Costco: Wholesale

iCostco, therefore, iAm.

Mexico City. Just mentioning the name conjures all sorts of imagery. Old castles, sunken lake beds, ancient Aztec civilizations, tacos, quesadillas, Bella Artes, just to name a few.

The strange reality of my visits to Mexico City: Costco.

Yes, THAT Costco. The one of large warehouses stacked with all your home goods. In bulk. And whenever I'm here, I always seem to be at Costco.


Woah, Kirkland has a Chateauneuf!

Costco in Mexico City is pretty much like Costco at home. The same products. In the same quantities. Need plates? Here's 300. Need a croissant? Here's two dozen.

But what they have here that we don't have in Maryland Costco's (because of our draconian, socialist/democratic government) is alcohol. In mass quantities. Curiously, they even have Kirkland Signature (Costco's house brand) Chateauneuf du Pape. Seems like a sacrilege but I'm willing to commit a sin.


And the price isn't that bad. Not cheap, but not bad.

Overall, there's little to differentiate the Mexican Costco from the American Costco (aside from the whole language thing). If you're used to your home Costco layout, chances are you'll find whatever you desire pretty much where you expect it to be.


One Hundred Dollars.



Riding the down escalator.




These specials wheels prevent runaway disaster.



Even for Haagen Dazs - that's expensive.

Paul Hobbs

The tasting room at Paul Hobbs.

Before jetting out to California, I was caught up in a bit of a conundrum (not Caymus, they're pretentious and arrogant) - what wineries to visit in the Napa Valley?

I first started visiting Napa back in 1988 when the valley wasn't encroached by the development and tourism it is today. Back then, a trip to Robert Mondavi was still a small and relatively casual affair. Go there today and it's massive group tours and commercialism. Whatever the case, I knew relatively nothing about wines then and, to be honest, my understanding of wines really has not improved some twenty years later.


Ana ready for a tasting.

Lately, I've been drinking more French wines. Specifically Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape, and maybe a smattering of California zinfandels, but the Napa Valley? I really was coming up short. Two years ago, we went back to visit Caymus (where they were as pretentious and arrogant as possible), Raymond (fun) and Silver Oak (impressive building).

This time I thought about a few others, like Pezzi King (Healdsburg? Too far!), Vineyard 7&8 (no available tastings) and Orrin Swift (I like their Saldo), but still the question of "where?" reigned.


Emily leading us down to the processing buildings.

That's when James and Austin of Swirl Wine in Timonium suggested Paul Hobbs. Hmmm, sounded like a good idea and set up an appointment.

The terrible irony is that I first decided against visiting Pezzi King, even though I am a fan of their 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel, because they are in Healdsburg in Sonoma County - an hour or so drive from Napa. I wanted to keep the tastings along the 29 in the Napa Valley.

Of course, I didn't bother to check that Paul Hobbs is located in Sebastopol, about fifteen minutes south of Healdsburg, and an hour and ten minutes from our next appointment at Orrin Swift. Without realizing it, I had set myself up for failure.


Fermentation tanks.

Tastings at Paul Hobbs are by appointment only and it's not easy to find along the highway. There's a simple boulder, surrounded by trees, with the address affixed to it. No large signs to alert you of the magic happening to your right. Once located, you pull in and it's fourteen acres of rolling vineyard and a stunningly modern house with sculpted and manicured lawns.

Emily was there to greet us and as it turns out, we were the only two tasting that afternoon. For those of us used to the mass tours of Mondavi, or the open tasting rooms of Chateauneuf, the quiet of a private tasting is both inspiring and slightly off-putting.


Barrel aging room.

Admittedly, I knew little about Paul Hobbs, the man. After starting off education in medicine, he discovered a love for wine and switched to the oenology program at UC Davis where he wrote his thesis on wine barrels and was wooed by Robert Mondavi himself to help start up Opus One. Not a bad way to begin a career.

From there his genius gives way to slight insanity. The man is obsessed with the details of winemaking. While other winemakers are content to buy fruit from farmers, Paul Hobbs dictates which row(s) of the vineyard that farmer will cultivate for his purchase. Sun, soil and more all play a significant role in his decisions and Paul is involved in every step of the process.

The psychosis in cultivating just the right crop is crazy inspiring and I secretly wondered just how we might be able to export that kind of thinking to coffee production. While we currently laud an entire farm's production, could those high altitude hills in Central America and Ethiopia yield more incredible results with careful selection and cultivation? If only I possessed this guys' expertise in agriculture.


The foyer.

We tasted and then we toured. The facility is most impressive. Everything modern, everything done to a "T". Grape vines from Paul Hobbs home of upstate New York are trellised along the walkway in homage to his past, the catwalk above the stainless fermentation tanks can be removed and the facility is absolutely spotless. So spotless that I was compelled to ask Emily how it is possible that they get their staff to maintain such a rigorous regiment.

As we toured the barrel aging room, I noticed a variety of barrels from different cooperages and asked. I'm guessing that it's rooted in his thesis on wine barrels but Paul Hobbs utilizes different barrels from different cooperages to achieve a particular effect. Turns out that French Oak, Medium toast barrels vary from cooper to cooper and that they can be combined to develop specific recipes. Impressive.


By the vineyard.

As our time at the winery winded down, the light rain started to abate and even after drinking nearly a bottle of wine, I still didn't feel light headed or unprepared for the open road.

So, with two bottles in tow, we set back to the Napa Valley excited by the wines and a bit saddened that we would not be able to make our appointment with EJ at Orrin Swift. Sorry EJ. Next time, I promise.

ma peche

The condiments.

Oysters

Squid Salad - ginger, scallion, peanut

Pork & Duck Terrine - pickled turnips, violet mustard

The Wine

Pork Ribs - thai basil, lemongrass caramel

Cavallo Nero - bacon, lemon breadcrumbs

Fairy Tale Eggplant - raisin, mint, chili vinaigrette

Pistachio soft serve ice cream - more like hard whipped cream.

ma peche
15 West 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
www.momofuku.com

Feast @4East

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Sometimes looking for a place to eat is a challenge. Do you go to the places you know to make good food or do you try someplace new? Try a new place and you don't know for sure what you're going to get. Maybe you'll check out that taco joint but they don't have limes - a disappointment for sure.

With that in mind, I started the search for a place to eat wanting to try something new but the call of the familiar and known pulled strongly. In the end, we decided to check out Feast @4East at the 4 East Madison Inn. A menu of local, farm to table American cuisine was a bright possibility and the BYOB menu meant that I could bring some favored wines without breaking the bank.


Adelsheim 2007 Pinot Blanc

Located inside the 4 East Madison Inn, it reminded me of Auberge d'Carcarille: the inn with gourmet meals. Being a Saturday and calling at 5:30pm, I figured it would be jammed and an 8pm reservation unrealistic. However, they had a table for two and we were on our way.

The food was good. Nicely prepared with good flavors. The tomato and goat cheese tart had hints of anchovy. The bison steak was perfectly cooked. The succotash medley was nice and the mashed potatoes had just the right balance of potato and butter.

In all, a nice meal paired with a couple of great wines.


Molly and her 1/2 Roasted Chicken with Garden Herbs.


2007 Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cote du Rhone


Grilled Bison Steak

Feast @4East
4 East Madison Inn
4 East Madison Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-605-2020
www.4eastmadisoninn.com

Brasserie L'Ecole

Quadra Island Mussels - harissa, fino sherry, lime gremolatta.

How to dine at one of Victoria's hottest French brasseries on a Saturday night? Go at 10pm, be nice and chances are you'll get a nice table and some wine.

That's my strategy for eating at some of the hottest places worldwide. Go early or go late. Most people want to eat sometime in the middle. Avoid those times. If you go early, then be prepared to finish quickly, as I did at Le Severo in Paris. That way, the restaurant turns their table, takes care of their reservations and you got to eat a meal at a restaurant most people can't seem to get a table.

The praise for Brasserie l'ecole is seemingly universal here in Victoria. Everyone says it's the best place in town. Guess that's enough for me since I'd prefer not to eat at Denny's. Located on Government in Chinatown, it's location seems odd to me. Garish Chinatown to the left and the hookers of Government Street to the right. Guess it's that way in case you want some exercise after dinner.


Medjool Dates with smoked almonds and roquefort cheese.

The food is classic French bistro cuisine. There's an assortment of offerings, like creamed morels, scallops, jamon serrano, poussin, duck confit and the like. However, I'm in the mood for more classic brasserie fare such as steak frites and moules mouclade.

Sadly, most places don't do a curry sauce for their moules but l'ecole is offering a slightly spicy harissa based sauce with local mussels. I opt for that, along with stuffed dates, to start and a glass of the 2007 Chateau Goudrelle Vouvray. It's a perfectly delectable pairing.


Steak - 10z angus NY striploin

Moving on it's Steak Frites and there's an offering of sirloin and NY striploin steaks. To be honest, I'm not a fan of the sirloin or striploin. To my mind, they're a North American aberration because North Americans are too "afraid" of French cuts. Give me onglet or ribeye and I'm very happy. Only offer NY Strip and I'm not impressed.

After spending over a week in France and being in a French-speaking country (Canada) and in a French restaurant, I thought my server would understand when I said that I would like the steak cooked "au point", but he didn't and medium rare would suffice. Oh well, the guy did give great recommendations on wine and mussels so all is forgiven.

The steak itself was cooked properly but the NY Strip lacks the bold flavor I prefer so it's just okay. Good, but okay. Topped with roquefort butter and served with a red wine sauce, it's a classic and paired nicely with a glass of the Chateau de Caraguilhes Corbieres.


Frites

The frites were offered either as "Classic" with sea salt or prepared in their special way with duck fat oil and parmesan cheese. Give me the classic preparation because I need no other!!!!

The frites were pretty good. A generous portion for the steak they're cut thin and just about as thin as I can stand. While I think that battered fries are an abomination to mankind, thin crispy fries are almost as bad and should be outlawed by the United Nations. Give me standard cut fries, double fried crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Short of that, these would do.


Lovers

As I sat at my table, I couldn't help but express voyeuristic tendencies by watching the couple nearby. So in love, I thought. How pleasant. Holding hands, gazing into each others eyes. She's quite attractive and young. He's older and not as good-looking. What is his secret, I wondered? Maybe he's got something big in his trousers - like a wallet. Maybe he's a genuinely nice guy and landed himself a nice, pretty girl. Well good for them. I thought about sending over some champagne.


Brasserie "l'ecole"
1715 Government Street
Victoria, BC V8W 1Z4
(250) 475-6260
www.lecole.ca

Sniffing The Cap

A nice line-up: Susanna Balbo, Saint Cosme, Charbonniere and Beaucastel.

This evening my father asked me about wines. He was looking for suitable wines for entertaining his friends this Saturday and wanted to know which wines he could use. Hmmmm...

That's when he made the declaration that he only wanted to drink inexpensive wines - like under ten dollar wines. Hmmmm....

Problem is, I don't quite recall how much that bottle of Languedoc was, or that South African with the funny bacon character. Nor do I recall how much that Nero d'Avola from Italy cost, or even that sensuous Cote du Rhone. I just buy them, I don't think too much about what they cost.

That's not to say that my cellar is filled with expensive wines, they most certainly are not. However, I tend to buy what I like and not worry too much about the price. Thirty bucks isn't "too expensive" for a wine, and I do start to balk when the prices cross the $50 mark - even though I've been caught spending a bit more than that for a bottle of something luscious.

Truth is, all those "special" wines, like those bottles of 1976 Auslesen, are hidden in the wine cellar to age in quiet cool humidity. They're ensconced in darkness surrounded by cool moist air until the day comes when they can be opened in victorious celebration.

My dad is worried about taking the "wrong bottle" meaning the bottle which costs "too much." But really, none of these bottles at hand cost "too much" but rather, their cost is commensurate with their enjoyability. "Take whatever you want," I tell him. There's no wine here that cannot be replaced.

As we're perusing the collection, I suddenly feel very much like James Carpenter. I'm animated and enthusiastic about each wine as I describe my experiences with them. With some I'm giddy with delight. Others I want to lick the bottle but only go so far as to sniff the foil cap covering the cork - as though I can savor the wines aromas. My dad has that look of restrained disdain on his face as I put the bottle back down.

"What do you have that's only ten bucks?"

In the end, I set aside a nice Tempranillo and a classic Chianti, along with a couple of French whites for him and his friends to enjoy.

Woodberry Roll

How we roll: Blagny '99, Son.



Hanging at the oven.

Swirling It

The lineup.

It's Friday night, I'm tired, I'm sleepy, I'm exhausted, but I really don't want to go home and go to bed. Luckily, a friend calls me because she wants to get together. And what better way to spend a Friday night than tasting wines?

On most Fridays, Austin and James set up a tasting at their shop in Timonium. I try to go on a regular basis but lately I've been in Hampden and haven't made it up to their shop in time. This week, it's a flight of some very exciting French wines:

2007 Domaine de la Collonge Pouilly-Fuisse
2008 Domaine de Aubuisieres Vouvray
2006 Chateau de Serame Corbieres
2007 Cuvee du Vatican Cote du Rhone Villages

Wow. I don't think I've ever attending a tasting that was completely a winner. Usually, there's one or two (sometimes more) wines that I don't quite fancy, but this time all of them were stellar. Maybe I'll buy one, sometimes two, but when you're faced with an entire field of wines you'd like to own, it becomes that much more difficult.


A sample of banana rum from St. Martin.

Later, I spy a sample bottle of this banana rum from St. Martin. Someone is trying to import them into the United States and I certainly hope they do. The rum is thick, rich, sweet and complex. Delicious. I could sip it all night long and suddenly, ideas of jetting down to St. Martin to pick up a case (or four) start popping into my head. A weekend in St. Martin to play on the beaches and get silly over bottles of rum? My friend is game. Hmmm...