tuna salad, but it is a pretty prominent component in the catholic diet at this time of year. and the conversation with josh about the sandwich-ready tuna salad got me to thinking...

i find it to be absolutely inherently wrong that tuna salad should ever contain hard boiled eggs. they are unnecessary and disgusting. i like my tuna salad laced with crisp bits of celery, pickles, and onion ONLY. no grapes, no water chestnuts, no apples, and definitely no eggs.

to my disappointment i ordered larosa's tuna hoagy to find it contained eggs. gag.

any thoughts for or against? does anyone think about this banal crap besides me?

food for thought

i bought a package of "sandwich ready" tuna salad and i am curious/concerned about what exactly has to be done to mayonnaise to make it "heat stable".

what's been going on with me

ok, so if anyone out there is still reading this blog after my abysmal lack of entries, here is an update.

good news: i'm pregnant. bad news: i'm miserable. i have lost considerable weight and throw up at least once a day. and while i do spend 60-70% of my waking hours thinking about my stomach and food, i can assure you this is completely devoid of pleasure.

this is a sad state of affairs for someone who loves to eat as much as me.

most days the only thing that sounds remotely palatable is a vanilla jell-o pudding pop, which we all know is tragically off the market. curse bill cosby.

there have been some wondrous days when i can actually eat something worthwhile, like a couple sundays ago i was able to fully enjoy a taste of belgium waffle with strawberries while visiting findlay market. but alas, these days are few and far between, and it seems like every good day is followed by a really awful day (hmm...like today). it's a very different experience to, as my friend mike puts it, eat to live rather than live to eat. it's even difficult right now for me to tell if i'm hungry or if i'm nauseated.

yes, i know in the end it will all be worthwhile. i just sure as hell hope it's twins because i'm going to have a difficult time convincing myself to go through this again.