Our Favorite Place for Brunch

Posted on May 24, 2021 by thewineraconteur

After booking the flight and the hotel, we booked this brunch, and it was mentioned often as we talked about the trip.  We were making a return trip to Echo & Rig Butcher and Steakhouse.  Echo & Rig was the first establishment that we had been to, that besides being a restaurant, was also a butcher shop.  Not the butcher shop of my youth, where you had to take a number and then  get all of your meats wrapped in paper after he cut or sliced or ground your request.  Here is a butcher shop that not only cuts the meat, they age the meats, and they make their own charcuterie.  The butcher shop is on the main floor, opposite the bar, and the restaurant is upstairs that takes full advantage of their butcher shop. It was all the more enticing, because every morning, including the morning of our brunch there, that we would walk past the restaurant in the Tivoli Village complex as part of our daily 6K walk. I am also not the best photographer, so in case you can’t decipher the message that is emblazoned on their window, it is “A hot dog at the ballpark is better than steak at the Ritz.” – Humphrey Bogart 

At least once a month since our last brunch at Echo & Rig, I was reminded how my Bride was looking forward to her Lemon, Ricotta and Blueberry pancakes.  I had requested to be out on the verandah overlooking the fountain and the entrance to Tivoli Village. We were of course the first in line to get into the restaurant, as I guess we were rather anxious.  We were taken upstairs and outside and we met our waiter, a little while later, another employee that was over the years our waitress and at a times the manager came over to greet us by name.  Talk about getting a swelled head and feeling special.  I had the Short Rib Hash, made of Prime Short Ribs, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Bell Peppers, Shallots with two poached eggs and Smoked Paprika Hollandaise Sauce.  My Bride was crestfallen, because she even mentioned to our waiter that her favorite dish was not on the menu, so she had the Smoked Wild Salmon plate with Cream Cheese, sliced Tomatoes, Capers, Red Onions and a toasted Bagel.  We also got a side order of the house made bacon, and we had both forgotten how great bacon could be, when it isn’t from a commercial package.  I was later talking to the Manager while my Bride was away and lamented that her favorite dish was no longer on the menu. The manager was aghast and told me that the dish was on the menu, just written up differently and that our waiter should have realized it, especially after my Bride described it, so thoroughly.  It hurt me to tell my Bride what I had discovered, but by then we were stuffed.

 Our waiter also had a problem understanding what we meant, when we referred to their older way of touting their Mimosas as bottomless, as now their menu only lists Bottomless Handcrafted Bloody Mary.  He told me that they usually just put a bottle of sparkling in an icer and bring over a carafe of fresh-squeezed orange juice, as he got flustered thinking that we may need additional Mimosas and he wasn’t prepared for that.  The first time that we were there we had this wine, I had never heard of the wine that was being poured, but since then I have noticed other restaurants back home touting the same wine for their Mimosas. Wycliff Brut California Champagne is by the William Wycliff Winery which is under the umbrella of the Gallo Winery group. This screwcap bottle of sparkling wine is geared strictly to restaurants and catering companies, so that the consumer cannot check the retail price of the wine or buy it on their own. Since it is part of Gallo, I am sure that they have made sure that they were grandfathered in with the term “California Champagne.” This wine is made by the Charmat Method, which is a more economical way of producing a sparkling wine and since it was being mixed with orange juice, it was more than adequate. Traditionally the wine would be made with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier and I will presume that all or part of those grapes are being used. All I can say is that it was a great way to start the day off.  The only thing lacking was the screw cap, instead of the classic pop of a cork, but it was still a great way to start the day.

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From Clark Street to Sammy’s

Posted on May 22, 2021 by thewineraconteur

As soon as I wrote the title to this article, if you are from my generation and from Delray or Southwest Detroit, it sounds like I am going to talk about the old neighborhood.  Alas, I am not going to talk about the Cadillac Motor Car plant or the famed park that has an outstanding ice arena that has seen some of the Red Wings play on.  The Clark Street that I am going to mention was the site of an infamous gangland massacre in Old Chicago and the bricks made a circuitous trip to Vancouver and finally now reside at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.  My grandchildren didn’t recall going there, the last time we took them, so it was brand new to them again I was really looking forward to recreating an older photo that we have of myself with three of the grandchildren as we were lined up for our mug photo.  The last time that we were there, my Bride took the photo, this time I guess the mug photo line-up is such a big tourist attraction that you have to have their photographer take your photo, so that you could buy it later at the gift shop.  I would have opted for that, but even though we were the only people in the room, the photographer would not take the photo unless we had our masks on, and to me that negated the whole photograph of a before and after type of photo.  I guarantee that no one was ever photographed or lined up at a real line-up with a mask on. 

After touring the museum and I think the kids may have enjoyed it more, since they were older, they really wanted to “take” us to Sammy’s Woodfire Pizza & Grill at Sammy’s.  When one thinks of Vegas, they think of The Strip and then the Downtown district and both sections are very glittery.  There are plenty of small local, almost neighborhood casinos interspersed along the main and secondary streets of the city.  It was the first time that we ever ventured into one of these venues, though in the past, we have been in drug stores, grocery stores and even gas stations that have maybe a half dozen machines waiting to take your spare change. The kids love this place, and they knew that I had to go there for the Duck Tacos, because they all know that I love duck dinners,  There was a ton of food ordered and to give you an idea here is the list: five orders of Lobster Bisque with Sherry, a platter of Truffle Fries, two orders of Braised Short Rib tacos, shrimp tacos, four orders of Duck tacos, Mini-burgers, Margherita Pizza, Mozzarella Pizza, two orders of Chicken Wings, Pork Dumplings a “Messy Sundae” and an “Apple Pie Pizza” and the two desserts still were only partially consumed by the crowd that we had at two tables. 

We may have started off with Margaritas, but we eventually ended up with wine (of course we did).  First, we had Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio Trentino DOC 2019.  Mezzacorona is a group of co-operative wineries and brands, established in 1904 in Trentino.  The winery is known as the “Citadella del Vino” and they recently built a state-of-the-art facility to better serve their fifteen-hundred growers.  Mezzacorona claims to produce more Pino Grigio and Chardonnay than any other Italian winery.  With the wine being produced by so many small vineyards, the fruit is hand harvested to this day.  There is no production information, but I sure that I may surmise that the fruit is aged in Stainless Steel for a short period.  I say this, because the wine is green and flinty, crisp with a light floral nose and a soft finish.  A perfect wine for food and lots of talking and merriment.  Next was Daou Vineyards & Winery Pessimist Red Blend Paso Robles 2018.  Daou Vineyards is located in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles and was established in 2007 by George and Daniel Daou who had originally built a successful IT business.  They bought part of the Hoffman Mountain Ranch and in 2012 bought the rest of the property and now have two-hundred-twelve acres.  The Hoffman Mountain Ranch had been the first modern commercial winery in Paso Robles after Prohibition and created by Stanley Hoffman with assistance by Andre Tchelistcheff. All the estate fruit is hand harvested and has been certified as sustainable farming practices. The Pessimist Red Blend 2018 is a blend of sixty-two percent Petite Sirah, twenty percent Zinfandel, sixteen percent Syrah and two percent Lagrein.  There are no production notes, but I well venture to say that the wine saw some barrel time, as Daou is big on Bordeaux varieties and also Rhone varieties.  The wine was a deep purple with floral notes, big dark and red fruit, with some butter and vanilla (oak) and a nice smoky finish.  A couple of nice popular price wines with an interest spread of food for dinner and a repeat of a museum that at least my Bride and I remembered, and I can guarantee you that we were not in Southwest Detroit, even if it sounded like we were.  

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Honoring Our Grandson

Posted on May 20, 2021 by thewineraconteur

One of the main reasons that we were in a hurry to go to Las Vegas, was to do something for our eldest grandson, who graduated from high school last year.  We were going to throw him a graduation party, but I think most people realize that last year was kind of chaotic.  It was a rather open invitation we gave him, when we told him that we wanted to take him out for dinner, along with his girlfriend, because we told him to pick a restaurant, and there are few restaurants to choose from in Vegas.  He never chose, and never got back to us, so we made the decision for them. 

That afternoon My Favorite Daughter was all excited because she wanted to take everyone to her latest discovery.  We went to T.K. House of Bread & Armenian Restaurant.  When we walked in, I got a chance to practice my all, but forgotten Armenian language skills, and of course the Armenian that my family spoke was totally different compared to the Armenian that is spoken by the later immigrants, years after the Genocide. Some of the dishes were different both in spelling, and presentation, but My Favorite Daughter was excited.  She insisted, before we got there, that she was treating and she was ordering plates of food like it was going out of style.  It was all good, especially knowing that he had the market locked up, and it was a chance for my grandchildren to try some foods that they would not get at home. Of course, my Bride and I nibbled and noshed, and I even had pop (no liquor license and I survived) because we had a big night ahead of us. 

We took our grandson and his girlfriend to Marche Bacchus French Bistro & Wine Shop, where my Bride and I have gone several times before.  It is in the middle of an older residential area build around three man-made lakes that only Howard Hughes could have envisaged and created.  From the front, it looks like a small wine shop and wine bar in a small neighborhood strip center, but appearances are deceiving.  The wine shop is quite large, not like one of the chain discount operations, but very impressive with the selection well thought out.  Behind the wineshop is this terraced restaurant built out on the lake and during the day, we have seen black swans enjoying the water. Our grandson and his date were both rather adventuresome as we started off with Seared Foie Gras with Lingonberry Jam, Brioche, Aged Balsamic Reduction and Frisee Salad.  This was followed by Escargot “Persillade” a classic interpretation with Garlic Herbed Butter and Parmigiano Bread Crumbs.  His date ordered a dish that required extra time, so we filled the extra time with an order of Beef Tartare with Quail Egg along with Pine Nuts, Capers and Pain de Mie Toast Points.  The kids actually tried all three appetizers, though I am not sure if they would have them again.  My grandson had the Steak “Frites” a Wagyu Flat Iron Steak with Sauce Bearnaise, Frites and Herbed Butter, while his date had the Bistro Chicken, an organic Roasted Half Chicken with Asparagus, Roasted Tomatoes, Fingerling Potatoes and Lemon Crème.  My Bride had Seared Scallops with Lemon and Mascarpone Barley, Snap Peas, Radishes and Citrus Jus.  I had the King Cole Duck Breast with Mushroom Risotto with a Brandy Fig Sauce. The four of us split two desserts, one was a Crème Brulee and the other a Limoncello Souffle. 

With the Seared Foie Gras, we went with Chateau Lapinesse Sauternes 2017 from the Siozard family.  The Siozard family settled in the 19th Century on the banks of Dordogne opposite Saint-Emilion and they now operate about sixty hectares in Bordeaux, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac. They are now in the sixth generation of the family. The wine is pure Semillon and manually harvested over many passes to only pick the botrytised (Noble Rot) grapes, the musts are obtained by direct pressing and settled, while vinified at low temperature.  The wine is aged for twelve months in Stainless Steel to achieve a golden yellow color, with a floral nose, and notes of melon, dried apricots and candied fruit, with a long finish of apricots and some terroir.  A very nice House choice to accommodate the dish. My main job was after ascertaining what my Bride was having was to go and select a wine from their retail shop and they charge ten dollars for a corkage fee. I was getting a bit frantic, as I was sure that a Pinot Noir may be a bit over the top for the scallops, but I knew that she would be a trouper, but then I saw something that would make me a hero to her, and have her forgive me about having a red wine.  I selected a bottle of Domaine Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvee Terroir 2016 from the Loire Valley and made from Cabernet Franc.   In fact, they have been growing that grape for years and locally it is called Breton, after the Abbot that nurtured the grape, and one of the famous sons of Chinon, Rabelais also wrote about the wines when he had a moment of free time.  The vineyard dates back to 1830 and was planted entirely with Cabernet Franc; and some of their other vineyards go back to at least 1789.  In 1957 after artistic studies of painting and sculpture in Pare, Charles Joguet took over the family business and the initials JMV that adorn the tin capsules stand for his mother, Madame Veuve Joguet-Malecault.  The juice spends four weeks in cold maceration and then is aged for about fifteen months in a mix of French Oak from new to up to fourth year usage, then the juices are mixed and stored for another six months prior to bottling.  This was just a lovely wine, layered and complex and offering a true Cabernet Franc experience. Our waitress was going to get glasses for our two guests, my Bride said no, I would have probably let them have a taste.  It was a wonderful evening, not the graduation party that we wanted to throw for him, but it worked and since he is now attending courses in Engineering, it may be a while before he can have Wagyu beef again, maybe when he graduates again.   

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A Sparkling Rosé from Austria

Posted on May 18, 2021 by thewineraconteur

One of the great benefits of visiting Las Vegas is seeing the family.  Trying to get as much time with the families as possible without smothering them, preventing my kids from working and also trying to prevent the grandchildren from attending school.   The other thing is that as the grandchildren get older, they get used to eating certain foods and we kind of upset the apple cart.  They have a Grandmother that is quite level-headed and eager to please, but they have a Grandfather that is a pain-in-the-arse about certain things, especially restaurants and especially fast-food, and I am hardly a nutritionist.  So, getting everyone to agree on a restaurant is a bit of challenge, and even I must bend.  I really enjoy going to independent restaurants, but the grandchildren have been indoctrinated to understand chain operations.  In Las Vegas, chains abound with Five Star Chefs and their restaurants to the coffee shops and burger-joints that seem to be everywhere. 

One night we ended up at P.F. Chang’s which has locations in Detroit and Las Vegas.  In the 1960’s Cecilia Chiang had two restaurants, and the second one was in Beverly Hills, California and it was successful.  Her son Philip took over the administration of the business and continued with success.  The first one in Los Angeles was called Mandarette and the newer one was called Mandarin.  Mandarette was a special treat for an Arizona restauranteur named Paul Fleming and he and Philip Chiang created a new restaurant called P.F. Chang’s in 1993 and today there is over three-hundred restaurants across the United States and in twenty-five countries around the globe.  The wok is the star in the kitchen, but the food is all fresh and their credo is “Farm to Wok.” In fact, it was kind of amusing that one of the grandchildren enjoys wontons, but she kind freaked out when she found out that they were “crab” wontons and not “cream cheese” wontons, but I do think that she survived. There were plenty of dishes on the table and everyone was sharing and exploring, in fact, I even tried something different, but if and when we go again, I will probably go with my tried-and-true entrée.  The desserts were fun, I am not quite sure what the connection there is with a Chocolate Lava Cake and Vietnam, but it was popular around the table.  The “Fire and Ice” dessert was the one that captivated the crowd with the presentation.  It was Bread Pudding and Vanilla ice cream encased in chocolate, ignited with run and served flaming. 

Since P.F. Chang’s is affiliated with Fleming’s Steakhouse, the wine selection is rather interesting and usually better than one finds in plenty of restaurants. We had a bottle of Weingut Markus Huber Sparkling Rosé Niederosterreich NV. The family run winery of Markus Huber was founded in 1648 and is in its tenth generation from the Traisental Valley and the entire winery is certified as “Sustainable Austria.” They have forty hectares and also have seventy contract growers.  In 2007, Traisental DAC with three designations was granted, but it is only for Gruner Veltliner and Riesling wines. This region has had a history of grapes going back thousands of years to the Bronze Age. This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Zweigelt and this blend is found not only in Austria, but Slovenia and the Czechoslovakia.  Zweigelt is a crossing of Saint-Laurent with Blaufrankisch, and is the most widely planted red wine in Austria.  This particular wine had the fruit harvested from two small vineyards in the Traisental Valley was aged for four months on the lees.  The wine was a very pleasant salmon-pink with a small number of bubbles, so it could have been aerated, as there is no mention other than “sparkling” on the label.  It was very pleasant with a touch of cherries and berries, not too acidic or too tart.  I thought it worked well with the dinner and I think that it would be nice with almost anything dish, especially with appetizers.    

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A Day of Shopping at Downtown Summerlin

Posted on May 16, 2021 by thewineraconteur

I would say that for the last fifteen years when we have stayed in Las Vegas for pleasure, we stay in Summerlin and not on The Strip.  I mention Summerlin, usually in passing, but Howard Hughes purchased twenty-five-thousand acres in the Las Vegas Valley and that made him the largest landowner in the area and he originally planned on moving his businesses there.  That was in 1952 and the land was undeveloped for decades, Hughes died in 1976 and the Summa Corporation was organized and developed by his heirs, and they created this master-planned commercial and residential community, named after Jean Amelia Summerlin, Howard Hughes’ paternal grandmother.  In 1988, the corporation began and in 1990 the first residential village, park and school had become developed.  In 1994 Summa Corporation became Howard Hughes Corporation and continued with the development and has almost been consistently Number One in new home sales.  In 2016 they created Downtown Summerlin, a mix of shopping, entertainment and restaurants.  My Bride likes shopping there, me as a retired clothier, I just like to follow her around.

We ended up at one of our favorite haunts in the complex, the Grape Street Café, Wine Bar & Cellar.  Nineteen years ago, it was created by Chef John McKibben offering a California style bistro, with wine, beer and spirits.  I am even partial to the tables, as they utilize reclaimed wooden wine crates for the table tops.  We just decided to get a casual lunch, because we were going to see the kids later that day for dinner.  We ordered a Roasted Bulb of Garlic, because that is always a pleasure to munch on.  We had a Poached Salmon Platter with artichokes, capers, tomatoes cherry peppers, asparagus, and a dill-scallion sauce.  We also order a plate of Crab Stuffed Shrimp which was snow crab stuffing with a Scampi finish, along with Artisanal Cheeses, cured meats, nuts and fruit preserves.  Basically, three plates in the center of the table and we just kept filling up a small plate with goodies. 

Somehow wine, always makes the occasion better, shopping or stopping in and having a quick bite between shopping, wine always works.  My Bride always zeroes in on Pinot Grigio lately, if she gets a chance.  She went with a glass of SeaGlass Pinot Grigio Central Coast 2019 which is under the Trinchero Family Estates.  This wine is ninety-seven percent Pinot Grigio and three percent Chenin Blanc.  The wine is fermented in Stainless Steel tanks in cold temperatures avoiding all oxygen and it did not undergo malolactic fermentation.  It was also bottled early to maintain crispness and the fruit flavors noted for this varietal. The wine offered some lemongrass and grapefruit to the nose, with notes of apple and pear and some refreshing acidity which wants you to have a second glass, and it had a slight finish of terroir of minerals.  I went with the Martin Codax Albarino Rias Baixas 2019.  Martin Codax is a co-operative of growers in the Rias Baixas.  It was formed in 1986 and is named for a famous troubadour from the 13th Century of old romantic Spain.  The winemaker and one of the original founders of Martin Codax is Luciano Amoedo, who was also one of the most vocal in getting Denominacion de Origen (DO) appellation for Rias Baixas in 1988 and the main varietal for the co-operative is Albarino, which accounts for ninety percent of their production.  This wine was light and crisp and had a nice flinty terroir in the finish and I was totally happy with the wine for lunch.

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Proshyan Brandy Factory

Posted on May 14, 2021 by thewineraconteur

While we were at our son’s house having pizza, he was showing me one of his collecting hobbies.  He enjoys collecting curious decanters of liquors, liqueurs and wines.  I have leaded crystal decanters, but his are more unique.  There are skulls, guns, cars and swords.  I am not sure if he has tried the various vodkas, mezcal, tequila and other beverages from these decanters.  They remind me of the old ceramic wine decanters of the Fifties and Sixties, that I wrote about a few years ago.  Two of the bottles were from Casa Vento winery from Italy.  The decanter with the hunter and his dog is Casa Vento Chianti, but there is no black cockerel on the bottle.  The other of a Falstaffian individual sitting on a couple of wine barrels, while he holds another wine barrel above his head with the tap open is a Casa Vento Vino Santo Duca D’Asti.  Both of these bottles have no vintage years on the labels, so I can presume that the wine was bulk table wines made for immediate drinking, and the decanters were more costly than the wine.  Both of these wines were imported by Vento Wine Import Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, and I wonder if this was a vertical structure of the winery at one time.  I did a search of the import company and the last listing I could find was 1972.  There is a Casa Vento Winery in Italy at the present, but I could not verify, if this is the same winery on the decanters.

What really caught my eye as I was looking at these curios was that they were from the Proshyan Brandy Factory of Yerevan, Armenia and the “bottles” contained their Semi-Dry Pomegranate wine.  Pomegranate wines, and the fruit itself have long been a staple product in Armenia.  Armenia has been considered one of the cradles of civilization and they have long been known for producing beer, wine, brandy and later even Cognac.  With all of the grapes grown in Armenia, brandy evolved in the Nineteenth Century and brought Armenia fame.  After the Genocide, and then Armenia becoming Armenia SSR under the Communists, all the brandy distilleries were not allowed to produce their own product, but they could sell their product to the Yerevan Brandy Company, because the Socialists or Communists were very non-understanding and totally against the concept when it came to the Free Market.  When the Soviet Union collapsed, some individuals were able to grasp the concept of individualism, capitalism and pride of craftmanship.

The Proshyan Brandy Factory was originally located in Proshyan, just outside of Yerevan, since 1885.  The Socialists or Communists had all but shut down the facility over the years and it was bought in 1995.  It soon became the largest Brandy and Cognac producer and reviving an almost lost industry and brought additional pride to the struggling nation, after they achieved their independence from the Soviet Union.  They have since branched out into wine, fruit wine, liqueur, vodka and canned fruit.  They have also gone into the kitsch market with the novelty decanters, which I am sure are probably a decent selling item for souvenirs and keepsakes.  The odds are that my son, will never open the decanters and drink the wine, which is probably good, because I would venture to say that the wine is bulk wine made for immediate consumption and not for cellaring, but they are quaint and add décor to his family room along with his print of Mrs. DeVito’s painting of the man with the two dogs.

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A Casual First Day in Vegas

Posted on May 12, 2021 by thewineraconteur

Our first day in Las Vegas was a rather quiet day, much different from what most people envision a trip to Vegas to be, and much different, even from my early days.  We were still maintaining Detroit time as a matter of convenience for when we return, it is just easier.  We also maintained our morning walk, though we upped the walk from three to six kilometers, as we walked all around a shopping center and then over to a wonderful complex called Tivoli Village.  The casino/hotel complex that we have been staying at for the last fifteen years or so, is jokingly referred to by our kids as a Senior’s Casino.  Instead of Smoking/No Smoking they offer Oxygen/No Oxygen areas.  It was quite a sight to see how the gaming tables had been repartitioned with plexiglass to create “social distancing” and I am sure that it has caused additional losses, because it has diminished the excitement of the games.

After our walk, we went back to the room and cleaned up.  I have many friends through Social Media that call Vegas home, so I am always interested when they write about venues that are not on The Strip or Downtown, as even the hacks in the Detroit papers can do that.  One place that was mentioned was the El Dorado Cantina in Tivoli Village and we had seen it, on past trips, but never had ventured there.  We booked a lunch there, as our grandchildren had school during the day and walked over.  The restaurant was founded in 2014 with a location in Summerlin, one on The Strip, one in San Diego and one in Lake Tahoe.  They pride themselves on using no canned products and not having a single microwave oven.  We were going to have a quiet lunch, as we were going to our son’s house for dinner later that night.  We started off with a couple of house Margaritas.  My philosophy is if the house Margarita is great, so will the food and we were not disappointed; we definitely did not need anything more potent.  We started off with house made chips and two distinct salsas that were both delightful.  My Bride got excited when she saw Mexican Seared Tuna, a Chili-rubbed tuna seared to medium rare, topped with avocados and fried tortillas with a spiced cocktail sauce.  I had the Mole Enchiladas with slow-cooked pulled chicken marinated in chiles, wrapped in fresh corn tortillas topped with queso fresco and served with sauteed garlic spinach, along with rice and beans.  The service was wonderful and the manager was very attentive, and towards the end of our meal, he came over to compliment me, as he said that I reminded him of the old Vegas, as I was a man in a tailored sport coat and a trimmed mustache.  He said that I was evoking Barrymore and that era, as opposed to the current era, and I took that as a sincere compliment as I lament for those days as well. 

Later we went to our son’s house for dinner, though I tried to get him to let us take the family out for dinner, as I didn’t want his wife to have to work overtime for us.  He assured me, that she would not as he was going to get pizza.  Little did I know that he ordered enough pizzas to cater a party at Fort Nellis Air Force Base.  I thought maybe his two children had voracious appetites for pizza, but he had enough left over, that they would be eating pizza for a week, though it was excellent pies.  We offered to bring some wine to go with the pizza. We started off with Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige 2019 which I knew would please my Bride. The estate was founded in 1935 by Gaetano Marzotto, and today is widely renowned for its popular Pinot Grigio wines, though they also have vineyards and wineries all around Italy.  They are rather famed and even credited with creating the Pinot Grigio of today, by not allowing the juice to be with the must, so that the tell-tale rust or pink that is prevalent from the grape is not seen.   After the pressing and fermentation, the wine is aged in Stainless Steel until the bottling for a nice crisp wine that is very easy drinking.  The Alto Adige or the Sud-Tirol is the farthest northern wine making region in Italy and it is quite Germanic and Pinot Grigio is the single largest producing grape for the area.  Valdadige is from Trentino-Alto Adige and the Adige Valley.  The other wine was also going to be Italian, in keeping with the pizzas, until I saw CVNE “CUNE” Gran Reserva Rioja 2014 and while we encounter plenty of Rioja wines and even quite a few Rioja Reserva wines, the Gran Reserva designation is not that often seen. “CUNE” actually represents Companie Vinicola del Norte de Espana, a winery that was founded in 1879 in the Rioja Alta district which is considered the best of the Rioja area. The wine is a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo which is the classic trio for Rioja, but to carry the Gran Reserva status it has to be aged for a minimum of two years in the barrel and then then aged three years in the bottle prior to being released for sale.  I may be biased from my youth, but an excellent bottle of Rioja almost goes with everything in my book.  It was excellent and even got kudos from the non-wine drinking members of my family and of course garnered extra brownie points with my Bride.

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Capo’s in 2021

Posted on May 10, 2021 by thewineraconteur

Our first night in Las Vegas, was at Capo’s Italian Steakhouse & Speakeasy.  It is one of the favorite haunts of our grandchildren as it is very cool, they feel like an adult and they love the music of Sinatra, Martin and Bennett; I guess they belong to me.  When I was booking the table, I had some snarky receptionist that informed me that they no longer allow children, as it seems that they were involved in some television show about restaurants.  I told the person that I have been taking my grandchildren there for dinner at least once a year, since the restaurant has been open, excluding the year of Wuhan.  She told me that we may need to have three tables, because of the governor’s rules about dining.  When we arrived, the restaurant looked the same in appearance, and the front lobby was still recalling the days of speakeasys, with the sliding peephole, and then a seamless door swings open with an antique payphone on the wall and we were led into the restaurant.  The manager put us all into a private side room at one big table, where we could still here the lounge singer regale the audience.  It was the first location that I saw that signs saying that the restaurant was doing everything that had been decreed and they blamed the governor for all inconveniences; I noticed the same wording everywhere we went.  We had figured on having eleven for the first night, but since the city was just kind of opening up, we knew that we would not get full attendance, because our children had to work, and after the year of ups and downs they were eager to continue working, but the grandchildren were excited, as I think it was really the first nice night out for them in ages.

Capo’s, which is how everyone refers to it, was filling up quite nicely and I enjoyed seeing that.  If the television show was trying to fix the restaurant, they must have been involved with the administration, because the ambience had not really changed, other than the lights were brighter and one could walk a bit easier around, as it used to be almost pitch dark.  The influence of Capone, Lansky and Siegal along with The Godfather and The Sopranos were still evident on the walls and on the menu.  The Sinatra table and wall were still very evident including a huge photo of Francis Albert’s mugshot from an altercation in his youth. The parents were ordering for their children, as well as for themselves.  It was so much fun this first night after a two-year absence.   We started off just by ordering some appetizers to be spread out along the table with such names as “Bogey’s Bruschetta,” “Genovese Calamari,” “Bust a Cap” (Stuffed Mushroom Caps) and “Shot Gun Sausage & Peppers.” The kids I think were really feeling like young adults this time around and actually participating in ordering their dishes and working along with their parents.  My Bride and I both started off, after the appetizers with the house salad with Creamy Garlic dressing, an old standby for both of us, and yes, she did not order the Caesar Salad.  She had the “Scarface Shrimp Scampi” sauteed in lemon, butter and white wine with crushed red pepper flakes over angel hair pasta. I had the “Goodfellas Piccata” with veal in a lemon, butter and white wine caper sauce and a side of spaghetti, just like the good old days.  With all of the food, even the teenagers were stuffed and no requests for desserts, but there were bags of food to take home as well.

Even with the different dishes that were ordered we had to have a red wine, and I have to admit that I have ordered this wine before when I have been here, and they refer to it as a “Baby Amarone.”    The Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre Veronese IGT 2016 is just a great value, even in a restaurant.  Allegrini is a winery that has been based in the Valpolicella region of the Veneto since the Sixteenth Century.  This wine is a blend of forty percent Corvina Veronese, thirty percent Corvinone, twenty-five percent Rondinella and five percent Sangiovese.  A small percent of the Corvinone grapes is left to dry like raisins and then pressed and then are blended with the juice from the other grapes.   The juices are aged for fifteen months in second used Oak barrels and then blended together for another two months in the barrels and another seven months in the bottle, before it is released.  The use of the raisin juice is referred to as Ripasso Method and if they had used Molinara instead of Sangiovese, the wine would have been a Valpolicella.  The Corvinone grape is relatively new in name only, as it was originally lumped together with the Corvina Veronese, until it was discovered to be its own grape.  The wine is just delightful and really deserves some cellar time, but that really doesn’t happen that often in a restaurant and I am sure that they go through plenty of this wine in the course of a year.  The week was off to a great start.     

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Nick and Nora Land in Vegas

Posted on May 8, 2021 by thewineraconteur

I think the greatest invention is wheeled luggage, because in the old days of Pullman suit cases, which we still have, the Red Cap or later on the Sky Cap handled everything for you.  Nowadays, it is rather difficult to pack for a week at a time and get everything into one checked bag and one carry-on.  It is the carry-on luggage that can be a killer these days, as sometimes it seems like the terminal you are at, is in another county from where the luggage claim carousels are.  Then once you get the checked luggage, which feel like steamer trunks as you pull them off of the carousel, you have to schlepp them first to the bus to get to the rental car center and then more schlepping to get your car.  Then there is my allegiance to Detroit to get an American car and of course, because I am old, I want a sedan with a trunk big enough to load the luggage into. 

Then before we get to our hotel/casino out in the Summerlin area, we have to stop and load up with goodies for the room.  There is Instant Oatmeal that we can start the day off using the coffee maker in the room, and the coffee is essential.  We get a bunch of bananas to last the week for our Potassium, and also fruit for the room.  We have to get some Pepsi and Gator Ade, just because; and we also have to get bottled water, both in bulk form and smaller drinkable size.  The residents of Las Vegas get bottled water for drinking, they don’t drink tap water.  We also need cheese and crackers to nosh on, I mean one has to be comfortable and kind of feel like home.  We also had to get some wine for the room.  Another discovery on this trip, is that there are no Bellmen, so I had to give my driver’s license to the Valet Parking booth, so that I could get a luggage cart to move everything in one trip.

Another reason for checking luggage is so that one can have a corkscrew handy and I always have one in my Dobb kit; I am sure that a cork screw would be deemed a lethal weapon and I can’t travel without a razor or a corkscrew.  The first we selected for the room was Pascal Bouchard Chablis Le Classique 2018 and it is pure Chardonnay.  Maison Pascal Bouchard is located in the town of Chablis in the northern end of the Burgundy region or department.  The fruit for this wine is from both slopes and on the plains with Calcareous (chalky) clay soil.  Chablis became a part of Burgundy back in the 15th Century and is even located in a different department, and it is a rather different white Burgundy wine.  This wine is aged for around nine months in temperature-controlled Stainless-Steel tanks with the juice on the lees (Sur Lie).  This wine offered good citrus notes, both to the nose and in 2018 the taste with a touch of saline from the sea air, and a medium finish of terroir.  It was very pleasant and perfect to enjoy in the room, and eventually I hope when there is a return to the old normal, that I won’t have to drink my wine out of plastic cups that were shrink-wrapped.   The second wine was Domaine Roger Luquet Saint-Veran Cuvee Vers les Monts 2018.  Domaine Roger Luquet in 2017 changed their name to “Domaine Luquet Since 1878” and it has had six generations as the stewards of the land and winery. They own thirty hectares of vines and are predominately Chardonnay with some Pinot Noir for their red wines.  The vineyards are in Pouilly-Fuisse, Pouilly-Loche, Saint-Veran, Macon Villages and they also produce a Cremant de Bourgogne.   Saint-Veran gets its name from the town of Saint-Verand, but due to some clerical error when the appellation was created in 1971, the town lost a “d” and the wines must be dry white wines made from the Chardonnay grape.  The average age for the vines is forty years and this wine is made from a very stony plot and is aged in oak for five months.  The wine was a bit heavier and was not as floral or citrusy and offered more of hazelnuts, almonds and a touch of vanilla, and finished with a medium length of terroir of the chalky soil.

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Getting There is Half the Fun?

Posted on May 6, 2021 by thewineraconteur

Remember back in the day when you could go to the airport about a half hour before your flight?  That was before airplanes were used as lethal weapons.  Nowadays you get there at least a couple of hours early, maybe three if its peak normal hours, because you have to go through security, and I wonder if there are still TSA approved travelers, which sometimes was on your pre-printed boarding pass.  Otherwise, one has to remove their shoes, belts, change, hat and sport coat and place in a bin, that probably hasn’t been sanitized since the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020.  You also have to take your laptop out of its satchel and place upon the satchel in another bin.  While you are getting an X-ray and a potential colonoscopy, all of your carryon clothes and luggage is also getting an X-ray.  You also have to pray, that your luggage and stuff has passed the litmus test, and then you have to get re-dressed, and take your luggage off of a conveyor belt, with all the other people suffering the same indignities.  Though I have to admit that we actually were not identified as terrorists and did not suffer other insults to the body or possessions.  If you are lucky, you only have maybe an hour to waste being idle, before boarding the plane. 

My Bride could not find any direct flights from Detroit to Las Vegas, except from the cut-rate carriers that then charge you for everything under the sun, and if they could figure out how to do it, they would have everyone stand and hold onto stirrups like on the old street cars.  I can remember when one could travel with several bags, plus a hanging garment that would be placed in a closet and you received a lunch or dinner and drinks.  Now, there are no more mixed drinks, beer or wine and you may get a small glass of water or pop and a little package of a snack mix.  So, it is imperative that one try to find something nutritious and edible before your flight, and during your layover, if you have to change planes.  This is also the time to imbibe, to soften the indignities of traveling.  We were catching a very early flight to start the day off, so my job is to stand with all of the luggage, while my Bride attempts to forage for food, it was even too early for Nick and Nora to have a glass.  She came back with some version of an egg with bacon on a bun.  I also have to tell you that not once, were we asked for proof of the vaccines and there was no Social Distancing encountered on the plane, as every seat was occupied.  Now I have to admit that with all of the great propaganda that I have read about the new air-filtration systems on the planes, I really think that I could light up a panatela and no one would be the wiser.    During our layover at Houston Hobby in Texas we found a Cajun/Creole Bistro called Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.  We both enjoyed a very satisfying bowl of Andouille Sausage & Seafood Gumbo and a couple of glasses of wine.

I was expecting some heat from the Gumbo, so I wanted to get a wine that would be complimentary and carry us into the last leg of our trip.  We went with Benziger Family Winery Sauvignon Blanc North Coast 2019.  Benziger Family Winery is based in the Sonoma Mountain AVA.  The estate was purchased by Mike and Bruno Benziger in 1980 and has thirty-five acres of volcanic, clay and loam soils.  On the estate grounds they grow the five red Bordeaux varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel.  Beyond their own estate they maintain long-term leases in many of the nearby AVAs. They began green farming practices in the 1990’s and their first certified biodynamic wine, was their flagship Claret blend “Tribute” in 2001.  Every wine that they produce is now third-party certified as sustainable, organic or biodynamic.  The winery was family owned until 2015 when it was sold to The Wine Group.  This was a very refreshing wine offering notes of lemon, grapefruit and grass.  The wine gave nice citrus flavors with some terroir in the finish. The perfect way to hold us through our lunch and the last leg of our trip.    

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