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Falling in Love With Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon
My husband and I ate there in Aug 2007, finding it through word of mouth from a waiter at another restaurant. It was one of the best meals we've had, and it's good to know that it is still a top restaurant. It might be worth another cross-country flight!
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
Rack of lamb. It's easy but elegant.
Coq au vin in fall/winter; easy for guests and entire house smells good.
I also like the roast chicken idea someone had earlier--great idea!
Best Ethnic Markets and Grocery Stores in the Washington D.C Area
I'd like to add German Gourmet to this list. One opened last fall on Columbia Pike, near Rt 7, and it has sausages, cheeses, pastries, gummi bears, rye crackers, German wines, German beer (of course), and preserved fish. Makes you want to host an Oktoberfest party.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
Sometimes it helps to taste a really extreme example of a flavor in a wine. For example, I had a Cab from South Africa once that was all green pepper. It was as if someone had taken a pepper and mashed it into the wine. It was terrible, but I can now tease out the green pepper in almost any wine (which thankfully are less intense than that one experience).
Falling in Love With Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon
My husband and I ate there in Aug 2007, finding it through word of mouth from a waiter at another restaurant. It was one of the best meals we've had, and it's good to know that it is still a top restaurant. It might be worth another cross-country flight!
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
Rack of lamb. It's easy but elegant.
Coq au vin in fall/winter; easy for guests and entire house smells good.
I also like the roast chicken idea someone had earlier--great idea!
Best Ethnic Markets and Grocery Stores in the Washington D.C Area
I'd like to add German Gourmet to this list. One opened last fall on Columbia Pike, near Rt 7, and it has sausages, cheeses, pastries, gummi bears, rye crackers, German wines, German beer (of course), and preserved fish. Makes you want to host an Oktoberfest party.
Essentials: Ina Garten's Mac & Cheese
This is a great recipe. I've made it for book club, game night, get-togethers with coworkers, and everyone always loves it. If someone would make pre-grated Gruyere, that would be da bomb.
Do You Find Coffee To Be a Soothing, Comforting Elixir?
Coffee is what you make during the cold, dark days of winter to sip all day. It is what you share at the kitchen table late at night or early in the morning during a crisis when there is nothing to say or do. It is the feel of a brisk summer morning, the consistency of weekly Sunday brunches with my husband. For me, coffee is associated with friends, family, holidays, vacations--the sense of being able to spend indulgent time. On vacation, we seek out coffee shops, not just for the drink, but to spend an hour or two with the locals, read the paper or books we've brought. Coffee is an event. Coffee isn't just a beverage, it is a comforting ritual.
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
My "eureka" moment and the catalyst for a career involving wine was experiencing an intense aroma of roses while drinking a Johannisburg Riesling and dining on spicy BBQ shrimp - I'm sorry to say I've long forgotten who I dined with, but I've never forgotten that incredible moment of wine and food synergy.
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
This article was super helpful. I have a tendency to just look for traditional flavors when I taste like blackberry, leather, etc. I never thought to look for green pepper or soy sauce, but that makes perfect sense. I'm looking forward to expanding my diet and expanding my wine nose and palate. Thanks!
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
greta article =) my light bulb moment was with an exceedingly green peppery cab sav too.
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
Alas, I'm still waiting on my eureka moment. I love wine, but really can't taste all these magical things others detect. I'm a super taster (about 25% of the population are), and so have twice as many taste buds as regular people. Consequently, I taste things really intensely. The problem is, alcohol completely overwhelms my taste buds, so all those delicate flavors are washed out. Hard spirits are even worse -- a fine single malt Scotch tastes like vodka with a drop of liquid smoke. I'm jealous of people who can taste all these wonderful things I cannot.
But, I'm still willing to try. :)
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
This is totally right - but how do you learn to use wine discriptors that reference things you can't taste? http://laasinvineyard.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/do-i-have-to-taste-a-wild-boar/
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
i definitely agree -- i used to think it was all BS, that wine people would were over exaggerating the detection of flavors.
then i went to mosby winery in santa ynez, CA, and the guy pouring the wine told me "this one tasted like an almond joy." and i could taste, very clearly, the chocolate, almond, and coconut notes in the wine. it was really eery at the time, but it was definitely my "eureka" moment like you mention above.
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
I am a big wine lover and I very much enjoy the whole process of discovering flavours and picking up on the notes with each swirl- I find it terribly fascinating. I ve had some oenology courses before and they made us smell & taste hundreds of different scent & aroma samples to "cultivate" our nose.& tastebuds. I'd love to take another course again and spend more of my free time studying wines. I also very much love discovering new world wines, I've tasted some great ones from chile & new zealand.
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
Good stuff. And very true. The best way to articulate flavor nuances and descriptors is through experience. One of the things that has helped me with understanding and talking about wine is to talk about the feeling it gives. Tough because it's general, but I think most wine people can agree that a good champagne tastes like magic.
Why Serious Eaters Should Be Serious Wine Tasters
SUCH a good article. Now I know why my husband, the Spaghetti-O's and Twinkies man, sticks to veryverysweet White Zinfandel and Riesling, while I, the foodie, have rarely ever had a wine I didn't like (except for a really bad California red Zinfandel once).
Falling in Love With Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon
I love this write up! I've been wanting to go there for a good while, will be in Portland in January, so must make a visit. I did buy a gift certificate for some friends to go, but I don't know if they've been yet...
Falling in Love With Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon
As you can tell from my description, it was worth every penny!! I'm interested to hear some of the entrees you all have ordered.. I'm cursing myself for not getting the burger (I saw two being served when I was there) and also for not begging my communal table diners for a bite of their steak and beef cheek.
Guess what's on the menu this week? KALE GNOCCHI. with "pears, chanterelles, dry jack." I love this chef. Love him.
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
And we have our winners:
tacroy80, akiss, bajjmayer, clc408, zekks
Congrats and thanks for commenting. Winners will be notified by email as well.
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
My killer lasagna!
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
Thanksgiving dinner with all the works.
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
Anything on the grill - chicken, steaks, pork!
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
salmon with a pecan-honey mustard topping... looks gorgeous, easy to make and people are usually surprised by it!
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
standing rib roast anad yorkshire pudding!
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
I make a mean lasagna and some delicious cannoli for dessert.
Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy
it's all about the chocolate so a nice death by chocolate cake usually works best.
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Sometimes it helps to taste a really extreme example of a flavor in a wine. For example, I had a Cab from South Africa once that was all green pepper. It was as if someone had taken a pepper and mashed it into the wine. It was terrible, but I can now tease out the green pepper in almost any wine (which thankfully are less intense than that one experience).