Wine Series - Cupcake Vineyards, Red Velvet

Lets start with this playful bottle of Cupcake Vineyards 2009 California. Be nice, this is the first time I've written about wine and I'm a novice. The Red Velvet is described by the seller as a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and  Cabernet Sauvignon, reminiscent of a blackberry chocolate cupcake.
I love these pictures, I think they turned out great.

Remind me to take pics of the wine itself next time. I got a little excited and drank the whole bottle (with the help of a friend, of course) before I could chronicle the colors. The wine itself is very sweet. You don't notice it at the first sip but the more you smell and taste the sweeter it gets. It definitely fits the description of the label- cupcake, so you know you're getting something sweet.

Cupcake Vineyards is based in Monterey County, California. From what I know that area of California sees both the warm days, and cool frigid nights. The cool foggy nights are what slows the growing process letting the grapes mature slower than warmer climates. That slow growth and cool weather is what helps balance the acids and sugars more so than other regions.

The vineyard also has some other interesting wines like the NV Brut Rose Pinot Noir, which is described as a sparking wine with aromas of strawberries and watermelon. Or the 2009 Pinot Grigio Trentino, which is described as, "a nose that shows hits of pineapple, pears and sweet lemons". It almost makes you hungry thinking about this wine!! The red velvet did remind me of a chocolate cake, or even some dark blue berries. All and all a good wine to have paired with a burger or steak or even after dinner with other treats- a little to sweet to drink on its own. I think next time I'll try their 2008 Shiraz, which is described as a dark and inky garnet color with a nose of plums and blackberry jam. Yum! I think the bitterness of Shiraz will offset the sweet nicely.

Mana

 

 

Thank you to those who participated in my lovely birthday. After dinner, presents, dessert and drinks the weekend rolled around and it was time for date night. Which was basically a repeat of the former. Warren and I have wanted to try Mana for sometime now. If you ever walk down Division in West Town I'm sure you've been intrigued by this dark little bar/restaurant. In the summer the outdoor seating is nestled between trees. The interior is very minimal, and small but you don't seem to mind because the space is used so well. We sat at the bar and although it took sometime to get used to staring at the brick wall ahead of us once the show started we were intriqued with our food.
This is the kind of dining that I love. People watching, talking to the staff, ordering small plates and drinking exquisite concoctions.

Mana  loosely translates to "the life force in nature" or "the things magic is made of". And by the way it is vegetarian. But not the tasteless kind.

Our menu:
Rice noodles in thai coconut milk broth with butternut squash, tofu, basil, mint and green onion
Sesame noodle chilled yellow wheat noodles tossed in spicy sesame peanut sauce with shredded peapods and carrots
Mana chili  - corn, black beans, chickpeas, green onions and white cheddar
Mana slider- brown rice and mushroom burger with spicy mayo
Spanikopita - baked filo filled with spinach, dill and feta cheese

The menu was fun, and allowed you to pick and choose small or large plates. There were so many other amazing options I wish we could have ordered them all! Next time I will try the sampler (pick 3 of the cold dishes) with options like: Jicama, mango & cucumber salad with cilantro and chili lime salt or Spinach and pear salad with walnuts and sweet mustard vinaigrette.

For drinks I ordered:
Watermelon and mint sake cocktail and the pineapple and fresh ginger sake cocktail.
The drinks were amazingly refreshing with just a splash of the sake flavor.

I love mana. And i will be back.

Mezé

I miss you bloggy.
I Just got back from a 2-week vacation to Iran so it has been awhile. Well, actually I got back 2 weeks ago. But between starting classes again (yup, doing the PH.D thing), quitting my full time job (tears), and looking for a part-time gig to stay afloat, it has been a busy couple weeks. Upon our return I happened to turn 26 (bleh). I really didn't want to celebrate or do anything special this year but when it came down to it a girl's got to eat right? We decided to check out Meze in the West Loop.

Mezé  is a gorgeous tapas space in the West Loop tucked away between the lofts and warehouses. If you don't hear about it my word of mouth you probably would never know it exists. I've been here for drinks at the bar but never had the food. The place is really pretty, and I have to start taking pictures of the interiors of places I visit.

We ordered off the 4$ happy hour menu...

 

Greek Pommes Frites

 

Hummas

 

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

 

Spicy Grilled Sausages

 Spicy Potatoes 

 

Vegetarian Thai Rolls

 

Beef Sliders

 

Pork Skewers

The happy hour menu is very eclectic. They call it Mediterranean, but to be honest any restaurant that boosts this title better know what they are talking about. Most of the time it seems to be a cover up for indecisiveness. It's like, "hey, we have a little bit of everything lets just call it Mediterranean". Lame.
I did like the friendly price. And it was fun to relax and unwind. But the food wasn't memorable. I'll come back for drinks but not for the food.

La Madia

 

I've been so busy lately that I haven't been keeping in touch with some of my friends like I should. It is really a shame  because when you have a lot on your mind it helps to consult with those around you. I hadn't talked to my friend Megan in so long, and we both had some catching up to do - so why not do it around some wine and a good meal? Our friend Erin also joined in on the evening, which was even better. So now that we've secured a time and day ( always tricky to do around our busy schedules!)  it's now a matter of location. I've heard about La Madia from a few friends, saw it on Groupon (a way to get coupons on daily deals in the city), and I've walked by it many times. I never thought to check it out even though it is right under my nose! 

It was decided. La Madia. The place was surprisingly packed for a weekday- good thing I made reservations because we would have been waiting for over an hour. We got there a bit early and went over to Fado for a couple beers and pre-dinner chat. 

The restaurant self proclaims to be a "contemporary pizzeria".  The Ikea-style wall decor and giant brick pizza oven lived up to their motto. I am always weary of anything traditional followed by the word "contemporary", probably because you never know what you'll get. What happened to authentic? La Madia lived up to their description, and I instantly loved the atmosphere-contemporary done right! The crowd were certainly Groupon-ers - young business professionals off from work. It was loud in the main dinning area, but the back room where we were seated was quiet and just perfect for conversation. It was nice to catch up with the girls and the 5$ house wine helped. 

I loved the house red which was a 2008 Mesta Tempranillo- from Castilla la Mancha, Spain. It was perfect. Erin's house white which was a 2007 La Prendina Pinot Grigio from Veneto, Italy was just as good, if not a better fit for the hot day. 

We ordered the foil-Roasted crackling Niçoise Olives: yummy! A bit salty after the 10th olive but so good with a hint of rosemary. The toasted bruschetta with seasonal wild mushrooms, marsala glaze & whipped ricotta. For the pizza's they offer Red or White (with sauce or without). So first we ordered the triple pepperoni, tomato Sauce & mozzarella cheese, finished with white truffle oil. YUM! The truffle oil made it all the better, sooo good we all agreed it had amazing flavor. The second pizza was the housemade lamb sausage, fresno peppers, caciocavallo cheese & mint salsa verde. Certainly was the runner-up. The lamb was good, but next time I think I'll order something else. 

After a couple more glasses of wine and digesting our fest it was unanimous- we loved La Madia and will be back. 

Just a note: the service was a tad slow- it took some time to get our wines.