Full Circle with Lachini Vineyards & Restaurant Iris

A few years ago I remember sitting down with Chef Kelly English, Jeffrey Frisby (GM/Wine Manager of Iris), & Elizabeth Mall (CSW at Delta Wholesale). Before Kelly & Restaurant Iris worked so hard to win such acclaim & well deserved accolades there was just the four of us tasting through an impressive lineup of wines. One of the standouts was from a small family owned winery in Newberg, Oregon. As we all sipped the Lachini Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2005 each of our eyes lit up & smiles spread across our faces. This wine was truly astonishing. The earthy tones, dark fruit, hedonistic yet elegant texture, & haunting sensuality. All four of us were changed after sipping what was in our glass. Shortly thereafter Ron Lachini came into town & Restaurant Iris very first wine dinner ever was to be with Ron. Unfortunately they didn't get their occupancy license yet so the dinner had to be switched to another restaurant.

Flash forward to last Friday when we all had a trip down memory lane with Lachini Vineyards.

Both Chef Kelly English & Jeff Frisby spoke to their love of Ron's wines & how that first sip stuck with them. Ever since they opened the doors Ron's wines have been on their list. Now they finally had a chance to show Ron how talented they were. Chef English's menu was absolutely perfect up against the gorgeous pinot noirs. The lucky 21 people in the room got a rare retrospective of 2005-2009 vintages along with a sampling of his Washington State projects La Bestia & Spur.

As we sipped we all engaged with one another & commented on each wine. Each glorious bite of food & each mouthful of elegant pinot was met with more oohs & aaahs & eyes rolling back into heads.

Ron is a very cool guy whose passion about his wine is infectious. When he got up to address the room he had everyone's undivided attention. We all wanted to hear from the man whose wine's we had fallen for.

Thankfully he didn't talk too long because I really wanted to dig into this alongside his 2010 Pinot Noir Port.

The rich creamy dark chocolate brownie with maple bacon....yes I said maple bacon...ice cream & caramel. Oh my god. With a sip of the Pinot Port it was absolute heaven. I ran a finger through the melted ice cream after all was said & done. It was pure delicious gluttony at its best. Thank you Restaurant Iris for the unbelievable meal. Thank you Jeff for the incredible service. Thank you Ron Lachini for the absolutely gorgeous wines.

A Tale of Two Pinots at Majestic Grille

This past Wednesday two outstanding Oregon wineries, Elk Cove Vineyards & Lachini Vineyards, squared off in a head to head battle for Pinot Domination!.....ok not really but it sounds so fun that way. Chef Patrick Reilly prepared a stellar menu to pair with these delicious wines. It was obvious from the first bite that Patrick thought about each & every layer of flavor to match up & elevate each wine.

From Lachini Vineyards we sampled:

Rose of Pinot Noir

Pinot Gris

Estate Pinot Noir 2009

"S" Pinot Noir 2010

& Ron Lachini even brought some secret treats such as his La Bestia Cabernet Sauvignon, Cuvee Giselle Pinot Noir & Pinot Noir Port. A stunning lineup.

Todd Stewart from Elk Cove poured:

Dry Riesling

Pinot Blanc

Willamette Valley designate Pinot Noir

Mount Richmond Pinot Noir

Each of them presented their wines in a way that the diners could understand & be comfortable with. They discussed differences in their vineyards & school of thought when it comes to winemaking. This night was an absolute treat. Thank you Majestic Grille for all your hard work! Thank you Deni Reilly for your love of Oregon wines!

Oregon Wine Week - Memphis 2012 (unofficial)

This week was jam packed with dinners, our HUGE Oregon winery showcase tasting & of course Swine & Wine 2012 at Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen. What I've learned from this week is that I do still have the stamina of a 20 something & that Memphis is thirsty for good wine especially from the Northwest. Memphis is my home & my home is a delicious city filled with lovers of good food & great wine. We may not be flashy like Nashville & we may not have the same level of mainstream media support, which quite frankly is inexcusable for a city of our size. Food sections in other cities, such as Charleston, are well put together, professional & coveted. What we have needs work. Regardless of that we are making amazing things happen here. Next year I expect more support & I expect a city wide Oregon Wine Week culminating in a huge tasting event. Memphis is in for a treat!

A Tale of Two Pinots

This is a dinner for Oregon lovers. Go to this!

Not A Wine Post

This morning I got to work at 7:30 a.m. to a box full of puppies that had been dropped at the back door like trash. My heart broke into a million pieces as I stared down into a cardboard box filled with 7 sweet fuzzy faces.

The person who left them to freeze & starve in our parking lot is obviously a sub human. Actually much much worse than that. If there is a hell there is a special place for this person. My co-worker & I sprang into action. He ran across the street to get food & I sent emails, tweeted, posted to FaceBook & hoped & prayed that someone would respond.

I held each one & whispered to them that everything was going to be ok. I kissed them on top of their sweet little heads.

Their sweet puppy fragrance was intoxicating & it truly took every fiber of my being not to take them or at least one of them home with me. But we have 3 dogs already & I knew Kelly would kill me if I brought another home.

Almost immediately phone calls & emails started coming in. One by one homes were found for each of them. Every time a puppy left I had to choke back tears. This is why I love Memphis. People have big warm hearts here & they open their homes to creatures in need that have been so horribly mistreated.

My faith in humanity was severely shaken before I even had a sip of coffee this morning. By 2 p.m. it was restored & stronger than ever. One of the guys who took 2 of the pups texted me this: "Hey, it's Alex. My parents are going to adopt both dogs. They named them Laverne & Shirley". These puppies hit the lottery.

Cochon 555 Porks Up Memphis pt 3

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen was the final stop for the judge crew. We began with Kelly English & ended with Andy & Michael. This amazing experience was bookended by our hometown boys. I was electrified with pork & pride by the time we got to AMIK. Regardless of how proud I was of all three of them I still kept in mind that I was there to do a job & be an unbiased judge. Honestly it wasn't difficult to be unbiased. Every chef there brought their A game & produced piggy dishes that were insanely delicious. But I digress.

The look & design of the menu itself was super cool & practically jumped off the table. It popped. As we judges gathered around the tables the chefs & sous chefs were finishing off our plates. There was this beautiful creative energy that was palpable & almost intoxicating. The plates themselves were works of art.

Everything they put out was outstanding but for me the spiedino & the chocolate blood torte were some of the best bites of the day. The spiedino was rich, succulent, savory & earthy. The torte had the mysterious mineral note that came from the blood which really worked well against the bittersweet lusciousness of the chocolate. I was blown away by this entire experience. Cheers to all the chefs who competed! But a special shout out goes to Andy & Michael & Kelly English. You all did Memphis so proud!

Cochon 555 Porks Up Memphis pt 2

Kevin Nashan & his Sidney Street Cafe crew threw out an amazing plate full of pig. I loved the scrambled egg mousse & I gotta say that the Memphis nod with the "Elvis" was absolutely delicious & gave me a little home turf pride.

Up next was Lee Richardson with Ashley's at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock. I imagine there was a bit of a friendly rivalry between Chef Kelly English & Chef Lee Richardson since they used to work together years ago. However, both chefs seemed too focused on their dishes to really give any play to that possible rivalry. I have to hand it to Chef Richardson for his mortadella stuffed in a pig head.

As we continued on we began to see that each chef was operating on very different wavelengths. Yes there was pork belly, trotters & ears, even blood but each chef produced distinctively different dishes.

Chef Chris Hastings of Hot & Hot Fish Club in Birmingham had somewhat of an Asian style going but with somewhat of a Spanish-French infusion. I flipped over the heart crudo. So creamy, lush & supple but with a brightness from the capers. The blood sausage was absolutely to die for. It had a beautiful mineral earthiness & reminded me of my grandmother's cooking.

Cochon 555 Porks up Memphis pt 1

When I first heard that Cochon 555 was coming to Memphis it was on the down low. I was told "whatever you do DO NOT TELL ANYONE". At least until the official announcement. I will say that usually I have absolutely no self control when it comes to situations like this. However, this time was quite different. Cochon 555 coming to Memphis was, the way I saw it, a high profile spotlight illuminating the world-class food scene we have here. I didn't want to do anything to screw that up so I kept my mouth shut. Well....I kept my mouth shut until I got to Cochon 555 & stuffed it full of pork! Much to my surprise I got the overwhelmingly cool honor of being one of the judges. At 3:40 p.m. this Saturday I arrived at The Columns & walked into what is sure to go down in history as the most amazing food event in Memphis history.

I wandered around & talked with a few chefs, fellow judges & friends. The space was absolutely gorgeous. I think it was a perfect location for it because it underscores our attempts at adaptive reuse here in Memphis. The time came for us to gather for a judges meeting with Brady Lowe, founder of Cochon. He gave us a run down of what to expect, how to go about the judging process & what he expected from us. Off we went to see the first chef.

Chef Kelly English & his Restaurant Iris team had a lovely little cocktail awaiting us. Cracklin skewered Luxardo cherries garnishing a bacon infused manhattan. Ab-so-lutely delicious. He presented his food, what he was trying to accomplish & his thought process behind the theme.

The basket presentation was whimsical but not silly. It worked quite well with the "takeout" theme. After a sip of the manhattan I was ready to dig in. The first plate was box of cold noodles (some made of fat back) pork shoulder & chilled pork belly. Normally I've only had pork belly hot so this was unique for me. Each layer of meat & fat was so distinctive of each other. It was crisp & super rich & succulent. I loved the juxtaposition of the fresh crisp greens against the tongue/cheek pate like schweinkampf crostini. Texture is always something I find to be of the utmost importance. Chef Kelly's next dish was a reference to our beloved Grizzlies: Heart, Grit & Grind. The grits were super creamy but still toothsome from being stone ground. I was really pleased to see such utilization in Kelly's dishes. From the hearts in the ragu over the grits to the blood in the ganache on his eclairs. It all worked.

This has to be the most unique menu presentation I've ever seen. It's attached to a pig skin backing using barbed wire. That is beautiful & yet another utilization of the pig. Chef Kevin Nashan looked like a pretty cool, laid back guy but it was obvious from the plate that he was passionate about pig. With a little bit of whimsy thrown in.

Elk Cove Pairing at Sweetgrass Thursday February 2nd

Chef Ryan Trimm of Sweetgrass is creating a special small plates tasting to pair with the gorgeous wines of Elk Cove Winery. On Thursday February 2nd between 5 - 8 pm you can get a special tasting of small plates paired with 4 different Elk Cove wines. Todd Stewart will be on hand direct from the winery to engage with customers, answer questions & share stories about each unique wine. This is not a typical wine dinner. No hard start time. No single presentation or conversation. You can come anytime you want between 5 & 8 pm & order this unique pairing for only $35 plus tax & tip. This is a special opportunity to sample the delicious food of Chef Ryan Trimm paired alongside the excellent wines of Elk Cove. Come out to Cooper-Young on a Thursday & have an experience!

O Oregon

With a month away from the first annual Joe's Wines & Liquors Passport to Oregon we are nearly sold out. It's truly amazing to me that there has been so much support &, quite frankly, demand for this. It shows me that this region whose wines I love so dearly has fans all over this city. I can't wait to see the looks on people's faces when they take in a mouthful of earthy, sensual, gorgeous pinot noir. I can't wait to show the Oregon folks why I love this city so much. Get ready for some Oregon love Memphis!

Elk Cove Vineyards Tasting

One of my absolute favorite wineries is coming to town a couple of times in February. First they will be in town for one of the hottest tickets in town Cochon 555. Joe's Wines & Elk Cove will also be partnering up for a tasting at Sweetgrass that week but the details haven't been worked out yet. Stay tuned for that. Last but not least they will be here for Joe's Wines Passport to Oregon event on February 23rd. Tickets for that event are $40 & can be purchased at Joe's, 1681 Poplar, 901.725.4252. Tickets are almost gone so go get yours NOW!

Adelsheim Winery & Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen is hosting a dinner with Adelsheim Vineyards on Friday February 3rd. Adelsheim, founded in 1971, is one of the most respected & celebrated wineries in the U.S. Their pinot noirs are sensually textured and absolutely gorgeous and express so much of what is unique about the Willamette Valley. Chefs Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman will be preparing a 5 course tasting menu to not only match but amplify these elegant wines. Seating is extremely limited. This is a rare opportunity to taste wines with Michael Adelsheim himself paired with courses from 2 of the best chefs in Memphis. Don't miss this one! Cost to attend is $85/person plus tax & tip. Please call 901.347.3569 for reservations. Call now!

Bottles With Friends

When friends move away its very bittersweet. I'm always happy for my friends because they are most likely moving on because of a job or school. It's always for some good opportunity that can't be passed up. My friends Becca & Lee moved to Los Angeles last year because Lee was accepted to the American Film Institute. Yep I said AFI. The most prestigious film school on the planet! I was so proud of Lee but a little sad because I love both of them & I knew I'd miss them. Not surprisingly LA has been good for Becca too. She is teaching yoga & continuing her work as a doula. She's even been in LA Parent. I'm so proud of them both.

I'm so proud of them both.

Thankfully they both came home for the holidays to see family & friends. We luckily were able to have them over for dinner last night & they surprised us with a gorgeous bottle of Coldisole Brunello di Montalcino 2001. I absolutely adore Brunello. There really is nothing like it in the wine world. Earthy, hauntingly seductive, herbaceous. Aside from that it always seems to grab me by the you know whats.

My motto for 2012 is to use any excuse to open up good wine. With that being said I popped open an Argyle Blanc de Blancs 2007. Beautiful bubbles with beautiful people. Dinner consisted of macaroni & cheese with parmiggiano reggiano crumbs, Piave & Fontina cheeses with a tomato-white wine sugo & shiitakes roasted in truffle & garlic butter. May this be the first of many many wonderful meals in 2012.

Post Holiday

In my line of work the holidays are BRUTAL to say the least. It is wonderful to have such a great job & to be so busy but needless to say it wears me out. However, I have found a remedy to the stress that builds up during the holidays. A really, really, really good massage. I know, its not as if this is earth shattering news but it had been about 8 or 9 years since I had one. Working on my feet on terrazzo can be murder. I found a great masseuse that not only listened to what I said but also listened to my body. He worked out every little knot every ball of stress & every pool of tensity. Do yourselves a favor & make an appointment with this man. Tell him Michael Hughes sent you. Relax Revive Restore Massage Therapy Jon Michael Livaudais, LMT 901.270.3255

More Wineries for Passport to Oregon

Every day I preach the virtues of Oregon. Now it's time for Memphis to experience it themselves. Joe's Wines Passport to Oregon will be the best wine tasting event to hit the city. Guaranteed. I've fallen in love with the wines of Oregon because of their heart, soul, passion, uniqueness, sensuality & overall deliciousness.

I just found out that both Cornerstone Cellars (pouring their Willamette Valley pinot noir of course) & Domaine Drouhin Oregon have signed on to participate! Domaine Drouhin!

You can purchase your tickets at

Joe's Wines & Liquors

1681 Poplar

Memphis, TN 38104

901.725.4252

Joe's Wines' Passport to Oregon

Oregon is one of my favorite wine regions....if not my very favorite. I'm so elated to be a part of this event. Joe’s Wines & Liquors is bringing Oregon wine country to Memphis on Thursday February 23rd. “Joe’s Passport To Oregon” wine tasting will showcase the best wineries in the hallowed Willamette Valley wine growing region. Owners & winemakers from Bethel Heights, Adelsheim, Elk Cove, Argyle, King Estate, A to Z, Anne Amie, Torii Mor, Domaine Serene, Rex Hill, Cliff Creek, Benton Lane, Le Cadeau, Lachini, Carlton Cellars just to name a few. Before it’s all said & done we expect nearly 20 wineries to be in attendance. Collectively, these wineries produce some of the most highly sought after wines in America. We present to you a rare opportunity to not only taste some of each winery’s best but interact with someone directly from that winery. In addition to wines from nearly 20 different Oregon producers we will serve “Pacific Northwest” style appetizers to pair alongside. On top of the selections being offered for tasting each winery will also have a special “rare” wine for purchase. Some are bringing large formats, library wines, small production or “winery only” selections. We will be offering special discounts on purchases made that day. Purchase your tickets at Joe’s Wines & Liquors, 1681 Poplar for $40/person. “Joe’s Passport To Oregon” will be held at the University Club on Thursday February 23rd.

2 Pinots. One Vineyard.

I absolutely adore Oregon wines & there is one vineyard in particular that always sings to me: Ana Vineyard. Kelly & I had our friends Tiffany & Mark & Elizabeth & Steve over for dinner the other night. Since it's the end of the year I thought the theme should be celebratory decadence. It all began with lobster. I kept thinking about these crustaceans. Then I thought risotto. Lobster risotto. This could be really delicious. I got my beautiful live lobsters from Viet Hoa. I texted my friend Chef Kelly & he told me to kill the lobsters first then prepare them. That was the first time I had to do that but it really wasn't that difficult. The difficult part is getting the meat out of the shells. I stripped all the meat out & reserved the shells which I sauteed with garlic, onions, celery thyme & parsley. After I got a bit of color on the shells I added a bottle of chardonnay & half a bottle of pinot grigio & about 2 cups of chicken stock. I let that cook down for quite sometime to concentrate the liquid into a nice rich stock. Meanwhile, I got the risotto going so it could cook slowly & the rice could release its creamy starch.

When our lovely guests arrived we popped open a bottle of J Lasalle Brut Preference Non Vintage. This gorgeous Champagne is 60% pinot meunier which immediately excited me. It's toasty, yeasty, with orange marmalade notes, brioche & it was so sensually textured.

Once we sat down I started everyone off with scallops that I seared off & served with a meyer lemon basil white wine butter sauce. It paired perfectly with Robert Sinskey Abraxas.

Next up was my lovely risotto. I folded in butter poached lobster meat, topped it with claw meat & drizzled a lobster-saffron sauce over it that I made with the reduced lobster stock. So rich, so briny, so delicious. Tiffany & Mark brought a Lachini Family Winery Ana Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006. When I saw that I freaked out. To drink side by side with that I popped open a Patricia Green Cellars 2006 Ana Vineyard Pinot Noir. The Lachini was masculine while the Patricia Green started off a bit more feminine. However, as the bottle opened up the Patty Green become more earthy & hauntingly sensual. Both wines were so beautiful & expressive. Yet again it showcased how much I love this vineyard.

Birthday Pig-stravaganza

I know it's been quite some time since my birthday back in September but forgive because time has gotten away from me. For my birthday dinner my wonderful husband got with one of the best chefs in the biz, Kelly English, & devised a plan for a dinner that would elate a porkaholic such as me. Chef English apparently wanted to go whole hog & present a suckling pig. However, my Kelly put the brakes on that one & said he "didn't want to stare at a pig face all night." No matter, this dinner was truly exceptional. Course #1 Pig Ear Carbonara Rich truffled pig ear "noodles". So creamy with a beautiful crunch to the cartilage but tenderness to the remainder of the ear. Course # 2 Rare Pig Heart with Cumin Spiced Eggplant Rare grilled pig heart that was so toothsome & earthy. There is something about heart that provides such a unique wine pairing. There is literally no flavor combo like the iron-copper rich flavor in heart paired up with gorgeously earthy red wine.

Course #3 Tongue in Cheek Succulent braised pig tongue over housemade noodles & tender pieces of pork cheek. So savory, tender & brought me back to childhood. My family used to cook tongue when I was a kid & I used to hoover it up.

Course #4 Pork Belly There is little that needs to be said about a perfectly cooked piece of pork belly. Sinking my teeth into the sweet meat & creamy fat is total bliss. Anyone that has been to Restaurant Iris knows that Kelly English knows how to work a piece of pig. However, this entire experience was something entirely more than I've ever had before. Of course the food was spectacular but the fact that my husband set this up for me for my birthday dinner really made it truly special. Thank you to both Kelly's for the best most porktastic birthday ever!

Cocktails for the Tsunami Artist Market

My friend Colleen asked me to craft some interesting cocktails for the Tsunami Artist Market that she hosted today. I of course said yes because I love helping out friends & I love playing with spirits. My first thought was "what am I going to do?" Then my mind went wild & in all kinds of directions from savory to sweet & in between. Here is what I crafted for the Artist Market: Negroni Bianco -Gin -Blanc Vermouth -Cocchi Americano Garnished with a flamed lemon peel Xmas in Manhattan -Maker's Mark Bourbon -Martini & Rossi Rouge Vermouth -St Elizabeth's Allspice Dram -Homemade Benton Bacon bitters -Regan's Orange bitters garnished with a clove studded orange peel The Naughty List -Persimmons cooked with vanilla vodka & vanilla sugar -Spiced Rum -Homemade ginger bitters -Homemade ginger simple syrup -fresh ginger -chili flakes -lemon juice I think the Naughty List won...

Actually no, that's not a Manhattan

Me: "Is there anything else you need help with?" Guy: "Oh, shoot I forgot vermouth." Me: "Follow me it's right over here." Guy: "Cool, I need some for Manhattans." Me: "Ok great, I love Manhattans. We have a few sweet vermouths to choose from." Guy: "No I want some dry vermouth not red." Me: "Well that's not a Manhattan." Guy: "Yeah it is I just use dry vermouth & no bitters." Me: "Uhh a Manhattan needs bitters. Don't let anyone tell you differently." Guy: "Well I like my Manhattans with dry vermouth." Me: "Then call it something else because it's not a Manhattan. Manhattans use red sweet vermouth. Call it a Brooklyn or a Staten Island or something."