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VIDEO ADVENTURE
I don't know how familiar you are with the SYMS discount clothing store. They aired lots of TV commercials in the northeast back in the 80's (along with the Crazy Eddie commercials). I really appreciated SYMS' tag line: "an educated consumer is our best customer" and, to this day, I am a firm believer of that. Well, I don't know how SYMS is doing this days but I am going to borrow their concept in my own way.
Starting soon I will be publishing educational videos to cover every conceivable area of interest. Off the top of my head I am thinking wines: how to read labels, how to taste wines, how to select wines, wine regions from around the world, etc. I am also thinking cooking: knife skills, cooking techniques, recipes, etc.
If you have any subjects of interest please let me know. In the mean time I am working on the technical aspects of video clip production and posting. |
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In my quest for new wines I am coming across some fantastic ones. This week I am very excited to introduce two fantastic wines from Spain. One is an old acquaintance: The Carchelo Red Blend from Jumilla; and the other one is an outrageous new acquaintance: the 2006 Numanthia Tinta de Toro from the Toro region.
NUMANTHIA TINTA DE TORO, TORO, SPAIN BOTTLE $82
100% Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo clone). Sourced from 4 vineyards located on the south bank of the Duero River in Toro. The vines are 70 to 100 year old, 2,300 ft. in elevation. Aged for 19 months in new French oak barrels. Only 350 cases produced. Rated 93 by Wine Spectator.
Deep dark bright red with light ruby tones. Intense and complex aroma. There are several layers of aromatics in this lively nose: first some extremely intense notes of red and black fruits (black sherries, raspberries, redcurrants and cassis), perfectly integrated with sweet spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper) vanilla and toasted characters. On the mouth, impressive fruit expression, concentrated and velvety tannins, leading to a velvety and lively full body mouth-feel. Long and elegant on the finish with an extremely wide range of aromas, like dark fruits, cocoa, toasted and spicy notes, highlights the complexity and handcraft character of this wine.
CARCHELO "C", JUMILLA, SPAIN BOTTLE $32
The fashionable styling of the label here reinforces the fact that Spanish wines have come a long way recently. Made in the arid south-east, with a blend of Monastrell, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this is a full-bodied, well-structured, modern red, with masses of big, dark fruit flavors held together by a spicy finish. Recommended for roast meats or game, but also fantastic with red sauces and cheeses.
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CALLING ALL FRENCH WINE LOVERS
I am also venturing into the world of French wine where I am looking at some great Bordeaux (left bank primarily, for now), Rhone, and Chateauneuf du Pape. If there are any wines, regions, appelations and/or chateaus that you love please let me know. |
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OUR SPECIALS ARE ON LINE
We are now paying a lot of attention to keeping our website and Facebook pages up to date. We are regularly posting our specials menus and special events. Please go to our website to check out our regular menu, our Tapas menu and our Weekly Specials menu:
MEZZANOTTE WEBSITEAnd/or go to our Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook logos at the top of this page or in the colummn to the left. |
VALENTINE'S IS COMING!
Yes, Valentine's is around the corner again. And to celebrate we will be offering a special menu on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Yes, we
will be open on Sunday because I know that some of you will want to celebrate early and others would want to celebrate on the exact day. The menu and all the details are coming soon but I just wanted to alert you that you will have the choice of 3 days to celebrate! |
NEW STAFF ON BOARD!
We have been in a hiring mode for the last few weeks but I think we are already done! You will be seeing new faces everywhere. We have two new hostesses, three new servers, a new bartender and a new person in the kitchen. This week we are profiling the kitchen where we have hired a new intern to help in the "garde manger" area. I love to use the word Garde Manger because it sounds very fancy - it actually is simply the area where all the "cold stuff" is prepared like salads and desserts.
So...our new Garde Manger person is Sandra (Sandy) Richerand:
Sandy just graduated from the Culinary Institute of Guadalajara, Mexico where she spent 3 1/2 years of studies. She will be with us until May when she will be going to Paris, France, to continue her culinary career.
We are very happy with all our new additions and we expect they will contribute to improve our service and quality even further. |
