Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 24, 2016

8

FOOD AND DRINK

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 24, 2016 

Here’s an oldie-but-goodie problem: I myself got caught in the net. I have preached a hundred times to 
make sure you look at your receipt when dining out. Last week my friends and I ventured out and about 
town watching college football at three different Pasadena watering holes. My turn to buy was at the 
legendary Mijares restaurant. This gem is the oldest restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley. We ordered two 
rounds of margaritas - their taste was magnificent! Then came time to pay, and my bill was just short of 
$90! How could that be for just six drinks? I would understand at the Langham or at a beach side resort, 
but come on. The bartender explained to me that one of my friends, unbeknownst to me, is a regular and 
always orders Patron. Well, I didn’t know that, but okay, I paid the bill, and I hope my loss is your gain. 
Read the bill, and make sure when you order a house glass of wine or a margarita that you read the fine 
print. 

“Let The Buyer Beware!” You have heard the old 
adage time and time again, and sometimes a good 
deal really is too good to be true. Two emails caught my attention this week, so I thought I would share 
some wine knowledge with you.

Close-out sales on wine can be the source of a real bargain or they can you leave you with some expensive 
cooking wine. Reader Randy from 
Altadena was excited to purchase 
several bottles of wines at a “going 
out of business” sale, only to 
discover that the wines had gone 
bad.

There are four things to look for to 
determine if a wine has turned bad: 

- Has the wine changed color? 
Does the red wine now have a hint 
of brown, or has the white wine 
turned darker?

- Does the wine still have “legs”, 
meaning are there streaks of wine 
attached to the glass after a good 
swirl of the wine?

- Does it still smell like wine? 

- Is the cork pushing its way out of the bottle? This usually means that the wine has been exposed to the 
heat or has been mishandled.

If your answer to any of these is “yes”, stay away from this wine.

Reader Sally from Whittier tried to find a 2011 vintage of her favorite Pinot Noir. She ended up with a 
2006, and said the bottle was a little dusty. When you do find a bargain on a bottle of wine make sure the 
wine has been stored on its side and is not too dusty, and once the cork is pulled it should be moist. 

My own experience for sparkling wine at a restaurant, if you are buying by the glass, is to ask the server/
bartender to open a fresh bottle. Sparklers are susceptible to losing their bubbles within a few hours after 
opening. Most importantly, there should be a “pop” sound when uncorking, and if the cork comes out too 
early beware.

Happy wine hunting!!

Listen to Dining with Dills Sundays at 5 PM AM 830 KLAA and follow me on twitter @kingofcuisine

Julie’s Favorite Family Recipes

Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

. cup ketchup

. cup cider vinegar

. cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon light molasses

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine blueberries, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, chili powder and black pepper in 
medium saucepan

Stir in . cup water

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly

Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce is slightly thickened and chunky

Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to use

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


FOREST SERVICE PARTNERS TO HOST PILOT 
SHUTTLE TO CHANTRY FLAT

The Forest Service in collaboration with a variety 
of local community partners are using a grant 
from Car-less California to operate a weekend 
“pilot” shuttle to Chantry Flat beginning this 
Saturday, September 24 running through Oct. 
9. This pilot project will run for the next three 
weekends to assess the feasibility and interest 
for future transportation projects that may be 
possible by partnering with local communities and 
organizations.

 Three 18 passenger shuttles will transport 
visitors to and from the “Arcadia” Gold Line 
Station. Pick up and drop off will be from the 
adjacent REI parking lot at E. Santa Clara St. 
The shuttles will run throughout the day to the 
Chantry Flat picnic area with the first trip of the 
day beginning at 7:00 a.m. and the last shuttle 
leaving Chantry at 4:00 p.m. (*Estimated 30 to 45 
minutes intervals between the stops.)

 This pilot program was created as a small-scale 
version of what might be possible, in a large urban 
area, if we work collectively together to connect 
underserved communities with their public lands. 
“Our hope is that this pilot will be seen as a positive 
way to connect visitors to the Forest in a more 
engaging, convenient and environmentally green 
way.” said Jeffery Vail, Forest Supervisor of the 
Angeles National Forest - San Gabriel Mountains 
National Monument.

 In honor of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), 
this pilot program kicks off on Sept. 24 and will run 
on weekends through Oct. 9 in commemoration of 
the establishment of the San Gabriel Mountains 
National Monument in 2014. During the opening 
weekend, the public is invited to join Forest Service 
staff, volunteers, REI, National Forest Foundation, 
the Wilderness Society, and Friends of the Angeles 
and others for hiking and other environmental 
education experiences. For example, you can 
connect with REI who will be conducting camping, 
hiking, and outdoor cooking demonstrations.

 The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the 
health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s 
forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present 
and future generations. The agency manages 193 
million acres of public land, provides assistance to 
state and private landowners, and maintains the 
largest forestry research organization in the world. 
Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute 
more than $13 billion to the economy each year 
through visitor spending alone. Those same lands 
provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water 
supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. 
The agency has either a direct or indirect role in 
stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million 
forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million 
acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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