Adventure in Argentina: Day One - "Lunch in Buenos Aires"

Wednesday, February 28th - We landed in Buenos Aires two hours behind schedule at 11am. After getting through passport control, retrieving our bags and customs we exited the airport and found the driver that had been waiting for us. It was sunny and hot, a nice change from the winter climate we left behind in Montana.

It had been a long day of traveling. We left from Red Lodge about 7:30am MST, drove to the airport in Billings and then first flew to Denver. Our layover was long enough for a beer and some Mexican food in the airport before we boarded the next flight to Atlanta. The layover in Atlanta was long enough for me to call my brother Eric and let him know we were in the neighborhood. We found a crappy little sit-down restaurant in the international concourse. The food was bad but the vodka tonics were just the thing before boarding a 10-hour flight to the southern hemisphere. The plane we were to fly on apparently had some mechanical issues that could only be addressed in the maintenance hangar so we just sat waiting around in the airport listening to the gate agents promise us that there was an airplane being towed to our gate. Preparing to board a plane that can't move under its own power was a little disconcerting but we'd followed the crowd and boarded when it finally arrived at the gate. Shortly after take-off they served "dinner." We picked at ours and quickly downed a glass of Mad Fish Shiraz served in the convenient 187ml screw cap bottle. The wine was acidic and fruitless but had just enough alcohol to make us quickly fall asleep within minutes of the movie starting (something crappy where Russell Crowe inherits a French Chateau - even the setting wasn't enough to entertain us). Apparently we missed the snack service and the breakfast service because we awoke when they made us bring our "seats and trays into their upright and locked positions."

Our adventure to Argentina was envisioned in part because Clyde & Penny Holt, who are great customers of ours, have travelled extensively in Argentina and encouraged us to see the country first-hand. Clyde is responsible for a manufacturing plant in Neuquen (Patagonia region) and his plant manager, Rodolfo Gil is an Argentine originally from Mendoza. With Clyde and Rodolfo's assistance, we were connected with Rodolfo's daughter Lorena who lives in Mendoza and works in the wine tourism industry. Lorena planned the entire itinerary for our time in Mendoza, including lodging, transportation, winery tours, as well as lunch and dinner destinations. She also arranged for our in-country air travel (which is considerably cheaper to book there then from the U.S.). Remember the names Rodolfo and Lorena Gil as they play a great role in much of our trip.

Our continuing flight from Buenos Aires to Mendoza was not scheduled until 5:30pm so Rodolfo's assistant Daniela Martin had made arrangements for us to check into a hotel (NH Crillon) for the afternoon. This proved to be a great treat as a shower and change of clothes were a welcome perk after 24 hours of traveling. The other treat was that Clyde and Penny, who had been traveling in Argentina for the week prior, were also in Buenos Aires on the same day as they were departing for the U.S. that night. We had made plans to meet at the hotel and then have lunch together at one of Clyde's favorite spots, just a short walk from the hotel.

We met in the lobby and we're pleasantly surprised to also meet Rodolfo and his wife Elizabeth who had been traveling with Clyde and Penny and were also joining us for lunch. The six of us then proceeded to "Bengal," a hotel restaurant that appears to be undiscovered by tourists as it was filled with locals. The restaurant is owned and operated by an East-Indian and the menu was a fusion of Indian, Italian and Argentine cuisine. We ordered the "Degustation Menu" which consisted mostly of Italian dishes and some Indian. As Anne, commented in our journal, "It was divine!"

Salad Caprese

with local Parma ham, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh local mozzarella

Ceviche

with calamari, shrimp and bay scallops

Zucchini Cannaloni

thinly sliced zucchini wrapped around ricotta cheese with a fresh tomato puree

Curried Chicken

over basmati rice

Lemon-Raspberry Sorbet

Tuna (Bonito)

with risotto, eggplant, zucchini and carrot

Dessert Medley

Flan, Malbec Poached Pears with Mascarpone, Lemon Meringue, Chocolate Lava Cake

For us to drink, Clyde ordered a Luigi Bosca Malbec-Petite Verdot, 2002, Mendoza. It was medium-bodied and all fruit (cherry, berry, with hints of meat and leather) and only $15! Elizabeth added some of her sparkling water (agua con gas) to her wine saying it was "cheap champagne." With dessert we enjoyed a bottle of Casa Boher Brut, NV. It was light and crisp, a nice contrast to the rich desserts. Elizabeth had a big smile on her face when we opened a real bottle of sparkling wine.

The only regret from lunch was that we didn't have more time to linger over the table. The conversation with the Gils was great. Elizabeth was eager to practice her English and Rodolfo was anxious to learn of how his daughters plans for us were materializing. We promised to give them a full report. Penny walked us backed to the hotel, we kissed on the cheek (as everyone does in Argentina) and hopped into our cab bound for the airport. As we drove through the city, we couldn't help but reflect on how grateful we were for Clyde & Penny's friendship and their encouragment of our adventure. If the rest of the trip was as enjoyable as lunch in Buenos Aires, we were in for a great ride!

An Old Christmas Present On My Birthday - February 25, 2007

It was a great birthday. I spent the morning at church. It's my month to keep the sidewalks clear of snow and I was expecting to find a mess leftover from the last storm. To my great surprise, someone else had come along and cleaned away the snow. That was a great birthday treat!

After church, the family let me sit on the coach and read the paper. "Tora, Tora, Tora" was on TV, one of my all-time favorites. As good as the movie was, I had no trouble failing asleep within minutes. At one point, Bjorn woke me up to ask if it was o.k. if he changed the channel. Eventually, Anne woke me up as it was time to head over to my parents house for my birthday dinner.

I have a stash of wines in the temperature-controlled wine room at the restaurant that I pull from for special occasions like birthdays. I don't keep very many bottles of wine around the house except for the handful of things I would be scared to let fall into the hands of others. Just before heading out for dinner, I decided to grab a bottle from the "home stash."

I went to work for the California Cafe Restaurant Corporation in the spring of 1993. The following Christmas, the company gave each of its restaurant managers a magnum of wine in a custom printed wooden box. In all the moves I've made since then, I carefully transported this bottle of 1987 William Hill "Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California. My 37th birthday seemed the appropriate moment to open it up.

Opening it proved to be a little more difficult than usual. As the wine has been laying on it's side since Christmas of 1993, the cork was spongy. In fact, the cork had been stained red along the bottom edge as the wine layed down. I carefully screwed in a hand-held wine service but as soon as I started to pull on the cork, it just disinigrated into tiny pieces. I was able to extract most of the larger pieces of cork and decanting the wine through a cloth removed the rest (plus some of the sediment).

The first smell had me wondering if all the years of traveling around had not been kind to the wine. I've learned not to make these kinds of judgements too quickly. After about 45 minutes, it was time to sit down to dinner. Mom served her lasagne, something I've loved since I was a kid. I finished of the last swallow of a 2004 Tapiz Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza, Argentina (opened in preparation for my trip to Argentina this week) and filled my glass with William Hill from the decanter.

Wow. Not only had the wine survived 19 years of aging and moving around, it still had plenty of life left in it. The fruit was well rounded and there was a wonderful smokiness that played off of the subtle earthiness that gave the wine contrast. I would highly recommend this wine. Easy thing to say since I wonder how much 87 William Hill Reserve is actually out there.

I sipped on the wine throughout the evening. It was Oscar night and even though most of my picks didn't win, with this glass of wine in my hand I didn't seem to mind. It was a great birthday!

Fat Tuesday Viognier - February 20, 2007

It has become tradition here at Bridge Creek to host a "Cajun Buffet & Daiquiri Bar" on Fat Tuesday and this year's feast was over the top. We had our biggest turnout ever and the food was fabulous. Dan Gathje, Bridge Creek's Dining Room Manager, chose the perfect wine special to be paired with the great array of food offered on the buffet. The 2005 Melville "Verna's Estate" Viognier from Santa Barbara County, California exhibited a wonderful collection of tropical fruit flavors and subtle spices that showed beautifully against the many seafood-based dishes that were served. The wine has a slightly sweet citrus quality that balanced the spiciness of much of the menu.

In addition to the Viognier, we sold plenty of daiquiris and customers left with big smiles on their faces, promtpting me to wish them a "happy lent." It was the only Fat Tuesday send-off that I could think of.

Pinot Noir & The Super Bowl - February 4, 2007

I wasn't much of a professional football fan this year. Something about the season just didn't catch my attention. This seems to be happening a lot lately. All of this changes, however, once the NFC & AFC champions are crowned and the stage is set for the Super Bowl. I've always enjoyed the spectacle of the whole thing... the two best teams, the halftime show, the food extravaganza and, of course, the commercials ("rock, paper, scissors" was clearly the best).

This year we were invited over some friends' house to join them for the game and the aforementioned food extravaganza. As is customary for me, I brought along a couple bottles of wine to share. A 2005 Raptor Ridge "Reserve" Pinot Noir from Oregon and a 2004 Ambroise Bourgogne Rouge from Burgundy. Both wines were samples given to me by one of my distributors.

Fortunately, I was able to taste both wines before I jumped into the pan of green chili enchiladas for the wines I chose to bring to this classic super bowl feast weren't the best match for the food. The Ambroise was delightfully fruit forward with subtle earthy notes. At a retail price of $25-30 it's a great buy. Perhaps it was the "Reserve" labeling but I was expecting a little more from the Raptor Ridge than I found in the glass. It was balanced and pleasant but the fruit lacked some of the depth I was hoping for from an Oregon Pinot that retails around $40. It did peak my interest however and I will try this wine again when I'm not so distracted by the television, good conversation with friends and some of the best enchiladas I've had in years.

In case you're wondering, my sports betting streak remain alive with this year's Super Bowl. I have never won a sports bet of any kind that I've made with Eric Trager (Bridge Creek's Executive Chef). I had my $5 on da Bears.

Della's Birthday - January 4, 2007

Della was born January 4, 1999. As daughters go, she's as wonderful as any father could hope. Every year, her birthday party culimates all of the festivities surrounding the holidays. In addition to Christmas and New Year's, these festivities also include Anne's birthday (on the 27th) and my parent's anniversary (on the 28th). Of course the restaurant is as busy as it could possibly be for the weeks leading up to and during the holidays. By the time January 4th rolls around, I'm ready for some relief.

Some years ago, I had the idea to find some wine of note that I would buy a fair quantity of so as to open one bottle each year on Della's birthday. To commemorate her birth year, the wine's vintage needed to be 1999 and it needed to be age worthy so that we had something to enjoy for years to come. In October I found what I was looking for. Two cases of 1999 Chateau Montelena "Estate" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley were delivered to my office from the Montana distributor. It's a good thing that we had a great summer as the wine cost me $93.34 per bottle. Nothing's to good for my daughter!

Here's the plan... each year on Della's birthday we'll open one of the bottles, sharing it with those who may be celebrating with us. (I'm filled with thoughts that Della's birthday party will become one of the most coveted invitations of the year.) As Della grows older I'm sure she'll start to partake in tasting her "birthday wine," but on her 21st birthday she'll be presented with the unopened bottles. Here's hoping they continue to get better with time.

Together with Anne, Anne's folks and my folks, I opened the first bottle of the birthday wine. It was just the family at our house for spaghetti dinner, ice cream birthday cake and presents. I decanted the wine about one hour before serving. As expected it was tighter than a nut. The fruit shows promise and put a smile of relief on my face as we drank it. This is going to be a fun few years. This was Della's 8th birthday so, by my calculations, we'll do this 13 more times before handing over the remaining 10 bottles to Della.

As far as the wine goes, there's nothing more to say other that it was the perfect compliment to an 8th birthday party.

New Year's Resolution - January 1, 2007

My New Year's resolution was to finally get off my butt (or on it as the case truly is) and start writing my first blog. So here it is, just over a month later. My plan is to chronicle bits of my life that intertwine with two of the things I enjoy most in life: eating food and drinking wine. Simple acts and yet so truly important to me on so many levels.

At a minimum, I plan to share my experiences as they relate to the food and wine I enjoy (or not) either alone or with others. For me, food and wine are so much more than just eating and drinking. In many ways, they are the foundation from which my life extends. Taking the time to write down these moments in the context of meals shared, parties attended, events hosted or just tastes sampled seems like a worthwhile endeavor.

I welcome your reactions. Both food and wine are meant to be shared and so can the opinions about them.