wine

You are currently browsing the archive for the wine category.

I wrote the below post before the horrific terrorist attacks on Paris on Friday. I have been thinking about all of those affected  by the attacks all weekend and still, like so many others, have no ability to make sense of what happened or the state our world is in. I spent much of the weekend anxious and sad.

I thought about not posting today, but ultimately, I can sit around and feel sad or I can share my love of life with blog readers, people who have, through technology, become friends over the years. I hope that continuing to share things we love and to keep an eye on one another and to connect can help us to keep the love and light in the world when there are some determined to take it away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

I’ve mentioned it a few times, but our dining habits lately have been leaning sharply toward Dorchester. We’ve visited Tavolo, Ester, and Ashmont Grill quite frequently, and they are so good and so close that it’s hard not to  pull ourselves away.

Last week after drinks with friends we found ourselves in the Fort Point area of Boston and suddenly starving. We were parked by Bastille Kitchen, so we decided to go in and grab a couple of appetizers.

I instantly fell in love with the space and the buzz of energy and activity. The restaurant was busy but had a nice noise level and lots of smiling patrons.

Domaine Augis "La Rosée"

They had a nice by-the-glass wine selection, and I of course went with pink bubbly, Domaine Augis "La Rosée", which added to the already celebratory Friday mood.

I had started the week off with a terrible 36 hour bug and as a result hadn’t eaten much more than soup all week, but at Bastille Kitchen my appetite came back with a vengeance. Their bread basket is not just bread, but warm, buttery mini croissants, which I basically attacked. They were flaky and heavenly. If I could have a warm basket delivered every morning, I would be all set.

warm croissants

Date night always includes oysters, and we polished these off in no time. Fresh, cold, perfect – I love oysters this time of year!

oysters

Now, the plan was to share some appetizers and then to head home, but my ravenous post-illness body saw the Porterhouse for two, and that was all I could think about.

Sides It came with asparagus, potato gratin, grilled tomatoes, and sauce bordelaise, and we got a bit of horseradish on the side, and it was all simply dreamy. The meat barely needed a knife. It was so tender and flavorful, and all of the vegetables were the perfect accompaniments. We ate every bite; I definitely took the lead on this endeavor!

Porterhouse for Two It felt so good to want to eat after feeling so miserable, so we ordered dessert. Profiteroles, light, fluffy, another pastry win, were stuffed with caramel chip ice cream and had a warm hazelnut chocolate sauce for pouring.

profiteroles

The service at Bastille Kitchen was as exquisite as the food and ambiance. Our server and everyone who cared for us were so pleasant and attentive and smiling all the while. It was just a lovely experience. I can’t wait to return.

Tags: Boston, date night, Dining out, dinner, Food, Restaurants, wine

Wine from Spain can offer some really great value, and while we love collecting some really special wines, we also really appreciate a weeknight wine, one that doesn’t break the bank but that still tastes great.

This 2014 La Granja 360 Tempranillo Garnacha is one of those wines. I loved it’s bright, cheery berry notes that were followed by a hint of spice. It definitely made me feel like taking a trip to Spain!

photo (59) I try to not judge a book by its cover (wine by its label) but I did love this label. A note from the winery about it:

The zebra on the label shows her desire to change her image. She paints her pelt a brighter colour. This represents the desire of the wine to change the traditional world of wine to an innovative new concept.

While this wine might be a bit too big and bold for your Thanksgiving turkey, it would be great with appetizers like stuffed mushrooms, some salty hard cheeses, sausage, meatballs, and more.

Speaking of Thanksgiving menus, our menu will look a little like this again this year. I think a dry sparkling wine goes perfectly with the whole Thanksgiving meal. Get a few bottles chilled and make someone responsible for keeping glasses full!

Tags: Garnacha, La Granja Tempranillo Garnacha, Tempranillo, wine, wine blog, wine lover, Wine Wednesday

Well, I could say I am California dreaming, but the weather in Boston right now is stellar, and I am pretty happy to be right here! I am, however, California wine loving, as always. On a chilly day last week, we opened a bottle of Syrah from our last trip to Sonoma in front of a cozy fire and thawed out, falling once again in love with Enkidu wine.

Enkidu Syrah 2010

Enkidu is right off of the Sonoma Plaza and is one of the stops we made before my busy weekend of work began in September.  It’s a cool, beautiful space, and the staff member pouring was great. He and my husband chatted rugby and Ireland while he poured us Enkidu’s beautiful wines and, now that I am thinking about it, wish we had gone back again when I was done working to really enjoy the space. Oh well, there’s always the next trip!

Now about that 2010 Kick Ranch Syrah. It’s everything I love about a Sonoma County Syrah, earthy, juicy cherries, spice, dried leaves. It’s a big, cozy wine that is the perfect fireplace wine. It was great paired with filets cooked in butter with butternut squash and broccoli roasted in truffle oil. Yum.

What wine are you loving this fall?

Tags: Sonoma, Sonoma wine, Syrah, Travel, wine, wine of the week, Wine Wednesday

« Older entries § Newer entries »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera