As some of you know, I recently bought a new dining set. My friend Alex did the majority of the heavy lifting, saving me from an imminent melt-down. Once I got everything put together and uprighted, it was time to put it to use. So last week Alex came over and we cooked dinner. Here's the result:- Spinach Salad ala Il Fornaio (spinach, bacon, ricotta salata cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, walnuts)
- Mint and Asparagus Frittata
- Crusty Bread
- Chilean Chardonnay*
Everything turned out really well, I'm pleased to say.
*A little opinionation on wine: yes, yes, everyone pooh-poohs chardonnay, just as is beginning to happen with merlot. But I really don't think it is fair to demote entire varieties of wine just because they became excessively popular at one point that every Tom, Dick, and Harry winery grew and put out a chard or merlot regardless of whether they ought to or not (i.e. yucky wine), and that it had such a mass appeal as to become totally uncool.
Just as in everything else, you have to be selective. There are good and bad of every variety. In fact, several months ago, there was an article in Bon Appetit discussing chardonnay, encouraging drinkers to give it a try again. The chardonnay we had was really nice and light.
And, just for the record, I had quite possibly the best glass of wine of my life Saturday night. What was it? A merlot. But seriously, I cannot emphasize enough how good it was. So don't turn your nose up at these just because they have (or had) mass appeal. Go past the masses, and find a little corner for yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment