Manoavino Taste!

NYC Weekend Adventures - MOMA, Momofuku Ssam Bar, and Hudson River Park

This weekend our monthly "explore our local region outing" took us to the amazing Cindy Sherman exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, then downtown to find some cheap eats,and finally to a surprise destination. 

Of course I enjoyed Sherman's self portrait parody of Caravaggio's Bacchus.The exhibiton at The Modern I think is a must see. If you like her work. And if you do you will also like this. Cindy Sherman on Artsy

My mother always said "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." And while we certainly intended to save some money on "Cheap Eats" and did make it to our first destination Baohaus – Haus Bao that looked liked they had really good food, it was just too chilly for street food.

So we headed south east looking for a place to sit down for dinner and fortuitously ran into Momofuku Ssam Bar a place we have always wanted to try. Our wallet was $135 lighter after a magnificent dinner, but the meal and drinks were worth every penny and we will be back again soon for their famous bo ssäm pork shoulder feast for which you can see a group devouring below.

It's Sagrantino and Wines of Montefalco Week in NY - First Week of April. We Love the Wines of Montefalco in Umbria

With all the wines we have enjoyed we have come to favor certain regions above all others. We love wines of McLaren Vale, Patagonia, Willamette Valley, Scansano and perhaps above all beautiful Montefalco. 

We adore the cuisine of Umbria and all the beautiful people and places there. Montefalco is in the Italian province of Perugia on an outcrop of the Colli Martani above the Clitunno river. The wines here are made predominantly with Sagrantino, an indigenous grape of the area which is little known anywhere else.

We have had the good fortune of enjoying many Sagrantino wines including Montefalco Rosso. So it is with great excitement that we anticipate the coming of Sagrantino Month in New York City on April 2nd.  Below is a listing of the many free and paid events.

Three Steps to a Perfect Wine Experience – Select, Serve, Savor

Here is an article we wrote for the Entaste wine blog. "Three Steps to a Perfect Wine Experience – Select, Serve, Savor."

The pleasure of wine is more delightful when we become engaged in the selection of our wine, take the time to reverently serve and mindfully savor each sniff, sip and swalow. 

Wine is a beautiful gift of nature, gently rendered by man and woman kind. Treat wine like gold and you will be rewarded. Here are tips on how. Read More

Nicole's Ten Restaurant, a Trip West to Randolph NJ

We rarely go west for drinking and dining. Unless you are talking about Chicago, or San Francisco. Other than Salt in Stanhope we are usually hitting places north, south and of course east of Montclair. Randolph, NJ has never been a place we thought of as a dining destination until my daughter Nell turned us on to Nicole's 10 on Route 10 in Randolph, where she works.  

I've now drank and/or dined at Nicole's Ten 5 times, alone, with Diana, and with family or friends. Each time I've enjoyed this cocktail bar, taproom and restaurant more and more.

Morris Tap and Grill Randolph, NJ - Not What We Hoped For - But Will Be Better

Morris Tap is one of the new northern NJ restaurants, they have awesome Venetian Blinds, featuring many taps, 24 here, of fine craft, and international beers. I checked out their beer list and menu on the web and had high hopes. Unfortunately our first trip here was disappointing and I doubt we will be back.

It is a shame since some people have clearly put a lot of money and effort into making this place good, but so far it has just not been quite enough.

Update

Since I posted this article, Chef Eric Levine contacted me and thanked me for the comments, his clear intent, and goal of MTG, is to produced a high quality experience for every diner.  We will be giving MTG another try and will let you know what we find.

The beer selection is nice but I wish they kept the list on their website and beermenus.com up to date. I like to know what my options are beforehand. MTG updated their list on BeerMenus.Com

Here are Some Great Value Wines that We Served for a Happy Birthday Party

I served as sommilier at a very festive 50th birthday party a couple of weeks ago.  We  served some great wines that everyone loved, so I thought I would share them with you.

We found these wines at the Total Wines in River Edge NJ, and all are great values. The theme was "New Wines to Explore." The whites were grapes many people have never tried, the reds were all New World wines from the Southern Hemisphere.

Jersey Shore Restaurant Week 2012 is Coming Soon

The New Jersey Shore is so much more than what you see on MTV and beyond the many beautiful beaches and charming resort towns there are more great restaurants every year.

There is no better way to discover them than Jersey Shore Restaurant Week that starts on Thursday April 12th and runs through the 22nd.

Restaurants from the Highlands, where one of our favorites Twin Lights Taphouse is found all the way down to Toms River, almost 70 in all, will be offering specially priced three course dinners and luncheons.  More

Patagonian Malbec a Wine Unto Itself - Chalten Reserva from Neuquen, Argentina

I have been enjoying Malbec for years, decades perhaps, I've tasted many, but the Malbecs from Patogonia, a wine I discovered this past June in Buenos Aires, are the Malbecs I love the best.

This rugged mountainous region of Argentina is lush nature at her most almighty and the wine reflects this.The name, Patagonia, comes from Patgon the word used by Magellan in 1520 to describe the native people who he thought to be giants. Also remember the region inspired whole line of explorer clothing and gear and an international chain of stores, Patagonia.

Finding Pantagoina Malbecs in New Jersey has been a challenge. To my delight I found this one called Chalten and others from Patagonia at recent trip to the Total Wine store in River Edge.

We enjoyed it tremendously with a dinner I made with a Latin bent.