Lately I've been on a French wine kick. I've had Pinot Gris from Alsace, Burgundy from the Cotes de Beaune, and plain old table wine from areas like Languedoc. They have all been pretty tasty, but one in particular deserves a little highlight.
Chateau Greysac, which you can get just about anywhere for around $20, was one of the best wines that I've had in quite a while. From the Medoc region in Bordeaux, this Cru Bourgeois wine is a blend of the classic grapes that are allowed to grow in Bordeaux; Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The Greysac from 2004 has a large amount of Merlot to it, typical of left bank winery offerings. Left Bank and Right Bank refer to which side of the Gironde Estuary the winery is located within the Bordeaux area. Left Bank is usually Merlot based wines with the other varietals added for flavor and nuance. Right Bank wines are usually heavier on Cabernet Sauvignon. Depending on your wine preferences, it would be in your interest to find out which side your Bordeaux is from. (They won't tell you on the label. The French think you should just know that information.)
Back to Chateau Greysac! My wife had made a lasagna and salad for dinner and I had the desire to complete the Italian theme and go for an Amarone that I remember buying. Unfortunately, I had already drunk that one. I unracked the Greysac and figured France was close enough to Italy. I peeled the foil off the top and handily uncorked the wine. As is my usual custom, I quickly smelled the pent up esters that arose from the bottle. This wine actually smelled smooth. I thought that was a very good sign and poured two glasses. I let the wine aromas fill the glass. I put the glass to my lips and closed my eyes breathing in the fragrances of plums and currants. I took a sip and let it sit on my tongue. The smell of it was only a small hint of what the taste was like. Plums and currants, licorice and smoky oak. I grabbed a plate of dinner and had a wonderful time with it. The wine would have been perfect with a medium-rare steak or some lamb chops. As it was, though, the spicy tomatoes, cheese and sausage enhanced the soft tannins of this wine. I wouldn't hesitate to pair this wine with Italian cuisine again, but I think I'm going to need some roast beast next time.
See more reviews at www.talkingsimian.com
I was shuffling through my YouTube account one afternoon and saw that I had a message from a guy that wanted me to check out his video. No matter what, I always check out what people send me. Who doesn't like to find new music? I was especially glad I did that day because it was Josh Doyle. I looked at that video and found a couple of his others including a cool rendition of an old Cat Stevens song. I became a fan of his without really knowing he had been in the music biz for a while with a different band and a different look.
Josh was the front man for the British pop band Dum Dums. I did a little research and they supported a lot of acts that toured the U.K. like Robbie Williams, The Flaming Lips at a festival, and Bon Jovi at Wimbledon. After Dum Dums called it quits, Josh and his wife moved to the U.S., Nashville to be specific. He's been working his ass off since he got here. He has released five independently released albums and recently won the Guitar Center's Singer/Songwriter competition. After winning that, he has been catapulted into the limelight and deservedly so.
One of the perks of being the top dog in the contest was recording an album. The result is titled "Solarstorms". I've had the chance to hear a few tracks off of it and couldn't have been happier with what was streaming into my ears. Some of the highlights I've heard so far are 'Bird of Prey', the title track 'Solarstorms', and, my favorite so far, 'I Figured The World Out'. Josh is the epitome of the label Singer/Songwriter. His lyrics are thoughtful and impressive and the music is rich and perfectly fitted to the words. I feel that Josh is on the upswing of a great career (second phase of his career) and we are watching from the ground floor. If you like artists like The Band, Cat Stevens, Paul Weller, Warren Zevon and Elvis Costello, you will love Josh Doyle. He's going places and I'm glad I'm along for the ride.
Here is Josh's website. Go find him! http://joshdoyle.com/
This is Josh singing I Figured The World Out on Jimmy Kimmel Live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lUjhY8Fg1E
You can pick up the title track on iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/solarstorms-single/id553601590
I've been a fan of creepy movies for a long time. I lean more toward psychological terror than blood and guts terror even though there have been some classic gore films that are on my top 100 list. One film that I saw recently fits the psychological genre; The Woman In Black. Since I don't have television, I rely on previews before other movies to find out what I need to see next. The trailer I saw looked pretty good and a little creepy, so I was in. What I got was really creepy and, at times, actually scary. It stars Daniel Radcliff (Harry Potter, Equus) as the main character, Arthur Kipps. He's a lawyer that goes to a small town to do the paperwork for a woman's estate. What he got was a seriously pissed off ghost that kills for revenge.
The first 15 minutes, I was being my typical dorky self and quoting Harry Potter, but the story slowly wrapped me up and I completely forgot that little Danny was my favorite rambunctious wizard. The cinematography was grim and gray and the acting from the whole cast matched the scenery perfectly. The Woman in Black definitely had a high creep factor to it. Any movie involving dead kids has that effect on me. Add to that the lurking ghost and you've got a winning combination.
For those of us that live in and around Grove, you know that
you could try all the restaurants in town within a couple of weeks and
still want more. We need more places to relax and have something really good to
eat without having to pawn the lawnmower to do it. A pleasant surprise awaited
me this 4th of July and its name was Chickanellas. The creative endeavor
by Debbie Douglas is a food lover's dream, especially if you
dream of light, flavorful and utterly delicious cuisine.
We stopped in for lunch at the former Corey Hotel built in 1909. Essentially it
is a big house with dining in the back room and out on the shaded patio. Update on their new address at the end of this story. On the
way to the dining room, there is an entryway where their display of freshly
made sweeties are taunting you. Cupcakes, cookies, fudge and truffles were a
few of the things I saw before my eyes glazed over with dreams of slipping into
a sugary siesta. I came to and sat down to an amazing lunch. The menu at
Chickanellas is small and simple which, to anyone who knows menus, means that
they do a few things and do them very well. I ordered a California wrap and
Flora and Audry both ordered the Cuban wrap. As is Flora and my usual practice,
we each ate half and traded plates. I almost didn't want to trade because the
chicken, veggie and avocado wrapped in a jalapeno cheddar tortilla
was still calling to me. But I wanted to experience as much as I could on my
first visit to a new place. The Cuban wrap was the tubular version of the
classic sandwich which is ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese, mayo and mustard
inside a special garlic tortilla. To accent the main dishes, they offer veggie
straws instead of chips, which I love. If you haven't tried them, you're
missing out. They complimented the light wraps perfectly. If that wasn't
enough, Vicki brought us a sample of their soup of the day, roasted corn
chowder. Debbie had grilled corn and peppers that morning to make the delicious
soup. I'm pretty sure it was the best corn chowder I've ever had. And I've had
quite a few. On the way out, my daughter Audry ordered a tropical fruit
smoothie. She was kind enough to let me try it. If I hadn't been stuffed with
other tastiness, I would have ordered one for myself.
Debbie and Vicki definitely have a good thing going on and, more importantly,
it's a good thing going on here in Grove, America. They were both super nice
and glad we were there. As it is, I'm glad that they are there. I'm planning
many happy returns.
P.S. They love it when you order ahead and come pick it up. You'll be glad you
took a Chickanellas lunch back to the office. Everyone will be envious. Also,
you can see what the daily specials are on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chickanellas/381816085209832
Chickanellas
9a.m. to 5p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday
Update on Chickanellas
Debbie has moved to a new bigger location on Highway 59 and they couldn't be happier
with the move. I hope for continued success for them!
New Address
5550 Hwy 59 North in Grove, OK
918-787-5275
Last year I blindly bought a few CD's. To be accurate, I bought 25 CD's that I had no idea of how good or bad they were. I was attempting a run at having a CD section in the shop, but that soon fell through because everyone wanted Slayer and ICP. I like Slayer's Reign In Blood as much as the next guy, but people weren't ready to venture out into unfamiliar musical territory. I played the discs in the store and sold a few, but I eventually took out the CD section and back stocked them for another day. One of the albums that really stood out was One Day As A Lion's eponymous EP.
One Day As A Lion is a collaboration between Zach de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine and Jon Theodore who used to play drums for The Mars Volta. Zach took on vocals and keyboards while Jon did all the drum work. The five song album is a tight mix of hard edge rock, smooth funk, and biting lyrics. It has the feel of a Rage album with a more straightforward approach to the instrumentation. I put this CD in the player and put it on repeat, which is how I listen to most albums. I'll let it play through a few times so I can really get into the groove of the album. After a couple of listens, I take it out and put in another one. However, the day I listened to One Day As A Lion, I left it in the whole day...and it only has five songs!
If you like Rage Against the Machine, this album is a no brainer. Grab a copy and slip into the funk. I also read that these two guys are putting a band together to release a full album. If it's anything like this EP, it will smoke your ears off.
Follow them on the ol' Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/onedayasalionmusic
Let me start by saying I don't like Tommy Lee Jones on a personal level. When I sold wine in the Hill Country of Texas, my route included the town where he has a huge ranch. I saw him on multiple occasions and waved or said Hi and he just sneered at me, bought his beer and left. That being said, I still wanted to go see Men In Black 3.
From the moment I heard Josh Brolin was going to play the younger "K", I thought it would be an interesting twist on the franchise films. Aliens, time travel, and Emma Thompson seems like a winner to me. I wasn't disappointed. Emma takes over MIB as agent "O" and does a great job of making the transition as Zed's replacement. With a great supporting cast and a lot of jokes that are there for the benefit of the people who are paying attention, MIB3 was another hilarious installment. Unfortunately, I can't say too many things about the film without giving away important story lines. I'm not going to ruin it for those that hate spoilers. What I can tell you is Josh Brolin's imitation of Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic. Also, watching Will Smith navigate through 1969 when the Mets won it all and Andy Warhol ruled New York was outstanding.
If you liked either of the other two films, you will absolutely like this one as well. So catch some corn, grab a big beverage and enjoy the heck out of this movie. Even if you're like me and have issues with one of the cast members.
I'm always up for food that doesn't come in a paper wrapper. So when Father's Day came around this past Sunday, I decided I wanted some Thai food. Since I live in a town where ethnic food is limited to chorizo y huevos at the Mexican place next to my shop, I had to go out of town. Joplin, MO isn't too far away and they have a couple of Thai places, so we asked my parents if they wanted to join us for lunch. We pulled into the parking lot of Kinnaree Thai Cuisine which is on 32nd street in a strip center. It's unassuming and simple sign meant we almost missed it the first time we ate here, but we knew what we were after this time. Entering the restaurant, I'm still pleasantly surprised by the size of the dining room. It seats about 40 hungry foodies, which is big enough so that you can usually get a table and small enough that you're not overwhelmed by noise while you eat.
The owner came around to take drink orders and I chimed in that we wanted an order of spring rolls. One order is five rolls with duck sauce, so we each got to have one. I only ordered one because I knew that the entrees were going to be more than enough to satiate everyone. Kinnaree's delicious soup that comes with every meal is cracked rice in chicken stock with a few vegetables and spices. One could easily make a meal of the soup and some crispy spring rolls, but I'm here for more. I ordered the Goy See Mee with chicken. It's a dish with a lot of different vegetables, chicken and a thin brown sauce over egg noodles. Although I really like spicy Thai food, I opted for this one since I hadn't had it yet. It was delightful, and I don't usually use the word delightful. It was fresh, light and flavorful, just what I needed that day. My wife is a sucker for Pad Thai, so that's what she ordered. Of course, I had to sample hers. Each time we eat at Kinnaree, we try to explore what they have to offer. We've decided that we're eventually going to try everything on the menu. Like that's a real effort since everything we've had so far has been fantastic! Great meal at a decent price. Happy Father's Day to me.
Thai food you can order in your underwear! But you have to put pants on to pick it up.
http://www.kinnareethaijoplin.com/
