pA:9, v7.46 — Food, Drink & More

Food, Drink & More

Mountain Views News Saturday, November 16, 2013

MVNews this week: Page A:9

FOOD - DRINK & MORE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 16, 2013

ONE OF MY FAVORITE LETTERS AND WINE REVIEW 101

The tragic hero of our story, Tony, recently went to a Pasadena Restaurant and ordered a glass of
House Cabernet. He liked the initial selection and proceeded to order another glass. The bill arrived
and Tony was shocked to discover that each glass of wine was ($14). His night went for a great
evening to one of disappointment and incredulity. Tony asked me to investigate the practice of mark
ups at restaurants. Tony also did some research and discovered the same bottle for ($15) at Vons. The
waiter told Tony it was ($52) to purchase the whole bottle and those they pour five glasses per bottle.

I reached out to my many sources in the industry and this is what I found out. Ian Blackburn, founder
of Learnaboutwine.com, said, “That ($14) is common for a good glass of wine and the math works
out to ($52) for the full bottle at that price.” Many
chain restaurants use a Libby wine glass that costs
them a couple of bucks; upscale restaurants will
use a higher quality glass. My next call was to
Randy, who owns the Domenico’s restaurant on
Washington, he tells me that, “His wine purveyors suggest triple the cost of the bottle. Thus if you see
a bottle for ($30) at your favorite restaurant the rule of the thumb is that they paid ($10) for it.” My
suggestion to Tony and my readers is it to never let the server blindly pick the wine. Ok, how about
corkage fees? Most restaurants charge between ($4) to ($15) for this service, yes, they still have to
open your bottle and clean the glasses. It is unacceptable to bring in a bottle of wine that is already
listed on the restaurant’s menu. If it is an owner occupied restaurant, often it is a good gesture to let
the owner sample the wine that you have brought in. The erudite wine broker Eddie Ramirez offers
this insightful advice, “Always have the wine list when ordering and I do not recommend asking the
servers for a wine recommendation unless you do not have any issues with the price.” Hope that
helps, I learned something as well.

So Tony here is a suggestion on a Cabernet that you can purchase
at most wine shops and supermarkets. 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
from the Franciscan Winery, located in Napa Valley, California. The
wine is made up of 86% Cabernet Juice plus a bit of Merlot, Petite
Syrah and Cabernet Franc. This is one Cabernet that goes well with a
steak and it’s priced so reasonably that you can bring it to a backyard
BBQ, which is exactly how I first discovered this wine! As my friend
Five Star Sommilier friend George Millotes says, “If it is ready to
buy it is ready
to drink.” Being
a 2011 you can
opt to decant the
wine for twenty
minutes, but my
opinion is, it’s
ready to drink
now! The color
is a deep garnet;
you might smell
red plum or
cherry. I smelled a hint of berries but flavors
are definably cherry with a hint of vanilla. This
reviewer doesn’t swirl his wine, I sip and look for
a taste of a long finish, and this did just that.

The following is the scoring method of the Wine Spectator. However, I have added points for Value
to that equation also. I’m starting with a base of 50 points; I added 5 points for Color, 7 points for
Aroma or “Nose”, 12 points for Taste, 8 points for Finish, and 8 points for my Overall Impression,
which includes my Value rating.

2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Franciscan Winery

Final Score: 90

Franciscan Cabernet Retail $25

Available at Vons and other fine retailers on sale right now $19 range

Listen to Dining w/ Dills Sunday at 5 PM KABC 790 AM

TRIPLE CHEESE SPIRALS

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

INGREDIENTS

Kosher salt

12 ounces gemelli, cavatappi or other spiral-shaped pasta

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1/2 cup whole milk

3/4 cup shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, chives and/or scallions

DIRECTIONS

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard and
cayenne and stir with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly,
about 1 minute. Whisk in both milks and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, whisking occasionally, until
slightly thickened and creamy, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the cheddar and jack cheeses and all but 2 tablespoons
of the parmesan and whisk until melted; keep warm.

Combine the panko, herbs and/or scallions, 1 tablespoon butter and the remaining parmesan in a
microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter melts, about 1 minute; toss.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup cooking water, and return to the pot. Toss with the remaining
1 tablespoon butter, then stir in the cheese sauce, adding the reserved cooking water if needed. Season
with salt and top with the breadcrumb mixture.

RICH Johnson

SCIENTISTS AT CERN IN GENEVA HAVE
ANNOUNCED THE DISCOVERY OF THE
HEAVIEST ELEMENT

The following piece is clever and funny. And like most cleverness,
it has its basis in truth. The writer is Martin A. Armstrong. I strongly
recommend his website, “Armstrongeconomics.com.”

I hope you enjoy reading it and passing it on.

“The new element is Governmentium (Gv). It has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88
deputy neutrons and 198 assistant deputy neutrons giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons which are surrounded by
vast quantities of lefton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons or
protons, it is inert. However, it can be detected because it impedes every reaction with which it
comes into contact.

Even a tiny amount of Governmentium causes a reaction which normally takes only a few
days to complete to four years or more to finish or resolve.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2- 6 years. It does not decay but instead undergoes
a reorganization, in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange
places. In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time since each reorganisation
will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium
is formed whenever morons reach a critical point of concentration.

When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that
radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as
many morons. Vast sums of money are consumed in the exchange, yet no other by-products
are produced.”

(Source: http://armstrongeconomics.com/2013/07/21/the-discovery-of-a-new-element)

Other fictitious funny elements include: Unobtainium, Veryrarium, Tedium, Belgium,
Linoleum, Geranium and my favorite: Delirium (also the local pub in Sierra Madre).

Did you see last week’s cover of Time Magazine? The image on the cover was the silhouetted
profile of Governor Chris Christie’s from the neck up. The caption on the cover was “The
Elephant in the Room.” Though the expression was offensive to a large group of people (a
magazine the stature of the Time should know better), the triple entendre was very clever.
First, “the elephant” referred to Governor Christie as the big winner in last week’s election and
how he is the front runner in the 2016 presidential season. The elephant entendre also made
reference to him as a member of the Grand Ole’ Party, (the elephant is the image associated with
Republicans). And, of course, third the elephant is a reference to his size, though he has lost 70
pounds so far. To his credit, this is how Governor Christie reacted to the magazine cover while
on the George Stephanopoulos Show, “You know, if I’m bothered by jokes about my weight, it’s
time for me to curl up into a fetal position and go home, okay?” Yay Chris Christie!!

Let me plug our radio show again. It’s the Barry, Rich and Lisa show. You can find it on the
internet in several places: Spreaker.com, iHeart.com, Barryrichlisa.com, and Villagevine.org.
Please listen to us and give us your feedback.

We’d like to hear from you!

What’s on YOUR Mind?

Twitter: @mtnviewsnews