Sunday, May 25, 2008

surprisingly popular sangria

I made sangria for a cookout this afternoon, having signed up to bring wine to a mostly red-wine-drinking crowd and realizing that it's WAY too hot for anyone to really want to drink red wine. The ingredients were inspired by the Internets and prior practice, but the proportions were made up on the fly (and are approximate, so taste and adjust), so here goes:

Sangria

1 two quart pitcher
1 750 ml bottle cheap red wine (I used Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c superfine (confectioner's) sugar
1/4 c brandy
1/2 c triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
1/2 liter club soda
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced

Mix juices, liquors and sugar in pitcher and stir until sugar is well dissolved. Add wine and club soda and stir. Add fruit, cover and refrigerate. Best if refrigerated overnight, but still good if made just ahead of time. Taste and adjust before serving.

a study on food studio

The boy and I went to Food Studio last night to use the $50 gift card I won at a Yelp event a couple months ago. I spent a bit of time ruminating on whether we should go to Food Studio or Ecco, which we had previously gone to and enjoyed. We'd been to Food Studio for the event before, but never for dinner.

We arrived for our 6:45 reservation mostly on time and were seated immediately in a secluded table by the (blessedly not lighted--it was hot outside) fireplace. There weren't really very many people there. Our server was engaging and helpful. We started with cocktails--he had a margarita-like concoction that also included vodka and was much less sugary than a traditional margarita. I had the rosemaya, a mixture of rosewater and a cucumber/rose flavored gin. I liked both quite well, and I thought that my drink was especially interesting as it sort of tasted like perfume, but not at all in a bad way.

We skipped appetizers and ordered entrees directly. He had the rosemary garlic lamb with pureed potatoes with a glass of Zinfandel, and I had the scallops, greens, crispy potatoes and a mustard saffron sauce with a glass of Oregon Pinot recommended by the server. Our dishes arrived much sooner than expected--neither of us had finished even half of our cocktails. We also had to wait quite a while for the wine we had ordered with our entrees after they arrived.

Both entrees were solid. The lamb reminded my husband that there are a world of meats out there much more flavorful than the beef, chicken and pork that we are accustomed to, and I thought it was incredibly flavorful, but a little on the tough side for a medium rare loin. The scallops were well-prepared with moist centers and not at all rubbery. The accompaniments to my dish were also tasty--the crispy potatoes, greens and mustard sauce.

For dessert, we had the creme brulee sampler and a cheese plate. As others have noted, the cheese plate was nothing to write home about, but it was solid. Each cheese came with a pairing--pecan, arugula, fig, pear. Most of them were lovely, but the pecan in particular overpowered the cheese it accompanied. The creme brulees were interesting...definitely a generous portion--we had a tahitian vanilla, coconut lime, blood orange and chocolate cinnamon. All were tasty, but the coconut lime was really top notch--the astringent lime paired with the creme for a really perfect summer flavor. The others were nice, but I thought the quartet left something to be desired as a set. They just didn't mesh well. The chocolate was especially heavy and not summery (though it was tasty!)

All in all, we had a lovely experience at Food Studio--even better because it was $50 cheaper than it might otherwise have been. We'll give it another chance, for sure, but for the money, I think I would rather go someplace else.