Wine from Sardinia: Vigne Surrau

November 17, 2016 in events, Food, Tasting Room Series, wine by traveleatlove | 2 comments

My love affair with Vermentino continues, thanks to recent Sardinian wine events. A while back, there was a day on a boat with Santa Maria La Palma tasting some absolutely beautiful Sardinian wines. A few weeks later, I had the pleasure of a delicious wine lunch with Vigne Surrau at Select Oyster Bar, cementing my desire to wander around Sardinia on our trip to Italy this coming summer. We have a wedding in Tuscany in July and are hoping to tack on another destination. We’ve both done Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, and the beautiful Le Marche and Abruzzo regions (BEST wine tasting day ever), so Sardinia is looking like a real possibility.

Okay, enough of our travels for now.

Back to the wine. . . Vigne Surrau wine lunch Warm and charming hosts from Vigne Surrau welcomed us into a cozy space in the back of Select Oyster Bar, wine and information awaiting our arrival. Learning about where wine is grown is always fascinating to me, especially when it is on an island like Sardinia, and all of the conditions of the island affect the grapes. Surrau’s vineyards are in Gallura in the northern part of Sardinia, and they are directly affected by the Mistral wind and the granite earth and clay where they grow. Their website says “Nature imitates art and man pick it”, a concept I found so beautiful as the wines truly were works of art created by nature.

Sardinia is home to incredible Vermentino, and that’s what we started our lunch with.

BRANU Vermentino di Gallura D.O.C.G.2015

Lemony and with a great, food-friendly acidity and freshness, this wine’s stainless steel fermentation means that the flavors are not influenced by oak or anything else. This wine was like sunshine and a day at the beach, but has enough body to be a winter white, we all agreed.

SCIALA Vermentino di Gallura D.O.C.G. 2015

This wine is a blend of the best Vermentino and aged on its lees, making it feel like a more substantial wine. Less lemon and more pineapple/mango/minerals than the BRANU.

Sardinian wine

 

 

select oyster bar

While we learned about Vigne Surrau, we also indulged in perfect pairings of the seafood that Select Oyster Bar is known for. Heavenly salmon crudo and Vermentino are quite possibly the perfect pairing. This menu was clearly planned keeping both the food and wine in mind.

salmon crudo

 Vermentino

As we moved onto our second course and the red wine, I deviated from the seafood menu because there was AVOCADO TOAST. I’m sorry, but I just can’t say no to that. Last sips of Vermentino cut through the creamy fattiness of the avocado and brightened it up in the best way, while my first sips of Cannonau added a bit of spice to the pairing.

avocado toast

As I mentioned in my last post on Sardinian wines, Cannonau makes for a beautiful, light red that can be enjoyed year-round. We compared the SINCARU and the Riserva, two different vintages, and noted similarities and differences. As simplistic as it sounds, both were just so delicious. The Riserva is aged in Slovenian oak which gives it a fuller body and richer texture, and I also noticed a slight hint of saline or minerals on this wine. Truth be told, the 2014 was my favorite of the two because of the spicy notes. . . I could see it being perfect for a casual pizza night in front of the fire.

SINCARU Cannonau di Sardegna D.O.C. 2014
SINCARU RESERVE Cannonau di Sardegna D.O.C. Riserva 2013

IMG_9590

vigne surrauFor the final course and wine, I went back to seafood, a steaming bowl of clams with chorizo, I think the key component of pairing with the wine.

BARRIU I.G.T. Isola dei Nuraghi 2013

This blend of Cannonau, Syrah, Carignan, and Cabernet Sauvignon was big and bold, notes of baking spices and pepper along with stewed fruit. It was so cozy, and while you might not think a red would go with clams, the flavors in the broth along with the salinity of the clams really worked with the wine’s beautiful characteristics.

sauteed clams  

This wine lunch was a delicious and educational way to spend an afternoon. Thank you to Vigne Surrau for hosting me!

Tags: Boston, events, Sardinia, sardinian wine, seafood, wine, wine and food pairing, wine blog, wine events, wine tasting

Landmark Public House Dorchester

November 15, 2016 in Food, Restaurants by traveleatlove | 1 comment

My “A Day in Dorchester” post is long overdue for an update! Years have passed, and we’ve moved to a new neighborhood, not to mention, Dorchester has grown as a dining and drinking destination in major ways over the past years. It’s at the point where we don’t leave Dorchester all that often as we have everything we need right here!

Lately, we have been going on a Friday night date that starts with a pint of Guinness at the delightfully Irish old school Eire Pub. Last week, we followed that with dinner at the newly opened Landmark Public House across the street.

Landmark Public House took over the space occupied by Gerard’s, a local favorite and a great spot for breakfast.

Landmark Public House

One of the first things we noticed inside were all of the odes to the neighborhood and to Boston on the walls and menu. Dorchester has such a neighborhood feel, especially in areas like Adams Village, and I am so glad they honored that when creating this space. It was filled with families, dates, people out after work. In uncertain times in the world, I am grateful for this little place we call home.

 

Landmark Public House

{Photo via Landmark Public House}

Landmark Public House

While we waited for our table, I ordered a delicious Gerard’s Old Fashioned, and we took in the cozy space and cheerful vibe of the restaurant. We quickly decided it would be a place we would want to spend more time, especially this winter when getting out will save our sanity.

Gerard's Old Fashioned

Not long after we ordered drinks, we were taken to our table by one of the very friendly staff members.

Landmark Public House

We had a hard time deciding on what to order as we were interested in just about everything, but once our decisions were made and shared with our lovely server, we were brought homemade chips and onion dip to snack on while we waited.

They certainly know the way to my heart! I am not one to go for a bread basket, but put chips and dip and a cocktail in front of me, and I don’t even need dinner. The pairing of the snack and Old Fashioned was like the perfect little cocktail party.

 homemade chips and dip

Because I am *trying* to be good (and because in the weeks after the Chicago Marathon I ate junk and drank way too much beer) I started with the Kale Salad with  roasted beets, quinoa, goat cheese, and citrus vinaigrette. Sometimes I find raw kale really tough, but the citrus dressing definitely softened it in this salad and added tons of flavor. It was a hefty portion, and with the goat cheese and quinoa could have been a meal in itself for me.

kale quinoa salad

And since I am not quite that healthy, I had to go for the Short Rib Grilled Cheese, the perfect fall or winter comfort food, and a sandwich I have been dreaming about since. Tender short rib and buttery sourdough. . . and pickles and fries. . . it really doesn’t get much better. I will dream about this sandwich on long runs going forward.

short rib grilled cheese   

We felt so comfy and relaxed that we lingered over another cocktail before heading home again. I am so excited to have yet another great Dorchester restaurant and that it seems to be very crowded from the get-go. Landmark Public House, welcome to the neighborhood!

 

 

For additional posts on Dorchester spots:

Dorchester Brewing Co. – A new favorite

Lower Mills Tavern

Boston Harbor Distillery

Chill on Park

Cafe Polonia

Lower Mills and Ashmont

Tags: Boston, Dining out, Dorchester, food blog, food blogger

Rainy New England Wanderings

October 27, 2016 in Travel by traveleatlove | No comments

I get cabin fever incredibly easily, and aside from a weekend day here or there where I really want to just hang around the house and cook, I often am itching on the weekends to hit the road (or the sea) for an adventure. We’ve spent enough time in Ireland that we’ve become of the mind that if you don’t go out in the rain, you’ll never go out at all. As such, we’ve started making sure we have all of the attire we need for bad weather. . . which for me means all the L.L. Bean!

It really does make a difference though, to have a good rain coat and boots and to be able to stay dry and warm.

A few weeks ago our New England wanderings took us down to Carver and Plymouth, Massachusetts, for some fun in the rain.

Carver, Massachusetts Our first stop was Carver for a quick walk amongst the evergreens. I crave nature, and the misty air and the smell of green just filled my soul with happiness, setting us up for a great afternoon.

Not long after, we made a visit to the lovely and historic Flax Pond Farms where we learned about the history of cranberry growing in the area and got to pretend we were workers back in the olden days, sorting out green and wrinkled cranberries on a conveyor belt.

Flax Pond Farms Flax Pond Farms Flax Pond Farms was a beautiful space surrounded by nature and reflecting its cranberry history, in addition to being full of delicious treats like a spicy cranberry spread and cranberry honey I got to go with some soft cheeses. One of my favorite parts about unplanned trips like this is the potential to come across little gems like Flax Pond Farms.

Flax Pond Farms After we left Carver, our rainy day travels took us to Plymouth, where we explored antiques and other secondhand items in some of the adorable downtown stores. There was plenty to see in town, but still wanting to be outdoors, we headed to the waterfront, where we discovered a charming little park with a beautiful stream running through it and foggy views of the sea beyond.

Plymouth, MA

I did some skipping and puddle jumping, because I simply can not resist jumping in puddles!

Plymouth, MA

Plymouth, MA

And of course, we spent plenty of time admiring boats in Plymouth Harbor.

Plymouth, MA  Ramble on Rose

This gorgeous sailboat brought together three loves: boats, the Grateful Dead, and San Francisco.

After some more walking around the waterfront and the town and a quick spin through the John Carver Inn, we made our way back to the waterfront to the Plymouth Yacht Club. With our own club membership in Boston, we’re usually welcomed into other clubs around the US, and Plymouth certainly made us feel at home.

Plymouth Yacht Club  Plymouth Yacht Club

A sprawling waterfront lawn and plenty of seating gave way to a grand building, which we soon explored, eventually making our way to the top floor members bar to soak up the coziness and a couple of Dark n Stormy cocktails as we chatted boating with some locals.

Plymouth Yacht Club It’s amazing what you can discover when you don’t have any plans! We had such a fun day together exploring a new-to-us place, and while I loved the harbor on a rainy fall day, I am even more looking forward to boating into it next summer.

Have you discovered any fun places by accident lately?

Tags: blogger, boating, Boston, clubs, cocktails, fall, New England, outdoors, Plymouth, sailing, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger

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