Manoavino Taste!

Cut Steak House West Orange with Chef Sam Mickail

The big story here is the meat, juicy tender very flavorful meat. But that is not all.

Sam Mickail, chef and partner of the new Cut Steak House, in the exciting 4Sixty6 nightclub in West Orange, is a very passionate man. Born in Cairo, raised in France, trained in Switzerland, and the finest kitchens in Europe, he brings a world of experience to his latest venture here in New Jersey. We dined there with other press media people this past weekend.

"Dinner and a Show" at Brasa Grille Chatham, NJ

We are thrilled to welcome guest writer Chrissy Katz who brings us exciting culinary adventures from Morris County. Her first article features an excellent Portuguese restaurant in Chatham.

Going on an all out hunt to locate a restaurant that possesses authentic cuisine, good service with a pleasing atmosphere, and also a place where one perhaps can learn something new about the dishes, you may overly exert yourself into a frenzy.

Once you find this place, you just want to pass the good news onto others. So here is Brasa Grille, in it’s full-fledged Portuguese glory, showing us that the efforts in their attention regarding preparation as well as the quality of ingredients is well worth the trip.

How To Taste Wine

Osteria Giotto Dinner with Donna Ginevra - Great Italian Food with a Great Italian Wine

 

Can you predict how good your dinner will be by the olives served? I think so. The second these beauties touched my tongue I knew dinner was going to be great.

The wine,  Donna Ginevra was perfect. A beautiful Verdicchio from the Castelli di Jesi, Le Marche Region of Italy.

Cusumano Insolia, Brothers Diego and Alberto Make Very Fine Wine

Insolia is a grape and a wine from Sicily, vino bianco, that we have really fallen in love with. With spring and summer coming we think it is a great time to try this fabulous wine.

This one, that we bought at Joe Canals in Woodbridge for just 10 bucks, is made by third generation winemakers and brothers Diego and Alberto Cusumano. They make wines that are called a "new expression of Sicily." They take advantage of the all this verdant island has to offer and incorporate new wine making knowledge while preserving the heritage of the wine. It is spectacular.

Di Majo Norante Contado Molise Aglianico with an Interesting Food Pairing

 

 

I poured this wine at a recent tasting of southern Italian wines, for a grand "Italian Family Wine Dinner" birthday party in Summit, NJ. It was good there but it was not until I got it home and paired it with other food that the true beauty of this wine emerged.

It has deep rich flavors that I would normally pair with a hearty meat dish, I was surprised how the wine came alive with this seared salmon, with a southeast asian dry rub, with greens and a radish raita.

Spodee, A New Wine Beverage with Moonshine and Chocolate, Wow... And we made a tasty wine shake.

I got this new wine beverage to taste, called "Spodee." Believe this, made of wine, spiked with moonshine, and flavored with chocolate! I like all three alone, what could go wrong?

Had my first taste with Nell, she loved it, these young ones love the crazy stuff. I was not so sure, I'm thinking is this Manischewitz meets Hershey? Nope.

Then my mind starts to imagine, Spodee could make an amazing cocktail shake! And it did. Truthfully this stuff is delicious, and packs an incredible wallop, only 18% ALC but feels like more.

Occhipinti "SP 68" Bianco, Exciting New Wines From Sicily Have Sex Appeal

 

Sex Apeal. Sicilian wines have become so popular in the last few years and there are many reasons why. But the two words that summed it up at a Sicilian wine conference last year were just that, Sicilian wines have "sex appeal" so says Monica Larner Italian Wine Editor of The Wine Enthusiast.

This one by a passionate young women, Arianna Occhipinti, delivers this in every swallow, made of two exotic grapes  Albanello, Moscato di Alessandria locally know as Zibibbo is a work of art.