Stir Food Group’s Director of Wine and Spirits, Elli Benchimol
Holy Cows! It’s hot!,… this is like Florida hot…  Now I understand what they meant by “Hot August Nights…”  Coming from San Francisco, (August being the coldest month of the year), I never realized how lucky I was, while the rest of the country was suffering with muggy, sticky, stagnant weather.
I couldn’t imagine drinking a big high alcohol red right now… An icy cool glass of champagne would be amazing though.  There is a reason why Champagne goes with everything.  It’s …

Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
I have only a couple of memories of being on a functioning farm from my childhood and they were sufficient enough for me to realize I never wanted to be a farmer, until today.  I am doing an event “Outstanding in the Field” on September 7 (http://www.outstandinginthefield-reservations.com/?p=156) which will feature an outdoor dinner made of all local products, from a fifty mile area, but most being from the host farm.
So I figured lets go see what I will be working with and took a trip to Ayrshire …

Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
Last week I took a weekend getaway back to my childhood on a trip to the jersey shore, Long Beach Island to be specific. The shore’s fresh seafood was the inspiration for last week’s post about my favorite dish fresh clams with linguine.  That first night was all about that simplest of dishes and it was every bit as good as I remembered the only part I hadn’t remembered was the work of shucking 100 or so little neck clams but I worked through it as I …

Stir Food Group’s Director of Wine and Spirits, Elli Benchimol
Had so much fun doing the cooking class series at Zola Wine as well as matching them with fun wine pairings throughout the different evenings.  Pairing with fresh veggies can be difficult, especially the heavier leafy greens and bitter greens.  But the delicate flavors of summer squashes were complimented with a fresh vibrant rose.  Dry crisp roses have subtle refreshing and light flavors, even with creamy delicate sauces.  Asparagus, is another tough one, just like artichokes that bitter distinctive note …

Stir Food Group’s Director of Wine and Spirits, Elli Benchimol
When it comes to native varietals…the Greekier the grape the better as far as I’m concerned, of course with every grape, or every bottle of wine, there is always the chance you may not care for it, everyone’s palate is different, and everyone enjoys different styles of wine… the key is finding your niche.
As for me, I love to experiment and try new varietals, from Albarino to Zweigelt, bring it on, the Greekier the better.
I have recently had the opportunity …

Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello, posts his first weekly blog bringing new ideas for fresh cooking.
Most people don’t think of the Jersey Shore as the center of haute cuisine, but my days at the beach taught me how to cook fresh and simple.
Some of the best summer days of my youth were spent clamming in the waters off Long Beach, NJ. We’d spend hours in the muddy sand digging up clam after clam. The best places to find these delicacies were tidal flats that were exposed at low tide. Like good …

Classic dry roses, crisp refreshing full of fruit wines that go hand in hand with summer, pair amazingly well with BBQ, fish tacos, and fresh fruit… anything that screams summer.  The surprising part is that rose is not just for summer, some of the most amazing pairings transition into fall, pumpkin ravioli, butternut squash soup, and new England style clam chowder, who would have thought?  So stock up on Rose for summer, and don’t worry if you still have some in your fridge come late September and October, …and send …