by Brooke on November 13, 2008
I was hanging out in Venice Beach this week at the quintessential Abbot Kinney restaurant, Joe’s and drinking some of our Pinot Noir. Here’s what we ate:
Braised Lamb Shank, White Ban & Date Puree, Red Dandelion Greens, Vanilla Herb Oil, Reduction of Braising Jus
Pan-Roasted Atlantic Salmon, Ragout of Roasted Pumpkin, Chestnut, Maitake Mushroom, Grilled Scallion, Allspice Emulsion, Ginger Gastrique
Hungry yet?
While drinking, and talking, and eating and generally enjoying the low-key elegance and ambiance I decided to make this wine my Thanksgiving star.
…yeah, yeah, pinot noir is soo yummy and fruity and light…….. Stop.
Michel-Schlumberger Pinot Noir is of the breed of Pinot that does not simply play the part of a dried cherry or strawberry. It has earthiness, body while remaining delicate, and baking spices along with of course: red fruit. What does this mean? It means it is multi-faceted and can pair with pretty much anything on your table.
My plan for Pinot friendly Thanksgiving dinner foods:
~ Rosemary brine for the turkey
~ Cranberry chutney
~ Good ol’ mashed potatoes (I used the red ones)
~ Scratch the creamy lumpy gravy and bring on the wine ‘jous’
~ Roasted mushrooms
~ Haricot verte (baby French green beans)
~ Candied lavendar (either in salad or with cheeses before dinner)
And you? What are your plans this year?
by Tony on August 13, 2008
Got up to Bradford Mountain by 7:30 AM to do the weekly vineyard monitoring. Mike’s dog, Mowgli, joined me for the walk and it was a stunningly beautiful morning. All 18 vineyard blocks up here are looking good. Real good. The cab is almost through veraison. The birds haven’t been too greedy in the pinot noir (I think the raptor perches are helping to scare them off). And once again, the syrah block is looking like a postcard.
Headed on down to the winery. Filled up the bird feeders (it’s amazing how much seed they go through) and watered the lettuce and basil in the garden. Said “Good Morning” to the honeybees. Fixed up a cup of green tea in the kitchen and wandered up to my office. I really needed to check e-mails but instead I spend awhile talking to Brunson and Ramiro about the same things we talk about every morning – sports, music and what amazing food and wine we had for dinner last night. I finally get a chance to deal with those e-mails and phone calls and meetings. Then it’s noon.
Great, except I forgot my bag of dinner leftovers. Luckily, Brunson is in pretty much the same boat so we hit our favorite haunt, Taqueria Guadalajara in Healdsburg, for al pastor and rellenos.
Back to work. Spent the rest of the day researching plans and plants for more large-scale beneficial insect/hummingbird/honeybee gardens we’ll be developing at the estate (some really cool stuff in progress). As usual, the day flew by — time to lock up and go home.
Went out and picked a zucchini, some tomatoes and a bag of multi-colored peppers from the garden for dinner. Just about ready to leave when I realize Judd is on vacation in Hawaii and I promised Juliana a blog post by the end of TODAY.
Back to the computer, staring vacantly, trying to figure out what to write…
