,AeuYou don,Aeot really write that much about wine,Ae? Richard noted the other night, while were wine tasting at Whole Foods. I stared at him. ,AeuYou,Aeore right. Not because I don,Aeot drink wine, but mainly because I can,Aeot remember the names of the wines that I drink.,Ae?
I,Aeove decided to get better about the wine part of my blog.
I joined Richard and Melissa for a wine 101 class at Whole Foods. It was the very opposite of wine tasting at a winery, with the insipid chatter and explanations from slightly tipsy pourers and tour guides. Quite the opposite, our instructor pointed out that he was not allowed to drink on the job and spit out every taste.
We began by discussing the five basic tastes, sweet, acidity, fruitiness, tannin and alcohol, tasting liquids that exemplified each taste. And then we moved into the wine tasting, trying to use our newly discovered taste buds to determine how the wine fit into the taste profile(s). We asked a lot of questions, talked about what we were tasting, looked at maps of where the grapes were grown, munched on cheese.
We tasted four whites and two reds. Richard and I agreed that we liked the reds much more than the whites, enjoying the complexity and presence that I have a hard time finding with whites. Melissa disagreed. Luckily, no chairs were thrown. It was a wine tasting, after all.
Of the whites, we had a Conte Brandolino Pinot Grigio; a Chateau St. Michelle Saint M Riesling (grown in Italy and sold under the Washington-based St. Michelle brand); a Joseph Dourhin Saint Veran (a white burgundy!); and Kendall-Jackson chardonnay. All were from 2005. I liked all, and would happily drink all (especially the white burgundy), with the exception of the last. I just do not like oaky, buttery California chardonnays. However, I did discover that I enjoy unoaked chardonnays, the white burgundy.
I liked both reds, a Barnard Griffith Syrah and a Charles Joguet Chinon, or cabernet franc. The first was jammy, but very drinkable and opened up nicely. I absolutely loved the second (and had a second glass before leaving); inky red, full of depth and rich flavors and complexity.
I put my newfound knowledge to work this weekend. I,Aeom a big sucker for labels, and was seduced by the 2005 ,AeuBitch,Ae? from Australia. Yes, that is the wine,Aeos actual name. It wasn,Aeot really that great, not matching up to the promise of the name and cute pink label, incredibly jammy and not in a good way.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
One Year = 365 Days
I,Aeom not really surprised that time passes so quickly ,Aei we all acknowledge that in a seeming blink of the eye, a day, a week, a month, a year goes by. In this case, March 26 marks my ,AeuI can,Aeot believe it,Aeos been a year,Ae? moment, the day that I moved to Seattle and began working for bill.
I,Aeove been toying with this blog entry for a while. Part of me thought about writing the self-reflective ,Aeuhow I,Aeove found myself and grown as a person,Ae? piece. But that would, well, not be right. Life in Seattle isn,Aeot dramatically different from that which I left behind in San Francisco. I still go out with friends, I still cook, I still go to the gym in the mornings before work, I still linger over brunch and mimosas on the weekends, I still do many things on my own. The people and location and job have changed (as I knew it would, and in the case of my job, needed a big change), but I,Aeom not sure how much I, and the basics of my life, have changed. Honestly, the one part of my life that I thought would be different by now, has remained steadfastly the same.
Don,Aeot get me wrong ,Aei Seattle has been fabulous and while I miss San Francisco and my friends in the Bay Area, I have no regrets about moving here. It still feels good to go to work, and while my job isn,Aeot perfect, it makes me much happier than the one I left behind. I have made fabulous friends, all of whom bring new experience and stories and make me laugh. Seattle has many wonderful qualities. Despite the fact that the weather has been horrible this winter, I really, really like living in this city and it does feel like home. Importantly, summer is around the corner. Which means more sunshine and warmth, something that I feel like I,Aeove almost forgotten. I,Aeom not joking when I say that it,Aeos been a hard, hard winter.
I can,Aeot write about everything that has happened to me in the past year ,Aei that would be impossible, and probably ruin the spirit of this blog, food and drink. And besides which, much of the year is in this blog. So, I thought that highlights of my unique to be in Seattle experience would be best. I know I,Aeom leaving things out, but really, that,Aeos why I have a blog. Anyways, here goes.
--The Rise and Fall of Coco La Ti Da. I absolutely adored Coco and talked it up to everyone. I patronized as much as I could afford, bought two cakes and generally loved everything about it, the food, the atmosphere, the desserts. Three months after opening, co-owner and chef Sue called it quits, possibly suffering some sort of breakdown. And now it sits empty, a giant ,Aeuretail space available,Ae? sign in the window, silently mocking me.
--Running. After years spent ellipticalling, the lure of Guinness finally made me step into running. I,Aeove surprised myself by how much I enjoy the activity. While I,Aeove never been a big slacker when it comes to the gym, I,Aeove found that running has given me a new excitement for exercise. I love Green Lake (thanks Jill, for organizing) and think the little races are fun, fun, fun. Plus, food and/or drink (as in Zoka coffee) is a reward at the end.
--Venus Caf/(c). While I do talk up Venus Caf/(c), it is generally only to select individuals. Purposely, I haven,Aeot written much, if anything, about Venus, mainly because I don,Aeot want to give anyone any ideas of going there. Seriously, stay away. Don,Aeot go. But if you do insist, their brunch is fabulous, trust me. And the mimosa comes in a pint glass, a bundle of fabulous goodness, that as Carrie says, ,Aeutakes the edge off,Ae?. Kudos to that.
--The Park Rose Terrace. I believe that after forcing me into three unexpected and hurried moves, the housing gods have blessed me, not once, but twice. First, I found an amazing apartment in San Francisco. And then, I found the Park Rose Terrace in Seattle. It,Aeos in the perfect neighborhood and an incredibly social building, probably the first and last time in my life that I,Aeoll know my neighbors as intimately. We hang out, we have real conversations, we eat together, we celebrate together, we generally have fun. This is especially true in the summer, with the patio and the bbqs. I met my realtor, John, through a neighbor; John refers to my building as Melrose Place, which I think sums it up nicely, only sans the back stabbing and pool of death.
--My Liver Hates Me Again. It,Aeos a fairly well known fact that my social life was sucked away in the five years that I lived in Silicon Valley. The one real exception was roommating with Dan, which consisted of an extremely well stocked liquor cabinet and too many lemon drops, cosmos and margaritas. Then I moved to San Francisco, where life morphed into a great and fun party. Despite my intense unhappiness with my job, I was extremely lucky to have the flexibility to work-at-home on limited sleep and/or a hangover days. When I moved to Seattle, I joked that ,Aeuthe partying is going to end for a long time, maybe forever, which will be good because my liver needs a break.,Ae? The partying ended for about two months, and once again, my poor liver is suffering just as much as ever. However, I should point out that the excellent fruit-based cocktails at Sun Liquor provide me with vitamins and minerals.
--Coffee & Donuts. Joe Bar is my favorite coffee shop. Great coffee and when the kitchen is open (although after almost a year, I still can,Aeot figure out the kitchen schedule), produces fabulous sandwiches and crepes. Top Pot has inspired me to love donuts. Cafe Vivace makes my favorite latte. Which reminds me ,Aei my coffee consumption has increased, a very Seattle thing, I,Aeom sure.
--Dodgeball. I think I was accepted as one of the guys when a teammate standing next to me mooned the other team during the highly charged semi-finals round. It really doesn,Aeot matter though, the game is fun, fun, fun. And when I say ,Aeuhighly charged,Ae?, I,Aeom referring to the other gender,Aeos general worked-upedness about winning or losing the game.
--An Appreciation for Software Development. While not related to food (notice that the work cafeteria has not been mentioned on this list), I have gained so much knowledge about the inner workings of the software development business, how and why decisions are made, which to the outsider, can be puzzling, at best. I can honestly say that I would have been a much better analyst with even a year of the experience that I now have (not to mention the immense learning about research and problem solving). The Office productivity suite is not perfect, but considering so many factors, it truly is an amazing product.
One year. 365 days. Wow.
I,Aeove been toying with this blog entry for a while. Part of me thought about writing the self-reflective ,Aeuhow I,Aeove found myself and grown as a person,Ae? piece. But that would, well, not be right. Life in Seattle isn,Aeot dramatically different from that which I left behind in San Francisco. I still go out with friends, I still cook, I still go to the gym in the mornings before work, I still linger over brunch and mimosas on the weekends, I still do many things on my own. The people and location and job have changed (as I knew it would, and in the case of my job, needed a big change), but I,Aeom not sure how much I, and the basics of my life, have changed. Honestly, the one part of my life that I thought would be different by now, has remained steadfastly the same.
Don,Aeot get me wrong ,Aei Seattle has been fabulous and while I miss San Francisco and my friends in the Bay Area, I have no regrets about moving here. It still feels good to go to work, and while my job isn,Aeot perfect, it makes me much happier than the one I left behind. I have made fabulous friends, all of whom bring new experience and stories and make me laugh. Seattle has many wonderful qualities. Despite the fact that the weather has been horrible this winter, I really, really like living in this city and it does feel like home. Importantly, summer is around the corner. Which means more sunshine and warmth, something that I feel like I,Aeove almost forgotten. I,Aeom not joking when I say that it,Aeos been a hard, hard winter.
I can,Aeot write about everything that has happened to me in the past year ,Aei that would be impossible, and probably ruin the spirit of this blog, food and drink. And besides which, much of the year is in this blog. So, I thought that highlights of my unique to be in Seattle experience would be best. I know I,Aeom leaving things out, but really, that,Aeos why I have a blog. Anyways, here goes.
--The Rise and Fall of Coco La Ti Da. I absolutely adored Coco and talked it up to everyone. I patronized as much as I could afford, bought two cakes and generally loved everything about it, the food, the atmosphere, the desserts. Three months after opening, co-owner and chef Sue called it quits, possibly suffering some sort of breakdown. And now it sits empty, a giant ,Aeuretail space available,Ae? sign in the window, silently mocking me.
--Running. After years spent ellipticalling, the lure of Guinness finally made me step into running. I,Aeove surprised myself by how much I enjoy the activity. While I,Aeove never been a big slacker when it comes to the gym, I,Aeove found that running has given me a new excitement for exercise. I love Green Lake (thanks Jill, for organizing) and think the little races are fun, fun, fun. Plus, food and/or drink (as in Zoka coffee) is a reward at the end.
--Venus Caf/(c). While I do talk up Venus Caf/(c), it is generally only to select individuals. Purposely, I haven,Aeot written much, if anything, about Venus, mainly because I don,Aeot want to give anyone any ideas of going there. Seriously, stay away. Don,Aeot go. But if you do insist, their brunch is fabulous, trust me. And the mimosa comes in a pint glass, a bundle of fabulous goodness, that as Carrie says, ,Aeutakes the edge off,Ae?. Kudos to that.
--The Park Rose Terrace. I believe that after forcing me into three unexpected and hurried moves, the housing gods have blessed me, not once, but twice. First, I found an amazing apartment in San Francisco. And then, I found the Park Rose Terrace in Seattle. It,Aeos in the perfect neighborhood and an incredibly social building, probably the first and last time in my life that I,Aeoll know my neighbors as intimately. We hang out, we have real conversations, we eat together, we celebrate together, we generally have fun. This is especially true in the summer, with the patio and the bbqs. I met my realtor, John, through a neighbor; John refers to my building as Melrose Place, which I think sums it up nicely, only sans the back stabbing and pool of death.
--My Liver Hates Me Again. It,Aeos a fairly well known fact that my social life was sucked away in the five years that I lived in Silicon Valley. The one real exception was roommating with Dan, which consisted of an extremely well stocked liquor cabinet and too many lemon drops, cosmos and margaritas. Then I moved to San Francisco, where life morphed into a great and fun party. Despite my intense unhappiness with my job, I was extremely lucky to have the flexibility to work-at-home on limited sleep and/or a hangover days. When I moved to Seattle, I joked that ,Aeuthe partying is going to end for a long time, maybe forever, which will be good because my liver needs a break.,Ae? The partying ended for about two months, and once again, my poor liver is suffering just as much as ever. However, I should point out that the excellent fruit-based cocktails at Sun Liquor provide me with vitamins and minerals.
--Coffee & Donuts. Joe Bar is my favorite coffee shop. Great coffee and when the kitchen is open (although after almost a year, I still can,Aeot figure out the kitchen schedule), produces fabulous sandwiches and crepes. Top Pot has inspired me to love donuts. Cafe Vivace makes my favorite latte. Which reminds me ,Aei my coffee consumption has increased, a very Seattle thing, I,Aeom sure.
--Dodgeball. I think I was accepted as one of the guys when a teammate standing next to me mooned the other team during the highly charged semi-finals round. It really doesn,Aeot matter though, the game is fun, fun, fun. And when I say ,Aeuhighly charged,Ae?, I,Aeom referring to the other gender,Aeos general worked-upedness about winning or losing the game.
--An Appreciation for Software Development. While not related to food (notice that the work cafeteria has not been mentioned on this list), I have gained so much knowledge about the inner workings of the software development business, how and why decisions are made, which to the outsider, can be puzzling, at best. I can honestly say that I would have been a much better analyst with even a year of the experience that I now have (not to mention the immense learning about research and problem solving). The Office productivity suite is not perfect, but considering so many factors, it truly is an amazing product.
One year. 365 days. Wow.
Pete's 30th and St. Paddy's Day Dash
Pete turned 30, and to properly celebrate his migration into the ,Aeu30s,Ae? (a good age, in my opinion), I offered to bake a birthday cake, which then turned into a birthday dinner. And since his birthday isn,Aeot that far from St. Patrick,Aeos Day, I decided that Irish was perfect. Pete pointed out that he,Aeos not Irish, but he really didn,Aeot have a choice, and even if he didn,Aeot want or like corned beef and cabbage, he did an excellent job of covering it up.
Last year, a few weeks before moving to Seattle, I made corned beef for Carrie, Emil, Rachel and Jeff and Melissa. The only problem was that the beef had already been corned, so I wasn,Aeot sure if the deliciousness that we consumed was me or Whole Foods. This year, I purchased a beef brisket (grass fed, of course), and a week before the dinner, lovingly massaged a salt and spice rub into the attractive looking piece of beef. It went into the fridge, weighted down with Le Creuset filled with pie weights and a few cans of Guinness, and flipped and admired each evening.
I simmered the meat for several hours, and in the end, it was great ,Aei flavorful, tender, juicy,AePin all, we ate well. Veggies in the form of cabbage (of course), parsnips, boiling onions, new potatoes and turnips, which of course, were boiled in the broth after the beef was cooked, and I made Irish soda bread. Plus appetizers, cheese, crackers, tomato tart and Michael brought ceviche. And to properly celebrate Pete,Aeos migration to 30, devil,Aeos food cake with vanilla frosting (you devil, you!), plus a raspberry chocolate decadence something or other from Dilettante supplied by Rich.
Pete, you don,Aeot look a day over 30. Seriously.
The next day, I ran the St. Paddy,Aeos Day Dash 5K, coming in at 39 minutes and 29 seconds, which is about 3 minutes faster than the Jingle Bell Dash in December. My best race yet,AePthis running thing is coming along quite nicely.
Last year, a few weeks before moving to Seattle, I made corned beef for Carrie, Emil, Rachel and Jeff and Melissa. The only problem was that the beef had already been corned, so I wasn,Aeot sure if the deliciousness that we consumed was me or Whole Foods. This year, I purchased a beef brisket (grass fed, of course), and a week before the dinner, lovingly massaged a salt and spice rub into the attractive looking piece of beef. It went into the fridge, weighted down with Le Creuset filled with pie weights and a few cans of Guinness, and flipped and admired each evening.
I simmered the meat for several hours, and in the end, it was great ,Aei flavorful, tender, juicy,AePin all, we ate well. Veggies in the form of cabbage (of course), parsnips, boiling onions, new potatoes and turnips, which of course, were boiled in the broth after the beef was cooked, and I made Irish soda bread. Plus appetizers, cheese, crackers, tomato tart and Michael brought ceviche. And to properly celebrate Pete,Aeos migration to 30, devil,Aeos food cake with vanilla frosting (you devil, you!), plus a raspberry chocolate decadence something or other from Dilettante supplied by Rich.
Pete, you don,Aeot look a day over 30. Seriously.
The next day, I ran the St. Paddy,Aeos Day Dash 5K, coming in at 39 minutes and 29 seconds, which is about 3 minutes faster than the Jingle Bell Dash in December. My best race yet,AePthis running thing is coming along quite nicely.
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