Castello Monsanto
Of all the Tuscan vineyards we visited in Chianti, Monsanto was my absolute favorite. The winery is located in a lovely part of Tuscany. The hills are green and rolling, the roads small and winding, and the views…spectacular.
I don’t know if it was the wine, which was delicious, the people, who were wonderful and welcoming, or the story of how we finally made it to the winery that made us love it so much. I’ll tell you the story and you can decide.
We set out from Lucca in the morning. We picked up our SmartCar from the rental office.
Map in hand, sun shining brightly, we set out to find Castello Monsanto and show up for an impromptu visit, as we didn’t have an appointment. Up and down, round the twisted turning curves, the car handled like a dream. The lush green hills are dripping with rows and rows of grapevines.
As we get closer and closer, I can taste the wine as my excitement grows.
You see, I am a wine-lover (not a wine snob) and I love me some Italian reds.
Me and Chianti, we go way back. We have a good repor.
So, the thought of savoring the homegrown fruits of the Tuscan ground I’ll be walking upon… well, it doesn’t get any better than that.
We get closer and closer. According to the map, it’s right around the corner. No sign, still no sign. It soon becomes obvious that we must have passed it. OK… we’ll just go back the other way.
“Keep your eyes peeled”, I remind Chris.
So, we backtrack, slowly. Nope, still no sign, we must have passed it again? We turn around again.
For goodness sake… where the heck is this place? It is a popular spot, don’t you think they would have a sign out?
Now we are creeping along so slowly, we could have pushed the car faster! We are both staring out our respective windows for the next two miles… still nothing.
Now it is getting late and we are growing impatient and frustrated!
“Let’s stop and ask”, I say. Hah. This is the middle of nowhere. There are really no people around, no houses on the road, just the occassional cow.
So we find a dirt road nearby with two houses and as luck would have it, there was a young woman with kids playing in the yard. Up until now, we have been in larger Italian cities, where some English was spoken. I guess that’s what I was expecting, but boy was I in for a rude awakening.
I got out of the car and approached the women. As soon as words were spoken, we quickly knew this would be no easy feat.
There we stood, two women, many similarities, yet such obvious differences. For the next four minutes, we took turns attempting to communicate, when neither of us spoke any of the other’s language.
We struggled, we laughed, we ended up using hand signals and maps. I made a drinking gesture, raising my hand in a cup shape to my lips, gave a tipsy face, and that was the magic that worked!
She walked over to a small locked wooden gate on the back of her property, opened it and motioned for us to drive in that way. It is obvious to us that we were not driving in the main entrance. We passed an old Italian farmer with a pitchfork, and suddenly I am having visions of him charging the car with the pitchfork, yelling in Italian that we are trespassing.
At that moment, the desire for wine was not high in my list, staying alive and out of jail was suddenly the priority.
The old man approached the car… oh @#$!!*#… this is not good.
Then he smiled and suddenly I can taste the wine again. He wonders what we are doing. We try to communicate ‘wine tasting’ and he points and walks us over to a parking area. We exit the car, and immediately I am in awe.
This is what we see…. Il Castello…
We wander the grounds taking in the typical Tuscan landscape and suddenly a stunningly beautiful women appears and comes walking toward us. She smiles and in her wonderful Italian accent, greets us in English (gee, how did she know?).
We explain how it came to be that we drove illegally through her fields. She laughs and tells us she is sorry we had to go through that, she was thinking maybe we had an appointment and she messed up her schedule.
Rita immediately takes us to the cellar for our own private wine tasting. She was a charming woman, funny and spoke wonderful English. She told us she lives in Florence.
We tasted a Chianti, Chianti Classico and Chardonnay. We bought the Classico, a Chardonnay and the Chianti Classico Riserva to bring back. The Riserva was amazing, and the label gracing the bottle has a wonderful picture of the Castello and the property.
Hours later we drove out the main gate we missed on the main road, waiving “Ciao, Monsanto, you were worth the trouble!”
As we looked back, we now understood why we had driven by so many times. Not a sign – not even an ‘M’ on the gates to call your attention to a Tuscan winery. Ya gotta love Italy.
I still buy their Riserva in my local wine store, albiet at a much higher price. It serves as a wonderful memory of our adventerous visit to the Castello di Monsanto.
Are you a wine-lover traveling to Tuscany? I can arrange custom wine tours, wine tastings and vineyard visits. Click here to find out more or feel free to get in touch!
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‘Flea’ Market has a new meaning.
So now you know I love to collect. Old things. Vintage things. Things from flea markets. What better items to collect from flea markets than… dogs! Vintage dog prints and figurines are very popular items at antique shops and flea markets! Not all dogs. I am a true small dog lover. My favorites are terriers, pugs and frenchies. Here are some of my collection that I share my home with… Mr. Boston guards the door…
Rusty hears a noise……
These terriers wish me a good day from the foyer when I leave for work….the one on the left gave me a big smooch today! (you can tell from the red lipstick… pucker up)
Mr. French shows off his favorite spot to stop on a walk… the Arc du Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees of course!
a triple threat… three terrors, oops I mean terriers playing on the windows ill
In this pencil sketch, Mr. Westie with one eye open… never misses a trick!
And finally, Ms. Madison the Westie, the smartest, loudest and most adorable leader of the pack, my inspiration… don’t you just want to kiss her pretty face!
Hibachi Heaven
It is a tradition in our family, that when it is your Birthday, you get to pick the place that we go out for dinner! This year, my sister decided on a new Japanese Restaurant in Rhinebeck. It is called Sakura, which means ‘cherry blossom’ in Japanese. Cherry blossoms are cherished for their beauty and short life, just watch a scene from ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ to see just how beautiful they can be. What a wonderful name for a restaurant!
When you first walk in the decor is the first thing you notice. Lovely Japanese framed woodblock pictures, dark woods and the tables are actually a ‘U’ shaped barwith each hibachi grill in the center. The 6 of us thought that Hibachi would be fun!
A lovely woodblock print fabric serves asa beautiful ‘door’ to the kitchen.
Even the wooden menu with carved handwriting is stylish
The menu is extensive and about half the menu is Sushi, which would also be fun to watch, but the best value is definitely hibachi dinners. All dinners included a small green salad, miso soup, fried rice, shrimp appetizer and your main entrée. Entrée choices range from chicken, steak, salmon, shrimp or any combination. Filet mignon and lobster are also available. Complete dinner prices range from $16-$30. The other great thing about Hibachi is that everyone’s dinner is cooked right in front of you, so that you know what is in it… and everyone is served at the same time. For drinks, you can get beer, wine, tea or sake… both hot and cold. Sis had plum wine(which I was soon sorry I did not get as it was really sweet, thick and delicious!), Sis’s beau and Chris had hot sake (wow!) The rest of us had tea.
The salad came out first. It was a small portion, just enough and the dressing had a wonderful ginger sesame oil dressing. Next came the miso soup. I loved the little bowls and soup spoons.
Sis’s beau gave us a little lesson on the reason for the bowl design. It has something to do with heat transference. If you hold the bowl by the bottom rim, your hands don’t get hot!
Next, our very talented Hibachi Chef wheeled out his cart full of tools and got cooking! He twirled his knife and spatula like batons… in and out of each finger and around his back… at this pointI was praying that none of us was going to lose an eye or that we didn’t wind up eating a finger in our food!
Then he flipped and played with the egg, cracked it and made our fried rice. This was hands down, the best fried rice I had ever eaten!
He tossed around some shrimp, squirted on plenty of sauce…and there was our shrimp appetizer.
He confirmed our orders, placed heaping portions of fresh steak, chicken, salmon and scallops… and our main entrées were underway. A plate of fresh veggies with carrots, mushrooms, zucchini and broccoli was also heaped on the grill.
He stacked an onion, lit it on fire… voila! a volcano!
Some sauces, some dicing, slicing and some more trixing and mixing and before you know it everyone had their entrée, complete with individual bowls of a wasabi sauce and a ginger based dipping sauce.
It can take up to 3 years of training to be a hibachi chef. Ours was pretty new and he did an excellent job! This is only my second experience with hibachi and I would say that it was just as good as the first, but in a much more intimate setting compared to the other restaurant. Go to Sakura not only for the food, but for the experience!
Cold Sesame Noodles
I am a busy girl. I work full-time, have a side business, blog when I can, have a dog and not to mention have 5 lbs of junk mail to sift through every day! That leaves me limited time for other things. I love to cook, but I really don’t have time to cook large gourmet meals, unless it’s on the weekend. So, I love to hunt for flavorful recipes, with simple ingredients that can be thrown together quickly for dinner during the week. This is one of my favorites. I love ordering this when I go out for Chinese food! It can be served hot or cold and makes excellent leftovers! I use whole wheat pasta for the health benefits. But the best part… it has peanut butter in it! Who doesn’t love peanut butter! Here is the recipe..
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, linguine, vermacelli)
1/4 cupdark soy sauce
1/4 rounded cup smooth peanut butter, thinned out with some hot water
2 tablespoons cider or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons hot sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 scallions, chopped on an angle
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Cook pasta to al dente, with a bite to it, then cold shock it to stop the cooking process by running it under cold water in colander. Drain the pasta very well.
In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce and red pepper. Add noodles, toss to combine the noodles and coat them evenly with sauce. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds throughout the salad and serve with chopsticks for an ‘authentic’ feel!
** The best part about recipes like this is that you can vary the ingredients to make it your own. Try adding a small amount of grated ginger ora small clove of crushed garlic to the sauce. You can also add some shredded cucumber or julienned red pepper as well.
Pinot Noir from Chile
Here is another recommendation of a slightly different Pinot Noir. Most good Pinots are from France, or California… how can we forget the movie Sideways! This is from an area of Chile, called the Casablanca Valley. The wine has a bit more spice and different fruit flavor than the other Pinot Noirs that I have had. It has blackberry and blueberry fruit flavors and maybe a hint of smokiness. Less juicy, but still really smooth! Good quality Pinots from Chile tend to be less expensive and a very good value than other areas. This 2005 D. Bosler Pinot Noir was a bargain at $9.99.
Flea Market Fanatic
Spring is coming! Many people look forward to Spring for many different reasons. Sure, the weather is nice, the flowers start to bloom and there is the whole Spring Cleaning thing… but I look forward to it because Spring is the beginning of Flea Market Season! I must tell you, reading some of my favorite antique blogs can get quite depressing in the winter, especially if they live in warmer climates and can visit flea markets year round! I get so jealous! But I suppose I can live vicariously through them in the winter, just looking at their pictures. Corey and Tara are two of my favorite fellow flea market bloggers! Over the years I have furnished many a room by going to flea markets. I love the notion that everything I have will have been owned by someone else. It is fun wondering about the journey of the piece. It speaks to me differently than a new item does. Who made it? Who owned it? What did they use it for? Why did they like it? I have a penchant for certain things, but I don’t overlook something that I like, Even if I can’t think of a place for it at the time. I have learned that if I love it, I should buy it. But if I don’t, than I leave it! So what do I collect? Too many things to possibly list in one post… but here is a little peak…
Flower print china
Paris prints
Books
Linens
and sometimes it is just in the details…
There is so much more that I love! I will show you more and more. Most of all I look forward to all of the new things I will be collecting this flea market season! What are your favorite things to collect? Where are your favorite places to unearth treasures?
Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever)
I am half Irish… I’d like to think it is the best half. My Irish grandmother used to make the best Corned Beef and Cabbage, with boiled potatoes and Irish Soda Bread. Only once a year, which made it extra special. Since she passed away almost 10 years ago, we have now convinced my mom that she now has to do it… in honor of my grandmother! So today, we will will going up to my mom’s to celebrate and have a traditional Irish St. Patty’s Day dinner, complete with Guinness, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream for dessert… (hey it’s green)
Every St. Patty’s Day, I am usually greeted at some ungodly hour, with a phone call from my mom, "Top ‘o the mornin’ to ya me gal!", in her worst attempt at an Irish accent, is what I hear on the other end of the phone. Imagine my surprise when the call did not come today! At Noon, the phone rang, it was her. "What happened?", I asked. "I just walked in from snowblowing the foot of snow that was in the driveway so that you could come up to have dinner !!! " Yep, we got a foot of snow in our area yesterday! The famous NYC parade will still go on. Lots and lots of trucks on the news last night… clearing out 5th avenue… after all… The Show Must Go On!!!!!
We turned on the TV and watched the parade on NBC. The sun was shining, not a hint of snow on the road, bagpipes playing, drums thumping, kilts blowing in the breeze and best of all.. a commentator with an Irish brogue!!! I wish I was there… Wishing you all a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!! Today I leave you with a wonderful Irish Blessing, dedicated to my ‘Nanny’, Rose Anne Byrnes Donley…
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Busy Bee Cafe
Unfortunately, we could not get the whole group together in February. Hopefully, March will be a better month. Instead, two of us were able to go out one evening last week. We chose the Busy Bee Cafe, which is literally within walking distance of my house. This makes for a wonderful spot for a night out… if I plan to drink an entire bottle of wine, I know I can always just stumble home! This makes it a top spot on my list! The cafe is on the first floor of an old house. The lighting is very dim and makes a perfectly romantic setting. There are a handful of tables, maybe 10. The night we dined, there were several large groups there, which made the noise level a bit much at times, but still tolerable. I had originally known that they had a 3 course prix-fixe menu for $25 during the week, but we later found that this had been phased out. The wine list and menu are hand written, a nice touch. The list for both red and white were extensive. Many by the glass and bottle selections. We decided to split a bottle of Prosecco. A plate of freshly grilled bread with a garlic infused olive oil drizzled on top was brought to the table.
The 8 menu course selections ranged from $19-$30 and consisted of salmon, tuna, swordfish, duck, chicken and steak. For our appetizer we selection to share a coated and fried spicy shrimp with a ginger sauce,which was perfectly cooked and just spicy enough for me ($9). Our wonderful server suggested that we add an additional shrimp, which we took her up on, for an additional $3. She also spent a good amount of time helping us decide on our meals. I was leaning toward a chicken dish which came with polenta, which is not a favorite of mine. She suggested a substitution of mashed potatoes as a side, which I gladly took her up on.
The chicken breast, which we both ordered, was absolutely mouth-watering. The tender chicken arrived on a large bed of mashed potatoes, floating in a pool of a delicious ragu and topped with crisp strips of proscuitto and green beans. Though it was a large portion, I couldn’t resist, and I polished it all off!
The dessert menu offered about 8 desserts from $6-$8, and even though we were stuffed, we had to indulge. We shared an apple tart tatin and a banana’s foster. The banana’s foster was piping hot, sweet and delicious topped with vanilla ice cream and it was our favorite. The tart tatin was served with gobs of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. It was good, but it did not have the WOW factor that the banana’s did. With my dessert I sipped one of the most rich and creamy cappuccino’s I have had in quite sometime.
The total bill including tax and tip, was $105. It was definately worth the splurge! This is a charming little place, which is open for both lunch and dinner and it is Zagat rated at F:26/D:13/S:20. I would certainly make this a regular spot for lunch and for a special occassion or romantic dinner. For those of you who can’t walk, parking can be bit of a challenge, so get there early! Stay tuned for our dinner this month!
A bit of nostalgia
As a child, I remember that my father’s favorite dessert was Rice Pudding. My Mom has a family recipe that included baking it in the oven. The heavenly smell of cinnamon would fill the air. When it was time to serve it, we dished it out in big bowls and poured extra milk on top to make it extra smooth and creamy!!! Her recipe used raisins and white rice. I use Arborio rice to make it a bit Italian and much creamier.This is such an easy version. It was adapted from Dave Leiberman from the Food Network.
1 cup water Pinch salt
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup raisins (plumped in bioling water)
2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Few dashes ground cinnamon
Freshly ground pinch of nutmeg
Bring water, salt, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, return to a boil, and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Shake the pan occasionally and cook until rice has absorbed the water but it still al dente, about 15 minutes.
Bring milk, sugar, vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg to a simmer in a separate saucepan. Add the cooked rice and raisins and cook at a simmer over medium-low heat until rice absorbs most of the milk and mixture starts to get thick and silky, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer pudding to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator until cool and set. Serve with whipped cream and a dash more cinnamon. I hope this becomes one of your family favorites!
Gelato vs. Ice Cream
Last time I left you with time to contemplate the age old question. Ok, well maybe not the most important age old question. We are not debating war and peace for goodness sake! But to some, this is war. The war between Gelato and Ice Cream. Recently, there was a debate on one of the travel forums that I frequent about Berthillon ice cream vs. Amorino Gelato. Both of these are located in Paris and many posters are passionate about one over the other. It is funny, most people either prefer one over the other. No one likes them equally. My vote is for gelato! Now it is time for you to weigh in! Cast your vote now…
