Wine & Chile Poster Signing and Dinner @ Nostrani

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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Yesterday afternoon we went to the poster signing party for the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta (which starts a week from today). There were a lot of California Chardonnays and Cabernets for tasting, but i managed to find some interesting wines - I started with a white Chateauneuf du Pape, very tasty; followed by a nice Bonardo from Mendoza; then I had a Nippozano Chianti, and finished with a nice Sangioveto di Roma. The foods I tried were a very nice spicy shrimp and a tasty beef quesadilla. After almost an hour of drinking wines and conversing with friends, we headed for Nostrani Ristorante for a good dinner.

We arrived, were seated at our usual table, and ordered sparkling water and a 2006 Dolcetto d’Alba Bricco Bastia from Conterno Fantino. When the Dolcetto was served it was very cold and closed, with swirling and warming, it opened to nice spicy cherry fruit nose and flavors, with good acidity, and a medium long spicy finish. It was very good with my starter of a fritto misto - asparagus, green beans, zucchini and three lovely cheese-stuffed squash blossoms. Carollee had a glass of Sauternes with her rich foie gras with peaches. The Dolcetto was also good with Carollee’s primi of Saffron Tagliarini with grape tomatoes and mine of spaghettini with figs and prosciutto. We then got our next wine, a 1998 Ca’Rome Barbaresco Söri di Sardo - good rich fruit, adequate acidity, and a medium long fruity finish. It was very nice with our secondi of Carollee’s Vitello Tonnato and my Branzino filets rolled around herbs in a brown butter sauce. We then finished with a shared cookie plate and a 375ml of 1997 Fontodi Vin Santo. All was quite nice on a quiet evening at Nostrani, we were in one corner, Tommy Lee Jones and a friend were in another corner (he’s in the middle of a movie being made here), and another couple were in another corner. When we were finished we were the only ones left in the place, so we headed home.

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Movie mania up there! Last year I sat next to Ed Harris and Jeremy Irons chowing down at Tomasita’s while filming Appaloosa.

So bummed I’m missing the SFW&C Fiesta this year…you live in a beautiful area, Dick. Did they get that rail going from Albuquerque yet?

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Yes, the extension to Santa Fe had been running for several months. They’ve even added Sunday service.

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Church and Chiles?

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Sunday’s a drinking day in Santa Fe…




…a BIG drinking day.

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Liquor, Wine & Beer can’t be sold here before noon on Sundays.

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(see Todd’s sig line…)

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[bye.gif]

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We can consume it at home, just can’t buy it.

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I liked the poster signing this year better than year’s past. The CdP blanc was the 1996 La Gardine which was lovely and what I drank all evening. Everything else was pretty average cabs, pinots, italians, etc.
some years you can find a decent rose or pinot, but this year it was slim pickings.

BUT happy to find one wine, the food service was better than normal. I found food people around everywhere, with trays full of food. In year’s past you had to be near where they came out and grab one of the first. This year there seemed to be an abundance of munchies.

The shimp was nice. the tuna tartare outstanding. A duck quesadilla that showed up late was good but not worth trying more than once.

I also like this year’s poster. Thought about buying one, for the first time in 11 years.

A beautiful evening in Santa Fe, great weather and friends.