Intro to Veuve Clicquot

December 29, 2009 By
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label

The following is my January 2010 entry into Wine Whore Wednesday.  On Twitter?  Be sure to follow Randy @thewinewhore

Question: What’s that one bottle of wine that changed your life? Explain how!

I’m Canadian, so beer drinking is sort of second nature to me, and what I’ve done since my teen years (yes, you can legally drink at 18 in Canada).  Wine was never really my thing until my 21st birthday.

For my 21st birthday, I had a huge South Florida pool party with tons of food, friends and adult beverages.  A friend of mine brought a case of Veuve Clicquot to pop for the occasion.  Not sure if it was the wine itself or the fun of celebrating with some bubbly, but I was hooked.  From that day forward, I’ve wanted to experience all sorts of wine and to learn as much about pairing it with food (my other passion) as possible.

Wine rocks.

Filed Under: Other Neat Things Tagged With: ,

Soft Boiled Egg

December 29, 2009 By

They say a banana is the world’s most perfect food, but a soft-boiled egg with the right seasoning and a dollop of mayo might just be ‘it’ for me.

Perfect Egg

Perfect Egg

Directions:

  1. Place room-temperature egg in a small saucepan. Cover with cold water so there’s about 1-inch of water above the egg.
  2. Put saucepan over high heat.  Allow to come to a boil, then immediately remove from heat.  Allow eggs to stand in hot water for 5 minutes.
  3. Drain hot water and place the egg on an egg cup or small saucer.
  4. Cut a small ‘cap’ off the top of the egg, exposing some of the soft yolk.
  5. Season with sea salt, cracked pepper and a small dollop of mayonnaise.
Filed Under: Breakfast, Eggs, Other Neat Things, Sides Tagged With: , ,

Loving Pop Chips!

December 27, 2009 By

Pop Chips

Pop Chips

Got home to an empty pantry and fridge after being away for a week only to find this super neat present from the fine folks at @PopChips on my front door!

Haven’t tried Pop Chips yet? They are great and only 100 calories per bag!

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Happiest of Holidays to All

December 24, 2009 By

On this Christmas Eve, I want to take a moment to wish everyone a happy holidy season and a prosperous, healthy 2010.

I`m visiting family in Canada and baking traditional Quebec treats, cooking old favorites and drinking some pretty neat wines that I can`t wait to share with you in the new year.

All the best for all of you and please share some of your family holiday traditions.

Best,

Veronique

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The Chickie Award – Top Recipes of 2009

December 10, 2009 By

Hey foodies, post a link to the recipe on your website/blog that you consider to be your best and get a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

By 12/31/09, leave a comment on this post letting me know which recipe on your site you’d like considered, and you could win!

Top 10 recipes will be featured in a special post.

* Open to US and Canada residents only. Contest ends 12/31/09 and entries must be received by then.  Winner will be selected at my discretion by 1/15/10.  Open to FOODWINECHICKIE Twitter followers only.

Filed Under: Meal Type, Other Neat Things

Will Make Suicidal Drive for Food and Wine

December 5, 2009 By

Tonight, my party and I have dinner plans at Cafe Panache, about an hour away in Bergen County, and I’m going to fight the snow blizzard to get there just so I can uncork the 2 wines I purchased for the evening.  Crazy?  Only if the food turns out badly of if my wine is corked.  After all, 5-6 inches have already fallen in the last 3 hours.  How much worse could it get?

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Can't-Miss Offer from Cult Vines

December 2, 2009 By
2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon

A while back I wrote about CultVines‘ Cabernet and Roussanne and they just sent me a very neat offer that I thought I’d pass on:

“Send some Holiday Cheer and receive Gary Vaynerchuck’s Book, “Crush It” for free!

Well folks, it’s that time of the year again, but this year we’ve got great news! After two long years in french oak, our 100% To Kalon Cabernet has been released and boy does it taste fantastic! We’ve already received rave reviews, such as this one. http://corkd.com/x1NBzS3 Cork’d | Wine Reviews for 2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon (94 points)

Anyway, for the month of December, we’re celebrating by offering two promos. For every order of our white or red, we’ll throw in Gary’s new book “Crush It”. Its’ a great read and inspirational for anyone looking to have a great 2010. And, if you order at least 6 bottles, use coupon code promo30 and we’ll give you an additional 30% off our wine!”

I’m in!

Filed Under: Other Neat Things, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Suggestions for a Neat Night in the West Village

December 1, 2009 By

Last Saturday night, seven of us went to the West Village to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday.  We wanted an affordable dinner, then to visit a few bars as a group.  Yes, we’re drinkers.  No, we can’t/don’t want to drink like we’re still 20 years old.  We wanted to go to places that could accommodate seven of us to a decent level of comfort while still being fun.  Here are the places we visited that I know some of you looking for a great night out with friends would also enjoy:

Agave

Agave

Agave: 140 7th Avenue South (Charles & 10th Streets.):  This casual, buzzing southwestern restaurant offers creative Mexican food that is straight-forward enough for your entire party to enjoy.  Agave, as the name suggests, offers a great variety of margaritas, including the tasty prickly pear margarita that a couple of us loved.  Winning appetizers are the freshly made guacamole, the blue crab chipotle spinach dip and the pork carnitas.  Some of the entrees we opted for are the skirt steak and mushroom quesadillas, the squash blossom tacos, the slow braised beef enchiladas and the Santa Fe Sheppard’s pie.  Overall, the food is good, the space is inviting and the crowd is varied and fun (tequila helps).

Riviera Café & Sports Bar:  225 W. 4th Street (at 7th Avenue South):  Sport bar with tons of TVs and perfect to catch a game…ANY game…ALL games.  Fun wait staff, cold beer and not over-crowded.  Good spot to end the evening.

Downtown Galway Hooker: 133 7th Avenue South (7th avenue at Charles Street):  Can you say “FUN”!?  Irish bar, fun atmosphere, youngish crowd (mid-20s – late 30s), great to catch a Fighting Irish game on a Saturday night.

Galloway Hooker

Galloway Hooker

There are tons of fun places to go to in the West Village, and the above are solid choices for your next night out in Manhattan.  Cheers!

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Settling on Just One Restaurant is Pure Hell in Hell’s Kitchen

November 16, 2009 By

For those of you who don’t live in Manhattan and aren’t familiar with the city’s neighborhoods, Hell’s Kitchen is, yes it’s a cliché, a truly unique place.  Located in the general vicinity of 9th Avenue and the 40s, it’s eclectic, nutty and foodie haven.  For locals, it’s worth revisiting Hell’s Kitchen if you haven’t been in a while.

Along 9th Avenue, hungry folks can sample from an interesting international array of restaurants.  Here are just a few of the places you should try in the area:

  • Mercury Bar:  Fun spot to watch football game while enjoying some pretty decent bar food and a nice selection of beer on tap.
  • Rachel’s:  Neat place to enjoy a casual dinner or Sunday brunch.
  • 5 Napkin Burger:  The place is so popular that there’s a line out of the door waiting for a juicy burger.
  • Xie Xie:  Stop by this trendy spot for the “1000 Year Old” Ice Cream Sandwich.  Chocolate cookie, black caramel…need I say more?
  • Esposito Finest Quality Sausage:  Besides being a fabulous old-world butcher shop, Esposito’s prepares first rate sandwiches.
  • Chez Josephine:  Neat $35 prix fixe menu perfect for pre-theater.

Wherever you land in Hell’s Kitchen, you’re sure to find something to satisfy any craving you might have, whether it’s Thai, a burger, Turkish kebab or something a bit more exotic.

Filed Under: Culinary Travel Tales, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Spit & Twit – Who Wouldn’t Buy Into That Concept?

November 12, 2009 By

Spit & Twit NYCI attended Wine Twits’ Spit & Twit event last week at City Winery in New York City.  The launch event for this concept was very well-attended and featured over 100 wines from around the world.  Steve and his team from Wine Twits really did a great job putting this event together.  The concept is simple: 1) Taste a wine 2) Spit (or not) 3) Twitter about the findings.  Large TV screens throughout the room display live feeds of the tweets as patrons send them.  Neat, no?

I enjoyed some pretty great wines and met fabulous folks in the wine trade, and found the space at City Winery to be ideal for this type of event.  Each winery, or wine distributor, featured his/her product at tables set up throughout the place and patrons made their way around the room savoring wines from around the globe.  A sponsor of the event, Riedel, provided each guest with a fine piece of stemware upon arriving, and this made the tasting all the more enjoyable.

Some of the wines I particularly enjoyed were:

2008 Alder Springs Roussanne Westerly Vineyard

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyards

2004 D’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz

2007 Ravines Wine Cellars –Cabernet Franc

2007 Ravines Wine Cellars – Pinot Noir

2007 Benziger Signaterra Pinot Noir, Bella Luna Vineyards

I’m looking forward to seeing where Wine Twits will host its next event.  Count me in on the concept of tasting then tweeting my findings.  

Filed Under: Other Neat Things, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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