Ok, so not really “Girls night out,” more like “Girl (singular) night in.”  Last night the fiancé was out at a work function and I, after a rather miserable day for a variety of reasons, decided to indulge in a little cheese plate  (indulge responsibly, notice the smaller portions of cheese and larger portion of grapes!) of a stinky aged brie, a mild blue, fig jam and of course membrillo for dinner.  I also watched “Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightening Thief,” and I must say it instilled quite a sense of Greek pride.  I totally plan on raising my kids to believe they are actually descendants of the Gods.  If you ever knew my Greek grandfather you would know that the claim isn’t too far off…  But anyway, great girly night cuddled up on the couch with my blanket and my kitty.  So what, you ask, it that bottle of wine I picked up pictured above?  Well, I literally walked into the liquor store, looked at the bottle, saw it’s busy-ness and Ed Hardy-like illustrations and said, “Ugh, I would NEVER buy that wine.” And then I immediately stopped and realized that for those very reasons I HAD to buy that wine!  How many times to we buy a wine because we are attracted to the label?  It is often how we come across new and exciting products, so I wanted to see what would happen if I bought something I was rather put off by.  So I bought three bottles of Bear Flag wine, two reds and a white, on sale 3 bottles for $25.  All three are blends from a collection of vineyards in central California.  I started off with the “Smooth Red Blend,” a blend of tempranillo, touriga, zinfandel, and alicante bouschet.  Now, in blended wines one traditionally lists varietals in order of their prominence in the wine, leading me to believe that this was primarily a tempranillo wine and thus would share some similarities to other tempranillos that I know and love.  Well, I was WAY off.  This wine surprised me, it was actually on the sweeter side!  At first I didn’t think I was going to love it, but after sipping my first glass slowly and nibbling on my cheeses I really started to dig it.  It was a great compliment to the strong flavors and I feel it almost acted like the fig jam or membrillo by adding a level of sweetness to the palate.  I could see this wine being great with spicy Indian food or thick, creamy comfort food like mac & cheese or lasagna.  A cool feature on their website, they actually have a “Find Us” function where you can plug in your zip code and get a list of stores in your area that supply Bear Flag wine.  How cool is THAT?  So all in all, I think I would recommend this seemingly off-putting selection to those brave wine drinkers who are looking for something a little different!  I will report back on the other selections I picked up, in the meantime check out the “Find US” function and see if you can find a bottle of your own to try!  Happy Friday to all!!

Yesterday was a very conflicting day in Patriot Nation.  On Wednesday morning we traded wide receiver Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings.   Farve to Moss?  Just doesn’t have the same ring to it.  And while I know we will miss this feisty firecracker of a man, I also know that coach Bill Belichick would never make this sort of move without good reason.  I am not going to start doubting Bill now, not after everything he has done for us, not after the most winningest season in NFL history, not just because I love Randy’s rotating collection of multicolored Velcro-like gloves.  While the anticipation is killing me, I will stand by Bill and my team and wait for the inevitably amazing results that this trade will produce.  Just give it time…

So why do I bring this up here?  Because, it just so happens that I have come across a fantastic little bit of Patriots-related winery.  That’s right, a custom felt Patriots wine koozie bag!  Come on, it’s pretty ironic timing.  So thank you, universe, for reminding me that when life hands Farve a chance at a successful post season, it also hands a grieving Patriot nation a bit of paraphanelia cheer.   Good thing we have a by week so that I can get this delivered in time for the next game  :)

(photo credit via)

(Lamb Meatballs, Pine Nuts, Sundried Tomato Agro Dolce)

(Tuna Carpaccio with Citrus Viniagrette & Parmesan)

(Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage, Broccoli Rabe & Garlic)

(Boston Opera House)

Last night my fiancé took me to see Wicked! the musical.  We started with an amazing dinner at Teatro, a random little place we’d walked by a thousand times but never tried.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  We started off the meal with the most amazing lamb meatballs cooked with pine nuts and a tangy glaze.  We inhaled the pumpkin lobster arancini (thus no photo) and then moved on to paper thin tuna carpaccio with a citrus vinaigrette and house-made orecchiette with broccoli rabe and spicy sausage.  We paired everything with Honig Sauvignon Blanc, an old favorite from my days as a restaurant manager.  I love Honig because it is crisp and light without being too citrusy – perfect for when you want a milder white but don’t want as much hay as a Pinot Grigio or as much oak as a Chardonnay.  We had our whole meal at the bar and the service was prompt and pleasant.  I wish I had discovered this place when I was working only a few hundred feet away, but it is probably better for my wallet and waist line that I am now much further away from downtown…

Of course we rounded out the evening with a pre-show glass of bubbly at the beautiful Boston Opera House before the curtain.  What a perfect city evening!  How are you managing to keep your spirits up despite the drizzle?  Perhaps you are lucky enough to live in a part of the country not yet so in the thralls of Fall, but I must admit, I do love being able to wear boots two days in a row  :)

Oh yes, and the show was AMAZING by the way, in case you needed me to point that out.  I also just realized that I am wearing a green sweater today.  My subconscious must have loved the show more than my conscious conscious…

Hello, all!  Phew, still recovering from this most recent wedding weekend.  What a FANTASTIC time!  I may or may not have had a bit too much wine, but even if I didn’t make it to the after party at least I DID start off a pretty great fight song sing-a-long on the bus ride back to the hotel…  Anywho, in honor of my recently married friend (a college friend with whom I studied in Spain oh so many ages ago), I picked up a new bottle of Spanish red last night.  The wine I selected was Terra Unica Reserva, 2002.  This wine is a Tempranillo-Monastrell blend from Valencia.  I found the wine to be delightful!  Medium bodied, hints of tobacco and light tannins – a great find for only $8.99.  I must say, this was MUCH better than the 99 Euro cent boxes of Don Simon Sangria we used to pick up for botellons back in the day.  Did you know that botellons are illegal now in Spain?  You can be ticketed if you are found with an open drink in public while congregating with more than one additional person.  While this has been illegal pretty much everywhere in the US for ages, I am thoroughly offended at this new Spanish law and can only hope that it does not too harshly impact the lives of study-abroaders in the future.  Somehow I think they’ll be just fine…  Oh, and you know what’s scary?  In the Wikipedia link to botellons that I included above it says that the average age of one who enjoys in a botellon is 14-28.  Again, I am THOROUGHLY offended.  We’ll give them a piece of our minds when we finally manage that study-abroad reunion we have in the works, you’ll see!  Until then, arriba, abajo, al centro, ‘pa dentro!!

And because you KNOW I love a good wedding photo, here is one of my favorite shots of one of my most favorite people on her big day.  Congrats again, Rubia!!

And even more so, my dears, as I just found out that the hotel I am staying in this weekend has its own WINE CELLAR.  I mean, come ON!  This makes spending the next three days in New Jersey much more bearable.  I kid, I kid, sorry Jerz…  We’re heading to the Garden State for the wedding of one of my most notoriously fabulous college friends in just over an hour so there is not much time to blog today, but I can’t wait to tell you all about our adventures upon my return!  Until then, happy weekend!!