Bucket List

The Barn at Blackberry Farm

Recently a dear friend of mine lost her husband suddenly. It was such a shocking loss to all who knew this loving couple that it served as a wake-up call that life is indeed fleeting and incredibly precious. While such euphemisms are oft-repeated but not routinely felt, this loss has forced me to refine my perspectives on many things. I was inspired to create a bucket list of the culinary sort. I'm sure it will be an evolution, but here is my first crack.

Pike Place Market, Seattl

DRINK CHAMPAGNE. Getting specific, I would preferably sip with Carol Duval-Leroy, the power woman in charge of one of the top champagne houses in the world. Of course I would want to taste bubbly with her at her family's historic winery in Vertus, located in the Côte de Blancs subregion of Champagne. Vertus is one of the highest rated Premier Cru villages of Champagne. Champagne Duval-Leroy is also my favorite, so this is all a no-brainer.

DESTINATION RELAXATION. Blackberry Farm, located in Walland Tennessee in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains, is a posh bed & breakfast renowned for world class cuisine. On-property bakery, there is a butchery, a salumaria, and acreamery. Their 8,000-square-foot wine cellar compliments the efforts of Executive Chef Joseph Lenn in The Barn, the farm's chief dining nevue. Chef Lenn prides himself on providing the region's best "Foothills Cuisine." Did I mention that Blackerry Farm frequently has visiting chefs for one-of-a-kind culinary experiences?


EAT LOTS OF CARBS. You know where this is going: Italia! While I've had some delicious Italian food stateside, I want the real McCoy. Authentic Neopolitan pizzas, Venetian risotto and polenta, and tortellini and lasagne from Bologna is at the top of my list... Fantastico! (Of course, periodic gelato and affogato to break up the straight-up carbohydrate fest will be necessary).

Ruth Rechl

SHOP. COOK. REPEAT. While I love my Broad Ripple Farmer's Market (and I do!), I want a full week of the world's best fresh seafood, vegetables, and artisan goods at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Ideally, I would rent a little place in walking distance to the market and just knock myself out cooking and enjoying all of the local fare.

DINE WITH RUTH REICHL. The queen of all food critics, Ruth Reichl's career has been incredibly rich and varied. An accomplished cook, author, and critic, her book Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of Critic in Disguise, is an inspiration for any person who thinks about food as a way of life. Meeting her would be mind-blowing, but sharing a meal would just be over the top. 


 

Petite Chou

PART ONE: We braved Petite Chou for dinner 12/13, the night of their highly anticipated re-opening after spring flooding demanded a complete remodel. I would not typically even consider patronizing a restaurant on day one (unless I'm supporting a friend, of course), but in this case we were just too tired of waiting and decided to chance it. Not surprisingly, the Martha Hoover Patachou machine was working like beautiful Swiss clockwork and producing simple, fresh, French-inspired food that is scrumptious.

Warm Quinoa Salad

As soon as we walked in I knew we had made a good decision (why had I doubted?). Though I confess I like the old decor better (the new décor is more subtle), the new layout works much better. No, you won't really recognize it, as the whole thing has been gutted with different walls and seating patterns.

We ordered a lovely bottle of Crémant and started on what felt like a celebratory dinner for no particular reason other than cravable French food is once again in Broad Ripple Village. C'est magnifique!

Chicaken Paillard (split)

We commenced with the warm quinoa salad of edamame, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, olive oil and rice wine vinegar. What seemed like a summer salad was more hearty served warm, and it was delightful. My dinner guests hadn't wanted to order it (said it sounded boring), and he ended up scarfing down most of it and raving that it would be the perfect lunch with the little side of dressed field greens that served as its accompaniment.

Warmed Beets with Goat Cheese

We next indulged in the chicken paillard for which the Petite Chou has become famous. No matter how much I will myself to try something else, I just cannot do it. My mouth forgets how to say anything different when it comes time to order. I also order both sauces, mustard and lemon, because I love them both so much. We shared sides of pommes puree and warmed beets with goat cheese. Every last bite was gone in seconds. 

Chocolate Pot de Créme

We ended the meal with another simple classic, chocolate pot de créme. It was rich, unctuous, and no slouch of a dessert. I was thrilled to find that the homemade chantilly cream was lightly dusted with crunchy sea salt, a fabulous addition. 

PART TWO: Saturday morning we decided to pop in for breakfast at 9am. Apparently the word had not yet traveled that they were open again, because we sat right away. The breakfast menu has some tempting new additions (like the crépe with mushroom duxelle, spinach and goat cheese that I devoured), but mostly it's wonderfully familiar. We also enjoyed the Overachiever omelet with white cheddar, bacon, sour cream and horseradish. Breakfast is on the pricier side but the portions are big enough that I don't mind.

Crépe

Overacheiver Omelet

I have already given Petite Chou fabulous marks, but their re-emergence as one of Broad Ripple Village's best dinner locales warranted a reminder. Breakfast and lunch are also a good bet. Cheers!

Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser on Tasting...

This article was posted by Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser.  Click here for more on this true wine expert.

As a brief forward, I would like to note that fewer than 200 people in the world earn the title of Master Sommelier. It is a title that is as rigorous as it is prestigious. Click here to learn more. For those of you interested in being more proficient students, this article does a fantastic job of introducing wine and its many flavor profiles. Happy reading (and happier tasting)...

Tim Gaiser, Master Sommelier

To a linguistics specialist life is filled with conditional sentences or “if - then” clauses.  For the rest of us that translates as “if X is true then Y must also be true.”  The “if - then” clause also applies to tasting.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat across a table from a student in a coaching session or in an exam and watched them describe a wine completely, eloquently, perfectly and then, in the words of the all-knowing Bugs Bunny, take a left turn and go to Albuquerque with the conclusion as in the completely wrong place.  It’s as if they either didn’t listen to themselves while tasting or for some reason they can’t connect the dots to come up with a conclusion that makes sense given the information they found in the glass.  Ultimately the sensory evaluation sequence where one gathers as much information about a wine’s appearance, aroma and palate is only half the equation.  What’s equally important, arguably even more important, is that the taster be able to make sense out of all the information to come up with a logical conclusion.