Or, A Cautionary Tale About Repairing Your Own Wine Fridge

Our 50-bottle wine fridge has been out of commission for several weeks. It makes a god-awful noise when it’s plugged in and the cooling feature is non-existent. Basically, it’s currently a glorified wine cabinet.

To see if we could diagnose the problem, we pulled the unit out of it’s snug little area for better access to the back. Upon doing so, Eric discovered that the fan unit was entirely coated in dust. Embarrassed that this could be the problem, I tackled the fan with the vacuum, then got the brilliant idea of taking the fan out to clean the blades with a damp paper towel. Except, the screws wouldn’t go back in properly and what the heck are those tiny silver nuts doing on the floor, oh.

(Eric is either rolling his eyes or strangling me at this point of the story. Or both)

And did I mention that the motor on our vacuum cleaner choose this exact moment to die? Yeah.

So after some creative maneuvering with a flashlight and a tiny screwdriver we managed to secure the bottom part of the fan back in place. We plugged in the wine fridge and (amazingly) there were no rattling or groaning noises!

We went to bed praying that when we woke up, the unit would be at a lovely (and quiet) 58 degrees.

Well, the unit is not maintaining a cool 58 degrees and it sounds like it’s being slowly tortured to death. It’s not the fan, so I’m afraid it may be the motor which means we needed to decide if it’s worth spending (enter some obscene amount of money here) to fix a seven year old wine fridge.

Turns out no one will even give us a chance to spend money to fix it because I’ve called eight places with no luck: one made an appointment with me and never showed up, four didn’t deal with wine fridges at all, one never called me back after I left two messages, one said he would come look at it but couldn’t do anything if it was one of three (likely) problems and one guy was just plain weird.

So, as of now, we are wine-fridge-less. :(

Paella Valencia (my version)

2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
16 ounces boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup onion, julienned
8 ounces white wine
10 ounces petite canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
pinch saffron (crush before adding)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces uncooked short grain rice
20 ounces chicken broth
about 10 medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
about 12 bay scallops
1/2 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a paella pan, heat the olive oil and saute the chicken until it is golden. Add garlic, bay leaf and onion. Saute until onions are transparent. Add white wine, tomatoes, saffron, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Then, add rice and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add seafood and cover the paella pan with foil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Garnish with sliced lemon wedges and serve.

Results: The rice turned out great, but I definitely needed to use more spice overall, so I upped the numbers in the ingredient list above. The seafood was cooked fine; I would probably use sea scallops quartered next time just because I Like their flavor better. Not too shabby for my first attempt! :)

Note: We borrowed a friend’s paella pan for this as you really need a flat bottomed pan to make sure the rice cooks evenly.

Recently, we decided to try out Six Plates winebar in Durham and take advantage of their half-price bottles of wine Monday night special. We were the first people there at 6:30pm and were cheerfully greeted by the owner. We sat at the bar and perused the menu deciding that a sparkling rose (Cava Avinyo) from Spain would go with just about anything we liked. The decor is both comfortable and modern with couches and low tables for lounging.

Unfortunately, they were out of their signature lamby joes, so instead we had the flatbread of the day and the ribeye steak. The flatbread was delicious. Piled high with fresh tomatoes, blue cheese, arugula and local pork sausage all atop a creamy balsamic glaze. While the ribeye plate was tasty (garlic potatoes, local squash), I thought it was a little skimpy on the meat portion. I also noticed that after our visit, the meat had changed into tenderloin on the online menu and that certainly seemed more like what we were served. We finished our meal with a flight of gelatos. We could pick from flavors such as olive oil, green tea, chocolate, thai basil, roasted garlic and blackberry. We went traditional with chocolate and blackberry but I just had to try (and loved!) the thai basil.

Our overall experience was good, but I didn’t feel that the food was an excellent value for the money if you want to have an entire dinner experience here. The next time we would go back and enjoy a bottle of wine and try the lamby joes but finish the night elsewhere.

Ommegang Brewery, Cooperstown—This brewery is well-known for their Belgian-style beers and even though I’m normally not a huge fan of that style, we were minutes away at the Baseball Hall of Fame, so we made the short drive south for the free beer tasting. We arrived when a tour had just ended, so we joined in for the tasting portion. The beers were, in general, very good. All were drinkable and had many nuances including Rare Vos which has orange peel and cardamom notes to it. We bought a bottle of the Rare Vos and the Three Philosophers, a wonderful dark beer that went smashingly with the dark chocolate offered at the tasting.

Adirondack Pub & Brewery, Lake George—In between the Tenant Creek hike and the search for Shelving Rock Falls, we took a short break and had a beer and some chicken tenders at this brewpub. The witty glasses were probably my favorite part of the meal as we both thought our beers were a little watery. Their patio is great, however, the service was fine and we got to watch part of a Euro Cup match with full bellies (and a mild buzz).

Coopers Cave Ale Company, Glens Falls—Eric took pup for a quick walk while I ran in to taste a few of their offerings. The tasting room is basically a little store and a bar at the front of their small brewery. The best beer by miles was the Oatmeal Stout; I also got a 22oz bottle of the porter. Many people were stopping by to get their growlers filled, but they have most of the beers on tap and are happy to pour you a tasting of up to three.

Saranac, Utica—Also known as FX Matts Brewery, this is one of the largest breweries in the United States and has been in the same (original) family for four generations. You can find Saranac beer just about everywhere, but we were staying in Utica, so we figured why not take the tour and try some beer? Our Chicago-born guide had been working there for all of three weeks, so while she was friendly, we couldn’t get many questions answered and there was quite a bit of umms and uhhs. Unfortunately, they had a bad fire about three weeks before our visit, so the bottling facility was off-limits. At the end of the tour, you can have two pints which was a bit much for the middle of the afternoon, but I enjoyed my caramel porter and about half of the imperial stout before we were shooed out. For some odd reason, they didn’t have the logo pint glasses on sale in the gift shop, just the plain soda-inspired ones, but I managed to sweet-talk my way into making them sell me one from the tasting room upstairs! :)

Ithaca Beer Company, Ithaca—After working up a sweat in Falls Gorge, I stopped in here for a sample. Most of the beers are lighter, but I did like the Nut Brown and the very strong Ten Ten. We picked up a few bottles of the ginger beer because it was just spicy enough and very refreshing. The kid behind the counter hailed from Cooperstown, so I had a nice chat with him about a few of the other breweries we had visited earlier in our trip.

Rooster Fish Brewery, Watkins Glen—While our dinners were acceptable (chicken-avocado wrap for me and a chicken, apple and not-as-sharp-as-advertised cheddar sandwich for Eric), about a week before our visit they had experienced a power-outage that ruined all their drought beers save for one. (What is it with these NY breweries and their misfortunes?) Disappointingly, this meant we couldn’t sample any of the tasty-looking house brews. So, instead I got an Arrogant Bastard Ale and Eric stuck with the free refills on the lemonade. While the logo glass is great, no further comment until we can actually taste their beer.

The following are some of the places where we ate during our week in Barcelona. Unlike most of the places we visit in the US, there are no websites to accompany these, so I’ll give street locations when possible.

Pizzas L’Avia—Just down the street from us on the corner of C/Cera and C/Botella was this busy pizza and empanadas place. We weren’t terribly hungry by dinnertime on our first night, so we grabbed a chirizo pocket and a ham & cheese pocket to go. Both were a little dry, but tasty. I imagine the pizza is very good as that’s what most people were noshing on. There are bottles of their signature cava for sale above the bar for about 2€… so tempting.

3 Hermanos—This cozy tapas place is located at C/Carme 59. We split a 1/2 liter of sangria and enjoyed three small plates that filled us up completely, fresh manchego cheese, sliced jamon drizzled with olive oil, and patatas bravas. One notable thing was the selection of American music playing, perhaps due to the early hour of our dining?

La Fragua—Located at Rambla del Raval 15, we liked this place so much that we ate here twice! The first time we split a bottle of Torres Rose de Casta. I enjoyed the valencia paella (semi-blurry photo below) and Eric had a jamon and cheese flauta and a patatas bomba. The waiters were just flying around this place and ours was no exception. He even insisted on treating us to dessert, a chocolate cake, how nice! The second time we got a half bottle of rioja and split a spicy shrimp skewer, patatas bravas, and a jamon flauta. Everything was beyond delicious.

Rita Rouge—This restaurant is located just behind La Boqueria off of C/de les Floristes de la Rambla bordering a parking lot. Even though rain was in the forecast (like every night we were in Barcelona) we opted to sit outside. Two other tables were enjoying pitchers of sangria, but it wasn’t on the menu. When we asked, our waiter looked confused and came back with a price of 17€, which we declined. Instead, we split a bottle of a local Spanish white and amusingly watched folks cram themselves into tiny parking spaces while waiting for our food. My Fajitas de Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp fajitas) were well seasoned and plentiful and Eric enjoyed his Chicken Tandoori Masala. We also witnessed our first ever bill-dodgers who ran around the corner when the waiter wasn’t looking!

C/Vermell courtyard restaurant—While wandering around Barri Gotic on our first full day we stumbled upon this place in a quiet courtyard area on C/Vermell just a few blocks up from the Picasso Museum. We grabbed a table outside and Eric had a huge glass of sangria and me, my first glass of rioja in Spain. We split an order of pan amb tomàquet (bread rubbed with a cut tomato, garlic and olive oil), chirizo, and a traditional potato pancake.

C/Princesa ice cream shop—On our way back from the beach, we stopped just before Jaume square for a cold snack to stave off the hunger as we still had another two hours until dinner. I enjoyed a coffee ice cream while Eric opted for the chocolate chip (even though he asked for mint chocolate chip). It was a tasty and a generous portion, but I liked the flavor of the French ice cream better.

Mercat de Sant Antoni, Mercat Santa Caterina & La Boqueria—While I enjoyed the bustle of each of these markets, I thought that the Sant Antoni market had the best prices and was a more authentic experience. I overheard lots of tourists speaking English in La Boqueria and even helped an British couple order some cheese. :) The selections of fruit, meats, and cheeses were very overwhelming (in a good way), and be prepared to see skinned sheep heads (and entire animals) for sale alongside the ordinary cuts of meat. Go to La Boqueria for your tourist photos, but head to another one of the local markets to do your actual shopping.

A nice added touch, each stall has their own branded cheese paper. The two below are from La Boqueria.

One of the nicest food-related things about Barcelona is that there are bakeries on practically every corner. We had lovely baguettes, croissants, and chocolate pastries from a number of places. Another thing to note is that we didn’t try any place I had written down before we left, in fact, we found all these places by simply walking around and checking out menus.

Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery, Nederland—We made fantastic time from the Denver Airport, through Boulder, viewing Boulder Falls, and into Nederland to pick up the Peak-to-Peak Highway, but we need some nourishment. What better than beer and bbq! I tried the Big Ned Red which came in a wine glass and was delicious with my pulled pork sandwich. Eric ate the entire plate of beef brisket and washed it down with the amber ale. We also split a plate of sweet potato fries thanks to the happy hour special. If I ever find myself nearby, we will come back.

The Egg & I, Estes Park—Our hotel had a modest continental breakfast, but we needed something more substantial, so we stopped by this popular breakfast place near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. I had the hikers benedict (of course) with asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes and crispy bacon on top and my very own carafe of coffee (!!!). Eric’s breakfast croissant was good, but a little dense. I’m not sure pastries bake too well at 9,000 feet?

Creekside Cellars, Evergreen—A scenic detour took us down to this area on our way to Colorado Springs. The red wines were passable but the whites, not so much. And skip the tawny port altogether, yuck. We didn’t stay for lunch, though the patio looked nice.

Charles Court @ the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs—Our fancy dinner of the trip, the Broadmoor Resort is a complex of accommodations, restaurants and grounds to behold. We arrived early and enjoyed cocktails and a cheese plate at the bar while waiting for our table. The service was exceptional and the meal was lovely. April, one of the bartenders, gave us a few suggestions for our main courses and I took her up on the venison main course with a carpaccio appetizer. Eric’s pork special was very tasty and the potato side was a stand-out. Interestingly, they had several wines on the menu that were of good value. All around, we had a fantastic and memorable meal.

Jack Quinn’s Pub, Colorado Springs—We were looking for a quick bite to tide us over until dinner at the hotel on Saturday evening, so we ventured downtown to get a pint and a snack. The place was next to empty at 2pm, but our private booth was a treat and the atmosphere was very pleasant. My guinness and beef boxty was very good and Eric’s fried potato wedges hit the spot.

Phantom Canyon Brewing Company, Colorado Springs—A brewery for breakfast? To prove that it’s never to early for beer, we dined at this brewery for brunch on Sunday. I enjoyed a porter with my chorizo, egg, and potato wrap and black beans while everyone else had a more traditional breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

Comfort Inn, Estes Park—A charming lodge, one of the better Comfort Inns we’ve stayed in. The front desk was very helpful, and the only bad thing was the free wifi connection that did not work properly in our room. We just dragged the laptop to the lobby. Otherwise, the room was clean and we had own own marked parking spot. This hotel is a little further out than some other options but Estes Park isn’t that large and this was an affordable place to stay.

Crown Plaza Hotel, Colorado Springs—For some reason the hotels that have hosted the last two River Rats conventions cannot seem to handle large amounts of people. Our room wasn’t ready when we tried to check in at 4:30pm. Then (after requesting a room close to my dad) they put us in the complete opposite end of the hotel. And when I say complete opposite, I mean a 10 minute walk through this sprawling place. No exaggeration, it really took 10 minutes from end to end. The front desk staff was woefully slow and not able to help with even the simplest request (i.e. a reservation for a local restaurant). Despite all of this, our king room was quite large and the bed was very comfortable. Once we figured out that we could park just outside the room, the excessive walking was diminished. I honestly think they just need to hire better managers.

Eat & Drink

Thirsty Bear Brewing Company, San Francisco—We try and hit a brewery in every city, so we can collect a representative pint glass. This place has the distinction of being the only organic brewery in the city, and it receives even more bonus points because the beer is tasty. We just had appetizers as we planned on a late dinner elsewhere, their Spanish-themed menu looked good and the patatas bravas were excellent.

Scala’s Bistro, San Francisco—We were eating pretty late (after 9pm) and this place was still packed when we left. We don’t normally eat in the hotel’s restaurant, but made an exception as this place had great reviews and well, it was close. I ordered steak frites while Eric enjoyed the rigatoni with duck bolognese. A glass of wine each made us even more sleepy so we retired soon after dinner.

Sears Fine Food, San Francisco—Famous for their little swedish pancakes, it is the only reasonably priced item on the menu and while Eric loved the small pancakes, my breakfast was just okay. Service and atmosphere was fine but I have no idea why this place was so crowded.

The Spinnaker, Sausalito—One of the best meals of the trip and it was for a late lunch! After leaving San Francisco, we stopped in Sausalito for a quick bite and awesome views of downtown San Francisco. This glass-enclosed restaurant served the best clam chowder I’ve ever had and with the seafood sampler appetizer, it was plenty for a meal. Eric had the butter lettuce salad and the cheese ravioli in walnut alfredo sauce. Delicious.

Crepevine, San Rafael—We stopped here for both dessert on Sunday night (see entry above for why we didn’t have dinner) and breakfast on Monday morning. The kilauea and siena dessert crepes were scrumptious and filling. Come morning, my New Orleans benedict was good, but hardly spicy. We had some issues with the quality of fried potatoes throughout the trip and this place was, unfortunately, no different.

Zza’s Trattoria, Oakland—We met Leah and Simon here for dinner on the last night of our trip. One side is a candle-lit wine bar with dark woods and a reasonably-priced wine list and the other side is a more boisterous home-style restaurant. Eric and I arrived early, so we started on a bottle of wine in the wine bar, eventually moving next door for dinner. My Prosciutto e Gorgonzola pizza was filling and generously adorned with the good stuff and Eric’s gnocchi was rich and delicious.

Sleep

Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco—When researching hotels in downtown San Francisco, we discovered (like in most cities) that the business hotels go down in price on the weekends while the budget hotels go up. We got a great deal on this boutique hotel and the location (about 3 blocks from Chinatown and 1 block from Union Square) was great. Our king room was small, but comfortable. The bathroom had Aveda products and for being in a busy section of town, our room was remarkably quiet. I would definitely stay here again.

Travelodge, San Rafael—Your standard noisy-because-its-near-the-highway motel, it was clean but the floor sloped, so it felt like you were falling as you walked across the room. We also managed to somehow lock ourselves out of the bathroom. Thankfully the hostess let us in but every interaction with her was pretty chilly. This is exactly the kind of place that makes me rethink just how important saving money is when it means staying at accommodations like this.

Millwood Inn & Suites, Millbrae—This was a very pleasant surprise. We needed a place to stay near the airport and most of the hotels in the area had disparate reviews—except this one. Our king room was large, with comfy blankets, nice bath products and most importantly peace and quiet. The included continental-plus breakfast and wifi were also big bonuses. Highly recommended.

I found out last week that due to circumstances beyond her control, a friend of mine could not attend a chocolate class she had signed up for weeks ago. There was no opportunity for a refund so she asked if I would go instead (and report back with recipes and notes, of course).

I had never attended a Southern Season cooking class before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It turns out that this was not a hands-on class, but more of a classroom style setting; in fact, I felt like I was witnessing the taping of a cooking show. Thankfully, the chef, Nick Malgieri, was entertaining and insightful when it came to preparing a few chocolate treats, involving the audience whenever possible.

It also helped that we were plied with generous pours of both tawny port and cream sherry during the two-hour class. Wheee!

Recipes included:

• Cocoa Nib Brownies (absolutely sinful)
• Devilsfood Bombe (light and creamy, delicious)
• Chocolate Walnut Tart Scented with Orange (too orangey, but lovely texture and crust)
• Lemon Scented Chocolate Macaroons (sticky and good)
• Loretta’s Chocolate Cake (crusty top, warm interior with semi-sweet flavor)

I learned a few new tricks and penned copious notes and additional details to the recipes for my friend (and for me!)

The classes are pricey, although not outrageously so; I think they would make an excellent gift. :)

We spent yesterday indoors avoiding the cold and rainy weather, but come dinnertime Eric suggested a few options to get us away from our computers. We settled on Parizade, located in Erwin Square in Durham.

Our first impression was positive, large paintings covered the walls and the open kitchen was bustling. We ordered a bottle of Spanish cava (sparkling wine) and the gnocchi appetizer to begin our meal. The delicate gnocchi were clearly fresh and the mix of roasted chicken broth and pancetta were just salty and hearty enough. Plus, it was the perfect portion to split for a starter.

I surprised Eric by getting a pasta dish as my main course, but the combination of salmon and artichokes in a tarragon cream sauce sounded too good to pass up. Eric ordered the bolognaise with beef tenderloin and pancetta. Both dishes were delicious and chock full of the advertised ingredients. I can’t tell you how annoyed I get when I have to hunt for the tasty elements supposedly included in my entree. My cream sauce just coated the pasta, so I got all the flavor without the cloying, thick texture of some creamy sauces.

We ended the evening with a monster slice of the 3-Chocolate Torte, and even though we aren’t typically big fans of orange flavored chocolate, the flavor was subtle and overall rich and tasty.

The service was also stellar, our champagne glasses were never empty and Michael was even kind enough to keep us updated on the Davidson/Kansas score. :)

Overall, atmosphere and food were great, I would definitely make it back here in the near future.

I made a whole batch of this so I would be set for an easy and tasty lunch for the next few days. It’s adapted slightly from a Cooking Light recipe from January 2001.

White Bean Soup with Bacon

2 tsps olive oil
1/2 cup bacon, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 tsp chicken-flavored “Better Than Bullion”
2 (19 oz) cans white beans, undrained
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsps fresh parsley, minced
2 Tbsp sherry
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly grated

Combine water and Better Than Bullion and blend well.

Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat and add the bacon. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add the water, beans, bay leaves and broth mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered for 20-25 minutes. Add the parsley, sherry and black pepper and cook another minute. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves. Blend soup briefly with an immersion mixer to the desired consistency.

Makes 4 servings.