Perfect Appetizers and Chardonnay in Downtown Portland

(are you enjoying my iphone photos yet?)

I was reading this week's Mercury review of Gilt Club and was reminded of my other favorite appetizer: Ricotta Fritters! According to Patrick Alan Coleman on the topic of our ricotta fritters, "The fine dining answer to fried mozzarella sticks are expertly prepared, and it's difficult to imagine how one gets ricotta to behave this way. The experience is like biting into a perfectly toasted marshmallow—thinly crisped on the outside and oozy within—the difference being the savor and slightly grainy texture of the ricotta. The little ricotta balls have just enough structural integrity to hold shape while being dragged through an accompanying chili sauce, which adds needed zing to the muted ricotta cheese." I really couldn't have said it any better myself. You must come in and try these! (see last week's post for a discussion of my first favorite appetizer: the humble-yet-perfect focaccia bread.)

Since it we are supposed to get a few snow flurries tonight I thought it appropriate to talk about a white wine, specifically the '05 Ramey Chardonnay. We have so many things on the menu that pair wonderfully with this deep, bold, flavorful white. The butter on the palate really goes nicely with oven roasted cod with saffron cream, slow cooked leeks, basil, shaved fennel, Yukon gold potatoes and mussels, for example. It is a good oak-y wine with some substance.

And finally, a discussion on scotch vs whiskey vs bourbon.
Whiskey: a common liquor produced all over the world, with each region doing so it its own way.
Scotch: the distinctive national whiskey of Scotland. Single Malt scotches are made entirely from malted barley and are the product of one single distillery. Blended scotch whiskeys are a mixture of several different malt whiskeys and grain alcohol, usually aged in older previously used barrels and take longer to mature, ie 10-30 years on average.
Bourbon: a distinctive product of the US distilled in Bourbon County, KY. It is made from a fermented mash of at least 51% corn. Must be aged in new oak 'charred' barrels for at least two years. The charred oak enables it to reach maturity faster than scotch, which uses old barrels. The bourbon is fuller bodies, owing much of it's taste to the corn and rye grains used in it's production.

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