Here it is, the food experience y’all have been waiting to hear about…

Gladys Knight’s Chicken + Waffle House

Because none of us knew what to expect with our experience, we all conjured up our own ideas as to what it was going to look like inside this Hot Atlanta Food Spot.  I thought I’d see some sort of diner-like interior with greasy booths and an angry waitstaff, or an open kitchen line where you’d have only three things to choose from, give your order, pay and then end up with a number to come pick up your tray of fixins.  The rest had ideas of imaging a chain-like restaurant feel, down to a hot spot that would serve us beers with every chicken piece we had.

And, because none of us had ever had ‘Chicken and Waffles’, there were many questions also prior to our arrival that had to do with eating this southern concoction:

1.  Was the ‘waffle’ like a waffle that you had for breakfast or was it like a potato-like pancake of sorts?  Was it like a french fry kind of waffle?

2.  How were you supposed to eat your ‘waffle’?  Does the ‘waffle’ act as blanket to coddle your chicken?  And, would there be the typical ‘waffle-like’ condiments on the table if it were like a breakfast waffle (IE: syrup, butter)?

3.  What kind of chicken comes with your ‘waffle’?  Breasts, legs, thighs, pieces?

4.  And if it was a typical breakfast-like ‘waffle’, would ya look like a person who didn’t know what they were doin’ if you asked for Syrup?

I know, sounds silly…but if you’ve never had Chicken and Waffles, these are all pretty normal questions, wouldn’t ya say?

As we pulled up to the downtown Atlanta staple, the neon sign reading:  Gladys Knight and Ron Winan’s Chicken & Waffles, hung high above the street.  It seemed iconic and one could certainly imagine seeing it from blocks away in the late midnight hours when the restaurant was still open on a Friday or Saturday night at 4 a.m.  As hot as it was, still at about 97 degrees +, we were all surprised to see this famous waffle and wing joint over-flowing with people on a mid-afternoon Monday.  When we walked in, the place was crawlin’.   And the interior, was pretty much nothing like we all imagined.  No angry waitstaff, no line for food, no cash register to ring in your order and no pitchers of beer.  Instead, had the feel of a very nice Denny’s.  Lined with dark wooded walls and big leather booths, framed pics of famous people that had eaten there hung on the wall, and as I looked around… everyone, I mean everyone, was eating chicken.

Turns out, the wait for our traditional southern viddles was short-lived.  We were in our sticky syrup drenched booth in no time.  The menu fit the standards of a Denny’s, with laminated pages of southern food plates and pictures to match them.  The choices of food ranged from black-eyed peas, mac n cheese, collard greens, catfish, salmon to the most famous plate of all ~ The Midnight Train.  And when it came time for ordering, it was almost like a scene from The Blues Brothers…’We’ll take four Midnight Trains!’

And there it was ~ a fat ass plate of four crispy chicken thighs, and a big ole waffle (yep, like a breakfast waffle) right in the midst of it all.  With a heap of syrup already on your table, you were expected to slather it up with melted butter, pour on the goo and eat it all up just like you would breakfast.  Our sides included: mac n cheese, lima beans, grits and collard greens.  And to drink, because they didn’t serve beer or any other alcoholic beverages, sweet teas all around.

And the taste, as our friend Tim would say it, “Tastes so good, make ya wanna slap your momma!”  Pretty darn good for my first Chicken + Waffles experience and one worth any trip to Hotlanta to try it.

While the sweet tea seemed to be, as we all agreed, the best drink to pair to this ‘heart stoppin’ plate of goodness- the first question before our arrival was, “So what kind of wine would you pair to Chicken and Waffles, Leslee?”  With each bite of my drippin’ waffle and my crispy chicken wing crunched together into perfect bites, I thought of the syrupy sweetness and the salty crunch of my plate.  The butter from grits managed to sink right through its gooey mess and the syrup was not to be reckoned with dripping off my chicken and right down the center of my shirt.

I give this plate a couple of pairing ideas… The fried chicken deserves anything bubbly.  Because ‘fried’ and ‘bubbles’ always goes together, I would have chosen perhaps a Blanc de Blanc of sorts, a bubbly that is made with only Chardonnay grapes.  The rich Chardonnay center and the creaminess of the buttery grits and mac n cheese along with the fried chicken, yum…a match made in heaven.  Yet, I thought about the syrupy goodness of the waffle in front of me.  Riesling would have been good with the right amount of sweetness, even a fat rich Pint Gris from Alsace loaded with honeysuckle and honey jar would have been good.   But there was only one wine that I couldn’t quite escape.  The Chateau Reynella McLaren Vale Old Cave Tawny Port, made entirely from Grenache grapes, is one of those wines that I always think about when I smell syrup.  It’s sort of ‘breakfast wine’ I suppose.  Good enough for pancakes, waffles, sausage and even a cup of joe.  And with this afternoon’s lunch…I think, a pretty darn good pairing.  This port is not one that is overbearingly sweet, and because its made from Grenache grapes grown in Australia, it seems to carry just the right amount of sugar and toast from its barrel aging to match any plate of breakfast food.

In the end, a beer wouldn’t have been a bad idea either, but if you’re thinkin’ wine with this fine cuisine, keep it balanced with ALL those goodies on the plate. Here’s to my new found love for Chicken and Waffles, and a belly ache to prove I was there!

Hope you’re keepin’ up on my whirlwind food tour here while I’m in Atlanta…because there’s more!

Aria, a sophisticated white table-clothed restaurant located in Buckhead, a small neighborhood just inside of the city of Atlanta, was a spectacular treat of fine cuisine, phenomenal wines and remarkable service.  A food experience that will definitely live in my repertoire of ‘some of my favorite food/wine experiences’, ever.  Really outstanding.

The restaurant, as you enter, is framed by a heavy chainmail curtain and has an interior decorated with colorfully ceramic tiled greyhound statues and a one of kind, glass art chandelier that looks to be between an angry oyster and a lightning bolted thunder cloud.  Their menu, which is famously known for its warm lobster cocktail appetizer, sumptuous entrees, tasty desserts and outstanding wine list was like an adult DisneyLand for foodies all around.   With an interior as impeccable as the number of waitstaff that greeted us, our nite was surely one that I couldn’t wait to dive into.

First things first, the wine list…was decked with wines uniquely picked to fit any palate that walked through the door.  Not that they were as easy to work through, if you didn’t know wine, but am sure that if you asked any one on the floor that someone would ‘talk’ you through the menu.  I have to say, one of the first things I said was, ‘Wow, how refreshing… a list with depth, is intriguing and one that really does, truthfully, excite me.’  I couldn’t wait to open at least ten different bottles.  I did, however, limit myself to one white selection and one red.  The first – N. Joly’s ‘Les Clos Sacres’ Savenierres.  Savenierres is a region in the Loire Valley of France that produces a DRY Chenin Blanc, in fact…the only region in the Loire that truly produces dry Chenin.  And Nicolas Joly, the producer of this gorgeous wine, is famed for his biodynamic culture, is an Internationally known Wine God and one who I literally, have a huge ‘wine crush’ on.

Let’s talk about the pairings ~ Warm Lobster Cocktail with Truffled Mashed Potatoes and pureed broccoli, Lemon Ricotta Ravioli, Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Pancetta.  The wine, which safely took at least 45 minutes to open, had a honeyed nose with scented orange blossoms and round melon peel yet opened into a lovely, fresh, high acid toned, mesmerizing wine.  The acidic notes of under ripe apricot seemed to clip right into the creamy notes of all the appetizers.  I must say, a really nicely balanced Chardonnay would have done the pairing well, but this Savenierres seemed to only pair better with every single sip and bite taken.  I must have moaned with every drink taken, thinking that the layers of the wine only opened more as the wine oxidized.

The second wine – the Travaglini Gattinara.  A DOCG Nebbiolo from the region of Piedmont, Italy was outstanding.  With a quick decant, even this tight 06 seemed to unveil its masterful future.  Smokey with hints of black tar, wet violets and rich leather – the wine enveloped every aspect of Italy that I could think of.  Fabulous.  And, its pairing – a Slow Braised Pork and a Pan Roasted Veal Chop.  C’mon, really?!  Not sure I could have dreamed up the pairings.  They were unthinkably delicious.

Of course the evening couldn’t have been more complete if I imagined it – the desserts seemed to only add ‘whip cream and a cherry’ to my culinary dream.  With dishes of chocolate pot de creme, peach tart and uniquely layered fresh sorbets – our after dinner drinks consisting of a Banyuls from France, a Passito from Italy and a Malaga from Italy – all of which complemented the sweets divinely.

Overall – I’d give last nite’s experience an A PLUS.  From the attentive service, to the lengthy wine list and its colorful food menu – not to mention the fabulous company – Superb.  Making my second food nite in Atlanta so far, excellent!

Where fried chicken is a staple, and there’s only one reason why the city has the nickname it has…because it’s damn hot!  When you think you know ‘hot’, come to the south.  With 95% humidity and average daily temps like 90-95 degrees, Hotlanta, is not a place to come if you’re not a heat person.  However, I’m quickly finding that if you’re a foodie, you may want to fight the heat and get on down here for some good eats

Last nite, our first nite in town, our friends took us to a super cool joint in the sort of ‘uptown’ region of the city.  A restaurant called:  Restaurant Eugene.  Contemporary in its look, the joint had a white tablecloth feeling upon arriving.  We sat at the bar, incidentally always my favorite place in the restaurant to sit.  Where you can get all the great service you need, and in the right restaurants, where the bartender fills you in on all the establishment secrets.

Restaurant Eugene with a sweet little bar, sitting a max of maybe eight, snuggled the four of us in perfectly.  Our friends were especially excited to show us the spot, but mostly to introduce us to one of their favorite bartenders, Nick.  With one look, you could tell that Nick was a serious character when it came to the beverage industry.  While I’m most used to someone always handing me a ‘wine by the glass’ menu when I sit at a swanky restaurant bar, Nick went straight for the daily drink menu.  He was, as our friends said, one of the best drink makers in the city.  Yet, not only was he a mixologist but a bartender with food pairings to fit all the cocktails on his menu.

Nick’s Friday Flight Night Menu consisted of:  an Irish Cooler, which was a new fandangled Rusty Nail – Irish Whiskey, Drambuie and Ginger Beer + an Alexandra’s Cocktail, a mix of St Germain (Elderflower liqueur), Aperol (a rhubarb bitter), lemon juice and fresh peach + a drink called, There is no Try consisting of a Campari like liqueur, grapefruit and aged bitters.

Each of the cocktails were paired up to little food pairings to try – served as tapas.  The first cocktail, which was good, but more of an after dinner drink to me even as sparky as it was with the ginger beer, was paired to glazed baby tomatoes and basil.  While the fresh juicy tomatos glazed over were nice and sweet with the cocktail, the Whiskey parts to the drink seemed to swallow the food whole to me.  However, for one of our friends, this was his favorite pairing.  (Proving, by the way, that we ALL have our own likes to pairings.)

The second was my favorite of the three – the lite citrus flavors of this gorgeous summer drink, Alexandra’s Cocktail, were paired to a Crispy Kale Salad finished with ‘just right’ cooked chucks of bacon.  The bacon, cooked perfectly, seemed to be the smoke of the dish as the fresh fruit flavors snuggled up to the awesome! fried, crispy kale.  The drink and the dish both awesome, but when paired together was THE perfect pairing.  Really great.

And, the last…There is No Try, which had a sour patch kid pucker with an almost medicinal flavor to it was paired to a Lamb Sausage and Sweet + Sour Fairytale Eggplant.  The lamb sausage had a fennel spice to it almost pairing right up to the bitters in the drink.  Nice, but not over-whelming.  Very good.

The remainder of our dinner was outstanding.  Dishes of pan seared halibut, georgia white shrimp, watermelon and radish salad, seared marget duck breast to the most delicious confit pork belly that I may have ever had were delivered course by course.  All very good and finished up with a stellar bottle of Jorge Ordonez’s Botani – a dry Mocatel from Spain.  YUM!  (Can’t take a Sommelier out to eat without having at least one bottle of wine!)

Overall, the experience was fantastic and really, a fabulous treat.  It’s not very often that I am treated to a cocktail food pairing experience.  Not something that everyone does, especially in the MidWest.  Hmmmm….  Might want to get on it, MSP peeps.

Signing off and getting ready to head out for another nite of great food + drink with great friends in the Big ATL.  I’m hopin’ we get over to Gladys Knight’s Chicken + Waffles before the week is up!

Sting.  There are only a few folks in the world that can get by on one name alone.  The few that come to mind are:  Price, Pink,  Meatloaf and Sting.  (You’re thinking…How did Meatloaf get roped into that crowd, right?)  And Sir Sting, a category all his own.  One can only fully understand if you’ve been to a live performance of his.  Even as I’m not the world’s biggest Sting Fan (that would be my husband), I have to admit, it’s hard not to find him incredibly sexy for a guy at 58!  Not to mention, his music is iconic, his performances are real and his musical abilities are something of another league. 

I had the pleasure of seeing Sting on Monday nite at the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul.  Spoiled by my husband’s ability to always pull off any arena’s best seats, I had a direct view of the evening’s performance.  ‘Her Majesty’s Orchestra’ and ‘The Biggest Band he’s ever had’  is what he called The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra upon his opening Monday nite.  With a full set of 45 members behind him, Sting’s performance was a dreamy, romantic start to my week.  With several of our friends and family in the audience, it was hard to focus on anything but the grandeur sounds coming from what was in front of us.  Sting, who stood alone on stage, drifted from song to song with stories as to how and why each was written and constructed.  With a catalog as big as the arena itself, songs from almost every era were sang.  ‘Every Breath you Take’, ‘Roxanne’, ‘Desert Rose’, to his opening song ‘If I ever lose my Faith In You’ – each song came with a dramatic performance by the orchestra.  Featuring several musicians from the group including a violinist, a trumpet player and a clarinet player – each song performed by the orchestra seemed to display a different part of the melody that I had not heard before.  Some more invigorating and dramatic, while others rather soothing and swooning.  And Sting, with his voice as clear as I had ever heard it, was front and center.  A lovely concert, really. 

Of course, when I have written about music in the past, I have always tied in wine to match the performance that I had been to the nite before.  I suppose I lacked a little yesterday, still reeling from the previous nite’s concert, thinking all day…What Wine is Best Suited For Sting?  My inspiration for my wine choice not only comes, this time, from the concert itself and of course, Sting, but also from a wonderful girlfriend of mine who we caught up with after the show.  When we had mentioned that we had just been to Sting, she gasped and said, “No!  Really?!”  Wow, was my first impression, thinking how dramatic her expression was.  But, after sleeping on it and sitting with the conversation that followed her gasp about Sting and how every woman I knew would like some sort of ‘encounter’ with Sting, I thought about what a crazy affect this man had on so many.  Sorry guys, this one is for the ladies!  At an age where only a few men can live of his age in that ‘Sex Appeal’ category (IE:  Sean Connery) –  Sting definitely fits the bill.  The man exudes a romantic, soft, tender side with a mysterious ‘tantric’ appeal that not many musicians can emulate.  His rather handsome, tanned, yoga-leaned body doesn’t really hurt his case either.  So when you put it all together, sit back and take a long drink of his music, you think…only a wine as luxurious can pair to a man like Sting.

My pick… When one uses the word ‘luxurious’ to describe wine, the first grape that comes to mind is Chardonnay.  Not necessarily an Old World Chardonnay either.  Something with a little weight and body to it.  A fat creamy center with a bit of sugar.  Something with elegance, richness and can easily slip down the gullet without thinking too hard.  One wine comes to mind when I think of this description and it was certainly the way I could have described it the first time I had this wine. 

Kistler Chardonnay.  Kistler – a winery from Sonoma – is one that I rarely drink.  Why?  Because it is ridiculously over priced, allocated and one of those particulars that I sometimes think, and teetering on,  ’Is it worth the money?’  And definitely not one that I put in the ‘Buck-For-Buck’ category.  The first time I had it, I had to split buying the bottle with four other friends, that’s how ‘over priced’ we thought it was.  But once we opened it and took our first sip, I remember thinking ~  ‘Oh, now I get why this wine is so coveted in California’.  With a total California-like style and produced for only those who have enough money to afford it, it fits in that ‘Mercedes Benz of Wine’ category.  Luxurious.  Creamy.  Refined.  Silky.  And lastly, Well-Branded. 

This is the wine I would pick to drink with Sting, if he ever asked me (and of course my husband!) out for a glass of wine.  Kistler Chardonnay.  His smooth, luxurious tones make you want to lay back, relax and drink over priced Chardonnay.  And this is a positive critique, by the way, of both the Chardonnay and Sting.  Sting is man that could probably compel any ‘woman’ to buy over- priced wine, and that’s why I paired the two.  Both, a very special occasion ‘treat’ if you’re looking for one.

Overall, the performance lovely and a job well done by Her Majesty’s Orchestra.  Salut to you Sting!

It is the million dollar question almost every night of the week that I work.            “Have you had Minnesota Wine?”

Only to be followed up with…

What do you think about Minnesota Wine?

What Minnesota Wine would I recommend?

Do you think Minnesota Wine is as good as California Wine?

Night after night, I hear the same questions, and my answers surround the facts that encompass Minnesota Grapes as a specie.  Mostly with the fact that the Vitis Vinifera Grapes that we are used to, are not the same as the grapes that we are drinking from Minnesota.

What is Vitis Vinifera?  It is the ‘common grape’ specie that is native to mostly Old World Countries.  These grape vines, which have been spread around the globe at this point, are not generally of the grapes that we find cultivated here in Minnesota.  For instance, the the viticulture department of the University of Minnesota has become rock stars at breeding grapes that are hardy to our climate of extreme temperatures, mostly our cold winters.  While there are grapes that are native to the region, like the Concord wine that my grandmother used to make  in the basement, the U of M is cultivating grapes that are of different varieties.  Are these grapes the same that we know of in other parts of the world like:  Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc?   No, due to the fact that the grapes of this Vitis Vinifera stature would not survive here amongst our climate.  Does that mean that the wines that are made from these Minnesota Grapes are bad?  No way. 

To Understand Them is To Drink Them.  (That’s pretty much my motto with almost every wine!)  By drinking through them, you will then find that you can enjoy them in their own arena.  So why are so many dogging out these wines?  Because they are comparing them to their California Cabernets, or their Oregon Pinot Noirs.  To be honest, you are not comparing oranges to oranges here.  Put them into their own category as you drink them.

While many of these Minnesota Wineries are filling in their wines with juice they’ve purchased from California, like the Zinfandels or Cabernets Grapes that you know, remember that by many standards of (this state’s) wine law permit you to only use a percentage to ‘fill in’ with the native grapes that you originally started with.  So even though they may have a % of grapes that you’re familiar with, they will not necessarily ‘taste’ like the wines that you’re familiar with. 

I must say, it is a huge ‘to do’ on my list for the summer because I, as a sommelier, cannot say that I’ve been to enough wineries between Minnesota and Wisconsin to come up with my own analysis, but I have had a few in the cities that I’ve tried.  While Alexis Bailly Vineyards is one that I find to be ‘the most talked about’,  I did drive south a couple of weekends ago and right by one winery that I’ve had quite a few of, St Croix Vineyards.  The whites that I’ve had are really quite decent and found them to pair with a couple of nice artisanal cheeses for pairing. 

I suppose I come to this point, because I was hired for a wine tasting event a week or so back with a group of gals for a bachelorette party.  These tastings are so much fun.  You know why?  Because everyone comes unbiased, open for anything and ready to have fun.  The International shmattering of wines that I brought, along with a plate of artisanal cheese and handmade chocolates were fabulous, yet I could see that I had one attendee itching to show me her favorite wine.  Before we were through with the final wine in the tasting, she jumped up and said, ‘Have you ever had Minnesota Wine?  What do you think about it?!’ and so on and so forth (pretty much with the same questions that I started this blog with). 

Then she said, ‘I’d take Minnesota Wine over any wine any day, and here’s my favorite!’ 

She held up the Cannon River Winery ‘Go Go Red’  ~ the Grapes: Minnesota Sabrevois, Marquette, & Foch.  Recognize any those?  Probably not, but if you live in Minnesota, then you’ve probably tried them.

My take on the wine… Juicy, approachable, full of rich raspberry, cherry and blackberry.  Supple and might be really nice with a piece of berry cobbler or a fat slice of blue cheese.  Certainly on the ‘sweet’ side, but great for those who are looking to sip something easy going.  I thought it was just fine.  Really.  And for $13, it might be kind of fun to slip into your own ‘wine tasting’ at home with friends!

Now, can I compare it to the grapes that I know that produce more acid and more body like Pinot Noir or Zinfandel?  No, but the wine has to be put into its own category.  And you know what – people love it here in Minnesota.  And apparently across the country, because it has won several awards in categories with wines of its comparison. 

I hear so many ‘doggin’ out Minnesota Wine, and it’s not a fair assessment.  Those folks are just not putting these wines in the right category in their minds as they drink them.  Whether they are made of these funky Minnesota Grapes that we’re not familiar with or of real fruit like raspberry, cherry and blackberry – they still live here and are made in YOUR community.  And what should we do with businesses of our own communities, support them.  So here’s to those Minnesotans out there bustin’ their butts to make wine.  I think we should all take another look at what’s out there and visit these wineries that are of our home state, including me!

If you’ve had any Minnesota Wines that you’ve found you like, fill me in.  I’d love some more recommendations!

So I wandered into my favorite old joint last nite for the first time in a long time, except for the same smiley face that I was used to behind the counter sipping coffee and grinning ear to ear with cheese in his beard, wasn’t there.  Instead, I found pink and frilly, poofy colored frosting’d cupcakes now behind the windows that I once knew filled with artisanal cheese and a young woman dressed in a pink apron eager to help me.  My friend, Ken Liss, owner of previous Premier Cheese Shop, was always the best person to find behind his shop counter, usually talking someone’s ear off about something, but always happy to see you.  Today, my once favorite artisanal cheese shop is now ‘Sweet Retreat Cupcakes’.

Knowing that the transition had taken place, I decided to check it out and take my love for cheese in to trade it in for chocolate cupcakes.  I’m not the biggest fan, to be honest, of chocolate but I thought it would be a good ‘treat’ for the guests I have arriving in town for the weekend.

Here’s what I found… An almost empty showcase cooler of 4-5 different cupcakes.  Was it any different than any other ‘cupcake boutique’ I’ve been to outside of NY…not so much.  If you’ve ever been to NYC, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  Magnolia Cupcakes on Bleecker Street is about  THE BEST of any CUPCAKE Boutique in the country, that is if you’re into cupcakes.  Here, even if you didn’t think you liked cupcakes, will walk out with a new obsession.

Not that I’m doggin’ out the shop in Edina, but I’m just not sure the demand for cupcakes galore is the right thing in that spot.  And, with a sort of ‘baron’ looking showcase, I wasn’t super convinced that they’ll be in the same spot a year or two from now.

The Sweet Treat, however, did offer (of what they had) some cool flavors, but again, nothing too unique.  So, I ordered four of the five flavors they offered:  S’mores, Peanut Butter, Red Velvet and Cookies n’ Cream.  And, as I stood there looking at their heavy frosting’d tops, I thought…I’m taking these home and pairing them up to wine!  And, that is exactly what I did.

Here’s what I came up with~

Red Velvet Cupcake: My take, it was okay…nothing like MY Red Velvet Recipe that came from a family friend’s grandmother born in the south.  OMG.  That’s all I have to say.  Sweet Retreat’s R V Cupcake, pretty good but missing the ‘cocoa’ taste.    Wine Pairing: My thoughts- a Fat Shiraz (yes, pronounced Shiraaaaaaz), like one from Australia’s Two Hands Winery.  Their wines are over the top, fat, sassy and often never balanced – over blown with saturated fruit and barrel.  However, peeerrrrfect for a R V Cupcake.  The cocoa velvet fruit, layered in raspberry smoke coming from this wine would fit perfectly with the cupcake.  I like the Two Hands Angel’s Share, nice but not too overblown.  I think really nice with this not too sappy c-cake, but perfect.

Cookies n’ Cream Cupcake: My take, creamy and reminded me of undercooked cookie dough.  I liked it.  Sweet, but again, creamy.    Wine Pairing: A Fat, Round, Creamy Chardonnay .  I think~ Napa Valley’s Pine Ridge Epitome Chardonnay.  Hell, it’s a Chard that is really over blown (when it comes to price and palate) but if it pairs to lobster tail dripped in butter, it will pair with this over blown, creamy, buttery cupcake.  Dip that baby in butter and away you’ll go.

Peanut Butter Cupcake: My take, my fav!  I loved the salty, creamy, slightly savory aspect of this very icing’d cupcake.  Overdone with icing, falling off the side of the cake, the ccake was impossible to contain.  Yes, very good.    Wine Pairing: A nice, rich, juicy, banana split-like Semillon.  The wine that I think of, Alpha Domus Late Harvest Semillon.  Called the Leonarda, which is the name of the winery owner’s grandmother.  Plus, I love the Alpha Domus story (of NZ) and this particular wine…juicy, banana-split like and honeyed.  Love it and the only real wines I feel like goes with peanut butter is rich honeyed Riesling and Semillon.  Good stuff.

Lastly, the S’mores Cupcake: My take, I likey.  The cupcake was finished with a ‘toasted’ marshmallow frosting (sticky as heck) and a baby Hershey’s chocolate bar.  I liked the touch.  Graham Cracker-like crust, fat chocolate center and creamy mallow topping, good job.  Wine Pairing: Something really chocolaty, and decadently, over the top.  I would say two wines come to mind.  One: Napa Valley’s Rombauer Zinfandel.

Here it is (to my favorite CRUSH PAD fans)…The Rombauer Zinfandel is one wine that I love to describe as ‘A Ho in Ho’s Clothing’. What does that even mean?!  Just exactly like what it sounds like, and it doesn’t belong in church with an alcohol percentage like that (often well over 16%).  You can’t even dress it up and make it look better…nothing would stay on this hot, slippery, contaminated, beast of a Zin.  It screams:  ”Hey, here I am!!!!  Drink me, dang it!”  Over the top, exposed and ridiculously loose on the palate.  No boundaries.  And, definitely needs to be put into the ‘fortified section’ if you ask me. Need I say more?  But good, I’d think with this decedent cupcake.  See?  Every wine has its place!

My second pick for this cupcake: A smokey, rich saturated Cabernet from Chile.  I like the Root 1 Cabernet from Chile’s Colchagua Valley.  With just a smidgen of gooey Syrah (15%) added to it, the wine is chocolaty, rich, smokey and really sappy.  It’s perfect for a dessert this like.

One Old School Hard & Fast Rule: Always make sure your wine is one ‘titch’ sweeter than your dessert.  Does that mean ‘dessert wine’, NO WAY!  It just means…pick up one degree of any grape, hotter.  IE:  Australia, Napa, Chile – how hot does it get in some of those locations right?  And what does that mean?:  The hotter the climate, the higher the sugars, thus, the higher the alcohol levels and mostly, the sweeter the wine.

So…there you have it.   A quickie and a SWEET review on Edina’s new Sweet Retreat Cupcake Shop. BUT also, what to pair to these cupcakes if you’re taking them home to drink with.  Salut and happy cupcake-ing!

According to this article, Twin Cities Monster Based Restaurant Group, Parasole, just dumped a cool $4 mil to open their newest venture: Uptown Cafeteria and Support Group. 

The restaurant, which just opened last nite (June 15th), has been renovated to compete as “Uptown’s Coolest Restaurant”.  Really?  I’m anxious to hear what everyone has to say.  Of course talk was just as big just under a year ago when Parasole opened IL Gatto in the same building, bringing folks in from all over the city to check out Calhoun Square’s newest face-lift from its previous Figlio.  With a campaign ad focused on a very bad kitty, the group may have thought about dumping more into their culinary renovation than their billboards.  After going once, personally I never felt the need to go back.  I was more impressed with Figlio’s $2 Sloppy Joes than I was with the $20 fish entree I had at Il Gatto.  Not so bueno. 

With an area of the city that’s filled with restaurants already, I’m curious to see what this new $4 million space has.  Will the food be just an un-impressive as Parasole’s latest two gigs:  Il Gatto and Burger Jones, or will this be their next big jack-pot?  Only time will tell.  Everyone, I’m sure, will head out and check it out but how long with the honeymoon period last for this new venture?

I’m hoping that they did something right with this project, I’d love a restaurant in uptown with something ‘new’ to eat and with a decent wine list. 

If anyone’s been or has a review on the Cafeteria and Support Group – send me a comment, I’d love to hear!  Besides, what’s the ‘Support Group’ all about anyways?  Maybe they needed it for themselves…  Someone PLEASE fill me in here.

Never a dull moment at Cooks of Crocus Hill with Chef Mike Shannon and Sommelier Leslee Miller!  They are taking the summer by storm already with two back to back classes that went down as some of Cooks ‘Best of the Best’ classes.

On May 27th, my dear friend, Ms. Susan Ridley, co owner of one of my favorite Napa Wineries, Hendry Ranch Vineyards, came to town to put on one of most talked about wine dinner dinners of the summer with me at Cooks of Crocus Hill.  With 40pp in attendance and another 40 on the waiting list, the dinner was a huge hit. 

Featuring wines from every side of Hendry’s portfolio, the dinner included:

 Gruyere Puffs with the winery’s Rosé

Prairie Farms Smoked Trout & Duck Vinaigrette Salad with the Hendry ‘Barrel Fermented’ Chardonnay

 Duck Confit paired to the Hendry Pinot Noir

Down to a gorgeous NY Strip topped with local Foie Gras paired to the Hendry Red Wine

And last – Hendry’s Block 28 Zinfandel paired to a delightful Chocolate Flan topped with a lite Carmel Sauce and Raspberries. 

Absolutely outstanding!

For more on Susan’s presentation on Hendry Ranch Vineyard’s and Mr. George Hendry’s story, watch here:

Hard dinner to top, but not impossible to match, The Rhone Rangers Class offered on June 9th came as another home run with participants!  A play on all things ‘Rhone Varietal’, Sommelier Leslee and Chef Mike brought out the goods for this class.  With a combination of white Rhone grapes and red, the two took their love for grapes:  Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne, Picpoul, Grenache, Syrah, Petite Sirah and  Mourvedre to the limit.  Featuring these Rhone Grapes from around the world, Leslee paired to Mike’s perfect ‘Rhone Graped’ menu.

With a combination of:  Ojai Rosé, a succulent Grenache based Santa Barbara sipper, paired to a fresh lemon basil cherry tomato salad

Chapoutier’s Crozes Hermitage paired to a collection of unbelievable Duck Meatballs

Smoked Trout Risotto and a fun Marsanne, Rousanne, Grenache Blanc Rhone white by Chateau de Campuget

Ernie Els’s South African Guardian Peak SMG (Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache) and Braised Short Ribs

Through a fat plate of Warm Brownies and Syrah Syrup paired with Chapoutier’s Banyuls and New World Petite Sirah by Marietta Cellars. 

Seriously!  Mouth-watering and delicious!

Don’t miss out on these, Voted ~ Twin Cities Favorite Wine Classes!   For more information on how you can be a part of these fabulous classes, visit Amusée Events page ~ here.

Bon Apetit and hope to see you soon!

The Minnesota Orchestra out does itself year after year with a multitude of fabulous events.  This year’s Simply Unforgettable Symphony Ball was no exception.  For the 53rd year of its existence, The Symphony Ball managed to fill the Minneapolis Depot with over 600 of Twin Cities finest.   Attired in black tie and gorgeous floor length silk gowns, a legendary Minneapolis depot was packed to the gills with folks sipping and noshing on fabulous cocktails and finger foods.   The walls of the depot aligned with floor to ceiling silk banners showing the silent auction pieces below, where items were feverishly bid on attendees.  Fabulous auction lots from African Safari trips to 6 L bottles of wine, the number of auction items took over a half an hour just to quickly peruse.  And if you were actually interested in an item (like we were), the number of folks waiting to outbid you were lined up so deep that it was almost a chore to get back to re-bid on your interest.

If one was impressed with the opening reception, they were certainly floored upon entering the dining room.  A room set and designed to follow a three course dinner with live musical performances, the crowd buzzed with excitement.  Here, the event became an even bigger success after dinner with a fabulous display of community support flooding the live auction floor.  While I was quickly outbid of my favorite auction lot ~ Last Chance! (4 tickets to one of Oprah’s last tapings, first class tickets there and a stay at the Sheraton, Chicago), I was certainly not disappointed, finding that I could have never hung with the $10,000 price tag that it ended up achieving.

If you haven’t had a chance to go Minnesota Orchestra’s Symphony Ball, make a ‘must do’ in The Twin Cities if you’re a local.  Spend the time one year, donate to one of our city’s most fabulous organizations and keep the music alive with your community support.  A truly memorable experience and sincerely, a lovely lovely evening.  Thanks to all who put this year’s event together, (Ms. Georgia Thompson)!  A delightful evening was had by all.

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