Sparkling & Chocolate on the North Fork

For a day-imbibing and chocolate-indulging kind of woman, what could be better than a sparkling wine and chocolate pairing on a warm fall day? Enjoying it with friends of course! My fellow restaurant lover and drinker, Katie, and I decided we would spend a day touring our home on the North Fork. We started with a delicious lunch at Blue Canoe in Greenport and then headed over to the newest (and very cool) winery, Kontokosta Winery, for some tasting and water views from the bluff. 

Feeling all warm and fuzzy, we set off to Sparkling Pointe Vineyard in Southold (with a designated driver of course), the island's only exclusive producer of sparkling wine. As it was a beautiful sunny day, my pal and I decided to sit outside at one of the high top tables on the back patio. 

Our knowledgeable and friendly pourer brought out menus for the wine and chocolate pairing, along with the first "course" for the tasting- Naga Exotic Bar paired with 2009 Brut. The chocolate bar of sweet Indian curry powder, coconut flakes and deep milk chocolate complemented the wine's crisp notes of brioche and citrus. The tiny bubbles tickled our tongues while we enjoyed our first round.

The star of the second tasting for me was the Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar. I cannot express how much I love bacon. Like, LOVE it. The chocolate bar was home to applewood bacon, alderwood smoked salt and deep milk chocolate. I am pretty sure I finished the chocolate before even tasting its partner, the 2008 Blanc de Blancs. Which by the way, is one of my favorite sparkling wines produced on Long Island. 

The 2003 Brut Seduction was served, giving off aromas of butterscotch, brioche and toasty almonds. Paired with Bapchi's Caramel Toffee Bar with walnuts and pecans, this pairing was another favorite. Finally, we finished with the Barcelona Exotic Chocolate Bar paired with the NV (non-vintage) Cuvee Carnaval. The wine was a tad sweet for my taste but with the chocolate it was enjoyable to sip on. 

After the tasting, we ordered a bottle with another friend who joined us later on and took a stroll to the through the vines. On a side note, the owners are huge fans of Brazilian culture and enjoy many of the celebrations with special events from time to time. They also have a statue of Christ the Redeemer, which can be seen from the road at night when lit up. I have been 

dying to see it up close! 

The sparkling wine and chocolate pairing is definitely recommended at Sparkling Pointe. From their world-class wines to professional staff, the vineyard is sure to be a hit for all who visit.

As Seen On: Taste Summer, Drink Wine

"In the business of eating and drinking (and sometimes working) you need a break every now and then. So, some restaurant industry pals and I decided to take a sunny Wednesday off by visiting a few North Fork tasting rooms in “Wine Country” on the East End of Long Island. As true locals know, weekends are to be avoided as party busses and hummer limos hit the pavement from Manhattan for boozy day trips of drinking rather than tasting."

To view the complete article, click here.

Grana with Papa

Growing up with an Italian-Armenian father meant a lot of our days were focused around food. Whether it was breakfast on Sunday mornings or having to be home at least five nights a week for dinner, we always made time to share a meal together, if nothing else.

Since I had to work for Father’s Day, I decided to take Dad out later in the week for dinner, just the two of us. He chose a small Italian spot called Grana, located on Main Street in Jamesport. We had both heard good things and decided to check it out. The small dining room housed mismatched wooden tables and chairs, with antique mirrors and frames along the walls. It was a charming yet casual place, good for families and couples.

We each started with a glass of house wine by Mattebella Vineyards – medium body, dry and fruit forward. Delicious. For our meal, we ordered mainly from the specials menu. For an appetizer, my father and I shared the grilled asparagus with lemon, EVVO, lemon and Parmesan over mixed greens. I normally do not like asparagus, but this was amazing! It was fresh, light and not overpowering. Since Grana is known for their wood oven fired pizzas, we had to try one of those as well. We ordered the special with mortadella, ricotta, prosciutto and peach compote. While it was a little messy to eat, it was absolutely delicious with the right amount of sweet and savory. The first course had to be wrapped to go – it was a lot of food and we needed room for pasta.

My father ordered the special fettuccine loaded with house-pulled Burrata, ricotta, tomato, onion and basil. It was refreshing and needed no additional seasoning. I tried the Tuscan pasta from the regular menu – fettuccine with crimini and porcini mushrooms and a touch of cream. The mushrooms were plentiful and had a nice earthy flavor. These dishes had to be wrapped up as well, and were just as tasty for lunch the next day. We skipped dessert… I can’t imagine how one could have room for it!

Grana is truly a neighborhood gem with great service and even better food. So good in fact, I didn’t even think to order another glass of wine. Shocking, I know. So whether you go with a group of pals or on a father-daughter date, this place is must. 

Juice Head

After a long day of work, nothing is more appealing than coming home, putting on sweats and pouring a glass of wine. Now imagine coming home and finding that bottle of rosé from Provence is missing and in it's place: shelves of fruits and vegetables. I’ve been invaded by a Juice Head.

Luckily this is a different type of juice – actual juice. My roommate (and best friend) decided that we would both be going on a juice cleanse and took the liberty of stocking the refrigerator with various fruits and leafy greens, mostly kale. In fact, there was a whole shelf of kale. "What the hell happened to my wine?!" read a hasty text message sent within seconds of seeing this new heaven fit for a rabbit. I then painfully discovered the wine left out, on the floor, to make room for things I had little interest in. I wasn’t really sure how long it had been out, but I took a chance and threw it in the freezer to cool it back down. Wrong? Probably. Did I care? Nope.

I became intrigued by these crazy juices that were meant to replace my beverage of choice and checked out some recipes left on the kitchen counter. I don’t actually know how to use the juicer, so I would have to wait for my friend to get home and make some for me. I chose the “Mean Green” to sample - apples, cucumber, celery, ginger, kale and lemon. Health benefits include weight loss, lower blood pressure, colon cancer prevention, liver cancer prevention and more (see here). I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.

The next morning I opened the fridge to see the veggies replaced with Mason jars in shades of green. There were my juices! I even had a bonus – “Green Lemonade” with kiwi (apple, cucumber, kale, lemon and spinach). To my surprise, I enjoyed both of the juices and would happily try other combinations. While they were tasty, I definitely couldn’t do a solid day of just liquid. I ended up having a lobster roll for lunch, which I honestly found more satisfying.

Either way, I finally sipped on a trend that has lasted a while now. I would suggest those who have never tried a cleanse before just try a juice a day to be healthy. And for those who were concerned, the rosé made a strong recovery and tasted delicious. 

Cowfish in Hampton Bays

After a crazier week and even crazier Saturday night, nothing is more welcoming than Sunday brunch. Yes, we all love it. Sadly, this has nothing to do with brunch. Apparently brunch is held in the early hours of the afternoon, not around 5 p.m. I personally think it should be all day. Either way, my BFF (yeah, I said it) Jessica and I decided one very rainy Sunday that we needed to recover from the week with an early dinner at Cowfish in Hampton Bays. Already fans of it’s sister restaurant, Rumba, we were eager to check out the new place.

Extremely exhausted and a little hangry, we made our way to the gap between the North and South Fork. It was a bit confusing to find, but we made it there only three hours late for brunch. Oops. Dinner at the bar would have to suffice. Being true to us, Jessica and I ordered a bottle of wine at the bar. My darling friend is a sommelier in the Court of Masters and while I do have a little wine knowledge, I leave these serious choices up to her. She selected the 2010 Klinker Brick Zinfandel, and wow was that a great choice. The medium bodied red was fruit forward with a long, smooth finish. After a little research I discovered this wine has won a few awards and is one of their best vintages to date. I would gladly drink this wine again.

The menu at Cowfish is surprisingly much different than the one at Rumba. Many times a restaurant group will serve very similar menus, something they know their current customers already like. Not Cowfish. The menu options were equally delicious but quite different. To start, I ordered the oysters Hampton – four fried oysters atop reggiano creamed spinach and finished with garlic aioli and dab of sriracha. Everything about that dish made me happy. The fried oysters and creamed spinach were comforting and delicious. It really hit the spot. With the rain pouring outside the dish warmed me up nicely. Jessica ordered the New England style clam chowder. The large bowl was more than enough and she enjoyed the freshness of the clams. We were a little hungry at this point and finished our appetizers before I even thought to take a picture.

We debated for a bit when it came to our entrée choices to the point where we almost changed our order, more than once. In the end we went with shrimp and crab remoulade and the Cowfish burger. The crab and shrimp remoulade consisted of fresh avocado, shrimp remoulade, fresh lump crab, corn, tomato, purple onion and crostini. Everything was layered, excluding the crostini, so that each bite was packed with all of the different flavors. While I did enjoy the dish, I almost wish I started with it so that I could finish with the oysters I fell in love with. I found the shrimp to be less thrilling and could have done without it in this dish. The burger was just a burger, nothing special. It came with mustard and mayo on it, which was not listed on the menu. While I like that, Jessica hates both of those condiments. Without the top half of the bun, it was still good. The fries were a bit too salty.

It was a boozy Sunday indeed and we couldn’t help but order a margarita after the meal. Or maybe it was two? Either way, we enjoyed ourselves on this stormy Sunday. I would say our experience at Cowfish was good enough but I would definitely visit again. The food was tasty and I am a firm believer in second, third and fourth chances when it comes to eating. We’ll have to get up a bit earlier and go for brunch. I’m confident it will be worth it!

Working To Live, Living To Eat

Welcome to the life of a workaholic and a food junkie. I don’t just work in the industry, I live in it. Monday through Friday I am a publicist for a firm whose specialty is hospitality, mainly restaurants. After 5 p.m. and on weekends I work as the ever-dedicated waitress. Excuse me, “server.” I really don’t care what you call it, but for those who do, I suppose we can go with server. Either way, I am involved in almost every aspect of the restaurant business. I love to eat (really, who doesn’t?) and I am a terrible cook so dining out is really the only option. When high school kids were going to keggers with the senior guys, my friends and I were going out to local restaurants. We were 15 and luckily, we never put on the weight. Seriously… how does that happen?

I have many passions but there are two that really take hold in my life: food and writing. I studied advertising and marketing communications in college and always loved the writing that came with it. When I was ten I received a Winnie the Pooh diary and after that it was all over. I have boxes of old journals that I look back at and laugh. I’ve been told I am a pretty decent writer and it is one of the reasons the PR firm I work for hired me. I have also been working in restaurants since I was a teenager. The two end up going hand in hand as customer service is key in both professions and being able to relate to your target audience is crucial. Whether selling that special steak on tonight’s menu for $100 or sending out a release on a chef change to a journalist, you have to be convincing enough to get your customer hooked, in an honest way. Pitching restaurants I love and serving great food is what I live for.

So there you have it. I love food. I love cocktails (did I actually leave that out?). And I love to write. With that in mind, I’d like to share my food affairs with anyone who is interested. And by the way, reading this blog pairs well with a bottle of Chenin Blanc. Just saying.