With all the excitement yesterday (read "shoveling"), I didn't get around to linking to my Table Talk column. In it I tell you more about Miguel's Cocina y Cantina in Silo Point, as well as the new Pazza Luna in Locust Point.

One thing that interested me when I talked to Miguel's owner, Michael Marx, was that much to his surprise sangria has become the drink of choice at his new place.

He says they can barely keep up with demand, although the house drink is the paloma and he's got some good wines at good prices on his list. ...

Continue reading "Sangria hot on a cold night" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I came across this photo in our archives with this amazing caption: "Wine tops Valentine's Day gift-giving lists."

Of course, whatever story it originally came with from the Associated Press has long gone out of our system (it's dated 2005) so I can't check the source of that statement, but it did get me thinking. 

First of all, if I had to say a wine I thought someone might give at Valentine's Day, it would be champagne. But isn't chocolate the top gift for Valentine's Day?...

Continue reading "What's your top Valentine's Day food gift?" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Is there another group of experts that annoy the people they are trying to help more than wine experts?

As expert tasters struggle to describe what they experience with phrases like "ripe, round finish" and "notes of cherry with undertones of leather," consumers roll their eyes and try to find wines in their price range that taste good to them.

This irritation at what is perceived to be wine snobbery isn't new. A Thurber cartoon, I think published in the New Yorker in the '40s, showed two men drinking at a table. One said to the other: "It's a naive domestic burgundy without any breeding, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption." ...

Continue reading "A new way to judge wines" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

The Milton Inn in Sparks is having a complimentary (that sounds so much more elegant than "free," don't you think?) port tasting on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The port houses of Fonseca, Taylor and Croft will be featured.

The tasting starts at 6:30 p.m., which is an interesting time for it. I think of port as a dessert wine, but isn't at least one purpose of a free tasting to encourage people to stay and have dinner at the restaurant afterward? Or maybe that's their way of saying there are no strings attached.

Anyway, seating is very limited. You can call 410-771-4366 if you're interested. And if you do attend, we'd love to have a mini-review.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

When I spoke to Saundra Batey, co-owner of Ullswater, last week for next Wednesday's Table Talk, she mentioned a minor but interesting fact. Although their new restaurant in Riverside is Italian, she said that by far their best selling wine by the glass was a Malbec from Argentina.

I had noticed since my trip to Argentina last Christmas (and, boy did I drink a lot of Malbec there) that it was showing up on wines-by-the-glass lists more here in Baltimore, but I hadn't realized it was that popular. ...

Continue reading "Sunday morning musings on wines by the glass" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Our friend Nilay Gandhi over at the 750 mL blog, who helped readers out recently with wine pairings, is now asking our help.

As usual, his posts are extremely readable, so even if you don't want to buy the wine, I think his post on Eyrie will be of interest to you.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Our beer guru Rob Kasper has kindly written a guest post for me while I'm on vacation. I'm not a beer drinker, but I am fascinated by the four pies. FOUR pies for Thanksgiving. I also want to announce -- ta da! -- that the Kasper on Tap beer blog has a new home. Here's the link, and here's Rob. EL

The question I pose to the "sandbox"  is what place does beer have at your Thanksgiving celebration?

At my family Thanksgiving gatherings, there are plenty of pre-meal beers. These pilsners and ales are pulled from the fridge or a cooler shortly after the conclusion of the annual  basketball game of  the "youngins" against  the"oldsters." Applying a cold bottle of beer to a sore ankle helps ease pain. Tastes good, too. ...

Continue reading "Kasper weighs in on beer with the bird" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

The 750 mL wine blog has extended its pairing service, so if you still need help choosing a wine to go with what you plan to serve for Thanksgiving dinner (or for any meal) fill out the form in the link provided. Here's an example of what you'll get back. EL

I love the earthiness of eggplant, and the risotto provides a great slate for just about anything. Depending on the wine, you'll bring out different characteristics in the vegetable, so don't be afraid to experiment. Here are some ideas that I think will work particularly well. ...

Continue reading "More wine and food pairing" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

My review of Columbia's new Mexican restaurant and tequila lounge, Azul 17, ran in yesterday's Arts & Entertainment section.

I don't have much space to review the food in print, so I didn't want to go on about my annoyance over my $9 margarita that was mostly ice. But it was annoying -- and I wasn't even paying for it. I ordered a second one and it was all ice, too.

I should do a Top 10 of places that put too much ice in their drinks. Suggestions?  ...

Continue reading "Monday Morning Quarterbacking: Azul 17" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking, Wine and Spirits
        

My favorite wine blog (be prepared for quirky), is running a personalized wine pairing service for the next week. I'm hoping some of you will try it and report back here. There doesn't seem to be any charge.

This is 750 mL, which we've talked about here before. I don't read it for information about wine but because the blogger, Nilay Gandhi, expresses better than anyone I've ever read how passionate people can feel about wine; and, more importantly, some of his reviews make me laugh out loud.

(AP Photo/Mike Groll, file)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I recently got this e-mail from Sturmy:

Any local restaurants/wine markets/etc holding a Beaujolais nouveau celebration this year?

I'm sure there are, but I haven't gotten any press releases yet. I'll pass the information along if I do. And maybe you would post below if you know of any. A lot of people would be interested, in spite of how mean serious wine drinkers are about the wine.

One wine critic compared drinking Beaujolais Nouveau to eating cookie dough, which seems a bit harsh but is funny. ...

Continue reading "Local Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Sometimes our Shallow Thought guru John Lindner is so wise I think we're going to have to start calling his guests posts Deep Thought Wednesday. Here's John. EL

On occasion, cherished friends have accused me of casting “foodies” as snobs. As a snob, I find their asperity amusing and ironic: Who is this judge who judges me judgmental?  
 
What rankles me is the underlying implication that snobbery is, prima facie, a bad thing. OK, maybe it is. But it’s also unavoidable. And fun. ...

Continue reading "Why snobbery is a good thing" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Shallow Thought Wednesdays, Wine and Spirits
        

Dan D posted the following very interesting comment earlier. I don't doubt that he knows what he's talking about, but I'm amazed. I'm still dreaming about having wine for lunch every day when we were in Italy, and the fact that you could buy a drinkable bottle in the supermarket for one euro.

I have a lot of enthusiasm.

I don't suppose there is an overwhelming enthusiasm for Italian wines, which is a shame.

Posted by: Dan D | October 14, 2009 4:29 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

The Milton Inn in Sparks is holding a rare scotch tasting next Monday, Oct. 19.

The scotches will be for sale, but the tasting is complementary. I hope someone who knows his or her scotches will comment on this list because I can't tell you anything other than that these are some of the scotches that will be offered:

Edradour 10 years

Tullibardine 1992 14 years

Ledaig 1993 15 years

Linkwood 1995 13 years

Isle of Skye 8 years

Bladnoch 1992 16 years

Laphroaig 2001 7 years

Isle of Jura 1997 10 years

Brora 1981 24 years  ...

Continue reading "Rare scotch tasting -- for free" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Sometimes events pass me by.

I just heard about the Science Uncorked: The Genius of Wine series at the Maryland Science Center -- but it seems to be the second installment.

This one is tied to the Science Center’s latest touring exhibition,  "Da Vinci: The Genius," which means it's an examination of "wines from the homeland of Leonardo da Vinci."

That would be Italy.

I think they've got the right idea: Call it science, but really talk about and drink a lot of Italian wines from different regions and of different vintages. And, OK, maybe learn something.

The event takes place next Thursday, Oct. 22, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Wine Market is in charge, and the admission ($40 for members, $45, nonmembers) includes hors d’oeuvres by Chef Jason Lear of the Wine Market.

(Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I wonder why happy hour is called "happy hour" as opposed to, say, "happy hours"?

Has it ever been only an hour long? I decided to find out using my excellent reportorial skills, in this case typing "happy hour wikipedia" into the Google search function.

That way I could find out cool stuff that was or wasn't true and annoy my colleagues (and by colleagues, I mean our old friend John McIntyre) and readers at the same time. ...

Continue reading "The meaning of happy hour" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Along the lines of having you do the work while I vacation in beautiful downtown Evanston, I saved this excellent blog post idea from Trip Klaus until now. Feel free to add suggestions. EL

Recently a friend of mine suggested I start of calendar of wine specials at Baltimore and Ho Co restaurants.

Especially in today's economic climate I find these specials to be an added bonus. Perhaps you could expand my list or have others help, but I think many could be helped. (All below are bottle specials)

Here's what I have: ...

Continue reading "Creating a calendar of wine specials" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

In spite of a few jokes about walkers and such that you had to expect, there was a good discussion under my earlier post about what 35-and-overs want in a happy hour.

One of the main things, after meeting other 35-and-overs, was the chance to talk without being drowned out by loud music or TVs. Sorry, RA. ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Happy Hours for 35-and-overs" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays, Wine and Spirits
        

Yeah, right. In my dreams.

I decided to see if my favorite wine blogger, Nilay Gandhi of 750 mL, had had anything to say about biodynamic wines. It turns out his posts only deal with specific biodynamic wines and winemakers, like Brooks, but he sent me this great e-mail that I'm going to reproduce in its entirety. Did I say how much I love his blog? Here's Nilay. EL

It's a great topic. You're right that people are definitely latching on to it, though I'm not sure why. It's sort of like the anti-sulfites craze to the extreme. Always annoyed me, actually, but some of the bioD makers are pretty talented. ...

Continue reading "The last word on biodynamic wines" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Today's topic, boys and girls, is biodynamic wines. "Biodynamic" refers to methods of growing grapes and producing wine that involve ethical and spiritual considerations.

The ethical I'm OK with, the spiritual not so much.

I'm trying very hard not to be snarky about this because several restaurants whose owners I respect are putting them on their wine lists. These are the restaurants that stress green, organic, local, seasonal and all those other good things. But the concept of biodynamic agriculture does feel a little like, say, copper bracelets as a cancer treatment.

Or as our waiter at a restaurant I went to recently put it, "It has something to do with planting according to the cycles of the moon or something." ...

Continue reading "Wine and the cycles of the moon" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

When I'm at a Chinese-American restaurant, I crave a whiskey sour. When I'm eating Tex-Mex food, a margarita is what I want. Of such stuff Top 10 lists are made.

Yesterday a frequent commenter, The Baltimoron, who is a local bartender, sent me such a good Top 10 list I decided to use it today rather than the boring one I was working on. It's a list of great food and drink pairings, excluding wine.

He also added this postscript:

substitutes:

key lime pie martini and cheesecake; I make a martini with key lime juice, cream and 2 oz of 43 liqueur, rim the glass with graham cracker crumbs and serve with plain cheesecake, yum!!
 
cosmopolitans with tapas; the reason this works is while enjoying cosmos or tapas, you are actually enjoying friendly conversation, not a meal, and both cosmos and tapas complement the atmosphere you set with your company.
 
things that complement nothing:
 
grappa, ouzo, jagermeister, any more?

Now here's his list of drinks that do complement food, and the food they go with:

Continue reading "Top 10 drinks (other than wine) that go with food " »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (63)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays, Wine and Spirits
        

I got the following e-mail from Janine this morning, written last night after a frustrating evening out.

I'm not going to name the restaurant because I haven't heard management's side, and that's not really the point. I can see how ordering a drink "in a tall glass" could be misconstrued -- or taken advantage of.

The point is that there is ample room for either error or for making a little extra on the liquor bill when cocktail prices aren't printed.

Not only that, these days restaurants may be more concerned about the bottom line than customer retention when you try to straighten the problem out.

More than ever it's a good idea to ask if you don't know what your drink is going to cost, but you care when you get the check.

Here's Janine's e-mail: ...

Continue reading "The unprinted cocktail price" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

We've been talking about service issues on this blog a lot lately, but this experience, posted on Slashfood earlier this month, is a new one on me. For the life of me, I can't figure out who benefited.

A quick recap if you don't feel like reading the long post I linked to: The blogger's wife thought she was ordering a $36 bottle of wine. The waiter came back to check to make sure she had ordered the right one, but pointed to a $315 bottle on the list with a very similar name. ...

Continue reading "The misleading wine list" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Asking for advice on ordering a glass of wine may sound like an odd request. Either you like chardonnay or you don't. If you do, you'll probably recognize one on the wine list or you'll order one that's in your price range. Or you'll ask the server (or the sommelier if you happen to be at that sort of restaurant) to recommend one.

This is a different sort of advice I'm asking for. I'm hoping an owner or someone who works behind a bar in a restaurant will give it to us.

Are there safer and less safe kinds of wine to order by the glass? ...

Continue reading "Advice needed on ordering a glass of wine" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

A few days ago Gailor was telling me about an article in her school's alumni magazine. The writer had asked alumni to describe their college experiences in six words. (Shades of our four-word restaurant reviews.) My two favorite were "Lost my accent, found my voice" and "Twice a year we drank sangria."

I love that.

That same day I came upon  this comment (although I don't know why he was shouting):

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO YAGO SANGRIA?

Actually I didn't think anything had happened to Yago Sangria. I saw an enormous, colorful bottle of it in the Eddie's of Roland Park wine shop the other day. ...

Continue reading "Where to get the best sangria" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Midnight Sun Sam has just posted on his visit to Hampden's new wine bar, 13.5%.

His description of it as '60s chic reminds me of how much I thought the designers struck the right note when I passed it by. It has a lot of style, but it's a style that fits in its surroundings.

I haven't been in yet, but Sam's review makes me want to stop by for a glass of wine. The food will have to wait.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

A couple of nights ago Gailor and I found ourselves at the P. F. Chang's in the Columbia Mall. (Long, boring story as to why.)

Something happened that's never happened to me before. Or rather, it may have happened, but I didn't notice it.

I ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc from the wine list, pointing to the one I wanted to make sure our server got the right one.

Now I don't have the greatest palate for wine in the world, and I've never pretended I did. But even I can tell the difference between a sauvignon blanc and a gewurztraminer.

Well, they are both white. ...

Continue reading "The danger of ordering wine by the glass" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

New research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may be the greatest contributing factor to the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, which supposedly promotes longevity.

Any nutrition story that contains a quote like the following gladdens my heart:

"My advice to people is drink wine unless you like it too much," said Dr. [Dimitrios] Trichopoulos, [MD, PhD, of Harvard]. "Excessive drinking is very hazardous to your health and society."

Here's the complete story on this finding and others, which contains the usual caveats.

Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

We've discussed wine shipping before on Dining@Large, although only in the comments. It's mostly been talked about by those folks who live in other states and can actually get wine shipped to their homes.

If you live in Maryland and are interested in the subject, Peter Jensen tells you how you can help get the antiquated laws changed. Check out his editorial on Second Opinion.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Sam raises an intriguing point about restaurant wine glasses on Midnight Sun today. It sounds like the restaurant his friend told him about, known for its wine list and the expertise of its owner, started off using the proper glassware for a red wine and got complaints for doing so.

The restaurant ended up changing the glasses to something smaller so customers wouldn't feel like they were being cheated when they ordered red wine by the glass.

Even if you post your comments on the subject there, I'm hoping you'll also come back here and tell us what you think.

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

One of the small surprising things I've learned while doing this blog is how much some people hate corkage fees.

In Baltimore City, we learned in a previous post, it's not legal to bring in your own wine if the restaurant has a liquor license, so the issue of corkage fees in that case isn't relevant to a lot of us. Oddly, when I do a quick Google, I find that most of the articles deal with these, not with BYOB restaurants.

I can't quite decide how I feel about corkage fees at BYOB restaurants. On the one hand, the restaurant is providing you with glasses and a wine bucket, a waiter to open the bottle and pour, and a dishwasher to wash the glasses when you're done.

On the other hand, you could have gone to another restaurant that would be able to sell you a bottle of wine and you wouldn't have had to bring your own.

I think restaurant owners feel some of this ambivalence as well. It's a relatively new thing for them to say, "Five dollars for the table, no matter how many bottles you bring."

Next I want them to start having a corkage fee free day once a week.

(Photo by Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Is it my imagination, or are more restaurants offering half off bottles of wine these days?

My friend and deskmate Classical Music Critic Tim first alerted me to the fact that Chameleon Cafe in Lauraville has a Wine Wednesday. That reminded me that the Grill at Harryman House in Reistertown also offers the deal on Wednesdays.

It will be a trend if someone can come up with one more example.

The half-price bottles of wine are a good deal, but it's hard not to get two bottles of wine because they'll cost the same as one. So don't count on spending less, just drinking more.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

There are some people who are such engaging critics I will read every word they write, even if I have no interest in the subject matter.

The Los Angeles Times' Dan Neil is one of those. What do I care about cars as long as they have heated seats?

If you've never read anything of Neil's, I urge you to sample the columns he won a Pulitzer for.

But he's not the point of this entry. ...

Continue reading "My favorite wine blog" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

What a relief. After the disaster last night, I hadn't gotten any comments this morning by the time I last checked before my tennis game. I was afraid you had all given up on me and weren't speaking any more. But that turned out not to be the case. I'm taking it as a vote of confidence that I won't press the delete button again by mistake.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about something I had never heard of, but may be standard practice for all I know. Or maybe we talked about it on this blog awhile back and I simply zoned out.

I was out with a friend last night who ordered a Jameson on the rocks. ...

Continue reading "Two random thoughts on hard liquor" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I've been to a couple of restaurants lately that have "house wines" on their wine lists. It's something I haven't seen for years, not since offering a large selection of wines by the glass began to take off.

The most recent was Marie Louise Bistro in Mount Vernon, which offers a French merlot and sauvignon blanc and a California chardonnay by either the bottle or glass -- but it also has 11 other wines by the glass. ...

Continue reading "Are house wines making a comeback?" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

My friend Robert was telling me about the Wine Underground, a neat little wine store he had stumbled upon in the Hampden/Roland Park area.

It's hidden away on Evans Chapel Road, and the last time I drove past the location -- which admittedly wasn't any time recently -- it seems to me it was a liquor store, not a wine shop.

Anyway, Robert mentioned that the place does wine and food pairings on an irregular basis, and that he would send me details of the next one because he was now on the Wine Underground's e-mail list.

Here it is. If any of you has participated in one of these events, please let us know more about it:

Continue reading "Notes from the Wine Underground" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

One of the effects of the recession is that not having a liquor license is not the problem for a restaurant that it once was. People actually welcome the opportunity to save a little money by bringing their own bottle.

What got me thinking about this was a look at the Wine Source's Web site. This Hampden liquor store's site has a list of local BYOB restaurants. It also offers these four BYOB "rules":...

Continue reading "Bringing your own bottle: four rules" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Much as I enjoyed the following description of John McIntyre's delightful meal at T.G.I. Friday's, I would have liked to have read his "strong note" on the restaurant's Guest Comments site even more. I got an e-mail from John yesterday saying he still hadn't heard back from the chain's headquarters. Ah, they are going to regret ignoring him, I have the feeling. EL

Continue reading "The worst drink you've had in a restaurant" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

So I get the following e-mail from Stacee:

I am trying to find the recipe for Tio Pepe’s Sangria for my Father as we are originally from Maryland and he has fond memories of the sangria at that restaurant.   Do you know where I could find this?

Thank you

I, as usual, say I have no clue and why don't you call the restaurant, only politer than that. Then about an hour later I get the following e-mail back. Embarrassing. ...

Continue reading "Tio Pepe's sangria" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Over lunch my husband asked me what European country I thought had the largest group of frequent drinkers.

I said, "Sweden" without missing a beat, because I would definitely be an alcoholic if I lived in Sweden. Cold. Dark. What's not to like?

But he surprised me. He learned from a story he read in yesterday's Wall Street Journal that it's the Netherlands, not Sweden. And he came up with some more interesting factoids, if the survey quoted is to be believed. ...

Continue reading "Changing drinking habits" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (69)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

It's kind of early in the day for this drink to look as good to me as it does. Roy's sent me a press release saying that the Royal Hibiscus Cocktail is available "through the revelrous months of December and January at Roy's."

I might do a little reveling this month, but as for January...I don't know about you, but basically they'll be talking me down off the ledge until about April.

But now that I think about it, I imagine I could also drown my winter blues in a few Sparkling Hibiscus Cocktails.

Still, this wouldn't be a post except that the writer of the press release wisely sent me the recipe. You'll find it below.

This reminds me that last night I was watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles -- I know, I know, I have elevated taste in TV shows -- and in a New Year's Eve scene set in the Roaring 20s, everyone was drinking champagne from what I was always taught were sherbet glasses (the flat ones).

Anybody know when people started using champagne flutes? ...

Continue reading "Reveling with the Sparkling Hibiscus Cocktail" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Sometimes when I go to publish comments there are so many I use a function the blogware has that lets me hit one button and publish them all at once. I always mean to go back and comment on those comments that need it or answer questions. One I'm just getting around to now is this one from Laura Lee:

Did you finish watching Mad Men?  Was it as swell as I said it was?  What was your favorite scene?

I've been meaning to write more about Mad Men anyway because I'm intrigued by all the wine drinking, especially the red wine drinking that the writers think was going on in 1960. ...

Continue reading "Mad Men and drinking red wine" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Recently I've noticed restaurants that could be real wine snobs are offering $5 and $6 glasses of wine. I feel like this is a new phenomenon, brought on by the economy, but I could be wrong.

Juniors has a glass of Red Diamond Merlot, La Vielle Ferme Rhone, and Cielo Pinot Grigio for $5, with almost everything else $6 or $7.

Corks has nothing for $5 but several at $6, including a Lockwood California Sauvignon Blanc and a Rabbit Ridge Allure Paso Robles.

In contrast, the restaurant we ate at last night, where the focus is more on mixed drinks than wine, had less interesting wines by the glass for more money.

(Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

There's a discussion going on under the cassoulet post about whether you can drink white wine with duck.

I have to admit I didn't think wine aficionados still discussed the subject in such absolutes. It's kind of like the eclectic decor trend where you can mix 18th century antiques with mid-century modern and no one objects anymore. Or wearing jeans with a lace cami.

I'll bet I could put out the name of any dish here -- cheese souffle, lamb curry, roast suckling pig -- and a respected wine connoisseur would be able to suggest a white and a red that would go very well with it. Am I wrong?

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Stephani Renbaum of Salt restaurant and bar called me today to suggest a story on how small independent places are dealing with the changing patterns of wine consumption in this troubled economy.

As she put it, "Diners [are] ordering fewer bottles of wine, wine by the glass or, in many cases, no wine at all."

One problem for Salt, and I'm sure many others, is that chef/owner Jason Ambrose buys many of his wines from overseas, and the price fluctuates from week to week, and probably day to day nowadays. Like other small businesses, Salt has a problem with fluctuating costs. ...

Continue reading "I'll have a bottle -- no, a glass -- of pinot noir" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I ate at Red Maple in Mount Vernon recently, and it was the first time I had noticed bottle service at a Baltimore restaurant. (Although you can argue that Red Maple is more lounge than restaurant, the fact that Jill Snyder, its executive chef, is a contestant on the current season of Bravo's Top Chef suggests otherwise.)

In case you're not familiar with the concept, you buy a bottle of premium liquor at a breathtaking mark up. For the money you get mixers, fruit and ice -- and at clubs, a reserved table. The advantage is that you get your drinks on your terms.

And, more importantly, there's the cool factor. ...

Continue reading "Bottle service in Baltimore" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (54)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I got the following e-mail from the owner of the Grand Cru Wine Bar in Belvedere Square after my post on having a champagne cocktail. Now I'm even more intrigued.

It's just the kind of day that cries out for a champagne cocktail.

If I had Angostura Bitters.  (I wonder if you go to a liquor store or a place like Eddie's to buy them?)

If I had a bottle of champagne.

I do have sugar cubes. They are one of those things that I shouldn't spend the money on but do. I wonder how they make them. Or rather, I don't now because I just Googled them and here's what I found in Wikipedia: ...

Continue reading "Of champagne, Angostura Bitters and sugar cubes" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

This afternoon Midnight Sun Sam and I were talking about the fact that Bin 604 in Harbor East has just gotten its Class BD-7 beer, wine and liquor license (so that it can stay open Sundays), and whether that would be of more interest to his readers or mine.

On the one hand, he's the heavy drinker of the two of us. Ha ha. Just kidding, Sam.

His readers, he mused, probably aren't going to be all that excited about a new place to buy a bottle of wine on Sunday when they can get a decent one at many bars. ...

Continue reading "Wine boutique now open Sundays" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

What role should a critic play in helping you choose a restaurant? This is a question that comes up from time to time with our Top 10 Tuesday lists, but I hope I've made it clear that they are simply to get the discussion going. For newbies out there, I even wrote a disclaimer at one point.

But what about reviews that appear in national publications? I guess I expect the glossy magazines to send critics before they issue awards, or at the very least make it clear that they haven't. Esquire's restaurant critic John Mariani says he has actually sampled the prime rib at the Prime Rib, as well as many other prime ribs, so I trust him when he praises it.

We discussed a local Food & Wine mention for best wine list in an earlier post, which leads to me to a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the wine list of an imaginary restaurant. The incident is both disturbing -- especially the paying $250 part -- and funny.

Thanks to the several readers who sent me this link. 

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

My Westminster correspondent sent me this photo via his cell phone. This is the new Wine Me Up Wine Shoppe and Tavern.

It's kind of hard to imagine a tavern also calling itself a wine shoppe, or for that matter a wine shop calling itself a wine shoppe, but it's cute, isn't it?

That's Multimedia editor etc. John Lindner taking the photo in the picture.

This got me thinking maybe more wine bars are opening up in the burbs. When I did the Top Ten Wine Bars a while back...

Continue reading "Wine Me Up" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Is this ugly or what? However, I'm going to give you the recipe that came with this photo because I love sangria. And what with the weather and all, maybe you need something to cheer yourself up. I know I do. I've just found out that the Wimbledon men's semifinals, which are going on right now, have been embargoed on ESPN2 so they can be shown not live on NBC later. Excellent move, NBC. I'm sure there are many exciting features and lots of important news on the Today Show today.

Note: even on a holiday it's not good to start drinking before 11 a.m.

I hadn't heard of the book the recipe is from, and I never thought of the concept of "pitcher drinks" before, although I like it. Let's see how many we can name.

Well, sangria, of course, and martinis. Mmmm. I think I'm stuck. I guess there are 99 others, though. ... 

Continue reading "We are not amused" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

John McIntyre, who knows everything there is to know about gerunds, also knows how to make a mean martini. Do not miss the video demonstrating his talent, currently playing on his blog, "You Don't Say."

As one of his fans described it in an e-mail, "It's like food porn for Harper's readers." 

(Colby Ware/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I'm curious if people try to keep a bottle of white wine cold when they're transporting it to a restaurant that doesn't have a liquor license -- especially this time of year when you can walk outside your front door and a bottle of wine that was chilled instantly isn't anymore.

Places that are BYOB are often casual ones that serve the kind of food that doesn't need a serious wine. If it's a not-serious white you're bringing, it probably tastes better cold. Twenty minutes in a restaurant's ice bucket would chill a room-temperature bottle, but who wants to wait 20 minutes?

Does anybody bother taking a picnic cooler with ice in the car? Or is that overkill? 

If I go to a BYOB place I usually either just drink something nonalcoholic or drop into a nearby liquor store and get a bottle from its refrigerated case. But it would make more sense to bring something from home.

It feels like I've been reviewing a lot of restaurants this summer that don't have liquor licenses, which is what got me thinking about this.

Also, I interviewed the owner of the Gin Mill recently, who is very proud of...

Continue reading "Keeping a BYO bottle cold" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

This comment by Carey Hughes under the Wine in a Box entry got me thinking some more about how I feel about boxed wine:

I'm not a wine snob either, but I am a design snob and ritual snob. These aren't qualities I'm proud of because given a slightly better wine in a box and one slightly less good in a bottle with a beautiful label and a cork, ... 

Continue reading "More thoughts on boxed wine and other things" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

So people won't miss an entertaining discussion going on under another post, I'm going to make the subject of wine in a box a separate entry. Feel free to repeat yourself here.

I have nothing against boxed wine in theory, except the boxes are too big for me to ever try it as a house wine.  Now if it were sold in pint boxes...

Anyway, to get the discussion going, here are five reasons from Sunset magazine to buy boxed wine: ... 

Continue reading "Wine in a box" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (40)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I got an e-mail recently about the unusual wine list at LJ’s & the Kat Lounge in Hagerstown. What's really unusual is that it wasn't describing the wines, but how they were presented. The owner wanted to think outside the box so he literally turned the list into a wine card box. Get it?

Here's how the PR person described it: "With creatively indexed cards, categorized from light to dark wines and divided by cork separators, this miniature-sized treasure chest is allowing patrons to flip through wines, pull out their wine selections, pass the card around their table and discuss wine choices; turning a wine choice into a wine conversation." ...

Continue reading "Wine lists: thinking outside the box" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I can't keep up with all the info and good ideas for blog entries that people have been e-mailing me. Here's one that Baltamour blogger Miss J forwarded. It's the Zork, a "patented, alternative wine closure" -- in other words, an anti-cork. Here's a look at it and a glass stopper in "The International Review of Wine Packaging and Aesthetics, Vol. 15: Stopper edition."

On a distantly related note, there's an interesting discussion going on across the way at Consuming Interests about beer in cans vs. beer in glass bottles. I guess it all falls vaguely under the heading of Technology vs. Tradition.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

According to the March/April issue of the magazine Imbibe (maybe "Drink" was already taken), on newstands now, a hot new trend is restaurants' pairing food with cocktails. I'd certainly be willing to try it, but I'm not sure I could taste the meal after awhile.

Sometimes a multi-course dinner is prepared to complement a particular spirit, and sometimes a cocktail is created to pair with a particular dish, such as a rye whiskey sour that goes with teriyaki pork belly and something called the …Fields Forever cocktail served with goat cheese crostini drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Both of these are from an Atlanta restaurant, Eugene, and the drink recipes are including in the article (although I'm more interested in the recipes for the pork belly and the crostini).

This "trend," if that's what it is, has had at least some representation in Baltimore. Taste in the Belvedere Square area has done scotch dinners, and the Wine Market in Locust Point sometimes features cocktail pairings.

Here's the recipe for the ...Fields Forever cocktail (those three dots are part of the name) that goes with the goat cheese crostini: ... 

Continue reading "Cocktail and food pairings" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

Let's all give Hal a big hand. Wine and Spirits. Brilliant. And it worked. However, now I have to go back through 985 entries to add the appropriate ones to the category, which probably won't happen any time soon. Couldn't you have thought of this earlier, Eric (P.O.G.)?

As for the rest of the suggestions, they were excellent, just not broad enough. I'm keeping them to rip off when I need a headline for entries about wine.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

OK, I've blown it. It's been awhile since I've tried to create a category at home, and I forgot that our crack blogware doesn't like my Mac browser. Once you try and fail, as I did with "Wine" at Eric (P.O.G.)'s suggestion, that word seems to be corrupted for good, even if you kill it out and start again with Internet Explorer. That is, I was able to create a Wine category, I just couldn't put any entries in it, which doesn't seem very  helpful.

The same thing happened a couple of times early on. That's why...

Continue reading "Wine: the empty category" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

The other night my husband and I were eating at a nice restaurant, and he ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc. When he got it, there just didn't seem to be enough of it in its beautiful stemware.

I'm not naming the restaurant because this was the only time it happened, and his second glass, a cab, was fine.  But it annoyed him a little, and I got to wondering if there's anything to be done about this.

If an expensive restaurant serves small portions of food, at least it's consistent. But a...

Continue reading "The skimpy pour" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Frankly I was surprised at the amount of interest in today's Top Ten when I asked for suggestions last week. I guess the inconvenience of schlepping your own bottle is outweighed by the money saved when you BYO.

I don't know this for a fact, but it feels as if corkage fees at restaurants that don't have a liquor license are a relatively new thing. After all, these places are at something of a disadvantage when it comes to luring in customers. I always assumed they were more than happy to be obliging about providing glasses and such.

I had a particularly tough time with the sushi restaurants, several of which could have gone on this list; but none that I had been to was head and shoulders above the others.

Here's my list, and the response I got about corkage fees when I called. Be sure to check other suggestions under last week's post: 

Continue reading "Top Ten BYOB Restaurants" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays, Wine and Spirits
        

Amazingly, Douglas Paige, the spokesman for the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City, is still taking my calls. (See previous post.) Just to make sure you didn't miss his comment under the post yesterday, it is illegal to bring your own bottle of wine to drink into an establishment that sells liquor.

when I talked to him yesterday, I asked him whether it's OK for BYOB restaurants to charge a corkage fee. He said yes, but if it's a place that's going to keep the unfinished bottle of wine for your next visit (not very likely with this crew), the restaurant has to register as a bottle club. Again, he's speaking for Baltimore City.

As for liquor in the CVS... 

Continue reading "The Liquor Board comes up with more answers" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

A couple of discussions about alcohol have been going on under other posts. Under one on Restaurant Week, Dahlink introduced the question of corkage fees. A server said that the restaurant owners he worked for had been telling customers it's now illegal to bring your own bottle of wine if the place has a liquor license.

Under another post, someone asked why supermarkets in Baltimore can't sell beer or wine, and wondered if it had something to do with only being allowed one license. ... 

Continue reading "The Liquor Board answers our questions" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I was thinking this morning that some subjects for Top Ten Tuesday lead to lots of controversy (Top Ten Italian Restaurants) and some don't (Top Ten Wine Bars) and I was trying to figure out why.

The most obvious reason is ...

Continue reading " Top Ten Worst Wine Bars" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

 
I have to admit finding ten wine bars in the Baltimore area wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. (Where are Vespa and Spike & Charlie's when I need them?)

I wanted to include places that weren't primarily restaurants, or if they were primarily restaurants, also had a separate wine bar. Obviously my list varies wildly in how many wines are offered and what else is on tap (flights, tastings, knowledgeable bartenders), but the idea is that the focus is wine at all of these.

Here's my list; please feel free to disagree or let me know about ones I missed: ...

Continue reading "Top Ten Wine Bars" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays, Wine and Spirits
        

I was interested in Darlene's observation (actually her husband's) about wine pricing, that he thought Baltimore restaurants marked up bottles more than other places. He travels a lot, she said, so he has a chance to observe.

The whole topic of wine pricing interests me, especially after spending time in Italy where it was cheaper than water (sigh). I expect...

(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer)

Continue reading "Pricing of wine in restaurants" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

It's been more than a year now that the state law known as "the wine doggie bag bill" was passed that allows us to cork and take home a bottle of wine if we don't finish it at a restaurant.

But as much as I eat out, I don't think I've seen anyone do this. I wonder if it's really changed things as much as restaurateurs thought it would.

Do people now order a more expensive bottle knowing the choice is no longer either finish it or leave it behind? Are they embarrassed to ask when there's just a few inches left, while they wouldn't hesitate to take home a couple of ounces of steak "for the dog"? Or have diners just forgotten that this is a possibility?

Maybe if so many restaurants didn't have lots of good wines by the glass these days, people would be more likely to order a bottle and plan to drink what's left later.

By the way, if you do decide to take a half-finished bottle home, don't forget to either lock it in your glove compartment or put it in the trunk of your car.

(Christopher T. Assaf/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

A reader e-mailed me asking if he had to tip more for a very expensive bottle of wine when the waiter was basically doing the same work as he would be if he were opening a bottle of two-buck Chuck. (He didn't phrase it exactly that way.)

The short answer is yes. If you're going to be extravagant about your wine choice, you might as well be extravagant with your tipping. And I hate to tell you this, but if the sommelier has spent some time with you and been helpful, you should tip him or her separately. I've heard  both 15 to 20 percent of the wine bill and $10 as suggested tips; but in any case, give it to him or her in cash (the better choice) or as a separate credit card charge.

(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Tipping, Wine and Spirits
        

 (Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune)

I had dinner at the new (as of last year) Crackpot in Bel Air recently, and saw something on the menu I hadn't seen before...

Continue reading "Put a cork in it" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

 Anyone have any reaction pro or con to this interesting e-mail I got?

Dear Ms. Large,

While dining at Petit Louis last night, we had what we thought was a bizarre wine incident After the waiter opened our bottle, he poured about an ounce into a glass for himself and sniffed it before pouring more into my husband's glass for him to taste.
The waiter then took his own glass, with the wine still in it, away....

(Glenn Fawcett/ Sun Photographer)

Continue reading "Wine weirdness" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Wine and Spirits