Bites and Bolts

Foley vineyard, originally uploaded by jmayer1129.

Built next door to the winery building in 2005, Foley’s large tasting room and event center is built with the consumer in mind. Don’t let the gravel parking lot fool you; everything here is polished and new. The front patio and lawn area offer a breezy spot to stop for a lingering lunch. The tasting room houses a substantial collection of culinary goods and gifts hoping to appeal to wine-drinking clientele.

The bar is an elongated U-shape that juts out of the right side of the airy room. The bartenders were generous with their pours, starting off the tasting with an off-menu 2007 Pinot Gris. Aged seven months in stainless steel, it had a very slight gold color and very thin veins. The nose was equally as light as the hue-a hint of mango and a very soft sweet citrus taste with a tiny short kick of spice to finish it off.

Another stainless steel fermented selection, the ’07 Chardonnay with a release date of March 2008 and was made completely from Clone 76 of their Rancho Santa Rosa vineyard. Light shown through the subtly gold wine and had a bit more flavor than the Pinot Gris. It started with a peach nose and quickly moved into a somewhat liquorish citrus zest and a continuing burn.

The 2006 Rancho Santa Rosa Chardonnay was released in October 2007 after 10 months on French oak(39% new) and malolactic fermentation. This wine was made from a mix of clones 4, 76, and 96. This Chardonnay exhibited a genuine gold color and a citrusy fragrance that disappeared from the main light toasty taste in my mouth and was followed by a prolonged dry finish.

Up to this point, all of the wines were produced with grapes from Foley’s estate Rancho Santa Rosa vineyards. Winemaker Alan Phillips created a fresh tasting dry rosé with equal parts Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault. The Syrah came from Foley’s vineyards, while the Grenache and Cinsault were sourced from Fess Parker’s Camp Four Vineyard in the eastern Santa Ynez Valley. The color was beautiful-a lucid peach with a dash of rose. A peachy nose displays touches of ripe strawberries and juicy watermelon and these diluted flavors play for an instant on the tongue only to disappear into a short crisp finale.

Two reds were left to finish off the tasting menu. First up was the 2006 Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir. A medium cranberry, this selection contained a few small strands of yeast floating about. The nose was quite light with hints of cassis and oak mixed in with ripe berries. Once in the mouth, the bulk of flavor circles around a jolt of peppery spice with a cascading short finish.

The 2006 Syrah, also from Foley’s Rancho Santa Rosa vineyard exhibited a bright blood red color. Aromas of oak combined with dark plum and black cherries with a touch of fresh churned butter. The wine had dense mouth feel as a rush of fresh cracked black pepper was prominent throughout, lingering after the liquid was gone.

The Foley property certainly is new and spacious offering up a selection of wines typical for the region. I felt that their wines were easy to drink and might pair equally well with a variety of foods. For the casual drinker looking for citrusy whites and lighter reds, Foley may be a good option.

My tasting was: $10 including a Riedel logo glass

Foley Estates Vineyard & Winery

6121 E Highway 246

Lompoc, CA 93436

http://www.foleywines.com/

In an attempt to procrastinate from updating this blog even more(apparently, yes that’s possible), I have decided to sign up for Gmail Labs. In all reality, there’s minimal time commitment involved, as Google simply allows you to select experimental features you’d like to incorporate into your email.

The newest feature sent a jolt of joy through my heart; it’s a feature Google calls Tasks. As every proper prolonger knows, a to-do list is the godsend of godsends. I’ll get around to doing it, eventually 5 minutes before I need to. As long as it’s on the list, it’ll get taken care of. See this paper here? *pointing* I got you covered.

Now, my to-do list is in my face on Gmail, everytime I need to be reminded to get the heck off Gmail/GChat and on to more productive things. What’s also sweet in a perfectionistic OCD way is that you can also convert emails into tasks like, “Write that one person back sometime” so I can relinquish my habit of leaving mail as new which bugs the broccoli out of my OCD side saying that I have new mail when clearly I’ve already read it.

And as if that’s not enough, Google was cute enough to actually put a strike through all checked off boxes in the Tasks box. So my “Wipe Nose” task? Totally done. Checked. Line through it. God, I feel like I’ve accomplished so much today.

Here’s an actual useful piece of information: Useful piece of information about Gmail Labs.

It was the first weekend of June and my appetite for wine-tasting was whetted by my recent Los Olivos Wine Trail trip. I decided to venture up a bit along the Santa Rita Hills area. The first stop on the itinerary was Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards. The winery signs in Santa Rita Hills aren’t always the biggest or most well placed, so after a safe U-turn, I was headed up Drum Canyon Rd towards a large forest green and red accented barn. With a well-trimmed green lawn in front and the title, “Dierberg * Star Lane” underneath their star logo on the face of the structure, I knew we had arrived.

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The heat has been undeniable lately and I’ve been holding my breath hoping for autumn to finally set in. This week’s weather has fooled me into thinking I’m still living in Phoenix with 90 degree weather in the San Fernando Valley. Late this week the Santa Ana winds whipped up around the house, mimicking the moisture sucking heat best attributed to a hair dryer.

Last night, we all heard news of the fires in Montecito and knew that it was only a matter of time before LA County was once again on fire. From my backyard in Sylmar, I have a great vantage point of the foothills. Tonight, around 11pm PST fires boke out again for the 2nd time this year.

Helicopters blinking lights can be seen flying amidst the illuminated smoke as the flames die down only momentarily until the wind breathes new life into them. Here are a few shots I captured with my feeble lens(maybe it’s time to invest in a zoom lens):

Beginning Sylmar Fire

Sylmar Fire Progresses

Open till 7pm, Wild Heart Winery is one of the last rooms to close, set back a bit from Grand Ave. Alhough tastings here are usually $10, we were invited in with a $2 off coupon. The tasting room itself was shady and clean with a very large L-shaped bar made to handle many guests. There was a good amount of retail merchandise being sold in the way of jewelry and trinkets laid out in cleverly designed display cases built into the wine bar.

At the end of May, the tasting menu consisted of 4 whites and 3 reds. The bartender informed us that they source all of their grapes.

First on the list was a 2006 Viognier, an almost clear selection with a light oak aroma with equally light butter taste overwhelmed by a very abrupt alcoholic finish. The ’06 Tropique du Pinot, a Pinot Blanc, was also nearly crystal clear with a pineapple nose that melds into light oak with a short finish.

Devoid of color, the ’06 Viognier Reserve smelled gently of oak and fresh peaches with hardly any detectable body and an ending of alcohol. The last of the whites, ’07 Soleil Cabernet Sauvignon had just a ghost of golden color. A mostly sweet nose of red berries (think strawberry and raspberry) blended with a citrus body that ended as quickly as it began.

Heart’s dark ’05 Ghost Red comes from Paso Robles, a blend of Merlot, Malec, and Petite Syrah. An initial sugary sweet nose gives way to a deep red berry core with a strong liquor taste.

The Joie Rouge is an anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon aged in oak since 2002. Undoubtedly, the best of the entire tasting, its caramel nose follows through with a smooth full-bodied toast flavor.

Possibly because of the stark contrast between the Cabernet preceding it, I couldn’t stomach finishing the last of the wines, the ’06 Vivace Refosco, the 1^st Italian grape Wild Heart has bottled. The deep purple red of the wine delivered empty promises with a body tasting largely of equal parts grape juice and rubbing alcohol with a harsh burning end.  

After pouring out the remaining 06 Vivace, we were asked if we’d like to revisit anything which was kind considering the breakneck speed at which we (along with the rest of the room) were being served. We politely declined considering our major disappointment with most of the wines. Perhaps Wild Heart will have some potential in the future, but for now it seems that they’re rushing out a vastly unpolished product.

My tasting was: $8 with coupon(normally $10) for 7 wines including a logo glass

Wild Heart Winery

2933 C Grand Ave 

Los Olivos, CA 93441

Click here for a larger map

If you read food blogs, you’ve no doubt seen the Foodbuzz badges adorning many of them. What is Foodbuzz? According to them, it’s “…the first-ever community site devoted exclusively to food and dining content—an unparalleled resource for searching, surfing and sharing with fellow foodies everywhere.”

Of course there are a multitude of food-oriented sites out there, including big social networking sites like Yelp.com and the ever informative Chowhound.com boards. Technically, Yelp isn’t dedicated soley to food reviews although they make up a popular majority. Still, there’s no way to incorporate photos into reviews, there’s a 5,000 word limit on posts, and an ever involved social popularity contest to contend with. And Chowhound’s profiles are simply short member bios leaving all reviews and recipes to be posted on the boards.

So what’s a potential food lover to do these days? Start your own blog.

Choosing to publish a food blog takes a good deal of work, but the freedom of customization and the ability to take responsibility for your own content feels refreshing. The only thing I noticed when I first struck out “on my own” was the immediate sense of a lack of circulation. Were people reading my blog? Probably not(ha). There was no denying it-I felt disconnected.

Google searches bring up a plethora of food bloggers to sort through. Over time, I’ve found a slew of blogs I enjoy reading on a regular basis. Following links on these blogs leads to more blogs which lead to more blogs. There must be an easier way.

Enter, Foodbuzz.com. Although Foodbuzz is new, I find the content refreshing. There’s no hierarchy or corporate writing to sort through-just a whole lot of user-created food content. Everything from recipes to restaurant reviews to blogs. Sure, they have a lot of room to grow and improve. I’m looking forward to seeing that transformation happen.

Now that you’re done reading my novel, check out one of my favorite Foodbuzz features from the past month: 24 Meals, 24 Hours, 24 Blogs. 24 bloggers from around the world submitted ideas for meals/potlucks/Iron Chef battles which would all occur on the same date. Within 24 hours of their events, these 24 bloggers posted up the results. It looks like it will be a recurring monthly theme, so hopefully one of these days I’ll get off my butt and submit an idea. Preferably when I have use of a kitchen again. Ugh.

A medium nonfat maple spice latte. Nonfat.

Today marks the first day of fall in Los Angeles. Nevermind that the autumnal equinox was September 22nd. It was 81.6 degrees with 86% humidity that day. Autumn, my ass.

Last weekend we Angeleans enjoyed a brief break in the humid heat with a noticeable dip in the temperature that left walks on the beach off the nighttime agenda because I was caught off guard with no jacket. The rest of the metro area seemed to do quite well in the typical LA cooler weather uniform-flip flops and a medium weight jacket. Only in LA…

Which got me to thinking, why do people in LA continue to wear sandals in the midst of winter? And it dawned on me-lack of condensation. In Chicago, sure it would have been possible to get away with such things in autumn. But there was the damn rain. It could rain at a moment’s notice. And it rained a lot-not this patio misting that people in the LA area swear is legit wet stuff. Dirty water sloshing around ones bare toes is not pretty. Or functional.

Which brought me to my second thought. Why do people in LA wear boots? I’m talking knee highs here that look like Alaska trekking material. Especially the UGG thing. I could never see myself wearing those in a cooler climate. I know, I know, they were made for swimmers originally. And that’s where they should have stayed. Have you ever tried them on? Two words: NO padding. And forget about arch support or any resemblance to my footwear God: Air. All that fluffy lambswool would be a pain to scotch guard against the rain and snow. Oh, you can be sure they’d be a mess in a NY minute. Yet again, a fashion for the beach folk.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say something. I miss rain. Real rain. I miss snow. Real snow. Not this, “Yay! It’s snowing! Let’s drive up to Mt. Wilson with our summer tires in a Toyota Tacoma so we can slide down the mountain!”

It just goes to show you can’t truly appreciate something until it’s gone. For me, rain, snow, calico colored leaves bunching up the sewer drains, storm clouds, some approximation of seasons, these are the things I miss.

There are emotions tied to these natural phenomena. Weather, just like food conjures up all sorts of past memories. The smell of damp musky droplets falling on the sidewalk, the chill of the bitter strong Chicago wind promising to rip every piece of carefully assembled hair out from under my wool cap, the daintiness of every tiny complex snowflake melting on skin contact and rendering even the best foglights worthless in their flurry.

While there are particular things I treasure about all seasons, autumn has always been my favorite time of year. It’s even more so in LA, where it seems this is the big climax to a seemingly ever sunny, ever increasingly long and hot summer. At Christmas, there will be no snow. In the spring, we may get rain. In the summer you can rest assured there will be sun. Actually, I should count my blessings because autumn is one season that easily stretches through 3 months instead of the expected 1.5 or so in the Midwest.

After a windy evening that blew cool air throughout the house and sunny blue skies, heat rays muffled by the presence of heaven-sent clouds, bustles of pumpkin hued leaves blew across the freeways as I drove with the window down and the A/C off-today, yes, today is autumn.

Many internet lists exist for the sole purpose of selecting a restaurant environment in which romantic encounters will flourish. What’s really lacking out there is a definitive guide of great places to break up, end one’s engagement, or let ‘em down easy.

Just like a good upchuck, there’s seldom a time when the end of a relationship isn’t forewarned by at least a rather disconcerting gut feeling. The worst thing to do is break up at a place you enjoy frequenting, as every subsequent visit will be plagued by the Spirit of Ex’s Past. Difficulty can occur, like when struck by an unexpected bout of the flu, you find yourself spewing up your love’s finale during a pivoting scene at a late night matinee.

This is where Akasha comes in. Even on the shortest notice, reservations are a click away via website-enabled phone or if you show up at a balmy 9pm, there’s almost guaranteed an empty table for you and your *ahem* loved one.

And while intimate seating in dark lit corners with naught but the flicker of an air-caressed candle flame may be conducive to that fuzzy feeling of love(otherwise known as major suckage), there’s nothing like a rowdy dining hall to dump the coldest bucket of water on any residual embers of passion.

The main seating area is large with just enough elbow room to move about while still being acutely aware of your neighbors. The slender tables are set up with some sort of hard seated adult bouncy chairs although seating around the perimeter of the restaurant is split between these and plush benches. Do yourself a favor and rush for the latter-you shouldn’t have to inflict anymore unnecessary discomfort on yourself.

With the noise level at a moderate roar, severe lean-in is necessary to clearly hear the conversation and any ensuing hate words post-breakup will be largely muffled into the background. Really, it’s probably best to just sit back and nod your head up and down as if you’re intent on being the mature and reasonable one in the relationship.

There’s a physical threshold for pain which crossing beyond causes one to promptly pass out. In the cases of severe bodily harm or dismemberment, this works like a charm. Why this survival response doesn’t occur equally for the heart’s lancination, I’ll never know. Thankfully, alcohol can be substituted for wrist slitting, in which case Akasha has your back. With a healthy selection of everything from hibiscus margaritas to Stella or an insanely large selection of overpriced wines, you’ll be feeling better in no time.

Akasha prides itself on offering sustainable and organic food from local sources whenever possible. So even if your insides feel like chop liver you can take comfort in knowing that the salmon you’re about to ingest “is sourced from Clean Fish and other Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries”. That doesn’t guarantee that it will taste any better, but hey, you’re on your own now. It’s time to take care of you and lose those omega-3 love handles.

Akasha’s tiny menu is broken up into a handful of categories, including small plates, pizza, bowls, big plates, and sides. Since the detectable difference between small and big plates is somewhat vague, this is one restaurant where you can definitely get appetizers and still have room for your “big” dinner.

The grilled artichoke was a healthy start-a skimpy olive green bulb bearing transparent flesh that could hardly be prodded into the viscous paprika aioli. I ordered a daily special fig salad for dinner, although after seeing the massive plate on a neighboring table, I suddenly realized that the super-informative waiter had failed to mention it was merely an appetizer. A cannelinni bean hummus plate was ordered to hold the hunger at bay.

Glistening marinated olives sunk into a few tablespoons of pale bean puree accompanied by half a dozen crispified slices of floury pizza crust. The crust was adorned with shreds of caramelized onions and cilantro which imparted some flavor into the hummus dipping process.

For the main course, my glorious Sodom and Gomorrah fig salad arrived. The main attraction was a miniature mound of baby arugula with a thin slab of goat cheese alongside. One fig lay quartered and artfully decorated with a splash of balsamic vinegar. A smattering of pine nuts convened in the upper left corner. The arugula tasted as if Lot’s wife had been transformed into a heaping pillar of course sea salt just above it, smothering the usually spicy flavors.

My dining companion didn’t seem to be fairing much better with a fennel crusted Niman Ranch pork loin. The sleek rectangular platter skillfully displayed slabs of moist pink-speckled flesh resting on a bed of flavor-challenged organic bacon and white cheddar grits. A few thick slices of deep-fried green tomatoes paired perfectly with the Southern theme.

Some might not see a moderately priced restaurant as the ideal locale for a failed love investment. As I was finishing up my 200% profit glass of wine, this thought also crossed my mind. However, this one superficial detail, if anything, will cement the feeling of negativity towards the establishment of said disintegration, ensuring a clean break. Join me next time for “Discreet places to take your rebound”.

Akasha-Culver City, CA

picture by tripleyew

On the west side of the street is a charming historical cottage that Daniel Gehrs Tasting Room calls home. Inside the “Heather Cottage” it was quite busy on a Sunday afternoon. I discovered about halfway through the tasting that the bartender was the informative and chipper Jennifer Gehrs. It’s always apparent when the person behind the counter has an interest in the product, whether they’re owner, winemaker, or just an involved employee. It makes the experience that much more enlightening and enjoyable.

At the time of my tasting, Daniel Gehrs had 7 wines on the tasting notes, although the Fireside Port was unavailable at that time. According to an employee, Gehrs purchases all of their grapes from growers mostly from Santa Barbara County.

Starting off the list was their ’05 Chardonnay, an unoaked wine with light fruit aromas and a touch of butter. The body was full of fresh tropical fruit and ended short and sweet.

The ’06 off-dry Riesling smelled slightly sweet with a citrusy fruit taste and a crisp finish. Jennifer Gehrs’ latest release of Vixen Vivant, a dry Syrah Rose had an interesting nose of cut roses and strawberries that carried through into the flavor as the Syrah really came through with a spicy finish.

We moved into the darker reds with a ’05 Zinfandel from Santa Ynez Valley which proved to be a favorite with its sweet berry aroma and a strong-bodied mouthful of fruit with a short finish. The dark amber colored ’05 Cabernet Sauvignon smelled mostly of crème brulee. The deep berry body had hints of nuts and an immediately sharp finish.

Finishing up with the 10 Year Tawny Port, I wish I had a piece of chocolate at the time. This rich amber colored wine had all the classic caramel flavors and surface sweetness expected.

I enjoyed my time at Daniel Gehrs from the intimate cozy bar to the attentive service. I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if some tipsy patrons weren’t using it as a singles meet-up service. I felt like Daniel Gehrs makes affordable middle-of-the-road wines that might be good for wine parties or gifts. They have potential, but it would’ve been a bigger favorite if the endings on a number of their selections had more staying power.

My tasting was: $7 for 7 wines including a logo glass

Daniel Gehrs Winery

2939 Grand Ave

Los Olivos, CA

http://www.dgwines.com/

Click here for a larger map

Every now and then I come across a really inspiring story about pioneering women. It takes me back for a moment because a lot of the young women I know who are involved in motorsports today think they’re the first of their kind.

The story I read is about a woman named Betty Skelton Erde, now 82 years old, who was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America today. At one time she was the fastest woman on earth, setting female land speed records at Daytona Beach and the Bonneville salt flats. She was soon picked up by Chevy as a spokeswoman and test driver.

But even prior to all that, she was flying planes right out of high school and learned how to do airplane stunts. At age 33 she was the first woman to undergo NASA’s physical and psychological tests for astronauts.

A gutsy woman this full of talent would break news doing these activities in this day in age, not to mention back in the 50s and 60s. Compared to the ideal norm 50-60 years ago, present day women drivers or pilots have substantially less to complain about in terms of being in a male-dominated field.

Her story can speak for anyone who chooses to pursue their own dreams regardless of society’s expectations. I know it speaks to me.

Source:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j3q2HlMnpAmP7g7tUn9yyw6CJW4QD92HDSD80