NOT a Vongole Dinner.

Months ago, I had promised Bernd to make spaghetti vongole for him again. Life's exigencies being as they are (i.e., it kept slipping my mind), I just never got around to setting a definite date until his drinking buddy, Dieter, mentioned to me a little over a week ago that Bernd was soon headed back to Germany for the holidays. Thus, we coordinated later on and, eventually, set Wednesday, the 10th, for a vongole dinner at my place with a few other friends.

Come morning of the 10th, however, the planets did their best to align in such a way as to spoil our plans, in that, among others: (1) Dieter's back suddenly gave out; (2) John H's wife, Gina, came down with a bad cold; and, (3) absolutely no live clams were available in the market and supermarkets in our area. Intrepid goumands that we are, we pushed through undaunted sans the vongole. Fortunately, I was able to convince Ken and Lisa agreed to join us on short notice. I had to bribe Lisa with promises of chocolate cake and dessert wine, though - that day happened to be her birthday and she was nursing a slight cold.


The evening started off with freshly sliced Parma ham and terrine of foie gras with Melba toast from Je Suis Gourmand, enjoyed with glasses of:

1999 Duval-Leroy Champagne Blanc de Chardonnay - From Bernd, naturally, for whom no dinner is complete without bubbly. Apparently, the impeccable Stephan Wieprich (formerly of Tivoli, now with Wine Depot), knowing well Bernd's passion for champagne, turned him on to this maker.

I was very surprised to learn later on that evening that this was pure chardonnay - the designation of "blanc de chardonnay" (same as "blanc de blancs") was not prominent on the bottle, as you may (barely) see in the picture. I, generally, prefer champagnes with a good dose of pinot noir for the added body, mid-palate heft and discreet, underlying milk-chocolate that come with it.

This bubbly was open, generous and particularly lively, with a fine, persistent mousse and delightfully pronounced toasty brioche to its whitely floral, ripe apple, slight apricot profiles. Whispers of candied fruit, white minerality and oak as well.

In a fuller style than most blanc de blancs I've had, I could have sworn it wasn't pure chardonnay, but, then, no champagne expert am I. An excellent way to start the evening, in any event, it was wonderful with the terrine of foie gras. Available at Wine Depot for under P5000 per bottle - a definite buy for a vintage blanc de chardonnay of this caliber.

~ oOo ~

We, thereafter, seated ourselves and started off with a salad of fresh greens, tarragon leaves, toasted pine nuts, freshly grated parmesan and Parma ham, drizzled with a honeyed, mustard, vinegar, olive oil and garlic dressing. My wife makes this salad for many of our dinners at home, a recipe created by my brother and his wife (actually, both of them claim credit but we never quite figured out which one of them really dreamed this up).

~ oOo ~

Next was baked prawns in a garlic-butter sauce, accompanied by a pilaf, with:

2006 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé - My bottles, a discovery by Rene II. I first got to taste this at his birthday dinner a few weeks ago. My notes from that evening, still consistent, are as follows:

This is the first time, to my knowledge, that I have tried wine from this
Loire domaine and I kick myself for not having stumbled on it before. It's a
good thing Rene did.An ethereal, fresh, floral, cool, sweet perfume of
gooseberries, freshly cut grass, white grapefruit, citrus and trace white
mineral nuances in the nose. Gracefully and elegantly mirrored on the palate.
This danced on my tongue. Subtly complex.

The Vigneron, not really one who is into whites and, more often than not,
goes straight to the reds, was the first one to pipe up, saying that "The
bouquet of this wine is wonderful". Coming from him, that means a
lot....Available at Terry's for barely P1000 per bottle and I would easily
pay more for it if needs be. Run, don't walk. It is that good.

~ oOo ~

The main course was roast racks of lamb encrusted with thyme, marjoram and fresh rosemary - the only dish I made that night. With it, we had three reds:

1997 Château Branaire-Ducru (St-Julien) - Bernd's bottle, a now clearly over-performing (in my opinion) Fourth Growth of the 1855 Classification. I've been looking more and more into this château's wines ever since I ranked this 4th behind (in descending order) Châteaux Margaux, Latour and Lafite-Rothschild during an IWFS blind tasting of ten top 1999 Médocs sometime in 2005. I bought and enjoyed several of their '99s as a result thereof.

This is medium-bodied, marginally lighter than the '99, but with better focus at this stage and definitely much more ready to drink. Mature and marked with superior balance and harmony in its classically-framed cassis, dark fruit, red berry highlights, infused with cedar, graphite and discreet, finely-knit dark chocolate undertones. Firm, but gentle. Very food-friendly, as are many Bordeaux wines from so-called off-vintages compared to the those from "blockbuster years", in my personal opinion.

Excellent with the lamb. Unfortunately, this is not locally available to the best of my knowledge.


1996 Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) - My bottle, one of my current favorites for its dignified, understated style. My notes from early August are still consistent:

...It just so happens that Jancis Robinson (a holder of a Masters of Wine degree, the British taste-nemesis of Robert Parker, Jr.) in September 2006 rated this the one of the highest non-1st growths of the vintage (with a score of 18/20, equal to those of Châteaux Latour and Haut Brion), while Parker gives it
a "mere" 88/100 (which, most likely, keeps the wine at its reasonable price).

I entered this wine in a recent IWFS blind 1996 red Bordeaux horizontal tasting (i.e., wines from different châteaux but all from the same vintage) - mainly out of curiosity, really, to see how it would fair. With its discreet nature and understated style, I didn't think it would do well in a blind tasting, especially tasted amongst the "showier" big names such as Cos d'Estournel, Léoville Poyferré (both of which I personally favor), Angelus and Palmer which were included in the line-up. To my surprise, and, I'm sure, to many others', my bottle came out first place, closely followed by Cos d'Estournel which the Doc and I predicted would take the gold.

In any event, true to form, this wine gave off a whistful bouquet of mild truffle and asphalt, cassis, dark fruit, delicately laced with dried herbs and subtle tobacco with sweetish cedar and a whisper of vanilla-cream towards the end. On the palate, it gracefully mirrored its bouquet with added topnotes of red berries; comparatively silky in texture with a lithe, supple medium body. No "blockbuster" this, but a textbook in propriety and quiet manners. Meticulous
and precise.

2001 Bodegas Olarra Summa Reserva (Rioja) - John H's bottle, which, I suspect, he picked up at Terry's since the latter also carries Olarra's 2001 Cerro Añón Reserva. I've stated several times throughout my blog that 2001 was an excellent vintage for Rioja, as well as most of Spain, and Tuscany as well. Apparently, my recent run of Spanish reds still continues.

Although it keeps the same over-all rustic nature of its 2001 Cerro Añón Reserva cousin (and even more in texture), the Summa is notably different in that it: (1) is less dominated by somber dark fruit and wood notes; (2) has healthier balancing acidity that makes it comparatively lighter on its feet and food-friendlier; (3) possesses more of a red berry push; (4) has a fresher, edgier, feistier Spanish feel to it; and, (5) displays slight dried herb/earthy nuances. Nice complexity.

I'd guess this will age better as well. Solid Rioja red. I have no idea how much it costs though.

We must have been getting pretty hit by the wines by this time, as several pictures show us laughing away. Strange thing is, as my wife and I were reviewing the photos, we couldn't at all remember what we were all laughing about. I don't know what Bernd found so funny; after all, he still didn't get the vongole I'd been promising him for months.

~ oOo ~

Main course done, we switched to buffet-style for the cheese course (Livarot with dried apricots on the side) and desserts (chocolate cake, chocolate cheesecake and Je Suis Gourmand's thin apple tart with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream).


With the Livarot and dried apricots, and the thin apple tart as well, we had John's half bottle (375ml)of 2005 Yalumba Hand Picked Late Harvest Viognier - This was something new for all of us, even John. He picked it up from Ralph's out of sheer curiosity. I've tried a few viogniers before, but only French, and never late harvest.

This wine had fresh, clean, well-defined lines of sweet, yet vibrant and lively, peach, apricot, slight honeyed apple and vanilla. There was the merest whisper of underlying white minerality as well, which, with the nice acidity, gave a playful lift and character to the wine.

John duly noted the match of the wine's sweet acidity cutting the Livarot's rich (and pungent) creaminess as well as running with the accompanying dried apricots. I also enjoyed it with the thin apple tart á la mode. In all, it was a superbly serendipitous match with both the cheese, dried apricots and apple tart with vanilla ice cream.

With the chocolate cheesecake that Ken and Lisa brought, I opened a bottle of 2005 Josefina Piñol Vi Dolç - a delightfully good value, grenache-based dessert wine I got to try recently from Gene Gonzalez, paired with his children's chocolate desserts. My notes then were as follows:

...in terms familiar to me, it is like a much denser, more viscous, sweeter
Rasteau vin doux naturel but not fortified. The flavors are up-front raisin,
prune, crème de cassis, ripe fig, dark chocolate, roasted walnut and licorice.
Touch of vanilla in the mix....makes me think of raisinets with figs.

Ken tried it with the vanilla ice cream and said it was also a good match. I can imagine it being so - like an adult chocolate sundae. We briefly discussed possibly making a syrup out of it, and even macerating cherries in it, to pour on vanilla ice cream. Extremely good value at approximately P900+ at Barcino.

Unfortunately, not too long thereafter, Bernd and John had to take their respective leaves as the former was flying off to Bangkok early the next morning and the latter had morning meetings. Lucky for me, my only meeting scheduled for the next day was in the afternoon, and that wasn't even sure to happen (and, in fact, it didn't push through after all).

Still and all, it was another fun-filled evening of wine, food and good friends. What more could one reasonably ask for? Aside from vongole, I mean.

Alabang Group Christmas Dinner 2008

A group of long-time friends, my original (now s-l-o-w-l-y resurrecting) regular golf group, held its annual Christmas dinner at B & M's place this past Friday, the 5th December, before individual schedules get too hectic. Naturally, no celebration would be complete for us without our better halves.

The Ladies

B, our group's resident Beef Master, made his smoked US Prime Rib-Eye Roast, while M took care of the rest. My only contributions were a few jokes, bottles of wine, and, at B's request, my Chili-Garlic Prawns, a dish my family has enjoyed for decades.

Since I hadn't made the chili-garlic prawns in quite a while, I took longer than expected in cooking them, so my wife and I were around 45 minutes late. Consequently, I missed out on the white wine. With the platters of manchego and Ñico's jamón Serrano, however, I opened a couple of rosés both subjects, among others, of a previous recent post:

2007 Homenaje Rosado - Always a hit, dangerously drinkable, I never tire of this fresh, attractive grenache-based wine. Extremely versatile in pairing too, with assorted tapas of angulas, gambas al ajillo, charred chorizo Pamplona, Joselito ham, etc., and even with adobo and crispy tadyang ng baka (beef ribs). I understand that even Singaporean food and wine authorities N.K. and Melina Yong enjoyed it when paired with Tita Glenda Barretto's Snipes Adobado when they were here several months ago. Incredibly good match with the glistening, fatty, life-enriching jamón Serrano as well.

2007 Le Rosé de Pavie Macquin - From Château Pavie Macquin in St-Emilion, made up of merlot and cabernet franc according to J-Lab. Another consistent crowd-pleaser of a rosé, whatever it gives up to the Homenaje in terms of fresh, fun liveliness, it makes up in heft, roundness and length.

These are just my observations, though. They are entirely different animals and each well deserves its place on the table. I urge all kindred spirits to explore these and other good rosés as they are well suited for our cuisine and tropical clime.

I finished of the last of my glass of rosé with M's own creation of Fresh Baby Arugula Salad in a delicate, lightly honeyed dressing, topped with dates, walnuts and gorgonzola. I happen to love arugula, and this salad was absolutely delightful. Without a doubt, this was the healthiest dish that passed our lips that entire evening, yet nonetheless flavorful for it.

It isn't easy to get real baby arugula, apparently. The arugula used in many restaurants' salads, assuming they have any arugula to begin with, are oftentimes too old, the leaves too thick, and the taste a bit too bitter for me.

M, however, grows her own herbs and a few vegetables beside her house, and the baby arugula, of course, was picked fresh therefrom that day. French Laundry-esque, indeed.

The buffet table was, by then, heavily laden with our main courses and their various sidings:

Lucky for us, B was able to tear himself away from his pet kois long enough to finish up our main course and even give 'Cel a quick left-handed wine-swirling demonstration. 'Cel, a fantastic cook in her own right, would, in the past, prepare our group's (usually 16-18 people) entire Christmas meals, from appetizers to desserts (yes, plural) virtually single-handed.

How she can do this in her enviably cool, calm, unflustered manner "is a wonderment". I start getting cranky in the kitchen when I cook meals for upwards of 6 people. For 10 people and above, I go Gordon Ramsey - in temperament, that is, not skill.

With these, we paired:

1996 Bodegas Beronia Gran Reserva - from Rioja, yet another wine subject of previous recent posts. I seem to be on an unintended Spanish wine run these days, starting off with paella night at Terry's and Je Suis Gourmand around two weeks ago, continuing at Café Ysabel and La Tienda last week.

In any event, I have not too long ago become a staunch advocate of pairing big,rare, beefy main courses with good Spanish, Italian and Napa reds rather than aged Bordeaux - the latter which I nowadays prefer with roast goose, duck or lamb.

I must add, though, that several inherently powerful and/or more modern Bordeaux do quite well with steaks, such as Pontet-Canet (Pauillac), Lagrange (St-Julien) and Montrose (St-Estèphe), to name a few. Of course, refined powerhouses like Latour, Mouton-Rothschild (both Pauillac) and Léoville las Cases (St-Julien) easily can, as well, but I'd rather concentrate on the wines in cases like those.

2002 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve - B's bottles, steadfast Napa-head that he is. Admittedly, however, I am rather fond of both Beringer's and Mondavi's private reserve cabs (particularly the 1995 Beringer Private Reserve and the 2001 Mondavi Reserve) as well as Dominus. Those curious about the California cult cabernets (e.g., Bryant, Dalle Valle Maya, Araujo, Screaming Eagle, etc.) can check out one of my older posts on them here.

This young wine is powerful, forward, lush, unabashed, packed with wide-open primary dark fruit, cassis, strong black coffee, pronounced cedar & toasty oak, hints of violets and definite minerality. A hefty dose of anise makes a strong statement especially towards the back of the mouth and throughout the long finish.

This packs a punch of youthful alcoholic heat as well. It certainly isn't one to fool around and easily stood up to the steak and chili-garlic olive-oiliness of the prawns, and then some.

In all, it manages to be in good balance and is quite typically California. I'd like to re-try this around 5 years from now to see how it ages. In particular, I'd like to see if it will eventually mellow and deepen into something like the 1995 version.

The desserts were then laid out, including Cuerva's Cherry Torte and M's own home-made Tiramisu and trademark Chocolate Brownies (which I can, and do, eat like peanuts - easily downing 8 or more at a time unless I restrain myself). Though I do like the cherry torte a lot, I simply had no more room for everything, so I stuck to M's creations with a much-needed cup of black coffee.

Though I do eat tiramisu occasionally, I never really got excited about it - that is, until I tried this one:

Firstly, the cheese/cream was really creamy and richly textured - not the usually thin, at times insipid, often forgettable, obviously "extended" cream in most commercial tiramisus (tiramisi?) I've had.

Secondly, I could actually savor the underlying cake in itself, without it getting entirely lost in the cream as it does in most other versions. The inner liqueur drizzle was deftly made, not at all overdone or undetectable. Superb. M did tell me how she made it, but, with due respect, I'll leave the divulging to her, if ever.

We all lingered way past W's and B's usual bedtimes - early birds that they are - over cigars, stories, jokes and gift-giving. Many thanks to our generous hosts, and an advanced Merry Christmas to all!

Thanks, Y, for the use of your camera!

Spanish Dinner & Wines at La Tienda, Makati.

Since Miguel couldn't make the recent Paella Night at Gourmand, he suggested a dinner at La Tienda, Makati. Apparently, on special order, Chef Javi Lecumberri makes paella using basmati rice which Miguel assured us makes the dish extra special. I readily agreed and, since our impresario knows how to cook and pretty much grew up in Spain, I asked him to design the night's menu for us - which he did with the chef.

Thus, this past Wednesday, 3rd December 2008, he, myself, my wife and old college friend, Edwin, met at La Tienda at 7 pm for yet another Spanish dinner. We started off with appetizers of Escalivadas (i.e. food "cooked in ashes" - in this case, grilled eggplant, sweet red peppers and garlic in olive oil), Boquerones and Pulpo a la Gallega (octopus).

We had the escalivadas and pulpo with yet another bottle of 2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. Miguel obviously wanted to drink it again, and, of course, I was more than happy to oblige. I've raved about this jewel of a rosé so many times, I need not elaborate any further. Everybody loves this. It also went quite well with the amuse bouche of the chef's version of steak tartare pictured with the bottle on the right.



With the fresh boquerones we paired his 2006 Laxas Albariño - from Rias Baixas, in the lower part of Galicia in the northwest of Spain, where millions of the faithful troop every year to St. James the Apostle's tomb beneath the altar of Catedral de Santiago de Campostela.

Albariño is a typical white wine of Spain, the most famous ones of which hail from Rias Baixas. Meant to be consumed young for freshness, it is ubiquitously paired with the seafood Galicia is known for. I understand that 2006 was an exceptional vintage for northern Spain with conditions allowing more ripening than usual - and it certainly showed in this wine.

Fresh, bright, crisp, vibrant mineral/flint touched, slightly grassy green apple, guava, grapefruit, gooseberry and a bit of ripe lemon. Healthy acidity lends good lift despite the apparent ripeness of the fruit. Lively and dryly refreshing wine.

As a match with the fresh boquerones, it was perfect - as well as with the next course of Bisugo al Horno (also heavily recommended by the Doc, who, unfortunately, couldn't join us that evening). Good albariños (well-chilled) with fresh seafood is a no-brainer and a must.

~ oOo ~

Then came the star of the evening, Paella de Verduras:


We had some Chuleton with it, of course....


With the paella I paired my 1996 Bodegas Beronia Gran Reserva, decanted for a little over an hour by the time we got to pouring it. I've written about this before, in the first above-mentioned Paella Night, and my notes then were as follows:

A blend of 87% tempranillo, 8% mazuelo and 5% graciano, made only in good
years, of which 1996 certainly was for Rioja. Aged 24 months in a blend of
French and American oak casks, and further aged for 3 years in bottle before
release. A "mere" 13% abv.

Refined, silken, complex and ethereal in character compared to the previous
3 youngsters. Even without material decanting time, it displayed beautifully a
bouquet of sweet Spanish cedar, dried cranberry, raspberry over a slim base of
silken blackcurrant. There are also subtle nuances of rancio, thyme, licorice,
spiced wood and violets.

Nice acid balance, elegant. Lovely wine. Astounding value for a mature,
classic Rioja Gran Reserva at approximately P1900 per bottle at Barcino's in
the Fort. The collective group results revealed this as the favorite red
wine of the night.

With the decanting for aeration, it released more of its darkly spiced, perfumed bouquet and gained a bit more lushness in texture and slightly more weight. I also noticed the pronounced chocolate flavor in the wine that J-Lab noted the week before at the Gourmand dinner. Again, a very lovely wine. The paella was perfection - en su punto - said Miguel - al dente. I could feel each and every just-yielding long grain with each mouthful. Superb.

~ oOo ~

With the chuleton, we had Miguel's 2005 Torres Salmos - from Priorat, a hip, "in", hyped and, consequently, increasingly pricey area (wine-wise, compared to the relatively recent past) in Catalonia.

Very ripe, well-extracted, concentrated, richly smooth, molten dark fruit/berry, cassis, dark raspberry, licorice, touches of leather and minerals. Lashings of new, toasty oak/vanilla. Dashes of black pepper in its fruit. Definitely modern and internationally-styled. Round, full-bodied, chewy and opulent in the mouth, with a long, strong finish. Very stylish, flirtatious, open and forward, this wine wears its heart on its sleeve. Low in acid and high in alcohol, but not obtrusive.

Because of its origin and taste profiles, I'd guess this is mostly grenache with a good dose of syrah, treated with new oak. Given all the foregoing, I'm sure Parker's Wine Advocate rated this above 90 points. This robust, sleekly muscled wine confidently stood up to and well with the chuleton. We certainly drained the bottle quick enough. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, this wine is not available locally.

After such a huge meal and a bottle of wine each on the average, we had a round of double espressos. Only my wife went for dessert - not surprisingly, Tocino del Cielo. Thanks, Miguel, for organizing the dinner. It was also great to see Edwin again. Great fun indeed, and the food was excellent. ¡Felicitaciones al jefe de cocina!

Gene Gonzalez's 50th Birthday Bash.

One of at least three celebrations, I understand, thrown for the Golden Boy by his likewise talented chef-children. Gene jokingly, though proudly, lamented his kids' "kicking him out of the kitchen" for the gastronomic and vinous extravaganza last Tuesday, 2nd December 2008, at their beautifully renovated Café Ysabel.

I arrived similtaneously with Johnny R and, as we walked in, noted that, considering the guests in attendance, the gathering looked like an International Wine & Food Society Philippines Branch function...


...with (some concurrent) Ordre Mundial des Gourmets Dégustateurs and Chaîne des Rôtisseurs stalwarts included, naturally.


I seem to recall there were no less than three different bubblies served for cocktails, but, I could be wrong. Busy chatting and taking pictures, I got to try two of them:

Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaïc NV - Lively mousse, fresh, linear crisp apple, pear, citrus, hint of orange peel. Predominantly chardonnay, most likely. Nice, faint ginerbready notes in its finish. Charming in its simple way.

The next was Champagne Carlin Brut NV - I enjoyed this one much more. Nicer heft, alluringly pronounced creamy-toastiness mid-mouth and towards the back. Well-defined fruit has a faint honeyed tinge to it and the wine possesses a nicely rounded over-all feel. These considered, I'd guess this has much more pinot noir in it than the Jacquart Brut Mosaïc.

~ oOo ~

After a while, I seated myself with Dieter, Dong, Eddie and Sunny. Finishing off our champagnes, we had great difficulty refraining from eating too much of the deliciously warm, soft version of the Armenian flatbread, Lavosh, with an addictively sweet-spicy, vaguely balsamic-honeyed dip.

The gastronomic parade then began in earnest. Each course was clearly announced and well explained, in turn, by Gene's young chefs-Paduwans, Gino and Gianinna. I can only imagine how Gene's heart swelled with pride with his children's kitchen and emcee performances. They gave Johnny R, a spectator-diner during this night's feast, a good run for his money at the mike; and, dare I say, the Golden Boy, himself, in that night's service.

~ oOo ~

With Smoked Catfish Pâté on Toast with Aspic:

2008 Miguel Torres Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Reserve - From Chile. I don't think I've ever before seen a rosé designated as a reserve, much less one of pure cabernet sauvignon. Nice enough alone, with straightforward strawberry, cherry, touch blackcurrant flavors.

Paired with the slightly creamy, delicately flavored smoked catfish pâté, this rosé's red-fruity/berry freshness was emphasized, cleansing the palate with haunting whispers of strawberry and cherry. The toast upon which the pâté rested, as well as the gelatinous feel of aspic topping, lent entertaining textural contrast.

I was happy with the reasonable size of this initial course. Like an out-of-shape boxer keeping an eye on the timer, I kept stealing glances at the menu, reminding myself how many more dishes I'd have to leave enough space for. This multi-course dinner necessitated a careful game plan to last until dessert.

~ oOo ~

Next was the delightful Café Ysabel Sampler - a trio of Sopa Ysabel, Lobster Bisque and Chef's Onion Soup. With this was paired no wine; and I was quite happy about that. I never really like having wine with soup and was able to enjoy the trio without having to analyze and commit to mind any accompanying vino.


Then came a refreshing, appetite priming Petite Silk Road Salad. Again sans wine; and, again, I was happy since salad dressings normally kill most any wine served with it. There are some acceptable pairings with some salads, to be sure, but none of which has ever really grabbed me. Better to just enjoy the dish by itself, especially since, in this case, I had to drive myself home that night.

~ oOo ~

With a Black Cod Cartoccio, we were invited to pair two whites:

2006 Torres Milmanda - My old notes show that I had the 2003 version of this sometime in September 2006 at Je Suis Gourmand with Hervé Porcines and Franck & Francoise Alby. Said notes state:

Torres Milmanda 2003 - My friend, Herve Pourcines, brought this 100% chardonnay
over from his last trip to Spain. Unabashedly oaked and buttery, this is a
Napa-reminiscent chard with mildly honeyed ripe melon and apple mid-palate with
some sweetish citrus notes to the back. Fair acidity, this was nice with foie gras poele, not really cutting through the dish's richness, but,
rather, running with it. Over-indulgence is the right way to go at times.

This 2006 version is leaner, not as super-ripe (which are good things), better focused as well and not as blatantly forward or oaked compared to the 2003. Most likely, the difference is due to the vintages. Like the afore-mentioned 2003's pairing with the foie gras poele, this 2006 with the black cod was a demonstration in the "running with the food", "hand-in-glove" type of pairing.


2007 St. Claire Sauvignon Blanc - I've had a few vintages of this sauv blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand and remember liking the the lean, grassy, slightly aggressively gooseberried/grapfruited whites well enough when paired with fresh boquerones in El Cirkulo. In contrast, this 2007 version seemed softer, riper, rounder and notably more tropical than the ones I've had before - definitely less edgy and tense. 2007 must have been a ripe, hot, dry year for Marlborough.

That said, this sauv blanc was still firmer and well-defined as compared to the above-mentioned Milmanda. With sauvignon blanc's naturally crisper, more acidic profile, I leaned towards the 2007 St. Claire more as a pleasing match. This takes nothing away from the Milmanda which was a decent match. It is just that I personally prefer the cut-and-contrast type of wine and food pairing, especially with seafood, but that's just me.

~ oOo ~

We then took another break with a Sorbet Sampler of a petite scoop each of Pineapple-Rosemary, Lemon-Tarragon and Passionfruit-Fennel sorbets before the attack of the main courses.

~ oOo ~

Probably unused to just sitting still and dining at his own restaurant, the Gene couldn't help but take a hand in pouring the reds from then on in. With a comfortingly hearty dish of Estate Mallard al Caparas with Wild Rice, Pinenuts, Peas & Corn:

2005 Torres Celeste Crianza Ribera del Duero - I safely assume this is very ripe, pure tinto fino, or darn near close to it if not. An ironic wine for me, in that it tastes very modern (i.e., ultra-ripe/extracted, concentrated, lowish acid, lushly dark cherried and dark plum-and-berried, with lashes of dark chocolate), yet, because of its vaguely dusty tannins and mildly chalky, earthy cocoa finish, it finishes off with kind of a rustic feel.

Quite an entertaining wine. Nicely chewy, it stood well with the duck.

Young, yes, and with seemeingly no pretenses of being other than that it is, I liked it, especially with the duck. I simply have to note that I loved the wild rice and pinenuts on the side - so country and comforting. I guess this was designed to segue into the more genteel, indulgent second main course.

~ oOo ~

The second main course was a dish of Eye of Argentine Entraña Steak with Pan-Fried Goose Liver, Potato Dauphinoise & Cognac Demi-Glace, paired with:

1997 Torres Mas La Plana - Darkly smooth, intense, but not loud. Deeply veined, spiced black fruit, cassis, with cherry/ ripe raspberry highlights, black coffee, licorice, tobacco and relatively subtle, well-integrated vanilla/oak. Somewhat straightforward. No real crescendo, but a solid, consistent, confident, masculine wine.

The pairing was, like the wine's character: pleasantly and predictably correct, solid and dependable. Personally, I found that the young Gonzalez chefs' version of Tournados Rossini clearly upstaged the wine - the creaminess of the foie precisely enriching the eye steak was not lost on me - a study in proportioning to be sure. I've had many similar dishes where the foie just masks the meat's flavors.

Such was not the case that night. The dish brought the apex that the wine seemed to lack. If that was the point of the pairing, the marriage was, indeed, a success and the matchmaker need be lauded.

~ oOo ~

As if the foregoing were not enough, a Black Pepper Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Triolet of Ice Cream on Brandy Snaps (Dried mango, Olive Oil and Shiitake) made its way before me paired with Josefina Piñol Vi Dolç - I do not recall the vintage if this is, in fact, a vintage wine. I have never had this before; but, in terms familiar to me, it is like a much denser, more viscous, sweeter Rasteau vin doux naturel but not fortified. The flavors are up-front raisin, prune, crème de cassis, ripe fig, dark chocolate, roasted walnut and licorice. Touch of vanilla in the mix.

J-Lab told me he had tried it before and it was a great value-for-money dessert wine. I have no idea how much it costs, but if it is reasonably priced, I'm all for it. I think many will take to this quite easily because of its sweet chocolatiness - makes me think of raisinets with figs.

I also tried this wine with Gino's avante-garde, pushing-the-envelope dark chocolate with a truffle/caramel/anchovy center creation.

I was absolutely floored by the bold creativity of this young fellow. I simply loved the middle burst of truffle in the caramel, and the precise, judicious anchovy hit just past mid-mouth, losing itself in the chocolate and caramel at the finish. Two nights later, I'm still shaking my head in amazement.

I couldn't help but blather on about this sophisticated chocolate treat to anyone who would listen. Luckily, I got to mention it to Gene who gave me, Fil and Dieter extra helpings. In all, I got to eat four pieces of it. Don't tell me the squeaky wheel doesn't get the grease.

The children certainly did their father proud.

The Young Ones and the Young Once (Sorry, Johnny, I couldn't help it)

Just when I thought we could all rest our livers, I spied Gene with a distinguished-looking fellow (who I learned was artist/tenor, Allan Cosio) choosing from newly opened bottles from his personal stash. They turned out to be some older New World wines that I rarely get to taste.

The question then arose: "Do I forego trying out something new, or should I play it safe and quit while I'm still sober?" The answer, naturally, was the latter, so quick rationalizing was in order.

Figuring I was still in good enough shape to have just a couple more glasses, especially since I re-coated my already distended stomach lining with a layer or two of rich, inebriation-inhibiting chocolate and caramel, I indulged in one last glass of:

1994 Jim Barry "The Armagh" Shiraz - Undoubtedly mature, one of the oldest shirazes I've tried (to my recollection, the oldest was a 1991 Grange from the Stockbroker). Densely smooth, full-bodied, velvetly muscled, opulent with seamlessly-knit ripe raspberry, blackberry, cassis, bit of cedar, black coffee, dark chocolate and buttressing oak/vanilla. If the alcohol content is high, I couldn't really feel it.

Indulging in a bit of nostalgia, I mentioned to Gene and Fil that, since back in my college and law school days, I used to go on dates with my girlfriend (now my wife) at Café Ysabel and Tratorria di Gino when they were still located on Wilson Street. I even recalled seeing a little boy (who surely must have been Gino - Gianinna probably wasn't even born yet) there once in a while.

Around twenty-five years later, I'm still in Café Ysabel, celebrating Gene's 50th, with his children now ably at the kitchen's helm. Certainly nice to see and ponder. Many thanks, my compliments to the chefs, and, once again, happy birthday, Gene. We all wish you a hundred more.