Thai Night at the Merry House!

Let's face it...T&R like Thai food. But COOKING it is a whole different ball game. Luckily, Ryan is an amazing chef, and I can hang as sous chef!

We decided to take on Pad Kee Mao (you may recognize this better as "Drunken Noodle"). Wow- not bad for amateurs! Will certainly make again!

I was concerned about this pairing, and decided to go with something less-than-obvious. Conventionally, spicy, Asian foods tend to go very especially well with semi-dry Rieslings, Chenin Blancs, Sauvignon Blancs, etc. But I decided to break out a bottle that was a bit special to us...Hermann J. Wiemer 2007 Chardonnay. Made in a more traditional manner, this wine is crisp, fresh, minerally, and gorgeous. Not quite so BIG and BUTTERY as new world Chards tend to be.

Wiemer Chard from the '07 vintage is packed with fresh peaches, citrus, and grapefruit, with nice body and texture. We are huge fans, and plan to visit this winery in the fall during our Finger Lakes, NY trip! Can't wait to stop in and pick up a few more bottles! Who knows...maybe even paired with another Thai Night at the Merry House!

(Written July 26, 2010)

When the Situation Calls for a Little Celebration...

Perhaps it is not the most creative name for a sparkling wine, but for our purposes, it was a well-suited one! When you haven't spent much time with one of your best friends for months, the reuniting is reason enough to break out the bubbly! As expected, the bottle didn't last long!

Celebration Cuvée Sparkling Wine by Wagner Vineyards, a Finger Lakes, NY winery, has the slightest tinge of sweetness, and is an effervescent delight. At <$20, you can't go wrong. We brought this bottle back from our last Finger Lakes trip when we focused on Lakes Seneca and Cayuga. We also enjoyed and purchased their award-winning 2007 dry Riesling (Paired with Morrocan food at a local BYOB...more later!).

Gorgeous rootop overlooking Manhattan, beautiful evening breeze, close friends, great conversation, laughs and reminiscing, toasting life's (great and small) celebrations.

Thank you, Wagner Vineyards!

Something for the Heat Wave

If you're anywhere near Philly, there's a heat wave going on! Yikes!

Luckily, I have a wine recommendation! Tonight I grilled Lemon, Caper, Rosemary Salmon on the grill (sooo good, write to me if you want the recipe!), with a Greek-ish salad (romaine, red pepper, kalamata olives, and non-feta-goat cheese, with homemade oil/vinegar/herbs dressing). I opened a (twist-off) bottle of Marlborough, NZ Sauvignon Blanc called "3 stones" (soil, climante, craft). So refreshing!

I got this bottle at a Pennsylvania Liquor Store as a Chairman's Selection for around <$10. It retails for ~$20. It's citrus-y and acidic, light, crisp, and PERFECT for summer! Perhaps better with a lighter fish, but who cares, it worked for me!

Cheers!, and stay cool!

***Highly recommend listening to "Mumford & Sons" station on pandora.com whilst enjoying 3 stones sauv blanc. Very chill.***