Food pairing for 2008 Road 13 Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne

A few weeks ago I bought a bottle of Road 13 (http://www.road13vineyards.com/index.php) Viognier, Roussane and Marsanne just to have on hand in case the need for a white wine presented itself. Just such an occasion presented itself on Christmas Eve as I was preparing that evening's dinner. I needed some white wine for my lentils that were to be served under maple syrup and balsamic vinegar glazed crispy pork belly with soft poached egg alongside a salad of assorted endives with a sweet-lemon tarragon dressing.

I opened the wine and not only did it seem more than adequate for my needs, it was abundantly clear that it would be a wonderful wine to drink with the meal too. It was bigger than I had anticipated. It had the fruit I expected, but it was also full and rounded, surprisingly so (at least to me) for a wine that has seen no oak whatsoever. It had the body to stand up to the lentils and pork belly, the acid to cut the fat in the pork belly and egg, and the fruit to work well with the salad. The pairing worked so well we left aside the bottle we had chosen for the evening (a fantastic Oregon Pinot) for another night. Chance (and Road 13 wine) treated us well that night.

Bandidas Taqueria

Those of you who either know me personally or read this blog regularly will be quite aware that we are about as far from vegetarians as you can get (don’t get me wrong, we eat plenty of vegetables, it’s just that we think pretty highly of meat), so the restaurant in this review may surprise you.

Yesterday, quite by accident, we happened into Bandidas Taqeria (http://bandidastaqueria.com/) on Commercial. We were driving around the neighborhood when Chris spotted it, and in the haze of hunger I thought I remembered reading something about it on another food blog recently, where it was proclaimed to have the best tacos in the city. I was incorrect. Very incorrect. We walked in, very clearly in the middle of a brunch rush (first clue I was wrong) and it took a few minutes before anyone acknowledged us. Eventually someone came over and added us to the acceptably short waiting list. But when we moved to the bar to peruse the menu, we made a shocking discovery. IT WAS A VEGETARIAN ‘taqueria’. That was the second and damning clue that this was not the place I was thinking of. How can one have a vegetarian taqueria? No carnitas, no al pastor, no pretty much anything I would have wanted to order. But it was too late: we had a good parking spot, a baby and all his gear, and it was too much work to go elsewhere. To his credit, Chris grumbled much less than I would have expected about the unhappy discovery.

The food came quickly, and it was hot. Both good things. Maybe it’s because we had low expectations, or maybe because we were starving, but the food was actually very tasty. I ordered the Dani’s enchiladas (filled with cheese and roasted squash) with the enchilada sauce, and Chris had the heuvas rancheras (sic). (Thankfully it isn’t a vegan restaurant! I never would have heard the end of it. Although they do offer vegan options for those of you who are interested.) The tortillas were the real star of my meal, and that is a compliment. I lived in the Yucatan, and I know good corn tortillas. The enchilada sauce was quite mild, but still quite flavorful, and there was just the perfect amount of cheese inside the enchiladas. I opted for the beans and rice as a side. The rice was a little dry, but the beans were as good as they can be without lard. I would have liked a little cilantro on top, but all in all I was pleasantly surprised and quite happy with my meal. Chris didn’t care for the roasted yams that came as a side with his meal, but liked the rest of plate well enough. Like me, he found the sauce (in his case the ranchera sauce) quite tasty, if a little mild.

Coffee refills were plentiful, overall service decent, and the clientele what you would expect on the drive, a wonderfully eclectic mix of all kinds of people. It was quite child friendly, although there was no real spot for diaper changes in the washrooms. I’m not sure we would go back: it’s not in our neighborhood, and given the baby, when we go out we like to maximize our restaurant experience. But I can happily recommend it as a great casual vegetarian option in the city, where even meat eaters might be happy they joined you for a meal.

2 thumbs.

Gort's Gouda and Maasdammer

A few weeks ago my mother drove out from Alberta to visit. Lucky for us, her route took her past Gort's Gouda Cheese Farm (http://www.gortsgoudacheese.bc.ca/index.cfm). Knowing me like she does, she thought I might enjoy some artisanal BC cheese (she was right of course), and so she stopped to check it out.

She brought us two cheeses, the aged gouda and the aged maasdammer. The gouda was spectacular. It is at once bold and strong and subtly nuanced in flavor. Mildly nutty, it equally at home on a cheese platter at a fancy dinner party or in a homey grilled cheese sandwich on a rainy day. I was proud to serve it recently to one of my foodie friends who was visiting from down south, who was quite surprised to find out it was a BC product. The maasdammer was milder, although still nutty. To me it had more green qualities, by that I mean only that it tasted like it had been made with spring milk, from cows eating new shoots. The quality of the milk was clearly evident in both cheeses, and it is the milk that I think makes these cheeses so unique; the cows eat well, and so their milk is rich and flavorful, resulting in cheeses full of local flavor.

Both were quite addictive, so if you are watching your calories or cholesterol, I suggest buying only a small block. (Buying none at all would be going too far.)
I am now on the look-out for their extra-aged gouda, which is one of my three favorite cheeses. I'll let you know what I think of that when I find it.

Road 13 Honest John's 2007 Red

This wine was an accidental opening. I had prepared some mussels with an italian-style wine and tomato sauce, frites with a lemon aioli, and a light salad for a late night (baby-free) meal. Alas, the wine I purchased to accompany the meal was bad, so we headed to the cellar to see what we could find. We decided on the Road 13 Honest John's 2007 (http://www.road13vineyards.com/index.php), a wine Chris purchased about a month ago, and which we were curious to taste.

A merlot blend, it immediately reminded me of Pétales d'Osoyoos from Osoyoos Larose; it had the same characteristic fruit and roundness of merlots from the area. However, as it opened up with more time and air, it became fuller, and unfortunately, a little rougher. It appears to have seen more oak, or more heavily toasted oak, than the Pétales d'Osoyoos. However, the oaking left the wine a little unbalanced; it began with lovely fruit, leading to toasted caramel, and finishing too quickly. We are in disagreement as to whether the lack of finish is real (Chris) or is due to the slightly overpowering toastiness that precedes it (me). Whatever the cause, this is not a wine to be lingered over. To be fair, however, this wine costs $10-$14 less than the Pétales d'Osoyoos, and we consider it to be a good value BC red at its price point.

Note: This was not a great pairing for the mussels, but we hadn't expected it to be. It would likely be quite nice with a grilled hanger steak or quality beef or buffalo burger.

Gray Monk Latitude 50 White 2007

This offering from Gray Monk on Okanagan lake (http://www.graymonk.com/WinePortfolio.php?art=67) is our latest favorite value wine from BC. Actually, it's probably our only favorite value wine from BC, and to tell the truth, we never would have tried it on our own. It's below the price point where we typically find things we like, but someone served it to us at a recent party, and we were very pleasantly surprised.*

This is not a serious wine, but it is pretty delicious for something that is well under $15.00. Typical of Okanagan whites, this blend has lots of tropical fruit, and some acidity. It goes well with Asian-style food, but it's very pleasant served on its own.


*I know that not all good wines are expensive, nor are all expensive wines good. But in general, the two are fairly correlated, and we take fewer risks with lower priced wines than we used to. Thankfully, not all of our friends think the same way, and so we still get the chance to try wines like this one from time to time.

Maenam

Rather unsurprisingly, having a newborn has had a significant impact on our ability to go out for dinner. Luckily, however, grandmothers, when they are around, love to look after babies, and a recent visit gave us a welcome night out. After some discussion, we decided to use our limited freedom to try out a new restaurant in our neighborhood - Maenam (http://www.maenam.ca/).

Maenam is in the space previously occupied by Gastropod, and is run by the same people. I must say that we were both much happier with their new venture than their old. (I am not a big fan of molecular gastronomy as it is often practiced in North America. In Spain…now that’s another matter entirely.) The space is not much changed. Yes, the actual décor is different, but the layout is the same (at least to my eyes). And it still has the same feeling - formal enough to make you feel like you’re in for something special, but yet casual enough to be inviting.

Importantly, Maenam lives up to the impression; the food and service were both excellent, and the prices are remarkably low given the high caliber of both. We both actually remarked more than once at the degree of dissonance we felt between the ambiance (including the very professional service) and the prices.

The quality of ingredients and care of preparation are clear in every dish. We ordered roti, house made fermented thai sausages, pad thai, David Thompson’s 3 flavour fish, smoked duck red curry, and rice. The roti, sausage, and pad thai arrived first. The sausage was very tasty. We were both somewhat apprehensive about what exactly a fermented sausage would be like, but be assured, there was nothing funky about it, just great complex flavor. The server warned us about the chili inside, suggesting that we remove it prior to eating the sausage. I was very glad I heeded her warning, but I was also glad that the chili had been in the preparation, as it added a wonderful heat to the sausage. (If you eat whole habaneros, you could probably leave the chilis in, but otherwise, I agree that they are best removed before eating.) I have read reviews gushing about the pad thai, and while we both thought it was tasty, it was not the highlight of the meal for us. It was, what pad thai should be. (I suppose maybe we’ve been lucky in our previous pad thai experiences - I can’t relate to the stories of gloppy thick or dry flavorless noodles that seem to accompany rhapsodies about Maenam’s pad thai.) The roti, by contrast, was undercooked, rather like a sticky gluey paste that had been warmed. The flavour was pleasant enough, but the texture was not. While we were eating the pad thai and roti, the fish, duck, and rice arrived at our table. The fish was my choice and I was very very happy with my selection. The ling cod was perfectly cooked, still moist, but with ultra crispy skin. And the salty, sweet, and sour flavours are perfectly balanced, all present, none stealing the spotlight from the others. I was less taken by the smoked duck curry, but that is more about my tastes than the quality of the dish, which was quite apparent; the duck was quite tasty, and the sauce was very complex and well crafted, with great depth of flavour without being overbearing.

We were both very happy with our experience, and definitely plan to return, something not true of our visit to Gastropod. If it were as expensive as Gastropod was, we would not be so enthusiastic, but as it is, it is great value for money. We highly recommend it.

4 happy thumbs.

BC Ferries...

No trip to British Columbia is complete without a visit to Vancouver Island, and for most people, that means taking a ferry. In the interests of public service, on a recent trip over to see relatives I decided to sample and report back on some of the food available. I should disclose that I am an island girl, and so have eaten many a meal on the ferries over the years. Thus, I have some nostalgia for the classics, in particular, the clam chowder. The clam chowder I remember was red, tangy, and nicely laced with chopped clams, and potato and carrot cubes. It is still red, but it seems less tangy, and a little less filled with goodies. More disappointing, however, was the new thickness of the chowder. It seems to contain a great deal of cornstarch now. Manhattan style chowder is not supposed to stick to your spoon, or so I thought. Also troubling, they were temporarily out of packets of saltines. One of my favorite things to do as a child on the ferry was to crush the cracker package, neatly breaking the crackers into bits which were then easily poured into the soup, a pleasure I was denied on this trip.

I also sampled the one of the new burgers. I say new because when I last traveled the ferries on a regular basis the burgers were typical institutional burgers, whereas now they are from Whitespot. This happy fact actually gave me some enthusiasm for my task - what child growing up in BC doesn't love Pirate Packs! Add to that the fact that one of my uncles appeared in a Whitespot TV ad in the 80's and I was ready to love my burger. I ordered a legendary burger with cheese combo, and upgraded to the sweet potato fries. Despite being the only person in line at the time, I had to wait several minutes for my burger. I was unperturbed, because at least that should mean it was fresh, or so I thought. As it turned out, the patty was so overcooked as to almost be burnt, and yet it was cold. The fries were piping hot, however, as was the chipotle mayo they were served with (spicy hot that is). Truth be told, however, the state of the hamburger patty didn't bother me tremendously (I have rather low expectations of ferry food), as the sauce on the burger was just as delicious I remembered it. There is something special about successfully reliving a happy childhood food memory, and the burger did that for me. And the sweet potato fries were actually pretty good for food prepared in a floating institutional kitchen - a little soggy, and the chipotle mayo was more heat than flavor, but they could have been much much worse.

Travel tip: If, like me, you are not a fan of Starbucks coffee, you might want to know that there is a Saltspring Island coffee stand in terminal at Tsawwassen. It's at the other end of the building from Starbucks.

2 thumbs up.

2005 Laughing Stock Portfolio

We opened this last night to go with some fabulous aged rib-eye steaks that Chris grilled. They were simply seasoned with salt and pepper, and served with a vinegarette potato salad and fresh corn on the cob. Wonderful pairing. The wine was nicely structured and well balanced with soft tannins, good acidity, and what I call light fruit. We drink a lot of California Cabs and Meritages which have a tendency toward big, massive fruit. Not so the Portfolio. Although there were definite flavors of cherry and current, we were not overcome by the fruit. And as strange as this may sound to some, it was clear that this was something made from grapes. I rarely get any sense of grape in wine, and when I do, it tends to be a sweet, almost artificial grapeness. That was not the sensation I had drinking this wine. Rather, it was more of a ghost of grape, a subtle reminder of origins, rather than an actual flavor. (Clearly something hard for me to describe.) The wine had a surprising amount of sediment given that it was a 2005, so I would definitely recommend decanting.

http://www.laughingstock.ca/

Dinner at Rangoli

Last Saturday evening our out-of-town guests wanted Indian cuisine, and we wanted to show them something uniquely Vancouver, with the constraint that the destination had to be baby-friendly. Rangoli was the obvious choice (http://www.vijsrangoli.ca/index.html). It was a beautiful evening, but unfortunately, we had to sit inside as the patio was already full by just after 5 when we arrived. However, this was our only disappointment that evening.

We started with four shared appetizers: the savory chaat, the lamb, beef, and lentil kebabs, the sautéed tomatoes and purple onions, and the cauliflower, spinach, onion and potato pakoras. All four were very tasty (not a scrap was left on any of the plates), but my personal favorite was the sautéed tomatoes, purple onions, and paneer. It had buttery undertones that give it a lovely richness. And it went marvelously with the Joie Riesling I was drinking.

For mains I chose the tamarind and yogurt marinated grilled chicken, and Chris had the spiced and marinated tilapia. Our guests had the beef and broccoli in spicy onion-tomato masala and the grilled eggplant with chick peas. The chicken was very flavorful with only a light bit of spice. The sprout salad it was served with crunchy and fresh, the legumes only slightly sprouted. Chris’s tilapia was a perfect example of what Vij does best, take Indian techniques and spices and marry them with unusual ingredients. It was creamy and flavorful, yet with a lightness befitting tilapia. Our guests’ dishes were also well received, although one wished that the beef and broccoli (a combination that I assume was inspired by/in homage to the large east asian population here in Vancouver) had been served with rice.

We ended our meal with chai and dessert, all of us opting for the same coconut pudding. It was a fairly thin pudding with great fresh coconut flavor, which, for those unfamiliar with fresh coconut, is quite different from what many in North America think of as coconut; it is much less sweet, intense, and overpowering than dried coconut, even when unsweetened. It was a nice summery dessert, although I think that in winter I might like something a bit more substantial.

Rangoli also sells packaged meals, and I purchased several on our way out the door. They are now sitting in our freezer for days when we don’t have time to cook. I will report on these as we eat them.

My one real complaint about the place is the lack of any place to change diapers. There are no changing tables in the washrooms, and the countertops are too narrow to use. It is a very family-friendly restaurant, and so I find this quite disappointing. Vancouver is a town full of young families, many of whom (at least among our friends and acquaintances) are eager to expose their children to a variety of food experiences (and do not want to stay home all the time simply because they have children). For this reason only I'm giving Rangoli 3 thumbs, (2 from Chris, 1 from me).

Wine and Asparagus - Joie 2007 Dedication Pinot Blanc

This past weekend after a day trip to Whistler with some out-of-town guests, I was charged with making dinner. The only constraints: it had to be quick to prepare as we arrived home rather late, and it had to include asparagus, as one of our guests had gifted me with several bunches of it.

I decided on penne with a cream sauce with asparagus, proscuitto, onion, garlic, and parmesan, served with garlic bread and a simple green salad, a quick and simple dinner. The wine selection proved more difficult. Asparagus is notoriously difficult to pair with wine. However, ‘difficult’ does not mean ‘impossible’; it simply means that some thought is required in making a wine selection. Chris’ choice for the evening was a 2007 Dedication Pinot Blanc from Joie (http://www.joie.ca/index.htm). It was a perfect choice – classic fruit on the nose, but not sweet, some minerality to complement the asparagus, and enough acid to handle the cream in the sauce. Happily, we bought a few bottles of this when it was released a few months back (the website says that they’re sold out). I suggest that if you find some in your local store, you buy it then and there, because you may not see it again.



‘Recipe’: I cut the asparagus up into two inch pieces and blanched it. I sautéed chopped onion until soft, added sliced proscuitto and chopped garlic, then after another 1-2 minutes of sautéing, the asparagus, and salt and pepper. Then a little chicken stock and some half and half went into the pan until warm. Off the heat, the sauce was finished off with a generous handful of parmesan, and some fresh lemon juice. The salad was spares: some romaine, green onion, and red pepper. It was simply dressed with good quality olive oil mixed with fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper, and then finished with a drizzle of Venturi-Schulze balsamic vinegar (http://www.venturischulze.com/Vinegar/index.php?page_id=vinegar).

I'm back!

Like the nice weather, I'm back in Vancouver. However, my life has changed quite drastically since last summer: my husband and I welcomed our son to the world on May 6. I anticipate that this will affect the frequency of posts this summer, as well as the content. Expect fewer restaurant reviews, and more information on stores and reports on BC foods and BC wine pairings from meals at home.

Black Widow Winery Single Vineyard Pinot Gris, 2007

Sorry for the absence of posts recently; I haven't forgotten the blog, I just haven't been up to BC for a few months. But summer's getting closer, and with it more regular visits. In the meantime, here's some thoughts on a BC wine that we opened this evening.

This evening I made a quick and simple chicken dijon stew with pearl onions, baby carrots, and snap peas, served over long grain rice. The richness of the sauce cried out for something crisp and mineraly. Chris looked in the cellar and pulled out something from a winery I discovered on our trip to the bench two summers ago - Black Widow Winery (http://www.blackwidowwinery.com/index.html). The Single Vineyard Pinot Gris (2007) he chose was the perfect accompaniment. A blend of barrel and steel fermentation means the wine has nicely balanced acidity that was wonderful alongside the stew. It cut through the richness of the butter and allowed the natural sweetness of the carrots and pearl onions to shine through. Needless to say, we were very happy with the wine choice of the evening.

Poplar Grove 2007 Pinot Gris and Comox Brie

Last night was another fun dinner at home with friends featuring some BC cheese and wine I thought I’d share. We started off with some Comox Brie (www.naturalpastures.com/awards), pepper pate, and some of the spiced pickled Fraser Valley blueberries I made in the summer (bcfoodandwineadventures.blogspot.com/2008/07/fraser-valley-berries.html). I’ll just come clean and admit I love Comox Brie. I don’t know if it’s because I lived in Comox as a teenager, or because I love good brie. Probably a little bit of both. It’s creamy and rich and was just lovely with the Poplar Grove 2007 Pinot Gris (www.poplargrove.ca) we served to start.

At the table we began with French de puys lentils finished with white wine, shallots, orange, and tarragon and topped with a salad of baby spinach and proscuitto tossed with a tarragon, orange, and white balsamic vinaigrette. This dish was what the Pinot Gris was intended for, and the pairing worked really well. The wine is clean and crisp and yet with what I can only describe as round fullness and body, without the tropic fruit one often gets on the bench. The food and wine were a perfect balance.

We moved on to herb encrusted roast BC beef tenderloin with a beef stock, red wine and shallot reduction, served alongside italian roasted vegetables and roasted garlic mashed Yukon gold potatoes. The meat was purchased from The Butcher on West 10th (www.thebutcher.ca), a local store I can’t say enough about; their quality and service are exceptional. Chris selected a Poliziano 1999 Asinone (Montepulciano) to serve with the main course, which was absolutely delicious, and worked very well with the meal.

Desert was a simple chestnut panna cotta with a chocolate ganache sauce, whipped cream, raspberries, and mint, and a moscato d’asti.

Hopefully this sets your mouth to watering, and your mind to thinking about all the wonderful meals you can make with BC foods and wines.