Chris Rock – Champagne

Now that I know Tiger Woods is fine, I feel OK posting this.  Honestly, hearing the Tiger Woods news is what made me think of this video.  This is Chris Rock at his finest!  Too funny!

Archive for Champagne
Aux Armes de Champagne, France … super Tuesday nights … EUR 325
One of our favourite champagne gathering overnight stop-offs is offering a deal at EUR 335 Aux Armes de Champagne. This rate is for two people and includes gourmet dinner with wines, a fruit basket and a bottle of Champagne in your room. Valid all Tuesday nights in 2009. Just ask for their “Mardi Festif” deal …. their Michelin-starred food makes this a real treat!

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Hotel Room in the sky … reducing the average cost per night
If you are on vacation in the US and are travelling from the West to East coast consider the advantages of an overnight flight. Unlike a US resident you have no “free bed at home” … you are always paying for your bed (alright you might be staying with relatives or friends, but let us not split hairs). The saving you make on one night’s accommodation can pay for a swankier hotel at your destination. For example American Airlines has flight 272 from San Francisco at 23:45 hours arriving Miami 07:50 the next morning. If you arrange to arrive on a Sunday you can take advantage of the Biltmore Hotel’s highly recommended brunch (with unlimited champagne!) bookable through Open Table

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Sourcing the bubbly …
We Brits know all about channel hopping to buy alcohol at cheaper French prices (even with the current strong Euro). But why not extend your range beyond Calais/Boulogne and combine some fine cuisine with good value champagne snaffling. We can recommend Aux Armes de Champagne near Chalons-en-Champagne (they had it renamed from the more prosaic-sounding Chalons-sur-Marne). It has very comfortable rooms, an excellent (and good value) Michelin-starred restaurant and incorporates a “cave” where we have scored some notable champagne purchases over the years. They may not have your favourite marque in stock when you visit … but if you are prepared to be broad-minded you can introduce yourself to some champagnes which may have always wanted to try (vintage Pol Roger in our case) which you would never normally be able to afford.

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Champagne
Well we could hardly have a site entitled ChampagneTasteBeerMoney and not have a section dedicated to Champagne now could we?

Natuarally everyone has different requirements and thus the following is a highly subjective summary of some of our favourites based on a combination of taste, size of bubbles (small is good), general feel-good factor … and value for money:

Non-Vintage: Bollinger, Tattinger, Pol Roger

Vintage: Pol Roger

Rose: Laurent Perrier

Voilà une dizaine de jours que je rédigeais un article inhérent à une requête simple: la mise à disposition de conteneurs et bacs poubelle.

Le message est visiblement très bien passé puisque depuis hier, c’est chose faite à proximité de mon immeuble d’habitation.

Et pour l’occasion, ils n’y sont pas allés de main morte, pas moins de 4 gros conteneurs poubelle qui arrivent d’un coup d’un seul, à point nommé. Les riverains ne sont pas habitués à cela, car évidemment ils n’en ont jamais eu à disposition! Ils n’auront que l’embarras du choix, quel conteneur pourront-ils bien choisir pour déposer leurs déchets n’est-ce-pas?

Mais en tout cas, je m’en réjouis pleinement et c’était là tout le sens de ma requête, c’est plus de propreté dans les rues de notre ville et plus de responsabilisation des habitants, les invitant à non plus déposer leurs sacs poubelle sur les trottoirs mais dans les conteneurs prévus à cet effet.

Nu mocht het, nu kon het, niet een beetje, maar helemaal, optimaal van elkaar genieten, waar wachten we nog op? Alsof we het al wisten, hadden verwacht, of op z’n minst gehoopt, schreef ik weken eerder al bij dinsdag 30 juni in mijn agenda “iets leuks doen met Sanne ”, waar ik later ‘eerste date’ aan toe heb gevoegd. Iets leuks doen begon met dinsdagochtend rosé, druiven, stokbrood en een pesto trio halen bij de Plus (zo dichtbij de markt waren we eerder nog niet geweest) om vervolgens met de auto richting Noordwijk te vertrekken. Het strand leek ons al een uitermate geslaagd plan en het weer zat ons ook nog eens heel erg mee. Everywhere we go, we always take the weather with us. Op haar geweldig grote tweepersoonshanddoek hebben we de hele dag gelegen alsof we de enigen op het strand waren. Nu moet ik toegeven dat het niet heel erg druk was in verhouding tot de temperatuur die dag, maar zelfs in de drukte van een gemiddelde zomerdag op het strand van Zandvoort naast de meest populaire strandtent waar een leeg stukje strand vinden een dagtaak is – als het al lukt: ik heb en had alleen oog voor haar.

Je doet me de wereld om ons heen vergeten,
onze dagen samen vliegen voorbij in strijd tegen de tijd.
M’n gevoelens voor jou vallen onder geen bedwing te meten
en (wat ik voel voor) jou wil ik nooit meer kwijt.
Daar waar intens geluk en echte liefde ook onzekerheid kent,
weet ik absoluut volledig 100 en 18 procent zeker dat jij m’n ware bent.
Je bent zonder twijfel de enige en alles wat ik wil,
ook zonder door verliefdheid veroorzaakte roze bril.

De middag liep ten einde en het stokbrood evenwel, dus we besloten bij de Branding een bank te veroveren en daar lekker te eten. De keuze voor wát we wilden eten was dit keer verbazingwekkend snel gemaakt: onze top 2 kwam overeen dus bestelden we het allebei; eerlijk zullen we alles delen. Een van begin tot eind perfecte eerste date. In die week spraken we nog een aantal keer af, bij mij en bij haar, om elkaar nog zo veel mogelijk te zien (en knuffelen) voor ze een maandag later voor vijf weken naar Barcelona zou vertrekken. “We zouden daarna wel zien”, leek in eerste instantie het uitgangspunt voor vertrek. Vijf weken was lang, er kon nog van alles gebeuren en het was tot slot maar net begonnen. Ondanks dat we wisten dat we elkaar vet gingen missen, elkaar meer dan gewoon leuk vonden en ontzettend gek op elkaar waren, heerste er toch een angst dat ik terug naar mijn ex zou gaan en kreeg ik de zenuwen bij het idee dat ze een Spaanse god tegen het lijf zou lopen op het strand. Twee dagen na vertrek werden eventuele verwachtingen in deze richting gelukkig keihard ontkracht, voor zover dat na vijf minuten niet al meteen duidelijk was: “Char had gelijk” .. “ Ze zei dat ik je na 2 dagen al zou missen en willen dat je hierheen komt ”.

In gedachten was ik al drie keer naar haar toegevlogen, maar nu wist ik het zeker: ik ga haar opzoeken! De dag na bovenstaande uitspraak heeft mijn moeder een hotel voor me geboekt en toen ik ’s avonds thuis kwam van een tuinfeestje heb ik, voor zover ik daar nog toe in staat was, de bijbehorende tickets geboekt: van 23 – 27 juli zou ik haar onder begeleiding van een fles bubbels met gepersonaliseerd etiket, koeltas en ‘ik ben gek op je’-boekje verrassen. Iets om naar uit te kijken maakte het gemis helaas niet minder en het was echt een uitdaging niet te verklappen dat de 5 weken zonder elkaar in ieder geval tijdelijk gereduceerd zouden worden tot ‘slechts’ 3 weken (in mijn ogen nog drie te veel). Elke dag die vervolgens voorbij ging dacht ik meer aan haar, verlangde ik er meer naar haar weer te zien en in m’n armen te kunnen sluiten, haar stem te horen en mezelf clichématig in haar mooie blauwe ogen te verliezen.
Een week na haar vertrek hebben we gewacht voor we belden. Mijn agenda die ik op dat moment voor me had is paginabreed versierd met hartjes. Wij hebben nooit moeite een gesprek gaande te houden, hebben elkaar altijd wel iets te vertellen, al gaat het soms naar eigen zeggen ‘weer helemaal nergens over’. We hebben het meermaals voor elkaar gekregen tot minstens middernacht op de bank te kletsen om vervolgens ruim over dit onchristelijke tijdstip heen te gaan met verdere gespreksstof in horizontale positie. Nog steeds worden we wel eens ruim voor de wekker wakker en praten we onszelf de moeiteloos de morgen door, waar een gemiddelde ander zich nog eens op de andere zij had gedraaid. Het was dan ook erg moeilijk op te hangen, zeker sinds haar afwezigheid meer werd benadrukt bij het horen van haar lieve stem, al leek ze even heel erg dichtbij. Sinds ons telefoongesprek heb ik haar vervolgens verschillende hints gestuurd over mijn verrassing, van ‘864.000 secondes’ (10 dagen tot 23 juli) tot ‘het komt in een kist naar je toe’ (waarbij kist synoniem staat voor vliegtuig).

Van de vroege ochtend tot midden in de nacht; geen beter plan dan bij jou te zijn.

Vanaf dat ik er was hebben we ons vanzelfsprekend geen moment verveeld. Het voelde zo goed, zo natuurlijk, geen irritaties, ‘just love’, zon, zee, strand en tapas, heel veel, hele lekkere tapas (we gingen elke dag gewapend met ons goede richtingsgevoel ondersteund door 100% Barcelona op zoek naar verschillende aanbevolen restaurantjes), onder het genot van geen glas, maar fles wijn – een gewoonte die we in Nederland eigenlijk voort zouden moeten zetten. Het was het meest heerlijke XXL-weekend dat ik ooit heb gehad, waarbij elke ochtend naast haar wakker worden een luxe was waar ik wel aan wilde wennen en de mogelijkheid om continu met elkaar te knuffelen en zoenen geluksgevoelens van de bovenste plank met zich meebracht. Het enige leuker dan van het leven genieten, is samen van het leven genieten. Het was dan ook echt heel moeilijk na vijf onuitwisbare dagen weer in de taxi naar het vliegveld te moeten stappen, zonder haar, al zouden we elkaar nog maar een kleine twee weken hierna moeten missen (wederom, in mijn ogen, twee te veel). Elke in slakkentempo passerende volgende dag werd gevuld met het veelvuldig ophalen van heerlijke herinneringen aan het weekend, waar ik regelmatig in reactie op te horen kreeg dat ik er goed, uitgerust, verliefd, maar vooral ook stralend uitzag. Herinneringen, die zekersteweten nog steeds warme gevoelens oproepen als we 80 zijn, mits we ze nog niet vergeten zijn. Zullen we er nog veel meer gaan maken?

Zaterdag 8 augustus kwam ze eindelijk weer thuis, ‘my baby’s back’, en precies een week later gingen we, decadente wereldreizigsters als we zijn, een vierdaags weekend naar Londen met z’n tweeën. Het weer was daar misschien minder zaligmakend, maar ‘you can turn of the sun and I’m still gonna shine’ met haar in de buurt. Daar waar Londen als stad enigszins een teleurstellende werking had, wellicht gevoed door hoge verwachtingen, zal het aan mijn gezelschap geen moment hebben gelegen. Van een high champagne tea at The Ritz op de eerste avond tot het letterlijke top- en hoogtepunt van het weekend onze laatste avond, zondag 16 augustus. We aten heerlijk bij Inn the Park en tijdens het toetje kreeg ik een puzzel: een foto van ons in Barca, met voorop de tekst “ik ben gek op je” en achterop “ik wil je iets laten zien.. London Eye”. Als echte (ramp)toerist was ik niet op de hoogte van bezienswaardigheden in de buurt en deed London Eye mij geen belletje rinkelen, noch kwartje vallen. Even later stonden we onder het genot van een lekker glas champagne en omringd door een aantal andere verliefde stelletjes in het hoogste reuzenrad van Europa en vroeg ze mij op 135m hoogte of ik haar vriendinnetje wilde worden. Ja, ja, jaaaa, ik wil! <3

Als warme chocomel zonder toefje slagroom of slag zonder room, als de lekkerste chocoladetaart ooit zonder laagjes witte chocolade ertussen en een brandweerman die zonder water de brand niet blussen kan, als filet zonder americain of cappuccino zonder extra beetje schuim, als Pancakes zonder donzige vacht en niet samen in bed vannacht, als een boer zonder vrouw.. Het fantastische duo is maar half zonder jou.

Dit is de bedoeling.

Let’s just call her “Aunt Elizabeth.” She’s the one who always brings that strange gelatinous thing to the family Thanksgiving. Everyone else takes a serving, and my parents would always nudge me and give me that patented raised eyebrows look. “She worked hard on this and it’s a long way here. Take some and enjoy it. If you need to be sick just leave the room quietly. QUIETLY young man.” And then I would glance back at the glistening monster, afraid to look at it directly lest it catch me. There were chunks in there after all, and nobody ever really knew what they were. The dish was just referred to as “Aunt Elizabeth’s Special,” an odd name really because there was clearly nothing special about it. When I was little and didn’t know the rules yet I had tried to ask her what it was once. “It’s kind of gray, but it’s colorful too. Is it a side dish or a dessert?” I thought it was a reasonable question, but one of my uncles suddenly coughed and started talking excitedly about football. That might have been the first time I got the patented raised eyebrows look on a family occasion. Years later I discovered that the whole family blamed me for making her angry that day and therefore dooming us all to “Aunt Elizabeth’s Special” out of spite every year until she passed away.

Aunt Elizabeth taught me important lessons about family politics and food-borne illnesses. I became fascinated with the origin, cultivation, and spreading of certain types of pathogens and influenza and read extensively on the subjects. I discovered that there were a variety of ways that I might be able to get out of eating Aunt Elizabeth’s Special, most of them involving the adoption of a religion that required a special diet. Unfortunately those religions sometimes also required that I attend services on the other side of town or that I wear strange hats, and quite honestly all I wanted to do was improve my health without facing the scorn of my family. Rather than choose a religion then I simply decided to go vegan. All the health, none of the hats.

The family was immediately skeptical. They accused me of not being skinny enough to be a vegan, which would likely get me kicked out. Aunt Elizabeth asked if I was going to set our family cat free, but I told her that at least for the time being Snowball was safe. They told me that broccoli screams when it’s cut, that tofu causes cancer, and several cousins said that I would never get enough protein and would die. I told them there was lots of protein in Aunt Elizabeth’s Special, and they were lucky because they could now have my serving too. Somehow, and I wasn’t sure yet, I would struggle along without all that essential nutrition. Over the years the family never made any different stuff to accommodate my vegan diet, but I brought lots of things for them to try. They actually liked the things I brought until they knew that I had made them; the knowledge that a food lacked dairy or meat apparently raised some sort of allergic reaction.

People who watch enough television generally come to accept that normal families actually do exist somewhere. These normal families usually live in California or New York, are extremely beautiful and successful, and have incomes so high that they would actually sweat champagne if they ever sweat at all. These normal people also have enormous traditional family get-togethers where they have made decorations by hand and they are all perfect. None of the guests argue, none of the old uncles fart, none of the babies have an accident in the living room, and all the food looks like they have the entire staff of Food Network relaxing in the kitchen. For some unfathomable reason yet to be determined, life without actors and scripts and props and Take Twos doesn’t work the same way. Here in the real world, we learn to scrape half of “Aunt Elizabeth’s Special” onto a separate plate and rush it out to the yard for a quick but decent burial while she’s in the bathroom reinforcing her Fixodent. And we never, ever discuss it.

If you ever saw the 80s music video for the song “Take On Me” you’ll remember how, through the wonderful magic of cinematic special effects, a live human entered a comic book story and was immediately beaten up by a motorcycle chain gang. That’s something like what I have done, only without the comic book, without the motorcycle chain gang, and without the catchy Norwegian soundtrack. When it comes down to it then I suppose there’s really nothing in common with my life at all, so forget it. I just wanted to point out that humans can enter an experience that they previously thought existed only in entertainment media. In my case, I have walked into a television show. By incredible luck I married into that wonderful “normal” family that I thought was only seen on TV. Despite a distinct lack of luxury automobiles I am living that “normal” life.

We are, quite naturally, all extremely beautiful and successful, and the best part is that we’re modest about it. Our family doesn’t argue, and where farts are concerned it’s all about hide not pride. None of the babies have accidents in the living room, and none of the food meant for the adults looks gray and gelatinous. Parts of the family live in California, the holiday decorations are nice however they might be made, and nobody cares what anyone’s income might be. We do have several family event documentarians, so despite the lack of Take Twos in real life I am almost guaranteed to appear in family holiday blooper films. My wife is also vegan, but her family, being more like that normal perfect one I’d only previously experienced on television, have always gone out of their way to make sure that she has something nice to eat at family events. They have now extended this to me too, and the contrast between my new family and the primordial ooze from which I sprang could not be greater.

We are delaying our family Thanksgiving until family arrives from out of town this weekend. Today we visited a favorite local vegan restaurant called Green and enjoyed their ThanksLiving event, an enormous feast with music by four live bands and featuring guest speaker Gene Baur, co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. The event sold out (more than 300 people) and proved to be another example of a wonderful “normal family” that I have become a member of. A lot of smiles, wonderful food, great friends, no arguments or bodily function issues, and this was finally a family event in which all the press coverage was actually a good thing.

Snowshoe tracks in Algonquin Park near Algonquin Log Cabin Lodge

As promised in last week’s post, we’ve got some great ideas for New Year’s Eve this week: a family New Year’s Eve in Niagara Falls, elegant dining north of Toronto and in our nation’s capital and an Algonquin Park wilderness adventure complete with a log cabin lodge stay.

The Americana Conference Resort & Spa in Niagara Falls has “Family Spectacular” – non-stop New Year’s Eve fun for the whole family. It’s a big hit every year with an all-you-can-eat buffet and lots of entertainment like The Smudge Fundaes and the Zero Gravity Circus. More info here.

Water bucket and wave pool at the Americana in Niagara Falls

The Americana also has one- and two-night packages with the new Rink at the Brink. You can now skate a stone’s throw from Niagara Falls. The one-night package includes tickets to the Rink at the Brink, passes to Americana’s Waves Indoor Waterpark as well as your accommodation. Two night packages are the same except they’ve added a $50 meal voucher for the in-house restaurant and Waves snack bar.

Check out Tourism Niagara for more news on Rink at the Brink and other things to do in the Niagara region.

Holiday decorations at the Millcroft Inn and Spa

In the Caledon Hills, 45 minutes northwest of Toronto, the Millcroft Inn and Spa will ring in the new year with its “New Year’s Eve Gala Getaway”. You get two nights at the inn, a welcome reception on December 30th and then a three-course dinner from their a la carte menu. On December 31st there’s a Country Continental Breakfast Buffet, an Al fresco Lunch (on the Pinnacle or wedding garden, weather permitting).  The New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner has live entertainment with the Brenda Lewis Jazz Band, festive party favours and a champagne toast at midnight. January 1st starts with a light breakfast buffet. But if you sleep in, you can catch the New Year’s Day Brunch a little later.

Gratuities on food and beverages are included. This package starts at $299 CAD per person, per night (plus taxes, based on double occupancy and a two night stay, subject to availability). Valid December 30-31, 2009.

To get in touch with the Millcroft, call them at 1-800-383-3976 or check them out on the web. Also see the post we did on them last August and some comments about their food from last week.

Brookstreet’s four-diamond Perspectives Restaurant

The elegant Brookstreet Hotel might be the way to go in Ottawa. They have a seven course New Year’s Eve dinner planned. The food at Brookstreet is exceptional (CAA four-diamond rating for both hotel and restaurant) and the place has a real contemporary feel. You can get late night seating times for dinner priced at $149.95 per person and, if you decide t0 make a night of it, they’ll throw in a room for $99/double occupancy. Taxes and gratuities are extra. Personally, I have my eye on the 850 square foot Master Suite with Jacuzzi and balcony, but I haven’t called for a price on that yet. There are a lot of package options at this time of year, so check out the website for details and pricing.

The Algonquin Log Cabin

In my opinion, this next New Year’s Eve getaway is a quintessential Canadian winter experience. The place is Algonquin Log Cabin near Algonquin Park. Nothing beats a jump in the snow fresh out of its wood-fired sauna! But hey, that’s just my opinion. If you want black dresses and high-heels on New Year’s Eve, you may prefer the Brookstreet or the Millcroft.

“Snowshoeing, Torch Lit Skating and Backcountry Skiing” runs over New Year’s from December 31, 2009 to January 2, 2010 at Algonquin Log Cabin. This spectacular split log lodge with its huge fieldstone fireplace is set in the Canadian wilderness. In winter, this is a land of frozen lakes, waist-deep snow, the howl of the wolf and lots of crisp clear air.

Accommodation is double occupancy with shared indoor washrooms, as well as a sauna and shower cabin. Group size is limited to 12 guests and two guides who prepare all the meals. After an invigorating day on the trail, it’s the perfect place to hang out. This New Year’s Eve getaway is priced at $475 per person. Add-on activities include ice fishing and dogsledding. Return transportation from Toronto is available for $175 per person. See the website for further details.

Champagne and chocolates

Nicolina and Joel

Joel and I

Kom just hem från mingel i Sturegallerian. Mycket människor, champagne, choklad, live band och superbra erbjudanden i alla affärer! Orkade dock inte titta så nogrannt ! Nicolina och jag åt just middag hos mig, efterföljt av en chailatte à la TORA MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SKUMM!!

Just got home from mingeling at Sturegallerian whom has its 20th birthday! Lots of people, champagne, chocolates, a live band and plenty of nice offers in all the stores! Didn’t bother to look though! Nicolina and I just had dinner. I’ve had cravings for olives all day (even though I absolutely HATE olives). Later we might go for a drink with Silvia and the girls!

GB! <3 T

We at treeswingers think it’s important to be thankful for what we have.  And what we have is great music, so I’ve put together a quick Thanksgiving Mix.  Thanks for reading!

For Thanksgiving, parents get time off work, students get time off school and pretty much everyone returns home for a while.

Radical Face – Welcome Home

Here’s a reminder about who started it all–some dudes with buckles on their hats.

The Shins – Young Pilgrims

Many people have family to be thankful for (also notice the significance of the artist – think sauce).

The Cranberries – Ode to my Family

This one is a stretch, but family gatherings can totally be thought of as conspiracies.  It’s also just a good song.

School of Seven Bells – My Cabal

I never knew if this song was thanking someone sarcastically, but let’s pretend it’s genuine for today.

Third Eye Blind – Thanks a Lot

Time for the toasts…

Sugarcult – Champagne

…even if some of us don’t have the proper glasses to be thankful for.

Death Cab for Cutie – Champagne from a Paper Cup

Here comes the turkey, cooked to golden-brown perfection.

The Stranglers – Golden Brown

This one is more about the artist, since you can’t make pie without smashing pumpkins. (I picked this song because I think way more people should know how good it is)

The Smashing Pumpkins – We Only Come Out at Night

Yaaaawwwn.  Tryptophan…

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead

Hope you enjoyed it.  Here is the whole thing for download.

-charlie

CAUTION

Cautious they watch me,

Judgmental they view—

Who does he think he is?—

Drinking champagne, listening to jazz—

I read, once and so long ago—that uneased

Them—I existed like text to be read only

In page.

These many years later—glutton—

Avaricious among us­—am guilty of

Any and all the seven sins—in heat,

Burning, burning—feel the fever from

The page—I am waiting, I am waiting—

Waiting for others to rise up from their

Own petty moments—they melt I am told

In the heat of your own brilliance—the best

Well-meaning words have to offer:  they slap

My face.  How—tell me—do puddles help me

Now?—a rotund monk—oblate, out of step

With this world, slipping in puddles—cassocked

In brown—a Jesuit heart, a Franciscan mind—

No community undergirding this fast fading Falstaff—

Cocktail, mixed, eye on the buffet:  Faulkner—

The Call—closed in one hand—Morrison—

The Response—fisted in The Other—poetic

Language escaping my mouth full of Easter

Memories and Pentecost dreams washed

Down by champagne and numbed by chocolate.

Cautious, cautious I am viewed—I am—listening

To Coltrane and Hartman—smooth as hot-chocolate

Wishes with a brandy sidecar—Shirley Horn waiting

Breathless in the wings—so again—­here’s to life­—

Cigar burning like incense in a thrift-store ashtray,

Turquoise and kidney-shaped—baby hands holding

The literature which killed me—baby feet still

Smooth—calloused not even by warehouse

Work—feral with Desire—I am only here—

Falstaff fading fast—remembering the September

Garage—this is not a poem—these are the words

They will find. 

I should like only just once to be unfevered—

Cold, like the forgetful foods in the freezer

In the garage—a refreshing bag of peas

A compress for my burning eyes—frost-bitten

Piece of flesh blackening the big toe in the fall—

The blissful dark of the garage, like the old

Confessionals, door closed against the chaos

Of the word, drawing in, drawing close to solitude

And contemplation—with jazz and champagne—

No need for a coffee—I’m buzzed enough—and

Piled at my feet—the literature which surely

Killed me.

Winter 2009

Dan Davis, © 2009

Voor sommigen van ons is de beruchte winterdip onvermijdelijk. Voor mij ook. Klote natuurlijk, maar we kunnen het wel zo leuk mogelijk maken!

Tip 1: Pepernoten. Toe maar, eet je er maar door heen.

Tip 2: Kerstliedjes. Ook al is het misschien nog lang geen Kerst, het is geen schande om nu al los te gaan op Last Christmas. Ik doe het ook.

Tip 3: Aitor Mateo. Werkt tien keer beter dan een elektrische deken.

Tip 4: Nieuwe laarzen. Voor bij het nieuwe jurkje natuurlijk.

Tip 5: Film kijken met een drankje tot je slaapt. Acht uur non-stop is mijn record. Na die uurtjes raakte ik in diepe slaap met mijn fles Baileys op mijn buik, kerstmuts op mijn hoofd. De rest van het gezelschap was al lang van de wereld.

Tip 6: Sloffies en ‘hot chocolate’. Mocht Aitor je plannetje finaal in de soep gooien, heb je altijd je warme chocomel nog.

Tip 7: Een warm bad met bubbels. Met champagne. En een inzeper.

Tip 8: Kaarsen. ‘Baby it’s cold outside, let’s stay in.’

Tip 9: Een fluffy bed. Blijf maar lekker liggen.

Tip 10: Sporten. Get your ass out of bed and get rid of those love handles. Ze mogen dan warm zijn, maar ik heb ze liever niet. Plak een plaatje op van een te wensen eindresultaat en blijf gemotiveerd!

Mrs. Pina Colada.

-

Have a very hot winter!

Like many mountain towns Truckee,California is a great place to find tasty grub. Breakfast at Squeeze Inn is the gold standard for breakfast and Burger Me(a more recent addition to the town) is the gold standard for, you guessed it, burgers. Squeeze Inn claims to have the best omelets in the world. One thing is for sure if they don’t have the best they certainly have the most choices and many of those are damn creative. I mean where else can you get peanut butter, apple, banana and honey…in an omelette.

lottttttta choices

I'm a fan of the Denver and a stiff mimosa

the walls are covered with love from people...no idea where my old signature is prolly gonna have to re-do that.

merchandizing merchandizing

So a quick word about Burger Me. The reason it’s so damn good is because they really bring on the quality. Their meat is free range and local to the area. Their lemonade and ice tea is homemade on site. They have microbrew beer available, flat screens with sports and they use Ben and Jerry’s to make their milkshakes. I recommend the Bison BBQ burger or the Grilled Ahi Sandwich. Pair it with some sweet potato fries maybe throw a fried egg on that burger if you’re feeling adventurous. Hell I even hear their veggie burger is good from one of them vegetarian folks.

nice menu right there.

makes a real nice Arnie Palmer

sweet potato fries here are a must.

save room for dessert.

Whenever I think of New Year’s Eve, I think of Champagne… I simply adore the flavor, the bubbles and the festive feeling it conjures up. Every year I shop for a very special bottle well ahead of the festivities and then look forward to the moment, at the last stroke of midnight, when we’ll pop the cork with great joy, and — I must admit — a fair amount of noise!

So it’s not surprising that for New Year’s Eve I was inspired to create a dessert that’s all about Champagne! The idea came to me as I was contemplating the famous French cocktail, the Kir Royal (Champagne with a dash of cassis liqueur). So why not take the concept of the Kir Royal, but give it an American twist and make it an ice cream-champagne float?

The result is simply sublime. Served in a gorgeous martini glass, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of raspberry coulis spiked with Chambord liqueur and a splash of Champagne are transformed into a dazzling dessert — one that will invariably make heads turn and taste buds sing.

Viviane’s tip: I’m always a bit nervous when serving dessert to a large crowd. The revelation here was that I could make dozens of my Raspberry-Champagne Fizzes in minutes, letting me enjoy the festivities and celebrate with my guests instead of scurrying around the kitchen all night. Now that’s a terrific way to ring in the New Year!

Raspberry-Champagne Fizz

serves 12

For the raspberry coulis
10 oz  frozen raspberries — thawed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons organic sugar
2 tablespoons Chambord or Cassis liqueur

For the fizz
1 quart vanilla ice cream
3 pts fresh raspberries, as garnish
1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine

Step 1: To make the coulis: Place the raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and liqueur in the bowl of a food processor and process at high speed until very smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and pour into a large squeeze bottle. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook’s note: The raspberry coulis can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Step 2: To serve: Squeeze a little raspberry coulis in a martini glass. Top with one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream, depending on the size of your glasses. Garnish with the raspberries. Top each glass with sparkling wine or Champagne at the table, it makes it more fun for your guests!

© 2009 viviane bauquet farre – food & style NY LLC

Taittinger, Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Billecart Salmon, Dom Perignon, Krug, Cristal…we all know them and we may love them, but there’s more to enjoying Champagne than drinking a name.

I love bubbles – maybe it’s because I’m female, maybe it’s because I’m always ready to celebrate, but whatever the reason, I can’t deny it!  I’m sure some of you know how I feel!  Good day, bad day, any day is the right one to enjoy Champagne!  But how often do we reach out from under the umbrella of the world’s biggest brands to discover one we’ve never heard of?  Sadly, far too rarely.

Moreso than wine, Champagne is about the brand name – it’s what we know, what we’ve heard of and what we think of as prestigious.  And it’s true – all the well-known houses are great Champagnes, but if we only ever drink these then we are missing out on some of the most surprising and exciting choices in the region.

Small producers in Champagne (the ones we’ve never heard of) are often where we’ll find amazing quality – where the passion of the winemaker bursts forth in the bubbles zipping up our glass.  These tiny houses may not produce massive volumes nor have exorbitant marketing budgets, but their prestige comes from the passion to create exceptional quality. 

So it’s up to us to give them a chance – you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find in the bottle and your wallet will thank you.  Next time you are on the hunt for a bottle of bubbly, stop into your friendly wine merchant and take a chance one you’ve never heard of and see that there’s more to Champagne than just what’s in a name.

TD

A month before Christmas, British supermarkets have already started the Champagne price war! There are rumours of Champagne for £10 a bottle at Tesco and Morrisons is leading the battle by offering four major Champagne brands at less than half price.

On the Champagne battlefield,  you can almost hear echoes of disapproval from some wine experts and wine importers (Quality, image, profit margin going down?) Economic conditions have been really tough for the wine trade but for once, I cannot resist applauding British supermarkets.

Why? When it comes to Champagne, to paraphrase Napoleon, in victory, we deserve it and in (credit crunch) defeat, we need it!

In the long run, heavy discounting on Champagne at Christmas should benefit the wine trade, rekindling Britain’s love affair with Champagne at the crucial time of festive celebrations.

Following the economic crisis, price rises and a downbeat mood, there is a real danger that British consumers may not return to drinking Champagne, switching to cheaper sparkling wines instead – unless more accessible prices come back and help Champagne regain its pre-credit crunch status of affordable luxury.

The Christmas Champagne price war should be just the right opportunity for this to happen.

Time to start shopping for a Champagne party!

On the “weekend eve” of my “Champagne birthday”- 23 years old on the 23rd- (bullet style for efficiency’s sake):

• Drank soju for the first time in Korea & with some old Korean men from a local English club (a place where Korean business people get together to talk English and drink tea and later eat/drink soju)
• Played in Wonju’s first snow!
• Survived the bus ride to Seoul the morning after- with a massive headache from too much soju and the support of two of the sweetest women ever- my co-workers, Hyun Ah and Mrs. Amy, who took us out to lunch, and then helped find me traditional Korean hangover medicine for 2,000 won
• Shopped at Forever 21 & ate potato gratin with a fork at a beautiful buffet in some nice hotel in Seoul
• Met up with some new friends in Hongdae, the university district, for some Cass beer, shisha, and dancing
• Woke up refreshed at a spotless hostel, complete with eggs and coffee for b-fast
• Made another friend  at the hostel, who coincidentally also has an 11.23 birthday- Cody, from Hong Kong. Also met an nice English boy named Trevor.
• Ventured with our new friends to the Filipino market, where I ate pancit and relived my month in Tacloban while looking at the packets of Masarap seasoning and Milo powder
• Went on a casual date with a nice Korean boy named Sang-wu, a jewelry designer with skull tattoos and a liking for McDonalds and frozen yogurt- we talked for three hours straight
• Spent a weekend discovering why seoul is a necessity not a luxury!

BRUT PREMIER o segundo Champagne da casa Louis Roederer (Cristal).

Trata-se de um Champagne que custa menos que Veuve Clicquot, Moët Chandon, Gosset e Taittinger porém  muito mais expressivo e agradável. Também é uma excelente forma de presentear sem ser redundante, o Brut Premier carrega consigo o DNA do mais famoso champagne do mundo, vem em uma embalagem cartão magnífica e não se encontra em postos de conveniência.

Podem entrar em contato comigo se quiserem experimentar, pra quem não dipensa a matriz desse DNA (Cristal), consulte-me, temos o mlhor preço do mercado.

Saúde e Luz

Luciano Jiora

luciano@jiora.com.br

Serge Pugeault se vante constamment de la rapidité de la majorité municipale à entamer la réfection de la Halle du Boulingrin, alors que par le passé ce dossier paraissait au ralenti.

C’est clairement de la mauvaise foi car si Adeline Hazan et son équipe ont eu la possibilité de lancer aussi vite ce dossier, c’est grâce aux travaux d’études réalisés par l’équipe précédente. Il serait bon qu’ils ne l’omettent pas!

M. Pugeault met en cause la lenteur du déblocage de l’aide de l’Etat à la réfection qui était bloquée depuis 1996…C’est aussi objectivement l’une des causes du non avancement du dossier par le passé !

Surtout, c’est la preuve que gouvernements de gauche comme de droite n’avaient pas rempli cet engagement, alors même que Serge Pugeault se répand partout en affirmant que l’enveloppe accordée dans le cadre du plan de relance n’est que le rattrappage de cette promesse non tenue.

Enfin et c’est important de le souligner, c’est Jack Lang qui a classé ce bâtiment pour des raisons politiciennes en 1985, alors que sa qualité architecturale est très largement décriée.

M. Pugeault a la mémoire bien courte et une lecture partiale et partielle de ce dossier, il n’a même pas le souci de la cohérence dans les propos qu’il tient, trop occupé à politiser à outrance et à vouloir discréditer l’Etat et l’Exécutif…

It is late at night and I should be going to bed – but I find myself drawn to my blog… you may ask why – and I have an answer for you.  I just read a post by Heidi of http://faboolosity.blogspot.com and I was quite moved by her beautiful simplicity – I really felt that I was seeing the world through her eyes and it was lovely.  Thanks Heidi! Please take a moment and check out her blog.

Anyway on to a post on Informal Chic for your tabletop.  The Holidays are fast approaching and what do we mostly do during the holidays?  We EAT!  So lets have a look at how to make the table puuuurty.

We should start with table linens – you could do a crisp white linen – but I thought it might be nice to create a cozy informal yet elegant look – so Burlap is my choice.

http://www.wisteria.com/Burlap-Tablecloth-Large-New/productinfo/W3690/

Up next are the dishes – recently I found this beautiful line of dishes that are made in Bulgaria, the American owner of the company has completely revitalized the small town where these works of art are being made just as they have been for generations.

Troyan Traditional

You can find many beautiful tabletop items at www.bulgarusa.com

Next I think we need to glam things up a bit and add in some vintage champagne glasses.

Vintage Champagne - The Red House Interiors

And some Sterling silver candelabra.

http://www.westernsilver.com

Some beautiful flatware from France

Claude Dezorme Laguiole

Fun and frivolous place card holders.

HomArt Zinc Placecard Holder

And last but certainly not least… the centerpiece.

Wheat Stalk Centerpiece - Kevin Monahan Photography

This is a casually elegant table – When I imagine the people that are at this table for the holidays, I think they must be laughing and having a wonderful time.  They are not worried about which is the correct fork to use, or concerned that they are presenting well – they are full of love and laughter and joie de vie.

Have a great Thanksgiving – I hope you thoroughly enjoy it and maybe even snarf a little wine out of your nose!