The Eighteenth, No the Twentieth

Posted on December 8, 2014 by thewineraconteur

It is that time of year again; by Thanksgiving the Christmas Cards (with the annual newsletter) and all Christmas gift packages that have to be shipped are shipped, all the presents have been bought, wrapped and bundled by family. The Christmas decorations in the thirty or so boxes are brought up from the basement, and the house is decorated for the season, and did I mention that the thirty some odd boxes have to be taken back into the basement, the same day. Why the rush? The first Friday in December is my Bride’s Annual Ladies Christmas Party, a party tradition that the she took over from one of her girlfriends that had to move to another state for business. The amusing part of this year’s invitation was that it was called the Eighteenth Annual and upon retrospect, it was the Twentieth Annual party, which is a faux pas that I would have made, because it is a number, and it is usually I that make the numerical errors.

14 Hands Hot to Trot Red 2012

The ladies are all invited and then there is the coordination of the “pot-luck” foods that they bring to the affair. Once again our island in the kitchen and several of the tables are covered with different dishes and they all go and make their plates. There are appetizers, salads, sides, chicken and shrimp plates, and of course Deviled Eggs, that are almost a required dish. The reason I know about all the food there, is that I tend to make an entrance after the party has begun, and I go through and greet all the guests, make a plate and high-tail it to my office, far from the maddening crowd. It is better; that I make myself scarce during the activities of the party, and all the ladies can relax and be themselves.

Green Fin Red Table Wine 2012

I did make a couple quick trips back and forth to have a glass or two of wine, to see what the ladies were imbibing that evening. I ignored our house wines, as I know what they are, and I have written about them for different functions through the year. I tried two different red wines that evening. The first was Green Fin Red Table Wine 2012, with a California designation, by Green Fin Winery of Madera, California. This winery is from Bronco Wine Company, also makers of Franzia wines, one of the big bulk producers of wine that seem to be available everywhere, while the Green Fin wine appears to be for Trader Joe’s. The big focal point of this wine, which has no varietals listed, is that it is bio-dynamic, organic and vegan friendly, which are all the new buzz words for “foodies” these days, but the wine was not all that exciting for me. The other wine that I tried was from 14 Hands Winery of Columbia Valley, Washington and I have tried their Cabernet Sauvignon at another time. This evening though, I was trying 14 Hands “Hot to Trot” Red Blend 2012. This is a red wine that is a blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and other select red varietals (what ever that means). This wine also enjoyed nine months in French and American barrels and there was some taste and value there, and I found it more fruit forward as most of the popular priced wines seem to be producing these days. All in all, I know that the ladies had a grand time, and wine was secondary or even tertiary for the night.

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MWWC: Serendipity Redux

Posted on December 6, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Horace Walpole coined the word “serendipity” back in 1754 and it means fortunate happenstance or a pleasant surprise, and this is the theme of this month’s Monthly Wine Writers Challenge. I have added the word “redux” onto my title, which means revived or brought back; and I feel that I have been blessed many times with serendipity when it comes to wines, and I will point out a few of the tales this raconteur has enjoyed, as I am sure that most of you have not read some of my earlier forays.

wine-stain Monthly Wine Challenge

I had just recently wrote an article called Serendipity, where I was called in to help a wedding party that was having trouble with the art of making a proper knot for the bow ties. It only took a few minutes of my time, and it meant the world to the men, especially the intended groom. I ended up with a bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, a delightful bottle of wine, and the largesse of the Uncle of the Bride surprised me to no end. I saw some of the family members after the wedding, and they were so happy to bring up the occasion, because it was all recorded by a videographer. A week or two later, I saw the Uncle, and I thanked him again, and he asked me if I knew a couple of men, and I said yes, and discussed how it was through their family that I was introduced to the Duckhorn wines. He then showed me an email on his phone from one of the men, and they were getting together in China, and one of the other men that he was going to meet was of the Duckhorn family. That made me smile, and I told him all about how I did a tasting of Duckhorn wines in the back of a semi-trailer and was turned on to their wines and especially to their Howell Mountain Vineyard.

Also through serendipity, I ended up meeting a gentleman that was with “Les Amis du Vin,” a wine society and was invited to a talk and wine tasting with the celebrated man of wines, Mr. Harry Waugh; and what a wonderful night of French Burgundies it was. For a young kid to get to listen to the stories of the great wines, and a chance to have some wines like Vosne-Romanee and Echezeaux was a tremendous experience. While I am thinking of the wonderful red wines of Burgundy, I remember another fortunate happenstance, when I was enjoying a glass of Chevas Regal, during my college years when I was “Just Plain Lucky” and not in the way, that it can be construed in today’s parlance. There are just not that many men, let alone a young kid that gets the chance to enjoy a bottle of Richebourg 1921.

It is because of wine, that I have also had a chance to dine at some great restaurants both locally and around this great country. When I get to my deathbed, which I hope is still ages away, I think that I can safely say, that I may never have a finer meal than at The French Laundry, and I recorded the menu for that evening and a wonderful wine, that I may never have tried, except for the sage advice of the Sommelier. Of course I have also dined at Daniel in Manhattan and what a great menu and wine we had that evening, as well. I also went to Bistro Boulud at the Wynne hotel in Las Vegas and had the Hamburger of all times. If one wants to talk about a pleasant surprise in a restaurant, then “My Favorite Story” needs to be repeated, and I think I wrote about that evening in two different versions, because how often does one get to enjoy the cult wine of all cult wines Screaming Eagle?

Most of my tales as a raconteur center on dining, because I think one cannot dine properly with out wine. My Father’s generation always referred to a night out on the town as “Wining and Dining” and who am I to change that concept. You want to talk about serendipity, my Sister-in-Law was born in 1961, and that is considered one of the top three vintages of the last century, and according to her husband, that is the finest vintage. For her fortieth birthday, he had “A Celebration of the Women and Wine of 1961” and the menu alone that was created for that evening was wonderful, but when you add Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour and Chateau d’Yquem, and all of the 1961 vintage, it was a most memorable night and even a learning moment for all the dining guests as well.

Chateau Latour Pauillac 1961

I have saved what I consider the greatest moment of serendipity in my life for the last, and to be totally frank, there is no wine in the story, but it may be my all time favorite story and it covers our theme perfectly, so I do hope some of you humor me, and look at some of my early writings, but none of them do it more for me than “How My Bride became “My Bride” and a Great Cup of Coffee.”

19 years ago

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Leftovers

Posted on December 4, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Thanksgiving dinner was a monumental dinner, just because of the crowd we had this year, and the food preparation was awesome as well. I must say that my Bride should receive all the accolades that were bestowed upon her that night, as she deserved them. One of the reasons that she made such a vast amount of food was that most of the people that were there on Thanksgiving were also invited to come back on Saturday night for leftovers and another night of merriment.

Aiena Pinot Noir McIntyre Vineyard 2008

There was still plenty of the standing rib roast for the carnivores to enjoy, and there was none left by the end of the evening, which goes to show you that a great cut of meat can be wonderful a second time around. As for the turkey, my Bride did get creative and made two huge pot pies using the left over turkey, made a roux and added vegetables. She had gotten this recipe from her sister, and she changed it a little to make it her own. Another hit for the evening as both pies disappeared as well. Speaking of pies, all of the desserts that were still left went and she also had to make another Caramel Apple Pie as it had been requested, and that disappeared as well. Her planning paid off, as she made all that work satisfy a crowd of people on two different evenings.

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013

As for the wines, there were plenty of Chardonnay wines enjoyed earlier, and then during dinner there were a couple of Pinot Noir wines to enjoy. The first wine that was opened was some more of the Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013, that my Bride had discovered at a wine tasting and had bought some, and this discovery was seconded by her Sister and Brother-in-Law that live in Kentucky, as they had brought some of the wine up as well. This wine is from the Wagner Family of Wines, from their Belle Glos Collection. The word “Meiomi” is a tribal California Indian term for “coast” and it is fitting as the fruit is sourced from three coastal wine counties; Monterey, Sonoma and Santa Barbara. The other Pinot Noir wine that we enjoyed that evening, I brought up from the cellar. We had enjoyed an Aiena Pinot Noir 2009 once where the fruit was sourced from two different vineyards. I opened up a bottle of Aiena Pinot Noir 2008, which was from the Santa Lucia Highlands, but all the fruit was from the McIntyre Vineyard, the sad part is that there were only 270 cases made of this wine, so I am sure that we will never find this exact wine again. We were all amazed by the beauty of this wine. The fruit, terroir and tannins were all balanced and in harmony, and the nose was wonderful and we were just all enthralled with it. The Aiena may have been over kill for leftovers, but it truly added to the evening.

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A Christmas Party

Posted on December 2, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I already went to my first Christmas party and it was at a restaurant that I have written about before called Baldo’s. There was about twenty people invited to the dinner, though a few more were invited that could not attend. Baldo’s is located in the downriver community of Brownstown, a suburb of Detroit. This was during the Thanksgiving weekend, and the restaurant was packed, and showing no signs of slowing down, the entire time we were there. A white tablecloth place that offers a bang for the buck, more of big bowl pasta place, then Nouveau Cuisine and from the attitude of the regulars, this is what they are looking for. There were not any pretensions or fancy presentations, but good solid value.

Leese Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Our host that evening took the liberty of ordering several different appetizer plates in multiples to get the festivities going. There were mussels in a Palomino Sauce, Antipasto trays of Charcuterie and cheeses, and vegetable plates. We were then instructed by our host to just order off of the menu, anything that appealed to us. There were rib eye steaks, salmon and assorted pasta dishes that were ordered by the guests. I opted for Shrimp Diavolo, a spicy Creole inspired pasta dish with added scallions. All the dishes came with either a choice of salads and or soups, or some house made bread fresh from the oven. I could not finish my dish, after all of the appetizers, and I only had a taste of a Tiramisu for dessert.

MI Baldo's Menu

The wine that evening was from a company called The Other Guys, which it turned out was Mia and August Sebastiani and this was a part of the much larger Don Sebastiani Family of Companies. We were enjoying bottles of Leese-Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, which was celebrating the restoration of the Leese-Fitch building in the Sonoma Square. Messer Leese and Fitch were the Brother-in-Laws of Mariano Vallejo, the founder of the town of Sonoma. The wine itself said Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was also blended with Petit Verdot, Alicante Bouschet, Tannat, Merlot and Barbera. The wine was listed as a California wine, because the fruit was harvested from the following appellations: Lodi, Clarksburg, Paso Robles, Northern Interior Valley and Sonoma County. For a popular price wine it did offer some taste and like the restaurant was value for the money.

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Another Thanksgiving and a Surprise Ending

Posted on November 30, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I think we had the biggest Thanksgiving dinner ever, and no we do not do a Norman Rockwell type of dinner. We had tables everywhere this time. There were tables and diners in the dining room, the living room, the library, the breakfast nook and the family room. We were running out of space. First appetizers were spread out in different zones. The island in the kitchen was a large smorgasbord for dinner, and we had to set up the plates and utensils in the library, as there was no place on the island for them.

Chateau Margaux 1970

Earlier in the day before the guests arrived we had two roasters and an auxiliary refrigerator in the library, and that did not work out, as we blew a fuse. So we had to put one roaster in the kitchen and one stayed in the library. The oven and the range were also put to major use as well. I have to admit, that my Bride makes the best turkey and stuffing that I have ever had, and as I have stated in the past, I never enjoyed turkey, until I had hers. Her sister came up with a special dish that we cooked that morning as well, she had prepped a whole standing rib roast, and I am so glad that her butcher cradled the meat on the ribs and tied it together. I was not aware that it had been cradled and I was on the computer reading up on how to carve this roast, the hardest part was already prepped. May I say that this dish rivaled my Bride’s turkey and she was watching which dish was more popular as people filled their plates with all of the different foods that were laid out on the island. Suffice it to say that there were plenty of other dishes as well, and nobody was left out or hungry afterwards. After everyone was sated, the island was cleared of all the foods, and the island became a dessert table, and of course all of the November birthday people were sung to, before the desserts was doled out.

Beaulieu Vineyard Georges De Latour 2004

My Brother-in-Law with the great cellar brought up a bottle for us to enjoy, and he only looked at the label. After he put it on the table and we uncorked it, did he realize that it was a special commemorative painted back label, and that he must have gotten it at a charity event. I guess this bottle will not have the label soaked off, but will be kept intact on a shelf that I have in the cellar for special bottles. The wine was Beaulieu Vineyard George De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. This is probably the original and most meaningful “Private Reserve” in Napa Valley, in fact perhaps in the country. George De Latour was the original founder of Beaulieu Vineyard and the fruit harvested for this wine is from the original Rutherford site. This is not a bulk production wine at all, and the terroir was even more noticeable in this vintage, than compared to other bottles of this wine that I have had in the past. The back of the bottle had a painted label for the Primetime Emmy Awards “60” and I did some research and this event was in 2008, so these bottles must have been served at a very special party, as I can not imagine that this would have been offered to people who “swill” wine or any other alcoholic beverage that they can get their hands on.

BV GDL CS 2004 Emmy 60

The gauntlet had been thrust, and I decided to go into the cellar and find something to create a possible “awe” moment of my own. I went into the Bordeaux wine area of my rack and I thought, yes this will work. I brought it up, and handed it to him, and he recognized the label, but he had to put his glasses on to read the vintage. He smiled, and he asked me if I knew the history of this bottle, and I replied to the affirmative, as I had splurged and bought this bottle when it first came to the market and I have had it cellared ever since. We looked at the lead capsule that surrounded the cork and it looked rather “grungy” if I may say so. We then looked at the ullage of the bottle, and it looked as if there had been no seepage of air or liquid, as the bottle looked “store bought full.” I attempted to get a cork screw in the cork, but it was quite soft, and my Brother-in-Law used one of my spring steel cork screw, but alas the cork pushed right into the bottle. I went and got my always ready funnel, a coffee filter and a decanter. This wine was going to be tested and tried. The make shift filtration system allowed the wine to be fully decanted, and we were even admiring the color of the wine, and not to mention that there was no foxiness or oxidation smell to the nose. All good signs and I almost forgot to take a picture of the wine in the decanter, to show the rich color. We rinsed our glasses from the delightful cab to try this new bottle of a Cabernet blend. The wine that we decanted was Chateau Margaux 1970, one of the Premier Grand Cru of the Medoc, and a famed wine. My Brother-in-Law mentioned that this is not a wine that is known for a long life, like Chateau Latour, but he said the best of the French wines are always full of surprises. He and his wife, my Bride and myself all tried the wine, and remarked that most of the fruit was gone, but the tannins were still solid, and the terroir was still noticeable, but it may have been the most mellow Bordeaux wine that we have ever had, not feisty, but still totally intact. Only my Bride did not want to finish her glass and gave it to me, as she likes her wines, especially Cabs and blends to be big and in your face, and this wine was, I felt, sensual and demure. The rest of us could not get over the quality and life of this wine.

Decanter of Ch Margaux 1970

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A Circuitous Chardonnay

Posted on November 28, 2014 by thewineraconteur

While we were having our dinner at the Ravens Club in Ann Arbor with my fellow Wine Blogger Oliver and his charming wife Nina we were witnessing a bottle of wine take a very unique trip. Of course with the four of us, wine is always a topic of discussion. Oliver was lamenting that he was not writing as much as he would like, and we discussed some of the writings of some of the other Bloggers as well, since Oliver has had the fortune to actually know several of them in person. I on the other hand only know them through their writings or from Social Media, but I feel a bond with those that I have encountered this way. Wine is a social event and not a solitary endeavor, and given the time we can all be rather gregarious in espousing the virtues of the fermented grape.

Oliver and John 2014

There was a couple that was having dinner at another table behind my Bride and Nina and they had a bottle of wine between them. There was another couple at the table adjacent to us that were also having dinner, and as one thing led to another, we ended up discussing wines and our passion for the wines and also of our writing about wines; as I said, we tend to be a friendly group of people. The first couple finished their meal and only had a glass or two from the bottle, and even though Michigan now allows you to leave with a partial bottle of wine after your dinner, they took the bottle over to the couple next to us and wanted them to enjoy the wine. This couple graciously accepted the gift, though they stated that they were really red wine drinkers. They tried some of the wine and continued on with their discussion and occasionally our table had some asides with them again. We had finished our dinner and were going to get ready to leave; when the second couple brought over the bottle and thought they we might enjoy the balance of them wine.

Roco Chardonnay 2012

I have to admit, that there is seldom a time when wine afficianados would turn down a chance to try a new wine. The wine was a Chardonnay, and there are some people who claim to be ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) drinkers. Now Oliver is a big fan of German Riesling wines, but he does venture off to try other wines as well, as he is a member of the Century Club, and one day, I may get off of my inertia and actually fill out the form as well to see how I fare. Now for Chardonnay wines, I tend to lump them into two large groups. The first group is how this varietal works in the French region of Burgundy, a very crisp and bright wine with a lot of nuance when done properly and there are legions of fans for this type of wine. The other group of Chardonnay, if I may pigeon-hole them is for the big California style oakey wines, that may be very buttery and mellow, and this group has a loyal following as well, though I have noticed in some of the contemporary writings that some people are belaboring the fact of too much oak these days. I did not get a chance to discuss this particular wine with the first couple, as we were originally out of the original equation and perhaps they were looking for more of a buttery Chardonnay, as this wine was made more in the French style. The second couple tried some of the wine, but alas they just were not into white wines as much as they enjoyed red wines. So when the wine ended up at our table, we had to call for some fresh wine glasses to try this new wine.

MI The Ravens Club BC

The wine that was passed around to three tables was Roco Chardonnay 2012 from Roco Winery of Oregon. The fruit came from the Rose Rock West Vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA which is a newer and sub-appellation of the much larger Willamette Valley designation. This was a very well crafted wine that is in an elevated area and not on the base of the valley, and the terroir of this district enabled them to get their own designation.  As I stated this was a well crafted wine and there were only 250 cases produced, so it was good that we could have a chance to try it, as it was not offered by the glass in the restaurant.  It was a very nice way to end the evening with this surprising gift of wine and our table did enjoy it, and yes the wine bottle became as I tend to call them a “dead soldier,” and I took the bottle with us a memory and another label for me to remove to add to my collection.

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The Ravens Club in Ann Arbor

Posted on November 26, 2014 by thewineraconteur

“Once upon a midnight dreary…” is the first thought that crossed my mind, as I started to read the first of several reviews of this establishment in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. The reviews were all from fellow Bloggers that I follow about wine and food, and they had been invited for a night to sample the new menu, craft cocktails and wines for this “speakeasy” themed location. I had mentioned that this venue was under the radar for me, and that I must check them out. Oliver of “The Winegetter” sent me a message that it would be a great place for him and his lovely wife Nina to get together with my Bride and me for another night out, as it had been too long since we had all been together. We hammered out a night and we made it happen.

Corvidae Lenore Syrah 2012

We arrived after Oliver and Nina, who decided to take advantage of some of the craft cocktails during the Happy Hour, which we could not make in time. They were also nibbling on some wonderful cashews that had roasted in a Truffled herb salt and I could have probably eaten a pound of these myself, they were that good. Since the new menu for the restaurant was about small plates we ordered several different dishes and shared among us. One of the more unique dishes for a restaurant, but always found in pot-luck affairs was the classic interpretation of Deviled Eggs with the traditional mousse and tarragon. There was also another dish, that I have missed from the old relish trays of days gone by, was the Chicken Liver Mousse, updated with grilled bread, apple chutney and pistachios. From the Charcuterie side of the menu we tried the Pork Confit Rillette with garlic, star anise and cinnamon. There was also a side of Sopressata, red wine flavored pork with sweet fennel, hot peppers and paprika; and a few chunks of Parmagiano Reggiano cheese. Nina and Oliver had the Steinhauser Farms Burger with some beautifully cooked fries, while my Bride had the pan fried trout and I had a dish called Mushrooms-on-Toast on White Lotus Farms country levain, with a poached egg and Sherry. Suffice it to say that the food was wonderful, but I do not take food porn photographs, as I have enough problems photographing wine labels.

Groundwork Grenache Blanc 2013

Since Oliver and Nina had already been there, he was telling me about how several of the wines that were being served were actually in small kegs or barrels and that wine was actually poured from the barrel. I should have taken a side trip to the bar, to see it for myself, but the company was so enjoyable that I had a hard enough time to go and ask for a business card, which is my new way for a keepsake, since matchbooks are a relic of a time past and regarded only for today’s social pariahs.

Mercat Cava Brut Nature NV

Actually all of the wines that we tried were stilled poured from traditional bottles, so I was able to get a label shot of each wine. We started off with Groundwork Grenache Blanc 2013 from Sans Liege Wines. Grenache Blanc is a work horse among varietals and normally not encountered as a single grape wine, as it is part of the classic Chateauneuf du Pape wines of France and also found in different wines from Spain as well. This wine was sourced from Kopack, Last Frontier and Beato vineyards in the Paso Robles region and there were 900 cases made of this wine. The next wine that I was touted on was Corvidae Lenore Syrah 2012 from the Corvidae Wine Company of Columbia Valley, Washington. This wine was sourced from Yakima Valley and Heaven Hills; as the Columbia Valley AVA is one of the largest in the country. The wine was also the perfect wine for the restaurant as Corvidae refers to a group of black birds, as in the raven, and the name Lenore was also perfect for the venue. Syrah is famous in the Rhone Valley, but it has found a home in the New World as well, as the natural spice of the varietal works with a variety of foods, as far as I am concerned. The last wine that Nina and I both had, and we had it in lieu of dessert was Mercat Cava Brut Nature NV from Mercat Winery of Penedes, Spain. This sparkling wine is made with a secondary fermentation in the bottle, just like they do in the Champagne region of France, only this wine is made from the Macabeu, Xarel-lo and Parellada varietals that are found and used very well in the Catalunya region of Spain.

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Another Club Meeting at the Plymouth Crossing

Posted on November 24, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The best laid plans of mice and men, as the old adage goes, I think of as I make plans for my dinner club meeting. I perform a certain service for the club, beyond the membership status, as a way to help the club produce some extra funds for the year. Something came up for this past meeting, and I figured that I was going to miss the cocktail hour, as well as the dinner portion and just show up for the business section of the meeting. As luck would have it, the restaurant had a delay, and so the club performed some of the business meeting early, and the dinner portion of the evening was delayed. When I got there, I may have missed the cocktail hour and the camaraderie of the hour, but I was able to join in for the dinner, and there was still time for my portion of the business, which always concludes the session.

Cecchi Chianti Classico 2011

We had a choice of three different entrée dinners for the evening, as is the usual case for the meeting. There was a choice of a Rib Eye steak with bleu cheese and caramelized onions, a Panko encrusted salmon sautéed served on Japanese Cole Slaw and a Chicken Marsala with Fettuccine. As I hadn’t planned on dinner that night, it was a delightful surprise that I could join the group. I had the rib eye steak, minus the crumbled bleu cheese and I was a very happy camper.

MI The Plymouth Crossing Menu

As I scanned the wine list, after deciding what I was going to have for dinner, I decided to have a full bodied red wine and the best offering I saw was an Italian Chianti. The Cecchi Chianti Classico 2011 was what one would expect from this wine. Since it was a Chianti Classico, the Sangiovese wine was aged for a year after harvest and then stored in bottles for a couple of months prior to being released, these are set requirements for any “Classico” wines. The wine was harvested from the Castellina area of this delineated region, and one should always expect a certain modicum of quality for this wine, because of the rules of the association.

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Ciao Ristorante

Posted on November 22, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I would venture to say that most people enjoy a good Italian meal; at least I know that I do. The city of Dearborn today is now known for having a large if not the largest population of residents from the Middle East, so one does not think of it as an area for Italian food. At one time there were many Italian eateries in the city, because it had a very large Italian population. Ciao Ristorante opened up with a lot of fanfare and with the promise of offering a great dining experience. The reason I mention this is because the owners of the restaurant already were known for a quality Middle Eastern restaurant, as that is their heritage. There was some hesitation for some people to try this restaurant because of the fact, but I was willing to try it, as I felt that if I an Armenian could prepare some Italian dishes and be happy with it, so can others. The restaurant was beautifully appointed and it felt that it could have been tucked away in the Tuscan area. The menu had all the main areas written in Italian, so half of the battle had already been achieved.

Colle Secco MDA 1997

The restaurant actually had pizza on the menu, but we were looking for something more fun. We both ordered a Carpaccio appetizer, my Bride had tuna (Sashimi grade) and I had the classic tenderloin. My Bride had Linguine with Salmon in a Vodka Sauce, and I had a classic interpretation of Veal Scaloppini. I have to say that all of the dishes were done properly and that I did not notice any problems in the food or the presentation. The wait staff did a great job, and I can see why they were doing a very good job with a lot of repeat business, and you could see why they became popular with the expense account crowd.

MI Ciao Logo

When I am in a restaurant that seems oriented to the expense account crowd, and the wine prices reflect an extra margin, I have an automatic reflex that kicks in, making me search for an old friend that will be more economical. As luck would have it, I found a tried and true friend of mine a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. A bottle of Colle Secco Rubino 1997 by Cantina Tollo. The wine maker was new to me, but the varietal has always been a safe choice for me, in fact I tout it this varietal to people that are looking for a dependable wine for Italian cuisine. I have probably wrote more articles about Montepulciano D’Abruzzo wines than any other Italian varietal, because so far I have never been disappointed, to this day.

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Evans Street Station

Posted on November 20, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I think there is something that is still fascinating about firehouses. When I was a kid, my Father had a machine shop for one of the departments of the City of Detroit, and it was located in the complex that held the Fire Department school. It was always fascinating to visit him there. I remember getting a chance to slide down the brass pole from the second floor to the garage next to the engines, as well as a chance to play on the engines. I also remember jumping from a window and the firemen catching me in the big rope basket that you still see in the cartoons, but are not longer used because of liability issues, but that is another story. All of this rambling leads me to a restaurant that is off the beaten path and I went with my Bride and three of her friends; so I was surrounded by a bevy of females and I was in my glory. We all got into one car and took a road trip to Tecumseh, Michigan; and yes, you can’t get there from here. The restaurant that we were going to was once a firehouse, and I took the long way around to get this fact. Evans Street Station was a restaurant that I had heard about, and finally got a group together to try it out.

Duckhorn Merlot Three Palms Vineyard 1999

As we were entering into the restaurant, I stopped to look at the dinner menu that they had posted outside, along with the lunch menu, and I noticed that they had Foie Gras as an appetizer for dinner, but not for lunch. When our waiter came by to take drink orders and we started with some cocktails, I asked if there was a possibility of getting some Foie Gras with our lunch. When he returned with the drinks, he informed me that yes, the kitchen would be more than happy to prepare as many dishes of it, that were ordered, and right then I knew we would all be happy. We ended up ordering two plates of the Foie Gras, an order of the Lobster Spring Roll, an order of Baked Brie with Balsamic, and an order of the Sweet Potato Crab Cakes. All of these dishes were shared and shared until there was nothing left but the plates. The women ordered Caesar Salads, but I opted for a bowl of the Michigan Potato Chowder and it was the most smooth and velvety bisque that I have ever had, not even related to any other potato soup that I have ever tried. The entrée plates that were ordered were equally wonderful, and because we had arrived late in the afternoon we had our choice of the lunch or dinner menu and we all ordered dinners. The beef tenderloin was done perfectly to order with a side order of a timbale that was formed using paper thin strips of Yukon Gold and Sweet Potatoes filled with mushrooms, shallots and a bit of cheese. There was an order of Sesame Seed dusted Scallops, a rack of lamb with Saffron Couscous, and two orders of the Celery Root crusted Salmon with creamed leeks. There was enough “oohs and ahs” as everyone was making little side tasting plates for the others to enjoy. We were having so much fun that the lunch had morphed into the dinner hours of the restaurant and none of the staff made any mention of it, as we were certainly happy to be there.

MI Evans Street Station

After we had placed our cocktail orders, I began looking over the wine list, with my able bodied assistant. As soon as my Bride saw that they had Duckhorn Merlot, I though she was going to do the “Happy Dance” in the restaurant. One of the other women that were in attendance had done the Napa trip with us, and she was the reason that all of us were getting together to have the meal. She also concurred on the Duckhorn Merlot. The other two ladies were more than happy to try any wine that the three of us were in agreement on. We went for the gusto and by the time the meal was through, we had gone through three bottles of Duckhorn Merlot Three Palms Vineyard 1999. From the beginning of the Duckhorn Winery, the Three Palms Vineyard has been part of their wine offerings, and it is a wonderful wine, if you ever get a chance to try it, and if I recall from our trip to the winery, this is not a huge production. I know that our waiter was more than happy with our selection and for all the food that had been ordered on a rather slow afternoon. I am happy to say that even out in Tecumseh, away from the maddening crowd; Evans Street Station is still a going concern and still getting people to make the trip.

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