Our copper was stolen!!

Daily Life 2 Responses »
May 012012

I have heard before of copper stealing. Once I went to the Spec’s store on Jones and 290 and found the employees sweating because the A/C was off. I asked what was the problem and was told that the copper in their A/C units had been stolen the night before and the units were damaged. The damage is so severe that the units had to be replaced!! But that was maybe the only time I knew that something like this had happened. Until now!!

On Friday night thieves stole all the copper from the MacDonald’s on Grant Rd. and Louetta Rd., right in our shopping center! The thieves then preceded to cut the cables in our building but something must have scared them and they left without taking our copper. But the damage was done!!

I came to the restaurant early Saturday morning to check a minor temperature problem with one of my refrigerators and found that we had no power. I looked outside and saw a truck from Centerpoint Energy parked at the MacDonald’s so I figured they were doing some work. But then I saw the truck leaving without doing any work and that’s when I became concerned. So I went to the back of the building and found a big mess of cut wire in the big power junction box:

Now was panic time: it is Saturday morning – can this be fixed on time for service by 5:00 PM?  I doubt it!! Our landlord responded pretty quickly and dispatched a team of electricians to check out the damage. The news were bad:

  • All the copper cable had been taken from the MacDonald’s
  • Our cable was cut but not taken (maybe the robbers got scared)
  • Centerpoint Energy had shut down the whole center until the cabling is repaired.
  • Our cut cables could not be spliced (fixed) – they had to be replaced!! Splicing was not an option accepted by Centerpoint Energy.
  • Now the electrical company had to find a supplier that was open on a Saturday AND that had enough cable for the job.
  • Also they needed to find crews willing to work Saturday night and Sunday – not an easy thing!!

OK. We are doomed!! we will not open Saturday night!! But wait! our good friend (and a Mezzanotte regular) George had booked a table for 16 people to celebrate a big birthday!! What are we going to do?? We can’t just tell him “sorry, we have no power”.  So Adriana called him to ask if he would be open to us bringing the party to his house. Thankfully he said yes!  So we brought Mezzanotte to his house: we brought pots and pans, three cooks, utensils, silverware, dishware, napkins and tablecloth, two waiters, food, wine, liquor, mixers, etc., etc. The Party was a success and we felt very happy knowing that his big party was not spoiled because of some copper thieves!!

Cooking and setting up at Geroge’s house:

Happy birthday George:

 

We left George’s house really happy after ensuring that everything went flawlessly. We even had time to go enjoy a little bit of Saturday night at a Mexican restaurant (read: Margaritas) with some friends – something we had not done in years!!

So here comes Sunday: now we need to repack all our food in fresh ice to make sure that the loss is minimized. We bought all the ice at Walmart and most of the ice at Kroger.  Even our son Diego wanted to help carrying some ice bags:

Good news finally arrived at noon on Sunday: we most likely would get our power back by that evening! So we spent the rest of the day checking on our supplies and on the progress of the electricians’ crews:

  

Thanks to all the hard work of the electricians we got our power back on Sunday night. Now it was time to call our cooks again so that we can unpack all our supplies from ice and put them back into working refrigeration units.

On Monday morning we came in to inspect our supplies and throw away quite a good deal of things that didn’t make it through the ordeal. Thankfully we had enough to run service on Monday night so our doors were open again!!

We ended up the weekend short of supplies, with a Saturday night shut down and very tired from all we had to do to salvage our supplies. But we were very satisfied that the thieves were not able to spoil George’s party.  Here is to my team that did an impeccable job through the ordeal: cheers!!

Posted by Gerry at 4:33 pm

Have you heard of Bonarda?

Uncategorized No Responses »
Apr 122012

Maybe yes but most likely not.

While Bonarda is a big grape from Argentina (second most planted grape) most attention is paid to Malbec – and with justifiable reason. Even when you think you are enjoying a great bottle of Malbec, chances are that some Bonarda is in there.

But where is Bonarda really from? Well… there are three types of Bonardas in Italy (where it is alleged to originate) and they all come from the northern regions of Piemonte and Lombardia. But two of the Bonardas are not really Bonarda – one is really the Croatina grape from Oltrepo Pavese in Lombardia and another is the Uva Rara grape from northern Piemonte. The real Bonarda is the Bonarda Piemontese, which is sometimes used in Barbera blends. But…wait…there is also a French grape called Corbeau (or Douce Noire). Confused? well, it gets better: the Argentinean Bonarda is (allegedly) identical to California’s Charbono!! But, where do they come from?? Maybe they both are descendants of the French Corbeau? Maybe…

OK – please feel free to do some intense research on this subject and let me know of your findings. But I think I have had enough. I will stay with the theory that Bonarda came from France (Corbeau) during the Philloxera years (late 1800) when entire vine plantations were dying from the disease.

Now…Malbec has built a tremendous reputation as a fantastically high value wine from Argentina (with French origins also – but that’s a whole future blog). What about Bonarda? It seems to be coming out of the shadows of Malbec providing a whole different taste experience.  While Malbec boasts deep complex flavors of ripe fruits like plums and blackberry, and chocolate, with a bit tight tannins, Bonarda, on the other hand, offers bright fruit, spice, and earth. The acidity of Bonarda is higher making it a good companion to more diversity of food.

100% Bonarda productions are still rare so I was very excited to try this fantastic Single Vineyard 100% Bonarda from Bodegas La Madrid from Mendoza, Argentina.

Robert Parker gave it 91 points and wrote: “Notions of damp earth, brier, spice box, leather, plum, and mulberry set the stage for a savory, flavorful, impeccably balanced Bonarda that over-delivers in a big way.”

If you are a fan of big, sturdy wines, with robust, saturated purple colors and lots of flavor as well as character, you will probably want to try this beauty. We have it on our menu at Piqueo now!!

Cheers!

Posted by Gerry at 11:57 pm

Saturday lunch visiting Umbria – Italy

Food, Wine No Responses »
Apr 082012

Saturday lunch doesn’t have to be complicated. A quick trip to our local Kroger supermarket presented us with several choices for cheeses and salumi. We settled for a couple of great cheeses including an American one from Roth Kase called Sole Gran Queso (made in the Spanish Manchego style) and a beautiful Calabrian Salami:

A little bit of a great French cheese completed the menu: the Fromager d’Affinois (a brie with the modest content of 60% fat) and some crackers:

And, of course, we needed some good wine to go with it. For this occasion we picked the very nice Vignarco Orvieto from our Mezzanotte collection:

This wine is from the Italian region of Umbria:

Umbria is the only Italian region without any ocean exposure. The territory is mostly hilly or mountainous with its topography dominated by the Apennine mountains. The climate is Mediterranean with warm and dry summers and mild winters. Umbria has two DOCG wine appellations: the Sagrantino di Montefalco and the Torgiano Rosso Riserva. They are both reds which we will review in future postings.

We had the pleasure of visiting Orvieto a couple of years ago as a “mandatory stop” on our way from our villa in Montalcino (Tuscany) to Rome:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides the two DOCGs Umbria has 13 DOC appellations including: Assisi; Montefalco Rosso; Montefalco Bianco; Colli Altotiberini; Colli Amerini; Trasimeno; Colli Martani; Colli Perugini; Lago di Corbara; Orvieto; Rosso Orvietano; and Torgiano. Most whites are simple wines (due to the non-ocean exposure) except for the Orvieto. Wine has been made in Orvieto for centuries and has always been a favorite on the Pope’s table. Orvieto is made by the blend of four to five indigenous Umbrian grapes. This Beautiful Vignarco Orvieto DOC 2010 we are having for lunch is made of the blend of Procanico, Grechetto, Verdello and Malvasia grapes. The color is a gorgeous intense gold and has moderately intense aromas of stone fruits, flowers and some grass. The body is medium and drinks easily with a soft and dry palate. As we found out it goes very well with cheeses and antipasti and it would go very well with white sauce pastas and chicken dishes.

I hope the next time you come to Mezzanotte you have the opportunity to try this great wine that can also be had as a very nice aperitif:

Cheers!

Posted by Gerry at 10:19 am

The next frontier: Texas Wines

Uncategorized, Wine 1 Response »
Apr 022012

Yes friends… Texas wines. I can’t be more excited to blog about the subject! And the reason is that there really are some outstanding wines made in our own backyard. The big problem is that the super markets and wine shops shelves are stocked with ordinary Texas wines made more for volume than for quality!

OK. Here goes the whole story: we were very fortunate to have been invited by our good friends Bill and Gail to spend the weekend at the Vineyards at Florence. As the name implies, this is a vineyard located in Florence, Texas, about 40 miles north of Austin.  The setting is beautiful with several Tuscan style homes inside the winery. Here is the villa where we stayed at:

The program was amazing and it included sightseeing in the neighboring (and historic) town of Salado, TX; a 9 course dinner cooked by guest chef Terry Thomson (who has written several cookbooks) and a wine tasting at the vineyard. The sightseeing was great and the dinner was fantastic (anytime somebody else cooks, by default, it becomes an outstanding experience for me!!)  Here is chef Terry cooking for us:

Needless to say that we ate more than we should have!! but…who cares, we were having a great time.

But let me get to the core of the experience (at least for me): the wine tasting.  Now, I have to be brutally honest with you. The first thing that came to mind when I was told about the wine tasting was: “yeah…another tasting of Texas stuff – like I care – I hope is fast and painless”.  Yes, that is exactly how I was mentally prepared for this experience. I am happy to report, however, that the experience was outstanding and I am now a believer of Texas wines big time! We had the fortune of having a one-on-one session with no other than winemaker Dan Gatlin.  Dan has been in the business since his youth in Santa Barbara, California, at a time when California wines were as well recognized as Texas wines are today. What impressed me the most was Dan’s resolution of breaking “Conventional Wisdom” believes. Conventional wisdom cripples creativity by making people believe that great wines cannot be made in regions not blessed with great terroirs. I am not going to delve into all the details he went into in our (relatively) short time together. Suffice it to say that his experience (of over 30 years) making wine makes him uniquely gifted in making beautiful things happen. Here is Dan getting ready for our session:

And here is his hand serving us some not yet bottled Cabernet juice:

We tasted many wines and, of course, there were a few that I didn’t care too much for. But there were others that blew my socks off. There were three that particularlly impressed me: his Magdalena which is crafted in typical (Bordeaux) Margaux style – a beautiful and elegant blend of, primarily, cabernet sauvignon (81%) with the rest being Malebc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. When I thought I had tasted his best wine then he pours this fabulous 2008 Magellan (and we also tasted his 2006 version). The Magellan is crafted in the (Bordeaux) Paulliac style of a bigger and more tannic wine (my preference, exactly). This amazing blend of, also, primarily cabernet sauvignon (68%) with the rest being also malbec, petit  verdot, cabernet franc and merlot and – surprise- a bit of tempranillo!

Just when I thought I was ready to pack it up and go “home” to our 9 course dinner, Dan pulls out this monster of a wine: the “Cornelious Reserve”. This 100% Texas tempranillo is a black fruit big guy crafted after the beautiful Toros of Spain. If you have ever had a big Spanish Toro (and loved it), like a Numanthia, then you will fall in love with this baby! and it is from Texas!!

OK. Time to wrap this up: I really didn’t think that wines like this could be produced here!  Now, they are not ordinary wines and you will not find them in your local super market. They are not even produced every year (the Magellan was produced only twice in the last 9 vintages) and, of course, they are not cheap. But they are worth our attention as we can be proud of calling them Texas Wines!

Cheers!

PS: and, of course, we have a couple of bottles at Mezzanotte and Piqueo!

Posted by Gerry at 10:25 pm

Sunday night with a CDP!

Uncategorized, Wine 1 Response »
Mar 252012

OK…it is Sunday night and we are enjoying our customary “Weekly Wine Splurge” at home. I won’t talk about the food because you probably already guessed it: some kind of steak to go with a nice big wine:

ok, ok…I like my meat a bit on the rare side!

And a few other things to go with the beef:

Grilled portobello mushrooms (with a little bit of EVOO – and thats it)

Grilled Poblano peppers and grilled Provolone Cheese. Yes, I know…you are not supposed to pair spicy food with red wine. But…what about if you don’t know that?  I had to test it – the pepper was not that hot anyway; and it went very well with my CDP!

The wine: 2007 Domaine La Barroche – Châteuneuf Du Pape (which literally translates to “The Pope’s New House”). Pope Clement V moved his papacy to the Bordeaux region (in southeastern France) in the 1300s. Being “one of us” (a wine lover), he promoted vineyards and vinification in the region. But the wines of CDP (short term so I don’t have to type the long name) didn’t make it big until fairly recently when another one of “us”, Mr. Robert Parker, tasted it and agreed with his likings sending the CDP appellation through the stratosphere (and its prices too).  So thankful are the inhabitants of the CDP town that they appointed Robert Parker an “Honorary Citizen of CDP”!!

But enough of a background. Lets get into it: This beautiful wine is a blend of 60% Grenache (or Garnacha), 20% Mourvedre, 14% Syrah and 6% of a bunch of “other ones”. Stephen Tanzer gave it , justifiably, 93 big points; Robert Parker 92 and Wine & Spirits 92 also!

The color is intense ruby and the first thing that hits you is a very intense aroma of red fruits. But wait a few seconds, sniff it again and you get licorice and spices (anise). Now try again and you get a whole spectrum of other things: some cocoa, some barnyard stuff, some more herbs and even dried flowers!! Close your eyes and keep sniffing. Actually it took me a while before I tried the first sip as I continued enjoying this complexity!!! OK…lets take a sip: feels warm (of course, it has 15% alcohol!) and hits you in the back of the throat. Really full bodied and with great and persistent finish. The tannins are firm but very smooth. A beauty of a wine. I am seriously considering bringing into our Mezzanotte portfolio.

Look at the body of that wine in my glass!!

Now I can go to bed and look forward to my Monday!!

Cheers!

Posted by Gerry at 8:20 pm

Chappellet Cab

Uncategorized, Wine No Responses »
Mar 252012

Saturday night is steak night for me (actually, most nights are “steak night”!). So last night we had a petite size NY Strip (medium rare, of course) with a bottle of a very nice wine: The 2008 Chappellet “signature” Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California. What a delight of a wine!! No wonder it received 91 points from Wine Spectator. Very complex: some minerality, wood, typical cab black currant, spices (clove, cinnamon), and a touch of leather. The tannins are nicely pronounced and firm. Beautiful, long finish. Cheers!

Posted by Gerry at 9:40 am

Couldn’t have answered this question better!

Daily Life, Uncategorized No Responses »
Mar 202012

In one of my discussion forums somebody posted the following question:

I know it’s a part of the business but do you get tired of people who have never worked in a restaurant in their lives yet feel that they know a better way to run it or critique it?

And then Joe Robinson (owner of a restaurant in Los Angeles) posted his answer – which I feel as it could have come out of my mouth:

A person may be able to read a financial statement, understand cash flow and possibly have a background in marketing. These skills are certainly of value prospective and any entrepreneur in any field should at least be conversant with them. However these skills alone will not translate into a successful restaurant venture. If they could, my accountant would not be my accountant but rather my competitor. 
I have run a steakhouse for the last 50 or so years which I believe places me in the leisure dining segment of the restaurant business. Outsiders think they can do better because they think I sell food. My belief is that I am selling a dining experience and food is only at best 30% of the equation. I also sell service and ambiance. And I must also sell only to one customer at a time making them feel they are special. As restaurateurs, we must have skills in purchasing raw materials with short shelf lives, skills in production to turn the raw goods into finished goods, understanding of inventory controls, the ability to run a staff consisting of low wage labor (kind of like herding cats), and of course a firm grasp of customer service. And as if all these necessary skills were not enough to give a budding entrepreneur a chance for success, they should be well aware going in that ours is a capital intensive business and they must have a great bankroll and not succumb what contributes to most failures which is overestimating revenues and underestimating costs when laying out their business plan. 
Those who are great in understanding business but absent of food service skills, and not willing to put in long hours working weekends and holidays should be investors and not owners, for business acumen alone will not make a success in the restaurant business. 
Conversely, my experience began with my mother who was a waitress and my dad who was a bartender/chef who started on a shoestring without knowledge of business in general but were most certainly restaurant people. They spawned a business which has lasted over 50 years. I once asked my mother how she priced her menu and she responded “one for the landlord, one for the meat man and one for me”. Not a deep understanding of business principals but one that worked. 
Sorry to be so long winded but I like the rest of those who have commented here also feel frustrated by outsiders trying to tell me what to do as if I am engaged in a hobby.

Posted by Gerry at 8:31 am

Sunday cooking at home – with 2 great wines!

Uncategorized, Wine No Responses »
Mar 182012

I brought from my cellar at Mezzanotte this beautiful bottle of wine from Umbria (the only completely mediterranean region of Italy). It holds an 89 points score from Robert Parker. It is an “everyday” type of wine (fresh and uncomplicated) – very fruity (red fruits) and some earthiness. It goes very well as company during a cooking session. And that’s what I did! Fantastic sipping along the cooking:

Unfortunately I gave the wrong instructions and got a rack of center cut pork chops instead of a rack of loin chops. It is Sunday and no time to get stressed about it. So I just went ahead and cooked this beautiful rack.

First thing to do was to cut some holes into the meat very close to the bone and insert some whole cloves of garlic. Next toast some fennel seeds and then chop them very finely. I used this, along with some thick kosher salt and ground mixed peppercorns, to season my rack:

Then I sliced some yellow onions, placed them in a baking dish and covered them with milk (yes, milk) and olive oil. Then placed my rack on top and roasted it at 400 degrees for about an hour and a half. Of course I enjoyed my bottle of Vitiano all along (I even shared a little bit in the process):

Almost 2 hours later we were ready to sit down for dinner. I made some fresh fettuccine pasta and cooked it Alfredo style (butter and grated parmesan – that’s it!). A couple of slices of the pork, some of the cooked onions from the bottom of the baking dish, and some Fettucine Alfredo. Voilá!

And to go with this, a South African jewel: the 2007 Rust en Vrede Stellenbosch Estate.  93 points by Stephen Tanzer! – 61% Cab, 30% Shyraz and 9% Merlot. Very dark and deep red with black cherry, herbs (i sensed some sage and mint), some menthol, minerality, spices (cracked pepper, cloves), some tobacco. Complex, beautiful. I opened the bottle this morning so it had plenty of time to relax – beautiful round tannins!

What a match – it worked really well with my rack of pork. This goes to prove that conventional wisdom is not always right: we had this big, bold red Bordeaux blend with a white meat (pork), pasta with no sauce (just some butter and parmesan) and onions baked in milk and olive oil!! Call me crazy but this pairing was perfect!

PS: We carry the Umbrian Vitiano at Mezzanotte and we will most likely bring the Rust en Vrede into our Piqueo Wine List.

Posted by Gerry at 9:57 pm

Punto Final means “Full Stop” in Spanish

Uncategorized, Wine No Responses »
Mar 172012

Saturday night: we had this great Argentinean Malbec from Mendoza (received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast). It is made from very old vines (50 years old) and aged in French oak barrels for 10 months. Very low yields make a concentrated wine! Very dark inky red. Very intense and complex nose. Black fruits upfront, wood (maybe cedar), a touch of minerality. Intense mouth also, a little earthy. The tannins were a little harsh at first but with a little airing things changed for the better. It is young wine so it could use some time in the bottle but can definitely be drunk now. We paired (of course) with a magnificent grilled NY Strip with chimichurri sauce, a little scalloped potatoes and grilled Mexican green onion. Nice ending to a very busy night at Piqueo!

Posted by Gerry at 11:59 pm

Great Priorat wine!

Uncategorized, Wine No Responses »
Mar 112012

Lazy Sunday night: made a fabulous dinner and sipped a fabulous wine: this time we chose the Clos Figueres 2007 Priorat (Spain). Not a cheap wine but well worth the splurge – it received 94 points from Robert Parker! Intense ruby red (I would say purple, actually) and medium body. Great complexity on the nose: black fruits, spices (sage, clove, black pepper) and some minerality. Beautiful tannins: I opened the bottle this morning and gave it a good 10 hours to breathe. I am pretty sure I will bring it into our wine menu at Piqueo. Cheers!

Posted by Gerry at 10:43 pm
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