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.

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.

After weeks of losing my mind over piles of books, grocery bags with stacks of flash cards and reading more than 2,000 pages of ‘review information’ from such books as The World Atlas Book of Wine, I’ve done it.

I’ve certifiably driven everyone in my group of family and friends crazy, made myself a bit loonier and am taking my first breath in weeks.  Wound up?  Probably.  I may have slept last nite for the first time in weeks, and it feels good.

I’m happy to report that I am a Certified Sommelier again, this time through the Court of Master Sommeliers.  Spending four days with some of this country’s most influential wine brains!, makes you think twice yet empowers you to want to move on with your wine education.  I know I use this saying alot, but…’If you think you know something about wine, think again!’  It’s a world that is much much larger than any one person should even be allowed to think about.  Yet for some, it is all they think about.   Just like a good wine, BALANCE is the key to everything in life.  If one can consume, hold and then extend that knowledge – one will certainly be left with the secret to life, balance. 

I heard a Roosevelt quote last nite (I won’t tell you where I heard it, on a very popular television show…) but it made sense as I continue on this journey with the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

        “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”

So, that is exactly what I plan to do as I move forward with my wine education.  Because at the end of the day, it’s not always about what you know, but how you present it.  And, half the battle of almost everything in life comes from ’lack of presentation’.  With that, we go back to the basics. 

          Which leads me right back to the start of this conversation. 

          What does it mean to be a Sommelier?   Humility. 

Today, as I sat in a ten hour lecture with four Master Sommeliers thru the Court of Master Sommeliers preparing for what seems like the hardest tests known to man of ANY subject, this question came up.  And its answer…HUMILITY.

Humility, here’s what Dictionary.com has to say:

hu·mil·i·ty:  the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.

Important, don’t ya think?  While there are many folks that think they know a lot about wine, and I think I know quite a bit, you haven’t held a candle to the guts of wine until you’ve taken these lectures.  Seriously.  While today was a great review for my first two tests, I realize that I will be ‘bleeding’ the names of every single village, chateau, plot of wine, grape specie and style of wine known to man before I am threw.

While Humility is certainly important, and it most definitely is in a profession like mine when you are in front of zillions of people a day teaching them about a subject that can be very intimidating to some, there are many things that one should know about becoming a HUMBLE SOMMELIER.  Plus, I’ve truly been wanting to answer this ‘WHAT IS A SOMMELIER?’ question on my website for a very long time.  So, I suppose here’s my chance as it came up today in class.

A Sommelier is someone (now) that is CERTIFIED as a wine expert.  A Sommelier is not only someone that knows the every inside and out of wine, but also of cocktails, liquors, cigars, sake and beer.  Becoming a CERTIFIED SOMMELIER is not something that you can do online, like some of the now certified positions of the beer world, or even say that you are one just because you’ve spent X amount of years ‘in the industry’.  It is a full process.  And, it will make you NOT want to drink wine for fun, while in the process of becoming.  Trust me.

When I went through the process and became CERTIFIED, I took some of THE greatest wine courses that I could – through the International Sommelier Guild.  I took the full three level ordeal, which was almost a two years sitting in classroom, drinking eight hours a day, and passing three major tests.  The percentage of passing is low and the rigorous activity of testing is crazy.  My final was two days and a full 18 hours of…(something that ends in double LL).  But, gave me an appreciation of wine that cannot replaced.

What I have brought to my career, however, is much more than just passing some tests.  I have worked in all levels of restaurant service.  From the beginnings as a restaurateur’s child bar backing, tending, cleaning grease traps to managing bars, banquet halls, and four and five star restaurants.  In addition, I’ve put my time in from a winery perspective.  Managing and operating on all levels of a winery’s floor, I have worked the vineyard, played in the lab, sorted, punched down and rolled a few barrels or two – not to mention managed all levels of hospitality including:  tasting rooms, wine clubs, marketing and sales.  And last, ah yes, the wonderful and most glamorous position in the wine industry  - Distribution.  While it’s a ‘humbling’ job, it is one that was probably some of the crucial experience that I’ve had in this industry.  You grow a very thick skin, a snappy tongue and a ferocious attitude.  It’s tough, fast, furious and an incredible experience.

With practically a life built around ‘what I wanted to be when I grew up’, my experience in this industry has really been a wonderful, life-changing book full of adventure.  And now, as a full time educator, wine consultant, and dabbling in Eastern European wine branding with various filming and writing positions involving media – my life, I can say is (and I always say this) never boring!  Thank goodness for a wonderful spouse, family and network of supportive friends that pardon my absence with my work around the clock.  It’s always a whirlwind.

So I thought I’d share.  It’s been on my ‘to do’ list for quite a while now to write this ‘What is a Sommelier?’ bit.  I think it’s important that people know because there are so many folks out there that SELF PROCLAIM or speak on behalf of wine or even educate in personal settings, when they do not have the credentials to do so.  I’m not saying that you need to be a Sommelier to ‘talk’ about wine, but I feel like I needed to say something on behalf of us who have worked our tails off to get to where we are.  There are too many folks that talk disrespectfully about the world of wine, saying you shouldn’t drink this or that.  Or even that think that they are above what’s being poured.  Are you kidding?  If it wasn’t for the Two Buck Chucks of the world or even White Zin, man…none of us would even had a job.  Besides, what was the first wine you ever drank?  Bet it wasn’t Chateau Petrus.  So, as I sweat this Master Sommelier degree, I thought there probabaly wasn’t a more appropriate time to write about the FACTS.

But truly, all us real wine dorks out there want…is for you to drink what you like and drink more of it.  That way we’ll ALL have jobs.  I mean, that’s really what it’s all about.  We’re just here to give you the tools to understand a wee bit more, know what to look for on a retail shelf and every once in a while (if you care), impress your friends with your ability to pick out the best darn bottle for under $15.  That’s what this crazy world of wine is all about.

So pick up a glass + Cheers, from your favorite Certified Sommelier!

Croatian Vineyard Manager Talks Phylloxera with Sommelier Leslee Miller

It’s the crazy farming questions that really get a Sommelier excited…mine was “Has Phylloxera (a nasty root eating louse) ever affected the regions of Dingac and Postup on the Peljesac Peninsula in Croatia?”
When asked, the Vineyard Manager of Korta Katarina, Arsen, explains.
Here is his answer…in HD.

The Upper Postup Wine Growing Region located on the Peljesac Peninsula

This video taken from the Upper Postup Region on the Peljesac Peninsula shows the tremendous incline of vineyard space. Leslee, Vineyard Mgr for Korta Katarina, Arsen and Winemaker Nika talk about the fencing put around this property and their pesky little grape eaters that make their way down the hill to the property.  Also, take a look at some older vines and the significance of the wind and sunshine and the parts they play on How the Plavac Mali Grape develops in these vineyard sites.
In HD

Thought it was important this morning to share with readers

 a little something that was sent to me from devoted

Amusée, Crush Pad, fan!

See Star Tribune’s article and the first comment following in this clip from:

The Star Tribune 

not realizing who owns the original CRUSH PAD.

Thank you so much for all your support!!

Calling all REAL wine drinkers…by REAL I mean adventuresome, ready to jump outside your box and ready to drink some REALLY fantastic wine.  I don’t want to hear any, “I don’t drink that ____ “  from anyone tonite!

Tonite I will be at Pairings Wine Market  in Minnetonka pouring some beautiful Croatian wines.  The winery, Korta Katarina.  A project started and owned by a Minnesotan family.  Just when you thought we’d seen all the Minnesotans we could, make wine – we have another.  I’m so unbelievably excited about these wines.  With four wines to pour and from grapes like Posip and Plavac Mali, the buzz and the energy that this winery is creating is completely contagious. 

The assortment of wines range from a dry Rosé, a White called: Posip, a big juicy muscly Red called: Plavac Mali, to the Grand-Pappy Reserve - (literally named after their grandfather )- creating another huge, ferocious red from the grape again: Plavac Mali.

Peak your interest?  Come on out!  I will be there talking about the wines and pouring from 5-8pm at Pairing Wine Market ~ Minnetonka, MN.

In the dead of the winter, when spring seems still like months and months away, all Minnesotans need to enjoy the little things in life to keep them going.  For me, it’s good food and good wine.  Last nite, I enjoyed just that.  With a Saturday nite off, a very rare experience for me, my husband and I stepped out on the town for a little small plate enjoyin’, wine sippin’ evening.  Because we are small plate kind of peeps and do enjoy a fun atmosphere, I recommended 112 Eatery in Minneapolis.  Located in a dark little section of the hopping downtown scene, 112 Eatery is just the place for small bites and good sips. 

The menu, which is loaded with fun ‘want to try’ kind of bites.  From cold cuts, fois gras salad, sauteed sweetbreads to full entrees like buttermilk fried chicken and a 1# lobster plate.  While everything look delicious along with the wine list which varied from a fun lite easy drinkin’ white like Picpoul (which I had, yum!), the always good  Pine Ridge Chenin/Viognier (my husband had) to a gooey Malbec and into a couple of Pinot Noirs and Cabernets – the decisions on what to eat and drink were difficult. 

Here’s what we had…The duck & radicchio salad, which was absolutely fabulous with it’s crunch and little bits of duck layered in between the bits of vegetables.  I oohhed and awwed with every single bite.  My husband had the romaine leaves with Roquefort, which had a great element of heavy earthiness to it (I’m guessing from the style of Roquefort).  As we moved on, we had the cauliflower fitters (delish!), stringozzi with lamb sugo (so wonderful), and the Chinese fried eggs. 

Chinese fried eggs? you say…one of the best things I have had in forever.  Sometimes, I’m a bit harsh on the Twin Cities Food Scene, picking on dishes that I saw on either coast 10 yrs ago. But this morning I say – tired of the food scene in Msp?, take your butt to the 112.  OMG, the eggs – which were just the way I love them – sunny side up with fried crispy edges.  Here’s the secret, they were bathed in an oyster sauce with freshly sliced jalapenos and scallions!  Un-freekin-believable.  I am telling you, you have to have them. 

The wine…because we were having an array of foods for the nite and well, so many flavors – I choose what sounded good to us – the Pierre Amadieu Vacqueras.  Vacqueras, a southern Rhone (France) appellation is such a great region to pick up – what I call – a Cotes du Rhone on steroids.  The red wines are, by appellation limit, at least 50% Grenache while the other half usually consisting of Syrah and Mourvedre.  The juice is dark, meaty and sometimes very tannic – this one last nite, full with minerals (awesome with the duck salad!) and lush with crushed velvety marionberries, raspberries, currants and over ripe plums.  Very very good and for only $43 on the list!

Did you think that I was leave you without telling you about the two amazing desserts we had??  Tres Leches Cake, come on…so wonderful soaked in a heap of heavy cream, rich, and seductive.  And my favorite, the Nancy Silverton’s Butterscotch Budino.  Nancy Silverton, who I just saw in Aspen this past summer @ the Aspen Food + Wine Classic, is business partners with Mario Batali and a crazy gourmet foodie.  And this, her recipe, taken on by 112 – is just a little pot of heaven.  A creamy, silky, gorgeous pot of butterscotch.  So good I think I licked the end of the pot!  Even though this little pot of gold stole the show, it was the last pairing we put together that made it even more heavenly.  Paired with a Sangiovese based Vin Santo.  Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine made from grapes that are vinified after leaving them to dry to concentration on straw mats.  Seriously?  The wine with the butterscotch, was just about the best darn thing I’ve had in a restaurant on the Minneapolis/St Paul food scene.  The sweetness levels balanced themselves out, leaving nothing but little glittering stars in your mouth and one big swelling belly!

If you haven’t been to this hot little spot 112 Eatery, you must go.  And here’s the fun part…the chef:  Isaac Becker, was just nominated for the James Beard Award for his food. 

My vote’s in, Sir Isaac!