Chef Alex Friedman

This week, we have 10 questions with Chef Alex Friedman of P’Cheen International Bistro and Pub. He is another of the five contestants in the hottest upcoming event for Atlanta foodies, the first ever Atlanta Food Rave.

Who / what inspired you to become a Chef? Honestly, no one but myself. I went to college as a ceramics major, but soon realized that my artistic medium was food.

Describe your cooking style in 10 words or less. International comfort food with southern influence.

What is your favorite:

• Protein: pork
• Vegetable: celery
• Spice: salt

What is your least favorite (but you still use it) ingredient to work with? Anise. Not a fan of black licorice.

If someone made a movie / book about you, what would the title be? “If I Knew Then What I Know Now”

What are your favorite food and beverage pairing(s)? Curries and Hefeweizens.

What is the best fried dish you’ve ever had? Freshly caught oysters in Charleston, SC.

How do you like your bacon cooked? Chewy with just a bit of crunch.

If you were on Iron Chef America, who would you challenge and why? I’d never go on that show and really don’t enjoy watching it…sorry.

Why are you going to be crowned Champion of the Atlanta Food Rave? Why wouldn’t I? Have you met me…

That does it for this week. Until next time, live well, love much and drink great wine…with friends…after all, wine is social.

2007 Eyrie (far right) was my Wine of the Night

Sounds almost dirty.

The customer appreciation tasting at Hinton’s Wine Store is always held the last day of their 20% off wine case sale week. The store is usually filled with enthusiastic customers, eager to stock up on their daily drinkers or filling their cellars with premium collectibles. For 2010, the theme was Pinot from Oregon, with 20 Pinot Noirs, three Pinot Gris’ and one Pinot Blanc being poured.

As per usual with events of this sort, I generally just write a line or two about those I like or really didn’t like. I tried all of the reds, but only one white and it was after four reds, so I think that sort of sunk some of the flavors. Given we were there for about an hour and fifteen minutes, it was a bit exhausting getting through all of them. Fortunately, I fell right into “trade-tasting-mode” and did the swirl, sniff, swirl, sip and spit routine.

So, on with the show…

Argyle Brut Sparkling $24.99: On the lighter side, with some spicy pear and apple. I thought it was just okay.

2008 Adelsheim Pinot Gris $16.99: Did not taste.

2008 Adelsheim Pinot Blanc Chehalem Mountain $18.99: Did not taste.

2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir $19.98: Didn’t wow me, but for $20, it was a solid drink.

2008 King Estate Pinot Noir $25.99: Straight shooting Pinot, but I think their Pinot Gris is the best thing they do.

2008 Forefront Pinot Noir Willamette Valley $20.99: I wrote down good value and later on at our wine & supper club event (to be written up later), I heard a few folks mentioned they liked it and had purchased it before.

2008 Ken Wright Canary Vineyard Pinot Noir $59.99: Sort of dull in the nose, with some silky red fruit on the palate. This seemed a bit shut down right now and with no experience in drinking these wines (which I know have fans), I can’t really say what I thought of this other than $60 is some serious jack.

2007 Archery Summit Premier Cuvée Pinot Noir $39.98: This got a relatively low score from Wine Spectator (85), but it was one of my favorites. It had vibrant acidity, along with rich black fruit flavors that intermixed with spice and earthy tones. For those who don’t mind some oak. I wouldn’t buy it for this price (which is already discounted), but I’d drink it on your dime.

2008 Ken Wright Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir $59.99: Big and rich fruit flavors, with a firm foundation of tannin. Keep this one for at least 3 to 4 years before opening, unless you really like a tannic Pinot. I thought this had the best potential for all the wines at the tasting, but again, at $59.99, you better really like it.

2009 Sineann Pinot Gris $19.99: One of my favorite white wines, I felt this was a bit fruitier and lighter than I remember past vintages being. It seemed to lack the minerality I’ve always found in it, but as I mentioned earlier, I consumed this after having already started in on the reds. It was right after the Ken Wright Carter, so I think that wine sort of disrupted my appreciation of this. Take that for what you will.

2008 Sineann Pinot Noir $29.99: Spicy and needs more time in bottle.

2008 Lange Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $24.99: No notes taken.

2007 Alexana Winery Revana Vineyard Pinot Noir $39.99: A joint venture between Dr. Revana (of some note in Napa) and Lynn Penner-Ash (of note from Oregon), this was my second favorite wine of the tasting. It was a mix of cherry, forest floor, spiced pine cone and minerals, all wrapped up in a tidy bow. For $40, I think it delivered a lot of flavor and complexity, along with the ability to continue developing over the next several years.

2007 Phelps Creek Becky’s Cuvée Pinot Noir $21.99: Nothing special for me.

2007 Penner Ash Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $41.99: Needs more time.

2008 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir $15.99: Made in the same style as Beaujolais, with whole clusters and carbonic maceration, this was very fruity, light and something for newbie red wine drinkers to try. It has been better in the past, as I got something in the nose that just didn’t sit right with me. It was almost artificial, but not in that banana-grape bubble gum way I associate with Beaujolais Nouveau. Decent, but not for me.

2007 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $36.99: Ripe fruits, with a spicy kick that I enjoyed. Beware the 14.5% alcohol and tame with chill and decant. I liked it, but wouldn’t buy it.

2008 LaChini Pinot Gris $16.99: Did not taste.

2007 Territorial Pinot Noir $16.99: Touch candied, but not bad for the price. Another good one for newbie red wine drinkers who want a real fruit forward wine. Chill and serve on hot summer nights, which we have plenty of right now.

2006 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir $59.99: One of the crowd favorites, but it didn’t really wow me. Perhaps I should have gone back for a second visit. I saw it as big, rich and spicy, but not overly complex and definitely not worth the asking price. WS, WE and WA all gave this 90 or above.

2007 Le Cadeau Diversité Pinot Noir $47.99: There are only 237 cases of this wine, which was another that needed more time to me. It was gentle upon entry, then expanded in the mouth as it unwound from its jacket of fine grained tannin. This is one that would require more exploration with to do it due justice, as I just had my small 1 ounce pour and moved on. Another one with excellent potential and while not cheap, not a bad price for what I think will be a patience rewarding wine.

2007 Eyrie Pinot Noir $32.99: The lightest in color, I’ve seen roses that were darker than this. The aromas were very bright, with loads of tart red fruits like pomegranate and cranberry. The explosion of flavor in the mouth is a great example of how dark color doesn’t always mean more flavor. This wine is loaded to bear with acid, but the sweet red fruit flavors make keep it from being bitter or unpleasant in any form or fashion. The slight baking spice finish made this an easy to drink wine. It was really quite refreshing. The price is still more than I’d pay, but only because of current financial circumstances. Otherwise, I’d buy this. My WOTN.

After that, my palate was spoiled and I didn’t write any notes for the last three wines, which were 2008 Elk Cove Mt. Richmond Pinot Noir $39.99, 2007 Angela Pinot Noir $52.99 and 2007 Daedelus Labryinth Pinot Noir. Sorry, I was still really won over by the Eyrie, which I went and got a second pour of. It was the only wine I drank both pours of. When you combine those tart red fruit flavors with tart acidity and some brown spices to finish, that is my kind of Pinot Noir. I think the heat and its refreshing profile also contributed to my enjoyment.

Overall, it was a fun tasting. While I’m not a Pinot-phile like my legendary blind tasting Champion wife, I have come to enjoy them, especially during the summer. While I tend to prefer New Zealand and California, tasting through all these products from Oregon was a lot of fun. It was interesting to see the variety of styles from a relatively small growing region, from light and a touch candied to dense with plenty of mouth gripping tannin. Cheers to Chris, his staff and all the distributors who put on the event.

Until next time, live well, love much and drink great wine…with friends.

Chef Delroy Bowen

Welcome to Culinary Nightlife! The Atlanta Food Rave is a new high-energy event that brings together an eclectic mix of Atlanta’s finest culinary talent. Expecting an interactive night of food, fun, cocktails and live entertainment, attendees are invited to sample chef offerings and catered fare that will be placed throughout the expansive host venue, the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery.

Adding a bit of competition to the occasion, attendees are encouraged to vote for their favorite chef of the evening, helping him/her to win The 2010 Rave Review, an award reserved for the chef that is best in show. The evening will also feature a premium open bar with signature alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty beverages, live entertainment and a number of surprises. The menu will be revealed upon arrival and vegetarian options will be present. A percent of the proceeds from The Atlanta Food Rave will be donated to The Atlanta Community Food Bank.

In conjunction with Caren West PR, I’ve asked each of our five cheftestants a series of questions. Their answers will be posted starting today and over the next several weeks, leading up to the event. So, I invite you to come back every Friday (or just make it easy and sign up for my RSS feed or subscribe via old fashioned email) and take a look to see what each chef has to say. I look forward to seeing you at the event!

Up first is Executive Chef Delroy Bowen, who wields his skills at Proof of the Pudding and the Georgia International Convention Center. You can check out some more details about him at this profile page, he is the second gentleman from the left.

Who / what inspired you to become a Chef? My mom.

Describe your cooking style in 10 words or less. Very passionate with intense flavor.

What is your favorite:

• Protein: any seafood
• Vegetable: Callaloo
• Spice: Anise

What is your least favorite (but you still use it) ingredient to work with? Turmeric. FYI, it is a great pain reliever.

If someone made a movie / book about you, what would the title be? The Sting.

What are your favorite food and beverage pairing(s)? Red apples and coffee.

What is the best fried dish you’ve ever had? Fried lamb lollipop.

How do you like your bacon cooked? Medium rear rare

If you were on Iron Chef America, who would you challenge and why? Marcus Samuellson. We have a lot in common. [Editor's note: I didn't clarify the person being challenged was one of the Iron Chefs and he went outside the box on this one.]

Why are you going to be crowned Champion of the Atlanta Food Rave? Didn’t know there was going to be a crowning…LOL.

That does it for this week. Until next time, live well, love much and drink great wine…with friends…after all, wine is social.

The Atlanta Food Rave- “Chef Delroy Bowen” from The Atlanta Food Rave on Vimeo.

"On Top of the World" by SashaW on Flickr

Wednesday night, July 21st, 2010, we attended the annual blind tasting challenge held at Chris Hinton’s Bin 75 tasting room in Johns Creek. It is the mid-week event during their anniversary sale, which nets you 20% off cases of wine. You can also score some wines at 25% off solid cases. Check the website or call for more information.

My wife went into the event as defending champion and was ready to take down all challengers, myself included.

The event was a slightly different format this year, with the addition of a seventh wine, the reception wine. Normally we know what that wine is, but this year it was also poured blind and would act as the first tier tie-breaker.

You are given choices in each flight, one of four whites, the other of three reds. You have five choices of grape variety and country, with no repeats of correct answers within flights.

Keith, the wine manager, plays host. He goes through the basics of blind tasting, explaining what color will tell you, what the aroma and taste markers are for each grape variety, along with the same tidbits for each country represented and whether or not they even grow that grape in that country. For example, you aren’t going to guess Germany if you think the wine is Chardonnay. He wants each selection to be a solid representative of both the grape and the country, though every once in a while he does throw in a curve ball. Last year, it was in the form of an Italian Cannonau, which most of us know as Grenache.

We arrived just in time, as my lovely bride was returning from a business trip and of course, we got stuck in Atlanta traffic. Go figure. Tired as she was, she got out her notepad and went to work, listening to everything Keith said and writing down notes as we went along. She swirled, sniffed and sipped. She contemplated and then, marked her answers. We don’t collaborate, so our results are completely our own.

The whites, were actually pretty straight forward, though I could see where the first one might trip up folks on the country of origin. When it came to the reds, the first was a bit shut down on the nose, but as it warmed the clues began to emerge. It was the second red which was not only my favorite, but my downfall as well. The third was fairly straight forward, though it could have easily been mistaken for another of the choices.

For whites, we had the following five grapes as our selections:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Gris / Grigio
• Riesling
• Viognier

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• New Zealand
• France
• Italy
• Germany

White Wine #1 (reception wine): The wine was a bit shut down for me, so my first thought was Pinot Grigio, but I wasn’t 100% sure since it was fairly cool at service. I was also a bit frustrated by the lack of hourly parking at the airport and then sitting in traffic, not to mention having not eaten much that day. Eventually, the fairly simple citrus pointed to Pinot Grigio from Italy. 2008 Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio $13.98

White Wine #2: Brighter than the first wine, with more white citrus than anything. It tasted sort of lemony to me at first, but eventually more like grapefruit, which of course marked Sauvignon blanc. There wasn’t any real grass or sweet hay notes, so I eliminated California / Oregon. It wasn’t super over the top either, so I got rid of New Zealand. That left France (Germany doesn’t make it and Italy wouldn’t be a good country for a typical SB), though for me it wasn’t obviously Loire Valley since I didn’t get as much minerality as I would expect. If I’d been doing this without choices, I’d have probably gone South African. Turns out, the 2008 Domaine Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99) was from Cotes de Gascogne.

White Wine #3: The slam dunk of the night, as a couple inches from the glass and my brain went “OAK MONSTER!”. Yes, a California Chardonnay with plenty of sweet oak, but lacking any real fruit flavor. Nice for those who like this style. 2008 Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay $13.98.

White Wine #4: Hello German Riesling. Again, this was a slam dunk for me, as I’d have to say that when it comes to still white wines, German Rieslings are my favorite. This was a mouthful of stone fruits, with a touch of slate and just the slightest bit of residual sugar. It was also the favorite of the crowd, with probably 80+% of folks saying it was their favorite. This continues the streak of every single blind tasting event I’ve attended where Riesling was the crowd favorite. Yet, they still languish on shelves. Pity that. This gem of a wine retails for $10.99 and as Keith suggested, you can drink this and mow the grass at the same time. Slammin’ good idea. 2006 GR8 Riesling $10.99.

Now came the more challenging reds. Our five grape choices were:

• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grenache
• Pinot Noir
• Sangiovese

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• France
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Spain

Red wine #1: A bit reticent, but this eventually opened up and gave plenty of clues as to the grape and origin. It smelled of Sangiovese at first, but it seemed a bit more fruit driven than what I’d expect from a Chianti. Plus, I didn’t get a lot of that leather, bark note which is the classic marker for me. After about five minutes, those notes emerged and I went straight for the correct answer. 2006 Volpaia Chianti Classico $18.99.

Red wine #2: I missed this one. It was bright, juicy and full of crunch red berry fruits, with a touch of earthiness and loads of bouncy acidity. I kept thinking, Grenache or Pinot Noir. I tossed it about and just went with Spanish Grenache, which turned out to be my undoing for the night, as this was the one wine I got wrong. It was my favorite wine of the night and once again, convinces me that if you want to drink Pinot Noir for under $20, you should be checking out the wines from New Zealand. I’m starting to see more of them available and I hope you’ll try this one. 2009 Over the Edge Pinot Noir (Martinborough, New Zealand) $16.99.

Red wine #3: Slam dunk again, as this had the dark black currant fruit and touch of tannic bite that I come to expect from Cabernet Sauvignon. I guess I could see where one might guess Merlot, but in the $20 and under price range (which we knew all the wines fell into), I’ve never tasted a Merlot that wasn’t creamy and velvety soft. 2008 Villa San Juliette (Paso Robles, CA) Cabernet Sauvignon was $14.99.

The answer sheets were turned in, the scores were tallied and the winner was announced. It was a gentleman whom I didn’t recognize and he got every possible answer right, except for the country of origin on the Pinot Noir. I think I neglected to mention, but the grape variety was worth 1 point, the country of origin 2 points, but it only counted if you got the grape right as well. Keith then went through all the wines one by one. The audience cheered and groaned with each reveal, until we were finally done and wait a minute, we had a RECOUNT!

My defending Champion wife had written down her answers and she had 100% of them right. Somehow, a mistake had been made. As it turns out, our sheets (I’m not sure if anyone else got missed) hadn’t been tallied. We had handed in ours first and I think they got put down where they got overlooked. A simple error that was then corrected.

So, not only is my wife now the FIRST EVER two time Blind Tasting Champion at Hinton’s, she is also the first person to get all the answers correct. I think two others have gotten everything right except one country. As for me, in case you weren’t paying attention above, I got everything right except for the Pinot Noir, which like I said, I mistook for a Spanish Grenache.

A grand time and congratulations to my @AtlantaWineGal.

Sud de France 2010 - the wines

I was invited to participate in a worldwide synchronized tasting today. It was put on by Sud de France, a trade group that promotes the diverse wines grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France.

According to the information I received, there were 90 bloggers and journalists who were invited to participate. The cover photo you see is the package we received, which I have to say was very well put together. In addition to the five wines, we also received a tasting glass, a corkscrew and two very informative pamphlets on the wines from the region. I’ll admit, I’ve not put the energy into reading through them, as I had other plans over the Father’s Day weekend. Speaking of which, belated Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. It is the most important job you’ll ever have. Trust me.

The tasting was supposed to occur at 11AM in your local country and you could talk about your experience in a variety of ways. Some folks had blog posts already up before I finished, some folks had streaming vids posted, while myself and others were also posting on Twitter using the hashtag #suddefrance to keep up with the comments. I didn’t see a lot of Twitter activity during my time, which I did from 11AM to 12:30PM.

Technical stuff:

• I tasted all the wines from the provided tasting glass (which I ended up breaking after I was done).
• I swirled, sipped and spit everything.
• I rinsed with the next wine before tasting it. I don’t believe in rinsing with water.
• I had no food with any of these wines, nor bread between.

Normally, I’m not a real big fan of tasting wines this way, as it removes them from actual context in how I enjoy my wines, which is almost always with food.

Now, onto the wines.
Grand Cuvee 1531 Cremant de Limoux: A blend of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin blanc and 10% Mauzac. One bit of history regarding wines from this region is they were making sparkling wine here over 100 years before Dom Perignon did in France. I still don’t think that makes them first in the world, but it sure puts them ahead of the Champenois, at least in terms of history.

I got some floral aromas, almost something like magnolia, though I wouldn’t lay money on something that specific. The primary notes were lemon, green apple and grapefruit, somewhere between white and pink, leaning more towards the pink. It was light and crisp, with no real faults. A crisp finish makes this a great apéritif to have with egg dishes or some nice creamy brie. There wasn’t a lot of complexity or length, but I’d buy this above average offering for under $15. It is better than other examples from the region that I’ve had. This was my favorite wine of the tasting.

Fruité Catalan Rosé: First off, I didn’t get nearly enough of a chill on this wine. I typically like my rosés to be pretty cold, leaning towards the too-cold-I’ll-let-it-warm-up-in-the-glass camp. My buddy and fellow blogger Ed said it smelled like strawberry Bubblicious. I agree, in that it had somewhat of an artificial smell to me, like strawberry juice with 10% real juice and artificial flavors added. On the palate, it just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t a fruity as I expected and it was just sort of blah. Benito commented on Twitter that he saw it for as low as $6 and I retorted that I’d still not buy it. There are plenty of $10 or so dry rosés from France I’d buy before this. I can see where newbie wine drinkers might enjoy this sitting poolside, drinking it at an ice cold temperature, but those who appreciate rosés already should pass on this. It goes in the not for me category.

2008 Gerard Bertrand Cigalus: was the next wine and by far the most expensive, coming in around the $30 – $35 mark. A blend (I couldn’t find the breakdown) of Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon blanc, this opened up like a California Chardonnay drinker’s delight. I found a very strong presence of vanilla laced butter, but it didn’t dominate on the palate like I was fearing. I discovered some pineapple and apricot in addition to the buttered peaches I referred to in my first salvo on Twitter.

The Viognier contributed the stone fruit and maybe a touch of floral, but not much else. The Sauvignon blanc must have kept the Chardonnay from being too heavy, though this was a very creamy and smooth drinking wine. Though this is again, not a wine I’d drink, it was well crafted and above average in quality. I would say those who like the richer style of Chardonnay would be pleased with this, though I think the price is a bit steep and it would be a hard sell for California drinkers. Maybe a good alternative to White Burgundy for the price?

Domaine Dromadaire “30670″ Red: An unoaked blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache, this wine was decanted for an hour when I first tried it. My initial impression was black olives steeping in blackberry syrup over some hot stones. As the wine opened up, it took on additional notes of black pepper and smoky leather. There were some nice tannins and acidity as well, keeping the rich flavors from being overly heavy or in your face. I would pair this above average choice with any richer meat dishes and it makes a great red for summer time, since it still delivers good flavors without being super heavy or alcoholic. It weighed in at 13% ABV. This was my second favorite and a definite buy if the price is in the teens.

2006 Mas de Madame Muscat de Frontignan: Those who know me best will tell you that I’m a dessert wine freak. As a matter of fact, I think dessert wines may actually be more under appreciated than any other category. While I still put sparkling wine at the top of my list, dessert wines of a certain style come in a close second. I qualified that statement because I’m usually a fan of late-harvest stickies and often find fortified wines much too strong for my liking. This was my first experience with a fortified muscat and it was surprisingly good.

First, the alcohol was 15.5% and it was served really cold, which made even that high of an alcohol content undetectable. The muscat grape has a certain aroma and it was definitely present in this wine, along with some nice floral and orange marmalade components. On the palate, it was unctuous and quite smooth. Too smooth actually, as I like a nice dollop of acidity in my stickies to keep the palate refreshed and not feeling like I just drank some honey. A bit of warming brought forth some clover honey aroma and flavor. Overall, this was another good offering and for the $8 I was told it could be found for, a pretty good bargain. I’m not sure what I’d do with a full bottle, but if you’ve got friends who like sweet wines, I think this wouldn’t be a disappointment. Just make sure to grab some blue cheese to serve it with, as the fat, salty tang of the cheese will help reduce some of the fat in this wine.

At the end of the day, you have to give it to the Languedoc-Roussillon region for having a very diverse set of wines to offer the wine consumer. Most of them are going to run under $20, with several closer to $10 and they usually deliver a pretty good bang for the buck. I expect to see a continued rise in quality, which will probably mean rising prices at some point. Outside of today’s rose offering, I thought all the wines were well made and have their audience. It is up to retailers and sommeliers to get the word out and ultimately, up to consumers to do some exploring and discover some really top notch value wines.

A big THANK YOU to the fine folks at Sud de France for including me.

Here is my video:

Here are some links to what others experienced:

• Sour Grapes
• Quentin Sadler’s wine page
• Benito’s Wine Reviews

Happy Monday!