the legion of the purple teeth

The BF took me to Canele in Atwater Villlage for the 31st birthday. The first awesome decision made was bringing this wine with us. Both of us had the beef tenderloin entry and this syrah from Santa Barbara made the entree a total home run. This great food wine is not too tannic, not too peppery, and also went really well with our appetizer - serrano ham, olives, and idiazabal:

The only thing is - olives do NOT go with wine, yet here I am, chomping away on salty, oily, delicious olives. That’s what your water glass is for, I guess.

Here’s our other app, perfectly steamed asparagus sitting on a super buttery piece of crispy bread, topped with a soft boiled egg. Everything drizzled in brown butter. I could eat this for breakfast EVERY DAY:

A few other random notes:
You sit close, VERY close to your neighbors, so either get over it or prepare your conversations ahead of time to be as inoffensive as possible. Corkage is a reasonable $10. None of the desserts sang to me but I had a tough time choosing between the beef tenderloin and the beef bourginon.

Verdict:
I would definitely go back for another dinner but what I am even more curious about is their weekend brunches! Who wants to come with me?

Canele in Atwater Village

The BF has been on my case for weeks about popping into Verdugo Bar but I’m kind of a stubborn piece of work and a creature of habit that has become overly comfortable in certain Bavarian-themed Silverlake establishments. But now I needn’t even get on the 2 freeway anymore. Maybe ever again! Some brilliant human being has opened the beer-centric Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park, a blessed 5 minutes away from my hilltop shanty.

This is definitely a wondrous place for the beer adventurer to do a little travelling, and they’ve got excellent selections both in bottles and on tap. The sheer amount of choice panicked me at first so I asked for a Duvel, only because I recently had it at Paperfish a few days ago and it was the first thing to pop into my head. They didn’t have any Duvel by the bottle, but the bartender helpfully steered me to a Delirium Tremens, a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, at a hefty 8.5% alcohol level and served to me in a goblet. It was delicious, kicky, hearty but not heavy at all, and certainly not too bitter. It compared perfectly to the Duvel in terms of it being a delicious beer just to sit and sip, but I found it much more refreshing and lip smacking. Verdugo Bar wins points for giving me a goblet - the bartender at Paperfish could only rustle up a wine glass. Back to the beer though - I’m impressed with this skillful recommendation, seriously, because now helpful Wikipedia is telling me this beer was declared THE BEST BEER IN THE WORLD! in 1998.

We eagerly returned to Verdugo Bar a few days later for a beer tasting from the North Coast Brewing Company. They were pouring 9 selections. The one I was most familiar with is their Red Seal Ale, which you can find at Trader Joes in the area and my chum Inland Empirical recently blogged about.

photo by Inland Empirical

I hate to sound like one of those drunk people you meet a beer tasting (wait…I am one of those drunk people you meet at a) but seriously, every single one of them was pretty damn good. One of my favorites was the Pranqster, a Belgian style Golden Ale, fruity, a little clovey, and gently spiced on the nose. I’m not even a huge fan of dark beers but I even took to their Old Rasputin, a Russian Imperial Stout. It was rich and creamy with distinct coffee notes that made it seem like it would be comforting on a rainy day. Mmmm, a beer-coffee. A blatte? Sorry.

The last beer was their Old Stock Ale. It says all kinds of important sounding things in the tasting notes: “brewed with classic MarisOtter malt and Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, all important from England”. This beer was definitely the fiery punch-swinging redhead of the group, with a seductive deep dark color and a BIG kick (11.7% alcohol!). This is the kind of beer that makes you weak in the knees, not because it’s so flavorful and very robust but because you are well, pretty schnockered if you are sitting around downing this serious brew.

Only two trips to this bar and I am in love. Someone pour me a staggeringly delicious Hoegaarden witbier. I’m settling in.

Pros: Extensive beer menu, dark low key atmosphere and no douchebags thus far.
Cons: No food. But there are chips! Kettle Chips! We had a few bags!

Visit Verdugo Bar
Visit North Coast Brewing Company

Don’t you love those water drop stains? I am too lazy to polish my glasses with a paper towel after washing. What, is this the Ritz? No, this is the 90065. That’s how we roll in East LA.

What We Drinking Here?: Ramsay 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, which is a secondary label for the Kent Rasmussen Winery.

Technical Details: Can’t locate any on their website for the 2005 bottling, so we will have to assume it is 100% Cabernet from Napa although their 2006 tasting notes say THAT bottling has a small kick of Petite Verdot or Merlot in there.

The Occasion: Nothing special, fools. Wine is drunk in the Gulmahamad-Federico household with 95% of dinners. Right now I am guzzling this puppy with some Asiago Pine Nut ravioli from Whole Foods and it is pairing up VERY nicely, with just the right fruit to goose up the cheesiness but not too much alcohol to distract or throw off flavors.

AND? This is tastytown. And yes, that is a technical wine term. Loads of dark ripe cherry flavors and a thoughtful mellowness that does make me think there is some womanly merlot in this. What’s REALLY nice about this particular cab is its relatively sedate 13% alcohol level. There’s no ‘monster alcohol breath’ here but the acidity is still nice and manageable. “Rounded tannins” if you will. The notes for the 2006 Cab specifically bring up oak and in the 2005, you do get that little touch of sweetness on the end, a teeny kiss of vanilla or even caramel. This is an elegant sipper that I think cost me about $20-$25 and it can both be a food wine or enjoyed on its own.

ANYTHING ELSE, WINO? I noticed this tasted a LOT better slightly chilled in the fridge and it tasted flabby and boring at room temperature. I need one of them thar newfangled wine thermometers, I guess. OR you could just pop it into the fridge for about 5-10 minutes and skip buying all kinds of doodads at Sur La Table.

Purchased at Colorado Wine Company | Visit Ramsay Wines

Alright. I took discovery of this as a sign I need to post more in the old wine blog because man. This is for real. Little Jon makes wine. Wine fine enough for your most diamond-encrusted crunk goblet!!! Seriously. I want to try them! They are all California wines, a Cab from Paso, a Merlot from Monterey, and a Central Coast Chard. Way to support the Golden State Wines, Lil’ Jon! Eeeeeyyyyeah! Will you give it a try? Can you think of other successful celebrity wine attempts that you’ve tried or are at least, curious about?

Visit Little Jonathan Winery’s Website

The view from Palumbo Family Winery, Temecula CA

The BF promised me a secret day trip and thus he delivered…albeit took this day trip after we had been up all night drinking strong margaritas in Silverlake, but we trekked out there anyway despite a puke-worthy hangover on my behalf.

Our dusty shoes touched down in Temecula at The Original Pancake House for our first stop. I was still sadly reeling from the hangover which did not allow me to eat more than a plain waffle, but the foodie smell on the inside of this place was homey and classic, strong coffee and stacks of pancakes covered in maple syrup everywhere. We did notice immediately that we were no longer in the city. Here are some typical Pancake House customers:

(photo by apollosputnik)

So a few things to remember about Temecula:

1. This isn’t really serious-serious wine country. And we could tell from our first stop. I don’t like to winery bash unless we are drunk and standing in a room face to face, so I won’t really name names here on the blog. But the first stop along our route was a very bustling winery making PORT-ICE WINE MARTINIS. That’s right. A glass of ice wine, a drop of port layered on top, with chocolate shavings on the rim. $6. And plenty of grown up, adult looking people were ponying up to the tasting bar for this sweet monstrosity. Now, I’m not saying there aren’t great vintners out there in Temecula. But we all know there aren’t any mountains, or ice, in Temecula. So that’s not an ice wine. Nor is it a martini. AND, we heard a very proud woman telling her friends nearby she belonged to the wine club of this winery. I found this astounding as the first glass of award-winning Riesling tasted like Welch’s Grape Juice which leads me to number two:

2. Everything is “award-winning”. BUT WHO GAVE YOU THIS AWARD? Don’t expect an answer and:

2B: Don’t be expected to be told WHERE your grapes are coming from either. We noticed at so many wineries they never tell you the name of the vineyard, or even tell you if the grapes are estate grown. This is in stark contrast to what goes on in Santa Barbara and Sonoma, where the names of the precise vineyards and their locations are usually offered to you freely.

The only exception to this was found at the Hart Family Winery where we actually tasted some wonderful red wines, including a Merlot which we ended up taking home that day. This leads me to my next note:

3. There is a pretty decent chance that what you are drinking is over-ripe and comes from over-ripe grapes grown in this too-hot climate. You know how you can tell? That trademark “rubber tire” smell is all over most of the red wines we tried in Temecula. We did find some pretty decent examples of Italian varietals and faux Super Tuscans at the Mount Palomar Winery, but most of the other reds we tasted were too alcoholic and overripe to even produce signs of what varietal you were quaffing.

4. But don’t despair, there is one thing you can get that is excellent in Temecula. The dessert wines. One of the best glasses of sherry I’ve had in quite some time was purchased at the aforementioned Mount Palomar Winery, which had this wonderful bouquet of hazelnuts and honey. I bought it on sight. Er, taste.

5. And if all else fails, we did discover you can get very good olive oil and gourmet food products in old town Temecula at the Temecula Olive Oil Company. I ended up taking home 3 things, which is a better haul than at any winery for the rest of the day! The must buy at this store is definitely their vanilla-fig balsamic vinegar, which will make even the most pedestrian bowl of salad greens much more exotic.

So would I revisit? It’s hard to say. My friend Inland Empirical has already pointed out to me that I didn’t make it to Stuart Winery, and in the past, I have enjoyed a bottle of two of Wilson Creek’s almond champagne, but there’s no two ways to cut it. Temecula ain’t no Santa Barbara. It’s not as picturesque, the wines are not as articulate or unique. But people did used to say this stuff about Paso Robles and look at Paso now? Who knows. Who do you think I am, the wine oracle? I’m not. I’m just a girl with purple stained teefs.

Links for Reading Comprehension:
Drink Mount Palomar’s Solera Sherry
Buy Temecula’s Vanilla-Fig Balsamic Vinegar
Visit Hart Family Winery
Visit Temecula Wine Country

This is the Brioche with Proscuitto, Gruyere and Egg at A.O.C. As of this writing, it is the best thing I have eaten all year (sorry Mozza Pizzeria). I would eat this every day without fail or fear for my arteries if I could.

As everyone and their dairy-lovin’ friends already know, A.O.C. is also an excellent restaurant for wine and cheese lovers. This is our beautiful cheese plate, with a cheddar from England, a sharp and stinky blue from Spain, and a creamy goat from the Loire Valley. The cheddar was my favorite, crumbly and not too tangy. This cheddar has ruined me now, nothing will ever seem as addictive. And guess what it’s called, Mrs. Appleby’s New Cheshire! Mrs. Appleby, wherever you are, I salute you!

After drooling all over the cheese menu selections, you will be presented with a nice selection of whites and reds by the glass, by the carafe, and of course, by the almighty bottle. We went with a carafe of Flowers’ super juicy and compelling Pinot/Syrah blend, the Perennial. It sounds lame to say so, but it really had the best of both varietals - it was both supple and elegant, smooth and plummy, bespeaking a Pinot, but it still had a little Syrah spice to give it personality. I will certainly seek this interesting blend out again, and keep an eye on this Napa vintner in general…


Final Verdict: A day or two later and I’m still thinking about my meal at A.O.C.

I had my old film school chum and current wine baroness of Red Bank Wines (Wilmington, NC) Sara in town this weekend, and the weather in Los Angeles was terribly disappointing during her 4 day stay. Fortunately, THIS is what it looked like up in the Santa Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara wine country. This is Melville’s “High Density” vineyard which employs the technique of stressing the vines in narrow rows to create concentrated fruit. And concentrated it was, as it poured down my grateful gullet. We only hit Melville and Longoria. At Melville I picked up a bottle of their 2005 estate Pinot. After lunch at the Los Olivos Cafe (oh, my beloved Santa Maria tri-tip sandwich), we hit up Longoria where I fell for their Tempranillo bottling:

I’m always a little depressed after a day trip to Santa Barbara. Drinking all those pinots evidently puts me in a smiling mood. After we got home I looked at all my SB photos and found this photo of me cracking what appears to be an actual smile of genuine happiness:

I gots the double vision! This “Wine of the Week” review in the LAT spurred me on to buy TWO. Also because I seriously cannot help it - I imagine this voice in my head, sing-songing ‘BUT THEY COULD SELL OUT OF IT, SHERRRRIIIEEE’. Other girls buy handbags. I buy the P-Noirs! I don’t know when I’m going to crack these puppies open. I should just go down to Phillippe’s and get some turkey dips to go, bring ‘em back home, and assemble a feast…or we could drink the wine out of a brown paper bag in the parking lot. Classy.

I live, and so does my liver!

I was inspired to return to my wee wine blog after reading about my favorite wine duo, Jenn & John Nugent of Colorado Wine Company, in the LA Times this week. And how kickass is Jenn’s quote?

“We found a surprising gap in the market for the kind of store where we wanted to shop, a place where no one is ever made to feel stupid.”

I have spent so many happy, buzzed evenings ensconsed in their wine bar, so I’m glad to see them and their refreshing egalitarian approach to wine getting more excellent PR. In fact, the bottle shown here was bought at the Colorado Wine Company on their recommendation. This is not a wussy wine for your wussy wuss friends who love pinot grigio (and also pan flutes). It is a sparkling red, with an appealing rich dark brick color, and a zingy perky acidity. That tartness would go so well with a nice tray of charcuterie. You know, some hunks of Italian salame. Or slices of sopressata. Ooh, is that grana padano? I’ll just make myself a little plate if you don’t mind… oh my, I drifted off there to a wine tasting in my imagination.

Don’t feel pressured to finish it off in one sitting because it’s fizzy and you’re living hard and you have no place to go tomorrow morning. Get yourself one of these Metrokane bottle sealers for bubblies (mine came with my Rabbit opener), and pop it back in the fridge. On day 2, I had it with some Quercia speck I picked up from Whole Foods and it held up just fine. No crackers, no cheese, just a few slices of buttery rich smoked pork and some tart Lambrusco. I’ll gladly get another bottle of this special treat, and have it with hearty grilled chicken sausages. Meat + wine = heaven. Sorry, my vegetarian amigos. This post was more about meats and meat enjoyment than what it should have been about. I promise to write about brussell sprouts…someday.

Other Random Information:
70% Lambrusco, 30% Ancellotta, produced & bottled by Negri’s Wine, San Giorgio, Italy.

An aside - I bought the La Quecia speck almost totally because I read all about their humane & organic business philosophy on an info sheet on the Whole Foods deli counter. Also, the book with the bottle is called Movie Thrillers, which Tony found for me in a thrift store.

We here at the Legion of the Purple Teeth highly recommend drinking wine with your weekend breakfasts, and with your weekday breakfasts if you are some sort of trillionaire and you have no place to be in the morning.

Pictured above: Sharpe Hill’s Ballet of Angels and two baked eggs with parmesan and a dollop of pesto. This wine was a little on the sweet side for my taste (prefer my whites to be acidic and lip-puckering) but it was light and airy and crisp and was a good chaser to the eggs.