It’s no secret that I’m a huge rosé fan. In fact, it is my favorite style of wine, and I’m always on the hunt for the next great rosé. In this post from the archives, I explain how Rosé Sunday came about and the five wines I mention at the end? I’m still drinking them — they’re all good values for the money. What’s your favorite rosé?

Rosé Sunday…

I know a couple – early 40’s, successful, wine connoisseurs – who is so smitten with rosé wine they actually dedicate a whole day to it. They toil all week, drinking chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, and then when Sunday rolls around they spend it paying homage to the pink stuff.

Not just any pink stuff, though. No, these two oenophiles pop open a bottle (or two) of the good stuff. So good, in fact, it’s not available in stores and they either pick it up directly at the winery or they have it shipped to them – or both. The wine is Arrowood La Rosé, and probably retails (if you could get it) for about $20.

I’ve been on a rosé kick for the past three years, ever since I tasted Chateau d’Aqueria Tavel in Avignon, France. It was a complete revelation – a blush wine that was bone dry! My only other experience with pink wine was with sickly sweet white zinfandel that my friend Besty used to drink. And now I, too, am smitten. Ever since that fateful sip, I’ve been on a continuous quest for THE perfect rosé.

Apparently, lots of wine drinkers are discovering the joy of rosé because it seems everywhere I turn I’m reading something about a top ten list of rosés. Of course, it’s summer and technically rosé is a summer wine, but wine wonks drink it all year long, like me, because it is such a food friendly wine.

The Provence region of France is the birthplace of rosé, but every wine producing region is now making some sort of rosé. The French style is dry, crisp, with fruit in the background, and generally made with a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah.

California is producing a variety of rosés, some French-like, but also a great deal like other California wines – fruit bombs. I tend like those fruit forward rosés, like Arrowood. I just can’t seem to get my hands on that particular one. The fruit flavors in rosés tend to taste like strawberries, cherries, or watermelon, especially if Grenache is in the mix.

I would suggest that you go to your best wine store (one with a good selection of rosés and a knowledgeable staff) and buy three or four different rosé styles. Do a taste test and see what style you like. Some like the pinot noir rosés (not me). Some prefer Grenache heavy ones (me – I love the strawberry and watermelon flavors).

Here are the five rosés I’m drinking now. All of them are fruit forward. None are sweet like white zinfandel, but only the Bonny Doon is what I think of as bone dry. The sweetest, even though it isn’t really sweet, is the Chateau Ste. Michelle. All of these wines are under $20, and some under $10.

1. Chateau Ste. Michelle Nellie’s Garden Dry Rosé

2. La Vieille Ferme Rosé

3. Crios de Susana Balbo Rosé of Malbec

4. SoloRosa

5. Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare

Tags: Napa, rose, rose wine, Wine
Posted in News & Nibbles | 10 Comments »

I just wrote about a few tips for saving money when dining out. Now here’s another huge tip, but it’s only good for a week and only if you happen to be in Arizona:

Indulge in Arizona Restaurant 2009 Week, starting Saturday, September 19  through next Saturday, September 26.

Every participating restaurant is offering a three-course dinner menu for $29 — excluding beverages, tax & tip.

With 114 Phoenix area restaurants participating (plus 33 in Tucson), a little strategic planning is in order to make the most of the week.

Here are a few strategies to get your game on.

Click on the restaurant name to see the menu choices, and special ad-ons the restaurants are offering either as gratis or for additional fees.

The Adventurer:

You’re the type that loves to try new restaurants so naturally you’ll want to scope out the newest places in town. Try Acua, the restaurant that took over the Canal space at the Scottsdale Waterfront (so new the paint might still be wet) and Asian-flavored Nine-05 (from Zinc Bistro & The Mission folks) and the contemporary Avalon.

The Romantic:

Woo is the name of the game for you. You want to treat your special someone to something intimate, charming and memorable. You’ll want to try Coup des Tartes (bonus points for BYOB), House of Tricks, and Sassi. Both Coup des Tartes (Phoenix) and House of Tricks (Tempe) are cozy restaurants in quaint cottage houses. Sassi (far North Scottsdale) is a palatial “Italian villa” with incredible views from the patio.

The Loyalist:

You like sticking to the tried and true. No need to gamble on the unknown, especially when it comes to hard earned dollars. Besides, your favorite restaurants will appreciate your support during restaurant week. I can’t tell you which ones are your favorites, but I’m pretty sure that with 114 restaurants on the list, several are your old standbys. I’d be surprised if Tarbell’s, or Cowboy Ciao or Aiello’s wasn’t on someone’s list.

The Old World Traveler:

Your palate hasn’t met a cuisine it didn’t like, but you’re smitten with the charms of the classic cuisines of the world. You’re going to put Los Sombreros (Scottsdale) on your list because they know how to plate up real, central Mexico, Mexican food. And for a taste of France, hit Metro Brasserie (OK, so they’re more modern French Bistro but their classic frisee au lardons is 2nd only to Christopher’s and unfortunately, Christopher’s isn’t on the AZRW list). Want Italian? Try the elegant Ristorante Tuscany (J.W. Marriott, Desert Ridge, Phoenix). Spanish? Prado is a must, at the Montelucia Intercontinental resort.

The Foodie:

You like avant garde, cutting edge ingredients and techniques. You salivate just contemplating the thought of a freshly shaved truffle, a drop of 100 year-old balsamic, or a pool of demi-glace spiked with Belle de Brillet. Of course noca is on your list, probably at the top. When I compiled this list, noca’s menu hadn’t been posted, but you know and I know that it doesn’t matter. Whatever they do, they will do it well and with plenty of “wow” factor. Bourbon Steak ought to be high on your list, too. Even though it’s part of a super-star chef empire, the local man behind the stove is cooking up a storm with local ingredients.

Bottom Line…

No matter which approach you take, Arizona Restaurant Week offers something worth trying.

It’s especially a great opportunity to hit restaurants that sit on the high end of the dining dollar scale, like Roka Akor, Sushi Roku, and Deseo.

One last tip: regardless of which restaurants you ultimately choose, you might want to make reservations. I’m certain that many of these will sell out. Arizona Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to discover new favorites. And give some much-appreciated love to some old flames. Let the dining begin…

———————————————————
Photo credits (courtesy of Arizona Restaurant Week 2009):
Top right: Bistro 24
Middle left: Cheuvront
Bottom right: Coup des Tartes

Tags: Acua, Aiello's, Arizona Restaurant Week, Avalon, Bourbon Steak, Coup des Tartes, Cowboy Ciao, Deseo, House of Tricks, Los Sombreros, Metro Brasserie, Nine-05, noca, Prado, Restaurant Journal, Ristorante Tuscany, Roka Akor, Sassi, Sushi Roku, Tarbell's
Posted in News & Nibbles, Restaurant Journal | 1 Comment »

Frugality.

Not the most exciting advice from a fortune cookie.

Yet very few of us are immune to the economic woes of the past couple of years. One of the drawbacks of tight times means there is less discretionary income for fun things like dining out.

If you love restaurants as much as I do, cutting back on the number of restaurant visits is painful.

What’s a restaurant junkie to do? Here are a few tips that might help ease the pain.

1. Check local publications for coupons. Local newspapers, guides and the like often run coupons from local restaurants. Consider the 50 cents for the local newspaper as a good ROI for nabbing a 2-for-1 or $-off coupon.

2. Dine during happy hour or late at night. Most restaurants offer specials during hours that aren’t normally busy — yeah, who wants to eat at 5 or 10 p.m. but a deal is a deal.

3. Stick with the appetizer or starter section of the menu. Sure the portions are smaller than entrees, but would it kill us to eat a little lighter? Sometimes the most interesting items are tucked away here anyway.

4. Share an entree. Most entrees are big enough for at least 1-1/2 portions or even two. A small house salad and half an entree generally satisfies most people. I tend to overeat anyway, so this is an easy way to self-impose portion control.

5. Dine in small, independently owned ethnic restaurants. Now is the time to try that Ethiopian or Peruvian restaurant we’ve heard about from our foodie friends. Most often, the food is inexpensive yet packed with vibrant, exciting flavors. And it gives us an opportunity to explore another cuisine.

Bonus Tip:

Sign up for email newsletters from your favorite restaurants. Smart restaurants know that diners who sign up for email communications are potentially loyal fans, and they often send special offers just for their email subscribers.

I just received a $5 off coupon in an email from one of my favorite restaurants. Since the most expensive entree at this restaurant is $15, that’s a pretty good deal.

Following your favorite restaurants on Twitter is another way to find out about specials.

Tell me, did I leave out one of your favorite money saving tips? Leave a comment.

Tags: dining out, how to save money dining out, Restaurant Journal, tips for dining out
Posted in Restaurant Journal | 1 Comment »

What is the difference between a Southwestern restaurant and a Mexican restaurant?

Price. I’m kidding. Sort of.

There are differences between Mexican and Southwestern restaurants, but there are also strong parallels. There are all kinds of different flavors of Mexican restaurants because Mexico itself is very diverse.

Northern Mexico shares ingredients with our American Southwest: Corn, beans, squashes, chiles. These ingredients are also Native American ingredients. No wonder  “defining” cuisines gets confusing.

Chimayo, located on Main Street in Park City, is a Southwestern restaurant that draws heavily on Mexican and Native American ingredients — with some American West mountain ingredients tossed in  — prepared and presented with haute French techniques.

That’s why you’ll find elk and berry reduction sauces right along side enchiladas and guacamole. Or a spinach salad ($16) with watermelon and chards of carnitas (twice-cooked marinated pork).

Spice-rubbed chicken breast (served supreme style — a French presentation with the first joint of a wing attached) is stuffed with goat cheese and served with a pressed rice pilaf painted sunny yellow from turmeric and studded with green beans ($28). The menu description says “Nacho Grande style” with nary a tortilla chip in sight.

Enchiladas ($27) get haute treatment, too. Roasted vegetables (red pepper, onions, carrots, corn) are rolled in hand-made corn tortillas and served atop highly seasoned black beans and a duo of sauces (tomatillo and roasted tomato).

You might be shocked at the prices ($27 for enchiladas?) I’m not.

First, this is Park City, a ritzy mountain town on par with Vail, Aspen and Jackson Hole. Second, the quality of ingredients and the amount of labor that goes into each dish is extraordinary.

You wouldn’t blink at a fancy French restaurant serving bouef bourguignon — an inexpensive cut of beef — for $30, so it shouldn’t be surprising that a haute Southwestern restaurant charges $28 for a chicken dish — an elaborate chicken dish.

At the end of August and through October, most of the high-end restaurants in Park City print 2 for 1 entree coupons in the local paper, taking a bite out of the sticker shock.

Chimayo
368 Main Street
Park City, UT
(435) 649-6222
chimayorestaurant.com

Tags: Chimayo, Park City, Restaurant Journal, Southwestern cuisine
Posted in Travel Eats | 3 Comments »

Bumping into a friendly foodie at my local farmers market, I notice her hands full of little yellow orbs. I thought they were mini-squashes but she says, no, they’re lemon cucumbers — and she loves to eat them out of hand, sprinkled with a little salt.

I didn’t pick one up then, but a few weeks later, I’m cruising through the Park City farmers market and spot the sunny little cukes again.

“Oh you don’t want those,” a helpful? woman says. “They’re bitter.” So natch, I buy one.

Let’s review: my trusted foodie friend says they’re delicious and I pass them up, yet a complete (nosy) stranger says phooey, and I buy. Go figure.

Nosy woman did say that I should buy the pale, delicate tasting Armenian cucumber, which later I discovered is also called a snake melon, because botanically it is a melon (C. flexuosus) yet it tastes like a cucumber. Perhaps I should call this salad Two Cukes & a Melon?

Armed with three different farmers market cucumbers (or two plus a melon that tastes like a cucumber) and in need of a salad to bring to a friend’s house for dinner, I naturally concluded a cucumber salad was in order.

After cutting open the lemon cucumber, I was surprised to find mostly seeds and just a thin strip of flesh. Hard, crunchy flesh. Slightly bitter (sorry, nosy woman) with a hint of lemon.

I wanted to remove the seeds from the English and the Armenian cucumber anyway, so I scooped out the seeds from the lemon cucumber, too.

I like the look of cucumbers slivers over circles or half moons. Notice I’m cutting on the bias (angled cut) to make longer slivers, just like I did with the green beans here.

Pop in a little red onion for color and maybe even a red chile pepper for heat. Toss with rice wine vinegar, a little sugar, salt and pepper.

Oh, and torn basil. I like lots of basil in this salad, but I’ve only put a modest amount in the ingredient list. Add more if you’re basil-crazy like me.

Farmers Market Three Cucumber Salad

This refreshing salad isn’t very sweet, unlike most cucumber salads, so if you prefer more sweetness, by all means, add an additional tablespoon, or two, of sugar. I prefer to taste the cucumber and basil, and too much sugar interferes with the clean taste of cucumbers. Removing the seeds helps cut any bitterness the cukes may have, plus it makes for a more attractive salad.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 of an English cucumber
1/2 of an Armenian cucumber
1 lemon cucumber
1/4 of a small red onion
1/2 small red chile pepper (like a red jalapeno)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 medium fresh basil leaves

Method
1. Cut all three cucumbers in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut, at an angle, into 1/4-inch strips. Place in a large bowl or in a Ziplock bag.

2. Slice the red onion and red chile pepper into 1/8-inch slices and place in the blow with the cucumbers.

3. Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and pour over the cucumbers. Toss a few times and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, tossing occasionally. (It’s actually easier to marinate them in a Ziplock, because you just grab the bag and turn it once in a while.)

4. Drain the cucumbers when you are ready to serve, and place them in a serving bowl. Tear the basil into small pieces and scatter on top. Toss once more. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.

Tags: Armenian cucumbers, cucumbers, English cucumber, farmers markets, lemon cucumber, salads
Posted in Recipes, Salads | 13 Comments »

The romance of the American West is alluring and I can’t seem to resist restaurants that belly up to the bar with “Western Cuisine.”

Purple Sage, smack dab in the middle of Park City, Utah’s Main Street, calls itself “An American Western Bistro.”

What the heck is Western cuisine? I think of it as a cross between cowboy cooking and Southwestern foods — steak, game, trout and barbecue, chiles and corn.

I think of restaurants that started the movement. Although both chefs have since sold their restaurants (their concepts live on through their cookbooks) I think of  Mark Miller’s Red Sage, Robert McGrath’s Roaring Fork.

Purple Sage’s cuisine fits neatly in the gussied up American Western cuisine. Starters like barbecue chicken tamales and blackened sea scallops ($14, pictured) capture the spirit of the West (albeit with the modernity of flown-in seafood.)

The scallops, dusted with red corn meal and spices and drizzled with barbecue sauce, surround a mound of greens dressed in chipotle vinaigrette, smoky from chipotle and bacon. The scallops are plump, juicy and just barely done, the way they should be.

Grilled veal meatloaf ($24), smothered in a tomato-green chile sauce, features two slabs of firm yet tender meatloaf studded with poblano chiles and onion. I only wish the sauce had come underneath the meatloaf instead of on top, so I could see the perfect diamond-shaped grill marks.

Meatloaf wouldn’t be the same without a pile of mashed potatoes, and these are laden with garlic, butter and cream. The accompanying Brussels sprouts are flash fried in butter, resulting in crispy edges, taming the usual bitter taste. It’s a lot to swallow, portion-wise and price-wise. At least the generous portion means there’s enough to take home for another meal.

Pan-seared halibut ($17) is geared toward a lighter appetite. Topped with peppery arugula salad, the fish sits on top of hominy “hummus,” a textured mix of pureed hominy, cumin, chile powder and lemon.  Utah pan-fried trout is another “light” option, not counting the jalapeno-lime butter sauce.

Desserts include home-style chocolate bundt cake, root beer float and butterscotch pudding — exactly what you might expect, given the theme.

Park City is a mountain town in the West. It should — and does — have a restaurant that embodies it’s location. Plenty of Asian and Italian restaurants pepper the historic Main Street, but Purple Sage makes the scene seem a bit more authentic amid the glitter and glam of this former mining town-turned- “suburb” 20 miles east of Salt Lake City.

Purple Sage
434 Main Street
Park City, UT
(435) 655-9505
purplesageparkcity.com

Tags: Park City, Purple Sage, Restaurant Journal, Western cuisine
Posted in Travel Eats | 2 Comments »

Against the advice of my” best people,” I’m going ahead with this post on a “girly” soup.

Only because it’s delicious and refreshing, both of which led me to eat the whole thing — by myself — over two days.

I don’t know about you, but I kind of like girly soups. Especially if I’m serving lunch to my girlfriends.

And I could easily see this soup on the menu at some luxe resort or spa featured in one of my cookbooks (say, The Phoenician in Scottsdale, or Pebble Beach Lodge in California.)

This easy-to-make soup tastes surprisingly good the same day it’s made. I say surprisingly because most soups always taste better the next day.

If it wasn’t for the avocado, it might even qualify as a low fat soup. But don’t even think about skipping the avocado.

As luck would have it, avocado is made up of mostly good fats, so I don’t feel bad about adding it to this soup.

Seriously, the near zero-fat zucchini needs it.

I call for shallots here, but any onion will work. The quick rendezvous with the saucepan is just to tame the shallot and briefly cook the zucchini.

Technically, you could skip the cooking step all together, but it enhances the flavor (and gives me a chance to add a little olive oil, thus sneaking in more flavor.)

I’m using low fat yogurt, not fat free. Fat free works, and yogurt is one of the few fat free products that doesn’t make me shiver with either fear or disgust.

See, I have no fear of fat but I am afraid of certain “fat-free” products, leery of what’s in them. If they’ve taken the fat out, what did they put in its place? Scary.

Generally (read the label), fat free yogurt is all natural and it’s fat free because it’s made with skim milk.

Once the zucchini and shallots briefly cook, all the ingredients go into the blender, or (my most prized — and expensive — kitchen toy) a Vita-Mix .

Vita-Mix is a blender on steroids and I use it almost daily to make smoothies, vinaigrettes, puree dips, soups and sauces, oh, and whip up blended girly cocktails, too.

There are slightly less expensive versions, but the variable speed was a key feature for me, so I bought the top-of-the-line (and I hear an even newer, more expensive version is on it’s way.)

Just for the record, I don’t have a fancy-schmancy kitchen, but I have invested in nice tools, like the Vita-Mix.

To add a little texture and substance (and flavor), I top the soup with roasted corn. Because I like spice, I garnish the soup with a few drops of Sriracha –just enough to warm the back of the throat after a few bites.

So, what do you think?

Too girly? I suppose you could “man” it up by added some cooked chopped shrimp or chicken, or even minced steak. Topping it with cooked lump crab might still be girly, no?

Do you have a girly soup you love to serve? Leave a comment. I’d love to know what you think.

Chilled Avocado Zucchini Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients
For the soup
1 pound zucchini (about 2 large or 3 medium)
2 tablespoons sliced shallots
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 (6 ounces) cartons of  yogurt
1 large avocado
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup cold water

For the garnish
Sriracha (or other hot chile sauce)
Kernels from 1 ear of roasted corn
Parsley leaves

Method
1. Trim and slice zucchini into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender and zucchini is almost tender (it will turn a shade darker), about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Place the yogurt in a blender. Add the avocado, parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper and zucchini and shallots. Puree until smooth. If you deem the soup too thick, add 1/4 cup cold water and puree again, adding more water if necessary.* Taste and if you’d like more lemon or salt or pepper, add it. Chill the soup for at least an hour. It will keep 2 days, although you may have to stir it before serving.

3. Ladle soup in to small bowls and garnish with three drops of Sriracha, a tablespoon or two of roasted corn, and a parsley leaf.

*Different zucchini have different water content, so sometimes you might need to add the water and other times not. The soup should a little thicker than heavy cream, but still pourable from a spoon.

Tags: recipe, roasted corn, soup, yogurt, zucchini
Posted in Recipes, Soups | 5 Comments »

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