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Showing posts from May, 2010

Sam's in Half Moon Bay with Falanghina

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I don't know if it was a California scene or a Campania scene, but we were luncho-dining on a deck overlooking the ocean, freshest, juiciest, succulent seafood in our plates, washed down by a glass of Campania's native Falanghina white wine, 70 degrees on a brilliant pre-summer day, not one but two weddings unfolding on the beach underneath, kids running around, couples cozying up, and a country band playing live on the side patio, provoking me to make ridiculous moves. Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay is where it's at! And if you want to chill like the Californitalianos, come for late lunch and stay for early dinner, and bring your every-day bottle of Falanghina, 'cause that every-day wine of Campania, the coastal region at the front of the boot of Italy, is the ideal complement to wash down fresh seafood, whichever part of the world you happen to be in. They've got to have the best Lobster rolls in the country. Rated " top 5 sandwiches in America &q

Creamiest mashed potatoes ever, with Giuseppe Quintarelli

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Why is Dan the gour-MAN-d? Because he... 1. Chopped the herbs from his garden with a professionally sharpened knife. 2. Sautéed garlic in olive oil. 3. Minced boiled potatoes in a potato ricer. 4. Combined with the sautéed garlic. 5. Added 3 table spoons of butta. 6. Added a spoonful of secret concentrated chicken stock. 7. Frothed milk in a cappuccino machine and added to the mash. 8. Mashed into a fluffy heaven. 9. Grilled rib-eye medium-rare, seasoned only with salt-n-peppa, on a mesquite grill. Set aside to rest. 10. Made a secret red wine / beef demi-glace. 11. Sautéed fava beans from his garden, and shitake. 12. Made a salad with broccoli raab greens from his garden as well. 13. Sliced the steak, seasoned/garnished with the chopped herbs. 14. Popped a bottle of Giuseppe Quinterelli Primofiore 2005. 15. Plated and served. Giuseppe Quintarelli, of course, is the man in Valpolicella, Veneto . His Amarone della Valpolicella sell for stratospheric prices and are the best in the worl

How to have a great day with Burgundy in Napa Valley

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Weather in the perfect 70's, blue skies and sunshine. Vines covered in green foliage, coating the Napa valley floor and the hillsides along highway 29. At 11am, Rona, my friend Krishna and I show up at the door-step of estate-like Wilson Daniels building just south of St. Helena for a private tasting of the new releases of the Wilson Daniels portfolio. On the way, we stop by the original Oakville Grocery to grab a croissant and a coffee, bringing back the old memories of when we used to come here almost every single weekend in the days of my Cali passion. The food and setting still beckon me to this day, but alas the wines do not. Lori, the media relations manager at WD, set up this private tasting after we'd met at La Paulee earlier this year. Wilson Daniels Ltd. of course are famous for representing such elevated properties as Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Domaine Leflaive, Domaine Faiveley, and Champagne Salon. Taking a day off work and a 2-hour drive from Palo Alto was wel

Staying in Barolo for less

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I partnered with Megan Schuster , the owner of TorreBarolo , to offer an exclusive discount to readers of the Iron Chevsky blog, for a stay in the amazing Langhe Valley, where the king of Italian wines - Barolo - is made! This is an excellent jump-off point for exploring Piedmonte, visiting world-revered wineries that I mention so often on these pages. Located in the center of town of Barolo is TorreBarolo , a renovated 17th century tower that is available to rent as a self-catered property. From its elevated position in the village, you can see sweeping views of the vineyards and medieval hill top towns that contribute to the charm of the Langhe. You can enjoy the ease of having many of Barolo's restaurants and wine bars within a 5 minute walk from the tower. A short drive from Barolo, there are more options such as dining in Alba on white truffles shaved over egg pasta or sampling the best wines the Piedmonte wine region has to offer (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Docetto, Arneis

Mother's Day with mama Chevsky

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Where would I invite mama Chevsky for Mother's Day? My favorite restaurant of course! And to think that in all this time and in so many blog posts, she still had not been to Donato Enoteca! Well, good things are worth the wait. And although she doesn't understand all my wine jargon on the blog, she sure does love the mouth-watering photos. So on the lazy Sunday afternoon, Rona and I met my mom Diana and step-dad Fima for a late lunch and didn't leave until it was early dinner, 3 hours spent in a gastronomic "spa" - that's the effect this place has on me - no matter how tired and busy I am walking in, I always leave relaxed, rejuvenated, and happy. Mama Chevsky is as picky as they come. For those who remember the restaurant scene from "When Harry met Sally", Sally got nothing on my ma. But of course, accompanied by Iron Chevsky's wine picks, the meal was superb as always - piece of cake for Chef Donato, even on this busiest Sunday of the year. A f

Drinking Oddero Barolos with Mariacristina

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The other day I had dinner with Mariacristina Oddero - the owner of the Oddero winery, one of the top producers of Barolo, well respected for their dependable quality, and notable for being run by a female in traditionally a male-dominated business. Mariacristina took over from her father Giacomo Oddero in the mid 1990's, making subtle improvements upon his methods, and according to her, coaxing more complexity from the grapes. Now at 82, Giacomo cannot deny her success, but back then he was not at all supportive. They've been making wine for 6 generations. The first ever Oddero Barolo was bottled in 1878. A traditionalist , maintaining age-old techniques as exemplified in the modest use of oak (big Slavonian oak barrels) and long maceration times, combined with modern-day equipment and cleanliness, Oddero's perfume and fruit manage to shine through strong tannic structure at a relatively young age (5 years+). At the dinner hosted at Donato Enoteca , we sampled an array in

Shaoxing rice wine - analysis in Vancouver

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Chinese rice wine, of which Shaoxing is the most famous variety, is in the top 10 most important ingredients in Chinese cooking, some claim it's second only to soy sauce. According to wikipedia , over 5 million Chinese live in the US and Canada. Yet there are not many places in North America, physical or online, where one can buy quality Shaoxing wine. Unless you live in a city with a large Chinatown or a Chinese supermarket like Ranch 99, you are out of luck. All the better for ChineseRiceWine.com , an Oregon-based online business that aims to popularize Shaoxing rice wine in the United States. Given my interest in the subject, the founder Scott Thurman , an American ex-Intel business development manager turned into Shaoxing rice wine guru, sent me a sample of his portfolio of three rice wines - a 5, 8, and 10 year aged, manufactured by Shaoxing Dayue Wine Co. Ltd of China. A hi-techy turned a wino is a kindred soul, so I promised Scott to put his babies through their paces and p