ILikeToEatAndDrink » Wine http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com Adventures in Irrepressible Gastronomy Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:41:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Rosé Days of Summer – Not Your Momma’s White Zin! http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2010/09/20/rose-days-of-summer-%e2%80%93-not-your-mommas-white-zin/ http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2010/09/20/rose-days-of-summer-%e2%80%93-not-your-mommas-white-zin/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:06:10 +0000 Canela http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/?p=640 What’s light, crisp, refreshing, bold, versatile and dry?  A good Rosé.  That’s right folks, just because it’s pink doesn’t mean it has to taste like bubble gum.  This summer the Mr. and I dove into the delightful world of dry Rosé wines.  We found it paired very well with most of our light summer meals especially sashimi.   Below are two of our easy drinking everyday favorites.  Both are French, fairly easy to find and with a price tag under $10 they won’t break the bank.

Cellier du Rhone 2009 Rose

Cellier du Rhone Cotes du Rhone Rosé

La Vielle Freme Rose

La Vielle Ferme Rosé Wine

]]> http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2010/09/20/rose-days-of-summer-%e2%80%93-not-your-mommas-white-zin/feed/ 10 I Made This – Sashimi at home! http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2010/08/02/i-made-this-%e2%80%93-sashimi-at-home/ http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2010/08/02/i-made-this-%e2%80%93-sashimi-at-home/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:40:02 +0000 Canela http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/?p=505 Do you hear that?  It’s the theme to Disney’s Aladdin playing in my head…. A Whole New World!!!  Truly the dawning of a new era.  No longer will we need to suffer the sushi bar wait and high ticket price for a fresh fish buzz.  All thanks to my neighborhood fishmonger Fish King.  Fish King oh Fish King how do I love thee let me count the ways.  I’m so lucky to live  2 minutes away from this food palace.  I’ve been patronizing Fish King for years and had heard that you could order fresh sashimi grade fish cut to order but had never done so.   Earlier on this fateful day I had been to Marukai Market and picked up some sweet looking Uni and Shiso Leaf and thought hmmm what about a whole sashimi dinner at home?  Fish King to the rescue!  I ordered 1/3 lb. Hamachi 1/3 lb. Salmon and 1/3 lb. Ahi (Maguro) sliced and served it with some ponzu sauce.  We paired this with a lovely dry Spanish Rosé and it really worked well. Let me add here that I would consider us sushi snobs and I tell you the quality was right up there with the best of the best sushi joints we’ve been to.  I have since refined this by adding some of their delicious Poke, succulent Albacore and radish sprouts.  Heaven!

Fish King Sashimi1Hamachi, Salmon, Ahi and Uni Sashimi with Rosé

Albero RoseGood with Sashimi and very reasonably priced

]]> http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2010/08/02/i-made-this-%e2%80%93-sashimi-at-home/feed/ 2 Cheap Date – No or Low Corkage Fees Los Angeles http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/10/31/cheap-date-no-and-low-corkage-fee-los-angeles/ http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/10/31/cheap-date-no-and-low-corkage-fee-los-angeles/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:03:11 +0000 Canela http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/?p=366 We love our food, we love our wine and sake, but we don’t always love the 2-3 times markup on wine and sake in restaurants. With the state of the today’s economy, who isn’t looking for a way to save a buck. Well fear not, there is a way to enjoy a night out without breaking the bank; bring your own bottle! Here’s a list (with links) of restaurants with no or low corkage fee. Please call to confirm as things change on occasion

]]> http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/10/31/cheap-date-no-and-low-corkage-fee-los-angeles/feed/ 45 It’s Wine Thirty! – Melville Pinot Noir http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/10/09/its-wine-thirty-melville-pinot-noir/ http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/10/09/its-wine-thirty-melville-pinot-noir/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:04:13 +0000 Canela http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/?p=219 The Mr. and I have recently discovered the joys of California’s Central Coast wine country.  I know, what took us so long.   Just two hours away, in our own backyard, lies an oasis of calm, beauty and peace.  It’s become our new favorite weekend destination.  The perfect day starts with a morning bike ride followed by afternoon wine tasting and a picnic lunch.

One of our favorite vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills is Melville.   The comfortable Mediterranean villa style tasting room offers some beautiful wines some at very affordable prices.  Last time we picked up a couple of bottles; one being the 2008 Pinot Noir from Verna’s Estate, a great value @ $24.  One word I would use to describe it would be elegant.  This would be a lovely addition to Thanksgiving dinner and you don’t have to tell your guests how much you paid, they’d never guess.

Melville-Pinot-Noir

2008 Melville Pinot Noir Verna’s Estate

Over the last 5-6 years Melville has consistently been producing some of the best Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay the Central Coast has to offer. Better yet, the wines are completely affordable and generally ready to drink on release. The new Verna’s Estate Pinot Noir is a perfect example of the frugal drinkability Melville has to offer. From the get-go the nose tells you that you are going to be in for a wildly delicious ride. Strawberry, lavender, Rainier cherry are all presented on a crisp, vibrant frame. The lightweight nature here is nothing to fear, remember this is Pinot and Greg Brewer, more prominently know for his work with Brewer-Clifton and Diatom, makes some of the most feminine, and yet flavor-packed Pinots in California. Using 12% new French oak and 33% whole cluster fermentation, Greg keeps the raw materials in full view. The red fruited nature of this wine resonates throughout backed by echoing flavors of beef carpaccio, flowering thyme, spearmint and Asian plum. Is it too early to start thinking about turkey? (Bryan Brick, K&L) tasting notes courtesy of K & L Wines

]]> http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/10/09/its-wine-thirty-melville-pinot-noir/feed/ 6 Celebrity Chef – City Sip http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/09/16/celebrity-chef-city-sip/ http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/2009/09/16/celebrity-chef-city-sip/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:54:36 +0000 Canela http://www.iliketoeatanddrink.com/?p=73 My friend and I decided to go check out new Silverlake wine bar City Sip.  The added bonus being that our friend Reggie Sutherland of Next Food Network Star season 2 fame is the chef there.  Reggie treated us to some very beautiful and delicious wine nosh.  Overall a very good experience; comfortable room great wine selection, nice $15 tasting flights and a knowledgeable staff.  (That reminds me I’ve been neglecting the drink side of this blog- coming soon!) We had a lot of catching up to do so my camera remained in my purse for most of our visit but I did manage to snap a couple of shots.

citysip-pear-gorgonzola-panini

Pear, Arugula and Stilton Panini- nicely executed with a lovely balance of flavors.

citysip-fig-hazelnut-crostini

Fig, Brie and Hazelnut Crostini-  super fresh figs and the nuts were a nice surprise.

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