Vivo Revisited

My first visit to Vivo in Chicago was for the Seghesio Wine Tasting event.  While I’ve driven up and down Randolph Street many times over the years, I had never really stopped into any of the really fine restaurants located there.  

Brief aside:  Just up the street is a dance studio that teaches swing dancing.  Since I am an old guy from the suburbs and having grown up in a religious household, dancing never was a big deal.  At my senior prom I watched as many others danced throughout the night but I only made the slow dances.  The best I could do is sway a little bit to a slow dance.   

Now, being newly single I thought it might a good idea to try some lessons.  Didn’t really help but I did have fun!  At least now when I show up at a wedding I get out on the dance floor and move around – still more than a little self-conscious – but enjoying myself all the same.

Now back to the blog.  At the wine tasting I didn’t really get a chance to see the menu or taste anything other than a few hors d’oeuvers and then I was still suffering some of the effects of the Novocain from my visit to the dentist earlier in the day (you can read all about it in my Novocain and Wine Tasting posts).

So when I was going to be in the city early for a new business presentation, I decided to stay and have a friend take the train to meet me before a scheduled concert at the Symphony Center in Chicago.  Now before you get the idea that I think I’m all that and a bag of chips, let me say that the CSO provides a wide range of music and their jazz series is simply phenomenal. (I love classical music, too.  But you can show up at the concert in jeans as much as a suit and bow tie.)

On this Wednesday night Pink Martini was playing to a packed house. Usually with traffic we’re lucky to get to throw down some basic Bennigan’s food and maybe a Black and Tan if I’m lucky.  So tonight was a real treat when my friend made reservations for 6:15 at Vivo. 

After picking her up from Union Station, which took quite a bit of navigation around the one-way streets, we made it easily to Vivo without too much hassle.  Once inside, I got my first real look at the restaurant.  It should be a really nice place to visit when the weather warms as they have a number of tables on the sidewalk.  The dining room isn’t huge (the bar is on the second floor) but it’s well laid out. 

There’s even a private dining area for up to six that is in the “Elevator.”   Apparently this was a favorite spot for Michael Jordan and Oprah when eating at the restaurant.

They have a wonderful and extensive wine list both by the glass and by the bottle.  After perusing the menu I decided I wasn’t going to venture too far from the unknown so I ordered a 2009 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel.  This wine (although an earlier vintage) did more to pique my interest in really good wines than any other. 

I decided to go that route because I planned on having the lamb chops.  My friend decided upon one of their truly great pastas – Linguine Nere alla Polpa di Granchio, a black pasta with crab – based on the strong recommendations from our waiter.  Even the incorrigible Gordon Ramsey would have been impressed with his knowledge of the menu and ability to recommend the specials.

We started the meal off with their cheese plate of the day. The soft cheese was slightly warmed to make it even more spreadable. It was a delightful way to start off the evening. The cheese was similar to Kasseri, though in the rush I didn’t catch the name.

The Old Vine Zinfandel from Seghesio was the perfect choice for dinner.  The 2009 vintage was rated a 92 by Wine Spectator and a 94 by Wine Enthusiast but ratings don’t really tell the whole story.  The story of a wine is found in the glass.  Scores are often based on what other people taste and the only score that really matters is yours based on your own palate. 

I love Seghesio’s Old Vine Zinfandel – of any vintage regardless of score.  It was a wine I tasted in 1999 that really hit my palate and knocked my socks off.  Well, not literally, it was an office Christmas party after all.  I love the complexity of the Old Vine Zins and the Seghesio release, in my opinion, is the best. 

My first thought in 1999 and matched again the other night is that you could almost taste the dust on the grapes as they were being processed.  As I mentioned before, my palate isn’t really all that sophisticated. But I know what I like and this is among my favorites.  There’s something special that happens when a vine surpasses 50 years of giving delightful grapes.

And in the hands of a master winemaker like Ted Seghesio and winegrower like Pete Seghesio, these vines deliver fruit that is destined to make great wines. 

When the lamb chops arrived, they were perfectly cooked.  Meat shouldn’t be cooked to death in my opinion.  Lamb is best served rare to medium rare at most and the chef nailed it.  It came with three large double chops sitting on a bed of spinach with a red grape balsamic reduction.  The rosemary potatoes were delicious.  I like rosemary even if it is a little overpowering at times.

I did have the opportunity to taste some of the pasta and it was delicious, too.  From what I tasted you can’t really miss with any of the choices on the menu.  We didn’t have too much time so didn’t try any of the deserts but I can only guess they’re delicious.

After dinner while waiting for the car to come back, we took a walk around the neighborhood and I was surprised by a number of the restaurants I knew but didn’t know they were on this street.  I know I’ll be heading back to Randolph Street again and again.

After a truly phenomenal dinner enhanced by the Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, we headed to the concert for what I thought would be a nice concert.  It wasn’t what I expected.  It was a wonderful concert. Fun. Wacky. With audience participation no less. 

I had seen Pink Martini at Ravinia last year and found their interpretations of jazz classics to be fun and really enjoyable.  Tonight was no less a treat. 

They have a very eclectic style and vibrancy you don't often see on the stage of Symphony Hall.  When the founder traded in his political ambitions for music, the world became a more enjoyable place.

Tonight included not only the group but involved a little audience participation.  When the music called for playing of of a Shubert piece for 4 hands, a young woman from the balcony was brought into the concert to play and then stayed on stage playing percussion with the band.

When the band was looking for some people of Turkish origin, the stage added five new voices to sing along with a traditional Turkish song.  It made for a completely enjoyable performance.  High energy and driving jazz made for a great evening.  It was sort of like Elton John meets Duke Ellington in a way.

After navigating the construction in the city, we headed back from the greatest city in the world with great memories of food, wine and music that will last for a long time to come.  And I'll be sure to be in line when tickets open up for Pink Martini again.

Novocain and Wine Tasting, Part 2

Last week, I provided the lead up to the Seghesio Wine tasting event at Vivo in Chicago.  This week's topic is the resolution of the story -- demonstrating how well Novocain and wine tasting go together.

So Monday arrived and I finished my morning tasks at work and then made the trip to the dentist with more than a little trepidation.  I have a confession to make: I hate needles. That's why the whole Novocain bit is problematic. 

I can feel my blood pressure begin to spike as I pull open the door to the dentist's office.  After leading me back to the appropriate room and taking a seat in the old dental barcalounger, there was little to do but open wide and pray that I neither see nor feel the needle.

But, perhaps as a sign of good things to come, it turns out my dentist is an artist in using the Novocain.  He found the right spots and other than a few pinches I felt nothing. And I didn't see the needle at all (some people faint at the sight of blood, others at the sight of a needle).

After a lifetime of dental disasters, I may have found the perfect dentist.  Not that I'm looking for a permanent union but . . .

You see that's because, after about an hour in the chair (mostly with me telling myself to relax), my dentist had to remind me to open my mouth wider because I began to nod off.

Yes. You read correctly.

I know you probably don’t believe it but it's true.  I was actually nodding off as I was getting a root canal.  That's the good news.  The bad news of it all is that the beautiful ceramic crown I so "joyfully" paid for a few short years ago will now have a miserable silver filling in it. 

As with any trip to the dentist, you can't just push the easy button. Of course it came with a temporary filling which meant I still had to go back for the finished product.  I’m not sure if it was a sign but the earliest time I could make an appointment was on April 13^th. 

Friday the 13^th. I really do hope it's not an omen of things to come.

After returning to the office and completing the interview, a friend and I made the trip into the city. In the 90 minutes or so I was in the office, I was practicing drinking water from a glass so as to figure out how not to dribble on myself.  (That's why it was water and not coffee.)

Now I was beginning to get worried.  My mouth was still numb.  Then, I was hoping for a quick trip but those of you who know Chicago traffic know that wasn’t going to happen. For some reason when six lanes become three there tends to be a traffic snarl.

We were headed to Vivo which is in a revitalized area of Randolph Street. This whole area has been under revitalization ever since Oprah developed her Harpo studios there.  I hadn’t heard of Vivo before but there are some really great restaurants in the area.  This one's just been around the longest -- about 20 years.

All the way into the city I was chewing gum.  Yes, I know they tell you to neither chew gum nor drink coffee before tasting wine but I was focused on getting my mouth working.

I think I only bit my cheek twice.  Some of my friends may be smiling because they’re probably shocked I could chew gum and drive at the same time especially with a mouth still numb from the Novocain.

Just in case, my friend who came with me to the event brought along a camera to capture all the action – including the potential wine dribbling that they were counting on as the night’s entertainment.

Dave Messerli, Seghesio Estate Director, and I at Vivo.

When we arrived at Vivo, the tasting was already in full swing.  It was crowded as we made our way up to the 2nd floor bar to begin tasting the wine.

Thankfully that whole gum chewing helped because the Novocain had almost totally worn off.  I was looking forward to renewing some (relatively new) friendships.  I knew that Dave Messerli would be there (that's because he sent me the invite and said he'd be there). As it turns out Brandye, Jill, Dave and Ted made the trip from California to Chicago. 

In March.

I know when they were planning the trip they were rolling the dice because here in Chicago we don’t ever count being out of snow danger until after Mother’s Day.  But with the winter being so mild this year we had a pretty good week for their trip.

As it turned out we were tasting five wines: Vermentino, Sonoma Zinfandel, Home Ranch Zinfandel, Old Vine Zinfandel and the Cortina Zinfandel.  Dave mentioned that the Venom didn’t make the trip. I was a little disappointed because as Ted Seghesio says: "Venom is the antidote to every bad Sangiovese you've ever had." 

The Sonoma Zin was the replacement.  While I love the Venom, the Sonoma Zin isn’t a bad replacement. The 2007 vintage was rated a top 10 by Wine Spectator and other vintages have also been highly rated so even though it's one of their entry level wines, it's always fabulous.

There were some great hors d’oeuvres around as well.  Unfortunately there wasn’t any of the salumi from the Vineyard but it was a great evening nonetheless. Lots of laughter and friends enjoying great wines.



Ted Seghesio and I discussing the Vermentino.

I even had an opportunity to talk with Ted a little bit about the Vermentino.  This Italian varietal is going to be a replacement for the Fiano as Ted felt as though they never got that completely right.  Found in Italy and southern France, Vermentino is an Italian answer to Chardonnay according to Ted.

Even with my lousy palate, I picked up on the oak more than some of their other whites but it's still quite different than a Chardonnay.

But then again, I'm primarily a red wine guy. More than 2/3rds of my wine cabinet is dedicated to red wines.


The Vermentino vines are still relatively young as this is the first release year.  I imagine that as the vines mature, so will this wine. I can't wait to watch this wine develop over time.


One of the benefits of standing at the bar is that I noticed a couple of bottles on the back station.  The thing I love about Seghesio Family Vineyards is their label designs are distinctive and I've learned a thing or two as a result of my association over the years. What I noticed was that there were some bottles that had a slightly different label than those officially being tasted. 

As it turned out, hidden under the counter were a few bottles of the Chianti Station.  I have to say that while I liked all the wines, the Chianti Station was my favorite.  Ted is a genius when it comes to the Chianti-style blends.

It’s too bad that Sonoma is clear across the country from Chicago. I’d love to visit more. I have plans to add the Vermentino to my personal wine cabinet.  If you’re not a member of their wine club, I’d strongly recommend it! Jill can help you out there. 

I was glad to put some faces to the names that I know.  I had met Dave Messerli (the Estate Director) and Ted Seghesio (the Winemaker) last year when visiting the winery.  But I got to meet Brandye Alexander (yes that's her real name), the person behind the Seghesio social media, and Jill Klaus, the Wine Club manager.  

I’m looking at the upcoming Winery events and trying to plan this year’s trip west.  I just booked my flight out for the Annual Seghesio BBQ event.  This year it's Chris Lilly and Dr. BBQ up against the Seghesio team in a BBQ cook-off.  I can't wait.

Not only is it a great opportunity to try out the wines but a chance to spend some time with good friends.  Thanks everyone for a great evening and for producing some truly fine wines. 

Novocain and Wine Tasting? Part, 1

A few months ago as my friends at Seghesio Family Vineyards were planning a trip to the Midwest, they let me know about a wine tasting event they were going to be holding at Vivo in Chicago on a Monday night a few weeks ago.  Of course I immediately responded that I would be attending. 

I quickly put the event in my calendar and even put a few hours around it so that I could make sure that nothing would encroach on my fully enjoying the event.  I was really looking forward to it as they were planning on showcasing some yet-to-be released wines.

But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men . . .

First, my tooth began to bother me.  Really bother me.  I had been experiencing some pain off and on that I attributed to a sinus infection.  After one course of antibiotics I thought it was pretty much solved the problem.  But then it came back again. This time with a vengeance.  It was so bad that I even made an appointment to go to the dentist.

If you know me well, you know I visit the dentist regularly.  When my tooth hurts or every six years whichever comes first.

I called and the receptionist, in her very upbeat and happy tone, asked if I was making an appointment for a teeth cleaning and checkup. I almost laughed out loud.  I wish I could say that I always follow the dentist ritual to a “t” but that’s just not the case.

I’m sure they’re nice enough people but I’m just not a big fan. I guess it was my childhood dentist who put a kibosh on my frequent dental visits.  My brothers and I often refer to him as “Fill ‘em again” Forrester.  That’s because, over time, just about every filling he put in our mouths growing up fell out. Usually at the most inopportune times. 

That and the fact that apparently he didn’t believe in Novocain.  Year after year, visit after visit I can still feel the slow drill working on every one of my nerves. 

In the years after, I have never really found a dentist that could effectively administer the Novocain. You see, after getting three or four shots of Novocain, the dentist would proceed and I would feel every little spin of the drill.  I’m sure that there are more than a few dental chairs that have dents from where I grabbed the armrest.  

 And if feeling every little thing wasn’t bad enough, when I left the dentist’s office my entire mouth would go numb and I would spend the next four hours drooling all over myself.

Now you know why I don’t like to visit the dentist.  So when I had this latest pain checked out it appears that the nerve under the tooth I spent $2,400 capping two years ago was dying and that left me with needing a root canal on that tooth.

I’m sure that I’m going to be paying for my dentist’s trip to Paris with the work on my teeth.  I know my last dentist took his whole staff to the Bahamas for a week – all expenses paid.  I’m sure over the years I paid for at least a couple of those trips. 

The worst part of this whole problem was that, after taking another round of antibiotics, the earliest that my schedule and theirs could get together was . . . you guessed it . . . the Monday of the Seghesio wine tasting event.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has these issues come up.  I’ve heard of friends who needed emergency dental surgery in remote parts of Mexico. 

So as I’m making the appointment I wanted to ensure that by the time I got to the event the Novocain would have worn off.  The last thing I wanted to do at this event was dribble wine down the front of my shirt. Not very classy is it?

All my planning and blocking out my calendar went for naught as someone booked an interview with a potential employee between the root canal and the wine tasting.  Alas.  Big sigh.  

I guess the only thing to do now was look for a wine tasting appropriate bib. 

Next week I’ll finish the story. Trust me when I say while it doesn’t start well, it ends up pretty tasty! In the meantime, I’d love to hear your dental/event stories. 

Freedom in the Kitchen . . . and Life

A few weeks ago I held my first Mondays @ Mark’s event of the year.  I had been thinking about it for a while and then with my Cheese Clock post a few weeks ago, I decided to move ahead with the event.  I even had one of the leading cheese experts in the United States, Max McCalman from the Artisinal Cheese Company make the cheese suggestions.

Now when I started Mondays @ Mark’s about five years ago, it was to provide my co-workers with a place to get away from work and ask questions or just enjoy some good food and wine together.  It was also about breaking the rules of who and how many people I could entertain at once. Over the years it’s expanded to include more than just co-workers.

I’m not sure who likes it more – me or the friends attending the event.

Over the years I’ve often enjoyed cooking but never really had the chance.  Looking at history it's divided by BC and AD.  In life, I think it's sometimes the same for us.  Me, I have my very own dividing line . . . it’s BD and AD (before divorce and after divorce). In my AD, I have learned a great deal about freedom. Especially in the kitchen.  You see, in my previous existence,  life was spent following the recipe.  

Exactly. 

No margin for change.  It was either right or it was wrong. In the years since that great dividing line I’ve learned a great deal of freedom in the kitchen.  What I learned is that there is a certain amount of flexibility in the process. (Well not in baking but in cooking generally.)

I’ve also learned that it’s always good to have someone in the kitchen to keep me from going that step too far and landing in disaster. It’s also a good idea to have them writing down what I’m doing if I hope to recreate it again.

Robiola Bosina, Robiola Due Latte and Brazos Brie

Such was the case for this most recent Mondays @ Mark’s event. In addition to my normal Bruschetta recipe, I decided to make meatballs.  I know not necessarily too difficult.  I had told the folks at Artisanal that I was making meatballs and so they suggested the cheeses. 

Berkshire Blue Cheese with the Seghesio and Pine Ridge Wines

Here’s what Max suggested:  Tomme Vaudoise, Brazos Brie, Idiazabal, Hudson Red, Andeerer Schmuggler, and Berkshire Blue. As it turns out the Tomme Vaudoise was so popular that they ran out before shipping so I received Robiola Bosina and Robiola Due Latte instead. I had never had any of them previously. Oh, I’ve had brie before but if I’ve learned anything over the years is that the cheese is as much a product of the area it’s made as it is the type of cheese.
 

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (adapted from the Smokestack in KC)

I decided on two types of meatballs.  One a Buffalo Turkey Meatball and the other I had planned to try my smokey meatballs and use some of my own BBQ sauce on them.  For the Buffalo Turkey Meatballs, I decided to do a riff on the recipe I found in Saveur magazine from the Smokestack in Kansas City. I’ll be happy to share my version of the recipe with anyone who requests it. 

When I started in the kitchen it was a little cold outside. To be honest I wasn’t in the mood for unwrapping my gas grill and grilling outside nor did I want the deal with the smoke alarm going off, either.  You’re probably wondering what I’m doing trying to smoke indoors but I have tried both Cameron’s Indoor smoking pans as well as Emeril’s Smoking bags.

Both work well but the lack of architectural planning in my condo creates some challenges.  I really don’t understand why you would vent the stove into the house.  All I’m doing is moving the smoke closer to the fire alarm more quickly.  Then I have windows and doors open for about 40 minutes before the alarm stops. 

Smokey Meatballs

So rather than smoking, I just let the smokey flavors of the BBQ sauce take over. I’d be happy to share my recipe for these meatballs, too, but you’re going to have to take a bit of a leap of faith.  I’m not really sure everything I put into the meatballs.  I have a pretty good idea.  On my recent trip to Paris, my souvineer were some spices. I think it added a special dimension.  But as they say, with freedom comes responsibility.  The responsibility to not kill your guests or send them home with “tummy troubles.”

After setting out both the cheese, the bruschetta, some olives and crudité (fancy word for veggies) and some of my garlic aoli, I set the meatballs to warming in the crockpot and opening the wine.  I had decided on some wines from my friends at Seghesio, Pine Ridge and Chamisal. These sister wineries are putting out some truly exceptional wines.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to really enjoy all the wines as by the time my glass was empty, so was the bottle.  We started the evening with a truly exceptional Sangiovese from Seghesio called Chianti Station.  I pulled the 2004 from my cabinet.  I wasn’t expecting it.  I truly enjoy their wines but this hit my palate and I was taken aback. 

A couple of the wines for the evening!

There was a complexity I didn’t expect.  I followed this with the Pine Ridge Onyx. Having just started enjoying wines from Pine Ridge Winery I was bowled over by the delicious flavors.  Both these wines complemented the cheese and the meatballs. For my white wine drinking friends I opened a bottle of Chamisal’s Stainless chardonnay.

I was not disappointed in the least.  From the Onyx opened a bottle of the Seghesio Old Vine Carignane.  I have come to really love this wine and its versatility. I ended the evening with  Pine Ridge’s 2007 Tessitura. More than anything else, it was fun to share a fun evening with friends.   

I think that’s what I’ve discovered about freedom both in the kitchen and in life.