Sunday, November 6, 2011

Bombay Club Martini Bistro (New Orleans)

If there's one place where I feel comfortable ordering a Brandy Alexander, it would be Bombay Club in New Orleans. Bombay Club is a martini bar. OK, hold on, don't cringe yet. It's not an appletini kind of bar. Classic martini, Martinez, Aviation in coupes. They actually do have Cosmopolitan and Appletini, though (under the "Millennium Martinis" section). They have it all, the whole history of the Martini and classic cocktails.

Brandy Alexander
The menu is vast, and each item description comes with the history of that drink. The Brandy Alexander was "served (and said to be created) in 1922 at the wedding of Mary Princess Royal and Viscount Lascelles at Westminster Abbey in London."

Here's one for Negroni: "In 1919, Italian Count Negroni sailed to America to experience the American rodeo. Trying to sound tough, he asked the barkeep for an Americano (Campari, Italian sweet vermouth, and soda water), but to replace the soda with gin."

It's not just the history, of course. They know how to make them well, too.
Bombay Club
The Bombay Club is only a couple blocks away from the zoo that is Bourbon St. With well made classic cocktails (and a history lesson), a chill crowd, and live jazz music, it is certainly an oasis.

The Bombay Club Restaurant and Martini Bistro
830 Conti Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
504.586.0972
http://www.thebombayclub.com/

Friday, November 4, 2011

Foie Friday #3: Seared Foie Gras, Eggplant at Orris

This week's foie dish is an old time favorite of mine, and a relatively inexpensive one at that.

The Seared Foie Gras with Eggplant and Sweet Soy Wasabi Sauce at Chef Hideo Yamashiro's Orris is not always on the menu, though often appears on the specials and I always order it when I see it. I don't remember the price, but it is certainly much cheaper than its counterparts at fine dining establishments.

The lobe of foie is pan seared and the soft eggplant underneath added to the buttery, silky texture. Instead of the typical fruit for the sweet sauce, Chef Yamashiro adds his Japanese influence with a sweet soy reduction, and it's pretty amazing!

So, I'm running low on foie dishes. If you've encountered a great one recently, do let me know!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Wine rapping and Pinot Noir at The Taste LA

There were tons of interviews and wine seminars throughout The Taste LA events, too many to attend all of them. One got my attention when I met Justin Warner, who was giving a pinot noir seminar with Ira Noroff (Director of Education at Southern Wine & Spirits). He said he was an oeno-rapper, i.e. he raps about wine? Rap about wine? Well, that was sure interesting.

The daytime seminar started with Justin rapping about the joys of California wines:

Then the seminar proceeded with Ira telling the attendees these facts about Pinot Noir:

  • Pinot is lighter in color because of its thin skin. That also means that it takes longer to extract the color, amplifying the difficulty and also the reason why Pinot is more expensive.
  • The Primary aroma in Pinot is cherry and strawberry.
  • Pinot Noir and Chardonnay likes cool climate, while Cabernet and Sauvignon like hot climate.
Ira also told us that when talking about wine, the "Primary characteristics" are always talking about fruit, while "Secondary characteristics" typically relate to the earth.

We tasted three widely different pinots, showcasing the diversity of this varietal. The first is Meiomi, by winemaker Joseph Wagner. This is a blend of region 1 central coast grapes. It's reminiscent of cola and dried leaves.

Next is a pinot from J Vineyard in the Russian River valley. This vineyard started as a sparkling wine company. This wine has more depth than the previous, reminiscent of rose petals. The wine was made in open top fermenters (which is what they do in Burgundy). They cold soak up to 10 days and then age it in 100% burgundy oak barrels (30% new oak barrels).

The last wine is 2007 Freestone pinot, by Joseph phelps. This is a new winery of his up in the Sonoma coast. The grapes used is 100% estate grown, and aged in 65% new oak barrels. Hints of orange peel. The wine is more tannic than the previous and tasted much more like a Cabernet. According to Ira, this wine will be fabulous in 5-10 years

Justin then finished off the tasting with an ode to Chateauneuf du Pape:


PS. Justin also owns Do or Dine restaurant in Brooklyn.

One last tip from Ira: Do not decant old wines! Decanting is for new wines that needs the air.

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