Since the beginning of 2016, I’ve been writing restaurant reviews for BYO restaurants (meaning they don’t have liquor licenses) in the Philadelphia area. The only wines I recommend are those that can be found in Pennsylvania, one of three states that control the sale of wines and spirits in …
What is Beaujolais Nouveau and why all the fuss? First let’s talk about non-Nouveau or “regular” Beaujolais. Beaujolais is a light and fruity red wine made from the Gamay grape, technically Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, though a small amount of chardonnay-based white Beaujolais Blanc is produced. Most Beaujolais is …
Since the beginning of 2016, I’ve been writing a restaurant review column for my Philadelphia neighborhood weekly newspaper, the Chestnut Hill Local. The MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin), as Alfred Hitchcock used to say, is that all the restaurants are BYO (or BYOB), meaning they don’t have liquor licenses. BYO restaurants are as …
More copper colored than pale, pale ale is a British invention with a yeasty fruitiness and a dry hoppy finish, though not as hoppy as India pale ale. The fruitiness in the Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale leans toward citrus. It is lean and clean with lovely floral notes and a …
Wheat beers are sort of the beer equivalent of Sauvignon Blanc, fresh and clean with citrus notes and the ability to handle difficult foods such as salads (notoriously difficult for wines) and asparagus (ditto). Also look to wheat beers for delicate seafood such as shellfish, tempura (with or without vegetables), …
Some months ago I had a delightful dinner at Gramercy Tavern in New York that included poached lobster with turnips and daikon; duck breast with white sweet potato and sherry maple endive; a selection of farmhouse cheeses; and bittersweet chocolate mousse with hazelnut brittle for dessert. The food was paired …