We had dinner Saturday night with our friends Brendan and Kristine. After having some trouble deciding where to go, we settled on Think — a great little BYOB place on Western close to Fullerton and Armitage.
Think is one of those restaurants that has fairly inventive cuisine, but is just pricey enough to keep you from going back every week. It also seems like they have issues with execution occasionally. Natalie and I went there for Valentine's Day a few years ago and enjoyed ourselves although EVERYTHING was oversalted. The flaw this time was that the horseradish mashed potatoes were a little runny and didn't pair well with the halibut that Natalie and Kristine had. My pork chops came with mashed sweet potatoes that were also a little runny.
That said, the appetizers were great. Brendan and Kristine had the scallops and we had the crab cakes. Very crab-heavy with a nice aioli and salad accompaniment. Our Caesar Salad was also great. Whole anchovies and good homemade croutons.
We brought two wines to share. We started with a Stefano Farina Gavi di Gavi. It paired really well with the seafood appetizers and our salads. It was crisp, not a hint of sweetness. Pear, some citrus notes. I'd give it a 87.
Then, we had a Coppola Diamond Claret that our friends John and Sally gave us when they were here. I hadn't had their Claret before and it was nice. Not over the top, knock you socks off, but really nice. That might not sound like the world's review, but it was perfect for our dinner. With Nat and Kristine having the halibut and Brendan ordering a heavy tomato-based seafood stew and me having pork chops it was a versatile red wine for dinner. It was on the dry side, not too fruity, but some dark berry notes. Brendan and Kristine brought an Australian Shiraz, Wyndam Estate, that was the perfect wine end to the evening. Fair amount of fruitiness, which on the tail end and with dessert (awesome, awesome, awesome caramel banana dish served in an olive holder) was perfect. Nothing too complex, just straightforward Australian fruit.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Teruzzi & Puthod, Terre di Tufi, 04
We had this Teruzzi & Puthod, Terre di Tufi, 04 the other night with dinner. It was such a nice complement to the bucatini primavera and chicken stuffed with prosciutto crudo, fresh sage and Mexican white melting cheese.
On its own, this is reminiscent of the Vernaccia we had a few weeks ago, given that they're both from San Gimignano, although this is definitely more refined. The citrus notes were still present, but there was a stronger undertone of minerality. Natalie detected the crispness of apples as well. 88 points.
The label on this bottle is great too. It looks like a dining scene from a medieval tapestry, which is appropriate since San Gimignano is such a medieval hill town.
3/18/06 Dinner Party
It's been a while since I posted because Natalie and I were both under the weather last week and not really in the mood to try any new wines. With our friends, John and Sally, in town, we decided to go ahead and have a little dinner party Saturday night. Sally is super pregnant and drank sparkling Welch's, which I won't be reviewing. Brendan and Kristine and Dan and Danielle joined us for dinner (with Finn and Aidan). I made Tuscan White Bean Dip on toasted Italian bread, a Calamari all'Amatriciana appetizer, risotto with spinach, and veal saltimbocca. Natalie made a really, really good tunnel o' fudge bundt cake with homemade chocolate sauce.
We asked people to bring wine to share. John and Sally brought a Copolla Claret that I stashed for another evening. I opened a Montes Alpha Syrah 2003, Colchagua Valley, Chile and decanted to have with dinner and we went through several other bottles throughout the night.
We had, in order:
• Colonia Las Liebres, Bonarda, 2004, Mendoza, Argentina
This was a good wine to begin with. It was spicy, interesting and woke up the palates. It wasn't light, like an aperitif, but was more like a hearty first course. We got this one from Binny's, big surprise, for less than $12. I'd give it a 87-88. It was dark fruit, some tobacco/tar on the finish. Well-balanced tannins.
• Montes Alpha Syrah 2003, Colchagua Valley, Chile
This is one of my new favorites. It's affordable (less than $14 on sale), fairly easy to find (at Binny's), and goes with a wide variety of dishes. I'd give it 92 points. Has really smooth black cherry/blackberry fruit in the beginning with some coffee bite on the finish, but this wine is definitely smooth. We had this when we went out for Natalie birthday to Sweets & Savories on Fullerton and loved it then and this didn't let me down.
• 2003 Cousino-Macul, Antiguas Reservas, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile
This wine was one of the bottles our guests brought. I liked it. Not knowing anything about the wine, it was a "light" Cab. After having so many big, big, big California Cabs, this one was nice. It reminded me of solid Italian reds. Some black fruit and good tannic balance. I'd give it 84, maybe 85 if I had tried it earlier in the night.
• 2004 Kanga Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, South Eastern Australia
Last wine of the night. It was black fruit forward, not surprising given its terroir, but was acidic on the finish. I would rate this a 81. John liked this more than the Cousino though.
I'm not going to review it, but I cooked with one of my favorite table white wines, Villa del Borgo Pinot Grigio. This is year in and year out such a great value wine. I especially enjoy it in the summertime, hanging out outside enjoying the wine. I'll review it in the future at some point.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Meyer California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
We went to a Meyer Corporation event tonight that featured wines from the CEO's estate in Napa Valley. All I can say is WOW! Their Chardonnay was very complex and buttery without being overly oaked. I think we might have to write more about it later, but I'd say it was easily in the low 90s. The Cabernet was awesome. It was totally open right out of the bottle, but with the promise of more complexity to come with cellaring/aerating. I'd rate it 94 based on what we tasted, not far behind the Phelps Insignia. WOW, wow, double wow. What a great wine. Black fruit, beautiful tannin balance. Wonderful.
Rocca Delle Macie Grappa
This has to be the best grappa. I found it in Italy. More to follow. It's all gone now. Will have to replenish when we hit the boot again.
Spacca Napoli
In addition to Tagine, we also tried out another new restaurant Saturday, Spacca Napoli. Located at Sunnyside and Ravenswood, it looks like it's not open if you don't turn down Sunnyside.
Spacca Napoli is a cool little AUTHENTIC Italian pizzeria. We had calamari affogato (in a tomato, olive, caper sauce and quatro formaggi pizza. The place had a really realistic Italian vibe from the San Benedeto Pesche Iced Thé and San Pellegrino Limonata (not to mention Lacryma del Christo and Nino Franco Rustico Proseco by the glass) and pictures of Totó! Food was great. Location is great. We'll be back with friends. Awesome place. I'm sure Natalie will add more later.
Spacca Napoli is a cool little AUTHENTIC Italian pizzeria. We had calamari affogato (in a tomato, olive, caper sauce and quatro formaggi pizza. The place had a really realistic Italian vibe from the San Benedeto Pesche Iced Thé and San Pellegrino Limonata (not to mention Lacryma del Christo and Nino Franco Rustico Proseco by the glass) and pictures of Totó! Food was great. Location is great. We'll be back with friends. Awesome place. I'm sure Natalie will add more later.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Trying Out Tagine
Tagine
Near Rockwell & Leland in Lincoln Square
Out of a scale of four stars:
Food: 3
Atmosphere: 2
Price: 3
Would we go back: Yes.
With a bottle of wine in hand, we hopped in the car on a balmy March night to check out Tagine, a new Moroccan BYOB restaurant in the Rockwell corridor of the Lincoln Square neighborhood. Tagines, cone-shaped clay pots used for slow cooking meat and vegetables have been a hot item in the housewares industry for a couple of years now, so I thought it was a great concept for creating a restaurant. And, for wine lovers, BYOB is a great chance to enjoy wine you know you'll like at a price that's more in line with your budget. We brought the Rosenblum Syrah we'd just purchased at Binny's.
When we first arrived, one of the owners was at the door to greet patrons into the small space. The paprika-colored walls seemed just right, but unfortunately the lighting scheme was working overtime against any kind of charm. One fluorescent light was turned on in the back to illuminate the whole restaurant. And, of course, we were seated under that one light. Hopefully a successful start to this business will make it possible to replace the lighting as soon as possible.
Most importantly, though, the food was great. We both ordered Tangine-cooked entrees, although soup, salad, kebabs and cous cous dishes were also on the menu. Strangely enough, though, our dinners were not served in tagines. Another table we saw had them, but I think they ran out by the time we got there. But, service on an average white place didn't diminish the taste of the meal. I had the Oasis Tagine, a half-chicken slow roasted with olives, lemon confit and a ginger saffron sauce, accompanied by French fries. Soaking up the ginger saffron sauce, these thin American-style French fries may be the best fries I've ever had in my life (even topping the duck-fat fried fries at Hot Doug's, which is saying a lot.) Jeff had the Sultan's Tagine, but unfortunately the braised shank of lamb and artichokes were served on a large bed of spiced peas -- and Jeff doesn't like peas. But, we were able to share our meals (because I do like peas, and can say these were good) and it was a great way to get to taste two entrees. We also ordered the Vegetarian sampler as an appetizer, which included roasted green peppers, eggplant and cooked garlic spinach that were all wonderfully spiced. We ate the veggies on pita bread, along with our Moroccan salads, which came with the entrees. The salads included a lot of chopped cucumber, tomato and romaine lettuce, in a sweet vinegar-heavy dressing. Nothing too special about the salad, but it was fine. Each table is also served a dish of very spicy olives, and sliced carrots spiced with olive oil.
Overall I think Tagine has exciting food for an incredibly reasonable price. I just hope they are able to fine tune the restaurant into a truly amazing dining experience.
Note from Jeff: Before we publish this, I have to say that my entree could have been better. It was all peas (which I hate) and lamb with a little artichoke. I thought that I would come with some sort of starch (rice, cous cous), but alas did not. Menu descriptions and lighting (which Natalie mentioned) could be much better. I think it's worth another try, but there's work to be done.
Near Rockwell & Leland in Lincoln Square
Out of a scale of four stars:
Food: 3
Atmosphere: 2
Price: 3
Would we go back: Yes.
With a bottle of wine in hand, we hopped in the car on a balmy March night to check out Tagine, a new Moroccan BYOB restaurant in the Rockwell corridor of the Lincoln Square neighborhood. Tagines, cone-shaped clay pots used for slow cooking meat and vegetables have been a hot item in the housewares industry for a couple of years now, so I thought it was a great concept for creating a restaurant. And, for wine lovers, BYOB is a great chance to enjoy wine you know you'll like at a price that's more in line with your budget. We brought the Rosenblum Syrah we'd just purchased at Binny's.
When we first arrived, one of the owners was at the door to greet patrons into the small space. The paprika-colored walls seemed just right, but unfortunately the lighting scheme was working overtime against any kind of charm. One fluorescent light was turned on in the back to illuminate the whole restaurant. And, of course, we were seated under that one light. Hopefully a successful start to this business will make it possible to replace the lighting as soon as possible.
Most importantly, though, the food was great. We both ordered Tangine-cooked entrees, although soup, salad, kebabs and cous cous dishes were also on the menu. Strangely enough, though, our dinners were not served in tagines. Another table we saw had them, but I think they ran out by the time we got there. But, service on an average white place didn't diminish the taste of the meal. I had the Oasis Tagine, a half-chicken slow roasted with olives, lemon confit and a ginger saffron sauce, accompanied by French fries. Soaking up the ginger saffron sauce, these thin American-style French fries may be the best fries I've ever had in my life (even topping the duck-fat fried fries at Hot Doug's, which is saying a lot.) Jeff had the Sultan's Tagine, but unfortunately the braised shank of lamb and artichokes were served on a large bed of spiced peas -- and Jeff doesn't like peas. But, we were able to share our meals (because I do like peas, and can say these were good) and it was a great way to get to taste two entrees. We also ordered the Vegetarian sampler as an appetizer, which included roasted green peppers, eggplant and cooked garlic spinach that were all wonderfully spiced. We ate the veggies on pita bread, along with our Moroccan salads, which came with the entrees. The salads included a lot of chopped cucumber, tomato and romaine lettuce, in a sweet vinegar-heavy dressing. Nothing too special about the salad, but it was fine. Each table is also served a dish of very spicy olives, and sliced carrots spiced with olive oil.
Overall I think Tagine has exciting food for an incredibly reasonable price. I just hope they are able to fine tune the restaurant into a truly amazing dining experience.
Note from Jeff: Before we publish this, I have to say that my entree could have been better. It was all peas (which I hate) and lamb with a little artichoke. I thought that I would come with some sort of starch (rice, cous cous), but alas did not. Menu descriptions and lighting (which Natalie mentioned) could be much better. I think it's worth another try, but there's work to be done.
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