Foodie Lifestyle by Imtiaz Patel

I am a huge fan of Spanish Priorats and Chateanuef Du Pape’s. The challenge is that they get to be pricey. And while I have a relatively large collection of both, drinking them as everyday wines is a little indulgent, but life’s too short to be drinking bad wine (and the calories aren’t worth it). There are just so many different wines out there and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface (though I may scratch a little more than the average person when it comes to wine). As a result, I’m always on the look-out for wines I have never tried before, particularly less popular wines in the hope that I can discover something new, great and affordable. Roussillon may be the new answer.

Think of Roussillon as a cross between Priorat and Chateaneuf Du Pape. The same grape varietals are used – Grenache, Carignan, Syrah and Mourvedre. The Roussillon region is actually in France, in the Languedoc area though the locals call themselves Catalans due to their history where the region passed between Spain and France a number of times.

I first heard about the wine a couple of weeks ago in The Wall Street Journal. The Journal has been the source of a number of new wines discoveries in the past year. As soon as I read the article, I knew I had to try it. I immediately went online to check my favorite wine store – The Wine Library in Springfield, NJ. They had a few different ones in stock. I ended up there a few days ago and picked up 2 different ones. They only had 3 in stock which took a little work to find, but I did with some help. The great news is that the wines were $12, $14 and $22. All very reasonably priced compared to a either a Priorat or CDP.

The question is whether it’s worth it. The answer is an absolute YES! The wine is real nice, approachable. Earthily characteristic of a French wine, a distinct Carignan flavor reminiscient of a Priorat, though not as full bodied. The wine has liqourice, black currant overtones. Yummy!. Defnitely a wine I am going to make a regular addition to my wine repertoire.

Posted in: Priorat, Red Wine, Wine by Imtiaz Patel
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Village Whiskey is one of Jose Garces’s Phildelphia restaurants. The Jose Garces who is an Iron Chef. He also owns Amada and Tinto and more recently Garces Trading Company. I’ve been to Tinto, a tapas place which I love. I so love tapas, it really is the way to explore food but that’s another blog. This one’s about Village Whiskey which is actually more a bar with it’s 100 odd varieties of whiskey but being a Jose Garces joint, it’s also known for it’s food, especially the burgers!

I recently went for lunch on a work day so I focused on the food, not the drinking. I’ve wanted to go try the burger ever since I saw a feature on the restaurant on The Food Network, or was it The Cooking Channel? Before I get to the burger, let’s talk about the “restaurant” itself. I really like the look of the place, kind of like an old, worn bar. It’s a pretty narrow place with some booths and a bunch of stools along a long bar. It’s like a long standing, small neighborhood bar. Very cool.

The clientele is an interesting mix of guys in suits (like me), trendier and younger people in their 20s, blue collar workers and attractive model types. It makes for a nice mix and great people watching.

There were 3 things I wanted to try – the pickled tomatoes, the duck fat fries and the whiskey burger. The picked tomatoes come in a cool jar along with whipped ricotta cheese and slices of baguette. The way to eat them is to spread the ricotta on the bread and then add the tomato. This is so simple and so good. They taste so fresh, slightly tart from the acid in the pickling liquid along with the different spices. I’ve made these at home. Very simple and a real crowd pleaser at parties.

The duck fat fries are perfectly fried. They have the right thickness, the right crunch and so damn good. One word describes them – yummy! That is high praise since I am so finicky about my fries. I’ve eaten plenty in my time, so I do know my fries.

Onto the main event – the burger. I decided to indulge in the whiskey burger that comes with foie gras. Normally I’m not a huge fan of foie gras on burgers since I think it’s over indulgent and unnecessary but I’d heard so much about it that I had to try it. It also included caramelized onions. The burger arrived and it look wonderful and then I took a bite. My first thought was yummy, I so wanted to like this burger and then I actually started processing what I was tasting. The burger was a little dry, a little bland and the onions were way too sweet. And the foie gras, over indulgent and unncessary. This was becoming disappointing. A few more bites later and I knew that this truly was disappointing. It’s all the more disappointing when you’ve just expended all those calories and saturated fat on something that wasn’t worth it. Damn!

Overall I would say that everything else about Village Whiskey was great, but the burger was disappointing. Perhaps I should have gone with the basic burger. Oh well!

Posted in: Philadelphia Restaurants, Restaurants by Imtiaz Patel
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Metro North in Princeton NJ occupies the space that was previously occupied by JL Ivey, a restaurant that had a confused identify and food to match – confused and lousy. It really wasn’t surprising that they went out of business pretty quickly. The good news is that Metro North does actually have an identity, the question really is whether the food is any better then it’s predecessor.

As a restaurant space, Metro North is quite nice. I really did like the restaurant and bar area, especially the bar area. They’ve created a comfortable, inviting bar area with it’s flat screen TV and sofas. The bar scene is vibrant and has an energy about it. Not surprisingly it was completely packed. The dining area was packed too which was surprising since it was pretty easy to get a same day reservation for 6 people on a saturday night. The restaurant is quite noisy, but it seems to work for them.

Service was willing but a little haphazard and slow. It seemed like they were short staffed. Getting our drinks, paying the bill all took way too long. Talking about drinks, I wanted to get a glass of wine but the list was short and not inspiring. Actually, I couldn’t fine a single wine I wanted so I ended up ordering a beer which is always my reluctant fallback position. I should have known what kind of wine list they would have as soon as I saw that Blue Moon was a “bar special”. Seriously? Blue Moon!

Onto the food. We decided to share calamari, polenta fries and chicken wings with a chili lime bbq. The calamari was tasty but seemed like they had been cooked earlier, the polenta fries are better forgotten and the wings were pretty good though a tad on the sweet side. For the main course I wanted the short rib special but 10 minutes after placing the order the waitress returned to tell me they were out of it. It was only 8.30. How could they be out of it already? And I couldn’t see any of the tables eating it. Come on, if you are going to have it as a special, how about ordering a couple of extra? I ended up with the pork chop. They had 2 types, 1 seemed overly fussy so I went for the grilled version, substituting my veggies with broccoli rabe for an extra charge. The pork chop was underseasoned and just didn’t taste great even after adding salt and pepper. When compared to the versions I’ve had at One 53 and Eno Terra, this was a poor facsimile. Others at the table ordered italian sausage bolognese, 2 other pastas and a burger. The burger was ok, the pasta with shrimp was bland and the pasta with porcini seemed completely drenched in sauce.

Overall, the food was nothing to rave about, though prices are quite moderate. The restaurant is reminiscent of strip mall pasta & pizza joint that is trying to go upscale. The restaurant space is great but unfortunately the food, wine and service do not deliver, blending in with the bulk of mediocre Princeton restaurants. I won’t be back.

Posted in: American, NJ Restaurants, Restaurants by Imtiaz Patel
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I was recently in Philadelphia and went to 10 Arts by Eric Ripert for dinner. I’ve wanted to eat here for some time for two reasons. First, I’ve eaten at Le Bernardin which is absolutely fabulous and second I’m a fan of Jen Carroll, the chef at 10 Arts after her 2 stints on Top Chef. The 2nd of which was truly memorable – I wouldn’t mess with her!

10 Arts is located in the Ritz Carlton hotel. Essentially it’s a hotel restaurant, though a very nice one. I ordered the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings. At $90 it’s great value and a far cry from the prices at Le Bernardin. The tasting menu changes daily based on what the chef likes that day. Substitutions are strongly discouraged, though they were willing to accommodate me.

The menu leans towards seafood as would be expected from a Eric Ripert restaurant. The food itself is well prepared, looks great and tastes pretty good but not as good as I was expecting. Perhaps my expectations were too high based on the Eric Ripert connection and Jen Carroll’s performance the first time on Top Chef. The wine pairings were really good, actually the highlight of the meal. I love putting myself in the hands of sommeliers. You end up, atleast I do, trying wines and varietals I’ve never tried before. Truly worth it.

I hear the burger at 10 Arts is really good so I will return to try that.

Overall, the food is good, not memorable. Service is very good and prices are decent. If I was staying at the Ritz or nearby I wouldn’t mind eating there but wouldn’t go out of my way to eat at 10 Arts again.

Posted in: Philadelphia Restaurants by Imtiaz Patel
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I recently hosted a tapas themed party at my home for about 8 people from work. I like the whole tapas thing, trying a bunch of different things and grazing over the course of a few hours over mojitos, wine and fun conversations. Whenever I think of tapas, it’s a requirement that it includes patatas bravas. Gotta have the patatas!

I had never made patatas bravas before and asked Leen for her recipe which was pretty good. Apparently she couldn’t find it or remember it – seriously? After surfing around the net, I came across a recipe from Bobby Flay which I modified slightly. I can’t help myself but modify recipes even if it’s the first time I’m trying them. I enjoyed it so much I made it again the next day.

Ingredients:
5 large red or yellow potatoes, scrubbed
Pancetta (as much as you want)
Salt
2 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup prepared mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons pureed chipotle in adobo
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Recipe:
Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and cook until potatoes are tender, but still firm, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, let cool and cut each potato into cubes.

Brush the tomatoes with the some of the oil and season with salt and pepper. While the potatoes are cooking, place the tomatoes on the grill and grill until charred on all sides and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill when charred.

Place the tomatoes, mayonnaise, garlic, paprika and chipotle in a food processor and process until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

Heat a few spoons of olive oil in a pan and lightly fry the potatoes until lightly browned and slightly crunchy. While the potatoes are in the pan, add the sliced pancetta and cook with the potatoes. Carefully transfer the potatoes to a platter and garnish with the parsley. Serve the aioli drizzled over the potatoes or on the side.

The pancetta is my addition. Next time I’m thinking of trying greek yogurt instead of the mayo, making it a little healthier.

Posted in: Appetizers, Food, Recipe by Imtiaz Patel
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