Tonight's Special: Try It - You May Love It

Sometimes being a single diner in a world of couples and families can be a little daunting.  Especially when you walk into any Joe's Crab Shack (Orlando), a seafood restaurant that also specializes in recognizing special events - like birthdays, anniversaries, bad hairdos.  The music is always good and the wait staff always shows you a good time.  This was just another typical Wednesday night at a Joe's Crab Shack - 99% families, couples and groups of twenty-somethings, and 1% single lady, me.

This evening I didn't feel like sitting with the masses, so I headed to the bar.  It was deserted this time of night, mid-week, so I knew I'd be comfortable.  At least I'd be away from most of the raucous noise of the general dining room.  Julie was tending bar and serving dinner.  She recommended the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay and I agreed.  The slight taste of butter was delightful after a day's work, and the wine shone with a greenish, straw-colored hue in the crab shack light.  The barely-there lemony flavor and the creamy finish combined for an experience as smooth as liquid yogurt.  The chill was perfect and the finish was toasted oak with a nutty kick.  Solid, steady, you always know what you're going to get with a Kendall Jackson wine.

My "view"

Joe's Crab Shack is not a place to go for quiet contemplation.  When I say they have a lot of birthday recognitions, they have a LOT of birthday recognitions!  There were three birthday celebrations and one Conga line-dance before my first glass of wine was served.  Thankfully, Joe's is not one of those chains that has succumbed to their own "special" birthday song.  They sing the old stand-by, Happy Birthday Song, which encourages the rest of the restaurant to chime in.  Joe's still generates excitement for birthdays, and I guess that's not all bad.  Everyone is smiling and

Julie allowed me time to enjoy the chardonnay and review the menu.  I was all set to order, but then she launched into tonight's specials.  One in particular sounded interesting - the Snapper Pontchartrain.  A beautiful, gulf-grown Red Snapper covered up in mushrooms and grilled shrimp is how she described it.  I had to try it!  As Julie said, "how often do you see Snapper Pontchartrain on the menu?"

The Red Snapper was served up with a healthy portion of broccoli and dirty rice.  It was a pleasure to see the majority of the plate filled with fish and veggies, and only a small portion allotted to the rice.

The Snapper was spicy and blackened, made salty from the Gulf's saltwater and tasted devine!  It was perfectly cooked, with the crispy skin and edges giving way to the sweet hot red meat inside.  The Pontchartrain sauce was a complex complement to the Snapper and simply grilled shrimp.  It featured an amazing blend of spices, garlic, cream, mushrooms, chardonnay and salt. 

But you have to leave room for the dirty rice!  That's what you use to sop up the extra Pontchartrain sauce!  When you run out of rice, use the broccoli.

All in all, the special of the day was quite special.  It was very filling, fresh, nutritious and unique.  The meal and the wine, combined with the smiling service provided by Julie, made for an absolutely wondrous evening for a dinner at the bar.

When Food Goes Incognito

Chicago: the Windy City, City of Broad Shoulders, Meat Packer to the World and home to the Chicago Bulls.  Chicago is known for its steaks.  Fresh from America's heartland, the Western Plains and Texas, ranchers have driven their best beef to Chicago for well over a century.  So where did I go to dinner the last time I visited?

McCormick and Schmick's, one of our country's best-known seafood restaurant, beckoned me to it's interior one evening last week.  After a long day's work, and a brisk walk through a chilly mist, I turned into the door of the first restaurant I reached.  Why did I stay?

First of all, it was warm inside and it was raw and cold outside.  No instant motivation to return to the early evening temperatures awaiting me outside.

Second, even though the restaurant was fairly large, it was sectioned into reasonable spaces, so there was no section that looked overwhelmingly large and over-populated.  It would feel good to sit down and experience a meal here.

And Third:  the smells and sights.  The aroma of butter, bread, subtle spices and succulent seafood dishes would welcome in anyone.  Tonight, I needed no extra urging to find a seat and open the menu. 

Let's start with the wine.  I chose a delightful Chardonnay from the Chalone Vineyard in California:  Alluring aromas reminiscent of pineapple and vanilla assaulted my nose with delightful instensity. Full flavors of creamy, toasty oak spice and toasted almond left me with a lingering rich feeling post-sipping. It had a very long, elegant, almost nutty finish.  Served slightly chilled, it was a beautiful way to end my workday, and begin my evening.  

My love affair with the menu then began.  McCormick and Schmick's boasts they are committed to culinary excellence, using only the freshest ingredients, locally grown when possible, and regional chef-inspired creations.  Well, hasn't that become the new normal for any upscale restaurant?  And honestly, what Chicago-born chefs are "inspired" by seafood?  I was about to find out.

I was torn between the Wild Sea Scallops (delicious and light) and the Skatewing from Florida.  Have to admit, I'd never heard of a skatewing before now.  As I usually do, when I can't decide, I asked the waitress - "which do you recommend?"  And she answered as though she read the cue cards, "they're both my favorites."  Everyone knows what they like about sea scallops, so I asked her to describe the skatewing.  "It's mild and buttery," she said.  Hmmmmm. 

According to the menu, the wild Sea Scallops came from New Bedford, MA, accompanied by potatoe cakes and creamed spinach.  It almost felt like they might have been our northeastern neighbors at some time, and suddenly it sounded heavier, more food than I could consume.  The mysterious Skatewing came from plain old FL, no town mentioned.  Paired with a wilted spinach side (more commonly known as sauteed spinach), a roasted wild mushroom ragout and pesto butter - this was the dinner for me.

Never afraid to admit my ignorance, I asked the waitress what kind of a fish category the skatefish might fall into:  mild like a whitefish, more like a rich grouper, or maybe salmon?  It was at that point the look on her face changed from bright, cheery and helpful, to something that resembled "uh oh, how do I explain this?"

So let me allow you to feast on this image of the oh so lovely, oh so mouthwatering meal that I ended up ordering.  The succulent skatefish, cozily nestled with the earthy mushroom ragout, sauteed spinach, and pesto butter.

The waitress, Cheryl, attempted to explain what she knew of the skatefish.  She elegantly extended her arms out from her waist and languidly flapped them up and down.  I knew right away to what she referred.  Some may have thought she was mimicking the wing extension of a Blue Heron or some other large bird.  But no, turns out the Skatewing is not really a fish at all.  It was the fins of a ray.  Aghast!  I've caught a manta ray or two and always released them.  I almost felt as though she were telling me I'd be taking a bite out of Bambi's mother.  After a slow, deep breath, I ordered the skatewing anyway.  It just sounded too tantalizing to pass up.

And you know what?  It was unbelievable.  Mild, slightly sweet, enhanced by the pesto butter, it was a truly beautiful combination.  I would recommend it to anyone.

But I have to admit, I don't like it when food goes incognito.  Let me know what I'm eating please, I can make my own choices.

And, after doing some research on the skatewing (more closely related to the shark than to a fish), I have to tell you, I will never order it again.  Apparently, the skatewing is slow to mature, which means it is slow to reproduce and is susceptible to overfishing as a result.  So in a way, it was like eating Bambi's mother.  And even though I said I'd recommend it to anyone, actually, I'd recommend that we return it to the sea, same as I did when I caught one off the coast of Georgia.  And let's take it off the menus of any place that doesn't border an ocean.

If you're still not convinced, and you think I'm just saying this because I'm some sort of treehugger (or whatever the current terminology is), oh, think again my friend.  What looks so lovely on the plate above, began life in the sea looking like the critter below.

Thinking and Drinking on a Summer Evening

Summer's winding down. It's been warm, it's been sunny. The kids have hit the wall and are ready to return to school. And soon the real end of summer will be here in the U.S., that weekend when grills across America are fired up for one last time this - Labor Day Weekend. Labor Day weekend usually signifies the official end of summer. And it means grilling around my house. Many people switch to white wines in the summer, they're lighter and are generally served chilled. But if you're serving anything smoked or blackened, you're going to want to stay away from the chardonnays (and cabernets as well). Wines that have been aged in oak will clash with your smoky or blackened dinners. Instead, experts recommend serving a crisp, clean tasting wine. Serve a riesling for a change. It will go great with those smoky, barbecue-laden ribs. Or try a pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc or pinot noir - these serve well also.

What else will we be serving with our ribs? Fresh corn on the cob of course! It's in season now for most of the U.S. It's cheap, easy to cook, and best of all, most wines go with it!

As with the barbecued ribs, the best wines to serve with corn on the cob (whether it's grilled or boiled) are the fresh whites. California chardonnays that have been fermented and aged in stainless steel barrels are rising in popularity. Their clean, fresh flavors make them an excellent end-of-summer wine. For the budget minded, it's good to remember that the unoaked chardonnays are typically $2-$10 cheaper than their oaky cousins. Here are some recommendations for some fantastic unoaked chardonnays: Domaine Chandon, St. Supery, and Mer Soleil (all California wines). What do you recommend?

True or False?

Brogans that go with red wines never go with white wines.

Just kidding, we know that all shoes are compatible with all wines, whether they're brogans, stilettos, or sneakers. It just depends on the time of day and the day of the week and the month of the year.

But how about red wines, white wines, and appropriate food pairings? Does a red wine "food" preclude it from being a white wine "food"? I don't think so, and here's why.

Most every wine-o-phile will recommend a red wine to pair with earthy foods like mushroom pastas and meat dishes. "Oh, you must drink a chianti", they'll say (think Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or a Valpolicello - and I would have to agree, very yummy.) Or pair this type of dish with an older, nut-scented white, like a beautifully aged white Rioja. The pros like to pair spicy foods with juicy young red wines or crisp, zippy whites. And who can forget the 10th Commandment of wine pairings: "Thou shalt not pair a red/pink/less-than-white wine with fish." Truth is - there is not a wine in the world that I like to drink with fish. Nothing, zip, nada, no. So there you go.

One of the best things the 1980's did for the wine drinkers of the world is open many, many wines to the masses. Beginning with the Chablis' and Chardonnays, wine critics encouraged people to try new wines from new regions. So now, we can say - wine is supposed to be fun. Don't allow someone else to put their labels on what you should or should not drink with something. Try new combinations. Mix it up. And in the end, drink what you like!

Pinot Grigio - Bohemian Highway

Understand this, I am not a fan of the Pinot Grigio wine.  Typically I find them to be rather bland and uninspiring - cheap or expensive - I have yet to find the Pinot Grigio that goes well alone or with anything I happen to be eating.

But, since I enjoyed the Chardonnay from Bohemian Highway so much, I thought I'd give their other white wine a shot.  After all, it only required a $5.99 investment and their winemaker's notes were appealing:  it's "pleasing" and "fruit-forward" with honeydew, apricot and pear flavors.  And let's not forget the crisp grapefruit and light floral aromas to round out the refreshing finish.  Trust me, I wanted to like this wine, I wanted to enjoy it on this late summer afternoon.

Well, I'm no winemaker, but here are my notes on this very disappointing 2007 Pinot Grigio.  Beautiful pale, colorless wine pours well into a glass.  That's where my compliments stop.  There is barely an aroma to take in, but the fragrance that hit me first was pure-grain alcohol, followed by a light slap of turpentine.  Whew...  made my eyes water.  But, I trudged on, determined to get a true sense of this new wine.

One sip later, still not impressed.  The taste was as colorless as the wine itself.  I took another sip, swirled it over and around all my tastebuds, hoping to catch some redeeming sensory experience.  Inhaled deeply, trying to will grapefruit and honeydew aromas into my nostrils.  No.  Didn't happen.  So in desperation I turned to my husband.  (That probably sounds worse than I wanted it to sound - but you know what I mean...)  "Try this" I said lightly, an encouraging smile upon my face.  "Tell me what you think."

"Igh.  Smells like alcohol."  One sip later the glass was returned to my hand, no further commentary was required. 

My recommendation - save your $5.99 for the Bohemian Highway Chardonnay.  Leave the Pinot Grigio on the shelf.

Bohemian Highway

This summer I have gotten away from my usual menu of Cabernets and have found myself walking through the white aisles. I have really enjoyed some of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, but the label on this Chardonnay appealed to me, and I was having guests who prefer Chardonnay, so I took a chance and bought a bottle to try.

Bohemian Highway makes a nice example of a decent chardonnay at a great price. It's from the Sonoma, CA wine country. The 2007 Chardonnay is priced locally at just $5.99.

For that price you get a buttery chardonnay that tastes great in a chilled wine glass on a warm Sunday afternoon. I prefer a glass of white before dinner. This Chardonnay is clean tasting, with a very nice apple-y/pear-y taste at the onset, and a sweet creamy yet mildly oaky finish, no bitterness at all. Haven't enjoyed a buttery chardonnay in a long time, so this was a good find this summer. The price makes the wine an even better find! Enjoy.