The Damn News... 1/21/2010
NFL Playoffs ...Edition
Back in stock!!!
Plungerhead Zinfandel Old Vine Lodi 2007 is a medium-plum colored. This wine is very forward with rich and sappy French oak notes, with ripe raspberry and bramble notes up front. The core of the wine is very robust with dark fruit including black cherry and cassis followed by generous and integrated spice flavors of star anise, cardamom, licorice with ample coffee flavors on the backside which finishes with the classic old vine, resinous finish.
One of my favorite recipes!
Marinated Goat Cheese
2-3 large chevres (goat cheese)
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon mixed white, black, and green peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
3 large cloves of garlic, cut into slivers
3 tablespoons slivered fresh basil
1 tablespoon dried pink peppercorns…if you can’t find this use
more mixed peppercorns!
Place the cheese on an ovenproof platter. Heat the oil, bay leaves, mixed peppercorns, and dried thyme in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until you hear the mixture begin to sizzle and pop. Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the cheese. Scatter the slivered garlic in the marinade and sprinkle with the basil and pink peppercorns. Let marinade in the refrigerator overnight to firm up the cheese. Bring to room temperature before serving. Warm up in a skillet or oven for a few minutes and spread on a crusty baguete....don't forget to mop up some of the oil....mmmmmm!
Friday and Saturday tastings 1-6 PM
Friday, January 22, 2010
Bock Beer
Plank Heller Weizenbock
Aroma is sweet fruits, sweet malts and a hint of spice. The taste is loads of sweet fruit with a hint of sourness and mild spice. The beer is on the heavy side of medium with smooth carbonation. This is certainly an enjoyable Weizenbock.
$4.99 single
Spaten Optimator
Aromas are faint and malty. Tastes malty in general a light chocolate flavor followed with some very faint fruitiness and alcohol spiciness. Feels good on the palate with a light tickling of carbonation and an oily finish.
$7.99 6pack
Paulaner Salvator
The smell and taste were thick with dark fruit soaked in alcohol, with the flavor being much more pronounced than the aroma. The feel was smooth, with a nice biting bitter finish. The color is beautiful, the flavor is sweet and delicious, and it's versatile enough to feel warming in cold weather and refreshing on a hot day.
$8.99 6pack
Celebrator Dopplebock
The smell was great and it kept that nice sweet bock smell. The taste was very malty and complex with hints of caramel and chocolate, but never overbearing. Incredibly smooth feeling, almost velvety.
$11.99 4pack
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Smooth Wine
Three Winds Pinot Noir 2008
Red fruit and hints of spice on the nose. Plenty of structure. Soft tannins give this medium bodied wine a classic Syrah palate. Subtle oak nuances help to smooth out the long finish.
$10.99
Monte Oton Garnacha 2008
Black raspberry and cracked pepper on the nose, plus a hint of rose. Tangy, focused red berry flavors show good energy and betray no rough edges. The spicy note repeats on the nicely persistent, juicy finish.
$9.99
Paso a Paso Tempranillo 2007
Fragrant aromas of mineral, scorched earth, and blackberry. The wine has a big core of fruit with enough structure to evolve for 1-2 years. This is a savory, lengthy effort.
$10.99
Inventory Reduction Specials!!!
Over 50 wines on sale for pennies over cost!!!
Club Member Specials
Vina La Rosa Chardonnay 750ml - 20% off
Terrai Syrah - 20% off
Martin Codax Albarino 750ml - 20% off
Rocca Della Macie Chianti Classico Riserva 750ml - 20% off
S Rhodes Claret 750ml - 20% off
Smirnoff Cocktails 750ml - 15% off
Don Q Anejo - 15% off
Seagram’s VO Gold 750ml - 15% off
Bacardi Flavors 750ml - 15% off
Finlandia Flavors 750ml - 15% off
In The Cheese Shop
It's unavoidable ...advice from Men's Health Magazine
Forget about eating tasteless processed cheese
....full fat Cheese is actually good for you!
If you're going to eat cheese, it should be the fat-free or low-fat kind. Trouble is, that usually limits your choices to mass-produced, vacuum-sealed cheeses that have had much of their flavor sucked out along with the fat. So it's hardly an appetizing proposition. And for what real benefit? Fewer calories and a lower risk of heart disease? Not so fast.
"The combination of protein and fat in regular, full-fat cheese is very satiating," says Alan Aragon, a nutritionist in Westlake Village, California, and the Men's Health Weight-Loss Coach. "As a result, eating full-fat cheese holds your appetite at bay for hours, and I've found that it cuts down my clients' food intake at subsequent meals." Aragon's advice: Enjoy snacks of full-fat cheese especially if you're on a diet. "Just don't eat it mindlessly," he says.
And if you're worried about your cholesterol, chew on this: Danish scientists found that when men ate a whopping 10 daily 1-ounce servings of full-fat cheese for 3 weeks, their LDL (bad) cholesterol didn't budge. Which isn't to say you should live on the stuff—just that you don't need to fear it. Full-fat cheese can be a healthy snack and a great way to make a bland meal taste better. "Cheese is the new wine," says Terrance Brennan, chef and owner of Artisanal Fromagerie, Bistro & Wine Bar and Picholine restaurant, both in New York City. "There are thousands of different aromas, textures, and flavor profiles."
So look beyond the singles and strings and into the gourmet cheese section of your supermarket (or shop online at artisanalcheese.com), and use our guide to discover the best cheeses you aren't eating.
Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/health_benefits_of_full_fat_cheese/index.php#ixzz0cKq6rkug
NEW IN THE CHEESE SHOP
Mozzarella di Bufala
Buffalo-milk Mozzarella has a soft and springy texture with signs of leafing. The color is porcelain white and has a delicate aroma. It is well worth the extra time and cost of seeking it out. Italian Mozzarella is produced in small, almost oval-shaped balls and it is stored in bowls or in sealed bags of whey. The texture of the young cheese is quite elastic and supple and can be sliced reasonably easily. As it ripens, it becomes rather softer. It also increases in flavor. Tomatoes are out of season but Roasted Red Peppers home made or out of the jar are just as good with a bit of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil ...it is also fantastic on home made pizza!
Speaking of Pizza ....Anchovies
....these guys are great!
St. Felicien is a soft-ripened cheese made from raw cow's milk. Don't let it's mild appearance through you off though. This is a big cheese in a little crock.
Saint Félicien is a French gourmet cheese that was originally made around 1950 by a cheese maker in Lyon but is now primarily made in the Dauphiné region of France. It is made of cow's milk, is very rich, but as it is small, it is easy to eat. It is a semi-soft cheese that has a maturing time between 2 and 6 weeks. Many people say that the St. Félicien cheese tastes similar to St. Marcellin, but slightly less strong, and tastes slightly nutty. Saint Félicien cheese is a perfect end-of-the-meal cheese, and is generally served as part of a cheeseboard selection.
Montbriac is a blue cheese although the blue veining is minimal. Some writers describe it as a blue Brie perhaps because it is round and only about an inch in height with a creamy interior. But it is smaller than Brie weighing a little over 1 pound with a higher fat content and a more luscious texture. Some call it a double cream but it is not; it just tastes like one. Double-cream cheeses have a minimum fat content of 60 percent and Montbriac can only claim 55 percent. Traditional Brie by comparison is 45 percent fat. Montbriac is coated with gray ash and quickly becomes splotched with powdery white mold. The wheels are matured for perhaps two to four weeks becoming runny when ripe. The interior is the color of clotted cream with scattered specks -- you can't really call it veining -- of blue mold. The aroma suggests mushroom celery and garlic; the texture is supple silky and smooth. The flavor is subtle rather salty with just enough blue-mold character to make it interesting.
Cahill's Irish Porter
Cahill's Irish Porter Cheese....Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this adventurous porter farm house cheddar cheese. This is the only cheese produced in the heart of County Limerick. The milk comes from the Friesian herd located on the 64 acre farm of Dave and Marion Cahill, just a mile outside the town. Marion... This brown waxed gourmet cheese truckle is the original and definitive Irish Plain Porter Cheese. Each brown waxed truckle is individually handcrafted with plain Irish porter, brewed by Guinness in their Dublin at their Dublin premises since 1759. This cheese is perfect as an hors D’Oeuvre when sliced and served with a tossed salad. It is equally as good when served as a centre piece on an after dinner cheese board.
Old Quebec Vintage Cheddar
Aged over three years.
Old Quebec Vintage Cheddar is a traditionally aged Canadian cheddar made in Quebec. This cheese is cured a minimum of three years and is sold with labels showing actual production month and year (vintage). Actual age of this cheese will range between three and four years and occasionally, longer.
Making excellent cheddar is a blend of science and art. The cheese maker needs to know the science and also be able to adjust for slight variations in the milk, due to climate, feed, and/or pasture conditions. Old Quebec's unique production process allows the cheese maker to craft the cheddar on an individual vat basis so that the natural flavors of the milk can develop. The milk for Old Quebec Vintage Cheddar is "heat treated," which controls the bacteria but does not eradicate the natural healthy lactic bacilli. These bacilli are necessary to create the acidic flavor that many people associate with sharp cheese. Low moisture allows the long aging process to create the depth of flavor that is characteristic of this cheddar: quality cannot be rushed! Following manufacture, the cheddar is allowed to rest for nine to twelve months, after which it is graded on the basis of texture, flavor, aroma, and color. Because of the low moisture level the cheese will be crumbly and occasionally have some salt-like crystals. The premium vats are selected for export to Lancaster County, PA to continue maturing. At two years of age the cheese is re-graded with the best cheese receiving at least an additional one-year aging time. This develops into the super sharp Old Quebec Vintage Cheddar. Old Quebec Vintage Cheddar has a crisp, clean flavor with an appealing sharpness that stimulates the taste buds. At times there is a pleasing hint of fruit or even caramel. Because of the care and time we invest in grading the cheese and subsequent maturation, Old Quebec Vintage Cheddar is distinctively robust and truly unique.
Bottles to try this month!
Four Juicy wines from California and Australia are on this month.
6th Sense Syrah from Michael and David Phillips (the guys that make the 7 Deadly Zins) is a brooding raspberry flavored Syrah with a hint of wild berries. $16.99
Terra Barossa Cuvee is a unique blend that balances some dark fruit flavors with a hint of Huckleberry taffy. $16.99
Catapult is a hedonistic style of Aussie wine that could be mistaken for a Cabernet. Black fruits, immense tannins and a hefty mouthfeel. $19.99
Sausal Zinfandel is a classic California Zin, brambly black raspberry with a hint of raisiny sweetness. $19.99
Cheers,
Monty
Need a map to find us scroll down to bottom of page!
$42.99 Patron Silver
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Link to the Artisan Cheese Shop
and Wild West Steaks and Seafood
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We wanted to thank all of you that shopped with us over the holidays it was an experience! More cheese is coming in this week for New Years along with and even wider range of specialty foods and meats! |
If you like pure delicious hand crafted chocolate
...Amano is the bomb and should be in this afternoon!
This Choclatier gets a ton of good press from the critics.
To our amazement after tasting this assortment the entire staff agrees
that Amano exceeds the press ....if Chocolate is your thing
don't miss this! ...$6.95 a bar!
For more info on spirits, wine and beer try the links below!
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Links to Recipes @ Wild West Steaks & Seafood
Steaks Seafood Chicken Burgers & Chili Salads & Sides
Pork Desert Pasta
Have problems with directions
here's a map to help!
Store Hours
Monday - Thursday 9AM - 9 PM
Friday - Saturday 9AM - 10 PM
Sunday 10AM - 6 PM
Its a big damn sky!
Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon
Credit & Copyright: Chris Kotsiopoulos & Anthony Ayiomamitis (TWAN)
Explanation: What's happened to the Sun? The Moon moved to partly block the Sun for a few minutes last week as a partial solar eclipse became momentarily visible across part of planet Earth. In the above single exposure image, meticulous planning enabled careful photographers to capture the partially eclipsed Sun well posed just above the ancient ruins of the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, Greece. Unexpectedly, clouds covered the top of the Sun, while a flying bird was caught in flight just to the right of the eclipse. At its fullest extent from some locations, the Moon was seen to cover the entire middle of the Sun, leaving the surrounding ring of fire of an annular solar eclipse. The next solar eclipse -- a total eclipse of the Sun -- will occur on 2010 July 11 but be visible only from a thin swath of the southern Pacific Ocean and near the very southern tip of South America.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html