[title type="h5"]Monday, September 8, 2014.
The Molé Is Here, But Hidden.[/title]
We have a late lunch at La Carreta. The usual boatloads of queso are its gravitational center, a cheap thrill. Keeping right up with that consumption are tortilla chips and salsa. The latter is the best standard tomato, cilantro, and chile pepper salsa in these parts. When I had owner Saul Rubio on the show a few weeks ago, I got him to share his secret: lime juice. I never would have thought of that, but I should have. There's lime juice in the mix of ingredients I chop finely for guacamole, but before I add the tomatoes and avocado.
[caption id="attachment_43818" align="alignnone" width="480"]
La Caretta's mole. [/caption]
The molé poblano I'm trying to talk Saul into making regularly is still not on the printed menu. They do, however, have it available. So here comes another order of chicken enchiladas with the dark brown, bitter-chocolate-based sauce. Two molés in a week? My life is getting better all the time.
Or maybe not. The air conditioner repairman comes by to check on the ground floor unit at our house. He says that twenty years is an amazing length of time for a central AC to operate trouble-free. But now the trouble is unambiguously here. Set the thermostat for lower than 77, and it freezes up. He says that a shot of freon will keep it going until the end of hot weather, at which time he will know for sure what to do. Not to mention that he'll have more time to do it. The hot weather has everybody's air conditioning stressed to the breaking point.
[divider type=""]
[title type="h5"]
Tuesday, September 9, 2014.
Trimbach Wines At Antoine's: A Fine Wine Dinner.[/title]
For someone interested in enhancing his enjoyment of French wines, the best possible starting point is in Alsace. The northeastern corner of France is conceded by wine lovers--even those who make wines in Bordeaux and Burgundy--to be among the great wines of the world, with a style all their own. But unlike most other major wines, the wines of Alsace are neither expensive on average, nor do they have any qualities that might deter a beginning wine taster. They go with almost anything you might have for dinner.
[caption id="attachment_43824" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Antoine's Trimbach wine dinner, in the Proteus Room.[/caption]
These premises were once again proven in a wine dinner held tonight at Antoine's. It was a smaller, more personal group than most such events. And it was rendered light-hearted by the presence of Jean Trimbach. He's a member of the thirteenth generation (eight more than Antoine's) of one of the two or three most important Alsace winemaking families. This is the third time I've attended a wine dinner with Jean, but the last one was ten or fifteen years ago. He still uses the same shtick: getting everybody to sing a song to the tune of "Bring back my Bonnie to me," substituting "Trimbach" for "Bring back." He makes up for that by being as entertaining and funny as he is knowledgeable.
Through the evening we drink Trimbach's Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling--the latter being the great wine of the night. (A very good case can be made that Riesling, especially made in the dry style of Alsace, is the most underrated wine grape in the world.)
The most interesting wine was Trimbach Pinot Noir, one of the very few red wines made in Alsace. All the other ones I've had were so light as to be able to pass for rosés. Not this one. It was dark as Pinot Noirs go, with an aroma and flavor much more interesting than previous samples.
Meanwhile, Antoine's served an up-and-down dinner. After soufflee potatoes, shrimp remoulade, and shrimp canapes, we sat down to a fine little ramekin of scallops in sauce vin blanc. That's a white sauce that's pretty much unique to Antoine's. Its light enrichment lends itself to a toasted bread crumb crust over the top.
[caption id="attachment_43823" align="alignnone" width="480"]
The new dinner plate design at Antoine's, just added. The old design was in place for over 75 years.[/caption]
Then came oyster-artichoke soup. Needs to go back to the test kitchen, this. Too much roux, among other problems. The main was a pork loin stuffed with andouille. The taste was good enough, but the presentation needed polish. All of these shortcomings were redeemed by a mammoth baked Alaska, emblazoned with "Trimbach" on the side. This impressed Jean Trimbach mightily. And left everybody else happy, too.
[caption id="attachment_43821" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Pork loin stuffed with andouille.[/caption]
I pulled together two Eat Club tables at the last minute for this, when I heard that the dinner had some open seats. Gave me an excuse to go myself. I love Trimbach's wines. And I love Antoine's.
[caption id="attachment_43820" align="alignnone" width="359"]
Jean Trimbach is taken abach by Antoine's baked Alaska.[/caption]
Two couples sitting with me go way back. Carl Scully and his wife Janis are charter members of the Eat Club, having attended the very first dinner in 1993, and many since. Mike Villamarette was the coach of an alumni softball league I played in for a few years at UNO. I don't have to tell you how long ago that was. Let's just say we both have long since retired from active play. He's a regular Eat Clubber, too.
[caption id="attachment_43819" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Janis and Carl Scully, Eat Club charter members, at the Antoine's-Trimbach dinner.[/caption]
The dinner was in the Proteus Room, which is usually hard to book. I will always remember that room for hosting my sixtieth birthday party, an astounding surprise orchestrated by Mary Ann. It's loud in there, proving that dining room din is no recent development.
Written by Tom Fitzmorris September 18, 2014 16:05 in
