Summer Rosé Recommendations

It’s summertime, and for red wine drinkers it’s time to switch to rosé!

I have two suggestions for this year: one that’s great to bring as a gift when going as a guest to a barbecue or a brunch, and another for just everyday drinking.

Miraval Rosé

I consider this the Holy Grail of rosés. Tried to purchase last year, but it was sold out immediately upon its initial release due undoubtedly to both its celebrity status and critical raves and reviews. Yes, this is the Brangelina wine.

 

This year, though, I was able to find a bottle at one of my local liquor stores in time for the Fourth of July holiday. Cost was $25.

Gorgeous packaging! It’s shaped like a champagne bottle, so bringing it to any occasion makes it seem like a celebratory event. (The bottle is a bit fogged-up in the picture as it was in the fridge, and rosés should be served ice-cold.)

 

The color is a lovely pale-pink. A dry wine, the taste deepens on the palate leaving a long, lingering finish. Goes perfect with watching fireworks!

Helpful Hint: Recommend sipping! One of my sisters drank it like it was water, and she promptly got sleepy (a testament to the high alcohol content of the wine).

Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Rosé

If you’re looking for a bottle costing under $10, I highly recommend Les Dauphins.

The bottle labeling reminds one of a Parisian bistro. It’s fun and festive and makes you think of the Moulin Rouge and doing the cancan.

 

A light, fruity, strawberry taste—the pic does not do the coloring justice. It’s a deeper pink coloring than the Miraval and refreshing on a hot, summer night!

Happy Summer!

2014 Summer Fancy Food Show: Part III--Cheers!

From chocolates infused with liqueur to sparkling wine, you can always find a way to get a buzz on at the food show!

Who doesn’t like a mix of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey with dark chocolate? I’ll toast to that! (Goldkenn’s gold-bullion stacked chocolate was definitely a showstopper!

 

To get even more toasted, try a BuzzBar (alcohol-infused ice cream for adults). I went for the Vanilla Daze (alcohol = cognac) but it was a bit too much alcohol for me.

 

Owl’s Brew was definitely “hop”ping! (I went for a sample of the Pink & Black—fresh-brewed Darjeeling hibiscus tea with lemon peel, strawberry and lemon juice—with amber ale).

Best wine label belongs to Brunelli’s red (which tasted like a fine Barolo):

 

With World Cup fever then at its peak, the Brazil section of the show was definitely the place to be for celebratory drinks. Monte Paschoal Moscatel is a delicious bubbly (available in NYC in Brazilian restaurants), it was a lovely way to end the show on a high note!

Cheers!

2014 Summer Fancy Food Show: Part II--The Best Finds

A wonderful part of the Fancy Food Show is discovering new products and finding what most tickles your palate.

Or in this instance, “pickles”! Who knew that spiced watermelon pickles would be so surprisingly good?

 

 

Best soy sauce and most exciting item at the show. Healthy Boy Brand’s Black Soy Sauce. Sampled it with noodles and rice—and it adds a really wonderful sweet flavoring. It’s been the number 1 soy sauce in Thailand for 60 years, and it’s available in Asian food markets all across the U.S. It’s Kosher and contains no MSG. And on a side note, the reps noticed that I was such a fan that they actually gave me a Healthy Boy apron along with a bottle of their Black Soy Sauce! Joy!!!

 

My #2 Rated Sauce. Tsang’s Black Cherry Chili sauce goes wonderfully well with beef.

Best bacon. Maple Leaf's Duck Bacon. You know it must be good, if, at a Food Show where free sampling of food is abundant, there are long lines whenever they are serving the duck samples and people are specifically querying the time for the next serving sample when there are only offering their pork bacon. Found the Duck Bacon to be thicker than pork bacon and the meat is just as, if not more than, moist.

 

Best instant noodles. Sun Noodles. Their noodle samples were delicious. Totally puts Ramen noodles to shame. They even handed out doggie bag samples of their fresh noodles and miso sauce with instructions on the bag. I made the unfortunate mistake of not cooking it right away (weather was way too hot and humid for hot soup!) and the fresh noodles spoiled. My friend did cook her noodle sample though and she said it was very good, especially the soup base. I don’t feel too regretful, as the noodles will be launching at Whole Foods this fall. Hurrah! Plus, there will be two servings in a package. (Will write up an in-depth review then.)

 

 

Most exciting concept. Cup Rice. Same idea of Cup o’ Noodles, except for rice. Looking forward to rice in a cup that’s ready to eat in less than 5 minutes.

 

Best seaweed snacks. Choi’s1 Original flavor (also comes in Wasabi, Teriyaki, Natural, and Hot & Spicy). They gave me a sample to take home, and it’s so much better than chips. Plus, it’s awesome with sticky rice.

SW Sea  Crunch was also a great tasty snack to satisfy a salt craving.

 

Best dessert. Divino! Divino! Divino! Gelato-filled fruit. Need I say more? Sampled the Roman Kiwi. Awesome! And I did not mind the seeds. It’s gluten free, mostly fat free, vegan or vegetarian, and contains no GMO or preservatives.

 

Best promotion for preservation. Each purchase of Three Twins Ice Cream sandwiches (“ice cream for acres”) buys land to preserve endangered species. And who doesn’t love an ice cream sandwich?

Best tasty “healthy” drink. There are a ton of drink products out there promising you more energy, weight loss, etc., and now IQ is joining the market encouraging you to “Live Life Smart.” I sampled their “Memory” drink. Can’t attest to whether it actually improved my memory, but will say that it was tasty.

Most fun “healthy” drink offering. Amazin’ Amazon guava. I was smitten with the colorful polka-dotted pitchers. Perfect summer drink!

 

 

2014 Summer Fancy Food Show: Part I--The Quirky and the Fabulous

On June 29 through July 1, 2014, the Jacob Javits Center was the mecca for all foodies.

 

As opposed to writing one long entry on the show, this year I’m dividing up the highlights into bite-size pieces (pun intended!).

Every convention has stand-out booths or personalities, and the Fancy Food Show is no exception.

From a Chinese Southern Belle (featuring Asian/Southern dipping sauces):

 

To booths where sightings of Olaf and Elsa and Anna were spotted:

 

To a swirly lollipop tree:

 

To the great homemade ice cream Bubbies from Hawaii (my favorite flavor is their green tea), which is probably the best mochi that I've ever tasted:

To Ann Kirseböm’s booth where you’re transported to a taste of “Paris in a Chocolate”—Ooh là là, indeed!

To the ingenious idea of putting duck mousse with cognac in a mini-wafer cone:

 

To With Love Chocolate vintage-style wrappers.

To a tea bench made of recycled tea leaves:

 

To Gooey on the Inside spreads (my fave flavors were Vanilla Birthday Cake and Dulce de Leche), which you can “Spread It!” or “Dip It” or “Lick It!”

 

To celebrity chefs like Guy Fieri launching his new line of sauces. I tried them all with some grilled chicken and my choice was the Kansas City sauce.

 

To an awesome Korean dish of rice and bbq and kimchee, topped with a quail egg that was cooked right in front of you (The BEST lunch at the show!):

 

(And while we were all waiting in line, the Korean booth handed out gorgeous (and useful in areas of the show where the AC wasn’t working properly) Korean fans.)

To Boska’s super-cool cheese wheel machine that was operated by a monk!! (Side note: cheese samplings were a bit underwhelming at this year’s show. Perhaps the humidity and heat did them in, as the two fresh mozzarella samples that I tried from two separate vendors tasted gross and spoiled.)

 

To a cheese flight tasting from Parmigiano Reggiano Academy that was served on a two-sided laminated, plastic information sheet about the cheeses on top of plate (which becomes a Frisbee once you flip it over—how cool is that!)

 

 

To a meat-slicing machine that looked like a medieval torture instrument:

To 3-D printed edible sugar candies made by 3D Systems (I still don’t get it. It must just be “science.”):

 

Though best product packaging and booth staging must go to Pearl Royal Coconut Water.

 

The coconut water is inside the “coconut shell.” At the top of the “shell” is a string that you pull on (which pops open the cap of the can inside) and then remove the straw and put it into the opened can and drink!

 

After you finish drinking there are instructions on how to recycle the can. Super innovative packaging, but probably not the most environmentally friendly!

 

The most fabulous part of all conventions though is of course the swag!!