LIWINEDAD

  This year, Christmas Eve dinner was just the two of us, so we opted to go out to Gusto Divino Trattoria in Seaford.  For the holidays, they had a $70 preset menu (Figure 1).  The service was excellent, and the meal was fine, with a few minor suggestions for improvement to reach five stars.  Unfortunately, they did not have Woodford reserve for the cocktails, settling for Bullet bourbon instead.  The starters were Fried Zucchini and Baked Clams.  The Zucchini (Figure 2) is coated with a light batter, fried to a golden brown, and accompanied with a Marinara sauce.  The Baked Clams (Figure 3) was very flavorful and tender, but only four small clams limited sharing.  The mains are far more exciting.  Jo had the Lobster Ravioli (Figure 4), a generous portion, large-sized ravioli well stuffed and plated with a delicious pink sauce.  The other main was the grille lamb chops over a bed of Broccoli rabe ($10 upcharge, Figure 5).  The four chops were good-sized, seasoned, and grilled to a per

  There is nothing better than a home-cooked steak paired with a glass of good red wine (Figure 1).  To start, the Steak was a USDA Prime NY strip from Stew Leonards .  The meat was trimmed perfectly, then dry rubbed with Montréal steak seasoning and sealed in a vacuum bag. Next, the Steak, cooked in a water bath set to 120 F for 60 minutes (Sous Vide by Joule ).  After the sous vide, the Steak was seared in a raging hot cast iron skillet for 90 seconds on each side, and then the sous vide bag juices were added along with a pat of Irish butter to coat the Steak all over.  The pan-searing resulted in a nicely charred, rare steak that was flavorful, tender, and moist throughout. The wine paired with the Steak is a Raphael 2019 Cabernet Franc (Figure 2). This wine presented soft ruby color and bright red at the fringes.  The nose is full of red fruit such as raspberries, licorice sticks, with just a hint of oak.  The mouth was medium with bright acid that balanced the fat of the prime St

We looked for a change of pace and discovered a new old friend.  We have been to Per'Un'Angelo many times before, but it closed a while back.  Today the team from Per'Un'Angelo and Villa D'Aqua are back at the Jones Beach Hotel ( 3275 Byron St Wantagh NY 11793) under the new name Toto's.  The new theme is an Italian steak house, and it truly hits the mark.  Last Saturday, we stopped in for a late lunch early dinner and had no problem getting a table for three.  The outside remains the same but with new signage (Figure 1).  Inside has been refreshed, becoming airy, bright, and cheery (Figure 2).  The staff was friendly attentive, and Tom (Owner) stopped by to say hello.  We started with glasses of house Pinot Noir and house Sauvignon Blanc (Figure 3).   Both were surprisingly good for house wines and an excellent value for the cost.   For the starters, we had a Caesar salad (Figure 4), Mussels in red sauce (Figure 5), and grilled Octopus (Figure 6).   The Ca

  The Roanoke Vineyards 2020 Site Specific Ro ś e is a light, crisp wine that paired well with some cheese and good conversations with friends in a small casual setting.  The color is a richer pink than the standard commercial Ro ś e (Figure 1, 2).  The acidity springs to life in the mouth without overpowering or turning one into a sourpuss.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and clear notes of the cab shine through.  On the palette, the Ro ś e had marked notes of Strawberry and a hint of berries on the nose.  Roanoke’s Ro ś e is an easy-drinking wine the pairs well with Oysters and other shellfish.  The notes from the winery on this wine are very descriptive and attached below (Figure 3).  Over a few days, the wine held up well and could quickly become one of our daily wines.  The Ro ś e is well worth several revisits. 1 - ROANOKE 2020 SITE SPECIFIC ROSE 2 - ROANOKE 2020 SITE SPECIFIC ROSE BACK LABEL ROANOKE 2020 SITE-SPECIFIC ROSE FROM ROANOKE WEBPAGE   Let’s beg

  Closing out the December wine clubs, Wölffer Estate arrived yesterday, six more bottles (Figure 1) of goodness for the year-end.  The six-pack has a broad selection of Wölffer’s fine portfolio.   First up is the 2020 Virgin Berry dry Resiling followed by the 2019 Syrah (a Syrah (93.5%), Merlot (6.5%)), Grapes of Roth 2018 Merlot, 2020 Antonov (100% Sauvignon Blanc), 2018 Noblesse Oblige (Sparkling: Pinot Noir (54%), Chardonnay (46%)), and 2020 Diosa Late Harvest (Chardonnay (64%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%), Vignoles(16%)) dessert wine (Figure 2).  Vignoles is an unknown grape to me, so I did a bit of digging learned a few fun facts.  First, the name was given to this grape by the Finger Lakes wine growers Association where it is quite common and used to make sweet wines.  It is a hardy grape in colder climates and is prone to Botrytis bunch rot (noble rot), making it ideal for producing ice and sweet dessert wines.  Until recently, it was believed to be a complex hybrid grape developed

  Trust the kids to find exciting birthday gifts for us to enjoy.  This year one of the gifts was a set of starter packs from Olive My Pickle .   The company made and ships naturally fermented Olives, Pickles, Kraut, and Brine.   These products are not the standard commercial pickles that consist of cucumbers from wherever; however, grown and then injected with acetic acid, salt, and chemicals to produce a pickle.   Instead, they use the ancient, time-tested process of naturally fermenting the Kraut and pickles to perfection, rich in probiotics.   In addition to the pickles and Kraut are several pouches of “live brine” – pickle juice (think pickleback shots from the old days).   The brine tastes good, is rich in probiotics, and makes an exquisite flavor additive in cooking. Unfortunately, the picture below (Figure 1) is missing one of the Krauts as I enjoyed the Carrot & Dill Kraut before the bag could make it to the table for the picture session. However, the company does offer a

  A few nights ago, a friend asked what we would do with all the wine we had recently acquired; drink it, is the short answer.  Life is too short not to enjoy good wine with family and friends, so stop in and share a bottle if in the neighborhood.  So, we currently have a friend with us, which makes for an excellent excuse to enjoy some more wine.  First up was a Sannino Vineyard  2017 Merlot (Figure 1).  The color is dark and rich, bright red at the fringes, and a somewhat opaque body—the wine presented with a delicate nose showing notes of blackberries and raspberries.  The taste fills the mouth with dark fruit and very tart cherries.  The acid is very present, adding to the crispness.  The Merlot has been resting in the cellar; the tannins were smoother than expected and, overall, a delightful wine.  One thing we paired it with cast iron pan-seared medallions of pork tenderloin.  A simple salad complimented the medallions, and the wine rounded out the meal perfectly, and we will be