Archive for November, 2008

Last January I was all fired up when I saw a video of MS Surface (the Microsoft program that can turn tabletops into computers) used as a wine educator. With the flip of a hand, the demonstrator was a virtual wine steward, taking us through a restaurant table that allowed him to select wines based on parameters like acidity, body and depth. At his fingertips he found recommended food pairings and even viewed a map of the winery’s location. His glass was associated with his chosen wine, so that placing the glass on the table brought up the wine’s information. He lit up the rim of the glass based on how much he liked the wine, showing us a way to mix and mingle with other oenophiles. You can imagine the possibilities!

If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here:

The problem is that MS Surface won’t be ready for consumers for a few years and I’ve yet to see any imitations of it that work in a functional, inspiring way. On the two occasions when I’ve visited a bar that boasts a “virtual wine list” I’ve shut it off, after frantically waving my hands at it, not getting far. It’s a shame because I think there is a lot of potential here.

If used in a wine shop, customers are no longer forced to rely on the employees’ knowledge of each wine. People would be free to explore  beyond the back label, on their own. Waiters become nearly defunct in wine bars if people can order from their table and mark their preferences for further recommendations. Whether the electronic wine surface functions well or not I wonder, are people interested in this?  There is something to be said for having an exchange with a real person, and learning about wine from their perspective. Maybe computers take some of the humanity and fun out of the wine drinking experience. On the other hand, if people have the freedom to explore on their own, a lot of the intimidation factor is removed. People who might be scared to approach a clerk or ask a question of their waiter are free to explore to their heart’s delight. I see both sides of the coin.

Have you seen an electronic wine educator at a wine bar or shop near you? What do you think about this potential development?

With the economy faltering, restaurants across the country are taking a painful hit. Even in Manhattan where I live, a quick walk-by of usually bustling eateries gives the impression that more people are cooking at home. But for diligent diners nationwide, the downturn can actually be a bonus. Where wresting a table at buzzy joints was akin to an audience with the Pope a year ago, tables for mere mortals are becoming available at short notice. Special “happy hour” prices for both food and drinks are appearing at upscale establishments that in the past had no need of offering value. And small plates menus, though not a new trend, seem to be increasing—a strategic approach for budget-minded gourmets who may want to taste what the restaurant has to offer without splurging on a $40-plus entrée.

Varying degrees of this new way of thinking were apparent to me this past week in my own culinary meanderings—I dined at three diverse and equally impressive restaurants: The recently opened Tarry Lodge in Port Chester, New York, the new venture by Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali (among others); Haven in Manhattan’s Midtown East, also newly opened and whose menus are conceived by former Mercer Kitchen chef Kay Choe; and Graffiti in Manhattan’s East Village, the 14-month-old food and wine bar of cookbook author and celebrated pastry provocateur Jehangir Mehta.

All three restaurants specialize in eclectic, small plate offerings at reasonable prices. Two of them, Graffiti and Haven, focus on global cuisine (a shrimp dish from Thailand, Argentine flank steak) and eclectic wines by the glass (think German Rivaner, Hegre Nache from Spain) offering a way for budget-minded diners to trot the globe without the pricey airfare. It reminded me that whether you cook eclectic cuisine at home or dine out, wine and food is an adventure—an excellent way to explore mentally in a time when travel takes a back seat.

At Tarry Lodge, located in a gleaming, century-old building, the journey ranges all over Italy, and the fare is hardly predictable. Plates like Armandino’s salumi (made by Batali’s father), guanciale (pork jowl), black truffle and sunny-side egg pizza and brasato al Barolo with polenta and horseradish smack of being hand-picked by Batali, Bastianich and Chef Andy Nusser—giving diners the feeling of jaunting around Italy with insiders as culinary guides. Splurge a bit with the grilled lamb chops. They’re succulent and perfectly prepared—you won’t be disappointed. Bastianich himself works the room and aids diners with wine choices, whether they’re eating an $8 plate of rock shrimp or a $60 ribeye for two. The wine list is surprising and Bastianich chose a delicious and affordable 2005 Montefalco Rosso for us that bridged a range of flavors and dishes. I was impressed with how respectful he was of budget—no attitude whatsoever.

Haven’s ambiance—think funky English manor meets Victorian brothel—is part of its charm, but the globetrotting small plates menu and imaginative wines by the glass list are both fun and educational. Again, Haven’s menu feels like it was hand-selected by the absent eccentric jetsetter in whose “house” you are kicking back. Two to three small plates are enough to fill you up and won’t break the bank by any means. The lobster risotto and Thai duckling meatballs are outstanding. I mixed it up with Rivaner, a Rhône red and a Washington Cab. I love that more restaurants around the country are having fun with their by the glass menus and really pushing interesting, affordable wines. It’s about time.

The bargain traveling ended yesterday at Graffiti, a closet-sized small plates spot in the East Village. I smelled the rich spices before I even opened the door—a good sign. Like the Tarry Lodge, Graffiti had a homey, personal touch with Mehta working the floor, discussing the exotic, Ayurvedic-influenced nibbles and pouring our wine. The fair, fixed per-glass price of $8 made wine choices easy and invited experimenting. So did the beautifully spiced, aromatic dishes—we had a chili shrimp and a dish of skate to die for and walked out of there with some money left in our pockets.

It’s a grim world out there and nearly everyone has been financially impacted in some way. But thanks to creative chefs and clued-in restaurateurs, there are deals to be had in the gourmet world for the diner who wants to continue to live the good life of wine and food, but is watching his/her pennies.

What creative approaches have you seen restaurants taking in this downturn? What do you wish you were seeing more of?

We all know the story of the Pilgrims; a group of about 100 folks who decided to depart from England to search out and colonize a new world about 2,750 miles away from home. Their ship, the Mayflower, landed at Plymouth Rock instead of the original destination of Northern Virginia due to inclement weather, poor navigation and a need for supplies. The real scoop? Supposedly, according to many historians and accounts of the momentous occasion, the real necessity that was lacking was… beer.

“We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer” – one diary recalls. Now, numerous stories from various sources are available, both supporting and debunking the long lived myth, including articles from well-known beer writers Cecil Adams, Stephen Beaumont, and Bob Skilnik to name a few. Now, whether or not the claim is true, it’s fun to imagine that without the shortage of “victuals” the Mayflower perhaps would not have landed in Plymouth Rock and the sequence of events that transpired thereafter would not be history as we now know it. Leading to the question… without beer, would we be celebrating Thanksgiving?

What better way to pay tribute to the poor planning (or perhaps over-indulgence) of the Pilgrims this Thanksgiving than by celebrating the holiday with a few choice beer selections.

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Twenty-two years after the publication of the first edition, the sixth edition of Andrew Caillard’s The Rewards of Patience has just been released. For those who might not know, this book is a complete chronicle of the various Penfolds wines, generated out of a vast retrospective tasting by a panel of experts. Caillard is a Master of Wine who’s also co-founder of Langton’s auction house, Australia’s leading auctioneer of fine wines. As an aside, his company’s Web site has some great information on the top Australian wines.

To celebrate the new edition, Penfolds has been sending a group of the tasters around the world, including Chief Winemaker Peter Gago, Senior Red Winemaker Steve Lienert, Caillard, Singapore-based wine critic Ch’ng Poh Tiong, English wine writer Anthony Rose and American (wine editor of Condé Nast Traveller) Joseph Ward. Last week they were in New York, along with more than a dozen selections from the Penfolds library.

However tempting it might be to regale you with detailed notes on some of the top wines–Grange from 1990 and 1991 and the legendary 1962 Bin 60A–what really struck me about the tasting was how nicely some of the lesser wines had matured.

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Once upon a time, a working knowledge of moo shoo pork, California roll, and pad thai got you through most Asian restaurant experiences.

Today, if that’s all you’ve got on your mind’s menu…..your little white take-out carton is intellectually empty.

There are now more Asian restaurants than ever in the U.S.–indeed, more kinds of Asian restaurants than ever!–and, as the movement rolls, more of us are patronizing them more frequently.

But the anchor dishes we once depended on are increasingly surrounded by waves of other things. And, for most of us, sticking with General Tso, no matter how you feel about loyalty, seems positively antediluvian.

So the crunch is on: to get maximum enjoyment, we need to know more about Asian cuisine. How to acquire it? Precisely at this delicious moment, along comes a fine way to do so: a new book by super-foodie Steven A. Shaw, the eGullet founder, called Asian Dining Rules (William Morrow, 2008).

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