5680 Vineyards, Alfred Eames Cellars and One Very Happy Girl

The Pullman dining room, a place to eat drink and be merry over marvelous food and inventive, inspired cocktails.

A member of the melange of eateries owned by uber chef Mark Fischer, the Pullman restaurant of Glenwood Springs is known for exciting and tantalizing a the taste buds of hungry patrons from all over and this evening was no exception.  

Fischer, whose extensive adventures in the world of gastronomy include cheffing at some of the world’s top restaurants, a world class culinary education and now his own group of restaurants that began with the opening of Carbondale’s Six89 Kitchen and Wine bar.  Following Six89 was Phat Thai, also of Carbondale and now the Pullman. Each establishment, by patrons and critics alike, are known for their elegant, world fusion inspired, and seasonal approaches to innovative and flavorful cuisine.

Being somewhat of a world class fan of eating and drinking myself I am always up for an evening of good food, wine, and friends.  As luck would have it, it was my pleasure a few nights ago to attend a winemaker dinner at the Pullman. 

Manager Rick Dufon, along with chef John Little and their team of talented culinary professionals, worked together in the creation of what turned out to be a fabulous five course menu that was to be paired with five local wines from Rob Kimball of 5680 Vineyards and Alfred Eames of Alfred Eames Cellars, both of Paonia, CO. 

House packed to the gills with anxious diners, the evening was kicked off with course one, a beautifully colorful salad composed of savory house-smoked salmon, creamy avocado mousse, zesty tomato relish, bagel chips, candied capers and fresh frisee.  The wine pairing was 5680’s West Elk White, a crisp, aromatic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.

Candied bacon, proof that God loves us...

Course two, paired with the elegant Estate Pinot Noir from Alfred Eames Cellars, was a crisp and delicious duck confit rillete (kind of like a crab cake but with duck confit instead) atop celeriac remoulade, drizzled with a Pinot Noir and cassis reduction that gave the dish a beautiful nuance of sweetness and brought the whole thing together like magic.

Following came a risotto style medley of fregola sarda (basically pearl cous cous) with house made bacon, diced tomato, wilted arugula, turnips, and then, one of my all time favorite additions to just about anything, a beautifully poached egg. The dish was hearty, warming and delicious and the egg gave the whole thing a rich creaminess that made it one to remember.  A glass of 5680 Syrah paired perfectly and reminded me how much I really love that wine.

Although at this point in the evening I didn’t think it could get any, the hits just kept comin’.  Alfred Eames Sangre Del Sol, a robust and sultry blend of Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot, accompanied a plate of tender, succulent chunks of tempura short ribs sided by locally produced apricot bbq sauce, braised brussel sprouts and potato hash. Talk about stick to your ribs, comfort food to die for!

The grand finale and final course of the evening came in the form of Chef Little’s tour de force, a white espresso semifredo (a semi-frozen Italian ice cream) served with port marinated pears, amaretti and, get this, candied bacon!  Candied bacon!! Just when I thought I could not eat another bite they put candied bacon in front of me!!!  The combination of creamy, sweet, crunchy and salty was something to dream about and the pairing with 5680 Dessert wine (a 100% Syrah, Port style wine) was nothing short of culinary brilliance. 

The dinner was indeed one for the books and I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.  This reminds me, Valentines Day is coming up!  Maybe my special someone will take me back to the Pullman for the big day, and, maybe I’ll see you there…

For The Love Of Ferran Adrià

I turned on the stupid TV the other morning and was faced with a very sad realization - I will never get to have dinner at El Bulli, the rumored to be fucking insanely incredible restaurant, once near the town the Roses, Catalonia, Spain.  For those of you who have never heard of it, well first of all, shame on you.  Secondly you must know that this place was a true food worshipers church started by the ever amazing, culinarily generous and inspiring, sexy mother fucker Ferran Adria.  

So for the love of one of the other most kick ass food guys, Tony Bourdain, I turned on the teli the other morning to find that Tony was about to, for the second time (lucky bastard), embark on a gastronomic adventure at El Bulli.  And then he dropped the bomb.  This was to be his last meal at El Bulli.  El Bulli was closing its doors for good.  I would never get to meet, eat with and make Ferran fall madly in love with me.  Mierda!  This realization actually brought tears to my eyes and made me realize that I had better get off my ass, work on my mad fan flipping skills, learn to Flamenco, and make my way over to Spain and track this guy down before he gets away.  I realize that this sounds ever so slightly stalker-esque but hey, if this guy can cook that well and look that good doing it than I'm packin my bags and gonna be on my way with a wink and a smile.  So in closing I will just say that although I am sad that El Bulli the restaurant is no more, I was delighted to hear that Ferran is starting the El Bulli Foundation where he plans to share his talent, passion, and absolute magical way with food with those who are lucky enough to go.  I am hoping that one day I will be one of them but in the meantime I will have sweet dreams of  tapioca of Iberian ham, consommé tagliatelle carbonara, razor-shell clam sushi with ginger spray, and sipping gin and tonics with sweet Ferran by the sea. 

Ferran, gracias por su corazón de los generos, suamoror del genuin del alimento y por compartirlo con el mundo. Amor y besos para ti.

One Ladies Night at Thomas Waldo's

For those of you who are asking yourselves where in world is fucking Waldo's?, I am gonna tell you so don't get your panties in bunch.  Thomas Waldo's Tavern is the one and only bar in a tiny little town called Paonia.  By "only bar" that is not to imply that its the only place to drink here because lets face it, in a town where there's not much to do besides   drink, roll around in the hay, and light shit on fire when at all possible, watering holes are a very important part of our culture.  Thomas Waldo's, however, is a true bar.  It's pretty much always opened and there are pretty much always people drinking there, be it nine in the morning or the nocturnal nine.  The drinks are cheap, the bathrooms are dirty, and the clientele is typically an amusing combination of both cheap and dirty. So not too long ago, Waldo's starting hosting a "ladies night" on the first Saturday of each month.  Essentially what this means is that they have a DJ and that ladies get half priced drinks for an hour.  So just last night, after bolstering myself over a few pints with friends at another local watering hole (Revolution Brewery, but that's another story for another time) a small group of us headed over to Waldo's to check out the infamous ladies night.  The place was hoppin.  Tiny scared men and big scary women, most of whom I didn't know, filled the bar and the dance floor and the scent of medical marijuana and hopeful desperation filled the air.  DJ Francoise, our local South African music man, was in a cantankerous state of hungover and clearly needed to start drinking heavily.  Tina the bartender was hard at work in her usual takin care of business way. Bless that woman I don't know how she does it.  And me and my pals were soon bellied up to the bar drinking bottles, then pitchers, upon pitcher of PBR, the amusing house wine.  And so, after consuming enough cheap beer to convince myself that I have rythm I dragged my drunk ass onto the dance floor and made a valiant attempt to look cool shaking my butt to some song by some guy singing about ladies night and how tequila makes his girlfriends clothes fall off. Ahhh, aint it great to be a lady.

Fortified

You know how sometimes when you are eating or drinking something and it tastes so fucking good that it kind of seems unbelievable and you think to yourself "why have I not been eating this every day up until now?"  You haven't the foggiest as to how it was made or exactly how something could taste, or smell, so damn good but there it is, and it sure as hell does.  Well I have those moments most days because I think that above and beyond most things that I think (or obsess) about, I think about what I am tasting when I eat or drink.  Tonight, for example, I am drinking a little local dessert wine called 5680 Dessert Wine.  Its made from syrah grapes that were partially fermented and then fortified with grape brandy.  The color is almost black, the nose is laden with the fragrance of fresh tar, sweet cigar tobacco, cassis, pine trees and just a hint of petrol.  It is, to say the least, intoxicating and makes me want to curl up on a bear skin rug in front of a blazing fire and pray for snow.  And thats just the nose.  What I get on the palate is a surge of blackberry jam and ripe plums with just a dusting of black pepper and clove spice.  The finish is long but not cloying and makes you want some more - so that's what I'm going to do, right after I go get some dark chocolate to have with it...

Porko De Mayo

Although days like today, Cinco de Mayo that is, are steeped in rich, cultural hertige, I for one am typically more interested in the food that goes along with them. I mean lets face it, isnt the food and or drink usually the best part of most holiday celebrations? Christmas and Thankskgiving? Check, check. Easter and St. Patties Day? Check, check again. And so on and so on. That might seem a little glutenous and non-spiritual to some of you but I really don’t give a shit. Food is my religion. Food nourishes the body as well as the soup – I mean the soul (Freaudian slip Im sure) and it brings people together for the common purpose of enjoyment and in most cases good company. And so, on this 5th day of May, I want to share with you what I will be eating in celebration. But before I do that, the story of Cinco de Mayo – Once upon a time, not so long ago, in the year of 1861, a guy named Benito Jaurez for one reason or another (maybe he lost his job or something) could not make his paymnets to some people he owed money to and Mexico got into a real financial pickle. Because they had their panties in a bunch over this lack of payment, France got all over Mexico’s shit and was like you better pay up or else! It seemed like the French were going to get their way until on May 5, 1862, in a city called Puelbla, the Mexicans severly spanked the French and were like uh uh no you di-int. The guy who lead the ass kickings was General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. Unfortunatly the French were very persistant and that was not the end of it. In fact it was not until 1867 that, Mexico, with the help of the good old USA was able to send the Frogs a’packin once and for all. The end. But enough about that, lets talk food. As I may or may not have mentioned before, one of my favorite Mexican dishes is carnitas. Slow cooked pork that is usually to die for if done well. I recommend using a picnic butt (shoulder) as it is inexpensive and has lots of fat which makes it perfect for braising – I have never tried this recipe before but I think it looks fairly awesome.
Tacos of Carnitas Roasted with Orange, Milk, and Pepper3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (butt) or boneless country pork ribs1 tablespoon lard1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 orange, well washed1 cup whole milkAbout 2 cups water1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepperWarm corn tortillasDiced avocado, lightly saltedRaw tomatillo salsaChicharrónes espumas (skin), crumbled (see note)Diced white onionCilantro sprigs1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Cut the pork into 6 or 8 pieces. Melt the lard in a heavy Dutch oven just large enough to hold the meat in one layer. Brown the meat on all sides and season with salt. 3. Squeeze the orange over the meat and toss the rind into the pan. Pour the milk over the meat and add enough water to almost cover the meat. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 2 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. 4. To finish, uncover the meat and break into largish pieces. Remove the orange rind and discard. Roast, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes, or until the meat is brown and crisp on the edges. 5. To assemble the tacos, fill a warm tortilla with shredded pork. Top with avocado and salsa, a little of the chicharrón, and finish with generous amounts of onion and cilantro.
And to Drink….
Sixteen large fresh blackberries, divided ,Four small fresh thyme sprigs, divided ,Six tablespoons 100% blue agave silver tequila ,1/4 cup Simple Syrup ,three tablespoons fresh lime juice ,one tablespoon Cointreau or other orange liqueure,Two cups ice cubes, divided ,1/4 cup chilled sparkling wine
Place 14 blackberries and 2 thyme sprigs in medium bowl. Press firmly on solids with muddler or back of wooden spoon until mashed. Mix in tequila, Simple Syrup, lime juice, and Cointreau, then 1 cup ice. Stir to blend well. Strain into large glass measuring cup. Mix in sparkling wine. Divide remaining ice between 2 tall glasses. Pour Margarita mixture over. Garnish each with 1 blackberry and 1 thyme sprig.And that’s it! Sounds good doesn’t it. On that note, I’m off to start cooking. Feliz Cinco de Mayo and happy eating and drinking y’all!

Brie to Me...

...is like Prozac to an angry cat. What could be more comforting and all inspireing to an uninspired gal than a big old hunk of stinky cheese? The furry little muse that gave me the idea for this query is a cat I know who takes Prozac. His name, the cat that is, is Jim and he lives in Denver in a pretty little house on Park Hill. Jim, you see, used to be a little cranky and just not very happy in general. That is until his ma and pa decided to slip him some Prozac. Now Jim is an entirely pleasant feline with a unique and delightful personality and not even the slightest desire to scratch others eyes out! This very same calming, anti-agressive effect is just like the one that cheese has on me. The cheese in question, in this particular anecdote, is Brie. Brie, in case you didn’t know, is that beautiful, blissfully brilliant soft cows' cheese named for the French province from hence it came. The color, not unlike my legs in the dead of winter, is pale, perfect soft and savory under its pungent mouldy rind. The rind, by the way, is most certainly meant to be eaten. For those who love Brie as much as I, there are different types of the cheese that are made all over the world. In addition to regular Brie there are Bries made with herbs, Bries make with double and triple cream, and Bries made from other types of milk, like goat, sheep and even cat! Okay, Im not one hundred percent sure about that last one but if it was true Im sure it would be just delicious. So in closing, if you are feeling like an angry cat, get your ass off the couch and to the store for a hunk of your favorite happy maker and start feeling better today. Disclaimer - no cats were harmed in the making of this blog.

Le Sud

Bonjour mon amis! La France est bonne jusqu'ici et je suis travaillant et apprenant tellement. Il fait chaud ici et nous mangeons beaucoup journalier pour le déjeuner. Le famille que je suis avec est très gentil et ils ont juste fixé une bicyclette pour que je monte. C'est tout pour maintenant, j'écrira encore quand j'ai le temps. Au revoir !