04 Monday May 2009
Posted in Celebrations, Main Dish, Party Time, Wine and Food
Geno has a list and he’s checkin’ it twice! What’s that? Wine in the kitchen? Beer in the kitchen? This is going to be good! What’s he up to?
What is all of this? It looks like maybe onions, scallops, fish and did I say an empty bottle of wine? Where did the rest of the bottle go, Geno?
Not at all what I expected. What is he making? He is so intense.
Maybe the “Bosses” know what is happening. I see two empty bottles of wine and some homemade bread and some sly smiles. Any guesses? Cheers!
22 Wednesday Apr 2009
Posted in Food, Recipe By: Bob Young, Wine and Food
So you say it has been 80 degrees for the past 3 days? And your BBQ looks lonesome? And the smoker is empty? Then, I say, “Time to fire ’em up!”. But you don’t have, or need another, good marinade. Well, here is one I have used with Rib-Eye. A hard copy is here: Mixed-Up Wine Marinade. But, to give you an idea, here is the recipe:
2 2/3 c Red Wine
2 2/3 c Red Wine Vinegar
2/3 c Olive Oil
1 1/2 T Rosemary, dried
6 med Garlic cloves
1. Chop the garlic fine.
2. Combine all ingredients in a sealed container. Use a submersible mixer to
combine all ingredients. Place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or more.
3. Place the Boston Butt or Brisket into a large non-reactive container.
(You should use a jacquard on the meat) Cover the meat with the marinade and
refrigerate for 8 to 16 hours, turning as necessary.
4. Remove the roast(s) from the refrigerator and allow to come up to room
temperature.
5. In the mean time, prepare the smoker to 225° F using Alder or Mesquite.
6. Remove the meat from the container, reserving the marinade for basting,
and place in smoker. Slow cook until the center of the roast(s) reaches
160°F. Baste as necessary to maintain moisture. Remove from the smoker and
let rest for 30 minutes before slicing or pulling the meat.
Cooking Tip: Just a note – You want to slooooow cook these roasts. If 225°F
seems to be cooking too fast, reduce the temperature. It should take about 8
hours to cook.
This is not a hard recipe, but it is a good one! I asked Robin today is she wanted a Brisket or Pulled Pork sometime in the near future and if she wanted to go and pick something out at our local distributor: YES!
22 Wednesday Apr 2009
Posted in Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wine Tasting
The quarterly wine dinner date has been set for Father’s day. We are accepting reservations and have gift certificates available. The seatings are at 5 and 7:30 on June 21. The theme will be BBQ and some great vino to accompany.
Location Title
2999 N Lakeharbor Lane
Boise, Idaho 83703
The Buzz at the Buzz this Spring
Wine Club Dinner :
May 12 is the regional wine dinner. New Zealand will be our focus this month. Dinner is at 6:30 and the cost is $10.00 per person. As is our custom the featured wines will be 10% off for the night. Reservations are required 344-4321 or buzzwine@cableone.net .
April 24 and 25
Cartlidge and Browne will be our wines for the tasting this weekend. Easy drinking wines from California. Come by and enjoy some wine while listening to Audra Conneley. Music starts at 7 each night. No reservations needed.
This Friday and Saturday April 24 and 25 we will have a White Sale. All our whites by the glass will be offered for $3.00 a glass. List will vary so check by and have a glass of wine. Also we will be having a 10% off rack with miscellaneous retail items available. Don’t forget Mother’s day is just around the corner.
Offer valid April 24 and 25 only
Buzz Coffee and Wine 2999 N Lakeharbor Lane Boise ID 83703
15 Wednesday Apr 2009
Posted in Food, Photos, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners
On 14 April, Robin and I went to The Buzz for their monthly wine tasting – Wines From Spain and Portugal for April. These are really fantastic tastings for an incredible price: $10.00 per person. Besides the wines – 7 of them tonight – Debbi Haydon creates some fantastic Appetizers and Tapas.
The ambiance of The Buzz is loose and informal – a real “coffee house” feel. Pictured here is the main counter. Just to the left and out of sight, is the tasting area, large enough for about 30 people. To the right is another smaller area that is also used for eating, drinking wine and relaxing.
And Robin always has a good time at these affairs. As a palate cleanser, we started with a 2006 Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut ($15.00) A good sparkling wine that cheered everyone up. Salute!
For starters, we had this delicious Portuguese Stone Soup. I have no idea where the name came from, but I didn’t find any stones. (I bet they cooked the soup with hot stones.) This soup is full of onion, sweet red peppers, leek, green beans, Chorizo, potatoes, carrot and red beans. This is a light soup that went very well with a 2007 Caves da Cerca Vino Verde ($10.00 and 9.5%) and a 2007 Coto de Hayas Campo de Borja Crianza ($12.00). These two wines were pretty good alone, but as most wines go, they were far better with the food. Both were clean and light on the nose and refreshing on the palate.
The “Star of the Tasting”, so far as the food went, was this plate. Shrimp Cocktail in Avocado Cream (awesome!!!), Potatoes, Beef, Pork, Bread with Black Olives and a pastry filled with mushrooms and vegetables. The wines were a 2006 Mad Dogs and Englishmen ($13.00, 13.5%) and a 2003 Emina, ($15.00, 13.5%). These two wines were the Show Stoppers for the evening. The paring with the Tapas platter was awesome.
(Sorry for the poor photo)
And finally, chocolate and fresh fruit! With these finishers, we just had to have a Quinta do Noval Tawny Port ($18.00, 19.5%) and a La Gitana Sherry ($12.00, 15.0%). (Now I know why my Dad loved Turtle Soup!) Both of these wines were Non Vintaged.
This was an awesome night, and we hope to attend more of these. If you go to their website, you can ask to be put on their mailing list to keep updated on the tastings. But, the events do fill quickly. Cheers and Happy Tastings!
13 Monday Apr 2009
Posted in Classes, Food, Restaurants, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners
Last month, Robin and I just “happened” upon another good tasting – The Buzz Coffee and Cafe. It is located in the North corner of the Idaho Athletic Club on State Street at Lake Harbor. If you go to their web site, The Buzz Beans, you can follow their tasting schedule, read specific program posts, add your name to their E-Mail Newsletter or look at their blog – which needs help. Tasting listings are as follows:
April 14th: Buzz’s regional wine tasting dinner focuses on Spain and Portugal this month. Join us for an informal presentation on the culture, food and people of Spain and Portugal. Cristi and Deb will once again amaze your taste buds with wonderful treats native to both regions. And of course there will be FANTASTIC wines from these regions.
Reservations are required for our regional wine dinners and seating is limited so call or email now to reserve your spot at this event.
The Buzz Coffee and Cafe is a nice place to go for light snacks, coffee, wine, heavy snacks and meeting other people. Their tastings are extremely limited, so I would suggest that you sign-up early. Theri tasting/parings are very good – they know how to pare a wine with food, or pare food with wine. At any rate, try the business out. I think you will like it. Cheers!
Boise Foodie Guild 