Feasting like royalty tonight with some great views of the city, fabulous wine and excellent food (bison prime rib).

I know Dennis (ulackfocus) loves fine wine so I thought it might be fun to start a food and wine thread.

 

French Provencal

luckily, i live in nyc and French Diners are one of our last true vestiges of a much better time. It's 2:49am and this is what I eat 2/3 nights a week as a "late night snack"...tonight was busy and he ran out of food by 2ish. generally, they keep cooking until 4/5 am. (Seats 11)....

 

We're trying a new place for us tonight - El Sitio Grill & Cafe, a South American style restaurant. Got a bottle that was recommended to me by the owner of Tewksbury wine to bring along.



It was a little spicy upon opening, but Andrea suggested decanting it for a day and rebottling it for several more. We'll see how it is tonight.

For after work relaxation, I've been having a glass from this bottle once in a while:



It's like liquid pecan pie with caramel and will keep in the fridge for a month or more.

 

Guilty dining pleasure? It would have to be chocolate for me!





The wonders of globalization and the internet mean that I can enjoy 2 of my hobbies /vices at the same time

.

 

Same here

 

Oooh, 99%, that's the hard stuff man...

That makes 3 of us chocoholics, I believe Dennis is one too! And BTW, nice Sinn

 

Yes, it's for those days when you need a power dose of chocolate .

For normal days I have other options, less strong but still delicious

 

Count me in as well - I have the same Lindt 99% and some others that are 100%. These go great with a nice glass of XO Cognac.

In terms of meals, well it's not fancy but given the low fat and low salt I have been eating for the last month, I celebrated 4 weeks of still being here by having a burger last night a Five Guys. Just the little burger, so only one patty, no cheese on it, and no fries! But it was good...my wife said I had a huge smile on my face...

 

Glad to see you're on the mend, Al!

And you're on the right track, chocolate is actually good for your heart, so indulge (in moderation of course)!

For me, I've found dark chocolate seems to pair well with some Chinese teas like the oolongs. Nice way to finish a meal, though chocolate is not exactly a traditional Chinese dessert.

Maybe we should start a WCRUE (What Chocolate Are You Eating) thread ...

 

Why yes, yes I am.

Try it with some port. I like it with Graham's 10 year tawny as a regular bottle, but it's good with vintage port too. Just opened a bottle of '85 Warre's last night and will wait a few days for it to breathe. Man, what a lot of sediment! With winter coming, I'll be stocking up on the good dark chocolate to go with my rack of port ('70 & '77 Graham's, '70 & '77 Taylor Fladgate, and '77 & '85 Dow's).

Chocolate goes with everything!!!!

 

Try it with some port. I like it with Graham's 10 year tawny as a regular bottle, but it's good with vintage port too. Just opened a bottle of '85 Warre's last night and will wait a few days for it to breathe. Man, what a lot of sediment! With winter coming, I'll be stocking up on the good dark chocolate to go with my rack of port ('70 & '77 Graham's, '70 & '77 Taylor Fladgate, and '77 & '85 Dow's).

I've had good luck with running a vintage port with a lot of sediment thru a wire tea strainer lined with a new paper coffer filter directly into a glass and let it open-up for at least a couple of hours.

 

I filter it most times too. Guess I have to let it air for a while longer before drinking it. I'll update this on the Warre's change after a few days for those who are interested.

 

When you open your bottle of Warre's and filter it, put an once in a glass and let it sit a couple of hours. Then compare the taste to what you experience after a few days in the air. Let me know what you think - please.

 

I love how this turned to a chocolate thread. We discovered salted dark chocolate at a winery in Sonoma about 10 years ago, but have only been buying from the local Whole Foods but it's been in the 55% area. We were given a chocolate sampler pack that had some darks up to 70%, which was excellent with a Cab. Would love to get some recommendations in the 65-75% range and where to order them off the net.

 

Haxnbauer in Munich, grilled knuckle of pork!





Check it out next time you find yourself in Munich... http://www.kuffler.de/en/haxnbauer.php

 

My favorite guilty dining pleasure is of the "high/low " nature.......as in high-brow / low-brow. The high is Champagne and the low is fried chicken. A perfect paring and nothing beats it! And, if you want to add in a little extra adventure........you can sprinkle in some Tabasco sauce! Be careful though, the extra heat will have you quaffing the Champagne!

 

For me, it would have to be that quintessentially British staple - roast beef with roast potatoes, roast parsnips, Yorkshire pudding and runner beans with plenty of gravy and a big dollop of fresh horse-radish sauce. Preceded by a couple of pints of London Pride as an appetiser, washed down with a decent Nuit St. George and finished off with some Stilton and crackers. As it is, I'm about to tuck into quiche and salad

 

Have you had your South London spies out on me this lunchtime Stewart?

Ahead of the beef were scallops and after it was Tiramisu with rum and raison ice cream

I'm horizontal on the sofa and feel full from my neck down.......diet starts tomorrow.

 

Sonia.