CHAMPAGNE
What a great weekend to have been in Miami! The South Beach Wine & Food Festival went on from Thursday, February 23rd, through Sunday, February 26th, with different events going on each day. I had the absolute fortune to attend the opening party, "The Q", hosted by celebrity chefs Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri.
Set up behind the Delano, right on the beach, the smells of barbecue and ocean water hit your nose as soon as you handed over your coveted ticket. That's right, folks! barbecue was the theme of the night! About a city block’s worth of beach space was transformed into a barbecue wonderland, with chefs having set up booths on the left and right and various bars set up right down the center. The very first thing we did was hit up the bar for a truly lovely little cocktail called a "Grand Berry". Consisting of Grand Marnier liqueur, cranberry juice, and fresh lime juice, it was a great sweet, crisp and light choice to get our mouths ready for the smokey, savory, deliciousness of the food we would soon glut ourselves on. And glut we did!
All said and done, we managed to hit up 10 chefs. Although everyone produced a great product, there were a few unquestionable stand outs in the crowd, the first being Guy Fieri. I'll admit to having a bit of a foodie crush on this man, but please believe me when I say that his food was hands down the best of the night. Everything about his "banh mi taco with BBQ chicken fried Rice" was great! The best word I can use to describe it would have be "dynamic", as it exploded in my mouth with flavor. While everyone else seemed to be pushing ribs and coleslaw here comes Guy Fieri with the last thing I would expect to find at a barbecue.
The very first thing we saw when we approached Guy's table was the man, himself, wearing his signature shades, laughing uproariously and popping a bottle of Moët, which he poured for his fellow chefs working the booth with him. A lot can be said for presentation, as well. Some of the dishes we tried were alright, they tasted just fine, we enjoyed them...but they were served to us on little paper plates. Not Guy! He served his in a corn husk boat with a generous pile of yummy rice, two light corn tortillas, and chopped scallions as garnish. Lovely.
Another stand out of the night for me was Nadia G of Bitchin' Kitchen fame. I got a chance to talk to her a little while in line for her yummy "slow smoked pork belly with balsamic BBQ sauce, green onion and cucumber on an open-faced challah bun sandwich". She couldn't have been nicer, and she told me she was having a great time in beautiful Miami and having great fun with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Her food was excellent! The pork was super tender and had a nice smokey flavor to it, and the barbecue sauce added a certain sweetness and tang that really went well with the relative mildness of the bun. All in all I was very impressed by her dish.
The band was rocking, the cocktails were flowing, and I hit up the Godiva Chocolate bar more than once. To cleanse my palate, of course. I had a grand time.
What am I drinking these days? Well, a lot less than last month, that’s for certain, though a few spectacular glasses of wine have passed my lips and ended somewhere in my midsection. It comes with the territory working in a wine shop, for which my greedy palate is forever grateful.
Yesterday I was taking down our holiday window display and a glass of Tarlant Brut Nature Champagne NV made its way into my hand, and let me tell you that perked me right up. I went from doggedly taking down those holiday ornaments to practically dancing in place as soon as I tasted that first crisp, ginger-lemon sip. There’s a beautiful floral nose to this wine that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Jasmine, maybe? Smell it for yourself, and perhaps you can indentify that elusive scent. Made with equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, this champagne has a great energy to it, while at the same time it has a little funkiness on the finish that could really be complemented by food. It retails for around $75.
If I could turn on my sink facet and have true Champagne flow from the pipes, I’d die a happy woman! I’d also charge people by the glass to drink from my miraculous fountain, but that’s beside the point. Though I am an equal opportunist when it comes to good wine, I think Champagne might be my favorite, and I’m hard pressed to think of an occasion when I might be inclined to turn down a glass or two (or three). True grower Champagne stands alone as the most luxurious of all bubbly, but there is also a whole world of bubbles available for the savvy drinker for a fraction of the cost.
It’s never too early to start planning your New Years Eve celebration. Sure, you’re probably thinking “God, let me get through Christmas/Hannukkah first!” But with only less than a month to go, NYE will be here sooner than you think. Not sure what to do? Here at Joonbug, we say there’s no better way to end the year on a good note than with an extraordinary meal. It’s been a tough year, so relax and leave the research to us. Here’s our guide to a few restaurants that have already planned a festive night of food and drinks. The work is already done, all you have to do is show up. Oh, and pay, of course.
Since I can remember, there has always been a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne at our family gatherings. There was Veuve at my parent’s wedding, my brother’s wedding, and when I graduated college. There was Veuve for Christmases, New Years, and even birthday brunches. Although my family have used it a lot to ring in our celebrations, the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin company has their own celebration to ring in. This year, 2011, marks the 200 year anniversary since Veuve’s Comet Vintage of 1811.
Hidden within Boston's Intercontinental Hotel is a little known spot called Champagne Lounge. Red doors with golden handles in the shape of dancing nymphs slide open to reveal a room with glittering chandeliers, plush jewel-toned couches, dark wood paneled walls, flickering candlelight, and the promise of champagne kisses. Quiet and romantic, this intimate little lounge is ideal for a swanky night out with your date. Bubbly is not the only libation served—the rum selection is vast, which means that you can switch to their amazing mojitos once those bubbles start to burn. Note that Champagne Lounge is only open one Saturday a month, so make sure to call ahead before you go.
Champagne Lounge: Intercontinental Hotel, 510 Atlantic Ave Boston, MA 02210
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh ginger
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
- 8 whole star anise
- 1 bottle (750 ml) Champagne or sparkling wine
Congratulations DC. The Columbia Room has landed on the GQ’s 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America list at number eighteen. So while you have been hard at work with those government documents the Columbia Room has been working hard to mellow you out.
Columbia Room’s Derek Brown is the man behind the drink creations. A craft honed in Japan among the world’s most precise bartenders there is nothing to fear from Brown’s ice cutting cleaver. Only open three nights a week GQ finds the only reward is, “the best martini in America.” This is not any martini. The gin is stored in a medical freezer, poured in a crystal glass the thermometer must read between 29-31 degrees before it is served.
The only thing better than a Friday after work is ending up somewhere with a solid drink special. The Astor Center isn’t usually the place you’d go for such needs (it caters mostly toward wine and cooking classes) but with the introduction of its new five dollar Fridays, it might have found a new niche.
One Friday a month, The Astor Center will be offering a selection of wines and snacks including odd combinations like champagne and potato chips for five bucks each. It’s a considerable step above the warm cans of PBR or diabetes-inducing shots at the dive bar down the street. Better yet the bottles are for sale downstairs at their very own wine store. Just don’t take your $5 too far!
Okay Joonbugger's, now I know the weather has been quite frightful here in New York these past few days but don't fret, sunshine is on its way again. To hold you over until then try brightening your day with this fun and simple Passion Fruit Cocktail; perfect with a light dinner or as a dirty morning perk.
1 part passion fruit juice
2 parts dry Champagne
1/2-ounce orange liqueur
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