Cooking With Ideas

Best Pop Up of the Season? Red Tail Ridge + Waxlight

What seems like many years ago, when this blog began, I did an interview with Nancy Irelan of Red Tail Ridge. I had no clue who she was - I just knew that she was coming to the region to make wine and that folks I knew who kind of knew wine were thrilled. Red Tail Ridge opened its tasting room in 2007 - and, as they say the rest is history. 

I return there in this post for a variety of reasons. To be honest, I owe Red Tail Ridge and thus Nancy some thanks for my making it through COVID, isolated as I was in NC but drinking some of her wines. My partner and I convened via zoom - and it helped. Yes, they were shipped to me and we paid for them. But they meant much more than could be financed! We had her pet nat wines -short for petulant natural - in various versions - and, frankly, I smiled every time thinking of home. Yes, they are bubblies - and yes, there is a chardonnay, a riesling (hurrah riesling) and a pinot noir bubbly. And, there is more to all this than meets the eye. 

But: why this post beyond gratitude? On my relatively recent return home, my partner and I went off to a pop up dinner at Red Tail Ridge that paired their wines with a meal from Waxlight in Buffalo. It was utterly fantastic - and incredibly memorable. The wines were great (I will get to that). The food was impressive (I will get to that). And the total strangers (including someone from Avvino in Rochester which we will have to try!) we met were fun and thus the conversation quite entertaining and meaningful. 

The food? Five people from Waxlight were there - including chef and etcetera and the beverage manager. I think they were also the owners. In any case, they were congenial and smart. Of ht memorable bits: (a) the opening plate which had a variety of small bits ranging from a bit with salmon roe on a deviled egg to smoked cucumber to a bit of toast with squash on it, there were items from their menu and specially created bits. It was an amazing start to what turned out to be overall amazing, including other items from their regular menu (e.g., an asparagus soup) altered for the evening to include truffle in one of the best truffle treatments ever to escargot toasts (my least favorite) to monkfish done sort of butter chicken style to a bit of cold fried chicken (perhaps also with caviar?) to a terrific 2 desserts - a chocolate one and a rice pudding. The chocolate was a vegan chocolate and the tasting/fresh fruit bit on top truly made this special. The rice pudding - not my genre - was delightful though I did not finish it because. . . I was stuffed. 

The sizes were right on, the tastes varied and well matched to the wines, and the progression not so rich as to overwhelm the taste buds. I give this an A+ (despite my own view of the escargot everyone else loved it). And, the chefs/folks from Waxlight had interesting things to say about the food, the pairings, and their thinking processes. 

The wines? The wines were all - shockingly - from Red Tail Ridge. They came accompanied by a little bit of commentary from Nancy Irelan, which made the deliciousness even more special. With a very very few exceptions, these were bubbles - and the best of the best. 

The pairings? What was most impressive was that they clearly - clearly - began with the wines and built a menu to go with the wines. This was no mix and match but truly thoughtful. Some pairings were through contrast, some through lifting an aspect of the food. And, on occasion, more than one wine was paired with the food to show options. Overall this was an A+ for this aspect, well beyond (alas) the ways food and wine went together in a variety of other venues! 

Of the wines we had that were exquisite: Perpetual Change (a traditional method champenoise from perpetual reserve); a 2016 ( I think) sekt which I always love; and of course various pet nat selections. We bought six bottles - and are very much looking forward to the experiences. 

The ambience? 

We ate in the wine cellar at a single table with our peers who had purchased tickets.  It was delightful. Stainless steel (I assume) tanks surrounded us, of different circumferences and heights. And, the temperature was perfect. The parking was close by and the overall setting perfect My partner particularly liked passing the boots on the way to the bathroom. 

And, part of the ambience is, of course, the people. These, including Nancy, added to the wonder of a very nice evening. 

Gory details:

Red Tail Ridge Winery 

846 State Route 14 

Penn Yan, NY 14527 

(315) 536-4580

[email protected]

Waxlight 

27 Chandler Street 

Buffalo, NY 14207

[email protected]

Yes, I am a Regular at . . .

I am old enough to the able to remember a tag line from Cheers: a place where everyone knows your name. I can even hear the theme song. As a resident of a smallish town, there are moments where I yearn for anonymity. But, I also, as a resident of a larger place and a place were I am relatively new, it is lovely to be recognized when I enter a coffee joint. And, I have written on this very blog about the value of a "third place." 

So: I love being a regular at Camino's on Marshall. Yes, I have been to the larger one on 4th Street. But, truly, I am a regular at the Marshall one - on my way to work many many mornings. I have the same thing basically - a caramel mocha latte, 16 ounce. And, occasionally a treat. And, I love it that they basically know what I want even when I am incoherently caffeine deprived. 

A funny story. My partner sent birthday cakes to my office some time ago - and they came from Camino's. The folks at my regular gave me some extras - and I thought they actually knew it was my birthday for other reasons. I excitedly reported this at the office - where the conspiracy of silence about the soon-to-arrive birthday cakes meant people knew why they had known it was my birthday - and my naive enthusiasm was apparently cute. 

The cakes were amazing - and fun was had by all. And, the coffee is always the best start of my day.

I admit to also liking their bread. Sour dough. Sliced. With cheddar cheese melted on it. Mmmm.  

Location: 300 S Marshall Street 

 

 

 

Camino's 

Beer is . . . .

The Finger Lakes are known for wine. Yes, there is beer. Yes, there is cider. (And yes, one of my favorites is Lake Drum.) There are distilleries (and lilac flavored gin). But, in the main, when you say Finger Lakes, many hear "wine" or "wine and food." I hear that (and home). 

When you say North Carolina, though, few say wine (though there are wineries here). Many say "beer" because there are many breweries and brew pubs - and not just in Asheville. Here in Winston Salem, there is a whole set of craft brewers and brew pubs, an unusual quantity of which are very near to where I am currently living. And, many of the restaurants in town serve beers both from Winston Salem and across the state. 

Here are a few I have visited:

Fiddlin Fish is a terrific place right near where I live which has a set of beers always on tap as well as a varied set of more occasional items, including ciders, sours, and more. I love this place - and I particularly like it that I can show  up, have a beer, and sit by myself at the bar - without a soul talking to me. Yes, the bar tender speaks occasionally. But otherwise, its a place for a beer and . . . . I have been there once with others - and heard some live music - and there are televisions which show sports. The latter are not loud, the place is big and the ambience just right. Hurrah. A few beers I have liked: 

• Irish (I was fishing for) Reds - just that, an Irish style red beer, around 5.2% alcohol and tasty. Described as malt forward, it is a tiny edge toward sweet, but not so much as to ruin the beer.
• Thunderbird Brown Ale - In general, I like nut brown ales and I like this one as well. 
• Black Mountain Chocolate Stout - a terrific stout, with a nod to the chocolate place across the parking lot from Fiddlin' Fish. I recently had a nitro stout that was even better.

Not surprisingly, you can get a flight of beers to taste at Fiddlin' Fish - and the IBU (international bitterness units ) are listed as well. I had no idea what an IBU was - and that helps! 

One other wonderful thing: there is always a food truck at Fiddlin' Fish. It is the Slanted Shed, and I can attest to the speed of service and the overall quality. I like the buffalo cauliflower, the brussel sprouts, and just had some terrific tacos recently. A quibble: there are too many brussel sprouts even for me to eat. And, it is true, they make what they make on any given evening. Suck it up, I have to say to myself, when I have a taste for a particular thing and they are not serving that!

Location: Tap Room, 772 Trade Street, Winston Salem, NC

Foothills is down town and I have to admit I always confused it with Fiddlin' Fish. I have been there once. And, I did not have beer. So, I cannot comment. Others seem to like it. Decent burgers. Not so pleasant (in my opinion) ambience. I prefer Fiddlin - though Foothills is near my fave bookstore. 

Location: Try 638 West 4th Street, Winston Salem, NC for the downtown brewpub. 

Hoots is another place - and it opened a newish place on Trade Street in Winston Salem - again, near where I live. (Click here for announcement.) It has a delightful ambience - not at all like it seems from the outside. And, the beer is terrific. Here's their main site. I have only been there once, and had a lovely stout as I recall. Several of them. Mostly, I liked the balance of quiet and friendly, the beer was tasty, and the company perfect. 

Yes, I should write about Wise Man. Another time. They claim it was a wise man who invented beer. My guess: it was a wise woman! (And yes, their beer is tasty - and in the "winter" there is a Farmer's Market in their space on Saturdays.) Also, within walking distance of where I live. 

Location: 826 Angelo Bros. Avenue, Winston Salem, NC 

On beer and North Carolina, check out the North Carolina Brewers Guild. Or, this bit on beer on the site VistNC. 

Mexican in Winston Salem

Among the foods I have come to love over the years are those derived in some sense from Mexico. The country has a wide array of regional cuisines and the "americanization" of Mexican food ranges form Tex-Mex to . . . well, you know. Some of the cuisine is controversial - as when chefs like Rick Bayless become famous for cooking "other culture's food." (Click here for a terrific NPR bit on this topic.) Not all the places here even claim to be a Mexican restaurant - one calls itself a taco joint and truly is a fusion taco place where the definition of taco seems to be "has a taco shell - either corn or flour involved."

Where did I go first? Well, new friends took me to a wonderful place called La Botana. I had no idea where I was going the first time I met them - and LOVED the food. Ion a tiny strip mall like area, near an Indian grocery store, the places filled with booths, and not very fancy. What they do have is a very good dark chocolate-y mole. And, the place is incredibly inexpensive. The chips are delightful, the salsa just the right spiciness level, and the ice tea (yes, here it is just tea, and sweet tea at that) tasty as well. I have eaten there 3 times now and would recommend it.

Indeed, I recently was perusing a piece in Winston-Salem Monthly for February 2020 and read the following answer to the question "where are your favorite Winston-Salem spots?" -- " I have many faves around town, but my all time favorite is La Botana. They feed my soul. It's very important to me to eat at locally-owned restaurants. I think it's vital to the health and wealth of our community." Who said that? Mary Haglund of Mary's Gourmet Diner, a place where I love to have brunch on the weekends. 

I have also been regularly going to a place that quite directly says "we are not a Mexican restaurant, we are a taco joint." Called Crafted: the Art of the Taco, the place also has burgers and more. I can attest to the tacos - and have had a number of their tacos in various combinations multiple times - not to mention their cocktails which are not too strong - and fairly inventive. Among the tacos I have had are ones featuring a korean approach, one with barely seared tuna, and more. I can say this: not every taco you will get there is perfect (on occasion I have had ones that are not heated well enough, for example) but this is a place to go by yourself, sit at the bar, and eat. I have never tried the burgers. And, I must say the quest and the chips are truly indulgent. (I like the fried chips a lot.) On the plus side, there is parking. On the not so great side, that parking lot can be fairly crammed and street parking is not easily located. 

Most recently, I have eaten at what is apparently a chain: Monte Del Rey. (I ate at the Harper Road one in Advance. I pronounced the name of the town exactly as I would as an upstate NY, Pennsylvania, Illinois type. I was wrong.) I give them high points for the food. I got cheese enchiladas with pork on top - and the pork was totally amazing. The chips and dip at the start were adequate, but the pork was. . . amazing. Have I said amazing? I had a blue margarita. It was vaguely a mistake - but definitely blue. The service was kind of odd - partly because unlike the other two places Just discussed, there was very little English spoken - and so even a beer order became complex. YEs, a parking lot. Yes, in the case of the one I went to, about 20 minutes from Winston Salem, and yes, enjoyable.) 

So: I know there are other options in Winston Salem and environs for Mexican or mexican food - let me know in the comments where else to try! 

For reviews of other Mexican and "mexican" food on Cooking with Ideas, click here for a Finger Lakes favorite and here for a Chicago favorite. 

Mozelle's

As I write this, I have been to Mozelle's in Winston Salem 4 times. I have enjoyed myself each time. Once with a friend from near Charlotte early in my time here, twice by myself, and most recently with a friend/colleague from Salem Academy and College. The food has been terrific each time, the wines delightful, the service very good, and the ambience just right - both for sitting alone at the bar (and dining) and sitting at a table for two, in various seasons and more. Overall: go there. Yes, it is a bit price-y but worth it. 

Details, you ask? Let me begin with the aspects that have been the same each time and then turn to specifics about the various items I have eaten, etc. 

Ambience: Mozelle's is a somewhat upscale place on a corner on 4th street in downtown Winston Salem. There is parking on the street, and the restaurant is situated on a corner a bit away from down town. (Several blocks, for example, from Bookmarks.)   In warmer weather, there is a seating area outside - and in all weather there are areas within: (a) to the left and right as you enter there are arrays of tables, including alongside windows that look out on to 4th street; and (b) seating along the bar for a relatively small number of people. At least part of the cooking area is out front, and the chefs can be seen from the bar very directly without being either intrusive or unduly noisy. (To be honest, that's part of why I like sitting at the bar.) The service is easy going but efficient (despite this being literally a white table cloth place). And, most servers I have encountered have known the food well. The wine list (there is not bar) varied and interesting - somewhat extensive by the glass. There is a good beer list as well, with local and NC beers mainly. And, there are "wine cocktails" (I had a kir royale on one of my visits, a terrific gruner veltliner, and other white wines on other visits.) For good or ill, I did not visit the restroom on any of my trips so cannot comment on that aspect of the ambience. 

On eating at the bar: I do try to send a signal to leave me alone by reading either a book or on my phone or kindle. This is a totally ok place to do that - though one of the two nights I did so, a stranger - who turned out to be a nice man somewhat older than me - chose to talk a bit too much about his wine choices and more. 

The Food: I can say with 100% certainty that the food at Mozelle's is with the trip and enjoyable. Every single time I have been there I have been impressed with the qualtity and not overwhelmed by the quantity, and enjoyed the variety from traditional Southern (I knew nothing of Tomato Pie - though this is not the season obviously - but had seen a show re Vivian Howard that featured it while in Geneva and tried it at Mozelle's shortly thereafter. It was so good I had it again - despite my southern friend telling me to wait til it was in season.) 

A bit more details: (a) the first visit, I had brunch and it was March or April. I don't recall what I ate, but the coffee was memorable, I have a vague idea it involved green tomatoes, and a delightful conversation about life and more. More recently, I have had the tomato pie (as I noted above) which comes with succotash - and I have to say the succotash was delightful. I am so looking forward to having both it and the pie in season. I have also had the southern spring rolls - one gets 3 and they are cut in half - which feature pulled pork and come with a delightful gingery sesame dipping sauce. And, I went for an appetizer of ribs one evening - to which I give an A+.

I know I have been tempted by dessert - but usually I am so full I am not learning that way these days. 

So: I ought to have more details - but this self-styled "southern bistro" comes with an "excellent" from me for the food. 

Cost? I have spent in the $30s and up for myself. Wines run between $9 and $18, appetizers 

A Quibble: When I write recommendations and things, I often think I need to have a quibble in order to be taken seriously. On the one hand, on this blog, I have occasionally indicated my serious displeasure with restaurants. On the other hand, ether are truly only quibbles for some. A quibble for Mozelle's? I would say that its the parking which can be a pain in the neck. But: I did call once for a reservation (when alone I do not bother) and was told there was nothing available. On a whim, I went to Open Table and there were ones for the time I wanted. So: I clicked away - and when I got there, they had it and everything was ok. Had I been just a tiny bit lazier - or more trusting? or more irritated - I would have gone elsewhere that night - and . . . 

Where is Mozelle's? 878 West 4th Street, Winston Salem, NC 

try it. You'll like it. 

 

Burgers in WInston Salem

I admit it. I like burgers once in a while, juicy, beefy and with various accouterments. I used to eat them fairly regularly at a place in Chicago down the street from where I lived, with a beer or two. In Winston Salem, i have discovered a few placed with burgers that are, to be honest, quite quite quite good.

The first place is called Cin Cin Burger Bar. I have been there on my own and with a friend. I have sat in a booth and at the bar. And, I have had burgers that they "designed" as well as ones where I just picked what I wanted on the burger (no reader of this blog will find my choices surprising" bleu cheese and bacon when I picked for myself). The ambience is fairly decent - though its a bit large and the menu veers toward a kind of 1890s feel, and maybe a tiny tad of a self indulgent feel. In my view, for example, booze filled milk shakes are just . . . . a very bad idea. (And no, I have not had one. They just truly put me off. Almost as much as one of their specialty burgers which includes peanut butter on the burger. That just seems wrong.) Having said that a few things I can say that are very positive, beyond the excellent parking (which in Winston-Salem matters a lot to me) are these: (a) they serve a good cocktail; and (b) the burgers are juicy, cooked nicely, and come with a nice bun that does not crumble. I like the onion rings a lot - which come with a kind of odd dip which is near addictive. I can also attest to the pirogies (which I tried more recently) and a chicago-greek-town-like oompa with the flaming saganaki. The service is usually terrific - though once in a while it is a little too in my face for comfort. 

There is a bit of a chain feel to it, though I have no idea if it is a chain - I can, though, say I have enjoyed it each and every time I have been there. (Ok, I just checked the about section of their website and yes, this is one of several restaurants in the triad region. IT even turns out they own another place I like in town: Yamas. Small world.

Hops is another place where I have had a good burger - with the same friend. They have a place in Winston-Salem as well as Greensboro. We sat at the bar, and each had a burger and beer. Again, well cooked, blue (or is it bleu) cheese and bacon, and in this case fries. Very good fries if I say so myself. 

 

Locations:

Cin Cin 

1425 West 1st street, Winston Salem 

Hops Burger Bar 

901 Reynolda Road, Winston Salem 

 

Dining Across Winston Salem

So, i moved here almost a year ago (temporarily - yes, home is still upstate NY!) and have been barely blogging. Hence, there have been no entries yet on any place I have eaten in Winston Salem. Yes, I am in NC. And yes, I have been eating out, despite being in the land of Publix, a terrific farmer's market (near Old Salem) and even Trader Joe's.

Watch here for a whole range of restaurants reviewed relatively quickly - including:

Mozelle's 

Crafted: The Art of the Taco

Cin Cin Burger Bar 

and many many other places. I am, indeed, eating out and you deserve to know my views on food here in Winston Salem. 

And, of course, there is beer. Yes, there is indeed. Wait 'til you hear about that.  

 

Voula’s Greek Sweets

My birthday is in early December. Yes, that is some time ago, but I am still enjoying the memory of a treat my partner brought me the week before: pastries from Voula’s in Rochester, NY. I had never been there (and since have, see below) and never heard of it -- but I can say this: go there if you have the chance and buy a pastry or two. 

What did she bring me? Several items, each flavored in lovely ways, with (and without) chocolate. I am not sure what my favorite was -- though they included a chocolate dipped rolled baklava (one of my favorite things in life), a pastry that involves cranberries (I absolutely love cranberries) and a kind of moon pie shaped fudge thing which was also delightful. All of them smelled amazing -- kielbasa's a mix of cinnamon and rose water, and all of them tasted even more amazing than they smelled. To be honest, they were so good that I did not gobble them down but savored them over the course of a few days. I gave them an A+ and not only because I like getting unexpected treats. (These were, in some ways, in memory of my aunt who used to send me baklava on occasion.) 

I have no idea what the pastries were/are calleD but I do know we mispronounced every one of them. 

In addition to sweets, my partner also brought dolmades. I love dolmades -- and once upon a time long ago took a class which taught me how to make them. I tried at home and, frankly, may have to go back lo these many years later as a more patient person with more cooking experience, and try again. Meanwhile: these were amazing. Another A+ as was one of the two spreads (the second spread was much too garlicky for our household). 

Some weeks later we had lunch there, and made a few purchases. I loved the spinach/feta pie. Yes, that’s better known as spanakopita.  And we bought some olive oil. Of course, we brought home dolmades and pastries. The latter included some amazing walnut cake that was spectacular paired with honeyed apricots I preserved this year. 

Overall: amazing and happy making. For a review from 2015, click here. 

Location: 439 Monroe Avenue, Rochester NY 

Ottawa Eats: Pure Kitchen

Despite the fact that I am reading a delightful book critiquing the politics of purity, this restaurant is worth visiting! It's name: Pure Kitchen. 

What's the book?  Against Purity: Living Ethically in Compromised Times by Alexis Shotwel. The book is arguing (so far and very over-simplified) marketing purity (simple lines, names like Pure dish soap) and politically inflecting along lines of purity (purity of  ideology or politics, for example) and, on the other hand, living fully in worlds where everything is always already compromised. You want to eat vegetarian? Does that reduce your carbon profile (yes and no). Do you want to argue for reproductive justice in a culture (for which you also want to support cultural autonomy rather than colonialist management) which opposes abortion and women's rights? How does compromise itself lead to -- or undermine - ethics? Is refusing to compromise unethical?

In any case, the book came to mind when I chose Pure Kitchen as a place to eat in Ottawa some time ago. We were hungry. I was a tiny bit testy. Without even looking, I imagined: vegetarian or vegan, clean lines and a sense of hip humor. And, that's exactly what I got. Let me elaborate. 

Pure Kitchen has staff with humorous punny kinds of t shirts, a youthful vibe but an age diverse clientele, and offers things like smoothies but also cocktails (and yes it is a juice bar), and a variety of veggie foods (including multiple kinds of veggie burgers). We went with (a) guacamole with chips to get us into the frame of mind of being less hungry so capable of ordering; and then (b) I wanted pirogies because, for some reason, I was on a pierogi kick. Alas, no pirogues so we had the quite wonderful dumplings. I admit it -- they were so good that we had two orders. I have a vague memory of getting something else, but the memory receded past the dumplings!

And, I have no idea what cocktail I got, though I was on a kick involving gin, cucumber and herbs that week. So, I likely had something like that. 

It was damn (pardon me) hot out and the respite was wonderful. I would, in fact eat there again. Pure Kitchen made me happy because it was not annoyingly cloyingly veggie, or annoyingly cloyingly pseudo politically healthy. It was just tasty food in a reasonable venue on a very very very hot day. 

Location: 340 Elgin Street, Ottawa -- and parking can be a pain, but it was not the day we went to Pure Kitchen and briefly wandered the streets. 

For a review form the Ottawa Citizen, click here. For a totally well done blog review that is much more detailed than what I provided to you, click here. 

 

Ottawa Eats: Atelier

Atelier is amazing. It is flat out over the top amazing. A 12 course tasting menu which did not overdo it (does that sound like a contradiction in terms?), with attentive non-robotic service from the moment of one's reservation (they called several times to make sure we knew what we were getting ourselves into and planned for the several hours of dining), pairings worth the price and, most crucially, surprising and amazing food which was not simple nor was it so over complex that the idea of eating was the furthest thing from one's mind. The techniques were all there -- sous vide fish and various tinctures -- the ingredients were all there -- spices and kimchee and the lightest vegetable waters and more -- and the plating was sometimes humorous and sometimes serious but never distracted from the dish. 

I give this place an A++. 

A few memorable bits: (a) early courses featured a variety of fish and several of these items were among the best fish I have ever had -- sous vide and more. One of them was "plated" in a kind of hanging terrarium, something which looks fun but is often awkward. I loved this and it was easy to eat. (b) the use of spices was delightful, especially one that involved a kind of deconstructed curry -- in the sense that the various very colorful -- and in this instance amazingly tasty - spices appeared as an array of powders on the plate. The coming together of the dish was among the best I have ever had in a tasting menu. Another dish had some house made kimchi in it -- and that too was tasty -- tart, spicy hot, but not overwhelming.  (c) the final bit was two truffles made by an assistant (or was she an intern?) in the kitchen. They were amazing.

One comment on location: We did decide to cab it to the location to ensure that we could both enjoy the evening rather than having the designated driver distracted from the pairings. Good idea. Do, though, listen to the restaurant when they remind you that there is NO signage. The site is not very impressive from the outside -- nor very high end inside -- but truly the food is impressive. 

Location: The location made me smile every time I had to say it: 540 Rochester Street, Ottawa. Those who know me will know why this made me smile. 

Other reviews: Here is what they have on their own website in regards to press.