Food and Wine Corner

                               Wallabies, Kangaroos and You ( The Least You Need To Know)                                                         Getting Down (Under)    I am going to take a wild guess here and surmise that your knowledge of Australian wines Is less than stellar. . As my mother used to say, “ everyone is a moron, just ask the right  question”. So , if your only foray down the  wine aisle that begins with “A “, culminates  with  you mindlessly searching for labels that have pictures of cute animals on them, I am going to  suggest that it might well be time to up your game. Why, you ask? Good question .The first   answer is because Australia produces a treasure trove of very luscious , incredibly affordable, richly  textured,  lips making wines  the second is because I am  running out of interesting things  to talk about.. Anyway , wine production is ubiquitous (  good SAT word) in Australia with 36  different growing regions and a half a million acres of vineyards. Our

                                                         Battle of The 94’s So when I want a really  good meal but don’t want to drop two Benjamins , where do I  go? Lately it has always been one of two places: either the great  Piccola Italia ( 837  West Park, Ocean) or my perennial favorite Trama’s Trattoria on Brighton Ave in Long Branch. I have been arguing with myself for a while but to no avail , trying to decide which one is better. I have finally come to the conclusion that it is a dead heat and that is a good thing. Big drinks , check. Homemade pasta check. Great wait staff check. Consistent food check. Beautiful digs check. Uber talented chef check.  Talking about the chefs , you would have to travel long and hard ( and scour New York) to find  one with better credentials than the great Pat Trama. His culinary journey reads like a “Who's  Who “of gastronomic greatness, first working at The River Cafe  under the auspices of  International super chef Charlie Palmer. He the

                                              THE STAR OF THE SHOW Ah, Lincoln Center , arguably the cultural Epicenter of the world. This sprawling 16 acre complex features over 30 indoor and outdoor facilities, presenting the very best in music, art ,  theater and culture. It is the home of The New York Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera, the  prestigious Julliard School of Music and ……the best  pizza in New York. Well not there but  across the street. Now this is just one  (ha) humble man's opinion. It must be said that I indeed  have not  yet sampled all the pizza in New York , though I have waited for 2 hours at Lucali’s in  Brooklyn if that counts  ( don’t bother). So if your only experience of culture lately  comes from  that large tub of Chobani (pun) in the back of the fridge , double click on that hard to locate  Open Table App ( if you are not banned for being a no show, hey happens not my fault) and  make an early dinner reservation at Cafe Fiorello (1900 Broadway, NY).  Kn

                                                    Food and Wine Corner           Why Bother To Cook? ( A Rather Strange Title For A  Food Column) Sometimes as we all know you are just not feeling it. Where to go? The boring diner, MJ’S, Nope ; try to direct another out of town delivery guy to Center, I mean Centre St?  ( No its not in Oceanport , yes press the button and scroll up) Want a friendly neighborhood place with excellent cocktails , innovative menu , cool  vibe and cooler prices? Of course you do, fellow Nobile People. Then hop in your car and meet me at the Mix.  The Mix on Brighton Ave in Long Branch , founded by two neighbor hood guys Sam and Michael has been serving it up and putting smiles on their customers' faces for over 20 years.   Also you don’t have to worry about missing Happy Hour because it runs every night (except  Wed)  until 7pm with fun daily food specials and ALL drinks discounted including their specialty  Martinis. So, what do I mean by cool prices

                                                        MINI FOOD TOURISM         Calling all “Food Tourists”. Yes ,I know that it is a waste of gas but when you want   some of the world's best smoked  salmon on a freshly baked sesame bagel you have to make some sacrifices . Yes, I know that Downbeach Deli ( 8 Essex S   In Margate City)  is at exit 36 but those knishes they are to die for. What is a guy to do? Wipe the freezer burn off of that petrified package of Lender's Bagels buried under your thinly sliced chicken breasts? Of course not. You double check your car for your lost Easy Pass  and head straight for the Parkway! Now In case you haven’t heard of it, “Food Tourism “ is a sophisticated term for  spoiled   “Chazers”  (Yiddish for Pigs or Overeaters) who are willing to travel sometimes for long  distances for food. Yet there must be a lot of us because last year alone it was  a $700 billion Dollar industry that is projected to double in the next 3 years. So the next t

                                            10 UNDER 20 Looking for wines for the holidays that are uber delicious, but won’t break the bank?   Of course, you are!   Here is a list of my Value Leaders, or as I call them “10 under 20”. ( Well, actually 11 but who’s counting?)           Wonderful Whites Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay Sonoma Coast Craggy Range  Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna Road Vineyard Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Alto Adige           Call Me A Cab (OK, you're  a cab.) Liberty School Rodney Strong Estate Vineyards Alexander Valley Cab                            Deadly Zins (Pair with Turkey) Oak Ridge Zinfandel Ancient Vines Seghesio Family Vineyards Sonoma              Precious Pinot Noir (Also Turkey Friendly) Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Fermented               Italian Masterpiece:   Palazzo Del Torre                                                      Magnificent Malbec:   Almos Selection                                                    Bodaci