Pappas Bros. Steakhouse Zinfandel Wine Tasting - Houston, TX

On September 13th I had the privilege to attend a wine tasting at the famous Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston, TX.  The event was well organized and enjoyable- akin to being invited into a neighbor's living room for a drink.  It was held in a private room right off the dining room. There were five tables set up inside  the room, each with four tastings of a Zinfandel wine.  A sommelier walked guests through each tasting at their respective tables.  A lovely presentation of charcuterie, cheeses, fresh honeycomb, and crusty bread was prepared to enjoy with premier bottles of Zinfandel chosen for the evening.  Servers, dressed crisply in white shirts and long black waiter aprons, were also walking around, offering guests nibblies like seared duck and sweet potato, quail wrapped in bacon, and fried chicken on a stick.  The fine, hot hors d'ouevers definitely helped to accent the elegant wine that we were sipping.

Some highlights and tasting comments from the evening are as follows.  I found the A. Rafanelli 2011 Dry Creek Valley to be a watered down, but smooth tasting wine.  I greatly enjoyed the Mounts "Old Vines" 2009 Dry Creek Valley Wine which tasted of very dark, black fruit and was very robust.  Other highlights include a Robert Biale "Monte Rosso" 2009 Sonoma Valley which was spicy yet smooth, and tasted aromatic and fresh.  The most elegant wine I tasted was a Hartford "Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard" 2011 Russian River Valley which had the dual benefit of having the aroma and flavor of oak and wood.  If you are looking for a wine which literally feels like drinking silk then the Chase "Hayne Vineyard" 2009 Napa Valley is the choice for you!.  Or if you prefer a wine that is as soft as velvet on the palate try the Elyse "Black-Sears" 2009 Napa Valley.  For a fully luxurious experience bring home a bottle of the Turley "Dusi Vineyard" 2011 Paso Robles.  This beautiful wine will be sure to take your next evening to great heights.

The Pappas chain is known for their sommeliers, elegant atmosphere and diverse wine menu.  If you are looking to experience many new wines in one night then I suggest you attend the next tasting event!

Four Roses Distillery-Kentucky

Another trip down the bourbon trail and I can't say that I mind.  The latest visit was to Four Roses Distillery which resides in Lawrenceburg, KY.  Their product has a unique taste and flavor although they, of course, adhere to the normal laws for creating bourbon.  All bourbon must be distilled in new, charred, oak barrels and be distilled from a mash which is at least 51 % corn.  When bourbon leaves the still it must be no more than 160 proof and when it enters the barrel it cannot be higher than 125 proof.  All bourbons must be at least 80 proof in the bottle.

Four Roses has their own twist on this traditional process.  They have 10 distinct bourbon recipes and 5 proprietary strains of yeast which they use to create their signature flavors.  All of their bourbon ages for at least 5 years. The other key difference at Four Roses is in how they age their barrels. While most distilleries age their barrels in tall warehouses, Four Roses uses only single level warehouses.  In multilevel warehouses the barrels must be rotated since the temperature at the top and bottom of the warehouses creates different flavors of bourbon.  Four Roses prides itself on having barrels that do not need to be rotated, thus ensuring a greater consistency of flavor.

The tour at Four Roses was one of the best I have completed by far, as guests actually get to ascend the warehouse floor and look right down into the stills of bourbon as well as the tanks of mash.  It really feels like you are part of the process.  Additionally, both the tour and the tasting at this distillery are free!  And although, Four Roses does not have the innate Kentucky beauty that is found when visiting Woodford Reserve, it does have a lot of charm, since the buildings were designed with Spanish architecture and are immaculate.

In the tasting session, guests have the opportunity to taste Four Roses Yellow Label, Four Roses Small Batch, and Four Roses Single Barrel.  The nose of the Yellow label is fruity and spicy and the taste has mellow notes of apple.  The Small Batch bourbon also smells spicy and fruity but has a much creamier and smoother taste than the Yellow Label.  

The Single Barrel is the finest bourbon with a nose smelling fruity and earthy and a taste of caramel and mahogany wood.  This bourbon is exceptionally smooth.  The Single Barrel comes only from one recipe of bourbon and as the name implies, comes out of one barrel.  The Small Batch bourbon is created from 5 distinct recipes while the Yellow Label is a blend of 10.  Like with any bourbon, the flavors from barrel to barrel vary greatly even within one distillery.  So a Single Barrel recipe always has a unique and pronounced flavor with its own character.

Bourbon mash with yeast added

Four Roses is a thriving distillery in Kentucky today and they welcome visitors.  The drive is about 40-50 minutes from Louisville and definitely worth the trip.  (The bourbon is worth the trip too) Bottoms up!

White Oak Kitchen- Houston, Texas

Hummus Plate

A friend and I visited White Oak Kitchen in order to participate in Restaurant Week in Houston and try out a new place to eat. Its hard to know where to start when talking about the many disappointments I experienced at this restaurant.  First, the parking is nearly impossible since the restaurant is in the Galleria.  So the first decision any guest must make is whether to succumb to expensive Galleria valet parking or park at Dillards and make the hike across the street to the restaurant. It's definitely not a relaxing start to a night out.

Fried Calamari Appetizer

When we finally arrived at White Oak (where we did indeed have reservations) it took twenty minutes for a server to even arrive to take our drink order.  Fifteen minutes later our drinks finally arrived and we hadn't even ordered our food.  When our server finally appeared my friend and I practically had to pounce on him to get our food order in.  Suffice to say the food was slow to arrive as well.  Additionally, the restaurant was already out of their shrimp appetizer and I was forced to order the hummus instead.  Didn't the restaurant think to plan ahead for restaurant week?  Strike one.

Wok-seared Beef and Shrimp

When the hummus did arrive it tasted worse than a hummus I could buy from Kroger and the pita bread it was served with was dry and had quite obviously been sitting out.  When I noticed my friend demolishing her calamari appetizer I assumed she was enjoying it but she confessed that she was just so hungry from waiting that she would have eaten about anything.  Strike Two.

Luckily when the entrees arrived, wok-seared beef shrimp for me and spicy clam linguine for her, they were hot, tasty, and surprisingly, served in a timely fashion.  I absolutely loved the sesame sauce served with my shrimp and the tangy beef and succulent shrimp were a great combination.

Chocolate Brownie and Ice Cream

However, just as I assumed things were starting to look up for White Oak, it was dessert time.  Naturally, the restaurant was out of the bread pudding I wanted to order so I was forced to order a chocolate brownie instead.  It was, at best, average, but at the very least it was world's better than the chocolate cake my friend ordered.  Since we are both pastry chefs my friend and I are hardened dessert criticss.  We both decided the desserts looked as though they had been frozen at some point and we also felt that they were incredibly bland.  Strike Three.  You're out White Oak Kitchen.  After enduring the poor food and service here once, I will never eat here again.

Sable Kitchen and Bar- River North Chicago

Shrimp and Grits

Sable Kitchen and Bar is situated in the new, modern Palomar Hotel in the affluent River North area of Chicago.  The restaurant's proximity to Michigan Avenue, downtown Chicago, and the financial district make it the perfect place to stop and have a bite.  Sable has a comprehensive menu for lunch, dinner, and brunch.  And the best part is that the menu is designed for sharing so a guest can choose to order either a half or whole portion of any one item to share with the table.  I would definitely rate the food as excellent.  For brunch I enjoyed the shrimp and grits made with laughing bird shrimp, white cheddar grits, and ham.  The shrimp was cooked perfectly and was tender and juicy.  The grits are soaked full of shrimp flavor and served in a spicy, tomato sauce which perfectly complement the shrimp.  The half sized portion was hearty and was just the right size for your average eater.  For lunch I tried the proscuitto pizza with Fontina cheese, arugula, and balsamic reduction.  This pizza is a flatbread so don't expect your traditional deep dish.  The peppery arugula contrasts with the salty proscuitto quite well.  If you stop by the hotel lobby at 5:00 they serve this flatbread as well as other varieties with a complimentary glass of wine orjuice.  

Prosciutto flatbread

Although the food items were good I would rate this restaurant poorly in regards to service.  The staff was very inattentive and kept forgetting drink orders.  They also neglected to refill water glasses without constant prodding.  Additionally, although we ordered our cappucinos almost upon arrival they took about 20 minutes to actually serve them and the waiter did not accompany the beverage with sugar.  By the time we received the sugar for our coffee it was already getting cold.  So overall, this restaurant has great ambiance, cuisine and the addition of a beautiful bar but it lacks a sense of urgency and hospitality on the service side.  Definitely, do not eat here if you are in a hurry.  The servers take their time.

Mojitos or Margaritas?

Yes, that is the question.  Maybe not a question you have not asked before but definitely a question you will

ask yourself if you ever visit or reside in Texas.  Because margaritas and mojitos are actually good in the great state of Texas.  Unlike in most places where they are just super sweet, sticky concoctions served in an over sized glass with some tequila or rum thrown in.

But questioning readers may be asking themselves- "What  is the difference is between these two well know cocktails?"  Let me break it down for you.  Margaritas are a mixture of tequila, orange flavored liqueur (such as Cointreau and lime and lemon juices.  Mojitos are made with simple syrup, rum, lots of mint, and rum.

Both drinks are fresh and wonderful in their own way.  However, I don't recommend ordering one of these drinks unless you are in a high quality establishment, south of the border, or....in Texas.  Having a bad one of these cocktails can turn you off them forever.  But having a great mojito or margarita? Sounds like a great start to a night!

Who says a mojito needs to be served in a glass?

Emporium Pies- Dallas, TX

Pie used to be a pretty simple thing right?  That simple baked goodness that you would make just to get rid of all the summer berries in your fridge or bring to a pot luck.  Not so anymore...Emporium Pies in Dallas, TX has taken pies to a whole other level.  With pies named thinks like "Cherry Bomb" and "Mellow Yellow" it's almost hard to know you are in a bakery.

The pies themselves are good but I caution the careful spender.  They are expensive and are likely to stress your wallet more than you would like for an afternoon pick-me-up.  One slice of pie is $5 or $6 a slice and a whole pie is between $30-$40.

My friends and I tried 3 pies: the Drunken Nut, Ebony and Ivory, and Smooth Operator.  Smooth Operator is a rich chocolate concoction with a pretzel crust.  I loved the crust but found the filling to be a bit too heavy to finish the slice in one sitting.  Ebony and Ivory is a chocolate and buttermilk chess pie which tastes every bit as smooth as the name of it sounds but the taste of it fell a bit flat for me.  My absolute favorite was the Drunken Nut.  With a light shortbread crust and a hearty, caramelized, nut filling, this pie was perfection.

The shop itself is situated in the trendy Bishop's Arts District which is an up and coming area near downtown Dallas.  If one has been to Dallas, you can imagine it is a more artistic and relaxed version of the well known, trendy Uptown area.  The pie shop is right in the middle of the action and at 7 pm on a Saturday night the line was already out the door so you may want to get there early.

Dunken Nut

Ebony and Ivory

Smooth Operator

Brioche Doughnuts

There is nothing quite like a fluffy, hot, doughnut straight out of the frying pan and into your mouth.  The sweet yeast and butter smell fills your nose as you bite into the cloud-like sensation that is a homemade doughnut.

I ventured into making brioche doughnuts just this morning.  Make sure you start a day ahead as this dough needs about 24 hours to retard (rest) in the fridge overnight.

Brioche Dough

Eggs             300 g

Milk             212 g      

Bread flour   751 g

Instant yeast     9 g

Salt                20 g

Butter           373 g

Sugar            112 g

Mine are filled with apricot jam!

Combine first five ingredients and 1/3 butter in a mixer with dough hook attachment.  Mix on low for about 2 minutes until ingredients come together.  Mix on high for 4 minutes.  Then, while dough is mixing add all the sugar and butter (roughly chopped) to the dough.  Mix on high until the butter and sugar is fully incorporated into the dough.  Don't worry! This may take 10-15 minutes and your mixer may get fairly warm.  Keep going until you have a very sticky but smooth dough and no butter pieces are visible.  Stop the mixer to scrape down dough periodically to ensure an even mix.  Lightly oil and butter a large bowl.  Ball up dough and place into bowl.  Wrap very well with plastic and place into fridge for about 24 hours but at least 12 hours.  I left my dough in the fridge for about 36 hours and did not find my product to be damaged at all.

Take dough out of fridge the next day.  It should have risen up a fair amount while in the fridge. Dust your hands with bread flour and dust the work surface you are using with bread flour so the dough does not stick.  Weigh out 2 oz pieces.  Using your hands form the pieces into balls and flatten the balls with your palms so they look like rounded discs.  Allow doughnuts to rest at room temperature for about an hour to an hour and a half.  The doughnuts should look puffy and the dough should definitely have risen noticeably.  

When you notice the dough is almost ready start heating up canola oil in a pan with high sides.  You will need to fill the pan so that it is about 2-3 inches deep with oil.  Also prepare a plate with sugar mixed with cinnamon to taste.  You will need enough cinnamon sugar to coat all the doughnuts.  Heat up the oil to 350 degrees F.  This is the optimal frying temperature for doughnuts so keep an eye on it as you start frying.  Prepare a metal rack for the hot doughnuts or if you don't have one line plates with paper towels to absorb extra oil.

Add the doughnuts to the pan but do not crowd them.  Using wooden sticks (or two forks) turn them when they are golden brown on one side.  Place them on the paper towels and allow the towels to soak up the extra oil.  When the doughnuts have cooled slightly but are still warm roll them in the cinnamon sugar.  When they are completely cool fill a piping bag fitted with a number 2 tip with your favorite jam and pipe it into the doughnuts from the side.   Enjoy!