Restaurant Review: Town House

TOWN HOUSE - 5/5 Stars

We visited Town House, an exciting molecular gastronomy restaurant located, oddly enough, in Chilhowie, VA, on a snowy Tuesday night in early February. The "excuse" for this extravagant meal was my not-so-exciting 26th birthday. Woo Hoo! 26! (In all honesty, we'd wanted to go for a while.)

This meal was really challenging for me. Almost none of the flavors or textures were familiar. And although I can't say the food at Town House is something I'd want to eat everyday, I can certainly appreciate its excellence.

Oh, I shouldn't fail to mention that Charlie Berg, sommelier, took us back to meet Chef John B. Shields and to see the kitchen upon completion of the meal. Awesome, right?

Here is a photo of the menu.

We went all-out and ordered the 10-course menu plus wine pairings. It actually ended up amounting to 16 courses (as several surprises came out from the kitchen) and probably 10 different wines over 3.5 hours. Unbelievable.

Check out my complete review on Yelp.

You can see photos of some of the dishes we had at Town House Blog and The New York Times Dining & Wine article on Town House.

Wine Review: Chappellet 2005 Napa Valley Merlot

I recently received a bottle of Chappellet 2005 Napa Valley Merlot as a thank-you gift. This was the second time I've had wine from Chappellet - the first being a Cabernet Sauvignon at Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas.

This particular Merlot is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.

Aroma: succulent med-rare red meat with pepper, dark chocolate, smoky oak, alcohol underneath

Color: blackish purple, little-to-no no red tones, dark and opaque

Taste: grilled/smoked meat/BBQ, fruit cobbler, med-high tannins, high alcohol, full bodied

We drank this wine with pappardelle with vodka sauce and parmesan cheese. The "meatiness" of the wine helped round out this relatively simple dish.

I believe this wine is priced around $40. I don't typically drink merlot (except when its part of a red blend), but I would definitely seek this out again.

Rating: 4/5 stars

McDonald's Mac Snack Wrap - Revisited

So, I keep seeing these advertisements for McDonald's Mac Snack Wraps. And I keep seeing TV shows and articles on the web about all these awesome burgers. And then I folded. I got a McDonald's Big Mac for the first time in years. It was awesome. Just don't do it too often...

Wine Review: 2007 Kaiken Malbec, 2006 Creta Roble Tempranillo

2007 Kaiken Malbec
I got this bottle as an early birthday present from my friend John. From reading the label, it appears to be a mix of Argentinean and Chilean Malbec ("the best from both side of the Andes"), although the location of Kaiken is Mendoza, Argentina.

The wine is a a dark purple color with little-to-no translucency.

The aroma is initially dark grape, sweet cherry, and tobacco, but is followed by strong alcohol if you delve deep into the glass.

Quite acidic wine. Fairly tannic. Prevalent vanilla pipe tobacco flavor.

Looks like a $12.00 bottle (according to the web). Nice buy at this price. We enjoyed it while re-watching Sideways on a sunny winter Sunday afternoon. I would definitely recommend this wine as a great value all-purpose red wine.

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2006 Creta Roble Tempranillo

The 2006 Creta Roble is a 100% Tempranillo from Spain. We enjoyed this wine after the Kaiken Malbec. I have this, this wine even better than the first.

The color is also a dark purple, but a little more maroon than the Kaiken.

The aroma is somewhat similar to the Kaiken with a strong alcoholic nose, but is a little sweeter. Faint oak.

The wine is super smooth and incredibly drinkable. The flavor is of dark, rich fruit. Light tannins.

God bless Tempranillo. This might beat out Ramon Bilboa's Tempranillo. I have to have it again. No doubt it's a steal at the $12 we paid at Ashe's in Knoxville.

(Photo: Brandy Blaylock)

Restaurant Review: Kanpai of Tokyo

I ate at Kanpai of Tokyo today in snowy Knoxville, TN. Check out my review on Yelp.

The quick and dirty:

Kanpai of Tokyo - 4/5 stars

Solid traditional Japanese food in a enjoyable sushi bar setting; the freshly-made crispy spring rolls are to-die-for!

New Year's Resolution Update: T. Ho Review

I recently ate at T. Ho Vietnamese Oriental Restaurant, one of my 25 "new-to-me" restaurants to visit in 2010. The full review is up on my Yelp page.

The down low:

T. Ho Vietnamese Oriental Restaurant - 4/5 stars

Inexpensive, tasty noodle bowls. Charcoal grilled pork was a highlight.

Wine Review: 2005 Ramon Bilbao Crianza Rioja

Ramon Bilbao's 2005 Crianza Rioja is a 100% Tempranillo Spanish red wine. According to the bottle, it is aged for 14 months in the barrel and 8 months in the bottle.

The color is a medium magenta / purple.

The wine initially has a strong alcoholic nose, but ultimately softens up. (This wine needs about an hour to reach full potential.) There's an array of aromas - sweet, dark berries, light roasted coffee, slight smoke, and even a little herb. It's almost like a dark (not so sweet) dessert in a glass.

The wine is medium bodied. It's tannic, but really smooth.

This wine has enough structure to stand up to roasted red meats, but can also work with poultry and fish.

Ramon Bilbao's Crianza Rioja has become my "go-to" wine lately. Priced at approximately $15.00, I recommend it for any occasion, from casual weekday home-made meals to parties to, of course, pairing with tapas.

The Grub Scout Challenge: Dead End BBQ, Le Parigo

I knocked out 20% of my challenge to eat at all ten of the Knoxville News Sentinel's Grub Scout's top ten restaurants of 2009 yesterday, eating lunch at Dead End BBQ and enjoying late night snacks and wine at Le Parigo. Check out my reviews on Yelp.

The quick and dirty:

Dead End BBQ - 3/5 stars

Average, affordable BBQ in a hip, modern restaurant in Bearden. Pulled pork was the highlight. Service was solid.

Le Parigo - 4/5 stars

Amazing French food in an out-dated space. Yes, the crispy pork belly was to-die-for, but update the damn decor! Nevertheless, I'll be back to try the entrees.

Wine Review: 2005 Casa de la Ermita Crianza

I am currently enjoying a bottle of 2005 Casa de la Ermita Crianza, a Spanish red wine blend. I've recently become interested in Spanish red wine after having a couple of excellent bottles from Ramon Bilbao, so I picked up this bottle (along with a few other Spanish reds) at Smoky Mountain Wine & Spirits in South Knoxville.

"Crianza" generally refers to Spanish wine that has been aged at least one year in oak barrels, although the label states this particular wine spent 9 months in new oak. The label also reveals this wine is composed of 40% Monastrell (a grape I am unfamiliar with), 25% Tempranillo, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Petit Verdot.

The wine is translucent with medium brownish ruby color. The aroma is actually fairly typical of New World blended red wines, especially California clarets. It has a light wood and herbal smell and a light to medium body with medium to high tannins. The prevalent flavor is dark fruit (mainly grapes and blackberries) with a vanilla finish.

The Casa de la Ermita Crianza is a great value, priced at approximately $15.00. Though I most likely will not seek it out in the future for myself, I would recommend it as an approachable solid red wine for group events, parties, etc.

Beer Review: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

I recently had a bottle of Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, as an after-dinner drink at home. I've enjoyed Sam Adam's Chocolate Bock in the past and was excited to try Ommegang's attempt at a chocolate beer.

The beer was poured from a 750 ml bottle into a glass bourbon snifter. It had a dark, thin appearance with seemingly little to no carbonation, yet it also had serious lacing around the glass.

The aroma was (unsurprisingly) sweet and rich with hints of dried fruits. The mouth-feel was thin and silk-smooth, but was followed-up by a dryness similar to red wine or chocolate. The hops cut through the flavor along with a coffee-like bitterness. Each drink leaves you with an appropriately strong chocolate after-taste.

I would recommend splitting this beer amongst 2-3 people. Though it is excellent by itself, I suspect Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence would pair well with roasted lamb, mushroom risotto, and a cheese plate.