Follow Up: The Wine Cellar - Fayetteville's New Wine Bar

I was lucky enough to make it to the grand opening of The Wine Cellar here in Fayetteville and I couldn't be happier. I suppose it helped that opening day was the same day I found out I passed the bar exam so my mood was already elevated.

I was mostly correct on my earlier description of the place. I can add that the exact brand of wine dispenser is the Enomatic, a custom-made Italian model. When you first walk in the door, the first thing you see is the Enomatic dominating the left wall just in front of you. 16 reds and 8 whites can be featured at any one time. The machine itself sets the mood with its sleek metal and wood construction. According to the staff, the supplier sent the wrong model for dispensing the red wines because customers are unable to select the glass size.

The whites are encased in a refrigerated compartment behind clear glass so the view of the bottles is unobstructed. With the whites, customers are able to select the 1 oz tasting size, 2.5 oz half glass or 5 oz full glass. Since I'm not a huge fan of the whites, I was pretty disappointed not to be able to get smaller glasses of the reds. The Italian manufacturer should arrive in the States before long to correct the problem.

The Wine Cellar does offer some appetizers. Cheese plates, served with all the fixin's, a wonderful red pepper hummus - which will be available only occasionally - and my personal favorite, the smoked salmon plate. Some others I've not had a chance to try, but the Bruschetta ordered by a neighboring table looked great!

Finally, the staff has to be mentioned. They are knowledgeable, friendly and there to make sure your visit is absolutely perfect. Barb, the Cellar's wine afficionado, has been self-educating in wine for ten years. Aleks, a certified sommelier, is a wonderful host and educator as well. A visit to their website shows a 12-month calendar of wine appreciation. Each month will focus on certain varietals or certain regions, and will be sure to expand the knowledge of customers.

I hear from Aleks that he will soon be leading some wine education/tasting classes. You can count on me to be there and I hope many more will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. I encourage you to join their email list at the website (link at the top of this post) and they'll keep you up to date!

Limoncello Adventures

So a couple of friends and I decided to make limoncello for Christmas gifts this year. The only problem with a gift like this is that you definitely can't wait until the last minute. We chose this past Saturday to start and we'll have nearly four months for the entire process, which is plenty of time. I made limoncello once before, maybe three years ago, and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. There are only three steps in the process - the rest of the time is waiting, waiting, waiting. I'm only going to post the first step tonight, but if I feel inspired before two months elapses, I'll go ahead and post the full recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon jar with a tight-fitting lid (preferably a screw-on lid)
• 20 ripe, bright yellow lemons
• 2 bottles (750 mL) decent vodka (you don't need to splurge and get Grey Goose, but don't be a cheap ass and get Popov or some equally hideous excuse for vodka)
• Vegetable peeler or paring knife.
  

The booze is where many recipes differ. The first time I did this, I used one bottle of vodka and one bottle of Everclear. Some recipes call for all Everclear. This time, I went with all vodka.

Step One:

Be sure to wash and dry your gallon jar. Even though the alcohol will probably kill anything in there, you want it to be clean. Pour the two bottles of vodka in the jar.

Then, painstakingly peel the skin from the lemons using a peeler or paring knife. Be sure you don't get much or any of the white pith. Too much in your liqueur and your final product can turn bitter (the picture below shows how the strips should look from the bottom). We learned as we went along last weekend that new peelers and most knives tend to cut too deep and you ended up spending more time scraping off the pith from the rind. If you have a dull peeler lying around, it'll probably work perfectly. I try to make long strips of the lemon peel because it will make it easier to fish out when straining the final product in Step Three.


This mixture will need to sit in a dark, cool place for two months. Mine is in a kitchen cabinet. DON'T put it in the refrigerator. As long as the lemon peels are fully submerged, the alcohol will keep them from going rancid. If you think about it, give the jar a shake every week or so, just to make sure all of the lemon peels are exposed. Now you're good to go.

Rachael Ray Dog Food

So it appears that Rachael Ray has come out with a new line of frozen dinners inspired by dishes she has featured on 30 Minute Meals. Nah, just kidding.

Apparently ol' Rach is coming out with a real line of dog food called "Nutrish." And yes, the name of the dog food is every bit as annoying as her Rachael-isms (and the ol' gal herself). But, it is for a good cause-the proceeds from the sale of Nutrish go to her rescue organization, Rachael's Rescue. I can't say I understand her love of Pit Bulls, but to each her own. I have to say, though, that the bags (above) with her cooking, really do look a bit like frozen bag meals.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I hit the quarter-century mark today. I don't feel old, but my niece told me this week that she thinks I'm ancient. That makes me feel great! I'm celebrating tonight with some friends by going to my favorite Fayetteville restaurant, Bordino's, for some great food and a good bottle of wine. All this will be followed by a little fun at Willy D's Piano Bar. I can't get too rowdy, though - I have the Arkansas bar exam coming up next week and I can't let a hangover get in the way of my last minute cramming!

NFNS Week 8 (a/k/a the Worst Episode Ever)

Shoot me in the face. We're down to three contestants remaining in Week 8 and it's time for them to put up or shut up. Going in, my ranking was Lisa, Adam, then Aaron. Coming out, it's still the same since the judges didn't have the balls to kick anyone (Aaron!) off.

The first challenge faced by the contestants is to film a 30-second commercial spot, in motion and interacting with other people or objects. Lisa had the coolest role and was filmed playing the part of a wine angel ascending the Aureole's 4-story wine tower. Adam was the one who stole the show in this challenge though, performing on a show stage with a couple of showgirls.

On to the main challenge, the three of them have to cook for and present to a bunch of Vegas types - showgirls, cast members, a few drag queens and some chefs from the Wynn Hotel. Long story short, Lisa's presentation was amazing and the food was pretty average, which wasn't great for her. Adam's presentation was so-so, though Susie called it "boring" but his food ("Adam's Las Vegas Smoketacular") was the best overall - his smoked pork chops were chosen as the best dish. Finally Aaron. Poor, pathetic Aaron. I don't even know what to say about his presentation - fake crying, eating disorder, forks in his pocket...lame, lame and more lame. Plus, his food apparently sucked - the best thing he made was crab cakes and it's really not that difficult to make good crab cakes.

So, we get to the final judging phase (you know, where Aaron should have been kicked off?) and the judges can't screw up the courage to put him out of his misery. It's getting painful to watch him - he's a fine enough cook, but a thick tongue does not a good TV star make. If, by a horrible stroke of luck, he wins the competition, I really hope they get that man into speech therapy. In the end, the judges were the ones who lost this week's battle.

NFNS Week 7

Here we are in Week 7 and we have Lisa, Kelsey, Aaron and Adam left. This week, they are flown out to Las Vegas to stay in the fabulous Caesars Palace and, yes, I did see Kelsey and Lisa jumping on the bed in their sweet suite.

Paula Deen is the guest judge for this episode and the contestants start the week with a sit-down dinner with Paula and Bobby Flay to talk about their strengths and weaknesses and what the judges really need to see out of them in the Week 7 challenge. The challenge itself is quite interesting - the contestants are pitted against each other Bobby Flay "Throwdown" style on their signature dishes: Lisa and her cassoulet, Adam's lobster mac 'n cheese, Kelsey's chicken parmesan and Aaron's pork loin with apple.

First is Lisa vs. Adam. Adam hit a home run with his lobster mac'n cheese, even with Ms. Paula who said she'd never liked the dish before. I can't say, though, that gourmet mac 'n cheese is something made for the Food Network. Lisa's attempt was a flop. How can you screw up something as simple as mac 'n cheese? Paula even said she "hated it." Winner of battle mac 'n cheese: Adam.

Likewise, Lisa hit a home run with her duck confit cassoulet - it may have even been a grand slam. Tusch called it a "truly masterful dish." Paula said it was "truly wonderful" and Bobby said it was probably the best cassoulet he'd ever had. Adam only managed a "beginner" stamp for his attempt at the dish. Winner of battle cassoulet: Lisa.

Next up is Kelsey's chicken parmesan vs. Aaron's pork loin with apple glaze. Kelsey had a tough go with the judges. They had a problem with the deconstruction of the dish because the chicken and sauce didn't come together. Paula hit Kelsey on the petite-ness of the dish and gave Aaron good marks for the heartiness of his dish and his adherence to the status of chicken parmesan as a familiar comfort food.

On to Aaron's pork dish, which isn't as much a signature dish as it is a cut of meat that can be done in any number of ways. Aaron came out fine and the judges liked the way his sweet and spicy glaze worked with the pork. Kelsey got hit again by Paula for the small portion size but not didn't get much feedback.

An important side note here: You have to know when you've got Paula Deen as your judge that she's not going to be impressed by pretty little dishes. The woman who stuck her tongue under a chocolate fountain wants a pile of food on her plate so you better give it to her! Paula in her own words: Mmmm, Southern Cooking is like a long walk in the meadow, you just can never seem to fill up enough on it.

After all this we get to the judging. The judges are still concerned with Lisa's intensity when she's trying to cook in front of the camera. The judges found Adam uncharacteristically cold during his presentation. They didn't have much bad to say with Aaron except to point out his obvious lack of knowledge about ingredients, but please please get that boy some speech therapy!

I predicted, not too long ago, that this season would come down to a battle of youth - Shane vs. Kelsey. I was way off base because Shane was eliminated in Week 6 and Kelsey in Week 7. In the end, the judges must have though Kelsey lacked the real life experience they wanted in their Next Food Network Star. I have to go back to a point I made earlier in the season - the judges obviously put personality over skill in the kitchen. Adam has some kind of hold on the judges because he has been at the bottom of the barrel as far as knowledge and skill for a while now.

So we say goodbye to Kelsey this week, but surely not forever. She's young and already has a great deal of skill. Once she gains some real life experience, we'll doubtless see her back on the Food Network in some capacity.

Lisa Garza, Drama Queen Extraordinaire

So this is the image of Lisa Garza that we have become accustomed to every week on Next Food Network Star. Ms. Glamour Girl and drama queen. I saw a bit of normality the week she fell in her high heels and splashed sauce all over herself (Found at 1:55 - 2:00 in the Season 4 Recap Vid). Before and after that incident, she's really not shown much of herself, certainly not a person the Food Network viewers can relate to. She's still one of my favorites, but she's got to make some changes if she wants to keep moving on in the competition.

After her big shut down in Week 6, she emailed The Food Network Addict blog to complain about being "censored" and overall unfair treatment. While the segment shown on NFNS may not have told the entire story, NFNS is aired to a national audience to get viewers and sell advertising time. Lisa is a successful restaurateur, see her restaurant Suze in Dallas, but if she doesn't loosen up a bit, she's going to lose her chance at her own Food Network show. Who knows, maybe she just needs to get laid but seriously, loosen up a bit! Maybe if she changed out of the thousand dollar duds and put on something that looked more Main Street cafe than Paris runway? Something like this, perhaps (no idea where the pic came from, just found it on a GIS):

Wine of the Week

I've had a couple of wines this week, but only one anyone else will get to enjoy. A friend is an amateur vintner and bottled his batch of Pinot Noir this week. I was absolutely shocked at the quality for something made from a kit bought at The Home Brewery in Fayetteville. Once I get my own place, I'll probably invest in some wine and beer making supplies. I found out that, after the initial investment, the cost is about $2 per bottle and each batch will make about two and a half cases. You pay off the initial investment time and time again with the savings reaped from every batch.

That said, my other wine of the week is the Kuentz-Bas Alsace 2006 (the only label I could find was the 2005, but no difference in the artwork - and it doesn't help that their website hasn't been updated since 2002). The color is amber, rather deeper than the usual white wine. On the aroma, I pick up hints of pear but not much more because my allergies attacked the day I opened the bottle (and I didn't see the need to not drink the entire thing and save some for the next day). The taste makes me think of a tart, slightly sweet Granny Smith apple with just a hint of effervescense. It would make for a great aperitif wine or paired with a salad or similarly light dish. It's a great chilled summer wine. Since I'm still prejudiced toward reds, I can't give it a great score. This one will get a 6/10.

NFNS Week 6

So we go into Week 6 of the Next Food Network Star. 5 are gone and 5 remain: Shane, Kelsey, Lisa, Aaron and Adam. Unfortunately, to watch this week's episode, I had to endure Rachael Ray's idiocy. God I can't stand that woman...but the challenge is to prep and cook with some young Girl Scouts (maybe 10 years old?). The meal is supposed to be kid friendly and each pair is given 4 minutes to present their dish in front of a live studio audience on the Rachael Ray show.

Aaron was first up and did a pretty dang good job. He seemed like he was in his element, far more so than last week's disaster in front of the camera.

Kelsey was second and didn't do very well. She didn't do much of the cooking, but seemed very comfortable and very in control. She even got away with calling her "Rach."

Shane forgot his Girl Scout's name and the entire presentation was rushed. Not only did he forget her name, he also didn't let her do much in the presentation. But the judges seemed to like his dish.

Lisa annoyed me off the bat. She really hopes her Girl Scout has a sophisticated palate. She started off really strong in her presentation, but then halfway into it she totally loses her cool and freezes. She shuts down and doesn't come back so Rachael had to step in and save the day.

Finally Adam goes and (also finally) he does a great job. He looked comfortable, meshed really well with Rachael (that anyone can is a miracle) and cooked a good looking BBQ chicken and spinach pita sandwich.

So I totally didn't see Shane's elimination coming. Maybe being a kid star hurt him in the end because the judges didn't feel he was being genuine enough. In the end, though, I think he got screwed because everyone else was having a great week.

NFNS Week 5

The mini-challenge at the beginning of Week 5 really set some of these guys and gals apart. The contestants had 30 minutes to prepare an original dish using a basketful of ingredients preselected for them. At the end of that time, Cat Cora paired them up and made each person switch dishes. Each contestant then had 90 seconds to taste and describe the other dish in front of the camera (with Cat Cora watching!). Aaron, who I put in second place last week really dropped the ball because of his unease in front of the camera. Shane did a great job describing Kelsey's dish and he came out on top in Cat Cora's eyes.

For the main challenge this week, the contestants were paired up and given 45 minutes to re-create complicated, time-consuming dishes. Shane chose Beef Wellington for himself and Kelsey, Lisa and Jennifer got Turducken and Adam and Aaron got Coq au Vin. In the end, Shane and Kelsey came out on top and their main and side dishes will be featured in Bon Appetit magazine next month!

On to the elimination. I hate being right sometimes. Jenn was at the bottom of my list last week and she was eliminated this week. She was a very nice person, but she just never looked comfortable in front of the camera, in front of her audiences or in front of the judges. And what the hell was she doing banging a glass bottle against the range anyway? It ended up shattering (duh!) ruining her side dish and the duck confit Lisa was warming up to use in their main dish.

I'm going to take a new approach to the countdown this week. I don't think last week's took into account each person's ability to perform in front of the camera. Granted, cooking ability is very very important, but personality and performance on camera is what really makes a Food Network star. With that in mind, here's my Top 5 after Week 5:

5. Adam
Adam was definitely put on notice this week. Jennifer had more culinary skill but the judges decided that they wanted somebody who could play up to the camera. Bob Tuschman made it perfectly clear. During the elimination time, he told Adam: I think you know that you are still here solely on the basis of your personality. I really think his total lack of cooking skills is going to send him home next week.

4. Aaron
Last week I had Aaron as my #2 man. His stock plummeted this week after a horrible performance in the first challenge. His cooking skill and confidence in his abilities are there, but his knowledge of ingredients is sorely lacking. In the first challenge, he used fully 2/3 of his time before he started describing Adam's dish. Another problem Aaron has is that he is sometimes hard to understand when he's talking. His voice just isn't very clear and that hurts his presentation skills.

T2. Shane
Shane really pulled it together this week. He did a great job in the first challenge showing off a mastery of the ingredients and the ability to clearly and vividly describe a dish he'd never even seen before to the camera. He and Kelsey showed great teamwork in the second challenge. As the youngest contestant, he's done surprisingly well. I think a lot of his confidence comes from the fact that he has the skills and is able to rely on the fundamentals in the heat of battle.


T2. Lisa
I dropped Lisa out of first this week, but she still has a chance to get back to the top spot. I think she has the best overall skill of all of the contestants but she still needs to work on her personality. I thought she would finally open up after last week's spill but she was still a bit clammed up this week. She was by no means the alpha female she was in the first couple of weeks, but she just didn't show the warmth that needs to come out.

1. Kelsey
Ok, I can admit I'm wrong sometimes. Kelsey still has a bit of the annoying perkiness she exhibited the first few weeks but she has really reined it in. She's won a couple of challenges the last two weeks and that has given her a lot of confidence, not that she was really lacking it to begin with. By reining in her emotions she comes across as a lot more genuine and warm than before.

New Wine Bar Coming to Fayetteville

Thanks to some good friends in Dallas, I had the opportunity to experience my first wine bar, Vino 100. I came back thinking that opening a wine bar in Northwest Arkansas would be a great idea (if only I had the money!).

Now, I hear from an insider that a local development group will be opening one just off Dickson Street in August called The Wine Cellar. It's going to be an upscale full service bar with a great technological twist for wine dispensing. The system they are installing will hold 24 bottles, mixed reds and whites, and will preserve the wine for up to 60 days. I'm not sure if this is the same system in the picture below, but it seems similar.

If you can use an ATM machine, you'll be able to use the self-service wine bar at The Wine Cellar. Insert your card (shown at the top left of the machine in the picture) and your account information will be brought up on the screen. When you find the wine of your choice, you will use the screen to select the amount of wine you want - tasting glass, half glass or full glass. Place your glass under the spout and you will have a perfectly measured glass of wine.


All in all, I think is going to be a great asset to the Fayetteville entertainment district. It is very neat technology and will make the wine bar experience very novel. The sommelier and wait staff will be able to spend more time with the customers discussing the wine selection rather than running back and forth from the bar all the time. I also this will pique in interest in wine education. I'm really excited about the future of this bar and fully intend to make regular appearances.

I Hate Rachael Ray

I'm just going to get this out of the way early. I HATE RACHAEL RAY!!! I hate her perkiness, her special little colloquialisms and, most of all, her food. She's the queen of mediocrity and she embraces that. If I never heard the following words ever again, I would die a happy man:

• "EVOO, that's extra virgin olive oil!"
• "Delish!"
• "Yum-0!"
• "GB" (garbage bowl)

Look, she even has a special article on her website celebrating her inanity: Rachael-isms.

I think Anthony Bourdain has masterfully summed up the contempt many of us feel toward her, so in his own words, Anthony Bourdain on Rachael Ray:

Complain all you want. It's like railing against the pounding surf. She only grows stronger and more powerful. Her ear-shattering tones louder and louder. We KNOW she can't cook. She shrewdly tells us so. So...what is she selling us? Really? She's selling us satisfaction, the smug reassurance that mediocrity is quite enough. She's a friendly, familiar face who appears regularly on our screens to tell us that "Even your dumb, lazy ass can cook this!" Wallowing in your own crapulence on your Cheeto-littered couch you watch her and think, "Hell...I could do that. I ain't gonna...but I could--if I wanted! Now where's my damn jug a Diet Pepsi?" Where the saintly Julia Child sought to raise expectations, to enlighten us, make us better--teach us--and in fact, did, Rachael uses her strange and terrible powers to narcotize her public with her hypnotic mantra of Yummo and Evoo and Sammys. "You're doing just fine. You don't even have to chop an onion--you can buy it already chopped. Aspire to nothing...Just sit there. Have another Triscuit..Sleep...sleep..."

Wines of the Week

Now, I'm not going to claim to have the expertise of a sommelier, but I've begun to learn a thing or two about good wine. I hope to be able to post about the wines I've tried and liked (or occasionally, disliked) fairly regularly. I'm going to create some kind of rating system but for now I'll give each wine a score out of ten. My score is based not only on taste, but also on value. As a broke recent law school grad, I'm on the prowl for high quality wines, but not at a high price.

My first wine for this week is a Pinot Meunier. Crafted by Domaine Chandon, a winery in Napa, this is a unique single varietal wine. The grape is normally used in champagne, but Domaine Chandon has done an amazing job of creating a deep, dark and delicious red. The website says it pairs well with grilled meats and I can certainly attest to that. The last meal I paired this with was grilled venison wraps and barbecued ribs. The wine stood up to it and still maintained its own distinct flavor. Might be a bit on the expensive side for some at $30-35 a bottle but well worth it to splurge once in a while. Click on the picture to find out more. My score: 8/10


My second wine is the 2005 Concannon Petite Sirah, brought to you from Livermore Valley, California. Great value, great wine. This is a dark red wine with a bold red taste. I've had too many bottles of this to count but it has shown itself to be very versatile. It's great to drink on its own or paired with dinner. As far as red wines go, you can't beat this one as an every day bottle. And as I finish my last sip from the bottle as I finish this post, I know just how right I am. Click on the label to visit the Concannon Vineyards website. My score: 9/10

The Beginning

So I think I'm going to have to credit Jeffrey Steingarten as my inspiration for this blog. After graduating from Harvard Law in 1968 he managed to avoid the courtroom to become one of America's foremost food critics. Fortunately for me, he often appears as a guest judge on Iron Chef: America. All that said, I hope to make this an entertaining adventure into the world of food and wine.