Decanting New Ideas

Let her rip - The Blender Decant

A reader sent a heads up yesterday from Business Week on decanting with a blender (seen here). Simply pour a bottle in a blender and let it rip on high for 30-60 seconds. The 'foam' subsides PDQ and you're ready to pour and enjoy. My first thought on this version of a "Spank" decant? It can't be done with an old wine. Where's all that sediment go? I assume every damned where.

But with a young California Cab or Spanish Monstant - - Well, it would seem to make sense. With my favorite, the little known Italian tannin howitzer from Umbria, Sagrantino di Montefalco, (six - eight hour decant - I kid you not), this hyper-spank makes huge sense.

Decanters are a pain. A pain to wash and a pain to dry -- although a close friend with a wine addiction in London suggested a blow dryer for those hard to reach places to dry in my favorite ship's decanter. It really works. Also, much of the aerate product out there looks pretty dodgy so what's the risk with a blender?

My tweak is to use an immersion blender -- in a large glass pitcher. It's gonna do what the blender does, but without the horror of pouring a bottle into something the Foxtrot uses for her frozen margaritas. Food nerd and ex Microsoft CTO, Nathan Myhrvold is grabbing all the credit he can find for the idea, but it looks like it's been around a while. Early 'wine expert' naysayers deal with the newbie idea here in a fascinating forum discussion right out of Moneyball. Cheers, to the Newbie.

"Sit Next To Me, Sexy"

Chateau Musar- Elegance from the Bekka Valley


"Over the years, I’ve loved some and disliked others, but I’ve always found them fascinating. Their “flaws” will not make them universally loved, with many being turned off for one reason or another (such as the barnyard and funk that often accompanies them).

Those who do like their style and character will be, and have been, enthralled by age worthy wines coming from an unlikely location." Review from Wine Exchange

Many years ago I dated a woman from Lebanon. She was older with thick black hair, coffee and cream satin skin, jet black eyes and the best French kisser I have ever known. Curvy with a fondness for tight dresses -- everything above her heels was welcoming. She defined sultry and she liked to call me, "sexy." As in, "What are you doing way over there? Come sit next to me, sexy."

The 2001 Chateau Musar ($45) is a full on sexy mouth of of silk. While the more affordable Hochar ($26) comes full on Rhone -- Bordeaux would be my reference for Chateau Musar. An elegant blend of Cabernet, Cinsault and Carignane, it finishes unlike any wine I've ever had in my life. Long, spicy with just a hint of sin.

I paired it last night with short rib burgers from Pat La Frieda. No cheese this time. Only a thick slice of New Jersey tomato, lettuce and a slice of onion all on a potato roll. Despite the contrast of a burger and a $45 wine -- or, because of it -- it worked that magic when simple food and wine combinations turn into glorious moments remembered forever.

Does the wine remind me of the woman or does the woman remind me of the wine? I'm not sure. They're both unique and not obviously beautiful. Look, any man browsing in a wine store is not gonna be drawn to a $45 red wine from Lebanon. But, that's exactly where life gets interesting. So... what are doing sitting way over there, sexy?

Dark & Stormy - A Weekend with Irene

28 August @ 6:36 PM
Fast moving clouds race by a slow moving Columbus Circle that's empty of traffic and people. Windy, cool and refreshing. It feels like a cocktail at the end of a long day.


27 August @ 11:05 AM
Rain is coming down as sky darkens. Last minute shopping. Whole Foods is closed.


27 August @ 11:10 AM
Time Warner Center is open but nothing in it is.

27 August @10:30 AM
Ninth Avenue diner is open until 11:00 AM. Mass Transit shuts down at noon.

27 August @ 12:03 PM
Morton Williams is open but lines stretch the length of the store. A bare bread aisle and no Pop Tarts.

27 August @ 12:33 PM
A Ninth Avenue deli is open, empty of people and crammed with cheese, bread, cured meats, wine and friendship. "We can't slice this. Is that okay?" No problem. No gouging. No lines. A 'NYC Survival' lesson learned. Turn left when everyone is turning right.


28 August @ 7:33 PM
Duane Reade exhibits pre - Irene loss control. All chains are still closed Sunday.


28 August @ 6:57 PM
57th Street looking east from 8th Avenue. There is no traffic.


28 August @ 7:03 PM
There is no subway.


28 August @7:17 PM
There is an open Bodega. Ice cream is very popular.

All photos taken with cell phone and filtered thru Instagram

Odd Books + Wine = Broadbent

Why do I buy books like this?





I guess because they're cheap...





and loaded with images like this. The Chairman, Directors and Staff.





This was Christie's first full year of wine sales. Click on image to read and ponder 1966 prices for 18th century wines.



Director of wine sales, Michael Broadbent, holds up one of the 200 year old bottles from the cellar of the Marquess of Linlithgow.





I mentioned Chateau Musar Hochar here earlier. A unique red that has recently become an obsession due to it's soft but bold character. Like a not very attractive woman with huge personality who dresses in St John. Warm, open, funny. A little bawdy, she likes to say 'fuck' a lot.





Hochar, when you can find it, runs $26 a bottle. That's not cheap but it's still an amazing value. And while white and rose have filled this Summer's record breaking temperatures -- Hochar is soft enough to pair perfectly with grilled steaks, lamb or a spread of smoked meats and cheese.





Go to Broadbent.com for a distributor in your state, and have that warm, funny and bawdy woman over for dinner. What the fuck have you got to lose?

Cowboy Steak "I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way"

From The Wild Bunch

From Cooks Magazine 2005

About the right temp

Throw the corn on first


Let the marinated whatever get to room temp


After corn grills for 40 minutes

Add whatever

A nice option to a tannin red is Chateau Musar Hochar from Lebanon

When I lived out west as a kid I remember flank steak was sometimes called 'cowboy steak.' I liked cowboy stuff a lot but I fell into that late '60s early '70s cowboy antihero movie phase of which Sam Peckinpah's Wild Bunch pretty much wrote the book.

My dad took me to see it when I was 12. It's probably my favorite movie and I'm not sure why. There's something about going down a road and you know it's wrong. In every way. But you go down it anyway. I guess it's about the only 'noir' western I've ever seen.

I was lucky enough to live in Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma. Places where you could find a cowboy steak. There's a place here in NYC that offers cowboy steak but I don't have the cojones to try it. Make my own instead. Pretty simple. Pretty cheap.

The cheaper the cut the better. Pick anything up there in that old Cook's Kitchen illustration and you can't go wrong. Why? Because your gonna marinade this for at least eight hours. I reckon you can get by with four but not any less. I use a half a cup of Tamari sauce, about 3 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil and a half tablespoon of wasabi power.

This is key. I used to chop up a clove or two of garlic and mix it with the liquid. I'd lose all the garlic when I turned the steak over on the grill. Instead, stick pieces of the garlic into the scored sections. The garlic usually burns and gives you that fantastic burnt taste. Throw some Summer corn on. Peel back the stalk and take the silk out. Fold the stalk back up and soak it in water for four hours.

The corn's gonna take most of the time on the grill. Especially with weak Webers. After the corn's been on for 40 minutes I toss the cowboy steak on. It's impossible to give a time since even my grill seems different each time I cook. Instead, I push down on the steak. Just about right reminds me of how my ass felt when I was 25.

Take the steak off and let it sit for four minutes. A cold beer or a Rose would be nice but I found this red from Lebanon that I've been in search of for a long time. The 2002 Chateau Musar Hochar is soft as Jello pudding. More Rhone than Cab and a big hit at $25.

Someone asked me who I would have dinner with - dead or alive. I'd love to sit down with Sam Peckinpah, William Holden, Warren Oates and Ben Johnson somewhere down in Mexico. Watch the sun set and talk about washers - women - what you do when you side with a man and what's it like to walk down that road.


"It ain't like it used to be - - but it'll do."

The Perfect G&T

Years ago I swiped a G&T recipe from the NY Times which called for the muddling of lots of lime (5) skins, lots of gin (1 cup), a half liter of Tonic and handfuls (4) of ice.  Simple in the description...

But cutting the pith outta lime is not easy.  I discovered the beak knife does a pretty good job.  It's still a messy proposition but the pay off...

....isn't that great.   Maybe it was the 1.75 liter of gin for $9 I was using.  State Line Liquor (Liquor? I don't even know her!) has a private label for gin and while the label is as cool as all get out -- the gin itself is nothing to write home about. 

Still, this recession ain't over yet.  At least, not for me...So, nine buck gin it is.  Actually, this is the kind of gin you need for a Negroni --  The perfect cocktail for cheap gin but that's another story. 

It's not the time of year for a big Cabernet and a hot tub.  Nope, that ain't gonna cut it.  But a pitcher of this muddled G&T with a good friend in the pool or better, in a cold shower or maybe just between some cool linen sheets.  While it's still day light and you smell of Caswell Massey Lime soap...That's a perfect G&T. 

Manhattan MILF

Erudite. Spohisticated.  Long legs in Chanel suit.  Bobbed hair and pearls. Strolling up 5th at 62nd. 

2Oz Hine Cognac
1Oz Carpano Antica Vermouth
Regan's Orange Bitters
Schweppes Soda (Optional)
Garnish with a heart shaped cherry

Stir and serve on ice. Sweet but fleeting.  Don't fall in love because she'll break your heart.

Off My Back: Pink & Green & Rose'

A unique pink & green

Maybe too unique

Not so great pattern matching

Best to hide it

Shetland Label

Shirt Label

My favorite label

The sister plaid to the Winter acorn. Again, made by Individualized Shirts and a fabric Wright & Simon owner, Len Simon claimed no one had ordered in donkey years. Picking shirt fabric from small swatches is a tricky (and expensive) business. It helps to select from bolts but we're not all hanging out on the second floor at Charvet.

I like the shirt but it reminds the Golf Foxtrot of something Eddie in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation would wear. "Clark, that's the gift that keeps on giving." Once again, Individualized came up short on the pattern matching. The front placket is off although not by much. Still, I'm hard pressed to find this problem with 'Made in China' shirts. I'm not talking sleeve to yoke matching. This is the front placket for Pete's sake.

Anyway, I hid it. Pretty darned well I think. These last few brisk days shuffled with occasional balmy afternoons require a wool sweater or two be left in the Spring closet. This pink Andover Shetland takes that plaid down a notch or two from Eddie's closet in the R.V. and puts the look square in Clark Griswold's realm. I always thought Sparky was a pretty good dresser.

There's been some grumbling about the MIA status of hooch around here on Fridays. To that end, here's a vintage Rose' from a wine maker who knows hand made from schmatta. The 1998 Vina Tondonia Rose' hails from a Spanish vineyard where wine is still made like it was in 1877. No chemicals, pesticides or machines. Harvesting? By hand. Racking? By hand. Barrel Making? By hand. I think $25 is a more than fair price for all that.

There's a fruit forward punch to this Rose' that'll knock you off your keister if you drink it too warm. This really needs to be chilled and kept that way so make your pours small. Nice with some almonds and olives on a Saturday afternoon. Even better with a marinated flank steak and red skin potatoes roasted with garlic and rosemary. Hell, who cares about pattern matching - - just get me to the weekend.