Mediterra Restaurant, Princeton New Jersey

There's a whole bunch I like about this restaurant. I think I'll list them.

1. It's on Palmer Square in Princeton, which makes taking a walk after a huge and delicious meal mandatory, Princeton is one of NJ's greatest treasures.

2. They've got a hostess who is off the charts beautiful. It takes absolutely everything I have not to stare (she looks like a healthier and happier version of Kristen Davis).

3. Their menu changes frequently and always reflects the season and the fresh ingredients they're buying from local family-run farms.

4. They've got Forth Vineyard's 2003 "All Boys" Cabernet Sauvignon on their wine list.

Now, in a regular circumstance, I'd have blown a gasket. We at www.avawine.com really go to great lengths to keep our producers small, and off the national distribution list. I contemplated ringing up Jann and graciously backing out of our deal to market their wine. But then I came to my senses. They're not any immediate threat to Sutter Home, they're not setting up promotional tents next to the stacked cases of Budweiser at Billy Bob's Liquor and Beer Emporium. They're just a boutique winery that got picked up by an award winning restaurant, to compliment their award winning wine list. Stay calm... deep breath... everything is ok.

Being angry is stupid anyway, had I not come to my senses I would have missed how this cabernet is so friendly to the palate. This wine can come out as fruity, then gets reigned in out of nowhere by this great big splash of toasty oak. It's perfect with food, especially tomato based stuff.

Then I ripped into a vat of Mussels that were made especially for me (without garlic). This appetizer dish is a monster, and comes in what looks like a great big wok, and these little babies taste like delicate ocean pearls of love. Calamari at Mediterra isnt like calamari at TGI Friday's. These squid are big and round and bounce back when you poke them. They're fresh fried and sometimes the light batter just cant hold onto the slippery texture of the circle, so you're left with this perfectly cooked ring of squid that reminds you of beaches, and meals you've had while sitting on them.

Main courses are great. I always order one at Mediterra, but I'm usually so perfectly set after the two huge appetizers, that I just pick at it. This restaurant is a favorite of mine for dates. The supermodel hostess can usually be persuaded to let me take a 4-top, instead of shoving us into some cramped deuce, which is nice.... she's nice, and I have a mad crush on her. The decor is very cool, and the service is almost always very good. In the summer you can sit outside, which rocks.

So, in conclusion, let me break down again why this place is great.
1. Seriously good food.
2. Interesting decor.
3. Superior wine list (as is any list with one of my producers).
4. The hottest hostess of all time.
5. Outdoor seating

I recommend this restaurant to all who have the ability to reach it. After dinner, walk straight out the door until you hit Nassau Street and take a left. Keep an eye out of the Triumph Beer Company on your left. Stop in. Drink a pint of very well crafted micro-brewed beer. You deserve it for the 1/4 mile hike you made to get there.

If you want to give Jann and Gerry's "All Boy's" Cabernet Sauvignon a try, give this a click.
http://www.avawine.com/forth-vineyards-2003-boys-cabernet-sauvignon-p-314.html
We always pay for the shipping and you simply cannot go wrong with selections from this winery.
http://www.avawine.com/wineries-forth-vineyards-c-42_143.html

If you need help finding Mediterra:
http://www.terramomo.com/restaurant/mediterra/index.html

Best wishes on the New Year everyone, and thanks for tuning in.

/wm

Confound Expectations

I leave it to Alan to wax poetic on the intricacies of fine wine and all things related. What's more important to me are the experiences and emotions I pull from pursuing a life of well fueled travel. One of my greatest inspirations on this quest has been Anthony Bourdain.

I've read his books (both cookbooks and works of fiction), and have even booked trips after seeing his exploits on television. Namely, a visit to San Sebastian to dine at Arzak. Tony has been something of a sensei for me, and I'm going to spend a minute and try to get you to come over to our team. The food isn't always good (I've seen him eat a cobra head), but the context is always fascinating. I watched him and 3 other chef's sit down to a 6 course meal at The French Laundry, but cannot recall if Thomas Keller even popped his head out of the kitchen door. I sat watching with my jaw wide open as he and his crew waited patiently for their time to escape an Israeli bombing of Southern Beirut. Suprisingly, he was mostly calm, considering I watched the same guy hide in another room as a family's matriarch utilized a pressure cooker during the show he did in India.

If you haven't found Tony Bourdain, I strongly suggest you give his Travel Channel television show a try. He's not nearly as pretty as Giada DeLaurentis, nor fat and pompous as Emeril, but if you start watching now you might get to see the inevitable episode where he's forced to quit smoking, and everybody loves a train wreck.


Here's a link: Enjoy!


http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/bourdain/bourdain-season3.html

Governator Breaks Femur

About 4 years ago I was snowboarding alone up on Jay Peak, Northern Vermont. I was in the glades and it was late in the day, and very late in the season. The combination of me getting older, and me being a little bit tired caused my ninja reaction time to falter just a mili-second, and SNAP. The tree that T-boned me won the battle and my leg was broken, and broken good.

It was a horrible experience, although I did have time up there all alone to make peace with myself, and I can truly empathize with the Governor. Politics aside, I wish him a speedy recovery.

http://www.axcessnews.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=12479

Speaking of breaking things, the Galleron Signature Wine 2001 Morisoli Cabernet Sauvignon will make you want to shatter the glass when you're done drinking it.

I strongly suggest placing an order for a six pack at your first opportunity.

http://www.avawine.com/galleron-2001-morisoli-cabernet-sauvignon-pack-p-414.html

Catacula Lake Winery Suffers Loss

We must regretfully report the unfortunate passing of Edward Keith. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Keith family, and especially to Rick Keith who has been a good friend to AVAWine.com since our beginning. We wish him a speedy recovery, and hope we get to work together again in the very near future.

Merry Xmas from Silver Mountain Vineyards!

This is a photo of the gazebo on top of Jerald Obrien's Silver Mountain Vineyards.

Alan and I met with Jerry last February on this very spot, he actually took time out of his day (he and his guys had been clearing the old vines after the Fall crush), to spend some time with us. Both of us left saying the same thing, "He's the kind of guy we should be doing business with".

They've got a tasting room down in Monterrey. I strongly suggest you pop in there and say "Hello". Everyone who knows Jerry smiles when you mention his name, I bet you will too.

Buying Silver Mountain wines is easy with www.avawine.com , and we always pay for shipping.

Let's hear it for ZOOM!

There are these two young guys up in the North Coast (Lakeport, to be exact), and they're making Zinfandels. The one guy, Matt Hughes, used to work at one of those high-end KJ labels. The other guy, Christian Hackshaw, was an emergency doctor (he's decided to help us in a slightly different way). The wines are priced perfectly and for those of you who like to try something interesting, new, and different............ then here you go. Let us know what you think.

http://www.avawine.com/wineries-zoom-wines-c-42_209.html

Here's a picture of one of their vineyards in Lakeport, does this make you want to book a wine-tasting vacation or what?

Mexico

We have a winery, San Pasquale, that grows most of their grapes in Mexico.

Here is a picture of me and my friends in Mexico.

First Blog

Glad we had this talk