My Mélange

Benmarl Winery

The next stop on our wine tour is Bernmarl Winery. We were here last year for the same event...and could not wait to go back. Last year, we were fortunate enough to get a private tour of the cellars from the owner. The property is beautiful and the wines are wonderful. Last year we purchased a few bottles...which disappeared in no time! Benmarl is located in Marlboro, NY. Their claim to fame is that they are America's Oldest Vineyard. It exudes charm and European influences, especially the cellars. Lots of French Oak in there.

One of their unique wines is the award winning french hybrid, Baco Noir. It is so popular that this vintage has sold out before we could even get a tasting! The winery was established in 1958 by Mark Miller and was an integral part of experimentation with French Hybrid grapes. Miller also formed one of the first wine clubs in New York State... maybe in America, called the Societée des Vigneron. Today, the Spaccarelli family own it, and they are restoring the vineyard and wine property. I especially love the fact that they are producing excellent wine (and lots of it), but are still maintaining the small family owned feel of the place.

This year we tasted Pinot Grigio, Slate Hill White, Merlot, Chambourcin, Muscat and the Benmarl Blush. They were all great, but my favs were the Merlot and the Chamboucin. I was crushed...that the Baco Noir was not available for tasting. Prices here are extremely reasonable for the quality of wine. Bottles range from $11 to $30 for the top of the line Icewine. The pasta served was a hot orecchiette with sausage and peas that was made with their white wine. It was creamy and delicious. The grounds are views here are spectacular! This remains a popular spot for weddings, picnics, partiesand special events. The winery's gift shopsells crackers, cheese, and assorted sausages which are perfect picnic fare. Planned events such as wine stomping, tasting classes and wine-making workshops makes this a spot worth visiting again and again. I never get tired of coming here.

Tastings are tours are available everyday, but they are closed on Holidays. They offer 10% discounts on cases and 5% off half cases. When we visited, they were offering a blush special....buy one at full price, get one at half price. We snatched 2 bottles for $15! A steal and a perfect wine for all of the upcoming summer barbeques!

Benmarl Winery
156 Highland Avenue
Marlboro, NY 12542
845.236.4265
Open daily 12-6
www.benmarl.com

Otter-ly adorable

photo couresty of the vancouver aquarium website

I had planned to continue my wine tour tonight... but I hope you will excuse the interruption. When I signed on to my email tonight, up popped a video of one of my favorite, most adorable creatures of all time......the Sea Otter. It is worthy of a mention. I am an animal lover. When I lived in California, I was lucky enough to witness these cuties in Monterey Bay when we visited. They get stuck in the kelp, turn on their backs with their 'catch of the day', like oysters, clams, crabs etc and they smash open their shells with a rock. It is an unbelieveable show!!! If I could own a Sea Otter, I would. If I could jump in the ocean or at the aquarium to be with them, I would. It is something about their face. Tiny, beady eyes..they always look like they are smiling at you. The have the funniest mannerisms. I would kiss a Sea Otter...full on the lips...if I could. I am in love with them. We should take a lesson from the Sea Otters. If our lives could just be this simple. Floating through life, holding hands, reaching out to one another just because, just to know someone is there. And, if we could all be THAT cute! Please enjoy the video and share your thoughts.

Brotherhood Winery

Our first stop on the wine trail was Brotherhood. They are located in Washingtonville, NY and they are the oldest winery in New York State, open since 1839. The original building shave underground cellars, similar to those in Europe. This winery has been the longest continuously operating winery. How is that possible with prohibition you ask? Ahh, some very clever owners at the time supplied the churches with their wine, so they were able to operate...even in prohibition.

Their guided tour includes a peak at the underground cellars, a look at the process making of their Grand Monarque Champagne called... Methode Champenoise, a video about wine making and finally, a tasting.  Their tasting room is newly remodeled. The wine selection is very diverse and includes reds, whites, desserts, and specialty wines.... 30 differentwines in total. Two of my favorites arethe May wine, which is perfect for a summer picnic and the Holiday wine, which is spicy and tastes great warmed up. The day we visited, the tasting included Blanc de Blancs Champagne, Chardonnay, Reisling, Pinot Noir and the Port. The pasta that was served was a Pasta Primavera. At least that is what they called it. I was unimpresssed. It was penne pasta, with Kraft Parmesan Cheese sprinkled on top... oh yeah and a carrot. Yep, I had a carrot in mine. Chris was lucky enough to score a carrot and a piece of broccoli! The samples were given in plastic specimen cups...and they were tiny little samples. I was not thrilled with any of the wines we tasted. Overall, I have a few wines that I like here and they are available in my favorite local wine shops. I would make the trip here once, for the tour as it is informative, enjoyable and quite a history lesson. I prefer small intimate wineries, and here it is clear that it has more of a 'commercial' atmosphere. There is even a spot outside the tasting rooms/shop selling souvenirs and trinkets. Join me next time where we excitedly travel to one of my favorites... Benmarl.

Brotherhood Winery
P.O. Box 190100 Brotherhood Plaza Drive
Washingtonville, NY 10992
(845) 496-3661
Open daily 11-5 April - December
Tours: Monday- Friday at 12 - 2:30
Saturday - Sunday
starting at 11:30

Shawangunk Wine Trail

This past weekend we decided to enjoy a local wine event called Pasta, Primo, Vino. We did this last year with friends and had a blast. We were supposed to go with said friends again this year, but they had to cancel, so we went alone. You may have noticied that this event was featured on my homepage under my Hudson Valley Wine Events listing, which is updated frequently with new wine events in my area.

Pasta, Primo, Vino is an event where all of the wineries located on the Shawangunk Wine Trail offer a tasting of their wines as well as a pasta dishpreparedusingone of their wines as an ingredient. Tickets are $20 per personin advance or $25 at the door. The event is both Saturday and Sunday, so if you are a 'die hard' you can visit all of the wineries in the 2 day span. I know, I know... about now you are thinking Shaboynk what? Huh? What does that mean? Shawangunk is an Indian name, much like Poughkeepsie (where I live), Mohonk, Wawarsing and many other town names in my area. The Shawangunk Mountains are located between New Jersey and Rosendale, NY and are situated along the Hudson River. Geological changes that occurred over 500 million years ago along with errosion and glacier activity have created the Shawangunk Conglomerate ridge with striations, caves, cliffs, crevices, waterfalls and 5 lakes. The "Gunks" as they nicknamed, have become a beautiful and challenging destination hikers and rock climbers. You can find more detailed information here.The Shawangunk Wine Trail consists of 11 family owned wineries located in Ulsterand Orange Counties along the Hudson River. All of the wineries are influenced by the fine wine making of the French Hugue not settlers who brought their wine making skills to this area 300 years ago.

The spring is beautiful time to visit, with apple blossoms and lush greenery, while fall brings spectacular colorful folliage and apple picking. We visited 6 of the 11 wineries this time. Some we had been to before, a few were new to us and one that was just opened this year. Please join me for my own personal tour of the 6 wineries. This will be the first in a series of 7 posts in which I will highlight each winery individually, in the same order we visited, so that you can feel like you have come along for the ride. Bummer....you won't be able to taste the wine or pasta though. For that, you should definately make a visit for yourself. If you are interested in visiting this area, doing a wine tour, finding a B-B or a restaurant you can contact me for custom itinerary services.

Terrapin Wine Dinner

courtesty of bogle website

You all know I love wine, so it just makes sense for me to sign up for any kind of wine event I can find. So, imagine how elated I was to get an email about a wine event at Terrapin. Terrapin is an excellent restaurant in Rhinebeck, but they have recently acquired another space at the Dinsmore Golf Course in Statsburg, more so for catering events.

This particular event was a wine dinner featuring Bogle wines. Since I am familiar with their Petit Sirah....without hesitation, I reserved 4 spots, hoping that we would track down some friends to join us.I have never been to one of those fancy-schmancy wine dinners that offer a wine pairing at every course. They are normally way too out of my price range. But when this one dropped in my lap at a mere $49 a person, I had to pounce.We dragged our fellow libation lovers Karen and Steve (they didn't exactly go kicking and screaming) with us.

Cocktail hour was in full swing when we arrived. The first wine was a Bogle Sauvignon Blanc.

Now let me just state for the record that typically, I am not a white wine fan, unless it is a sweet dessert wine. However, this knocked my socks off! It was chilled perfectly, and I immediately tasted lemon, lime and pineapple. It had a clean, fresh taste (no oak as it is fermented in stainless steel) and it complemented the hors d'doeuvres that were served throughout the cocktail hour. Trays of red bell pepper-goat cheese rollatini; bluecheese, walnut and apple canapé; proscuitto, fig and herb butter crostiniand finally roast duck breast l'orange canapé were passed around the crowd. The appetizers were plentiful and generous as was the wine. Glasses were full and refills were welcomed...we were off to a great start. The decor was classic; white table cloths on round tables that seated 8, candles and fresh flowers graced the tables. Glass windows surround the outside walls and the views of the golf course and the Hudson River are spectacular. I had a chance to speak with chef/owner Josh Kroner.

Throughout conversation I found out that his wife is French, straight from Paris. Ah, 'mais naturellement', (but of course)!

Next came the salad course, paired with the Chardonnay. The chef made sure to highlight the fact that the mesclun blend was local, organic produce... the first batch of the season. Simply dressed in a roasted vidalia onion vinaigrette it was crunchy, flavorful and delicious. The wine was the perfect accompaniment, with tropical flavors,a bit of apple and some oak. More complex than the first.

The entré was a choice of grilled Alaskan salmon with petite sirah - peach glaze or red wine braised short ribs with crispy onions. The pairing was of course, the Petit Sirah...my favorite, incidentally. It was a torturous decision, but we decided to get one of each per couple, and share. The salmon, cooked perfectly and the glaze both sweet and spicy was served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The short ribs were hands down the best I have ever eaten in my lifetime, the meat was so tender it just fell onto your fork. It was served with potatoes and sautéed spinach. The wine, was thick, jammy, full of ripe berry flavor anda little spice. What can I say, I love this wine and have been drinking it for years. It has always been an excellent value at about $11.99 at your local wine shop.

At this point, Robbie LaBlanc, the Sales Manager for Bogle, entertained the crowd by singing and playing a few tunes on his guitar. We had met him earlier as he made his way around the tables chatting about the wines. Turns out, he had played with the groupToto in the past (yes, we are getting old) and currently plays with the LaBlanc Brothers Band and is involved with Paul Shaffer of David Letterman fame. When Chris heard all of this (he is a drummer and had been in several bands) I think he started drooling all over himself! Robbie must have noticed and was gracious enough to have him come up and check out his guitar. This was most assuredly the highlight of Chris' evening (other than the wine of course)!!

Satiated and feeling pretty good (it has been 4 full glasses so far) it was time for dessert. Out came an absolutely delicious goat cheese torte with almonds, apples and berries. The presentation was simple and perfect, with the apple draped down the side, the purple berry coulis dotted in just the right spots and the almonds tossed around on the plates, we couldn't wait to eat it. The wine pairing was the Zinfandel. The thing I liked so much about this pair was that the dessert was not sweet at all, the sweetness was left to the wine. The creamy goat cheese and the tartness from the berries married so well with the wine. The torte was not over whelmingly sweet and the wine was loaded with blackberry flavor. It was a fabulous note to end the evening on.

We had an absolutely fantastic time and we met some really great people a tour table... and thanks to Bogle, I now have some great white wines to add to my collection. We were all thoroughly impressed with the food, the wine, the atmosphere and most of all the value. I still can't believe that this event was priced at an affordable $49 a person and my hope is that these events will be more frequent and that Chef Josh will keep them affordable. I think the catering is a welcome addition to the Terrapin family. We will continue tofrequentTerrapin and I will continue to rush home and check my email everyday... hoping there is a message in my inbox, announcing their next wine event!

Terrapin Restaurant
Terrapin Catering Events
6426 Montgomery Street
Rhinebeck, NY 12571
845.876.3330
www.terrapinrestaurant.com

North Street Grill turns to 'Copper'

**Updated 10/13/08- as of my last visit to the area, Copper is now closed**

We were excited to go to the North Street Grill in Fishkill for dinner one night. We love this place for the decor, the atmosphere and the food and wine. The prices were always very reasonable too. It is located right down the street from Cibo. As we arrived we noticed the name on the door, said 'Copper'. Oh... how my heart sank. I hate when that happens. Now I was a little wary, but we were also famished. So we decided to give it a try. On first glance, the decor had remained the same. The menu had changed though. And I must say, the prices had increased a bit. As it turns out the owners of the Keltic House, bought the place and had renamed it Copper and their chef recreated the menu.

The menu is billed as 'Eclectic American Cuisine' extensive, with one for lunch and one for dinner. They include soups, salads, appetizers and main courses ranging from pork, NY strip steak, gnocci and gumbo. There is definitely a diverse mix of everything here and I can't imagine not finding something that you would like on the menu. In that respect, it does live up to the name. There are also daily blackboard specials that are posted on chalkboards throughout and right outside the front entrance. We split a 'split' of Freiexnet Cava ($7) to drink with our appetizer and later ordered glasses of wine to be brought with our meal. The wine list was also extensive and I found the same Chianti that I remember loving still remained on the menu. It was a Melini for ($6), which is more than reasonable. My only complaint here was that the glasses used were way too small and filled to the brim. My suggestion would be to have a larger glass, evenif it is only 3/4 of the way full. It is better for the wine. The wine however, was just as good as I remember it.Out came hot freshly baked rolls and home made herb butter. For our first course, we shared the Tomato Crab Bisque, which as the menu pointed out, was overflowing with crab meat. It was absolutely wonderful. Smooth, creamy and sprinkled with just enough fresh basil. It went perfectly with our Cava.

Next came the salads. Both were mesclun, but mine had walnuts and generous hunks of crumbly blue cheese. Chris had the raspberry vinegrette. Both were delicious and fresh,but his had a bit too much dressing and needed some nuts or something a bit more crunchy to stand out from being just leaves on the plate.

I ordered from the blackboard specials. I had the Roasted Leg of Lamb ($25.95) with a dijonherb crust, served with onion marmalade, crispy onions, mashed potaotes, carrots and asparagus. When this came out, I almost dropped my teeth. What a presentation! Everything worked so well in this dish. The lamb was fresh, spices not overpowering, the onion marmade was thick and sweet and the vegetables cooked perfectly. I did not order lamb much, but I ordered mine medium and it did look a little too undercooked and pink in the center to be medium, but it was still delicious.

Chris had the Lobster Ravioli ($18.95) which was tri-colored ravioli filled with lobster covered in a roasted mushroom and tomato and sherry cream sauce. His looked delicious (hard to beat mine). Pasta was cooked just right and the lobster was generous. Though the portion looked small, it was very filling and any more would have been too much!

We toyed with not having dessert, but when we looked at the menu, we couldn't resist. We shared the Chocolate Truffle ($8), which is far from what you think it is. It is a zabaglione cream center surrounded by chocolate gelato with carmalized hazelnuts. There were also swirls of chocolate and hazelnut sauce and a mini canoli sticking out from the side. The dessert was a work of art and delicious, but in both our opinions, it was a bit overkill, with just a little too much going on. We were thankful that our intent was to split this. I would NOT order this for just one person!!

Our server, Evy, was very bubbly, attentive and knowledgeable. Overall the meal was delicious. Other than the few things mentioned, my other complaint is rather silly. The size of the plates are too large for the tables. If you are just 2 and are seated at a small table for 2, there is no room to maneuver or put down your wine glass or silverware... at least with the large square plates we were served with. If you are looking for a more intimate feel, aim for a table toward the front, as the rear tables are closer to the bar and can get a bit noisey on a weekend night. Considering that I liked the North Street Grill... for the prices and for the 'smaller' menu, I must say that the prices here seem to have crept up and the menu may be a little too large. Check out their website, which is under construction, or their other restaurant located right up the street, called the KelticHouse.

Bottom line....they are off to a great start. Copper is worth the few extra pennies. Pun intended.

Copper
1111 Main Street
Fishkill, NY 12524
845.896.1000

**Updated- Copper has now closed.  Hopefully something will fill it's empty space.*

Travel Junkie

I was out in New Paltz this weekend, stopped into Cocoon and I saw this luggage tag for $5. I had to have it... it says it all. I am a Travel Junkie. I love to explore new things. I'll go anywhere. Yes, I have my favorites, but I love to get away. Part of the addiction is seeing all the new bells, whistles and gadgets that are available to make travel or my experience better. I subscribe to almost every travel mag on the planet. At least the 'good' ones. Not only are they good for my business, but I get to leaf thru and see some of the really neat new products that are available. Some useful, some for comfort, and some are downright cool! There is nothing worse than a stinky, smokey, musty smell in a hotel room that I will be habitating for a considerable amount of time. For that reason, and to add a little ambiance, I always pack a travel candle. I am addicted to finding new brands and smells. Some of my favorite scents are Bluewick Dewberry and Wyeth, Tocca Florence, L'Occitane Figue Violetteand Elizabeth W. Lavander. Grabbing a bouquet of fresh flowers from amarket in Europe goes a long way to brighten up even the drabbest room.

For those of you, who like me, are not good in flight, one of my favorite travel catalogues, Magellan's, has a few things to help make your trip more comfortable. TheKomfort Kollar is great for preventing a stiff neck, another one for a sore tooshie, and one is great for overnight flights when you want a comfortable nights sleep in a coach seat. Lastly, one of the gadgets in the cool category, is that fact that some hotels are starting to hand out pre- programmed GPS devices like this one, to their guests. They can be loaded with maps, walking or driving directions, destinations, phone numbers and restaurant suggestions. I can't wait to answer the age old question... 'What will they think of next? 'What are some of your favorite products and gadgets? New Paltz map it

The Blogging Blues

Calling all blogging buddies...

I need your help. I think I have been having some trouble with my site, which may be affecting you. I have several readers tell me through email, that the 'comments' feature keeps timing out, not allowing someone to post a comment. Of course, I apologize to you if this is happening. It is not my intent to frustrate you! Believe me, I am frustrated too. This is where you all come in. Either through comments or email, can you drop me a line and let me know if this has been happening to you? I am considering switching my blog provider. If any of you bloggers can ring in on which blog providers are your favorite and why, I would appreciate the info. Has anyone ever swtiched and was it easy or was it a nightmare? Give me the good, the bad and the ugly of the blog world. I am counting on you guys to help me out here...

I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!!!!

A Berry Easy Crisp

For Easter, it was my job to bring dessert. Knowing that my Mother usually makes way too much food, I did not want a heavy, gooey, overly sugary dessert. I wanted something lighter and fruity. And something easy thatI could prepare ahead, but bake at my Mom's. I decided to modify a Martha Stewart recipe for Sour-Cherry Pistachio Crisp. The original is wonderful, but cherries are hard to find. I use whatever is fresh at the market, which happened to be blackberries and strawberries. I decided that pecans would go nicely. You can substitue any fruit or nut, really. Walnuts would also work well. Here is the recipe that I used.....

1.
3/4 lbs fresh fruit (I halved the strawberries and left the blackberries whole)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 tsp baking powdersalt6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstartchpinch of ground cinnamon1.

2.
Preheat over to 375 2. Whisk together nuts, flour, oats, baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy.

3.
Stir nut mixture into butter mixture until just combined. Work mixture through your fingers until if forms course crumbs ranging in size from small peas to gumballs; set topping aside.

4.
Stir together fruit, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.Transfer fruit mixture to an 8 inch square baking dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit mixture. Bake until topping turns golden and juices are bubbling, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving.

The best part about this was that Chris was going to 'help' me with the prep. I left him in the kitchen while I jumped in the shower. I expected that the fruit would be washed and dried, and the nuts would be chopped. To my surprise this is what I found when I got out of the shower...

All we needed to do was pop it in the oven at my Mom's and Viola....done! I had every intension of snapping a shot of this when it was done baking, but in between the oohhs and aahhs and the fact that everyone was impressed that he made it... I forgot to take the picture until there was not even a morsel left in the dish. Even the serving spatula was licked clean! Only berry stains remained.

Scoop it into bowls and serve it as is, with a dollop of fresh whipped creamor like we did... with a generous scoop of good vanilla ice cream. Experimenting with this is the most fun! What would be your favorite combinations of fruits and nuts? What have you used before?

Happy Easter

Signs of Easter and of spring... tulips in pink... one of my favorite colors... my little nephew is peeking through the leaves at me!

The closest thing to my Easter Bunny... reminding me that life is soooo hard! Happy Easter to everyone!!!!!