Reality

There was a time when things like being an artist mattered. Not any more.

Thanksgiving 2006 - A Culinary Report

Bobby Flay ain’t got nuthin’ on us:

Roast Turkey with Chili Cacao Rub and Red Móle Gravy
Wild Rice Stuffing with Cranberries and Toasted Almonds
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Cranberry Citrus Relish
Sauteed Asparagus with Wild Mushrooms
Pumpkin Pie with Heavy Whipped Cream and Mexican Chocolate Sauce
Sea Smoke Cellars “Southing” Pinot Noir 2004

If you want to know how to make any of these items, let me know. I’d usually write down the instructions, but I’m too busy with children and holidays and everything else. It goes without saying that the above meal was unbelievably delicious and will never happen again in quite the same way.

If you have the opportunity, I strongly recommend you pick up a bottle of Sea Smoke Cellars pinot noir. Their 2004 “Southing” is transcendental, the sort of wine that grabs hold of your soul, forcing you to pause and reflect for a moment while you reel beneath a many-layered sensory assault. Wow! I won’t mention the price. Let’s just say it was worth every penny.

Cheers!

Beyond Bem Mesa

This is my latest oil painting and one which I feel good about. It contains most of the elements of my style, which is to say it makes good use of abstraction, simplification, zero-point dimensionality, geometric rhythm and mystery. I’m also satisfied with the colors and the way they interact. I like the way the trees inhabit flat space while the hills inhabit volumetric space. This entire painting, from start to finish, was painted in about five hours, with another two hours for canvassing and gesso. If it sells, I’ll be making about $100 an hour, which ain’t too shabby.

If it sells.

Artworks Photos

Some of the fine folks I work with at Artworks:

Jack

Ron and Debbie

Eddie

Blossom Hill Merlot 2003

Two Buck Chuck ain’t got nuthin’ on Blossom Hill, except a couple measly dollars. The 2003 Merlot by Blossom Hill (a subsidiary of Almaden, in case you were wondering) is most likely one of the best five dollar Merlots in California. We happened across this humble bottle when we were staying at June Lake Village near Yosemite. We tried it alongside an eighteen dollar Sangiovese (yes, I know it’s a bogus comparison) and guess what, the Blossom Hill was better! Once again, price isn’t everything when it comes to wine.

The 2003 Blossom Hill Merlot is a medium transparent ruby in the glass with very little sign of aging and modest extraction. The nose is bright with the typical red currants, strawberries, and cherries of this varietal. In the mouth the wine is light with very little tannin or alcohol. The usual varietal tastes are here along with modest oak and a hint of barbecued pork (?) which adds just a bit of nuance to the fairly short but pleasant finish. A very drinkable wine with enough substance to make it shine in the company of more expensive wines. Better than Charles Shaw and much better than that rotgut Yellow Tail sewer water I tried a few months ago.

Cheers!

Mexican Train Wreck Chili

Mexican Train Wreck can be made using just about any series of ingredients and quantities. Here is the best recipe I have been able to come up with.

Mexican Train Wreck Chili

1 lb. lean ground beef (a little more won't hurt)
1 large green bell pepper, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1/4c frying oil, canola or olive are fine
1 15oz. can whole kernal corn, drained
1 15oz. can black beans, drained
1 15oz. can stewed tomatoes, not drained, regular flavor
4t chili powder (use Spice Hunter if you can get it; it has the right sweetness)
1T salt (actually, start a little scant, then add more at the end if needed)
~3c water for consistency
4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed (not garlic powder or garlic salt)
2c fresh cilantro, minced
3c prepared white or brown rice

As with most recipes, if you want to experience bliss, don’t mess with the list.

Heat about half the oil in a medium pot at maximum temperature. When the oil starts to smoke, toss in the onion and bell pepper. Caramelize the peppers and onions so that you have plenty of browning and a little crisping. Stir as needed to prevent sticking and burning. Pour in the rest of the oil and add the ground beef. Mash everything together and cook the ground beef most of the way. Now throw in all the other ingredients (except for the cilantro and rice) along with enough water to create a thick, saucy soup. Simmer at low temp for about fifteen minutes. Add the rice and simmer another five minutes. Remove from heat and toss in the cilantro. Swirl it all together and serve with an appropriate cheap but good red table wine, like the one reviewed above.

Chipotle Cherry BBQ Sauce

Here is a very simple and very good recipe for barbecued chicken, fish, or beef. It may be difficult to locate the chipotle in adobo. It comes in small metal canisters and can be found in the Hispanic section of your local supermarket. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeno peppers, and adobo is a type of savory sauce.

Chipotle Cherry BBQ Sauce:

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo (about a cup)
1 jar cherry preserves (about 2 cups)
1t salt
1/4c BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s is good)

Blend all these ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly pulped, forming a nice slurry. Should be super spicy and super tasty. Don’t worry, it will be a little milder when you eat it. Brush the sauce onto chicken or fish or beef or whatever at the end of the grilling cycle so that all sides are coated. Let things burn a little, then serve. Super yummy and torches the lips just right without overwhelming the meal.

Buenissimo!

Tom Waits

For those of you who give a shit about real music, Tom Waits is set to release a new album of really juicy material next month. What can I say, this is as good as it gets. Three CDs that should pretty much immortalize the guy forever.

Thanksgiving 2006

I found out today that I will be able to take the entire week off for Thanksgiving. I can't imagine a more wonderful development, since this will allow Kariman, Aiden, Rowan and I to stay at the Santa Barbara beach house for an entire week! I'll get to cook numerous unbelievable meals for the entire family (Karen and Bob will be there, too) and I'll get to make a pilgrimage to some of the best wineries in the world, located literally fifteen minutes away in the Santa Ynez Valley. I hope to hit a few of my favorites, including Au Bon Climat, Zaca Mesa, Andrew Murray, and maybe Cambria. On the way I'll stop at the Hitching Post to try their wines and maybe pick up a bottle of their Highliner Pinot Noir. Can't wait to sit at the same bar where Miles and Jack sat in the movie Sideways! Am I a geek or what?

You can't imagine how truly cool this is unless you've seen the Santa Barbara beach house. Here are a couple pictures from years past... along with one from my favorite movie...

Chipotle Mocha Pork Tenderloin

Okay, so you want to get someone into bed, but all you have are the following ingredients:

1c brown sugar
2c ground cacao nibs (the real thing; use coffee grinder)
1/2c coffee concentrate (see below ***)
1t chipotle powder (morita is good)
1/2t salt
1t vanilla extract
1t ground cinnamon
water for consistency

5 large crimini mushrooms or two portabellas, sliced thin
4 cups or about half a bag of fresh arugala

a fairly large pork tenderloin, about two or three pounds

a bottle of either a) Domaine Coteau Pinot Noir 2003; or b) Zaca Mesa Syrah 2001; or an equivalent really f@#!ing good red wine, big enough to handle the chocolate and surgars

a person of the correct sexual orientation and availability.......

condom..........

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small pan and heat on medium high until the sugar melts and everything turns into a thick, dark tar, adding water or boiling until desired consistency is achieved. Sautee the mushrooms in a non-stick pan until cooked, then add the arugala, which will wilt down quickly. Remove from heat and cool. Using a sharp knife, slice the tenderloin lengthwise so that it unrolls like a sweetroll, about half an inch thick or thinner, so that you end up with a large, flat, unrolled piece of meat. Slather about half the mocha sauce on the exposed face, then distribute the shroom/arugala mix evenly. Reroll the tenderloin and seal it with tooth picks or bamboo skewers (cut off afterword with wire cutters). Heat grill to very hot. Grill the tenderloin on both sides to get some decent grill lines, then allow it to rest in the center of the grill with the center burner off and the side burners on for indirect heat. Should be around 400 degrees. Using a meat thermometer, roast the tenderloin until heated through, about thirty to forty minutes, about 160 degrees in the center for safety. Remove from grill and allow to rest, then slather with additional chipotle mocha sauce and garnish with fresh cilantro. Open bottle of wine. Mix a salad of arugala and a lite vinagrette, not too acidic. Maybe serve some barbecued yams or equivalent on the side, with fresh thyme butter.

Eat dinner outside with votive candles and Bobby Lounge playing in the background. After dinner, have a dessert of vanilla bean ice cream with Mexican chocolate sauce, then go directly to the bedroom or perhaps the living room couch for a mystical rendezvous. Mission accomplished.

***Coffee concentrate:

Using a French press, mix about five tablespoons of ground coffee with about two cups of boiling water. Stir well, press and use this as your liquid for the chipotle mocha sauce, adding more as needed.

Alpha and Omega

As I look around at my life, I find that I am satisfied. I don't want anything more than what I have. Tucson is enough. This house is enough. It's enough to work where I work and come home to my family.

I enjoy cooking for my friends. I like sharing good wine with people who have realized how to live, who aren't running away from anything, and who feel good just being in their bodies.

I have very little patience for people who would rather be somewhere else. I have very little patience for politicians or anyone who thinks they have the answer.

I do not like additives or preservatives. I do not like vegetarians, environmentalists, bible thumpers, militant lesbians, rednecks, yuppies or anyone who owns a Hummer. I find Hummers to be the ultimate expression of militarism and capitalism run amuck. I detest loud people (unless they are mentally ill, in which case I love them). I like decay in all its forms. Most dogs are dirty. Most cats are obnoxious. I can't decide which bothers me more.

The secret to a good life is pleasure. Sex is good for you. Delicious food is good for you. Tasteless food and sex are not good for you. Raw spinach can kill you, so cook your goddamn food and quit dieting. Have sex instead.

There is no God except the one you bring with you, so you might as well sit down and be quiet.

One life to live. No exceptions. Make it a good one.

Domaine Coteau Pinot Noir 2003

I recently had the pleasure of trying several excellent wines at 58 Degrees and Holding Company here in Tucson. Of the five good wines I tried, my favorite was the 2003 Pinot Noir by Domaine Coteau (just south of Portland, Oregon). This heavily extracted wine was the color of dark cherry jam and less transparent than your typical Pinot. It smelled strongly of black cherry and spices, along with a definitive note of Pepsi Cola. In the mouth the wine was very full, almost overripe, but not flabby, with notes of dark cherry, vanilla, warm spices, leather, and Dr. Pepper (I'm not kidding). The finish was lengthy and powerful. Tannins, oak and alcohol were all within tolerable limits. A very sinful wine that might be just a little big for some folks. I loved it, and the fact that it came from Oregon, just south of my favorite city, made it all the more enjoyable.

The 2003 is currently sold out. I have one bottle left, and can't wait to share it with the right group of people.

The Restaurant

I'm responsible for a group of four gentlemen each weekday morning, for a period of two-and-a-half hours. It doesn't seem like much but it's fairly challenging to keep them going that long. One of the biggest challenges is keeping their cups filled with iced tea. These guys range from purely autistic to severly mentally disabled, and not one of them will take plain old water. So I keep making tea and filling their cups, over and over, throughout the morning. I've started calling my work area "the restaurant" because I mostly serve beverages, snacks, and lunch to my various "customers" while still managing to fit in some artistic instruction. I also have to clean up spills and manage personal hygiene. My favorite job is scrubbing excrement from beneath fingernails so my clients won't poison each other. And all this for under ten dollars and hour!

Reminds me of working at the Blue Willow. Seems I just can't get away from food service, after all.

Shale Ridge Syrah 2004

The other day I was wandering through Sunflower Market with Aiden who is three years old and a very astute shopper. He knows that I like wine and he's always trying to get me to buy things that I don't need. In this case the item was a bottle of 2004 Syrah by Shale Ridge which retails for around $9. I decided to humor him, figuring that the wine couldn't be that bad. I opened the bottle last Friday after a long week with the mentally handicapped, and proceeded to write this review.

The 2004 Syrah by Shale Ridge is a slightly transparent dark ruby color in the glass with no sign of aging and moderate glycerin extraction (legs). The nose consists of the typical Syrah dark fruit aromas with some sage and tar notes. In the mouth the wine is medium dry with good acidity, not flabby, and fairly tannic. The usual dark berry tastes were evident along with white pepper, cumin, thyme, meat, leather and asphalt providing interesting complexity during the rather short and otherwise undistinguished finish. Alcohol and oak were moderate. This wine conveys good varietal distinction and would go well with Middle Eastern food. It is a dry wine that might not appeal to the average American wine drinker, and one that I will not purchase again since I like my Syrah with a bit more extraction and a rounder sugar to acid profile. All in all a worthy effort at a modest price, just not my style.

Finished with Fluoxetine

I have stopped taking Prozac. I've experienced very few withdrawal symptoms. I guess I got it out of my system, so to speak, the night that I got sick. Anyway, I was hoping Prozac would be a good thing but I'm too scared to take it now. I'm rethinking the whole medication question. I'm probably going to try a more natural approach to balancing my psychology, including more exercise.

On an up note, the new job seems to be going fine. Just getting out of the house has already improved my mood. Kariman seems to be doing better, too, although Aiden misses me and wants me to be with him and let Kariman take care of the baby. It's a challenging transition for all of us, but a good one.

I can have wine again, but I'm not going to drink every day like I was. Just weekends and special occasions.

Sigh.

Mystery Illness

Last night I was violently sick. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Many people have been sick with stomach flu, so it's possible that I caught a bug from someone. There was, however, one major difference: it felt like a toxic reaction to something. My entire body had this really awful buzz to it and I felt cold and shaky. Vomiting up dinner (with the Prozac I took afterwards) proved to relieve most of the symptoms, although since then I have felt shaky and hot/cold all over. I feel jittery and a little fuzzy headed. This all reminds me of the time I unknowingly consumed too much THC in the form of a pot brownie. I've never been so screwed up, and the reaction was quite similar, with the body buzz, the toxic feelings, the desire to vomit, and the residual fuzziness.

I think it would be wise to give the Prozac a break.

The New Job

My first day at my new job... Tiring... Crazy... I work with about twenty developmentally challenged adults, not one of them alike except for being mentally and emotionally incapacitated. Some don't speak at all, some speak loudly and cannot be understood, some can't walk, some can't see very well, some have accidents in the bathroom. I'm supposed to find ways to stimulate these folks using art media. It's a difficult job, a little like handling a group of toddlers, infants and three-year-olds who are all older than me and who have all the needs and hangups of adulthood.

Reminds me of the drum circle.

Prozac Goals

My goals related to Prozac:

Reduce OCD/ADD tendencies so I can stick with one job and finish tasks.
Reduce angst and irritability (depression).
Reduce dependence on alcohol/caffeine.

I'll need about six months to see if Prozac will help me to find balance in my life. I'm not supposed to drink alcohol since the effects are often doubled by the SSRI. An occasional drink (no driving) shouldn't kill me, but daily drinking would be a bad idea.

Had a headache today, but don't know if it was the Prozac or the fact that I woke up at 4 o'clock this morning to tend to the cats and kids, then didn't really get back to sleep. Or maybe it was Aiden kicking me in the head while I tried to get him to sleep another hour.

Sonoma Creek Pinot Noir 2000

Okay, this wine from Sonoma Creek Winery (California) is both quite good and quite awful. For some reason the winery chose to cellar the stuff for six years, perhaps hoping to increase the complexity and/or roundness, which they seem to have done more or less in spite of the varietal lack of structure. The wine has a nice nose of the usual suspects--cherries, cranberries. In the mouth I tasted jammy cherries, vanilla, leather and dirt, just barely overripe, with nice acidity and medium sweetness. Not too much oak or alcohol. A basically nice wine. However, since the wine has been cellared so long you’ll need to drink it immediately upon opening. Any further storage and the wine quickly collapses, taking on plenty of raisins and rot in the process, making it undrinkable. An unpredictable wine that I’ll pass on in the future.

Costs about $12 retail.

Taft Street Pinot Noir 2004

This medium-bodied Pinot Noir from Taft Street Winery (Sabastopol, California) is one of my favorite casual Pinots. While uncomplicated and relatively short in the mouth, the wine provides a pleasant burst of cherries and grape jelly accompanied by leather and earth. Tannins are very soft and the alcohol is modest. Not much oak, but enough to impart a little vanilla. The wine needs about twenty minutes to open up, so give it time to come around and I think you’ll be satisfied. A good example of affordable Pinot from the upper coastal region of California, and at around $12 it’s a good buy.

Mark West Pinot Noir 2004

The 2004 Pinot Noir from Mark West (Corsica!) is a drinkable wine that, if not for a noticeable undercurrent of horse dooky, would be on my list of occasional purchases. The nose has a nice cranberry and violet bouquet that I haven’t smelled anywhere else in a Pinot Noir. Stranger still, in the mouth the wine comes across tasting a bit like a Petite Sirah, with cherry and warm spice notes accompanied by milk chocolate and earth and a bit of mocha in the not-very-long finish. All of these flavors are woven around a subtle core of road apples, an unsettling discovery to say the least. Some people might not be distracted by a little poop in their wine but it ruins the experience for me. Otherwise the wine seems balanced with mild tannin and not too much oak or alcohol.

I don’t think I’ll buy this one again, and at $11 I can do better. Incidentally, you can find this wine on sale for even less at Trader Joe’s. That is, if you really like the taste of pony poo.

Fluoxetine

To quote a very old friend of mine, “It’s the doctors who have all the really good drugs.” Well, that remains to be seen. Tonight I took my first generic Prozac, aka Fluoxetine, a complex molecular substance that will undoubtedly have some marked effect on my mental disposition. My dosage is fairly small, only twenty milligrams, but this is %@cking PROZAC we're talking about here, the original postmodern solution to all our $*^damn problems! The stuff smacks of pharmaceutical largesse and bilious litigation. Time will tell whether red wine and black coffee would have been better alternatives. Ironically, because of medical insurance, my new drug is very cheap. Getting your hands on it is the hard part. You have to really #uck things up, or be a very good malingerer, in order to convince the person in the white smock to give it to you, and when she does, she does so with sanctimonious discretion.

I’m going to talk about my Fluoxetine experiences in this blog. I am not ashamed of being on Prozac, only curious, concerned, and also a little hopeful. I am, after all, taking this for reasons other than recreation.

Speaking of recreation, since I can’t drink wine while taking Prozac, it may be a long time before the next wine review. Because of this I’ve decided to post a three part Pinot review as sort of a final sendoff.

Enjoy!

Done.

For those of you who have been paying attention, my life has been a pretty big mess for quite a while, culminating in a serious midlife crisis which saw its ultimate depressive breakdown a couple days ago. Thanks to the help of a variety of people, professional and otherwise, I’ve made it through without killing myself or killing anyone else. What it comes down to is this: I’ve been struggling for some time to find my true calling in life. It started with a failed attempt to become an art therapist, which was ultimately a disaster that doesn’t really bear repeating. It ended with a desire to become a professional fine artist, an attempt that was met with some limited success, which complicated matters tremendously. I have also entertained a career as a writer of literary fiction as a possible close second, perhaps rolled into the art career as sort of a dual creative tour-de-force. Well, I have finally come through the fire, and have seen the truth, as it is, of my life.

I am going to take the nine-to-five job working with the developmentally challenged. I am going to give Prozac a try, and see what happens. I am going to be with my family, and I am not going to be a professional artist, or a professional writer, or anything other than a loving father, because ultimately that is what I am here for. There may be paintings or stories left to paint or write, but that is not who I am. I have come through the fire. I have seen the ultimate darkness, and begged for my own death, and I know the truth, and will seek no further in this lifetime.

Oh, and I can’t really drink much wine while I’m on the meds, but that’s okay. Wine just gets better over time, and I have all the time in the world.

Namaste.

Zaca Mesa Roussanne 2004

It’s not often I drink white wine, and when I do I usually don’t bother to spring for an expensive bottle since so many of them are overdone, especially Chardonnays. Then along came this delightful Roussanne by Zaca Mesa and I must say I’ve finally been converted to a pricier ($20) white wine. Roussanne is a Rhone grape varietal with characteristics similar to Pinot Grigio, although less sweet than Grigio and certainly less sweet than Viogner or Chardonnay. I found this particular Roussanne, by Zaca Mesa Vineyards, to be medium bodied with a bracing acidity that interacted nicely with the sugary elements of the wine. In the nose the wine smelled almost exactly like whole wheat toast with apricot jam and honey. I tasted grapefruit, honeydew melon, clover honey, vanilla (from the modest oak) and some spiciness, and the finish was medium long and enjoyable. Alcohol was moderate and tannin was non-existent. One of the nicest whites I’ve tried, and another excellent offering from Zaca Mesa.

Unless you live in Solvang, I’m afraid you’ll have to order this wine from a reputable dealer like 58 Degrees and Holding, or visit the tasting room at Zaca Mesa like my mother-in-law did on her last trip to the Santa Ynez Valley.

Now if she had only brought back more...

Yellow Tail Shiraz 2005

I usually don't write about wines that I wouldn't recommend. The 2005 Shiraz by Yellow Tail Vineyards is one of the rare exceptions. I decided to try a bottle since I've been told that it's a step up from Two Buck Chuck and a good buy. Well, I can honestly say that it's not any better than Two Buck Chuck, but here's the full review, in case you're interested.

Yellow Tail Shiraz is a medium transparent ruby-purple in the glass and shows modest glycerine extraction. The nose gives off a whiff of cherry jelly and spice. The mouth is chalky but not too tannic, and consists of overripe, cherry-plum notes with some spicey dirt and not too much oak. The wine is definately flabby with sugars overwhelming the acidity, kind of like strong Kool Aid with just a touch of cooking sherry and wine vinegar. All these tastes disappear quickly to be replaced by oak and a hint of cocoa on the unadorned finish. Varietal distinction is minimal. This Shiraz could be a Merlot or an overripe Cabernet. A good Red for someone who has recently upgraded from cheap White Zin. Drinkable, but barely so, and no better than the other cheap blended wines found in its company.

There was a time when I might have liked this wine, but quite frankly I'd go for the Cabernet version of Two Buck if I were broke and needed a fix.

Moonset

Full moon. Pink clouds. Tucson.

Balance

Sold $400 worth of watercolors yesterday. Bought two cases of wine worth $400. Balance has been achieved.

Fishing Trip

Guess who caught the biggest fish. Here's a hint: he's not a white guy.

Golden Lentil Soup

This is the soup that I first made at the Blue Willow Restaurant and which has attained a certain mythic status among our various friends and family. It is totally vegan and better than anything non-vegan I have ever tried. The addition of a little sour cream at the end wouldn't hurt, though, if you're into it.

Golden Lentil Soup

1 pound red lentils (these are hulled lentils; avoid using brown or green)
1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2c chopped carrots
1/2c chopped fresh cilantro
1c olive oil (don't skimp--this is the secret!)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1t ground cumin
2t salt (adjust upward to taste)
1t white sugar (not brown, not splenda)
1t black pepper
1/2t turmeric
2t chili powder (Spice Hunter is the best)

t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon
c = cup

Place lentils in large pot and cover with about 3x water. You may rinse the lentils beforehand if desired. Boil the lentils carefully, stirring so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Don't let the pot boil over! skim off any foam that appears on the surface. Once most of the foam is gone, add the onions, oil and dry spices all at once. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for one or two hours or until lentils completely dissolve. Keep stirring to prevent scorching. If soup is too watery, add about 1/2 cup of white rice and simmer until rice softens and soup thickens. Add carrots and cook for an additional 20 minutes until carrots are softened but not mushy. Remove from heat and add fresh cilantro. Add salt to taste, if needed. Add sour cream or yogurt for the ultimate in hedony.

Super awesome!

Cambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard 2004

This is a review of Cambria Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard 2004 which I drank over a period of three days while stuck on a fishing boat off the coast of Mexico. As a general rule I wouldn’t recommend drinking red wine on the open sea, sea sickness being only the first of many possible complications. Nevertheless there I was, about ninety miles west of Ensenada on open water, with twenty other people fishing for Dorado, Yellowtail and Tuna, and wishing I was home sipping wine out of a wine glass instead of a polypropylene coffee cup.

This wine, by Cambria Vineyards (Santa Maria Valley) is an excellent example of California Pinot Noir. Fairly big and very round, the wine tastes strongly of caramelized cherries and lingonberry jam, with the usual nose of cherries and spice. Acidity and sugars are in perfect balance, and the finish is long, with barely any wood or alcohol to spoil the ending. A tasty, evocative wine, better than any Merlot at any price point, in my humble opinion.

At first I thought this wine was overpriced ($28) but then I found it at Costco for ten dollars less. I would rank it alongside any other very good California Pinot such as the excellent entry level wine made by Au Bon Climat. As with most wines of this variety, they go well with almost anything. I experienced favorable results while eating king crab and seared yellowtail on the boat. You would not be able to do that with a Cabernet, I’m thinking. Given the choice, I’d prefer to enjoy this wine alongside roast chicken with herbed mashed potatoes, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. In addition to being good out of the bottle, the wine held up well for three days stashed next to the condensing plate of our bunk room’s AC unit.

Cheers!

Zaca Mesa Syrah 2001

I had an opportunity to try a bottle of Zaca Mesa Syrah that had been left at our beach house by someone who clearly knows something about wine. I'm usually a bit tentative about trying new Syrahs because they can be so variable in quality and taste, depending on where the grapes were grown and how the wine was made. Some Syrah's can be way too herbal and peppery, like an overdone Zin with peppercorns and sage floating around in the bottom. This Syrah by Zaca Mesa Vineyards is not one of those. I found it to be one of the best Syrahs I've tried. Very round and smooth with an incredible balance of sweetness and acid. I tasted subtle pepper and spice notes on the palette but vanilla and rich chocolaty berries were the dominant flavors. The finish is long and sweet and no alcohol to speak of. A very worthy effort, and at $20 I'd call it a good buy.

McManis Petite Sirah 2004

There are few wines in the less-than-fifteen-dollars category that compare with this luscious Petite Sirah by McManis Family Vineyards. This modestly priced wine has a full, spicy nose on it, but the real quality is all in the mouth. Rich, jammy black cherry and blackberry flavors are accompanied by a very noticeable core of chocolate, and the finish is surprisingly long, leaving behind traces of cocoa and blueberry. An absolutely delicious wine that has blown everyone away, including Kariman who usually won't finish a glass unless it really appeals to her. A medium-big wine but not overdone, with modest alcohol and a very round balance of sugars and acidity. Oh, and the tannins and oak are barely there at all, just a hint in the background. A superb wine that I would serve by itself or with just about any savory or spicy dish. Move over Merlot. It's time for the real deal.

Pre-Monsoonal @ 4050

Well, the party was an unbelievable success. If you couldn't make it, I'm sorry, you'll have to wait until next June. The band Mystery Tour were awesome and provided the perfect accompaniment to a dozen naked young children splashing in the kiddie pool and sprinklers. The food was great. Thanks to Samanthi for the excellent tandoori chicken which I cooked on the new grill. Thanks to everyone who brought food and drinks and good vibrations. The weather was kind to us--no rain. A perfect Tucson night in the middle of July. We finished the evening with an impromptu drum circle with Dan and Rand and Tim in attendance. All in all it was the kind of blowout that I crave, the kind of experience that bounces people into a better reality.

This is what I live for, folks. This is all there is, all we have left. If you haven't figured that out yet, you haven't been fired enough or hurt enough by life to really let go.

I'll see you all at the next one. Long may you live, and may the time be short until we meet again.

-Tyler and the 4050 crew

Why Don't We Celebrate?

Tomorrow night we're throwing a huge back yard party with a live band. The weather forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of precipitation. We're smack dab in the middle of the monsoon season and we'll probably get hammered with big rain and wind, the kind that makes national news.

Now why would a guy who lost his job, who has no reasonable financial prospects, who is a fine artist trying to support his family on a single flimsy income want to throw a big old party in the middle of the summer in Tucson?

Exactly.

You see, when you're already totally screwed, the very best thing you can do is invite everyone over for a celebration.

The more you near your destination the more you're slip slidin' away...

June Lake Gazpacho

When life gives you tomatoes, make gazpacho. The following is the story of, and the recipe for, the best gazpacho you’ll ever eat. It is much better than the variety I used to make while working for the Blue Willow Restaurant, and much simpler.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I hate gazpacho. I hate raw tomatoes and just about anything made from raw tomatoes, gazpacho being one of those things. Nevertheless, during our stay at June Lake we were gifted with an entire flat of large, ripe, raw tomatoes by a nice woman who no longer needed them. Bob and I took the tomatoes and gave them a home, and pondered what, if anything, we might use them for. A couple days went by and the tomatoes sat there on the kitchen table, looking dejected. One of them even started to ooze a little, as if to say “Use me now you stupid &@#hole, or you’ll be sorry.”

It was then that Bob came up with the brilliant idea of making gazpacho. At first I cringed at the thought of slicing up all those terrible tomatoes, but then I reminded myself that I didn’t have to actually eat the gazpacho, just make it. So I dove into the job, dragging out a couple loose vegetables from the fridge, and adding a few other items purchased from a nearby convenience store. When I was finished, I tossed the whole mess back into the fridge and forgot about it, secretly hoping that everyone else would do the same. In a couple days I would flush the gazpacho down the toilet, and that would be the end of the experiment.

The next day we all went to Mono Lake for a post-wedding picnic. Karen brought the gazpacho along (by then it had begun to stink up the fridge) and offered it to anyone with courage enough to try it. I attempted to distance myself from these poor guinea pigs, and hoped for the best. Perhaps they wouldn’t know it was me that made the gazpacho? Maybe I could blame the awful taste on the donated tomatoes?

Well, my June Lake Gazpacho was, according to everyone who tried it, the best @#cking gazpacho they’d ever had. They gobbled up that nasty stuff and came back for more. What can I say? I hate gazpacho, but once again managed to appease the collective soul of the people.

Here is the recipe:

JUNE LAKE GAZPACHO (makes about a gallon)

2 quarts tomato juice (not V-8)
7-8 medium, ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1 ripe honeydew melon, finely diced, including any juice (the secret!)
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, finely diced
1 avocado, finely diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped super fine
1t garlic powder (not garlic salt, not raw garlic)
2t salt (careful!)
1/2t sugar (the real thing, please)
4t chili powder (Spice Hunter is best)
1 pinch black pepper (freshly ground, if possible)

t = teaspoon

Put all the ingredients together in a large pot or bowl, enough to hold two gallons. Mash the resulting slurry with a potato masher to break down any big chunks and bruise the smaller ones (not really necessary, but that’s what I did in the cabin at June Lake). You can also use a hand mixer, just don't overdo it. You want some chunks in there. Cover the gazpacho and place it in the fridge overnight. Waiting overnight is not necessary but a little fermentation helps to break down the cellulose and seems to transform all the disparate flavors into one mysterious uber-flavor, difficult to describe and impossible to resist (or so I’ve been told). At any rate, gazpacho is supposed to be served cold and raw, so chill it for a good hour or more before serving.

Good luck and enjoy!

Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir

Jim Clendenen, the proprietor of Au Bon Climat Winery, must have a pact with the devil. His entry-level wine is truly outstanding and can be found in most major cities, including certain Arizona backwaters. Known simply as "ABC" to the guys down at the Rumrunner, Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir is without a doubt my favorite wine in the $20-$30 price range, and possibly my favorite wine of all time. What makes this wine especially interesting is the addition of Mondeuse grapes which give the wine a touch of racy sensuality that complements the already sexy nature of the Pinot Noir. When my friends at the Rum Runner are able to stock this wine, they usually run it as one of their glass wines at The Dish Bistro next door. It is an instant take-me-to-bed wine and should be handled carefully in mixed company. Thank you, Mr. Clendenen, and whatever inspiration went into this delicious, seductive wine.

June Lake Meditation

This is the painting that I gave to Greg and Melissa for their wedding. It was created using a composite of two different photos from the June Lake area. I had never been there before. When we finally made it to June Lake for the wedding, I was delighted to discover that the painting does justice to the real thing. I hope Greg and Mel enjoy this painting for years to come, since it represents a place of great significance to them.