The Autumnal Equinox

At 1 AM this evening, Kapes and I sat down to lament the horrid shape of our liquor cabinet. Like many in disrepair, the only bottles we had left contained the kind of things that sit on the shelf for years at a time. Orange liqueur, vermouth, amaretto, cognac, a tiny splash of shitty vodka and a variety of bitters. Tragic.

Many a joke were passed back and forth as to just how sorry our current lot was, and what a miserable cocktail machine it had become.

I happened to bring home a great bottle of port that Kapes and I were enjoying, when it dawned on me that port probably makes a decent cocktail ingredient. I immediately googled "port cocktails" and the very first recipe that popped up called for port, orange liqueur, and amaretto. Christ. Even more called for port, vermouth and lemon, in some combination. It seems that our desolate bar is prime for port cocktails.

So we whipped together some "Autumnal Equinoxes". This drink looks, smells, and tastes like purple juice box kindergarten fun times. Not exactly what I go looking for, but fun, nonetheless. And it finally gave me a way to use up the stupid liquor that sits undrunken for years at a time.

Autumnal Equinox

2 oz port

1 oz orange liqueur

1/2 oz amaretto

pour over ice in a rocks glass, stir, drink.

Prestige Portfolio Tasting

Woo-hoo! Industry wine events! In absolutely no other circle is it appropriate to drink massive amounts of wine before happy hour, much less before lunch. I tasted almost 100 wines and managed to stain both my teeth and hands in a most unprofessional fashion. Oh well.

Paggi House was the setting today, and it made for a fabulous venue. Proprietors Tom and Tori Tinnon are former managers of Cork and Co, and it's great to see just what they've done with this ancient building. Tres chic. The back area is an outdoor bar built around a well. How cool is that? They quite thoughtfully provided us with some lovely cheeses and small bites to keep us fed as the wine took its effect. Tasty!

Anyhow, Prestige Wines distributes a huge number of different vinters' products, and todays offerings were most definitely top-notch. My Cork and Co. compatriots and I tasted verticals of Chateau Montelena, L'Ecole, and a host of other excellent labels.

As you may know, I am head over heels in love with the wines being produced in Washington state, particularly those made in Walla Walla and Columbia Valley. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to find one of my absolute favorites in attendance, Wines of Substance.

They have a pretty nifty label that approximates the periodic table of elements, but rather than H for Hydrogen we have Ch for Chardonnay and M for Merlot. Neat. Don't let the kitchy label trick you, the juice is stellar.

Their merlot is a huge standout, with great mouthfeel and intese aromatics. If you see any of these anywhere, I must recommend that you pick them up, particularly because they all clock in under $20.

The highlight, though, had to be Seghesio. I love all of the Seghesio wines. They're a family owned vineyard that I've blogged about recently. In particular, I swooned for their 2007 Sonoma Zin, which has since disappeared from shelves due to high demand. Ms. Cathy Seghesio was happy to inform me that while 2007 Sonoma is all gone, their 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel is still around, and boy is it fantastic. Like the Sonoma, but deeper, richer, and overall simply more excellent. Pick it up at Spec's for about $30. Here's a nifty pic of me and Cathy, toasting to our good fortune. They also have an excellent Sangiovese, a new vintage of the Sonoma bottling, and a Petite Syrah that's a little too peppery for my taste. Overall, though, fantastic. And Cathy is a sweetheart.

Then, I realized that it was 3:30, and I had to get to work immediately. Sigh. At least there's wine there, too.

I entered the drawing for a Nebuchadnezzar (quadruple size bottle) of the Seghesio 2008, but have to yet to receive the phone call informing me that I have won. Cathy, if you're reading this, please get in touch ASAP, and I'll save you a glass.

Kismet Cafe (411 W 24th St-Right off the drag)

I've been eating at Kismet for six years now. First of all, it is close to campus and affordable. Working late nights in the lab, I appreciated the fact that I could get a fantastic plate of gyro meat and grilled chicken over rice and have leftovers for a midnight snack.

Kismet Cafe was also the first place that I ate gyro, and I must say I'm glad to be typing that word since I bastardize it every time I attempt to say it. Kismit gyro is very, very good; it seems to be tenderized and perhaps reconstituted. I'm not sure, but it is amazingly tender and delicious. The sauce that it comes with compliments it perfectly.

Inspired by my newfound love of gyro, I went to a couple other Mediterranean restaurants. My search has not at all been exhaustive (yet), but Kismet remains in the lead for me. I can't review this place properly, as I instantly became obsessed with the gyro meat. I've had the hummus (excellent) on the side of the P3 plate, which is my Kismet fail-safe dish.

If you go to Kismet, don't settle for the downstairs seating. There's a lovely little balcony that you might miss if you don't venture to the back of the restaurant and head up the little staircase. The delightful balcony is pictured below.

Chorizo-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (at Z-Tejas)

Just before going veggie, I finally had the opportunity to try this new(er) addition to Z-Tejas's menu, and let me tell you it was out of this world. MikeDub and I split my all time favorite crab-topped chipotle beef tenderloin and the pork tenderloin.  The tenderloin duet hit it home for me.

The chorizo is not typical. At all. There was none of the greasy red runniness that is standard chorizo. It was darker and firm, with an excellent flavor. The pork was exceedingly tender and the sauces that it was served with complimented it terrificly. Served alongside mashed potatoes and a delightful vegetable medley, this dish is definitely worth a try!

The month of vegetables

On October 2nd I ate red meat again for the first time. I did eat fish about twice during the month of September, but boy did that bleu cheese bacon cheeseburger feel weird! The place was Doc's (SoCo), the burger was very good, but the lethargy that followed was quite annoying. Eating veggies, you never really feel full, but the food coma is far more bearable.

The month of September was excellent, I really enjoyed it. I learned more about cooking tofu and vegetable protein, I came up with many new recipes (which I promise to get around to posting), and I realized how difficult it is to be a healthy vegetarian. A healthy vegetarian has to cook a lot at home to maintain a well-balanced diet. Near the end of the month I started taking some vitamin supplements as it is more difficult to get certain B vitamins and calcium from a vegetarian diet. I did learn clever ways to boost my vitamin intake (cream of wheat mixed with multigrain cheerios is like a vitamin supplement in itself!)

I do not have my gallbladder; when I was 23 I got stones and had to have it removed. The healthy veggie diet completely alleviated the discomfort I often feel from certain foods. That was very eye opening for me.

So, I'm eating meat again. It's mostly because in order to have a successful food blog I must eat all foods. I am, however, limiting my meat intake. The benefits of eating more vegetables and soy protein are too good to give up, so I intend to eat meat only a few times a week.

I've been busy lately, but I have many new recipes to share and restaurant reviews I've saved up. I'm challenging myself and MikeDub to a ten posts in ten days challenge to catch up on all of the great things I've been saving up...