16 Wines, 8 Cheeses, 1 Night

A few weeks ago, I went back to the NYC Wine Class to build upon my 101 knowledge from August. This time I took Rob with me, since the focus on this wine class weighed a little bit more heavily on the cheese (and who likes cheese more than Rob?). While I didn't think the wines were necessarily better than the 101 class (actually, I'd say it was the opposite) we got to try quite a variety of red, white and sparkling wines from all over the world.

I didn't really note this in my Wine 101 post earlier, but this class is really excellent in a lot of ways. First, they really take care of you here. If you like a particular wine, they'll bring you more. If you finish your water or fresh bread, they'll bring you more before you even have a chance to ask. If it's obvious that you're enjoying the cheeses, they'll bring you a second plate. And Andrew, the instructor, is so nice, so knowledgeable and so accommodating. He clearly knows his stuff but never appears to be even slightly condescending to anyone's questions (and people do ask some weird ones). AND it's only $90 for three hours of educational pampering! You can't beat it.

And now, without any further ado, here's the class breakdown:

Going clockwise from the top:

1) A dense, chalky goat cheese from France (Chabichou du Poutou) paired with a champagne and prosecco. I really liked the subtle, round taste of the "Spago Nero" from Veneto, Italy. The cheese was maybe one of my favorites, definitely among the most memorable.

2) Another goat cheese, this one milder and creamer, with rosemary. Paired with two mineral whites. I preferred the Chenin Blanc from South Africa; Rob liked the Palacio de Vivero from Spain.

3) "Triple creme" cow's milk from France. This tasted like a super buttery brie -- obviously no complaints here! Paired with two wines merely labeled "Oak." One turned out to be a sav. blanc, the other a chablis. We both preferred the chablis (Les Deux Pivex from Burgundy).

4) This cheeese was a crumbly, chalky cow's milk from Piedmont (Red Cow) that the instructor suitably described as one that sneaks up on you. Paired most notably with a Gernot Heinrich from Austria. Acidic, not a lot of body. Rob said it tasted like the ocean. A hint of seaweed, maybe?

5) Raw cow's milk from Switzerland, this cheese was sharp, bitter and a little gritty. Paired with a two wines by a small supplier called Limerick Lane.

6) This crunchy, butterscotchy, caramel-like "cheese candy"reminded me a lot of one of the cheeses we had in the 101 class. Maybe it was the same; they were both from the Netherlands. Paired with two Bodegas Lan wines (from Rioja, Spain), most notably the Gran Reserva. We tasted vanilla, dill, and oak in this sweet wine, although it was "flashy" without any real lingering taste.

7) Cow's milk from France (Tarentaise), paired with two wines, also from France. Unfortunately, I stopped writing notes at this point because I hadn't dumped anything out and did you know that sixteen wines is a LOT?

8) Bleu d'Auvergne, cow's milk from France, very strong bleu cheese with two wines from Australia. A this point I was both done drinking AND done eating, so I only got to try this one briefly (and dizzily).

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NYC Wine Class

212-647-1875

167 West 23rd Street (Between 6th and 7th Aves, above Landmark Wines)

Andrew@NYCwineclass.com

Tapas: Tia Pol and Alta

Even though I don't talk about tapas all that often, I think they are my favorite cuisine. I love hacking away at a big piece of steak as much as (or probably more than) the next person, but the endless parade of fun, inventive plates brings a variety to your meal that you can't get otherwise.

Aside from the Japanese tapas we get at Bozu, the only real (read: Spanish) tapas places I ever go to in the city are Tia Pol and Alta. I definitely need to expand my horizons in this area. Each of these spots have their merits and their drawbacks. I've been to Tia Pol maybe five times now and don't plan on stopping my occasional visits; I visited Alta for the second, and probably last, time last night.

Tia Pol, located in Chelsea, is unfortunately very tiny and they do not take reservations. Not an ideal setup when you want to catch up with someone, as the crowded group of waiting people are literally breathing down your back (at least in the seat I always seem to get) and the waiters are clearly rushing you out. BUT, Tia Pol has the greatest sangria I've ever had in my life. Their crispy hot patatas bravas with aioli are insanely addicting. Chorizo and bittersweet chocolate on toasted bread bring the sweet/salty combo to a new level with crunchy, soft and chewy textures all in one bite. Their lamb skewers are incredibly tender, and their ham and cheese croquettes almost cause chaos at the table -- we normally order a few plates of that.

But then, Tia Pol isn't perfect. They have a few dishes that are merely "eh," even if I'll order them again and again. Rob loves the "garbanzos fritos" (fried chickpeas) but even through the salty greasiness I feel as though something is missing in them. The deviled eggs aren't any better than I can make myself. The Spanish almonds are standard.

If you're feeling particularly patient, I'd definitely recommend giving this place a go. Just be prepared to wait maybe an hour or so on a weeknight. The sangria helps make that wait worth it, even if you're nose-to-nose with a stranger the entire time.

Tia Pol
205 10th Avenue (between 22nd St & 23rd St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 675-8805

Last night Tia Pol was having a private party, so Rob and I and a few friends met up at Alta in Greenwich Village. Although Alta can get terribly crowded -- and LOUD -- the place is pretty big with upstairs and downstairs seating. We sat in a more secluded area; two small rooms accessible only by walking through an upstairs kitchen. Those chefs must get pretty frustrated by that constant interruption, right? You would think.

The menu here is longer and more involved than Tia Pol's, but by no means better. There is no patatas bravas. The sangria is fairly terrible. Most dishes are good, but forgettable. Not like Tia Pol where you'll walk around mumbling "lamb skewers!" with stars in your eyes a week afterwards.

Here's a breakdown of the twelve dishes we shared:

Fried Goat Cheese -- Must have been made in those takoyaki pans as they were perfectly round and crispy on the outside. Menu says its served with lavendar-infused honey, but I didn't taste the lavendar.

Smoked Trout Croquettes -- These were actually creamier and less salty than I expected. I wish they had more of a selection of the croquettes, but the trout was pretty good.

Lamb Pastrami "Sandwich" -- Crispy bread and tasty lamb. I'm not sure how I felt about the blood orange cole slaw they served with it; it was a little too acidic for a cole slaw but still very interesting.

Carpaccio of Beef -- The creme fraiche foam served on top of the beef was sinfully good. The beef itself was good, but overpowered by that foamy topping.

Tunisian Spiced Roasted Beets -- Cut way too small. Served with toasted hazelnuts, which is a nice compliment, but also with a lot of greens on top that seemed sort of like a filler.

Sauteed Broccoli -- Standard broccoli with a light cheese sauce.

Grilled Gulf Shrimp & Chorizo Skewer -- I don't remember the "avocado cream, warm garlic & sherry vinaigrette" its supposed to be served with, but the shrimp and chorizo themselves were very good. I'm not normally crazy about shrimp but big, juicy and perfectly cooked to my taste.

Chicken Wings -- This was one of the few dishes where I could taste the little additions they advertised. The agave glaze was surprisingly sweet and the wings were perfectly crispy. Ok, I admit that I don't remember anything about the "chile spice blend."

Pulled Pork Empanadas -- The pork in these weren't fantastic, but I really liked the crispy dough. Served with a cilantro dipping sauce. I can't remember if I dipped or not.

Skewer of Grilled & Maple glazed Duck Breast -- A nice, succulent bite of duck with a foie gras emulsion and Marsala reduction that I do not remember. But the duck itself was tender and fairly juicy.

Sea Scallops -- These scallops were served in a way I'd never seen before. It looked like one of those awesome blossom cutters went crazy on two scallops. Menu says it was served with romesco sauce, scallion fondue, vanilla oil and Greek basil but again, these flavors played a minimal role. The scallops were soft and fresh. Sand was minimal but present.

Ricotta Parmesan Gnocchi -- One of the disappointments of the group. The gnocchi was so soft it was almost mushy, and the foam served on top -- "parsnip lemon puree, Prosecco almond espuma" -- was a weird accompanyment.

For dessert, we had chocolate cake and panna cotta. The panna cotta had a weird sort of spices and citrus strips I wasn't crazy about, but the texture was ok. I only had a bite of the chocolate but it was pretty bangin'.

Anyway, I guess its pretty obvious that I wasn't wowed by the food, but I had a great time catching up with friends. Sitting with my back against a small corner of a small room was appreciated over having strangers standing over my shoulder. In the meantime, I'll be on the hunt for a new go-to tapas Spanish tapas place when I don't have the patience for Tia Pol. Anyone?

Alta
64 W 10th St (between 5th Ave & 14th St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 505-7777

Wine 101

The other night I did something I've been wanting to do for a long time: I took a wine class! I learned a lot about the things you'd expect to hear about (acidity, tannins, etc.), but I think the biggest takeaway, for me at least, was learning how to detect different flavors in wines. Did you know that wines are made up of chemical compounds that actually match up to organic matter? So while there isn't actually any lychee or smoke or pepper or any of that other stuff in your wine, the chemical compounds mimick those flavors, so its pretty close. Definitely more scientific than I ever thought.

We got to try ten different wines (4 whites, 6 reds), and a cheese was paired for every two wines. These cheeses were stinky and flavorful and my mouth is watering just looking at this really bad iphone pic.


From the top going clockwise:

1) Vermont goat cheese, pared with 2 different kinds of Sauvignon Blanc. Very goaty, very good!
2) Sheep's milk from Spain, paired with 2 aromatic whites. Too gritty on the tongue for me.
3) Cow's milk cheese from the Netherlands, aged 4 years. This one was my favorite, slightly carmelized, sort of like cheddar. Paired with a Pinot Noir and Domaine de Montrieux.
4) Raw cow's milk from New York, paired with a Merlot and part Merlot, part Cabernet Sav. Savory, matched the oak-y Charles Smith Merlot. Yeah, oak, which is supposed to taste like "smokey, toasty caramel." Another thing I would have never known otherwise.
5)Sheep's milk from Spain with a quince paste, which is sort of like an apple jam. I kept really good notes on all the other cheeses but by the time I got to this one I was ten wines in and just wrote "YUM." Paired with a Shiraz and another red. I was skeptical, but the quince paste actually worked really well in the wine-cheese equation and had a great texture -- more solid than the jelly I was expecting.

What a great class. Learned a lot and got to meet some wonderful people as well. Can't wait to go back and try their more advanced classes (especially their 16 Wines, 18 Cheeses one).

NYC Wine Class
212-647-1875

Pop Burger a Bust

Last Thursday Rob and I headed down to Pier 54 to catch a free Blonde Redhead show. Unfortunately, it rained like hell and after an hour or two of waiting in (I mean "on"... sorry, I'm from Connecticut) line, we were both soaked and starving. I decided to save the day by taking a detour on our way back to the L and veering left on 9th Ave in search of a burger joint I was sure existed, even though I can't remember when I saw it or what made me think it was worth going to.

Fortunately for us, the burger joint in my imagination turned out to be real -- Pop Burger, right between 14th and 15 streets. I must have remembered it from its neon signs promoting "luscious mouth watering warm buns," "creamy shakes" and "sizzling steaks." This is the kind of dumb marketing I always fall for.





Pop Burger has both the layout and the atmosphere of a garage, so after we walked in I grabbed a spot by the counter, as far away from the rain as possible . Rob went up and ordered us two cheeseburgers with grilled onions, an order of fries and a vitamin water. There wasn't a menu displayed -- I guess you have to ask for one special -- but I assumed our order would be standard enough.

Unfortunately for us, we didn't have the foresight to know that regular Pop burgers are fit for midgets and not starving normal sized people soaked in rain. When they finally called Rob's name and I went to pick up our tray, I asked the counter guy "this is supposed to be for both of us?!" without even thinking. The scowl I got back from the cashier was not the face of a pleased man, so I grudgingly took our bland and mini-sized burgers back to our table without further complaint. The fries were ok, they may have been battered before they were fried but there wasn't a whole lot of them to fill in the gaps of our hunger.

I'm still not sure how we were supposed to know it was a mini burger spot. I'm all for mini burgers, as long as they are specified somewhere ahead of time. The smallish burger as a cute replacement for the "O" in the "Pop Burger" logo just doesn't suffice. Also, this whole experience somehow wound up costing us $15 -- crazy!

We went home, dried off and ordered a couple of miso soups to console us after a disappointing evening. Sakura to the rescue!