All Quiet on the Foodie Front

Things have been pretty quiet 'round the homestead when it comes to foodstuffs and related activities. I popped into Gnarly Vines a few days back while they were having a kosher wine tasting, which was interesting. I didn't try anything I was particularly excited about, although the manischewitz-like wine made from concord grapes was certainly something new. There was also a moscat that would make a decent dessert wine.

I did pick up a half-dozen bottles of a few different things, including a surprising pinot noir (from France, which I found interesting since it was sold as a varietal) and a couple of Bordeauxs that I'll definitely be trying again. Unfortunately because I'm lazy I don't have any pictures at the moment, which I know pains all of you.

It should be a food and booze-filled weekend, however, so plan on something fun popping up in the next few days.

Clinton Hill Foodie's protip of the day: Don't leave chocolate-covered raisins around where a dog can get to them. Riley's fine, but I'm hoping we don't have to go through that again.

Brooklyn Restaurant Week

Restaurant Weeks are one of the really exceptional things about living in New York City. I always try to take part in the Manhattan ones, although this year I was sadly unable to find the time. Brooklyn has its own, however, and this year I plan on trying out at least a couple of different places.

"Dine in Brooklyn" week this year takes place from March 24-31, and our friends at Gnarly Vines want to help kick things off this Thursday with a wine tasting event.

Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

and

Gnarly Vines

invite you to Kick-Off

"Dine in Brooklyn" on Myrtle Avenue

Thursday, March 20, 2008
6:30 PM to 11:00 PM

Event starts at 6:30 / Music sets begin at 7:30 and 9:30

RSVP at NYC Charities - Dine in Brooklyn on Myrtle Ave

Music by:

Legendary bassist Bill Lee - long-time Fort Greene resident - and his amazing jazz quintet - bass, drums, trombone, alto sax and tenor sax.

Wines by Superstar Aussie Wine Importer, The Grateful Palate:

2007 Marquis Phillips Holly's Blend Verdelho - $12

2005 Pure Evil Chardonnay - $14

2004 Marquis Phillips Roogle Red Shiraz/Cab Blend - $12

2006 R Wines Evil Cabernet - $14

2005 R Wines Boarding Pass Shiraz - $20
2005 R Wines First Class Shiraz - $34

10% off wines poured during the event!!!

Food provided by Myrtle Avenue's participating "Dine in Brooklyn" restaurants.

For a complete list click here.

There are a number of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene restaurants participating this year, including some of our favorites, Loulou, Maggie Brown, Olea, and Mullane's.

L = Serving Lunch
D= Serving Dinner
* = Accepts the American Express ® Card

Clinton Hill

Autour du Monde (D)*
860 Fulton Street
718-398-3500

Five Spot Restaurant (D)*
459 Myrtle Avenue
718-852-0202

Maggie Brown Restaurant (D)
455 Myrtle Avenue
718-643-7001

Mojito Cuban Cuisine (L/D)*
82 Washington Avenue
718-797-3100

Fort Greene

Caffe e Vino (L/D)*
112 Dekalb Avenue
718-855-6222

Chez Lola (D)*
387 Myrtle Avenue
718-858-1484

Chez Oskar (D)*
211 DeKalb Avenue
718-852-6250

Epoca Ristorante (L/D)
773 Fulton Street
718-596-9070

iCi (L/D)*
246 Dekalb Avenue
718-789-2778

June Restaurant (D)*
229 Dekalb Avenue
718-222-1510

Los Pollitos III (L/D)
499 Myrtle Avenue
718-636-6125

Loulou Restaurant (D)*
222 DeKalb Avenue
718-246-0633

Luz Restaurant (L/D)*
177 Vanderbilt Avenue
718-246-4000

Madiba Restaurant (L/D)*
195 Dekalb Avenue
718-855-9190

Mullanes Bar and Grill (D)*
71 Lafayette Avenue
718-797-7606

Olea Mediterranean Taverna (D)*
171 Lafayette Avenue
718-643-7003

Scopello Ristorante & Bar (D)*
63 Lafayette Avenue
718-852-1100

Thomas Beisl (L)*
25 Lafayette Avenue
718-222-5800

Ted Allen's Uncorked: Wine Made Simple

A few weeks ago I got an interesting email asking me if I'd consider reviewing the DVD box set of a miniseries about wine, Uncorked: Wine Made Simple. The series was hosted by Ted Allen of Queer Eye fame, who also happens to be a Clinton Hill resident. A TV show with a Clinton Hillite talking about wine? Sign me up!

A few days later we got the DVDs along with a fun little branded corkscrew. We couldn't rightly watch the show without suitable refreshment, so we opened a Sinksey pinot that my brother got me for my birthday this year. The wine was fantastic, and the show turned out to be just as good.

It's divided into six episodes, each covering wine from a different region. Each episode is 30 minutes, so you're not getting a ton of depth here, but that's not really the idea. It's a very broad, relatively simple introduction to wine and the world of wine drinking, and it's just informative enough to be entertaining for both the novice and the afficionado.

The first episode is a general introduction to the world of wine, and would make a great setpiece on its own. It's a brief overview of wine drinkers and producers, and is a fitting gateway into the rest of the series. Later episodes cover the Napa Valley, Sonoma, the Central Coast (of California), and France. I would have liked to see less California and more exploration of old-world wine regions, but that's just personal preference. Spending three hours with Ted talking about California and France is pretty great as it is.

It's not without its pretentious side, but let's be honest, it's a show about wine. Of course it's going to be somewhat pretentious. While most things are explained well, there are sometimes terms or concepts that are tossed about that might seem a little obtuse to the novice oenophile. This was most apparent in the first episode, owing I think to how little time it has to cover so much ground. Later episodes have more room to breathe. The second episode in particular is a lot of fun, giving a great history of the Paris wine tasting that put California on the map.

There's a lot of beautiful imagery and a lot of really great information. If you want an easy way to start learning about wine, or if you already love wine and want to bask in an undemanding journey through California and France, consider picking this up. I guarantee that you'll be anxious to head down to one of our great local wine shops and pick up a few bottles.

Information:

Uncorked: Wine Made Simple
Hosted by Ted Allen
DVD Box Set: 3 discs, 6 episodes
Running Time: 180 minutes

Meatloaf!

Meatloaf can be awfully terrible. I know many people whose only real exposure to this staple is from cheap diners and bad home recipes that their mothers used. It's one of those dishes that's relatively easy to make poorly - not because it's tricky or anything, but because a basic meatloaf recipe can be bland and lifeless. If you think a meatloaf needs ketchup or A1 to be good, you've never had a good meatloaf.

My meatloaf recipe is, unsurprisingly, a bit on the spicy side, and uses a few traditional Italian ingredients like hot sausage and parmiggiano reggiano. I also use a lot of spices that would be right at home on a steak or prime rib. Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, parsley - all minor goodies that make for a fantastic loaf. This is one of those recipes, like risotto, that you can really easily play around and be creative with.

Last night I made a pretty fantastic loaf, along with some steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 425

1.5 lbs ground round (better than ground chuck because it's less fatty; there's enough fat already and you don't want the breadcrumbs to soak up too much of it. I tend to go leaner rather than more fatty for this reason - so if you have a choice between sirloin and chuck, go with the sirloin)
3 hot Italian sausages with the casing cut off
1/3 c freshly grated parmiggiano reggiano
1 c bread crumbs
2 tsp kosher salt
4 minced garlic cloves
1 c minced onion (about half a medium onion)
2 tbsp minced parsley (fresh works best)
1 tsp crushed rosemary
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
...basically add whatever spices you like. I like steak and prime rib seasoning, sometimes some Cajun, etc.
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
3-4 eggs, lightly beaten (I use 3 if they're large or jumbo eggs, 4 if they're smaller)

Combine everything in a big bowl and mash it up with your hands until it's all combined. It takes a couple of minutes and is delightfully slimy.

Put the meat in to a loaf pan lined with aluminum foil that's been greased with olive oil or Pam.

Bake for 30 minutes and then turn down the temperature to 350 and cook for 30 minutes more. Sometimes I end up with a larger loaf that needs more time - just use a meet thermometer and cook until the center reads 160 or so.

...and that's it. It's really simple and absolutely fantastic. This same recipe can be used to make some killer burger patties. Amaze your friends at your next BBQ!

I steamed up some broccoli and made mashed potatoes and brown gravy as well.

We paired it with a wonderful suggestion from Brian at Gnarly Vines, a Vina Borgia Campo de Borja 2006. It's a super-inexpensive wine that after one bottle is one of my new favorite table wines. Rather simple and easy, but spicy enough to be interesting.

Wines of the Night

Pretty good


Less good

Both were bought from our good friends at Gnarly Vines. I was a little disappointed in the Bordeaux, as the 2005's are supposed to be transcendent. This one in particular wasn't that great, but we'll definitely try more.

Clinton Hill: Full of Winos

Apparently we in Clinton Hill* love wine. Maybe we really just love new places to buy wine. Or maybe it's just that we really love the prospect of free wine along with free food. It's probably a combination of all three, but whatever the reason, a lot of people showed up tonight at the grand opening of Gnarly Vines on Myrtle. I thought I wouldn't be able to make it, but it turns out I was wrong.



The space is extremely inviting - open (assuming it's not full of party goers), well lit, and full of what by all accounts so far is a lot of great wine. I wasn't able to stay too long, but I did get to taste a couple of nice wines, buy a couple of more, and meet some of the nice people who work there.


I'm planning on going back this weekend and give the place a proper going over, but for now it's apparent that we've got another top-notch wine shop in Clinton Hill.

Here's one of the bottles I brought home, an Argentinian Red, Urban Uco Malbec 2004 that we're enjoying as I type this.

My apologies for the poor quality of the pictures, it was tough to get good ones in the crowd. Regardless, get ye down to Gnarly Vines.

*and Fort Greene, of course!

Information:

Gnarly Vines
350 Myrtle Ave (between Carlton and Adelphi)
718.797.3183
http://www.gnarlyvines.com

Google Map

Gnarly Vines Tonight!

Unfortunately, I have a previous commitment so I won't be able to make it. If I were going to be around the 'nabe tonight I'd definitely make my way over to the Gnarly Vines grand opening tonight. I'm told there will be lots of wine tasting going on as well as free food from local restaurants. It should be a great time, plus there will be an extra 5% off on full and mixed cases - so they'll feed you, get you a little drunk, and then send you home with a case of wine. Sounds like a great night to me. I'm definitely going to stop by this weekend and check the place out and I'll likely end up with a mixed case.

Information:

Gnarly Vines
350 Myrtle Ave (between Carlton and Adelphi)
718.797.3183
http://www.gnarlyvines.com

Google Map

Gnarly Vines Grand Opening Thursday

Thanks to Clinton Hill Blog for pointing out that Gnarly Vines, the new Myrtle wine boutique, is having a grand opening event on Thursday from 6-10, with a 15% off special on cases that runs through the end of the month.

Gnarly Vines Wine Store Now Open

We are excited to celebrate our grand opening with the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill community. Now that we're up and running, we hope that you will find Gnarly Vines and our services unique.

We will offer the following personalized services:

• Handpicked wines from established winemakers and rising stars
• Rare gems from small producers, most of whom follow sustainable or stricter vineyard practices
• Values in every price range
• Friendly and knowledgable staff that offers practical advice
• Food and wine pairing guidance - traditional or adventurous
• Free in-store tasings - join our email list
• 10 percent off full or mixed cases
• Free delivery in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and beyond ($20 minimum purchase)
• Wine fridges at cost for our customers (ask us about this great program)

Grand Opening Promotion - 15% off full or mixed cases (offer good from November 8th through November 30th)

Information:

Gnarly Vines
350 Myrtle Ave (between Carlton and Adelphi)
718.797.3183
http://www.gnarlyvines.com

Google Map

Note: I originally posted that it was happening tonight, but that was foolish and wrong. It's actually on Thursday, which unfortunately means I won't be able to attend, but I may send Mickey in my stead.