suggested pairing

As promised, a little late but 100% worth it.

I have a confession to make: I'm apparently addicted to Enoteca Vin. I've managed to go four times in two weeks.

The first was for my birthday, and I don't remember much of that happy occasion except that the bruleed Turkish figs made me wonder why I don't eat figs more often.

Heirloom Tomato dinner

The second was for an heirloom tomato dinner. Craig Lehoullier has been preserving varieties of heirloom tomatoes for years, swapping seeds across the nation, and with his help Ashley put together a divine menu. Special thanks to a very lovely lady for making the evening special, and doom to her for being happily married ;)

The amuse bouche was something I'd never seen, a shot glass filled with a clear tomato broth, served with a splash of basil oil and a small floating cherry tomato. Taking a "shot" of soup and then catching the tomato was a new experience. So I'd say the amuse bouche did its job!

First course was a N.C. lump crap salad with marinated Evergreen and Black Prince tomatoes, avocado, and basil. As usual, simple and focused on the quality ingredients. We devoured this.

Second course was a sweet corn risotto with Cherokee purple tomatoes and basil. I must admit, we did remark that, while tomatoes and basil do pair beautifully, the final course had better be basil-free. This was a simple, clean dish, and the sweet white corn in the risotto improved both texture and flavor.

Third course was pork tenderloin with pasta kerchief and George Stripe tomatoes. The kerchief was an interesting presentation; a single large square of thin pasta covered a bed of arugula, and the sliced tenderloin sat atop the pasta. This was tasty, but the peppery spice of the arugula harmonized with other pepper in the dish and made for a spiciness that felt out of place.

And OH we were disappointed that Ashley had no clever dessert presentation, no tomato sorbet. Maybe next year! :)

Mondavi tasting

And a mere four days later I was back, this time for a Robert Mondavi wine tasting. This would include a range of different reserve varietals from the current vintage, plus a vertical tasting of reserve cabernets.

The dining was appropriately low-key. We all remarked on the okra, which was sliced lengthwise and fried, then served with a frothy tomato sauce.

On to the wines:
2004 Fume Blanc. Acid to the point of acrid, with no redeeming characteristics. My notes say "like a painful nose laser", and this was at the start of the evening before the wine had kicked in.

2003 Fume Blanc Reserve, To Kalon Vineyard. Much more pleasant. Bright nose, almost deceptively so as the taste was a much calmer melon flavor than the previous wine. Unfortunately the wine was ruined by a finish marred by overoaking.

2004 Chardonnay Reserve, Carneros, Napa. A pleasant chard, with apple and hints of banana, much lighter vanilla, and a very pronounced caramel aftertaste that many will enjoy.

2003 Pinot Noir Reserve, Napa. Dark plum and earth notes hit the nose and carry through, but again Mondavi has taken a pleasant enough wine and taken it out back and beaten it to death with the oak stick. Much too spicy from the oak, and it builds uncomfortably; my companions said that it was noticeable on one sip, unpleasant on two, and undrinkable on three.

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa. They say that after eating cheese, even expert tasters lose their ability to compare wines. After one sip, we ate the cheese. Enough said.

1990 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. This was the showpiece, and for a reason. An strong but quite pleasant tobacco nose precedes a rich wine with cassis and berry notes. Perfectly balanced fruit and acidity, perfect structure, just overall an excellent wine. Unfortunately this was pulled from Robert Mondavi's own cellar as part of the winery's 40th anniversary and is no longer available for purchase. Yet another example of Something I Can Never Have. :)

1992 and 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. I'll admit to horse trading these for a glass of 1990 from one of my dinner companions. Neither was as enjoyable, though both were pleasant.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Napa. Strong smoky tones hit the palate on first sip. I did not score this wine given that it was my 9th full glass of the evening. Given that 95% of wine is drunk within 48 hours of purchase, Mondavi has decided to change their formulation to make their wines drinkable upon release. The tannins were much less complex / interesting than an aged wine, but it was certainly drinkable upon release. Can't decide if this is a good thing or not -- probably, it's something we'll all regret in 2006-1990=16 years.

Excellent fun was had by all. Thanks to Ashley and crew!

harmonious monotony

It's amazing how quickly a blog can go from an exciting project to a responsibility. (3 days, by the way, is how long that takes...)

I had a simply fantastic birthday dinner at Enoteca Vin. I'll save the review for tomorrow, because I'm going back again tonight for a special heirloom tomato dinner, and I want to try to find something these folks do wrong.

The post-dinner revelry afterwards literally lasted about 36 hours, and I am most definitely still recovering, hence my inability to fit in late-night blogging time. You can view the pictures if you're brave.

Who knew getting older -- and balder -- would be so much fun? :-)

mad with power

Happy 4th. Peachtree didn't kill me either, so I am now convinced I'm invulnerable to harm. That'll be handy!

I figure I owe a rapid-fire ATL restaurant roundup:

Ritz-Carlton. The renowned Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead was closed for the holiday, but we did have a fantastic breakfast in the Cafe. Of course the service was impeccable, the atmosphere elegant with a bit too heavy Victorian and floral tones, just as one might expect. We chose a simple breakfast, but even in something as simple as a bowl of grits they created a masterpiece, heavy with cream and a tangy cheese bite. I'd wager parmesan and white cheddar. Quite untrue to form -- and worried about losing my breakfast at 14000 feet -- I chose the Swiss Muesli. Instead of a simple dry cereal, it was premixed with cream and softened, then mixed with dried cherries, candied pecans, and Asian pears. And then topped with fresh berries for an extra kick. Delightful, and apparently a good choice, as my skydiving partner lost his Waffle House special somewhere around 2000 feet.

The Landmark. For years this was the famous Dunk 'n' Dine, affectionately known by the city's gay population as the Dunk 'n' Dyke, the place to be seen at 3 in the morning after an unsuccessful rough night of clubbing. I was disappointed about the name change but pleased to see that the restaurant had survived. The food was a step or two below the aformentioned Waffle House fare, but honestly, one goes for the atmosphere. After an excellent if underattended show by Leadcar Holiday at the Relapse, the Landmark's questionable hashbrowns hit the spot.

Prime. When I first heard there was a Prime in Lenox Mall I was ecstatic -- until I discovered it has absolutely no relationship with L.A. Prime, nor the Prime Steakhouse in the Bellagio in Vegas. By that time we had already made the reservations and decided to gamble. When we arrived, the restaurant did its best to discourage us... "Half price steaks before 6:30pm" with the specials on a laminated piece of paper. "We also serve sushi" in the menu. There were even tables open to the second floor promenade in Lenox Mall, in case you like the feeling of being in a food court while having your steak. All in all, I was greatly regretting having passed on Emeril's just up the street.

But I must admit they impressed me. The service and atmosphere were passing, but the food was surprising. The sushi menu was creative and well delivered; I had a salmon roll with roe and a dab of hot sauce. The rice, which is the mark of any sushi restaurant, was simply passing, but overall I was pleased with the course. The ribeye was approachable, and a definite steal for the price. My entree was sushi-grade salmon perfectly grilled to medium rare, served with white cheddar grits (yes, I love grits) and spinach sauteed in a sweet chili sauce. Another entree was two tempura lobster tails with a mild wasabi dipping sauce, served with an asian slaw that hinted of tahini. I've only had tempura lobster once before, from a true master, and while I can't say this reached those levels it was quite delicious.

Some Italian restaurant. Like an idiot, I failed to record the name of the Italian restaurant where we celebrated Ed's birthday. Guess I'll save the review for now, and just say that the company was worth the trip.

Cedars Lebanese. This was a real gem my father knew about on Lenox Road. With the "Lebanese" signs I was hoping for a new experiene, and I was somewhat disappointed with the simple decor and very straightforward Mediterranean menu. Luckily they delivered quite well on all fronts for a good dinner. Good hummous, excellent oversized greek salads, and fine kabobs. Strongly suggest the chicken kabobs, which were large portions, very tender, and standard lemon and parsley flavors; the beef kabobs unfortunately had the life cooked from them. I also enjoyed Almaza beer for the first time. Almaza is a crisp lager, not unlike Singapore's Tiger beer. It did seem out of place in a cool restaurant with hearty garlic dishes, and really needed a sweltering day with mouth-melting spicy dishes.

gone in sixty seconds

I'd want to say "words fail me" in describing my skydiving experience, but it's more like a manic rush of words fighting to get out. Lots of hurry up and wait. An entire subculture of tattooed jumpers who are beyond addicted, who work at the center so they can sneak in free jumps, a dozen a day or more. Their pictures are on the wall, some of them with six hundred jumps, some with nine thousand.

The twin-engine plane, probably a cessna, felt like it was pointed straight up, just grinding to get us high enough into the air. When we hit 14000 and leveled out, there was no ceremony, no green light -- the junkies in front rolled the door open and hopped out and they were gone.

We were tandem jumping, so I was strapped to one of those junkies, Brian. On the ground he asked how I wanted to exit. At this point, I'm in the "screw it" stage, so I said, "What's the most fun?" He grinned and said, "We're flipping!" For the flip, I kneel on the edge of the door, arms crossed, back arched. We will rock forward "ready", back "set", and forward "go" and that's it.

That's just how it happens, within seconds everyone in front of me is out of the plane except for another tandem pair. It takes them another three seconds, and then I'm positioning on the threshold, wondering what in the hell has possessed me. I look out, look down. Apparently at this point my soul leaves my body? I rock and I'm gone, spinning and completely disoriented and then suddenly laid out flat with the wind rushing and a sense of calm.

The sinking feeling isn't much worse than a high jump diving board -- it's gone before you know it, replaced with the fact that you're rushing 144mph (as recorded) through the air. We did some spins, but mostly I just gawked at the scenery and tried to shut off the various mental circuits that were overloading. After what felt like thirty seconds I pulled the cord and our canopy opened. That was much less jarring than I was suspecting, possibly because most of the impact was on the other jumper.

At this point, two new concerns arise. Brian has given me control, so I'm happy steering the chute. This involves a lot of swinging of the bodies around the bottom and can definitely induce motion sickness. Second, as the ground is coming into focus, in the last 1000-2000 feet, you start feeling afraid of heights again, which doesn't help.

A few late turns got us in the landing field at speed, and we had a perfect slide to end the dive. Overall, it's an amazing experience. I'm not rushing back tomorrow, but I'd definitely want any of my friends to try it, and I'd go along with them, to be sure.

Props to the ASC for taking such good care of us.