Pringle Teetor is a local glass artist.
No comments on I bought myself a present
Category: wine
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I love the look of clouds. -
Meg suggested that I do something like this for my savage garden.
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Do you remember this?
My local wine bar has a club that you pay $40 a month to be a member. With the membership, you get a free tasting once a week (tastes of 4 wines usually goes for $5, enough in the tastes to be equivalent to a glass). And 2 bottles from the tasting the first week of the month priced $20 or less. If you go in every week, it saves you $40 a month. Except you end up spending more than that on the snacks you buy to go with the additional wine you drink while you’re there.
The glasses are Riedel and you can call yourself whatever you want. I saw one for She Who Must Be Obeyed. Helps the staff to learn the regulars and is a little something to make members feel special.
We went in a month ago and they had a bunch of them out on tables for sale for $10. Nice general purpose wine glasses with random names on them. People who had not been in the building for 2 years or longer. On sale to clear out the space.
Mine says “Al”.
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We stopped off at the bar where we are members of the wine club after running errands this evening. One of the benefits of the club is that they keep a Reidel glass for you with your name on it. Or whatever name you want on your glass. (One woman’s glass, that I know of, is I’m Still Here.)
Recently, the owner/manager has pulled a bunch of them out to sell. They were glasses for people who haven’t been in for 2 or 3 years.
So, I have a new glass that makes me laugh when I use it.
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I started celebrating yesterday and intend to continue through tomorrow. 😀
Yesterday, Carolyn and I had Spa Day (she had a facial while I had a 30 minute massage followed by a manicure and we finished with pedicures together), then mid-afternoon wine and cheese. We came home, dolled up and went out for dinner to Piedmont, a wonderful farm-to-table restaurant in Durham.
We started with d’Arenberg Winery “The Hermit Crab” 2014 Viognier/Marsanne from MacLauren Vale for Chuck, Reynolds Family Farm 2012 Chardonnay from Napa Valley for me and a Coon Rock Farm Spritzer for Carolyn made with grapefruit mint (I never knew there was such a thing), vodka, lemon, grapefruit and soda. It was delicious and refreshing.
Appetizers were Coon Rock Farm’s mixed greens salad, wild green onions, Loaf Bakery rye bread, chioggia beets and a sprinkle of Anson Mills’ benne seeds, a kind of hummus made of caramelized summer squash, chickpeas and smoked paprika with lavash crackers, and Coon Rock Farm’s heirloom tomatoes with basil sorbet, olive oil, pickled and fried okra and chia seed crackers.
The tomatoes were perfectly ripe and the basil sorbet was amazing. Concentrated basil like I have never encountered before. The paprika on the hummus was heavy enough to be a flavor rather than a garnish and it was wonderful. The chiogga beets were sliced very thing, so that they added a hint of flavor, but didn’t overpower the rest of the salad.
Chuck and Carolyn both had the vegetarian dish for their entrees. It was preparations of local eggplant prepared 4 different ways, heirloom tomatoes, housemade ricotta, sungold tomatoes, shaved radish and pea tendrils. I had crispy Carolina mackerel with warm gazpacho, leeks, cucumber, shiso and pepper.
I love how we share forks around the table.
Birthday cake! (middle) NC peaches, pecan caramel, blueberry sorbet, white chocolate brittle, vanilla sponge cake
(bottom) chocolate chip fritters, cherry gastrique, kheer ice cream, pistachios
(top) green tomato tart, shortbread, lemon basil, green tomato marmalade, basil-buttermilk ice cream
We were shocked to find that the tomato tart was the most interesting, Tomatoes just don’t seem to led themselves to a dessert. But, BOY! were we surprised. The basil ice cream was subtle and smooth and perfect. The white blob on the chocolate chip fritters on the bottom was kheer ice cream with a strong cardamom flavor. The blueberry sorbet had a stronger blueberry flavor than simple blueberries. It was a hell of a finish.
Today, I’m finishing a batch of sweet pickles, going to the gym and going to a wine tasting followed by sushi for dinner with my loving spouse.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate with dinner at Mez, a “contemporary Mexican” restaurant, on the way to a Punch Brothers concert at the art museum in Raleigh.
After a restful Friday, I go back to work on Saturday. My co-workers are plottin’ and schemin’ something. But, I don’t know all the details, yet. I know there is a Triple Chocolate cake from Ketchie Creek Bakery involved.
Jeannie doesn’t call it the Festival of Kitty because I celebrate in half measures. 😉
I am the Audience 