January At “The Buzz”

04 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bistro, Boise, Food, Friends, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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Buzz Bistro, food, restaurants, Wine Dinners

Yes, it’s that time again. The start of a New Year. And the events at The Buzz in Boise are off to a fantastic start. Here are the latest words from Cristi! Hope to see you at these events! Cheers!

Events at the Buzz
January 2013

We, at Buzz, hope that everyone had a safe and fun filled holiday season. We look forward to getting together with all of you in the new year. Some fun events planned to kick off 2013 in style. Music on January 4 is Tomorrow Never Knows, Wine Club Jan 8 and 9, and Blaze and Kelly January 11. Carter Freeman will be joining us January 18 and we will Celebrate our 6th Anniversary that night. Saturday nights will be game nights at the Buzz with a new game featured every week (always a big choice of games to play), bring some friends down enjoy wine tasting and learn a new game. Bountiful Baskets starts again on January 12 (orders to be placed on the 7th and 8th), and Grab Your Groceries is now open for business.

Don’t forget we have a large selection of catering ideas for any size gathering drop us a line or an email and lets talk about how we can help take the stress out of entertaining for you.

Hope to see everyone soon.
Sincerely,
Cristi and Tommy Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine

Wine Club
As many of you know, we do not just send you a shipment of two bottles of wine which you know nothing about. We all get together on the Second Tuesday or Wednesday of the month at 6:30, and learn about the wine and food. This is a dinner and wine tasting, with an educational component with all the wines being on sale after dinner. The cost is only $15.00 per person and Reservations Are Required. It is a plated meal so please let us know of dietary issues when placing reservations. This year we are going to focus on the wine regions of the world. Starting with Argentina. Reservations can be made at buzzwine@cableone.net or (208) 344-4321.

About Us
Thank you for your continued support of the years and we look forward to an exciting and event filled 2013.

Buzz Coffee and Wine
2999 N Lakeharbor Lane
Boise, Idaho 83703

11 Dec 2012 – Buzz Wine Dinner

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Holiday Gatherings, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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holidays

December 11th found us at another fabulous Wine Dinner at The Buzz here in Boise. I think I enjoyed this monthly dinner as much as any that I have been to here at The Buzz. It was fantastic!
The crowd enjoyed themselves throughout the evening and really enjoyed the information that Cristi presented about Christmas around the world and some of the different customs associated with Christmas. For instance, did you know that the iconic image of Santa flying in a sleigh was created by the author Washington Irving in 1819 where he described St Nicholas soared across the sky in a dream?
Here are some photos of the evening and the wines that we had. Again, all are scored on the [20] point system. Enjoy and Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see view a larger photo.

Weisswurst
2011 Willamette Pinot Gris
13.0% alc, went very well with the spiciness of the sausage [17] $17.00

Tortellini Soup 2011 Zonin Montepulciano 12.5% alc, great with the tortellini [17] $17.00

Tortellini Soup
2011 Zonin Montepulciano
12.5% alc, great with the tortellini [17] $12.00

Pear and Pomegranate Salad (Awesome salad!!)
2010 Koenig Viognier
14.2% alc, loved this combination [19] $18.00

Honey Butter Ham
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage
Carrot Casserole
2009 Bastie Cotes du Rhone
13.5% alc, great paring with the entrée. [18] $12.00

Bûche de Noël
Gingerbread
2011 Plunger Head Zinfandel
14.5% alc. this was really great with the chocolates. [18] $22.00

That awesome salad had a dressing on it that was a great blend of Pomegranate Juice, Honey, Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. I’m going to make that again!
The wines that we had as “Cristie’s Choice” were a 2011 Layer Cake Chardonnay that rates an [18] and for $14.00, it was well worth it. The other one that we had was a 2010 Layer Cake Primativo. This one rated a [17] and again, for $18.00 it was well worth it. So all together we had 7 wines and a full 5 course dinner. And all of this for $15.00 per person. Such a deal!!

Stu Smith, Smith-Madrone Winery, Visits Boise

07 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cottonwood Grille, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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food, napa vintners, restaurants

On November 6, Stu Smith from Smith-Madrone Winery and Vineyards, visited Boise and we were honored to go to dinner with him at the Cottonwood Grille. From the Smith-Madrone website, there is a link Here, we read that “Brothers Stuart and Charles Smith are the vineyard managers and winemakers of Smith-Madrone Winery. Their family lineage includes the Fetherolf family, German farmers from the Palatinate region, who came to America on the Good Ship Thistle in 1730 … He is an active member of the G.O.N.A.D.S. (the Gastronomical Order for Nonsensical and Dissipatory Society), founded in the early 1980s by a group of Napa vintners who meet for lively monthly lunches, chronicled in James Conaway’s books Napa: An American Eden and Napa: The Far Side of Eden … He enjoys barbecuing for guests at the winery; favorites are the (Smith-Madrone) Cabernet-marinated butterflied barbecued lamb and (Smith-Madrone) Cabernet Risotto (made on a camp stove as people gather around).” Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy! We did. Be sure to Left-Click the photos to see enlarged. The photo here is the hearth at the Cottonwood Grille. Cheers!

Stu Smith and Robin

Cristi Takeda from The Buzz in Boise, joined us for dinner and a lively discussion. Thank-You, Cristi for being there.

Also joining us for the special event, were Peggy and Eric Behrens. Peggy helps out at The Buzz at their Monthly Wine Dinners. Glad you and Eric could make it, Peggy.

Stu was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the 2006 Fraser Vineyards (ID) Cabernet Sauvignon. We pulled these three from our cellar to have a comparison tasting with the Smith-Madrone 2010 Cab. All of these wines were awesome.

Stu brought with him the 2011 Smith-Madrone Riesling and the 2012 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon. These were two excellent wines. Thank-You for sharing, Stu.

For appetizers, we each selected an appetizer we wanted and then shared it with the wines. Here is a cheese plate, CG Cheese Plate. An assortment of cheeses served with crostini, fruit, candied walnuts and crackers

And Crab Cakes, Fresh Pacific crab mixed with shallots and Pernod, cooked
crisp and served with lemon beurre blanc. We also had Croquetas, Traditional Basque fritters made with creamed béchamel and served with rumescu sauce

One of us had this Tomahawk Chop. Yum!

We also had North American Elk, Premium elk loin, sautéed, sliced and served with a green peppercorn sauce; Northwest Premium Buffalo, Fresh buffalo sirloin sautéed, sliced, and served with a rich Cabernet Sauce. It was over cooked. Lemon Roasted Chicken, All natural chicken roasted with rosemary and lemon pepper, served with a lemon scallion cream sauce. Different soups were also on out table. Overall, a good dinner, with few exceptions, and some terrific wines. Oh, almost forgot to mention. We opened the evening with a 2010 Pend d’Oreille Chardonnay from the Vickers Vineyard at Sunny Slope.

Rhone Night at Le Café de Paris

18 Friday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Ethnic Foods, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Traditional Food, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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Wow! Another fabulous dinner at Le Café de Paris last night. We were treated to Dinner In The Rhone. A wonderful meal and Café de Paris still holds their 5-Star (out of 5) rating. If you would like to see more detail on the restaurant, please look at . The service tonight was more relaxed than I have seen it in some time. There are also some new faces. And the food was again, wonderful! Here are some photos of our meal. Enjoy! We did.

These are the two wines that we chose. Out of these two, we picked one.

This is the one we picked. A Rhone blend that went very well with our meal. 14% alcohol made it somewhat “hot”, but it was fruity enough to blend well with the meal. Besides, it has a great label.

Caviar des Canutes
Saucisson Brioché
traditional lyonnaise style lentil salad, with brioche wrapped garlic saucisson sausage

Salade Verte
field greens, roquefort bleu cheese crumbles, house vinaigrette

Poulet Farcis aux Morilles
sauce mercière, spring onion gratin, seasonal vegetable
(Out of the two entrees, we liked this best.)

Quenelles de Brochet
chardonnay braised river pike, watercress sayboyon, sautéed butter beans
(Loved those butter beans)

Bugnes Lyonnaise
Poire au Beaujolais
lyonnaise style beignet, red wine poached pears

Greek Tilapia

24 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Ethnic Foods, Greek Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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You see? We eat other seafood than salmon. Here is a good recipe for tilapia done in a little different way. Our menu for tonight?

Greek Tilapia
(See recipe)
Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves
Greek Green Beans
2008 Vale Wine Co. Merlot

Greek Tilapia Recipe

While on a trip through the Greek islands, my husband and I had a dish that we loved. I tried to duplicate it by combining several different recipes and came up with this. —Sally Burrell, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Ingredients:
6 tilapia fillets (4 ounces each)
4 teaspoons butter
1 egg
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled tomato and basil feta cheese
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped ripe olives
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown fish in butter in batches. Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the egg, cheese, milk and cayenne; spoon over fish. Sprinkle with tomato, olives and pine nuts. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon juice and pepper; drizzle over fish.

Yield: 6 servings.

I reduced the recipe to feed just Robin and I and it turned out just fine. You can see the plated dinner in the photo above. Enjoy!

Heredad Ugarte Wines at the Buzz

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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Another fantastic Buzz Wine Club Dinner was held on December 20. Seven wines were offered from the Heredad Ugarte Winery in the NE area of Spain – close to the Basque country – two of which were Cristi’s Choice, and a great 4-course dinner. The photo on the left shows Tommy Takeda at the counter keeping everyone happy.
The wines were rated on a [20] point system, [20] being a superb wine.

Here Cristi enjoys a break from the hustle of the evening and giving her voice a rest after a great informational session. For instance, did you know that French oak barrels cost about $2700.00 per barrel and American Oak barrels cost about $2000.00 per barrel. The barrels last about 5 years and then most of them are used for Whiskey, Scotch (Whisky) or Chardonnay. Some are re-finished and used again. Enjoy the photos of the dinner. Cheers!

Tapas
Dates and Bacon
Flat Bread with Romesco and Shrimp
Cabrales Phyllo Rolls

2010 Heredad Ugarte Winery White
12% alc, pretty much washes out and a light body and balance. [12} $10.00

Chickpea Stew Spinach and Chorizo
(These were Idaho chickpeas)

2007 Heredad Domino Reserva
13.5% alc, bright bouquet and good finish. [14] $19.00

2006 Heredad Domino Reserva
13.5% alc, Better balance than the 2007 and the appeal was better. [17] $12.00
(These were both the same wines, just different vintages)

It is really nice and somewhat exceptional that Tommy and Cristie will offer a Vegetarian Dinner to those who prefer a vegetarian selection. Here, Lisa Clark, she and her husband Gregg sat with us, is served a vegetarian dish.

The rest of us received:
Catalan Picada and Chicken
Green Beans
Tortilla Epanola

2008 Heredad Crianza
13.5% alc, great color and clarity. good balance and appeal. [18] $15.00

Tocinillo de Cielo and Magdalenas

2009 Mercedes Tempranillo Shiraz
14.0% alc, a really superb wine that was rich in fruit, full bodied and lasted well. [19] $12.00
This wine was the winner for the evening and it was not the most expensive!

Pairing Wine with Red Meat

30 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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Among my several blogs I read, here is an article from Snooth – Find Better Wines about the right wine(s) to serve with red meat. This can, at times, be very controversial. Here is but one discussion on the subject,

“The holidays are a time for sharing and celebrations, so it’s just natural that we want to create something special for the table. Large roasts and premium cuts of meat are often the centerpiece of holiday meals, and rightly so. They’re relatively easy to prepare and serve to hordes of hungry friends and family.

Just as we think carefully about the cut of meat and method of preparation that would best suit our event, we also need to consider what wine might work best. Ultimately, there is no one singular wine that is definitively the best with any one recipe, but there are certain styles of wine and attributes of grape varieties that make for more pairings that work.

Check out these great, festive recipes and see if you agree with the wines I’ve chosen for each. Hopefully, I can inspire you to make this holiday meal one of your best ever!”

To read the full article, Click Here. Enjoy and have a great Holiday Season full of great wines and great food and superb friends! Cheers!

Wine Club Special at the Buzz

26 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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I received this information from Tommy and Cristi at the Buzz. Such a deal!! (That’s their scan code to the left. Use your smart phone and go directly to their web site.)

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY SALE

Small Business Saturday Offering. Get your wine club coupons for next year. For only $75.00 for 6 wine club dinners, That’s buy 5 and get one dinner free. The coupons are to be used throughout the whole year so give them as a gift or buy some for yourself. They are transferable but nonrefundable. The coupons are dated and each one is good for two months. Come by and have lunch at your favorite local small restaurant and pick up your Wine club dinner coupons.

Also, with the purchase of any bottle of wine on Saturday you can purchase a silk gift bag for only $2.00 that is 75%off our retail price.

We hope that everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving and hope to see you on small business Saturday.

Sincerely,
Cristi and Tom Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine

Shellfish at Le Café de Paris

20 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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I just received this from Le Café de Paris in Boise. We will be there at 6:30pm if you care to join us. It will be a great meal! Cheers!

Bonjour Mes Amis,

Our annual Fresh Shellfish Dinner before the holidays will be Wednesday, November 22nd, and is a great event to bring out of town friends and family to before the Thanksgiving festivities. Come out and enjoy some great shellfish dishes with some fabulous wines paired by our resident sommelier Christian Lamotte. The dinner itself is $39/person and includes a five-course tasting menu of some classic and innovative dishes that celebrate the best of les fruits de mer. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling (208) 336-0889 or by emailing Le Cafe de Paris.

A Bientot,
Mathieu

Le Soupe du Jour
Lobster Bisque
brandy creme, butter poached lobster

Fruits de Mer
Bouillabaisse
herb scented tomato broth, varietal fruits des mer

Pesce Spada
sicilian style swordfish steaks, caramelized onions, red chiles, and kalamata olives

Pernod Steamed Mussels

Dessert
Croissant Bread Pudding

Aero Vin at the Buzz!

09 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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Another very good Wine Dinner at the Buzz. The featured family winery was Aero Vin with vineyards in Spain, Chile and California. A good pairing of wines with dinner. Again, scored based on [20] being a perfect score.

If you look at The Buzz – Meals-To-Go article, you will see some of the new services that the Buzz is offering and the schedule of upcoming Wine Dinners. And on Friday, November 11, the Buzz is offering their exclusive Wine Club Recipe Book for $15.00 a copy. We looked at the “mockup” copy last night and it is fascinating. Cristi even used some of our photos! Order yours by visiting the Buzz or by calling them (208) 344-4321 or via email at Buzz Wine. Enjoy these photos of tonight’s dinner. Cheers!