lummi island wine tasting july 25 ’15
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads (sign up for preorder list! )
Multi Grain -Half bread flour and half a mix of fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours with flax, sunflower, and sesame seeds. – $5/loaf.
Whole Wheat -Half bread flour and half fresh milled whole wheat with a bit of honey for sweetness.
– $5/loaf.
Sourdough English Muffins – These delightful treats are made with a sourdough culture, bread flour, and some fresh milled whole wheat for extra texture and flavor. — 2/$5.
Willows Inn revisited
Back in the old days a lot of us here on the Island ate at the Willows fairly often, especially in the first few years of Sunday Grilled Prawns on the Deck, when you could have a great afternoon of delicious fresh prawns, beer, and Island camaraderie for about thirty bucks. Much has happened since those days, beginning with the arrival of young chef Blaine Wetzel a few years ago at age 24, and the NY Times article that put him, the Willows, and Lummi Island on the Global Food Map.
It’s been several years (and about four price hikes) since we last ate at the Willows. Let’s face it, the model of striving to be one of the best restaurants in the World is not that compatible with serving the needs of a small rural island population in the Pacific Northwest. However, we have family visiting this month, renting Anne’s apartment down the street for the month of July, and after all, Everyone should experience the Wetzel Willows at least once, so last night we went back.
All you need to know is that every one of the twenty or so — hmm, not “courses” in the usual sense– let’s call them “culinary presentations”– was imaginatively conceived, perfectly assembled, impeccably delivered, and exquisitely delicious. The best metaphor I can come up with is that generally even good meals are like ordinary fireworks…the rocket goes up, explodes, makes a noise, maybe even with some really nice effects, and fades away. And that’s generally the best you can hope for. But these dishes are more like the “end of the show” fireworks, where each explosion morphs into the next and the next and you can’t help going “Mmmm…MMmmm….MMMmmm” as the flavors unfold. For example, shown here is delicate grilled kale with dollops of black truffle and herbs…crispy, fragile, and cascading with flavor.
Edible blossoms
One big takeaway from the Willows dinner was the incredible depth of flavor in the tiny flowers of many common herbs. Sure, we all know the flavors of the fresh or dried leaves of borage, chives, marjoram, sage, savory, rosemary, thyme, basil, or coriander (aka cilantro). But the tiny flowers also have their own flavors, similar to the leaves, but with their own special intensities or nuances. When masterfully combined with otherwise ordinary dishes, they yield a surprising range of gustatory experience.
Often the flavors of these herbal flowers are similar to the leaves of the same plants, but with curiously intensified, sweetly floral, mildly bitter, or surprisingly spicy flavors like the edgy bite of watercress.
And of course, before eating any unusual plant, always make sure it is safe!
Nervosité
Some of you may remember that a year or two ago we partnered with our Friday night host Ryan along with Kevin of Dickerson Distributing in bringing a number of lovely French wines into the Pacific Northwest. These are all wineries that Ryan built relationships with many years ago when he was a wine importer in Los Angeles.
Many of you probably attended the inaugural tasting of these wines at Lis and Mark’s two years ago. If so, almost certainly you ordered some of the La Renaudie Sauvignon Blanc, which turned out to be the most popular wine of the tasting, with total orders twice the next most popular wine. Obviously it struck a nerve with many of you!
Interestingly, there is a French term, “nervosité,” used to describe some white wines, especially sauvignon blanc, and especially from the Loire region. And although everyone who uses the term seems to know what it means, the precise definition remains quite elusive. At one level it means a combination of vigor and firmness, while at another it suggests a more vaguely defined tension. Metaphorically, it kinda suggests “ten pounds of something in an eight-pound bag.”
So as you taste this wine this weekend, be mindful and consider: IS there such a thing as nervosité? And if so, does this wine have it…???!!!
This week’s wine tasting
Domaine la Renaudie blanc ’13 France $15
Benchmark Loire Sauvignon Blanc with a great balance between nervous, lean acidities and restrained grassy, elderflower character.
La Croix Belle Caringole Rosé ’14 France $11
Syrah-Grenache blend; intense nose of rose petals and pear-drop candies; palate of alpine strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries, with a citrus accent on the crisp finish.
Owen Roe O’Reilly’s pinot noir ’13 Oregon $17
This ruby red-hued Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is filled with bright flavors of cherry, fresh summer raspberry, silky chocolate and subtle oak undertones.
Eric Texier Cotes du Rhone ’11 France $15
Bright ruby-red. Lively aromas of cherry, lavender and white pepper with a delicate floral component. Silky, seamless, and plump in the mouth, with sweet, ripe red fruit flavors, a solid spine of acidity, and supple tannins.
Marchetti Rosso Conero ’13 Italy :$22
All from “free run juice,” yielding enticing notes of exotic spice, vanilla, dried cranberry, and bitter dark chocolate.
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2072 Granger Way