TN: Pinots, Noir and Grigio

Can't resist....is that some kind of oxymoron?

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled"

LOL! Sounds like a salad wrap, minus the wrapping action. :^)

Tom S

Hi Ed:

While most of us think of tacos as ground meat, I think that pretty much any "sandwich" in a folded corn tortilla would qualify. Epicurious says "A Mexican-style "sandwich" consisting of a folded corn TORTILLA filled with various ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, CHORIZO sausage, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, onion, GUACAMOLE, REFRIED BEANS and SALSA. Most tacos in the United States are made with crisp (fried) tortilla shells, but there are also "soft" (pliable) versions. The latter are more likely to be found in the Southwest and California. Tacos may be eaten as an entrée or snack."

cheers, and happy new year to all! Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Simply had to tweak you a bit. Although I grew up in Chicago, I've lived (except for several years of military excursions to Europe and Asia) most of my adult life in the SW United States. Clearly the concept of a "vegetarian taco" is something generated and embraced in Manhattan (and maybe in Boston as well), but would garner little but skepticism and an occasional guffaw even in the upscale eateries of Santa Fe--I can't imagine what would be the response in San Antonio, Phoenix, El Paso, Albuquerque or even San Diego.

Applying the standard convention of listing ingredients of a dish in order of importance and percentage of the total, you will note that the vegetarian portions you've listed come well down the sequence. But, tastes vary...

I've got a friend who has offered me both tuna and zucchini "pizza"--abominations of the genre that not even Wolfgang Puck would place before the Hollywood glitterati.

Now, to return to topic--I enjoyed a wonderful rare prime rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding popovers accompanied by a delightful creamed spinach (see?--I get a veggie once in a while!) with my Ridge Monte Bello '92. Seriously, I found it disappointing--the wine, not the meal.

The wine was dark purple and with a pleasant, but not powerful nose of dark cherry, leather and a bit of oak. Good viscosity and mouthfeel, but sadly lot very expressive in fruit and with a relatively brief, transparent finish. (The wine was purchased about six years ago, direct from Ridge and maintained in my cellar at about 60-65 degrees and shielded from direct light. No evidence of TCA or other abuse.)

With leftovers the next day, I had a recent release of Justin Cabernet Sauvignon--2002. Big, powerful, large wine. Lemme see now, $120 for the Ridge compounded by time/value of money over years, versus $18 for the Justin.....

Wonder when I'll get to the '94, '96, and '97 Monte Bellos and what I'll find.

Happy New Year to you and Betsy. Always good to read the TNs and envy your experiences. (But, seriously, go native and put some meat in your tacos!)

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled"