Entertaining Clients at Dee Lincoln's in Dallas

January 10th, 2012:       Hosted a business Dinner at Dee Lincolns Restaurant and Bubble Bar.      We had a great dinner and some good wine.    It was a cool place to host some clients.    The hip atmosphere and casual setting made for a unique experience and break from the everyday steakhouse in town.   I was joined by good friends Ted Morrow and Kevin Morgan and work associates Cody Lummus and Brittany Smith.   OUr special Guest of the evening was JP Morgan Market Strategist and Economic Expert, Joe Tanious.  (Joe is quite a wine enthusiast himself by the way) The unique thing about this dine was that each guest was able  to walk around and pick thier own selection from the "by the glass" wall.    We then ordered a "Migration" Anderson Valley Pinot Noir from Duckhorn to start, followed by a sommelier suggested Titus Cab for the meal.   Dee Lincoln was there and made our night perfect.   She is one of the most gracious hostesses in Dallas.   Have your next business function at the Bubble Bar!

Snake River Grille, Jackson, WY: Happy Birthday Erin!

January 19th, 2012: A Jackson Hole favorite, we return again and again to the SRG. This year marks the 4th year in row Meredith and I have celebrated a birthday with our good friend Erin McNeil along with her husband Scott and friend Mellisa Pogue while in JH for our family ski vacation.  

Basically, it's Erins birthday so she gets to choose and this year is was the SRG.    We started with an amazing steak tar tar pizza, sausage stuffed dates and crab claws. All were great, but the pizza is not to be missed!   The elk loin was back on the menu this season and I was stoked.    I always order this when on the menu at SRG.    Everyone tried a bite and I feel certain that each was pretty jealous of my elk ... It is simply amazing.

We had a J Pinot Noir with the appetizers, which matched up perfectly with the pizza.   Good Pinots can get up there, so for the money, this one is a great deal.  I think it was under $50.  For the main performance...    Paul Hobbs, Corssbarn Cabernet;  What an excellent bottle of wine!     Everyone loved the selection and also another reasonable selection that was perfect with the steaks and the elk.   If you have not had a Paul Hobbs wine...   please, for your own good, go have one!  

O' Yeah, O' Brien

We are a member of a small Napa Vineyard, o' Brien Estates. This weekend I opened a bottle of their most recent shipment, a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon they call "Passion of the Heart". O' Brien's marketing strategy is to employ love and passion to describe his wine, names like seduction, flirtation and passion adorn every bottle. It is really pretty fun to see the names and read the poems. I have met the owner on several occasions and this definitely suits his personality. An ex- silicon valley exec turned winemaker, he certainly has a love for wine. The wine is perfectly smooth but still a nice big Cabernet. I always love when his wines arrive. They always have a great Poem on the bottle and a story behind every vintage. If you are looking for a wine club, might I suggest you look this one up. Www.obrienestate.com

Dallas Wine Blog

If you are looking for information about ordering wine in a restaurant in Dallas, finding deals around town, or better yet, planning a trip to the wine country check out my blog.   Please join and feel free to leave comments.   I hope you enjoy!

Lake with great friends and a superb Hall Cabernet Sauvignon

Had friends down to the lake this weekend - Donna and Clint, Libby and Kevin and their respective families.  Had a great steak dinner Friday night to kick off the weekend.  Libby and Kevin brought a 2006 Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.   Our other friends Rob and Michelle are always raving about this wine as well and I have had many of the Hall wines before.  This is a great Napa winery, with tasting rooms in Rutherford and St. Helena.   In fact, the Hall family is from the Dallas area and in addition to being known as great entrepreneurs and winemakers, they also have a love for art and sculpture and display much of it at their wineries which makes them a fun place to visit while in the Napa Valley.   

Needless to say, the wine was great with our steaks.   I think Robert Parker sums it up best:     95 Points "A dense, full-bodied wine with lots of creme de cassis, charcoal, licorice and forest floor, the wine is opulent and already delicious and powerful. It should continue to drink well for at least 12-15+ years." -Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Great food and unique wine selection at The Commissary in One Arts Plaza

It was another hot summer night in Dallas. As Meredith and I rolled up to the valet in One Arts at 8 pm the thermometer still read 103! We were seated at a small table, right in the middle of the crowded seating area. It had A real New York feel. Sommelier was helpful and suggested a Santa Barbara Sauvignon Blanc from Fiddlehead Cellars. Meredith and I both liked it. It was a nice crisp wine with nice citrus and very little grapefruit, which pleases Meredith, with a neutral to slight oak. It was $47 and considering the New Zealand alternatives, if you want a nice summer wine, go for it!

We had some cheeses and popcorn to start. Meredith had the crab burger on a fresh brioche roll and I had the Tandori burger, which was lamb on a pita with tzaziki. All the food was great and the staff and servers were all pleasant and helpful.

High marks for The Commissary.

Had some Pinot Noir and a movie tonight

It seems that all too often california Pinot Noirs disappoint. The 2007 Adestra Pinot Noir from Carneros Napa Valley was From one of the better areas in California for Pinots. It was marginal at first. As I watched the movie and had a bit more it actuallly opened open quite a bit and turned out to be pretty good. If I'm not mistaken it was under $20, so for the money I would have to say it was pretty good. Make sure to have your reds chilled a little, especially this summer.