The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

Portuguese Wine Dinner at Cockscomb

Every once in a while, the stars align, and I'm able to accept one of the wine dinner invites that come into my inbox. When the promise is some great Portuguese wines paired by a Portuguese wine expert with Chris Cosentino's creative food at Cockscomb, I clear my calendar! All the Portuguese tastings that I have attended have always had some well aged surprise in the mix, and this was no exception. This dinner was hosted by the Port and Douro Wines Institute. There was also a large scale trade tasting that I could not attend due to schedule conflicts.

Rather than a bite-and-sip-by-sip account, I think it's more important to share a few key findings and a couple of top wines to look for. I was told that all these wines are available in the U.S.

 

Key Findings

 

1. ALL Porto is to be served chilled. Our host, Rui Falcao, said "There is no other way! In Portugal, if you serve Port warm, you will be shot!" And he's right. As we dug into the topic a bit more, it makes sense. Because Porto, in all its varieties, is fortified, so when it's warm, the first thing that hits your nose is not the wine, but the alcohol. If the wine is chilled (and the wines we had were chilled well below the 52 degrees our host suggested) the aromas of the wine come first, the deliciousness comes second, and the alcohol comes third. This was exemplified by having 2 chilled Tawny Portos, one fabulous 40 year S. Leonardo, and a Colhieta (vintage tawny) 1947 Feurheerd's. When I saw the condensation on the glass after pouring the 1947, I swallowed a little gasp, but sure enough, it was amazing chilled. As the evening goes on, and the wine warms up a bit, you are ready to deal with the alcohol on the nose. Revelatory.

 

2. Americans...get over your varietal fixation. Portuguese winemakers are masters of the blend. There are hundreds of different grape varieties in Portugal, and to make matters more complex, some have over 20 different regional names. Yes, there are some big famous grapes, like Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, but don't put the bottle back on the wine store shelf because you can't find the varietals listed on the label. Look instead for the region, producer, and the year. What's inside is a blend, and it's often a field blend. 

 

Field blends are a pretty foreign concept in the U.S. because our country is so young. In ancient wine country, fields of vines were developed both by natural selection --the vines would die off, or by the farmer would cull the vines that don't produce what they desire, or the government dictated what could be planted in each region. Because in Old Europe, they depend on rain, not irrigation, to make grapes grow, each region finds that different grapes thrive.  Winemakers get what the region provides. 

 

3. Portuguese whites can be very serious and exciting wines. Too many times, the whites are synonymous with simple summer quaffing in mind. Take another look, and see if you can find the two beauties below, for instance.

 

For more information on Portuguese wines, I recommend The Wines and Vineyards of Portugal, by Richard Mayson. 

 

My favorite wines of the evening:

 

Oscar's DouroWhite 2014, by Quevedo
This was our sipping wine as we arrived and it's freshness and mineral salinity was balanced by a lovely verbena aroma. Delicious and affordable.

 

Redoma Reserva Branco 2014, from Niepoort
The white of the night for me, and it was perfectly paired with the Quail Tetrazzini with mushrooms, foie gras, fideos, and creme rouge. Very serious, but still very lively and fresh. Matched the depth of the foie gras beautifully. This comes in around $40.00 here in the U.S. Recommended

 

Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva Old Vines 2012
This is a concentrated, ristretto-kind of wine, very old vines and a field blend from 3 locations in the Douro. Around $40.00 U.S.

 

NV S. Leonardo Porto 40 year Tawny
I loved this 40-year! I have had several 40-year Tawnys in recent years and they have all seemed a tad dried out to me. This still has some great sweetness and didn't taste raisin-like. I will look for this one! A treasure at around $150.00 U.S. if you can find it. Delicious with dessert, a Banana cream pie.

 

Feuerheerd's Colhieta Porto 1947
The mind-blower of the night. Our hosted whispered to me that this was coming later, and I was anticipating this all evening. And it was worth the wait. Incredibly lively for a wine 69 years old! I was told it was bottled in 2014, which makes me even more surprised how vibrant this wine was. Aged tawny ports, marked Colhieta (Portuguese for Harvest), are always some of my favorite things. This bottle had heady caramel aromas and vivid acidity. Highly recommended. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kindred Wine Spirits at PRIMA

Just a quick post to thank my table neighbors last night at PRIMA in Walnut Creek who after ogling their tasting group spread, sent over a glass. Of what, you may ask? 

1982 Chateau Margaux
First of all, the wine was shockingly fresh and bright. The color had not an inkling of brown, cementing its place as a historically significant wine that will gracefully mature through the ages. I might even say the wine came through as not fully mature, stunning for a 34 year old wine. Insanely well balanced, with hints of menthol, smoke and cocoa --but hints, not hit-you-over-the-head aromas. Quite simply, the most finessed Margaux I have ever had. 

The rest of the story:

My family loves Prima, and feel it really is the best restaurant in Walnut Creek. I brought a nice 2008 Matthiasson Red Blend to go with our meal.
When the four guys sat next to us and pulled out 3 bottles of Margaux, 1982, 1983, and 1989 I quickly introduced myself! They also proceeded to pull out a 1989 Haut Brion after ordering a nice bottle of bubbly. After just a few pleasant back-and-forths, they sent over a glass of the '82. 

Thanks again, oh generous strangers! I'll be happy to join one of these evenings, guys! Sorry I didn't have one of my cards! Just ping my email!

 

 

 

Piccino's Biondi winemaker dinner with Ciro Biondi

Started my evening the other night by stopping by Yield Wine Bar for a taste of something and found a treat, the Vitivínicola Lafken, Casablanca, Chilean Riesling 2013. This is worth seeking out. It's fresh, clean, crisp --like a new world wine, but has an old-world heart. There are hints of petrol along with the lime and apricot scents with bracing acidity.

Then, I walked into Piccino to get a quick bite, and stumbled into a winemaker dinner, hosted by Ciro Biondi, featuring his beautiful Sicilian wines from the Etna region.

I was by myself, so I didn't have the whole menu...but I did try all the wines, of course. Started with a salad of garden greens, shallot, herbs, radish, flowers, and a red wine vinagrette. Followed that with an excellent braised pork rotolo with local moro beans and roasted purple potatoes.

The Wines:

Favorite #1: 2012 "Chianta" Etna Bianco - This golden colored, slightly sherried white from Carricante, Cataratto, and Minnella grapes, may not be for everyone, but it spoke strongly to me. It's toasty and bready, like a beautiful flat champagne with a nice grip of acid. 

Favorite #2: 2010 Cisterna Fuori Etna Rosso - I hoarded this during the meal as it kept my interest both as a great pairing to the pork, and a great sipping wine on its own. It's medium bodied, has a lightly aged Nebbiolo nose to it and was in perfect shape. I would expect this wine has a few more peak years in it as well. Made from Nerello Mascalese & Nerello Cappuccio grapes.

The 2014 "Outis" Etna Bianco was a lovely light white, with an unusually strong white peach scent. Very appealing for a summer drink. 

The 2012 Cisterna Fuori Etna Rosso was very ripe and fruity, deep in cherry fruit. This was a crowd pleaser in the room. 

The 2013 "San Niccolo" Etna Rosso had a cru-Beajoulais nose, bright but deep. Very nice now at this young age, but will be stunning in a few years. I'll be looking out for this one.

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Food and Cava in Barcelona - 2006 Gramona Imperial Gran Reserva

My readers know that I am a certified Champagne freak. American sparklers, Prosecco, Cava --these don't usually cut it for me. I like great Champagne from France. 

But I love this Cava! I first tasted Gramona cavas at the Food & Wine Top 100 tasting a couple years ago and I had no idea there were Cavas that were out there with this level of quality and personality. The 2006 Gramona Imperial Gran Reserva is a blend of Xarel·lo: 50%, Macabeo: 40% and a touch of  Chardonnay: 10% and you can find it in the US for around $30. It was 20 euros in Barcelona and I pounced on it! It has a complex nose with earthy, biscuit and stone fruit aromas. Very fine bubbles and at a price you can feel free to open a second bottle. Highly recommended.

I found it while I was in Barcelona for work last week and being the foodie, was the one in the group that usually found the good food and drink. The second night in Barcelona, I found a great place, Agut in el Gotic. It's in a historical building, close to the waterfront and has well-prepared, traditional Catalan cuisine with wonderfully fresh ingredients and an excellent wine list. For English speakers, they have an English menu and the owners both speak fine English. 

 

Agut

Carrer d'En Gignàs, 16, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

+34 933 15 17 09 

 

These dishes I recommend highly:

Smoked Cod Carpaccio with tomato, delicate fried frog's legs, potatoes with ceps and sausage (layered like a lasagne with a boudin-like sausage, potatoes and porcini mushrooms. Yum!) monkfish stew with potatoes and langoustines, arroz sepia (rice with cuttlefish and ceps). 

For reds on the list, I liked the 2007 Alcor, which is a very modern local Catalan wine with a generous dose of Cabernet, but I liked the Briego Crianza Ribera del Duero 2008 much more. Both are under 30 euros and are delicious.

 

 

Continuity and Change at Pine Ridge

Winemaker and General Manager, Michael Beaulac, invited a few lucky writers (myself included), out for dinner the other night to unveil his 2009 Cabs and the 2010 CBV (Chenin Blanc/Viognier). While it's unusual for me to attend winemaker dinners, I have a long history enjoying Pine Ridge wines and it seemed like an opportunity I shouldn't miss. I was right.

Michael took over the helm in April 2009 after a 25-year run by Stacy Clark who helped establish Pine Ridge as a major brand. With 200 acres to play with, and 13 vineyards in 5 appellations, there is plenty of room for Micheal to make a strong mark on the wines, from field to glass. For the wines we tasted at Saison, his touch shows a sharp focus on terroir and individuality for each bottling. After spending the evening talking about his philosophy, I got the impression he is about to leave a strong fingerprint on all the wines of Pine Ridge, while keeping people like me, who has been buying Pine Ridge wines since the 1980s, and their loyal wine club members, happy.

I'm not a score keeper or follower, but I'm sure he is also coming on board to raise what seem to be less-than-stunning scores in the major publications over the past several years. That is already paying off, because our group was the next to taste these wines after Parker and his scores were very good for the 2009s, especially for my 3 favorites of the night, the 2009 Rutherford Cabernet, the 2009 Stag's Leap Cabernet, and the 2009 Fortis. This follows good scores for the 2008s as well, so I'm sure he'll keep the momentum going. 

Dinner at Saison was a post in itself, but the main theme was pairing with a lot of big Cabernets. And what better than a huge slab of rare lamb (I think cooked sous vide) followed by a slice or rare 28-day beef (amazing, but needed better trimming). Starters to go with the 2009 Dijon Clones Chardonnay were a tasty radish concoction followed by a shot of foamy parsnip puree with a few pearls of salmon roe (really delicious). 

Tasting Notes:

We arrived to a glass of the 2010 CBV (Chenin Blanc/Viognier) from Clarksburg. This is a wine I'm very familar with, and I should say the change starts here. Michael had the Chenin Blanc brought in with very low brix (19) and the Viognier at normal brix which yields a wine of delightful crispness. Usually, this is a pretty fat wine, and just to jog my memory, I opened a 2009 yesterday to confirm. The 2010 blend still has the nice body that the viognier brings, but with a bright, food-friendly acid hit. 

2009 Pine Ridge Cabernets (all barrel samples)

2009 Pine Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon- For the technical: 76% Cab, 4% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot, 4% Malbec (all from estate fruit). Most of the grapes are from Stag's Leap and Rutherford this year. This has some nice dense black fruit and a nice boysenberry overtone. Oak is still forward at this point. The blend makes this have a nice wildness to it, spicy and vigorous. In a couple of years this will be great with a nice steak.

2009 Pine Ridge Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon - 75% Cabernet, 13% Malbec (!) 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc. This is a bit more floral and light, depite the big dose of Malbec. It has a bit of cherry pie on it and very fine tannins. This was one of my favorites. Recommended

2009 Pine Ridge Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon- 96% Cabernet, 4% Petit Verdot. Pretty tannic at this stage, but ultimately very elegant. I think the blend here speaks for itself. The wine is full-on cabernet with a touch of nice minerals and herbs coming form the small amount of Petit Verdot. Delicious.

2009 Pine Ridge Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon  100% Cabernet and it shows. This was my favorite of the barrel tastes. It's tight now, and full of licorice and spice but the tension will be released with age. Pine Ridge has made it's name with Stag's Leap fruit and  I feel Michael Beaulac is making a statement here that the wines of Pine Ridge are rooted in Stag's Leap and this wine should be as pure an expression of Stag's Leap fruit as it can be. Highly recommended. 

2009 Pine Ridge  Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon - 100% Cabernet. The spiciest and most tannic of the bunch, and in a lot of ways the most distinctive. It has a green pepper or herbaceousness to it that sets it apart from the others. Recommended.

2009 Pine Ridge Fortis - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is solely made from Rutherford and Stag's Leap fruit this year (53% and 48% respectively). This is a massive wine, even at this early stage, dense and grand. This was my other favorite and it's highly recommended.

Dinner Wines: 

2008 Pine Ridge Chardonnay Dijon Clones - Tense and delicious. They have developed a method of non-invasive batonage where they spin the barrels with a machine so they don't aerate the wine. It makes for a delicious, unctuous wine that has a lovely freshness to it. Great with the parsnip puree.

2008 Pine Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvign0n - I loved this with the steak. It has super-fine tannins and a vital acid backbone that makes the flavor pop over something like an intensely flavored meat. 

2008 Pine Ridge Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon - 95% Cabernet, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot. This is a pretty wine right now and I would serve this with something like a duck breast or pork chop. 

2008 Pine Ridge Fortis - 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. The Cab for this is made up of 57% Rutherford, 26% Oakville, 9% Carneros and 8% Stag's Leap. This is a wine to linger over. At this point, it's showing oak and muscle and with a few years should show itself to be a real beauty. This was a great pairing with the 28-day beef. Highly recommended. 

 

Disclosure - This was an event sponsored by Pine Ridge's PR firm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1991 Chave Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin Dinner at Chez Panisse Cafe

It's an excedingly rare opportunity to taste this wine and an even rarer treat to share a whole bottle with great friends in the best cafe in the world, Chez Panisse. Thanks to my frequent gastro-traveling companion "O", of Notes and Scones fame, there was a reunion of sorts with our friend Joe with whom we went to France in 2005 on the tasting trip of a lifetime.  

One of the highlights of that trip was to visit Gérard Chave in Mauves and taste through the 2003s in the component barrels as well as his stunning White Hermitages and the finished 2002 Hermitage out of the tank. As generous as M. Chave is, he wasn't about to break out the Cuvée Cathelin for us. He only makes 2500 bottles or so and as such, the prices have reached the heavens.

The Cuvée Cathelin is named for the artist who created the label, and M. Chave actually claims that it was the artist's idea first and Chave made the wine for the label! It's a different beast than J. L. Chave's regular Hermitage, more profound and influenced by new oak, which is usually eschewed by the domaine. I have read that M. Chave has mixed feelings about these wines as he generally eschews new oak. As we were tasting through the barrels in 2005 he said "I hate new oak! Here...let's try some!" Funny guy. I suspect this went into the Cathelin.

Here's a good link to a profile of Chave in Decanter.

Tasting notes:

2001 Jean-Louis Chave Ermitage "Cuvée Cathelin"

A great wine holds within it a sense of place. Because I'm lucky enough to have visited the cave where this wine was created, my memories of the scent of the place came rushing back to me with one whiff. This is a wildly exotic wine, filled with cocao dust, coffee, and earthy minerality, bifurcated by gushes of ripe fruit and mouth-watering acidity. Spiced notes of black pepper and 5-spice powder mix with a dense flavor of raspberries. The finish goes on for minutes. Probably the most perfect bottle of wine I have ever tasted. It has layers upon layers of complexity with nothing and everything popping out to the forefront. Stunning.

Dinner was delicious as usual at Chez P. We started with some amazing chicory salad with persimmens and pomegrate, then the beautiful nettle and ricotta salata pizza (which has become a cafe staple, like the goat cheese salad).

We had a mid-course treat from the kitchen --the featured dish was sausages with saurkraut and crispy potatoes. Since this would have been a wine-killer, the kitchen made us the sausages with chanterelles, celery root, and kale. Our friend, Jonathan, picked out a beauiful white for us from the Loire: 

2006Domaine de Bellivière "Les Rosiers" It's almost briny. I could smell the flinty soil it was grown in. Organic, small amount of new oak. 10 year old vines, fruits and flowers. 100% Chenin Blanc. A lovely and extremely complex wine. Recommended.

With the Chave, all three of us had a lovely chicken stew with peppers.

 

 

Two Great New SF Spots: Bar Agricole and Radius

I was excited to get an invite to the opening of a beautiful new bar and restaurant on 11th street, next door to the venerable Slim's, called Bar Agricole. The space has two components, a patio/terrace that surrounds the front entry that will soon be a small oasis of filled planter boxes, herbs, and flowers, as well as the restaurant itself. It was an opening, so we only got a sampling of the food to come, but what we had was tasty, modern, and artisan-crafted. Perfect gougeres, lamb chops with romanesco sauce, killer local melon with perfect prosciutto and drops of balsamic, home-made pickles...it all points to homey accompaniment to their superb cocktails.

We started with a small-batch whiskey cocktail with orange bitters, cane syrup in a glass with an enormous ice cube from a special super-cold icemaker was simply spectacular. Next was the grower-tequilla cocktail with grenadine, bitters, syrup, sour mix, and some home made thai bird's eye chili bitters. The chili tickles the back of the throat to make this an intriguing concoction.

I'm sure we could have stayed and filled up on the tasty bits they were passing around, but we also wanted to try another new restaurant, Radius, that opened up in the old Julie's Supper Club space on Folsom between 7th and 6th.

Julie's has been remodeled into a modern, clean, farm-house kind of vibe inside which fits the strict locavore theme to the new Radius. The restaurant is split in to two sections, with a main restaurant and a cafe that is also open for both  lunch  and dinner. The Chef trained at Alain Ducasse in NY, yet keeps it simple and elegant, not overly complicated and fussy.  

We started with the excellent Sweetbreads Meuniere with a ragout of swiss chard, tomatoes, and veal jus and the Homemade Gnocci with Maitake Mushrooms, both amazing. The sweetbreads were delicately prepared, braised-not-sauteed and the gnocci were pillows of potatoes with amazing maitakes. One test of a great chef is their chicken, which can be revelatory like the chicken at Radius. Here it's a roasted half chicken with carrots, spinach, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, and lovage infused chicken sauce served in a cast iron skillet. The chicken is impossibly tender and perfectly cooked, crispy skin and sublime sauce. A must try when you go. The slow-roasted boneless short ribs in a red wine reduction served over local goat cheese polenta was also perfect and comforting. Word is that the chocolate and vanilla profiteroles with chocolate sauce and almonds is great as well, though I didn't taste it. (Stupid nut allergy!)

The wine list is all Napa and Sonoma, which for someone like me is a bit annoying, as this food cries out for French country wines and burgundies. That being said, the list is very well priced and it's easy to find a good bottle for a very good price --uncommon for such a fine restaurant. We had the 2008 Mary Elke Pinot Noir 
Donnelley Creek Vineyard, Anderson Valley. This is a good cold-clime pinot that is light and fruity, not super deep or complex, but delicious and a steal at $38.

Both Radius and Bar Agricole are highly recommended. At Radius, ask for Frederic, he's parfait!

Residual Sugar: New Wine Bar Worth Checking Out in Walnut Creek

The eagerly awaited Residual Sugar wine bar and retail space has finally opened in Walnut Creek and it's off to a good start. I went in tonight to see what the buzz is all about and left with the feeling that it has definitely has something special to offer the 925. I'm already plotting my next excuse for a visit.

Owner, Jim Telford,  grew up in the East Bay and has been honing his palate and getting ready to open his own place for many years. He's got a passion for the Old Country and hopes to share his passion with those in the area that maybe have cut their teeth on more California-centric fare. I think with the right wines and the right guidance from his staff, he'll have a hit on his hands. Walnut Creek has a pretty high end bar scene once the sun goes down, and it's going to be a learning experience figuring out a good balance between good New World wines that are very forward and bringing people into the Old World fold. I couldn't help but suggest to Jim to get some good educational programs going. How are you going to know to dive into the Burgundy if you haven't been exposed to it? (First of all, you need to build trust). On the wall and in his reserve cooler, he's got some great mature wines, but he needs to break these out and turn some newbies onto the good stuff. Lots of professionals work close by, so whetting those palates will pay off in terms of loyal customers.

I scanned the WBTG (wine by the glass) list and my eyes were drawn to a Pinot Grigio from Aldo Adige, full of minerals and the sea, but decidedly New World in its winemaking program. It was a weighty wine, and reminded me of the fine Pinot Grigios from Luna in Napa, always my first stop on the Silverado Trail. Like a good Gelato shop, you can ask for a taste of something new to you and they will oblige –they really do want you to like what you're getting a generous pour of. My lovely wife tried a few things before settling on the meaty Frank Family Chardonnay 2008, decidedly big California, but a well crafted wine.

If you live in the 925 or coming to one of the many excellent restaurants, plan to come an hour early and spend some time at Residual Sugar. I hope you do because we need more places passionate about wine to enjoy a glass after work.

Excellent Coffee in Mission/Potrero: Stable Cafe

There's a new coffee place at
2128 Folsom St. (between 17th and 18th streets)
San Francisco;
(415) 552-1199

...and it's a Blue Bottle Contender (but without the 20 minute wait!) The beans come from a roaster on Guerrero St., De La Paz Coffee, and the baristas have been trained by the Blue Bottle guys themselves. I had a perfect capuccino there today, superbly fresh and exactly the right temperature. Check it out! Free WiFi there too. They make some food, but I haven't tried any yet. It's mostly sandwiches on Acme bread that seem ready for a panini press. More on that soon.

Corkdork in Cork (Ireland)

I know my postings have been scanty these days, but the last couple of weeks has been a mad dash to finish up school for the kids, pack them off to various camps, and then pack ourselves up for more than two weeks in Ireland. We're really here for a celebratory return to herself's roots on for a landmark birthday, and coincidentally a not-so-landmark birthday for me in Cork City.

Big thanks to Boo.com (a Euro-Yelp) for a couple of great eating suggestions, first in Dublin, then in Cork and Kinsale. A few recommendations I give at this point (Day 4 in Ireland): In Dublin, a great lunch or dinner (if you book enough advance) can be had at the Winding Stair, close to the famous Ha'penny bridge. The Winding Stair has a good bookstore on the ground level and some windy steps that bring you up to a cozy spot focused on the local and organic. I had two special things for lunch --a seafood terrine with incredible brown bread, caperberries, and light aoli. This was followed by local celeb smoker Sarah Barnes' smoked pollack poached in milk with onions and cheddar mash - excellent. Very good wine list as well. We had a nice Alsatian Pinot Blanc. Also try the lamb chops, which for Americans, are very mild and fine.

First pint in Dublin was actually not Guiness, but a "Plain" from Mssrs MacGuire's (Master Brewers). Fresher and lighter in body than any Guiness I've had and very delicious. Herself had the "Haus" pilsner which is in Czec style, racy and delicious.

Next off to Cork County. We started off for Issac's for my birthday dinner, but when the menu didn't look food-allergy safe, we stumbled in to an alley next door and a very special place: Greenes Bar & Restaurant
Entrance through
Cobblestone Arch
48 MacCurtain Street,
Cork.
T: 021 4552279 F: 021 4506355
E: [email protected]
www.isaacs.ie
The first thing that strikes you is the beauty of the waterfall outside in the courtyard where you can sit and have a drink and wait for your table. The iridescent rock was there for millennia but the waterfall is actually man-made and well lit so it dominates the view from inside the restaurant as well. The hostess was French as was much of the staff, and the food is surprisingly well executed. An amuse-bouche came out of beautiful chicken liver mousse over some onion confit and drops of special balsamic vinegar. Since it was a special occasion, I got something totally unexpected and decidedly non-native...kangaroo tenderloin with roasted zucchini for my appetizer whilst herself went local...Irish beef carpaccio. Then onto (maybe a tad too) ample entrees of Monkfish with potato gratin,  and Beef Filet with potato cake and chanterelles for me. Both were very nice indeed, though the Filet's chanterelles were odd and unlike any mushroom I've ever had . We had a memorable bottle of wine as well, 2005 Mercurey 1er Cru Champs Martin from Domaine Emile Juillot (Theulot Vineyards). Fresh bing cherries pop out of an earthy core. Well worth seeking out. (I plan to when I return to the States).

Today we were off to the quaint village of Kinsale to the south of Cork. Best find there was the small tables at the Fishy Fishy retail store where the place was hopping on a rainy day with people enjoying the excellent seafood chowder, oysters, and crabs. We liked it so much that we bought dinner to bring home and warm up --little aluminum coquille-st.-jacques shells filled with cod, smoked cod, and salmon, bound together with cream and potatoes and topped with delicious basil bread crumbs. This, with a loaf of there excellent homemade brown bread was a great simple supper.  A late night find? The Long Valley for a cool pint of Murphey's.