Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 11, 2010

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviews


GOOD FOOD & DRINK

8

 Mountain Views News Saturday, December 11, 2010 


Aficionado by Dave Hart

 

As promised last week, during this next couple of months, 
the Friends of the Sierra Madre Library want to help you 
to experience wine like a pro. Developing the skill of wine 
tasting takes practice – LOTS of wine. The more you taste, 
the better you’ll become at the process. 

Each week, you’ll see a new wine-related article each building upon the last, starting with the stages of 
sampling – looking, smelling and tasting the wine. So, let’s continue. 

Wine is meant to be savored with at least three senses – sight, smell and taste. Most of my friends end up 
spilling their wine, so for them this means adding the sense of touch, but for most of us “sophisticated” 
drinkers, we’re limited to just the three. 

Last week you spent a good part of a day just looking at the wine, the color, the depth and clarity. This week 
you’ll get your nose in the glass and learn a bit about what to expect. 

SMELL

The “nose” or the “bouquet” of your wine should be savored as if it’s the first taste from the glass. Swirl the 
wine in your glass by rotating your wrist. That’s the reason for NOT filling the glass (dang). Really doesn’t 
matter if you’re holding the glass by the bulb or the stem, but an expert swirl will take a little practice. Like a 
good pitch, the key is the wrist, rotating the glass while holding your arm still, and making certain you don’t 
hit the innocent taster to your right. Swirling of the glass releases the wine’s molecules bringing the aroma to 
the edge of the glass. You’re also aerating the wine, exposing more of the wine to the air. This allows the wine 
to more quickly “open” just as if you’ve poured the wine into a decanter. An opened wine will become more 
mature, and probably more quickly reflect the best intended flavor. 

As quickly as possible after you’ve swirled, place your nose just over the edge of the glass, getting into the 
aromas. Take a deep sniff as the flavors should bounce off the edge and right into your nostrils. Take a 
moment to identify any familiar smells, the repeat the process. 

Does the wine smell clean, fresh, floral or fruity, honeyed, earthy, musty? You may be able to identify 
hundreds of scents which will be unique to the wine – type of grape, the blend, region, the soil of the 
vineyard, length of aging, etc. With practice you should be able to identify different fruit – green apples, 
blackberries, apricots, pineapple. Many more mature wines of higher quality will have a savory and spicy 
smell, rather than fruity. You should also learn to smell the alcohol content of the wine. Pour a glass of wine 
with lower alcohol content (11% - 12%), and one with higher levels. Now smell the difference. Do you have 
a preference? Wines that have been aged in stainless steel will smell differently than those casked in oak 
barrels. You may even learn to detect the difference between wines aged in domestic oak, or more expensive 
French barrels. Imagine how impressive THAT could be on a first date!

By the way, according to most reputable sources, sniffing the cork just proves you’re a wine novice. Unless 
the wine has gone bad (smell of vinegar), there is really nothing you can learn about the wine by sniffing 
the cork. Most of this ritual at a restaurant has more to do with tradition than helping you with your wine 
selection. 

When developing your sense of smell, don’t worry about what it’s “supposed” to smell like. Everyone will 
have different impressions, and should be able to detect different aromas. You’re not wrong if you smell dirt, 
when the other taster detects peaches. Both may be a part of the wine’s bouquet. Now, if you can tell if the 
grape was grown on an east-facing, rather than west-facing slope, THAT will impress. 

Finally, to commemorate your newly developed sense of smell, mark your calendar to attend The Sierra 
Madre Friends of the Library 41st Annual Wine and Cuisine Tasting Event. The always-popular evening 
will take place at the Alverno High School Villa, 200 N Michillinda Avenue, on Friday February 18 7:00p – 
9:30p. General entry tickets at a cost of $60 will allow entry at 7:00, but Premier admission at $80 will allow 
100 folk an early entry at 6:00 and include many new surprises. Current paid members of the Friends will 
receive a $5 discount off general entry when purchased at the library. 

Tickets can be purchased at Arnold’s Frontier Hardware, The Bottle Shop, Iris Intrigue, and Savor the Flavor. 
You can also pick up tickets at the Sierra Madre Library, or on-line at sierramadrelibraryfriends.org. 

In addition to attending one of the social highlights of the year, and “educate” your sense of smell, you’ll 
enable the Friends to support your library services and programs. This past year The Friends of the Sierra 
Madre Library provided over $58,000 for equipment upgrades and improvements. 

Eat Well! 

News and Notes and 

Checking Back in at Zelo 


Sad news my friends, one of my favorite Sushi 
Restaurants in Pasadena, Masa, has temporarily 
closed their doors. The Sushi Chef that I came to 
know and love ‘Mr. Fuji Wara, has passed away. 
Owner Peter Park, tells me that Masa will re-open in 
a few weeks as a Korean Style BBQ restaurant. My 
thoughts and prayers to Fuji’s family.

A few years back there 
was a very popular and 
comprehensive event 
in Pasadena, one where 
the greatest scholar and 
meekest shoe shiner were 
both able to speak with 
discernment, The Pasadena 
Pizza Cook-off. I was 
fortunate to be involved in the event for many 
years. I got a little caught up in my flourishing 
affection for pizza, for I dubbed my car the 
Pizazar. Next, I found myself subscribing to Pizza 
Today Magazine. The magazine is overtly obscure 
for the pragmatic consumer, those of you that just 
fancy a good pie (pizza) and don’t wish to follow 
the outer workings of the rolling pin. So, I am a 
little impetuous and my passion may make me a 
candidate for a white suit with straps someday, 
but hey, we are taking about pizza here!!!

Making a pizza is the easiest and most difficult 
food item in the restaurant business. Wolfgang 
Puck took this flat circle and added some slices 
of salmon and a genius was born. On the other 
hand, I have had more than one pizza that must 
have had cardboard as a main ingredient. We are 
fortunate, we have some great Pizza places in the 
area: Tarnatinos, Domenicos and Avanti Café. 
There is this restaurant in the city of Arcadia that I 
believe is a contender as well. Zelo Restaurant, it is 
an unassuming stop on Foothill Blvd. The owner, 
Steve Freeman, hails from Northern California 
and he has brought his unique recipe to share with 
hungry Angelinos. 

Zelo is what I would label as a classic drive-by. 
A place that draws your attention, but is relatively 
unknown to many, and offers little staging on the 
exterior to bring you into the restaurant. 
When you unearth a great drive-by, it is 
the closest event that an urban dweller can 
compare to discovering gold.

What do you get when you cross one part 
cornmeal and four parts flour? Zelo’s pizza 
crust, and this is the heart and soul of their 
unique pizza. All their pizzas are prepared 
in a deep dish. On any given day, Steve will 
put together 12 different pizza specials. You 
can get pizzas by the half (three slices) for ($11), 
and ($20) for a whole pizza, that’s six slices filled 
with toppings. You could accurately compare that 
to a medium size that your kids order at the familiar 
Dominos for ($20). You can’t compare the texture 
and flavor. I love the four-cheese pizza: mozzarella, 
fontina, provolone and parmesan at Zelo’s. On my 
last visit, I had the Sicilian pizza. This is a pizza 
brimming with fresh pepperoni, tomatoes and 
three different cheeses. Who goes to a pizza place 
for a salad? Me! They do a serviceable job on the 
salads here. The Beet salad at (7.50) is their top 
seller, probably in large part because of me. For 
the same price they also offer a creamy Asparagus 
salad, with leaf lettuce and stalks of asparagus 
resting on top. The lettuce gets a full emersion of 
balsamic vinaigrette and the asparagus receives a 
nice creamy dressing. The salads are good enough 
to make it worth the trip. This is a great place to 
go with the flow and order the specials. If you are 
in a pasta mood? They offer many pasta dishes in 
the ($9) range, and Lasagna for ($11). They have 
fantastic Calzones, and plenty of vegetarian dishes 
as well. They do offer beer and wine, and you may 
bring your own bottle of wine, the corkage fee is 
($8).

What you need to know: Zelo is casual. Dress 
comfortably, and make certain you have room to let 
your belt out an extra notch. They have patio seating 
in the front that faces Foothill Blvd. They do get busy 
on weekend nights, so plan accordingly. Parking 
can be a hassle here, because it is street parking. 
Remember, the pizzas are unique! If you are trying to 
impress a new girl, I suggest ordering the pizza half-
baked, and finish cooking it at home. Our secret! 
They are open Tuesday through Sunday, Friday and 
Saturdays they are open until 10 PM. 328 E. Foothill 
Blvd. Arcadia (626) 358-8298

Have a favorite pizza place, of course you do! Email 
it to thechefknows@yahoo.com, watch Dining with 
Dills every Saturday and Sunday Night on Charter 
101. Plus my radio show on KABC Talkradio 790 
AM

TABLE FOR TWO


Win Two Tickets to the Friends 
of the Library 41st Annual Wine 
and Cuisine Tasting Event

February 18th at the Alverno Villa

Look for this Wine-Tasting Artwork in Mt. Views 
Publications now until January 31st. Answer the 
wine trivia question, complete the entry form and 
drop off at the Sierra Madre Library. 

Drawing Rules – Limited to one entry per 
person, per Mt Views publication. Winner need 
not be present to win General Admission tickets. 
Completed entry from must be delivered to the 
Sierra Madre Library during hours of operation, 
same week of publication. Drawing tickets have no cash value and cannot be 
refunded. Eligible entry form does not require a correct answer to the trivia question.


What can you tell from smelling the wine?

[ ] Where the bottle was puchased

[ ] The type of grape used in producing the wine

[ ] If my bank account is overdrawn

 Name: ______________________________________ 

 Phone:______________________________________

Drop form off at the Library at 440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd during regular hours.


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