Monday was our second wedding anniversary, and it started off with a lot of romance- nothing like spending time in the village justice court with a mediator. Our ex-landlord had refused to return our security deposit (citing things like his need to replace a ceiling fan because there was dirt on the top of the blades). We presented our case, I said I'd pay $200 for scratches on wood floors (even though I think that's normal wear and tear), any more and I'd take my chances in regular court- and demand interest and costs. In end, they finally agreed to pay us $1400 of our $1600 deposit. It seemed like a hollow victory- after 3 months & a s$%tload of aggravation we finally got most of our money.
So we spent the day doing the suburban thing (minding yard and dog), then went out for dinner. Harvest-on-Hudson in the nearby town of Hastings is on of those rare waterfront restaurants that doesn't outright suck from a culinary standpoint. Food is inconsistent, but sometimes good, and sometimes you just want that view. We started off with a couple of decent glasses of Prosecco (didn't note producer), as our Barbaresco breathed. First I had lamb spring rolls w/tzatsiki sauce, while Betsy had wild mushroom ravioli with sage cream and truffle oil. Then we split a calamari/ frisee salad, with a cayenne and white miso dressing (you couldn't really taste the miso). She had the rack of lamb with apricot couscous, I had the rabbit- wrapped in prosciutto and basil with caramelized fennel.
Oh yeah, the wine. I almost order the 1999 Caparzo Rosso, but why order a wine you know ? So we had the 1996 La Ca' Nova (Dario Rocca) Barbaresco Bric Mentina. When I first tasted, I though "man, Dale, 'nova' in the name ,you coulda guessed." First impression was very new-wave Nebbiolo, some apparent oak, fruit-forward, not much else. Betsy is less analytical about wine that me, but she commented it just didn't stand up to the lamb or rabbit. OK, so a $75 mistake, not the end of the world. So we finish out main courses, decide we'd rather be at home than hang out for cheese or dessert. And I take one more sip. Tar, violets, and bitter cherry. Not great Barbaresco, but far better than the first 2/3 of bottle. We each quietly enoy one more small glass. If I ran across a bottle in a store at less than $35, I might buy, but put away for a while- or really decant for a while before serving. B+?
Tonight Betsy had a rehearsal then a performance, so I did dinner for stepson and myself. I picked up some shrimp, made a pasta sauce using peppers, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Used some wine as well as butter, the wine being the 2002 Tin Roof Chardonnay (Sonoma County) from Murphy-Goode, a winert I haven't bought much from recently. The name comes from their use of Stelvins. Modest oak flavors, some good appley Chardonnay fruit, good acidity. Nothing special, but a good not-flabby Chardonnay - reminded me of a decent Mâcon. Decent value at $8. B (I'll buy again, just to encourage rebellion against the tyranny of corks!). Grade disclaimer: I'm a pretty easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.
Dale
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