Food and Wine Corner

                    THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS                                    ( LOCAL EDITION) Hello my favorite people. Did you notice that your dinner bill now  has three digits at the  bottom no matter where you seem to go? Of course you have. Since you are paying the price of  admission anyway  it has become  more important than ever to,  as my daughter in law says,  “ make smart choices”. So , my friends let me ask you this, “ how many  times has this  happened to you?” You finally decided to bite the bullet and  reserve a table at that pricey place  that everyone says (possibly even me) is the best in town. You decide to throw all caution to the  wind and sacrifice your first born to order that premium entrée  that your server has  congratulated you for choosing. You wait patiently in anticipation and taste your first bite and ,  “EH ”. You look around for the waiter  hoping you’ll get the chutzpah to ask him  to bring you   something else but there's nothing R

                 SWANNIE , HOW I LOVE IT , HOW I LOVE IT   Hello my fellow food Cosmonauts and bargain seekers. Today I want to speak about a subject that is very dear to my heart. That's right, Happy Hour. Just the name of it  brings me unbridled joy. A time specifically designed for your pleasure and enjoyment.   Now you're talking. The term was first mentioned  in print  in the early 1600’s by no  other than Willie Shakespeare  largely regarded as the greatest dramatist and writer in  the English language ( though it is very clear he was no yours truly). The term was later used in the early 1900’s in the US Navy to denote specific periods set aside to amuse   the sailors with a variety of entertainment including boxing , wrestling , music and  dancing. The specific idea  of imbibing prior to dinner  gained prominence during  prohibition In 1920 with the popularity of the speakeasy  secretly serving drinks on the  down low. Unbelievably there are still many

                                               Food and Wine Corner                                               WINE LIST SAVVY  It has happened to all of us, you are out to dinner with friends and they hand you the wine list and you gasp. Nothing under 3 figures! What to do? Order a bottle of just  OK house wine ? Nope! Go “Primitive”, young man (or ladies). Ask if they have “Primitivo”. So what the heck is it? Well, you’ve come to the right place. “Primitivo” is Zinfandel's long lost very attractive identical twin. Originally from Croatia, Primitivo hails from southern Italy , specifically Puglia , where the very dry climate , fertile  soil, and Mediterranean breezes from 3 sides , makes these grapes very happy indeed. The name refers to the fact that these grapes ripen very early but none of that really matters to you. What does matter is that it is very inexpensive , I am talking less than $25/bottle. On the palate this wine is quite satisfying, smooth and refreshing with a n

                                                                                     Joie De Vivre , Magic in Philly Ah “Paree” , to be dining al fresco overlooking le  gorgeous parc to be  spoiled  silly with super  decadent fare , its richness only superseded by the commotion in the street and the warm  sunshine in your face. But ze airfare, it is prohibitive, no? What to do , mon faire? Hop in ze car  and drive my friend over the bridge of Benjamin Franklin to Filadelphia  ze city of “Amour   Fraternite”.  Enter restaurant Parc ( 227 S 18th St. Philadelphia, PA) one of Insiders 100 most scenic  Restaurants,  where  top restaurateur Stephen Starr  pays homage to the authentic French   Bistro. Starr in case you don’t know is huge deal with over 40 innovative restaurants to his credit  In New York ,  Pennsylvania and Florida including Buddakan, Barclay Prime and Morrimoto.  Starr , the ex rock promoter hits it out of ze Parc here with Je Ne Se Quoi (whatever that  means) to spare, chic

                              ALMOST FAMOUS  (GOING BACK FOR SECONDS)                              ( Sampling  the world’s best at a fraction of the cost) Hello fellow Oenophiles and bargain seekers.Wanna know a little secret known only to the  wine cognoscenti that saves you a boatload of dough while drinking like the rich and famous? Da? Of course you do. Well my friend, welcome to the world of “second labels”. “What is that,  you ask?” Good question. Quickly, these are wines that have been deemed by the producer   to be unworthy of  the Chateau’s Grand Vin (top tier) designation.This could be for one of   many reasons including unanticipated variations in weather , soil , pests and the like.  Ah,  “second”, not a place that one would aspire to.  Afterall, it's the first loser, not good enough to  win, defective or flawed. Who would want seconds when you can have firsts?  Well, you do my  friend and of  course  I am going to tell you why. See, in the world of wine, the concept of

  .                                                           TELL ME . . .  So we have all been there.  You find yourself wandering around New York,  for one reason or another. Maybe you finally sprung for tickets to the hot show that  everyone else saw 5 years ago or decided on a  whim  to witness firsthand the sartorial genius  of  some dead fashion Icon. Anyway, it's getting close to dinner time and  there you are,  in the  culinary center of the universe, with  25000 restaurants to choose from and and your friends have left  it up to you to find somewhere to eat dinner but where ?  Some trendy overpriced  touristy spot with a “prohibition style theme?” No my friends  because you know from reading  this column that translated it means 3 ounce drinks in very tiny glasses at $19 a pop.Trattoria  this, Trattoria that, This Grill , That Grill , It is all so confusing. Why didn’t you remember to bring  that outdated Zagat's guide stuck to the bottom of the wire magazine rack in