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In a week where Toronto finally got a hit of winter, what better way to escape than to take a little trip to the Med?

This dinner was postponed from January. The company was definitely worth the wait; from the day-after reactions, they all seem to feel that the dinner was worth the wait, as well. Which pleases me more than I can possibly tell you!

Wines of the Med was the suggested theme for this evening … Spain, Portugal, Italy. As soon as I knew that, I knew what I wanted to serve for dessert, and immediately had half a dozen ideas for pairings. But more on that later….

As usual, the evening started with a sparkling wine and an amuse bouche. There are so many wonderful sparkling wines from the Mediterranean regions, I hardly knew where to begin. Cava, Prosecco, …. but really, I knew what I wanted. A fun, happy, pretty little wine that you can not possibly drink, and be in any kind of bad mood whatsoever. Yes, ladies and gentlemen – I went with Moscato! The bottle I chose was Bottega Petalo il Vino – one of the few Moscato that I’ve seen some under a champagne cork & cage. Moscato is a very light wine – this one’s only 6.5% alcohol. It’s lightly fizzy, refreshing, slightly sweet, and completely addictive. And it’s an affordable addiction – Moscato is usually in the $15-$25 dollar range. Petalo is a classic example of Moscato – it’s got a beautiful, soft floral nose, delicate bubbles, and a lush, mouth-filling burst of peaches, melon, floral sweetness and a lingering finish of rose-scented honey. It rings in at $14.95 – a total bargain.

To pay homage to the floral notes in the wine, I paired it with prosciutto and melon roses. Using a vegetable peeler, I shaved strips of canteloupe, and rolled them into roses with a mild, sweet 18-month old prosciutto. There was a vegetarian version, too – melon with shaved strips of cucumber, that I lightly pickled with a sauvignon-blanc vinegar. The melon notes of the Moscato played so beautifully with the canteloupe, which of course pairs so beautifully with the ham, that it couldn’t help but be a successful pairing. The wine really balanced out the richness of the food; they complemented each other so well – I was very happy with this.

Originally, I’d thought the second course would be paired with a pinot grigio. Then, I got to the shop. And lo….. there it was. Masi Modello. A wonderful blend of Garanega, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanco grapes, it’s a little herbal, crisp and nicely citrusy, with well-balanced acidity. Tasty. Easy. Uncomplicated. You really can’t ask for anything more from a wine at this price point ($9.95!!).

Inspiration came hard for this menu, and I was thankful to be reminded of this dish when I made it as a side last week. It’s a sautéed pepper and onion salad, with caraway, lemon and chili. I lightened up on the chili (maybe too much?), but the caraway came through so well. It wasn’t overpowering, and it really brought out the herbal notes in the wine. It’s a nice, light, workable dish that could be tossed with pasta; you could add shredded chicken or grilled shrimp; you can serve it as a side, or as a vegetarian main (it really is substantial and filling). I loved the subtle citrus notes in the salad (peppers sautéed in Meyer Lemon Grapeseed Oil) – they merged so well with the wine, that it was hard to tell which was supporting the other. I might have added more garlic, but might that have made it too much for the wine? In any case, I was very pleased with this pairing.

And now for the bombshell …..

I was looking for a nice Med rose. Nothing too pricey, something tasty, something that I could pair successfully with a nice tapas dish. One wine kept coming up, which I rejected out of hand. Then I read about it on a respected site. So – I decided to give it a try on my own. WOW, was I surprised! It was so *good* …. the nose was enticing – spicy, with soft berry notes. That was reversed on a palate bursting with rich berries, lifted by subtle, spicy, earthy notes. It was so well balanced; not too sweet, with a clean finish, and just a hint of effervescence. You can not imagine my shock that I was getting all of this from a bottle of Mateus.

YES. Mateus. THAT Mateus. The pink stuff your grandparents drank when they wanted the ‘good’ wine. It’s still Portugal’s number one wine, and there is a reason for it. It’s tasty, people. Deal with it. Oh yeah, and it’s only $8.95!

I hid the wine before I served it. I didn’t want anyone to have a pre-conceived notion of what they were drinking; I wanted them to judge the wine in the glass. A few minds were changed.

I wanted something earthy to serve with this. Of course, mushrooms came to mind, but they were my main, so that was out. After a lot of research, and hemming and hawing, discarding and re-examining, I decided on a frittata with spinach and brie. Originally, the recipe called for mushrooms, but I substituted sliced potatoes. It was soooooooo gooooood!! I added a handful of watercress, to give it a bit of bite, and used a lot less cheese than the recipe called for (no, I didn’t take out any brie … puhlease). I am definitely serving this again, at a brunch, or a late afternoon lunch. And the *look* on everyone’s face when I told them what they were drinking? Priceless! And a fantastic pairing.

The main course turned out to be very apropos for the weather – I put together a rich, hearty mushroom ragout with roasted garlic and onions. I put it in a baking dish and laid puff pastry over top; voila. Instant comfort food for a snowy February day!

I had this wine in mind almost immediately. I used to work for its agent here in Canada – when it first hit the market, I was stunned at the quality it offered for the price point. Believe it or not – it’s gone down in price in the past two years, but the quality has gone up (in my humble opinion). If you want a deep, full-bodied, satisfying red – and you don’t want to pay more than $15 – look no further than Los Molinos Gran Reserva. Last night, we had the 2002 vintage – it’s the one currently on store shelves. It is beautifully aged, with a deep brick-red colour, an intense nose, and a long, smooth palate. The finish begs you to have another glass. It’s marvellous!  You will never believe that you only paid $14.70 – this wine drinks like a $35 bottle.

The mushroom ragout really needed something big to stand up to it. Los Molinos fit the bill perfectly. It was strong, but not overpowering; rich and heady, with just enough acidity to cut through the richness of the ragout. This is a pairing to curl up with in front of a big roaring fire. Or …. that fireplace DVD. Whatever.

Ahhhhhhhhh, dessert. Is it wrong, that it’s my favourite part of dinner, a lot of the time? This dessert has been planned for a long time. Mini eclairs filled with butterscotch whipped cream, drizzled with dulce de leche, then sprinkled with vanilla salt. On the side, an almond brittle infused with orange zest. Many, many, MANY thanks to Andrea at Selsi (in the St. Lawrence Market – you’ve GOT to go!) for allowing me to purchase only what I needed. And it was good that I bought more than I thought I would need, because the salt got passed around, and we were all just eating it straight.  Sooooo tasty ….

The eclairs were very good – light, creamy, caramelly goodness, and the salt picked it up and made it something new and interesting. The look on J’s face when she realized there was orange in the brittle – classic. But after all, I chose the dessert wine with her in mind, so I did tweak dessert for her, as well.  The brittle was gorgeous paired with the port – I used raw sugar for a deeper sweetness, toasted almonds, and blood orange zest.  It took three batches to get the balance right, but the result was worth it.

Otima. Warre’s very special gift to port drinkers everywhere! It’s a ten-year-old aged tawny port; it’s lighter than you might expect a port to be, but it’s got a lovely raisiny character, with fig notes and a gorgeous burnt-sugar finish.  It is so wonderful and tasty.  Even my sister-in-law, who is not the biggest port fan, likes this stuff.  I discovered it along with a friend at the Gourmet Food & Wine show a few years ago, and it’s been a perennial favourite ever since.  We also discovered – as the baggie went around the table  - that if you let a grain or two of vanilla salt melt on your tongue and then take a sip of Otima, it is an experience you really have to have.

Many many thanks to our hostess for the evening, and my very capable sous-chef. Also, thank you to S, who helped keep the peppers from escaping.  Much appreciated!

And now – our little trip to the Med complete – it’s back to the Olympic hockey final. GO CANADA GO!

It’s (way past) time I got back into this site, so I thought I’d start the New Year with new energy, new wines, and details of a new direction I’ve been exploring.

Recently, I re-connected with someone I went to public school with. Turns out, we both have a big interest in wine, food, good music, and great shoes.

She convinced me to try something new – catering a dinner for a group of her friends, in her kitchen.  I love to cook, so I thought “what the heck?”.   That ‘what the heck’ went through a series of transitions, from “what do I do?”, to “what was I thinking?”, to “how am I going to do this?”, and – thankfully! – wouldn up at “WHY haven’t I done this before?” and “when are we doing this again?!?”

 I was given a budget, a theme, and a list of food no-goes (although I still think that ‘monkey brains with kiwi-mango chutney and goat cheese reduction served on eggplant rounds’ holds some real potential….).  Based on that, I let my imagination go wild, and had a lot of fun with the menu which was:

- Steak tartare, paired with a sparkling shiraz
- Lemon-scented couscous with fresh herbs, paired with a South African chenin blanc
- Warm mushroom salad over arugula, paired with a Northern Rhone syrah rose
- Baked brie with monkeygland sauce, paired with an SA cabernet sauvignon
- Seared ostrich loin, with roast potatoes, paired with an Australian petit verdot
- Soma Dark Fire chocolate truffles, paired with a cherry riesling

Sounds good, doesn’t it??  On with the details …

The steak tartare was Anthony Bourdain’s recipe. I had never made it in my life.  Yes, I like to live dangerously ….!  I admit to being intimidated, but really – it was *so* easy.  I hand-chopped a nice top sirloin steak, followed the directions (left out the cognac…), and it was damn tasty.  I went with a sparkling shiraz, since the theme for the evening was “Wine Oddities”, and I felt sure that a bubbly red would be a new thing for everyone.  The sparkling shiraz was Banrock Station, which is occasionally available in Vintages .  I am desperately waiting for it to come back, it’s incredible.  Slightly spicy, great palate of dark raspberry and a little cocoa, with a gorgeous finish.  And the bubbles just make it fun.  Other makes come through Vintages fairly regularly; if you see one, try it. Avoid Seaview at all costs; it’s just not worth it.

The next course – Lemon-scented couscous with fresh herbs – was a bit of a cop-out, I admit.  I mean – it’s really hard to screw up couscous.  This was my ‘safety’ dish.

I loved this recipe though; a bit of garlic sautéed in butter, then stock added and brought to the boil.  Couscous added as usual, and fresh herbs tossed in at the end.  The heat of the couscous let the aromatics of the herbs out, and it was so fresh and tasty.

The Chenin Blanc was Vinum Africa Chenin Blanc – $14.95 at the LCBO. Stock is available all over Toronto, and it’s a really lovely bottle.  Crsip, fresh – nice acidity, which balanced the herbs and the butteriness of the couscous really well.  I’ve got a couple bottles of this at home now.

The favourite dish of the night was no doubt the warm mushroom salad.  After a few “Ohhhhhhhhhhh”s, silence descended as everyone tucked in.   The salad was fairly easy; it called for four varieties of mushrooms (I used two), the dressing was a nice blend of shallots, olive oil, champagne vinegar, s&p, all emulsified – simple but tasty! – and it was all toped by a really good reggiano cheese.  

I was really looking forward to this pairing – northern rhone syrahs are earthy and rich, so I thought it would go well with the mushrooms.  Sadly, this was probably the least successful pairing.  The salad was delicious… and so was the wine! …. But they didn’t play well together. I should have gone with a richer wine, or a lighter dish.

The wine was the Queen of Syrah Cool Climate Syrah Rose, $12.95.  On its own, I really did like it.  There was a subtle earthiness to the finish, but the palate was a clean, bright red fruit party.  I’d like to try this with a cold duck salad; I think the cherry notes would really highlight the duck very well.

OK – I’d like to once again thank April-Dawn for being such a good sport when I had some fun with her.  I had asked for food no-goes – allergies, preferences, whatever. She had a bit of fun, and said “No monkey brains!”.  However – she neglected to rule out Monkeygland. And the smartass in me jumped on it.

First of all – let me say that no monkeys are harmed in the making of Monkeygland sauce!  It’s a tomato/onion/fruit chutney from South Africa, and it’s delicious.  I used it as a glaze for baked brie in puff pastry, and paired it with Viljoensdrift River Grandeur Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was $10.95 when it was available in Vintages, but is available on consignment through Eleanor Cosman of Bokke Wine Imports (www.bokkewines.com).  WHAT a fabulous Cabernet – lush and spicy, with a beautiful finish.  Gobs of fruit, a little hint of licorice; incredible value, this wine.  You’d never guess it was in the $10 range, since it drinks like a $25 bottle.

The main course was ostrich (and tofu for the veggies that were present!).  I dressed it simply with a little bit of paprika and smoked salt, then seared it and brought it gently to medium-rare.  The wine was Pennyfield Basket Pressed Petit Verdot, $22.00 at the LCBO in Vintages.  Sadly – none left in Ontario, but if it comes back, I am jumping on this one.  I love Petit Verdot – it’s a nice change from a shiraz.  It still has deep red fruit, a bit of spice, and a long, solid finish, but it’s not as heavy.  Still wonderfully rich, this one has great flavours of raspberries and violets, with some spice and coffee in the background.  There’s a nice cedar note to the finish; a sharp, earthy tang, which really shows off its savoury character.  Delicious!

And finally – Soma Dark Fire chocolate truffles, paired with a cherry Riesling.  Dark Fire is a chocolate with cinnamon, chillies, ginger, and other spices in it.  It’s fantastic!  Handmade by Soma in the Distillery District – so worth the trip!  Jessica had a cherry Riesling dessert wine that she’d been saving; what a pair!  The acidity in the wine balanced the spiciness of the chocolate, and with the cherry notes …. fantastic!  Sadly – the wine isn’t available any more. If I were going to do the truffles again (and I will ….) I’d probably head to Crown Bench (www.crownbenchestates.com)and pick up either their Hot Ice, or their Ginger Ice wine.  Both are wonderfully rich and honey-sweet, but the Hot Ice is infused with peppers. Delicious with thai food, or rich chocolate desserts.  Ginger Ice would be a nice balance, and bring out the ginger notes in the chocolate – I don’t think I’d go far wrong with either one.

 On the whole, the evening was a real success.  I learned a lot about portion size (I live in mortal fear of anyone leaving my table hungry …!), and I had a blast.  So much so, that we’re doing it again!  I’ve already got dessert planned…. a nice little trio of orange-scented creme brulee, almond cookies, and a dulce-de-leche whipped cream filled profiterole, with caramel and vanilla-scented salt. This will be paired with a fantastic and affordable ten-year-old tawny port.  Stay tuned for the result!

Hi, it’s Paul. You’ve probably noticed that I’ve added Google adverts to my blog (to all my blogs, in fact). It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while and I’ve resisted because I’m worried it might deter people from visiting my sites, but right now I need to keep the cats in kibble so every penny helps. I’ve tried to make the ads less intrusive and hopefully they won’t prevent anyone from reading my blogs, but in case it does here’s an incentive: once I’m working again I’ll remove the ads, so let me know if you hear of any small-ish software development teams in Toronto who need a project manager!

It’s taken a while, but WinesConstantly is finally back up. I’ve done my part so I’ll hand the keys back over to Kerri and she can post again.

This blog may be unreachable for a short time while WinesConstantly.ca moves to a new host. If you need to contact Kerri, please do so through her Gmail account or via her henman.ca address.

OK, yes, part of the surprise is that I’m posting!

But the ‘surprise’ topic of this posting is really that it is about some lovely wines I discovered over the holidays. I was surprised by a few products – by their price points, by a supplier that I usually avoid like the plague, and by the reaction garnered by one lovely little sparkler.

I’ll start with the bubbly – always good to kick things off with bubbles!

You’ve probably seen the ads all over for Fresita – a strawberry-flavoured prosecco. It’s fun; it’s more like pop than wine, but it doesn’t cross the line into candy. Fresita is light and fruity – tastes like *real* strawberry, not fake strawberry – and it’s so refreshing. I really hope this sticks around for summer, because it will become a staple for the backyard. It’s $13.95 a bottle …. great value, highly drinkable.

I attended an ‘after hours’ sale at Club Monaco (yay, cashmere!), and they were offering sparkling wine as refreshment. And yes, shopping with bubbles does make it SO much more fun! Usually, the wine offered at these events is not great, so I was quite surprised by my first sip. It was really lovely! It was Bottega Vino Dei Poeti Prosecco – only $12.95 a bottle!! Good complexity, just a tiny bit of yeast on the finish (which I love), and gorgeous fruit flavours. Crisp apple mostly, with a bit of pear, and some subtle ‘white fruit’ notes in the mid-palate (could be lychee?). This is the kind of bubbly you should always have in the house; either to make visitors feel special, to celebrate Tuesday, or just to open on a Sunday morning because you feel like making Mimosas. Yummy.

And last – but not least!!!!! – one that caught my attention at the New Zealand Wine Fair in May…. Soljans Fusion Sparkling Muscat. I was given a glass at the wine fair, and the rep who did probably regrets it. It was all I wanted to drink that night. When it hit the shelves at Vintages, I was all over it! Muscat is a very rich, floral grape, and as a wine can be quite heavy. But when it sparkles – it’s so different; if you’ve ever had a sparkling ice wine, it’s closer to that than to your usual bubbly. The nose is rich, lush – it’s orange zest and a bit of clove, brushed with honey. That’s what you taste as well, with the bubbles keeping it from being too heavy or overpowering. The honey comes forward, and there’s a taste of golden delicious apple, but the orange zest gives the flavour a roundness that makes it an outstanding dessert wine. Sticky toffee pudding would LOVE this. Best part? I served it to someone who is notoriously difficult to please, and they loved it! Unequivocally; no ‘better if…’, no ‘it’s not as good as..’. None of that. Just “where do I get this?”. Yay! Sadly – that’s the bad news. It’s a Vintages product. There’s still some on the shelves, but it’s running out. Summerhill and Queen’s Quay are your best bets if you’re in Toronto; Mississauga and Waterloo are your only options outside of Toronto, with the exception of one lonely bottle at Bank & Walkley in Ottawa. It is available through consignment – Glen Ward Wines represents it here. At $18.95 a bottle, a case isn’t outrageous, especially if you share it with a friend.

Now – on to the whites!

Well, okay, one white ….. I stayed true to the faves over the season, for the most part – including indulging in a bottle of Mondavi Fume Blanc for a seafood feast on Christmas Eve. $24.95, but worth it! It was on Christmas Eve, actually, that I tried a new white from KWV. I’ve had KWV in the past, and generally avoid it. I am just not a fan. But waiting in line at the LCBO (yes, I was dumb enough to go to the LCBO on XMess Eve!), I spotted a KWN Chenin Blanc. Now, I love Chenin, I really do, but I wasn’t sure I loved it enough to give the KWV a try. At $7.90 a bottle, though, I figured Id give it a try.

I was SO pleasantly surprised!

It was all the things I love about Chenin – bright, fresh, citrusy, with some great lime notes. It was just so good … AND it’s a KWV! Shocker. Did I mention it’s only $7.90????

Reds had a few surprises in store, but one came with a dose of disappointment.

We opened a 1999 Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon on New Year’s Eve – served it with grilled loin of vension. OH WOW, it was good!! Lush, juicy, mouth-filling; nice tannic characgter that paired beautifully with the game. Loved it. The disappointment? Can’t get it any more. Sob!

We also opened two bottles of Casillero del Diablo Carmenere…. yummy yummy yummy! We had duck, horse and ostrich with it; the wine handled all of them really nicely. I though it went best with the ostrich; the sweetness of ostrich and the spiciness of the Carmenere were a great match. We’re definitely doing that again! At $12.95… we can afford to do it a LOT! The Carmenere is gorgeous. It’s got some great fruit character – blueberry and dark cherry, with just a hint of plum, and there’s some smoke and spice on the finish that adds interest and takes it out of the ordinary. I don’t think I’d open a bottle of this ‘just because’ – it’s really more of a food wine. But it’s a *good* food wine.

Speaking of food … I should go worry about dinner tonight ….!

Finally, I’ve restored the blog. The theme (layout) is still missing but at least we have entries and comments.
Apologies for the extended outage.
Paul, CTO.

So, I’ve fallen behind in my posts (as Paul keeps reminding me…..!), but I suppose it’s better late than never.

A month ago (!!!!) Paul and I headed out to enjoy Winterlicious. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a fantastic restaurant promotion in Toronto. Twice a year, dozens of restaurants across the city offer special prix-fixe menus for lunch or dinner. It’s a great way to discover new restaurants, and a cheap excuse to go back to your old favourites.

I actually did two Winterlicious spots… on my own, I did Annona, at the Park Hyatt in Toronto, which was – well, it was an interesting evening to say the least. Very up and down. Annona is very comfortable, and the service started out really well. I have to say, I was impressed by the tray that came with my bottle of water. Lemon, lime, and *cucumber*, which is a nice change.

For dinner, the chef offered an amuse-bouche of what was basically a mini pizza. It was very good – garlic focaccia, with roasted tomato and just a bit of mozzarella and fresh basil. Next was gnocchi in a smoked mozzarella tomato sauce. It was good – the cheese wasn’t overpowering, but the gnocchi wasn’t as nice as Gio’s. A little on the stodgy side. My main was veal scallopini with preserved lemon jus, potato gratin, and sautéed swiss chard. The chard was bitter; I know swiss chard is on the bitter side, but this was *really* bitter. To the point of being inedible. But I’d rather have inedible greenery than inedible veal…. and the veal was very, very edible. Nice and tender, the sauce was and creamy tangy but not LEMON-y, it was good. The potatoes were fine – verging on convention food, but fine. A little more butter, a little more pepper would have done wonders. Maybe a bit of fresh chive.

As dessert approached, I have to say, service really started to slip. I waited a loooong time for dessert, and I had to ask for my bill twice. I was on a timeline, and I wound up being late, which didn’t impress me.

I do have to say that dessert was worth waiting for. I could choose two to taste; I went for apple fritters with mayan chocolate ice cream, and chocolate lava cake with caramelized hazelnut ice cream. I’d have put the hazelnut ice cream with the fritters, and the mayan chocolate ice cream with the cake (it wasn’t very very chocolate), but both desserts made up for the middle-of-the-road aspect of the rest of dinner.

At least the wine was good – I had a glass of Kumala Sauvignon Blanc, which I’d never tried before. Very tasty – fresh, crisp. some good tropical fruit, and a nice limey finish. I’ll have that again!

Our second venture in Winterlicious brought us to the Beer Bistro. It was a close call – I’d left reservations to the last minute, and thought we weren’t going to be able to get in, but the floor manager realized that there was space at – GASP! – the chef’s table!! I have *always* wanted to sit there. I was so excited!!

We love the Beer Bistro, no matter what – the food is great, the service is marvelous, and it’s always an experience. The menu for Winterlicious left us with some tough choices, and we were really looking forward to it.

Paul decided to go for the wild mushroom soup with shallots, London porter & truffle cream; he paired it with an English beer, Sammy Smith’s Winter Warmer. The beer was nice – not bitter, a little spicy. And I have never in my life tasted mushroom soup like this – rich, creamy, and earthy with just a bit of sweetness. It almost made me regret ordering the smoked salmon.

Almost.

I had beer cured & smoked salmon, with white beer cream cheese. They make the salmon right there; it’s incredible!! I ordered the St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout – didn’t like it. I found it too bitter, and too heavy, but Paul loved it. The smoked salmon was buttery, flavourful, absolutely out of this world. I will definitely have it again, but I’d like to try Denison’s Weissbier with it – I think the spices and cloves in the beer would go well with the smokiness in the salmon.

For mains, Paul stayed on the mushroom theme. He went for mushroom and goat cheese gnocchi, in a brown ale cream sauce and leeks. Seriously tasty – but again, the gnocchi not a patch on Gio’s. Still and all, creamy earthy smooth tangy goodness in the sauce – awesome.

I had the grilled flatiron steak with caramelized beer onions, redskin smashed potatoes & tarragon butter. It was perfectly medium-rare, one of the best steaks I’ve had in a restaurant. And of course, part of the fun was watching it being made!!

For dessert, we decided to go for a bottle of Quelque Chose – a dark, spiced cherry beer from Unibroue. It paired beautifully with the chocolate mousse I had, and it didn’t go too badly with the apple crumble that Paul went for. The beer is served warm, and it’s really unique. We were given some strawberry Friuli ice cream to have with it, as well. GAWD, I love the ice cream at Beer Bistro – again, it’s all made right there, and it all has beer in it! The Friuli is a Belgian fruit beer, and makes a fantastic ice cream. It pairs really nice with the Quelque Chose; they complement each other well. The only down side of Quelque Chose is that they’re not making it anymore, so what’s left is all there is. Makes me want to go back. A lot.

Another thing that makes me want to go back – a lot! – is sitting at the chef’s table. We were able to see everything going on, talk to the chefs, and the smells were amazing. Seeing the steak tartare being prepared definitely made me want to make plans to go back so that I could try it, and a few other dishes. And beers.

But that’s another post …………!

Last night, we went out for dinner – something we haven’t done in a while. I’m not talking about out for a burger, or out to the pub, I’m talking about OUT for DINNER. There were four of us; we went to Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant, and the only question I have is *why why why* didn’t we do this months ago?!?!?!?!?!?

We had a half hour wait for a table, but they handed us a menu so we could decide if it was worth waiting. It was. We didn’t get past the antipasti list before we knew that it was worth waiting! So, the boys went to the ATM, and the girls ordered drinks. Renee had a “French Martini” – vodka, chambord and pineapple juice. It was pretty tasty! I had a glass of prosecco – I was feeling bubbly. Beer and ginger ale on the boys side… Round two (since the first drinks went down pretty quickly), Renee had another French Martini, while I went for the Black Margarita. OH MY GAWD ….. gold tequila, lime and cassis. It was fantastic. I could see myself sucking back five or six of those babies …. but then you’d be carrying me out of the bar. It would be worth it. Gary – the bartender – is great fun, and very very good.

Gio’s was busy. Packed busy. They don’t take reservations, and it’s first come, first served. The maitre d’hotel was so nice – very friendly, patient, calm, but he was getting it all done; everything from seating to table juggling, to making sure the people waiting got their drinks. When a table was open for us, he gave us enough warning so that we could settle the bar tab before we sat. Zach – our waiter – was just a joy. Poor guy was run off his feet, but smiling, friendly, helpful; everything a really great waiter should be. He was a bit upset that just after he brought the white wine, he was getting called off to do something else, so I offered to pour the wine. I told him “well, it’s part of my day job to do this, so I’m happy to”, and he was half-relieved, half-guilty. But I wasn’t fussed, and I certainly didn’t count it against Zach at all!! The service was utterly faultless, all night.

We did a four-course dinner – antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolci. For starters – Andy had spicy olives, Renee had pan-seared scallops in balsamic jus, I had carpaccio, and Paul had a mozzarella/tomato/basil salad. I tried everything except the scallops (Renee didn’t share, but I can’t blame her – they looked too good to share!). The mozzarella in Paul’s salad was creamy and just sharp enough – the basil turned out to be a nice basic pesto – minced basil with a bit of olive oil, and a dash of salt. Soooooo good! The carpaccio was perfect – tender, sweet, with a gorgeous parmesan and not too much greenery. We had a bottle of Franschoek Chenin Blanc that was so fresh and crisp, our mouths tried to tell us it had bubbles. A beautiful wine (unfortunately, only available through private order by the case) that went really well with the carpaccio, and just as nicely with the salmon that was Paul’s main course.

The primi were all well chosen…. Renee had risotto with shrimp, lobster and scallop; Andy and I both had garlic shrimp on a risotto cake, Paul had gnocchi with gorgonzola and tomato sauce. The gnocchi were the best I have ever tasted – light, fluffy little bits of pasta, not the horrible leaden stodge you so often get. The risotto was a little al dente, but very very nice; not overly fishy, not overly saucy, nicely balanced, and gooooooooood. The garlic shrimp were huge, tender, and perfectly cooked. The rice cake promised to be crispy, but it was sauced, so – it lost the crispiness, but when it tastes that good, who cares?!?!?!?

It was a heated debate as to who got the best main course. Paul’s salmon was perfectly grilled, rich, buttery and very flavourful; my involtini (shredded pork wrapped with ribeye, topped with goat cheese) were rich and spicy, Renee’s osso bucco literally melted in your mouth, but I think Andy was the winner – his steak was perfect. Tender, grilled nicely, tasty, and with the mushrooms on top – well, it was indescribable. We had a selection of sides – roasted peppers with anchovies and pine nuts (heaven), brussels sprouts with bacon, sweet potato mash (that was the favourite, I think), and roasted beets which were much better than I expected. Paul stuck with the white from the first course, but Renee and I broke into a bottle of Kiss Chasey Red (the *cutest* label!). It’s a cab/merlot/shiraz blend, and one of the nicest reds I’ve had in a while. Not too dry, medium-bodied, great fruit character, and a nice spicy tang from the shiraz. Yummy!

We got a great treat for dessert – Zach surprised us with a tasting plate. Pistachio cheesecake, chocolate espresso torte, and a creamy, fluffy, rich, to-die-for tiramisu. The chocolate torte could have caused a fight, had Paul not decided to go for the cheesecake. The cheesecake was sooooooo good, even the diehard cheesecake hater was tempted into a bite, and admitted that she liked it! What’s not to like, was all I thought – it was light, and creamy, and nutty, and the crust was sweet and crumbly. Heaven. *Heaven*, I tell you! The torte was a chocoholic’s dream – flourless, rich, but not tooth-achingly sweet. DEFINITELY what I’m having next time.

Make no mistake – there will be a next time. Several ‘next times’, in fact, because I can’t remember when we ate this well, had this much fun, got such great service, and all for a relatively reasonable final tab. The damage was $300 – that’s four people, four courses, two bottles of good wine, and Andy and I went for the priciest of primis. I reckon Paul and I could get out of there for $75, if we did three courses, and wine by the glass.

And if we did, it would probably still be as awesome an experience as last night was.

Okay, I’m hungry now …………

So, I thought my first wine-y post would be a list of my favourites, but as I’m still compiling it, I offer instead a list of upcoming opportunities to find *your* new favourites!

First of all, if you’re in New York City, planning a trip to New York City, or looking for an excuse to go to New York City – well, you can’t miss these. Eight Mile Creek are hosting two fantastic wine tasting dinners.

The first, in honour of Australia Day (January 26), is “Advance Australia Fair”, a prix-fixe dinner celebration featuring home grown Aussie favourites like emu, kangaroo, barramundi, and ….. uhhhhhhh …… butter steamed balmain bugs?!?!?! OK, whatever they are, I’m sure Will can make them taste good!

The second event is February 8 – “Big Barossa Reds, the Peter Lehmann Way”. This is a unique opportunity to try superb wines from Australia and New Zealand, each paired with a select dish in a five-course tasting menu. They’re not all reds, though. The evening starts with a Semillon, and ends with Australia’s answer to icewine, a Botrytis Semillon (botrytis is “the noble rot”. It’s a fungus that grows on the grapes, partially dehydrating them. It concentrates the flavours, and adds an almost nutty characteristic to the finish.).

I went to a winemaker’s dinner at Eight Mile in April, and I can’t tell you how fantastic it was! The food, the atmosphere, the people – absolutely amazing from start to finish. If there’s any possible way you can get there – GO!!

For you locals – and I’m talking GTA, here! – there’s a great opportunity in January to check out good food, good wine, and beautiful art. The art even encompasses the wine – how cool is that?

Sarah Fogleman (aka Ellis Originals) uses wine labels to create really unique artwork. I *love* her stuff; I have a couple of cards, and one painting, but I’m looking to grow the collection. “Wild Wines Art” will be at the Queen Mother Café on Queen Street West until February 3rd. You should check it out. And buy a painting!! Hang it in the wine cellar …. or next to the wine rack …. or wherever …. just buy a painting!

All these can be found under the “Events” link to your right …. If you make it out to any of them, I’d love to hear about it!