BostonZest

Sparkling wine Can Be A Small Luxury Or a Big One!

For this New Year's Eve, I'm going to rerun a piece I wrote for Accidental Hedonist last year at this time. While I did talk about a few expensive wines for very special occasions, many of the wines I choose for this article were inexpensive or at least great values.

What are you drinking on New Year's Eve?

One of my resolutions last year was to drink more sparkling wine. During 2007 my dear drinking companion (husband Ed) and I have sipped from bottles of bubbles priced from $7 to $150.

We usually have a few bottles of Cava or Barefoot Bubbly in our wine rack. And, we always have one sparkler chilled and ready just in case there's a reason to celebrate.

On the other end of the price spectrum, we welcomed the holiday season this year, by popping a bottle of Krug that we had cellared for five years. We shared that with some special friends. (On a sad note- we had to open two bottles of Krug. The first one was way, way off. It made us wish we hadn't waited so long.)

As the months passed, we began to realize how many perfectly wonderful values there are in this category.

Gruet Blanc de Noirs ($15) from New Mexico is delightful. Proseccos, like Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadere Rustico ($15), open a whole new world of Italian joy. Cavas are worth an OLE!

And, our own Massachusetts neighbors at Westport Rivers Vineyards are doing us proud. Although, their prices have skyrocketed as demand for their wines has grown.

For our rooftop, July 4th Fireworks party we served magnums of Argyle Brut from Oregon's Willamette Valley. That runs about $75 now but we bought it long ago at a special case price from our value-seeking wine mentors at Bauer Wines here in Boston.

Now the time has come to choose our New Year's Eve selection. A drum roll please! And the winner is a lovely bottle of Champagne Billecart-Salmon Rose NV. ($100)

We've tasted this against a few other rose sparklers over the years, and it seems to come out on top each time. We'd like to taste it against at least one great contender on the 31st. I'm turning to my new friends at AH (Accidental Hedonist) for suggestions.

Update: In the end, we tasted the Billecart against its sibling the Billecart Brut and a bottle of Bollinger.  Billecart still won our hearts but we do hesitate at the price.

We also decided that New Years Eve was not often enough for a serious toast to a new start. We resolved to drink sparking wine the first of every month in 2008.

We have kept our resolution and we have ever intention of keeping that resolve going for another year. Join us in lifting a glass of sparkle the first of every month in 2009!


Details:

Accidental Hedonist is a wonderful food blog lead by Kate Hopkins. We are all looking forward to her upcoming book on whiskeys & other spirits.

http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/

Bauer Wine & Spirits
337 Newbury Street, Boston MA

http://www.bauerwines.com/index.html

A Good Bread Knife is A High Value Small Luxury

Small luxuries often turn into great values in years to come. Like our bread knife. It has history.

It was the most expensive knife I'd ever bought when I took it home from Kitchen Arts on Newbury Street back in 1992.

If memory serves me, I paid about $80 for it. Today it looks like one of the best values we own.

We had just bought a pied de terre in Boston. Our home was in Rhode Island, but Ed had accepted a job in Woburn. A place to stay in Boston shortened his commute in bad weather or when he was tired. (And, we had always wanted to live in a condo in the Back Bay.)

To set up our new kitchen, I went out and bought a few, very good items for our Boston home. This knife was one of them.

Since then we've sold the Rhode Island property, move a block away to a larger space in the Back Bay and settled into the Boston lifestyle that we love.

Through it all, that knife has served us well. We use it every day. It's still in perfect condition and faithfully cuts through crusty loves and produces paper-thin slices of ripe tomatoes. (It cut the loaf of B & R Ciabatta Bread in the photo above.) And, it has cost us less than a penny a day to own it over these years.

Below are links to the knife and a version of the faithful bread cutting tray that serves as its partner. An old saying in our family is, "When you buy quality, you only cry once."

Our advice - when buying basic tools that you'll use everyday, buy the best you can afford, and enjoy the quality every time you use it.

Details:

Kitchen Arts

161 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116

http://cobrandit.com/kitchenarts/

Here's the yelp on them.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kitchen-arts-boston

As the Snowbanks Melt.....

Leave your car parked next to a snowbank and in a couple of days it may find itself all alone in the middle of the street.

Maggie Mae & Her Boots

Our final Sunday Dog of 2008 is BostonZest's own Vice President for Security and Morale, Miss Maggie Mae.

She's shown here modeling the Neo-Paws boots that keep her little feet free of the salt and chemicals that cover the roads & sidewalks in Boston winters.

People are always amazed to see her trotting along with a all four boots in place. They tell us their dog won't wear boots or that the boots come off.

We tell them that Maggie Mae has had these boots for years and never lost one because they just don't come off easily without a human to assist.

You can see videos of the boots in action on the Neo-Paws site.

We highly recommend them. It's important that they fit right so if you have any question call the phone number on the site and get some expert help. They even sell them in pairs so you can buy different sizes for a dog's front and back feet.

Details:

Neo-Paws international
www.neo-paws.com

By the way, the other thing that folks notice in winter are Maggie Mae's Fido Fleece Coats. Another nicely designed product. They cover her belly to keep her cleaner and have Velcro® from neck to tail to make them easy to put on and take off.The one in the photo has been washed dozens of times and still looks good.

Those are available here. Click through the pages to see lots of designs and sizes.

What is open in Boston on New Year's and MBTA schedules

This is an outdated post. Click the link below for the latest information:

What's Open in Boston New Year's Eve and Day & MBTA Schedules 2015 - 2016 plus Parking, Trash & More

 

 

Some businesses close early on New Year Eve but with the crowds expected for First Night others, especially those in the hospitality business stay open. Call before you leave if you plan to visit a business on the 31st.

Here's a link to the complete schedule of extended service from the MBTA. They say, "The MBTA is providing extra transit services throughout the First Night Festivities and will be offering FREE service after 8:00 p.m."

Here's the link to full details:

http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=16281&month=&year=

Here is what we've learned about January 1st, 2009- New Year's Day

Restaurants, bars: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Here's a link to our article on Restaurants that are open for the celebration

http://www.bostonzest.com/2008/12/-what-boston-restaurants-are-open-for-new-years-eve-2008.html

Convenience stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Supermarkets: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Liquor stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered).  Only emergency services are available.

Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both Banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. Some international markets are open.

Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.

Boston Trash Collection: The announcement from Public Works spans the dates 1/1/09-1/3/09

• Regular pick up in Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Charlestown,
  Chinatown, Fort Hill, Financial/Leather, North End, Roxbury/Mission Hill and South End.
• Thursday and Friday collections in the following areas delayed one day: South Boston, Allston/Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale,  West Roxbury
• And finally, sections of Jamaica Plain that have trash collection 2 times per week will have no delay, regular trash & recycling schedule. If your trash & recycling is collected one day a week in Jamaica Plain, trash and recycling is delayed a day

http://www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sanholidays.asp

MBTA: From their press release

"Thursday, January 1st– New Year’s Day

• Blue, Orange, Green and Red Line trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Buses and trackless trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Commuter rail trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.  Please Note:  Fairmount Line, Needham Line and Stoughton Line will not operate.
• Inner Harbor Ferry and Commuter Boat services will not operate. 
• THE RIDE will operate on a Sunday schedule.

For more information about MBTA services, routes, schedules and fares, please call the T’s Customer Information Center at 617-222-3200 (TDD 617-222-5146) or log onto the MBTA’s website www.mbta.com."

Cheddar Cheese Polenta with Braised Lamb Shanks

Last year I promised to post a photo of my Braised Lamb Shanks with Chipotle Coffee Sauce. Well, here it is.

Sometimes the best little luxury is taking time to do the things we love to do for the people we love to share time with.

On Christmas Day, I did that. I took the time to cook a great meal and enjoy it with the best eaters any cook could wish to have.

This time, I served the spicy lamb with a cheesy polenta. Here's the recipe for the polenta as a bonus for waiting for the lamb photo.

Cheddar Cheese Polenta

3 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1  cup instant polenta (the kind that says it takes a 3-4 minutes to cook rather than 20-30 minutes)

2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated (about 2 cups) (reserve 1/2 cup for topping)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Butter a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.

2. In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat, boil the 3 cups of water, add the salt, and stir in the polenta. Keep stirring until well mixed and you are sure there are no lumps. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes. Beware of polenta eruptions. It can spatter and burn the cook. I use the cover of my pan like a shield and reach around it to stir. Remove from the heat and stir in the pepper, butter and 1.5 cups of the cheddar.

3. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with reserved cheddar.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden on top.

Here's a link to the lamb shank recipe.

Update: This photo was selected for publication by foodgawker.com. Welcome to all the visitors from foodgawker.

Here's the BostonZest gallery on foodgawker.com

 

What's on your food lover's shopping list?

 

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: ©2008 Penny Cherubino 

 

Happy Holidays From All Of Us At BostonZest!