29. March 2009 by Azat.

Last night went to 3 Drunken Goats up in Montrose area of Glendale for some wine and tapas.  I noticed that on the wine rack they had a bottle of The Prisoner and asked if we can have that.  At $34 it was a steal in a restaurant.

The Prisoner: its simply the most delicious Zin blend available that i have tasted. Its predominantly Zinfandel(50%) with a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blended in, it’s up there with the best California Zins that cost twice as much. Zin blends are some of the most exciting wines coming out of California today and this is perhaps the finest example. Don’t miss this delicious fruit bomb bursting with deep, rich flavors. The best release yet from Orin Swift Cellars.

92 Points Wine Spectator: “Offers both style and structure, with lively aromas of black raspberry, cracked pepper and mocha, with plush and layered flavors pf wild berry, fresh sage and licorice. Ripe tannins sneak in on the finish.  Drink now through 2014.”

The 2007 Prisoner blend is 50% Zinfandel, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, 9% Petite Sirah and a dash of Charbono and Grenache.

For the price I think The Prisoner is one of the best Zin blends I have ever had.  You can find it for under $30 at some wine shops.  I suggest you buy a few and stack up.

As for 3 Drunken Goats its a great place to go and have wonderful Spanish wine and food.  They also have some wine available for retail that you can consume in the establishment at retail prices…

Posted in ***, $$$, $$, ****, Restaurant, Food, Wine, Blogroll | Print | 5 Comments »

24. March 2009 by Azat.

This recipe is for my friend Nancy.  Sorry its a bit late but been a bit distracted because of work. I have also seen Pork Loin cooked like this. In fact at the Little Door its one of their specialties that everyone loves unfortunately I have never tried it before because I dont eat meat or chicken. Here is the recipe. the pictures are form a Spanish website I found

Ingredients for 2 servings
- 1 line-caught Sea Bass or Trout.  Not too large
- 6 lb.coarse Salt
- 3 1/2 oz. lemongrass leaves or bay leaves depending which flavor you prefer
- 4 tbsp. black Peppercorns
- 2 tbsp. coriander seed
- Dried fennel, tied in a small piece of cheesecloth
- 3 1/2 oz. parsley stems
- 2 Egg whites and 1/4 cup of water

Method
-Clean the fish, remove the gills and cut off the fins with scissors. Do not scale the fish.(important as we are not going to eat the skin in this recipe
-Finely chop 1 3/4 oz. lemongrass.
-Stuff the sea bass with the dried fennel, parsley stems and the remaining lemon grass.
(if using the bay leaf stuff 4-5 leaves in the belly and the rest on the bottom and top of the fish)
-Combine the salt with the peppercorns and coriander seed, chopped lemongrass and egg whites and water to form a workable mixture.
-Heat the oven to 450° F. Have ready a baking sheet and a piece of parchment paper twice as large as the fish.
-Place the parchment paper on the baking sheet and with some of the salt mixture form a base on which to place the fish. Make sure to place the fish on top of the salt base and close the top part of the cut belly on top of the bottom so salt does not get into the belly.
-Enclose the fish in the remaining salt mixture, molding the salt into a shape identical to that of the fish.  Leave only the head and tail open(an inch on each side)
-With a knife, trim the parchment paper all around the fish. Check that the mixture is smooth and adhering well to the fish. Gently place in the oven. After 15-20 minutes(depending how well you like the fish cooked), remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes longer in the salt.

Presentation
-Present the fish to your guests on a platter, then cut off the salt using a serrated knife. Cut up the fish and serve.  Use the knife to remove the skin as well as it will be salty and the flakes are on it to remove it much easier

Posted in Recipes, Food, Blogroll | Print | 4 Comments »

23. March 2009 by Azat.

I am making dinner tonight for 2 friends who are coming over and thought I would share the main entree recipe…

Manti - non vegetarian
.5 lb ground beef
.5 lb ground lamb
2 table spoons of finely chopped parsley
1 small onion, minced
salt
pepper
won ton wrappers - I have been known to make the dough as well however won ton skins work almost as well.
2 cups water
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic
6 tbsp butter

To prepare the filling, combine the ground beef, ground lamb, onion, salt, pepper, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside. While in the pack cut them in half then cut about 3/4 of an inch from the other side. You would end up with two stacks of skins at about 1 1/4 inch by 1 1/2 inch. Place half a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each square. Pinch the two ends with your fingers to form a canoe-shaped pastry.(I brush it with water to make it stick together. Arrange the manti close together, meat-side up, in a well-buttered pan. Add table spoon of butter to the top of the manti every 2 rows. Bake at 350 degrees about 20-30 minute, or until the manti are golden brown. Keep warm. Boil the water as the manti is almost ready. Combine the yogurt and garlic in a mixing bowl. When The Manti is ready add the 2 cups of boiling water on top of the manti right in the pan and let it simmer for 2-3 more minutes in the oven to get the pasta to become aldente. To serve, place the manti into individual bowls, add garlic-yogurt mix. My dad also likes to add a tablespoon of tomato paste that has been fried in a pan with butter and a little bit of water to make it more runny.

Manti Vegetarian.
Same as above except replace the beef and lamb with the ground tofu(it tasted amazingly good) and add a bit of olive oil and 2 table spoons of tomato paste to the mixture. Everything else follows the same.

I made 2 pans today and the whole thing took me about 70-80 minutes

I have also seen the manti taken out of the pan and dumped into a yogurt soup like spas with no bulgure however cant say I have tried that.

Adding a link to a video on youtube by a wonderful Armenian cook

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVg3vzkYei8

Posted in Recipes, Blogroll | Print | 2 Comments »

23. March 2009 by Azat.

Its been a while since I wrote here.  Have had a crazy few weeks.  Rumors started about a month ago that we were going to have the 3rd set of layoffs at work and finally last Friday the layoff did happen.

As expected I was on the list of the layoffs but will continue to work there for 2 more months.  Its pretty amazing to me how fast we imploded within.  We went from 95 to 420 back down to about 100 again in a short period of time.  For the first 2 years coming home before 10PM I would feel embarrassed and ashamed as my team was all still at work.  We all worked so hard and gave up SO much of our lives away for this company but unfortunately so many dreams had to come to an end.

I feel like I have one more startup type of environment left in me and after that I would be only able to work at a big company.

The good days at Spot Runner were the BEST and I will forever miss them.  And the group of people I met and became friends with many are wonderful.

Such is life  Time to move on.

Posted in personal thoughts, Blogroll, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

8. March 2009 by Azat.

This is one of those wines for which I started my blog and the type of wine that I enjoy and love drinking and the type of wine that some day I will offer at my wine bar/shop.

2004 Allende.  It is a beautiful red that is fresh and firm, offers cherry, blackberry, and mineral notes over supportive but not obtrusive tannins. Sleek and polished, with an earthy edge that gives it lots and lots of depth.  Here is what the Wine Advocate said about it.

92 points Jay Miller (Wine Advocate): “The 2004 Allende, a 100% Tempranillo cuvée, was barrel fermented in a mix of new and used French oak, remained in barrel for 13 months, and was bottled unfiltered. The wine is inky purple-colored and has a superb nose of pain grille, mineral, violets, cranberry, and blueberry. The youthful palate reveals layers of fruit, ripe tannin, and excellent balance. The wine merits another 3-4 years of bottle age and should drink well through 2020. Kudos to Finca Allende for a magnificent set of 2004 Riojas!”

This wine is also ranked 90+ points by Wine Spectator, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar and also by Wine Enthusiast. And the best part is that you can still find this wine for well under 25 dollars at many internet shops.  3 very solid stars

Posted in $$$, ***, Wine, Blogroll | Print | 2 Comments »

8. March 2009 by Azat.

Today Im going to write 2 blog entries.  First one is a salad that I just made and second is a great bottle of wine…

Stetson Chopped salad  is a salad that I kind of stole the idea from a restaurant in Scottsdale Arizona called Cowboy Ciao.  I first tried the salad few years back when I was there with a bunch of friends.  We went to see the Packers play the Cardinals(This is many years back when the Pac was great and Cardinals sucked, yet they beat the Pac that game).  Anyways our first night we when to Cowboy Ciao and I had the salad.  I loved it so much that I went back the second night just for the salad.  And I have been back one other time when we were visiting family is the Phoenix area.  I have made the salad a few time.  Initially it was not as good nut nowadays it comes out perfect.

here is the recipe I used today.  serves 8, adjust the recipe based on how many you are cooking for

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked Israeli couscous
2 cups shopped smoked salmon
2 cups roasted corn kernels
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1 cup pepitas (salted roasted pumpkin seeds)
1 cup dried currant
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 cups chopped arugula

Pesto Dressing :
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 cup aioli
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Salt to taste
Step #1 Layer salad ingredients in large bowl.

Step #2 To make dressing, add first 3 ingredients of the Dressing to food processor/blender & mix thoroughly.
Step #3 With motor running pour in buttermilk and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste

Step #4 Dress salad as desired, tossing to mix in front of guests.

Posted in Recipes, Food, Blogroll | Print | 1 Comment »

7. March 2009 by Azat.

I enjoy making different meals with fish and one of my favorite fish to cook is fresh trout.  Many times trout is not very fresh in the stores but if you can find good fresh trout(for me Fish King or Whole Foods usually is the source to find them at) you can make a great meal.  I have three very simple trout recopies that I will share over time but tonight wanted to write about grilled trout.  I also make an oven baked trout and a very unique one baked inside coarse salt dome

Ingredients
2 trout with heads cut (8−10 oz.)
1/4 cup olive oil
8-10 sprigs of tarragon
1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt - to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper - to taste

Cooking Instructions
Clean the trout and cut the head off and wash it well.(your local fish monger will do this for you)  If it has a fishy smell put it in a bowl and squeeze 1 lemon juice on it and let it sit for 30 minutes…

Cut lemon in half.  Slice one half of the lemon into 1/8 inch thick slices.  You should get about 6-8 half circle slices.

Add salt and pepper to the fish.  Be generous as some of it will burn off on the grill.  Make sure to put it inside the belly as well.  Stuff the belly with 4-5 sprigs of the tarragon and 3-4 slices of the lemon.

Cook the trout on a charcoal grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side over fairly slow heat.  Not fire.  Brushing occasionally with lemon and olive oil mixture

Serve with your favorite vegetables on the side and a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or maybe a nice light Chardonnay.

Posted in Recipes, Food, Blogroll | Print | 2 Comments »

2. March 2009 by Azat.

AOC - http://www.aocwinebar.com/

Monday, February 23 was a special wine flight night at AOC

Flight: Santa Barbara and Santa Rita hills
Bites:
*etude goat’s milk cheese and picolo cow’s milk cheese from Petaluma, California
*little gem lettuces with avocado, tangelo, radish and green goddess
*shrimp with smoked tomato butter and cornbread

We ordered the blood orange salad with hamachi, wild mushrooms, pork belly, black rice with squid, curry cauliflower, albacore, fingerling potatoes and the famous bacon wrapped dates. We had a both special flights from the special menu.

The blood orange salad with the hamachi was my favorite, followed close with the curry cauliflower.  The wild mushroom dish was excellent.  I did not try the pork belly but my 2 friends loved it.  The black rice and squid was loved by all around the table - it was exquisitely rich (not overly so), garlicky, tangy and delicious. I recommended the bacon wrapped dates to my friends as I have heard about them alot.  The bates are filled with parm cheese and wrapped in bacon and they got 2 thumbs up from friends.  We had a wonderful experience at AOC.

This is a GREAT restaurant where you get to try different food because of the small bites.  Its a bit pricey but the food is very good.

Albacore

Shrimp

Beat Salad

Squash

Naked Chef Jaime Oliver was at a table across from us.

Posted in $$$, ****, Restaurant, Food, Blogroll | Print | 2 Comments »

2. March 2009 by Azat.

Just got an interesting email from Mollydooker.  As you know I love Mollydooker wine.  Especially Two Left Feet, The Boxer and Carnival of Love

They have a new wine coming out called Sip it Forward.  Here is the email
G’day Azat,Things have been flat out here at the winery with the incredible response to our ‘Please Help us find a Wine Name’ email. Sparky and I are very appreciative of your fantastic input and suggestions. In the final count we had 2000 names suggested, and as they were all great ideas, it was extremely difficult to choose just one.
After much “discussion” we are excited to announce the name that we have chosen to embody the charity wine… ‘SIP IT FORWARD’.
A huge CONGRATULATIONS goes to Ian Muncy from Miamisburg, Ohio for submitting a name which we think encapsulates the purpose of this wine; being able to bless others around us. When I first read the name, I couldn’t stop thinking that as we drink and share this wine, how we could also be helping others in the world… not just the kids in Cambodia, but perhaps someone nearby, a local charity or something that each of us is passionate about. I think that the idea of paying forward our blessings excites and empowers all of us.

Want to Order Sip it Forward?
Several people have mentioned that they would like to purchase the wine when it is released. All you have to do is reply to this email or contact us at righthand@mollydookerwines.com with the subject line “Sip it Forward Waiting List” to ensure you get the first chance to purchase this wine when its released later this year. (The wine will be $25 per bottle or $300 per case and will only be available on our website. All proceeds will benefit Transform Cambodia).

Want to Get Involved?
How’s this for exciting. One of the other wine names suggested was “Blend a Hand” and while it wasn’t selected as the name of the wine, we thought that it would be awesome to use this name for our 2009 events. We have decided that this Fall we will host a series of Blend a Hand - blending seminars where we would love for you to help us blend the 2008 Sip It Forward. We hope you can join us for this exciting, interactive and creative part of what we do to blend WOW wines. We will be posting updates to our online Travel Schedule (www.mollydookerwines.com  /Find Us/Event Schedule) in the coming months, so make sure to check back to find an event near your home town. You can also email us anytime and as a Mollydooker Mate, we’ll make sure you get an invitation.

So now we’ve chosen the name, the next fun task will be designing the label!! We can’t wait to share it with you!

With Love,
Sarah Marquis,
On behalf of Sparky, Luke, Holly and the whole Mollydooker Team

Contact our ‘Right Hands’ - AKA Customer Service:(888)MDSHIRAZ (888) 637.4472

Mollydooker Wines USA: 1325 Imola Avenue #324, Napa, CA 94559

Mollydooker Wines: 8/938 South Road Edwardstown South Australia 5039

Posted in $$, Wine, Blogroll | Print | No Comments »