Trader Joe's Meritage 2010

This wine was a second thought on our way home from Thanksgiving with the family.  $12.95.  Here's a blog I checked out and agree with:  http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=22YZxqjowDo&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D22YZxqjowDo#

Also, they had Rombauer Chardonnay for $27.99 which is $5 cheaper than everywhere else. 

Not 2 buck Chuck.  Also not a major Meritage.  Good lesson on how to pronounce the name.

The requisite food blogger's day after Thanksgiving posting

Always fun, filling and,later, foggy is the family Thanksgiving feast.  This is the first time in over thirty years that we did not make the holiday meal.  The baton has been passed to our daughter Jen.  Everyone brought part of the meal so as not to overwhelm her on her first attempt.

Our contribution: the 20 lb turkey, stuffing, gravy, caponata. Also three nice bottles of wine.  And a chunk of Tellegio cheese.  And silverware.  And the big folding table.

The menu did not include Jane's awesome Mac and cheese or wine selections since it was written last week.

Lots of nosh pre-dinner football food:

Barbs caponata, Daves enormous home cooked shrimp, cheese plate, crudités, Caponata,Stoli Elite (so smooth), Rombauer Chardonnay, Butter Chard, Pumpkin beer, Bloody Mary, etc.

I think we all eat too much before the meal.

Then a couple wines:

This Cab is required by family law.

Lavender Hill Roussane.  If you have a friend in California, have them order it and reship it to you...wonderful.

As the evening progresses the pix of food  wane while the pix of kids increase.

Kiddy hor d'oevres.

Smokey Butternut Squash soup with Creme Fraiche.

Roz's traditional Thanksgivukah potato latkes.

I must be the only guy in the world who takes a crappy picture of a beautiful bird.

Scott's Crabmeat Salad Chinois with sesame dressing.

Marla's Spinach Gratin.  Wonderful and worth the backache she got cooking it.

My friend Jane's Mac and Cheese.  Love in a pan.

Barb's yummy gravy.

Roz' Cranberry Sauce.

Jen's Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots and Wild Mushrooms

A plateful of love.

Not pictured:

Barb's stuffing (actually a bread dressing)

Farm baked Pumpkin pie, Apple Walnut Caramel pie, Berry pie, and about 2 or 3 more wines.

Exquisite dinner at Bleu Provence still celebrating Tom's birthday

I love returning to Bleu Provence in Naples time after time.  We go at least once every time we come down here.  The decor is real Provençal, the cuisine is consistantly superb, the service is attentive, informed, never overbearing or snobby.  The clientele is eclectic: we go casually, in slax, nice shirts, etc.  many people wear suits or jackets.  In season I've seen people at the bar in shorts, polo shirts and flip flops.  Nobody seems put off by anyone else's garb and everyone gets treated the same.

They have a very extensive and wide ranging wine list. Some folks might find it intimidating.  On my first visit I met

The sommelier /owner, Jacques Cariot, and asked him to pick out a $25 bottle for us.  He got very excited and said 

"I have so much in zeese price range, will you trust me to choose?"

Of course he found us something great and he gets a sparkle in his eye everytime we come in.  We give him an amount, tell him what we're eating and he goes and finds us something great.

Ronnie's onion soup.

Pan-grilled mussels with lemon, garlic and parsley. The chef, Jacques wife, pan sears her mussels to give them an almost smokey flavor.  Best I've ever had.

Tom had Scallops a la plancha on the half shell.  

Barb started with Arugula salad with smoked salmon, parmagiana, fennel and red onions.

Jacques, a most charming and kind man, poses with Ronnie.

Confit of duck with orange balsamic Demi-glaze reduction, sweet mashed potatoes, and fresh sautéed mango fries.

Organic chicken breast marinated in yogurt and cilantro, grilled a la planch, served with seated veggies and ginger butter sauce.

Tom's lamb chop with carrot flan, mashed potatoes and cocoa sauce.

My favorite entree is sweetbreads. They change up the preps each year.  This was the best yet:  

Roasted sweatbreads with an Amoretto veal reduction, gratin dauphinois, red onion purée. 

I asked Jacque for a red and white around $35 each.

Fruity, but dry white which thrilled us all, about $32.

An excellent Corbieres that they decanted and perfectly complemented all the meat dishes.

I bought a bottle of each from his store next to the restaurant for $11 and $16.

Desserts of Creme Broulee, Profiteroles, and Tarte Tatin were indeed delicious, but as usual, I forgot to take pictures by then.  

Here is a picture of Tom from his birthday party last week.  Handsome birthday boy.

Chillin at home in Naples

Popped into Marco and bought a couple pieces of yesterday's Black Grouper and today's sashimi grade tuna.

Barb took some plum tomatoes I got

from a guy in a truck, slow roasted them in the toaster oven for 5 hours at 220 degrees.  Grilled zucchini. 

Listening to Mark Murphy and Katy Perry from the worlds smallest speaker.

Good reason to work hard for 37 years.

Best value, great food, laid back dining: Pelican Bend on the Isles of Capri

A place we have been enjoying for the past three years is Pelican Bend on the Isles of Capri, just over the bridge from Marco Island.  They don't take reservations, so you have to go and wait.  This year they are starting to put you on the wait list if you call a little ahead. There's a charming bar in the back that's screened in and serves beer or wine.  There's always a decent beer on tap and KJ wine, nothing extravagant.  There are lots of boating people hanging out as well as vacationers in the know.  It's off the beaten path, but well worth seeking out.

If you wear shorts and a tanks top or t-shirt, you'll fit right in.  Also flip flops are the shoe of choice.

Gulf oysters, nicely shucked and fresh. 

A dozen for $11.95.  (Take that New York)

A generous wedge with homemade dressings.  Blue cheese for me, house garlic for Barb.  How much?  Included with your entree.

A pound of boneless prime rib that they slow cook, but still keep rare enough for me to truly enjoy.  Comes with a perfectly baked potato. ($19.95).

Barb always gets the White Roughy.  They accommodate her with steamed squash.  Not sure of the price...probably about $20.

They have nice Key Lime pie which is served frozen, but I seldom have room for dessert there.

Since I love prime rib and keep good wines around, I bring my own wine for dinner.  They have a $9.95 corkage.

The people who work there are as nice as can be, many of them family, and have mostly been there for a very long time.

One of my favorite places on earth.  And the reason I never go to any steakhouses.