Some quick updates...

1. The air-lock is on the demijohn! The wine is bubbling and my notebook is flowing...

2. School lunch at one Queens middle school takes a turn in the right direction. Bravo!

Work has been extremely busy, but I'll post some photos of the wine soon.

Wine and Joe's Birthday Dinner

This weekend has proven to be fairly busy!

Yesterday we pressed our grapes and brought the juice home in our demijon. We actually had to syphen some of the garnet liquid into a 5 gallon bucket to make transportation easier. After we got it down to the basement and on the counter we were able to syphen the bucket back into the demijon. A complete project that I know will be well worth it in the end.

Last night I took Joe for his first hibachi experience. I haven't been to a hibachi table in years which made all these wonderful, fun memories re-enter. He had a great time and wants to go back today!

It amazed us how talented these chefs truly are! Their knife skills, speed, and control are beyond impressive. Watching this as a culinary person really allowed me to appreciate their craft as art and not just some fancy dinner show.

Bravo, hibachi!!

I paid my grapes a visit

I stopped by A & S Nursery to check on my baby this morning. They were a beautiful garnet color and smelled like fermenting grapes (not really sure how to describe this scent just yet).

As I pushed down the "cap" and mixed the skins with juice I could barely contain myself. I can't believe this is actually happening!

I'll go back Friday evening before yoga to give another personal stir. Then, Saturday AM is their glorious homecoming!!

Pictures and ton more stories to come.

Yesterday We Crushed Grapes!!

3 cases Montepulciano, 1 case Grenache & 1 case Alicante. They are currently fermenting at A & S Whitestone Nursery in Queens.

Don't worry, I'll be writing plenty more on this... stay tuned!

Mario's Vinotheque

When I first moved to Queens I knew the transition was going to be hard. A state, an island and several rivers would separate me from family and friends. The entire small-town style I knew was being replaced with a new apartment in a city I knew nothing about and nobody in (and I am not referring to Manhattan).

I've said in the past I found my comfort in the varied cuisines which grace each differing town in Queens county. But just three blocks away from my house, I found my home: Mario's Vinotheque.

It should come as no surprise when I say I love wine. I've always loved wine. It's the bouquet of all things love at the end of a long day. But, I never really knew anything beyond the cheap Yellow Tail I would get (magnum size) in college and on girls' nights. Joe and I would go down to Mario's on evenings we were working on the apartment and get several bottles of $5 table wine which we drank without thought and for the soul purpose of getting a buzz (and thus the inevitable hangover from overly sugary vino).

However, something happened along these mindless purchases, a relationship was formed. Not just your typical I-buy-wine-he sells-it-to-me relationship, either. No, no, no, this was deeper and much warmer than a mere exchange of money for bottle.

I forced myself under the wings of owners Mario and Dante, delegating them my wine mentors. They took to the position with little frustration and great patience recommending Rioja and Tempranillo from Argentina, Chile and Spain and having me note the differences; Chianti verse Super Tuscan; what Crianza and Reserva mean; Rhone blends from California against their native Rhone Region... the list goes on.

At their first mega wine tasting event I met their nephew Vladimir Garcia, who is the GM at Chelsea Wine Vault, and he's expanded my wine world to interesting blends from Portugal, Oregon, Southern Italy, and the high dry mountains of Spain where Numanthia is produced. Miguel Cano, wine maker and distributor, comes in every so often and offers his knowledge on South American varietals as well. Lucy, Mario's wife, brings the motherly figure I miss so dearly as we talk about traveling, food, wine, art, culture, dancing, etc and how it makes us feel.

They saved me the past few years. When Joe took his night job, a lonely me would go down to the wine shop to hang out. After an hour or so, I end up coming home with several bottles to share (or not) and a big ol' smile on my face.

While I'm not sure they will ever truly know the influence they've had on my heart and spirit, I know that I will forever be grateful and in love with Mario's Vinotheque.

I love this...

Peppers from the Good Food Garden (The Bronx)

A few more from the trip...

Pacific Coast (Oregon)
Wild Elk!!! Really!! (Oregon)
Mt. Rainier (Washington)
Red Wood National Forest Reserve (Oregon)

Where the Wild Things Are

I was exhausted last night. I think the trek down the Pacific finally caught up with me.

I crawled into bed around 9:30 and remembered that Joseph had left for me a copy of Where The Wild Things Are. Not having read the book since my youth, I turned off the radio and read the story about Max.

Of course the colorful pictures conjured memories from my childhood, but what really struck me was the end of the book.

The moment Max decides to leave the island of the Wild Things it is because of a scent - the smell of his dinner. I don't know how I never recalled this detail, but I couldn't get over it!

I froze on those pages and read the lines over and over again:

And Max, the king of all Wild Things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all. And then, all around, from far away and across the world, he smelled good things to eat. So he gave up being King of where the Wild Things are, but the Wild Things cried "Oh please don't go! We'll eat you up, we love you so!" and Max said, "No".

Max sails through a year, a week and then a night only to return to his room and find his dinner is sitting there. Still hot.

Now, my mind started rolling and I began playing a million thoughts at once. But, as I always say, this is a blog and I must be brief: we all want to be where we are loved best and food is the warmest way to express that security.

Don't we all feel, or at least long to feel, this way?

Proud to be a New Yorker

This morning I was at the New York Botanical Gardens for the closing weekend of The Edible Garden.

I parked behind the Observatory and walked the semi-convoluted path to our garden. As soon as I spotted the white posts and green vines climbing the trellises I didn't care that it was 8:15 on a Sunday morning.

Our Good Food Garden was booming with peppers, tomatoes, beans, herbs, eggplant, and marigolds of multiple varieties and colors. If that site wasn't beautiful enough, you should have seen the people walking through! We encouraged young and old to touch, smell, and taste as many plants as they could (with special caution to the peppers). Their delicate senses were careful not to disturb the exhibit or other observers. They asked questions and told stories. It was brilliant.

I walked around to several gardens with one little girl, Sydney, and her grandmother, Carmela, discussing different plants and composting strategies.

Sydney and Carmela have a love for nature that I immediately related with. Carmela (a fellow Sicilian - though she is really from there) told me how she posts photos of nature on several websites. It is a beautiful she said, we must preserve it. We exchanged email addresses and I vow to keep in touch with this family.

Sydney, who must not be any older that 9, had a most intriguing and inquisitive personality. Her patience, respect, and politeness was a pleasant reminder that we do not need to fear the future because there are wonderful souls like hers that will be running the world some day.

Amen!!

Video?

I've decided to start posting some food video, journalist style!

My question is, what do you want to see? All appropriate requests will be addressed.

I think it may start out with some photos and voice over. Eventually I would love to post edited pieces, but I want to get it right so I'll have to start small.

Thank you!

A few photos from the journey...

Now THIS is a wine tasting (Portland, OR)
A golden hog at the Public Market (Seattle, WA)

Veggies... mmmmmmm, chantrel mushrooms (Seattle, WA)

The Public Market, a foodie's mecca! (Seattle, WA)

Let Beauty Carry You

For some reason or another I've been waking up very sad. I get out of bed, stretch and by the time my shower is over and I'm just about ready to leave, I finally feel better. It's like I almost have to pick myself up and give myself a serious pep-talk about why today will be a good day.

Today, was no different.

Except before I get into the shower, I notice the sky. Bright pink, deep purple and light blue all dancing together in the distant east. Just the brief sight of them quickly lighten my mood as I say a quick prayer of thanks, forcing a not-so-hard-to-force smile over my face.

While this post doesn't have much to do with food or the media, it does have to do with finding sheer joy in simplicity. I'll write later today about the children of Treasure Island in San Francisco. How their hunger was calmed by picking and nibbling purple green beans. How they taught me, within minutes of meeting them, what friendship, laughter, and education really mean.

So today, I'm letting beauty carry me through.

A Comforting Meal

Tonight I returned from the week long journey down the Pacific Northwest coast line. While I'll have photos to post and stories to tell, for now I am sipping on chicken broth with lemon and corn.

Thank God for these three ingredients that gently and magically calm my soul.

Good night.... soon.

The Hawthorne Cafe

This is probably the most heart warming little restaurant I have ever been to.

The gentleman who owns the cozy, country kitchen is from Iran and has lived in Portland since 1971. He creates his food from love and you feel it soothe its way through your veins with every bite. All the ingredients are obviously fresh and everything is prepared from scratch.

When he talks to you, it is easy to believe that he may very well be the happiest man alive. He takes your order with a "it will be my pleasure and honor to serve you" and when he delivers the meal he says "I love you, I made this with love for you".

What an incredible experience!!

Greetings from Portland!!

Hello!! This is going to be short and sweet...

We are currently in Portland and have seen some pretty amazing things on the drive down from Seattle. The Pacific Northwest is truly magical and serene and has this intense way of putting you in your place.

I'll explain more when I don't have 3 minutes to write.

Cheers!!

A Picnic on The Highline

Yesterday for lunch I met my girlfriends Becca and Natalie. Both work next door to me and are the perfect example of silly, giddy girls.

I've known Becca for almost 3 years now (wow, have I really been living in Manhattan for 3 years?) and Nat sits at the desk across from her. They are both in HR for some hip, cool ad firm and they completely look the part (being all put together and... well, cool).

The first time we all hung out as a little group was happy hour back in the beginning of summer. We went down to Bar on Hudson and Jane in the pouring rain.

I'll never forget waiting an hour for a table at Benny's Burritos (one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the area). In that hour we laughed over anecdotes of our teen and college years while consuming several pints of awesome micro brews. It was just plain ol' "girly" fun.

So we all decided yesterday that it has been too long and that we should meet for lunch. The girls brought sandwiches and I picked up some cookies and sparkling water from the market. Again, we sat and laughed and joked and gossipped.

It was the perfect hour away from reality... like a little vacation in the middle of the day.