Ratamacue Stew

It's been several months since my last posting. While I've eaten at several nice restaurants the in the past several months, nothing has been "blog worthy" until tonight. As we close out 2009 and enter 2010, Cindee and I decided to have a culinary night for New Year's Eve as we ring in the new year. We made several great dishes and I decided they were blog worthy enough to share (despite my comments in my previous blog about being a so-so cook - I won't use the term chef). All of the courses we prepared were very good and our approach to the dishes was interesting and fun. We took several recipes and combined the best parts into what we ended up serving. This is what I would consider the start to becoming a better cook. Taking ideas, merging them with your own, and coming up with a new dish that doesn't fit a recipe found in a book and can be called your own.

Here is our menu for the evening (oh how good it did taste, too!)

The appetizer is courtesy of a cookbook from one of our favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor called Eve. The main course and salad were combinations of recipes Cindee had from some of her cooking magazines. Dessert was plain old fashioned cherry pie.

Wines for the evening included:

2007 Rodney Strong Reserve Zinfandel
2006 Rodney Strong Reserve Syrah
The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz

We wish everyone a Happy New Year and all the best for 2010!

In 2003, Cindee and I were in Banff to support a friend who was working on his Ph.D. and presenting at a conference. We came up, ostensibly, to attend his presentation to provide moral support. Truth be told, a long weekend in Banff to see the mountains and take in some skiing at Sunshine Village was certainly a contributing factor in our decision to come up. Although as it turned out, I was the only one to go skiing as Cindee was pregnant with Aedan and wasn't able to ski.

During our trip, we had dinner at a steak and fondue restaurant in Banff called The Grizzly House. We had no idea what to expect but the name sounded fun and fondue harkens back to the disco era of the 70's. We had a fantastic meal and a wonderful experience and vowed the next time we were in Banff we'd eat there again.

So, now in 2009 as we're enjoying our family vacation in the Canadian Rockies, we had The Grizzly House on our list of places to eat. We went last night and had an equally great evening in a very unique restaurant. This time, however, I took pictures. Among our group last night, we had the Hunter Fondue Bourguignonne, Exotic Fondue, Fondue Bourguignonne, and Seafood Fondue.

We had no room for dessert after this meal. Although the last time we were here we had the dessert fondue with melted Toblerone and fresh fruit.

All in all a great dining experience, fun with food as you cook on the stones, and a place you'll definitely want to check out if you have the chance to visit Banff.

When I think of German wines, Pinot Noir is not usually the varietal that immediately comes to mind. But, a local wine store which we really like (The Crushed Grape) had a German Pinot Noir that I had purchased last year some time and really liked. When Cindee and I visited them recently, I remembered the wine and was able to buy their last two bottles. I'm hopeful they'll have more next time I'm in there.

In the meantime, if you're able to find it, I'd highly recommend picking up a bottle. You'll really enjoy it and I'm sure you'll look twice at the bottle to make sure it really does come from Germany.

Wine: 2005 Hans Lang Pinot Noir
Country: Germany
Region: Rheingau
Tasting Note from Cellar Tracker: Medium ruby color with a strong edge of cranberry...raspberry and cherry on the nose with a little baking spice. Very easy entry and medium fruit grip at mid palate with a very light sense of fruit sweetness underneath with a very light acidic counterpoint...demure and elegant.

Ate dinner at a very nice restaurant in Madison, WI last week. Harvest Restaurant is located on the Capital Square and has a great small restaurant ambience to it. Had the following for dinner:

First Course
Yellow Split Pea Soup, Moroccan Spices, Yogurt

Main Course
Braised Beef Short Ribs, White Corn Palenta, Apple and Celeriac Remoulade, Beef Jus

Sides (Shared): Anson Mills Spin Rossa della Valsugana Polenta, Potato Puree, Spinach and Garlic Confit, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms

Wine
Corteforte, Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy 2005
Expressive fruit notes of ripe plums and black cherry, excellent complexit

A good restaurant with great atmosphere and reasonable prices.

I was down in Phoenix, AZ for work this past December and had dinner one night with my good friend Al (a sommelier). Al had a Rhone that I thought was amazing. Very reasonably priced ($12-$15) with a deep velvety color and rich flavor that Al said was due to the heat in Southern France where the vineyard is.

One I didn't want to forget about so here's the Cellar Tracker Link:

Chateau Hautes Ribes Vacqueyras

Al said it's kind of hard to come by so good luck to you if you happen to search for any.

While traveling in the San Francisco area on business, I had the opportunity to eat at an excellent steakhouse called Alexander's Steakhouse. Alexander's is a classic American steakhouse with hints of Japanese influence laced into the menu.

Alexander's features Certified Angus Beef, corn fed from the midwest. They have their own dry-aging room which you can see immediately upon entering the restaurant. In addition to American beef, they also serve true Japanese imported Kobe beef of the A5 grade (the highest grade possible).

Great atmosphere, excellent wine menu (Wine Spectator Award of Excellence), fantastic presentation, and great flavors made for a very enjoyable evening.

Throughout the evening, we had the following wines:

2001 Chateau Beau-Soleil
2006 Domaine Drouhin
2004 Masi, Amarone Classico, Veneto

*Note: CellarTracker links are approximate to give you a feel for the wine. Specific vintages were not always available.

Here's what I had for dinner:

So, if you're in the San Francisco area, I would definitely recommend giving Alexander's Steakhouse a try. Great food, great atmosphere, great fun, and a place where you'll make some memories with friends and family alike.