…COMPLETES THE TRIFECTA - FOOD, WINE AND DOGS.

Usually we like to get away the weekend after Labour Day. The weather is still nice. The summer crowds have dissipated. Up to this point, Whistler has been the destination of choice. This year we threw a change-up and decided to visit a friend who lives on Vashon Island, which is a 20 minute ferry ride from Seattle.  What a great call. Vashon was made for us. On the ocean, of course, which means sandy beaches for Makena (if your dog is like ours, sand is the cocaine of the dog world).  It’s also very rural, fields of green and trees forever.  The comunity is very enviromentally concious, which always makes me feel better about all the empty wine bottles we leave in our wake. This next point may only be my perception, but there were a lot of Obama signs around, which made me feel like I was amongst people who were intelligent and cared about the world (I hope that wasn’t too preachy). Anywho, this getaway rocked and here’s why:

A GREAT ROAD TRIP -  We leave at 5:30 am, ’cause that’s how we roll.  Not a car in front of us at the boarder. HOV lane sailed us through rush hour in Seattle and Adam Carolla’s morning radio show kept us laughing all the way (side note: rent The Hammer and watch the extras).  A quaint, quick ferry ride over glassy water and we were there.

MAURY COTTAGE - Our accommodations were everything we dreamed.  Maury Cottage is the perfect B&B (bed and bone).  It’s a great self-contained cottage on a beautiful property and they’re dog friendly.  Could it get any better?  Well, yes - the cottage has a custom-made Japanese soaking tub. The owners, Michael and Catherine, are lovely people and their accommodations are top notch. They also have a sweet dog, Sasha, who’s a Black Russian Terrier.  She kind of looks like a black Bouvier.  Like Bouviers, Sasha is an excellent guard dog but very kind and gentle with those she knows.  Michael and Catherine’s property is actually on Maury Island which is connected to Vashon Island. To see what I’m talking about, check out a great interactive map.

This is our new home-away-from-home on Vashon.  Makena already guard-dogging.

PERRY’S -  I have a passion for good old-fashioned diner burgers. Every vacation we go on, I search out the best burger the locals have to offer.  Perry’s killed it.  KILLED IT!  The owner even came out and hung with us at the picnic tables after making our lunch (I think he was mostly there to hang with Makena). This burger, fries and milkshake combo was as memorable as our first trip to In-N-Out Burger in Vegas.

THE MONKEY TREE -We ate at The Monkey Tree 3 times.  Mostly breakfast and snacks. Great, fresh baked goods.  This place reminds me of my home town, Nelson, B.C., because it’s run by hippies.  Beautiful, laid back people.

VASHON WINERY 

Ron Irvine’s barrels of liquid love.

Our friend, Melodie, who we were visiting, introduced us to some really great and interesting people. That includes Ron Irvine, the owner of Vashon Winery. We hung out with him at his Winery for a couple of hours and I don’t think he stopped smiling once. This man has great energy and he is a fantastic story teller.  He told us numerous stories about his wine making adventures and they were all funny and entertaining. When he was done each story, I’d learned something new about the wine making process. Ron does tastings at his winery. He also brings in musical artists for concerts on his property and recently even had a poetry reading. We brought home 2 bottles of 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, one 2005 Semillon and the Tramp Harbour Red.

VASHON WINE SHOP  was our next stop.

The most delicious living room on Vashon Island.  Did someone say “sleepover?”

We met Stephen McClure, the owner of the Vashon Wine Shop and hung out with him for his Friday evening tasting. This place is a great space. The shop is in the lower floor of a house right downtown on Vashon Hwy (kind of like the Main Street of Vashon). Listening to Stephen and Melodie talk about wine was fascinating. It also hammered home how little I know about wine. Stephen is a major foodie as well, which makes him the perfect guy for recommending wine pairings. He was also smitten with Makena and invited her into his shop. The more I think about it, Stephen should be writing for Food, Wine & Dogs. We’ll work on that. 

CRAZY MAZIE is the the furry reason we made the trip.  Mazie is Melodie’s new Golden Retriever pup.  We love watching Makena play with other dogs.  Put a glass of wine in my hand and I could settle in for hours. So this this video is perfect.  It was taken while we were sampling the wines of Vashon Winery and the girls played just feet away. 

MAKE VASHON YOUR NEXT GETAWAY!

Grilled Sea Scallops on Forest Mushroom Risotto is classic combo. Kind of like Wieners and Kraft Dinner, only more gourmet, savoury, delicious, tastier, better for you, more …  Okay it’s nothing like KD & Wiens except that it’s a combo. Scallops are easy and quick to cook.  I just toss them in a little olive oil and fresh ground black pepper, grill them for a couple of minutes on each side and that’s it. There is so much flavour in the the risotto, it’s nice to keep the scallops simple and enjoy their clean fresh taste. It’s great that the scallops are so simple because the risotto takes a little more effort. Please do me a kindness and have a bottle of your favorite red wine with this dish.

It seems as though I took June off, from posting that is. T and I have both been very busy on the work front, but now it’s time to get back to serious business: Eating, Drinking and Playing with my Dog.  We went to a friend’s house for a little Canada Day Celebration.  It was a great time to relax and partake. Addy and Irene have two beautiful kids and two beautiful dogs. Ads also has the classic Weber charcoal BBQ. It was the perfect time for me to test out my new BBQ Rub on someone else besides my wife.  I brought along some chicken thighs and let the taste-test begin. At this point I only have a propane BBQ and it’s only got one good year left in it.  The master plan is that next spring I’m getting a new Weber Propane Grill and a new Weber Charcoal Grill.  So this was a great chance to test drive Addy’s BBQ. There is nothing like cooking with real coals.  But for speed and heat accuracy (when I’m spinning a pork shoulder on the rotisserie for 6 hours) I still like the propane with a little help from a smoker-box. So, obviously, I need both.  

One last quick note: The pic above is part of the grub we got elbow deep in at Addy and Irene’s.  He did the prawns (shell-on) tossed in just a little olive oil and minced garlic and we whipped up a little Basil Aioli (1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 garlic clove minced, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil).  De-Lish!

Here is the Rub Recipe.  Don’t be shy when working it into you meat.   It works great with Chicken and Pork. It should last you a few trips to the BBQ.  I’ve done 2 dozen thighs 4 pork loin chops and I still have enough for the 8 pound aforementioned shoulder that I’m going to spin this Saturday.  I need a drool-cup already and it’s only Wednesday.  Happy BBQing!!

My friend Andy turned me on to Amarone wines when he took me out for dinner to a great Italian restaurant in Yaletown called Amarcord.  We had the Tommasi Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico.  Wow, what a beautiful, full bodied, smooth red.  But at $59.98, I’m not cracking a new bottle seven nights a week so I did some hunting and found the Grandarella.  

It’s not a true Amarone; it’s a Super-Venetian, but the grapes are semi-dried in their skins on wood racks like an Amarone.  It is delicious, although not in the same league as the Tommasi.  The Grandarella is half the price but I wouldn’t say the Tommasi is twice as good.  The Grandarella drinks bigger than its price tag at $29.99 from B.C. Liquor Stores.

Tasting Notes from Web:

A dry, round and structured wine. A Supervenetian from semi-dried indigenous grapes (Refosco and Carmenère) produced in Friuli at Castions di Strada by Masi, a specialist in the production of wines from semi-dried grapes, such as Amarone. Grandarella is ideal for red meats, game and cheeses.

A little bit of pancetta adds a lot of flavor to a recipe. You can lay it over your roast turkey or baked chicken breast.  If you’re barbequing beef tenderloin (filet mignon) sit it on top of your steak instead of wrapping it in traditional bacon.  I fry pancetta in olive oil before browning a roast like in my Braised Beef with Tripolina Lunga recipe.  It’s also great to fry up with onion, garlic and celery when making a soup stock.  

But if you really want to O.D. on this beautiful smoky Italian bacon, I’ve got the recipe for you. This appetizer cannot be eaten without a glass of red wine.  It’s T’s creation.  If you like goat cheese you’ll love it.  It’s delicious and simple to make.  A warning though, it is very rich.  You may want to have the defibrillator paddles within arms reach.  Enjoy.

This recipe is a combination from a couple of Mexican cookbooks and the Cuisinart cookbook. You won’t be satisfied with the grocery store stuff once you try this!  Mmmmmmmm….nachos.

Many people who only know Makena from the videos I’ve posted think she only moves in slow-motion to music.  That’s not the case.  The baby-girl has a brand-new haircut and she is High Speed.

Hair cut by Fetch

Ska music by Moskovskaya

Treat ball from Fetch

Enjoy

Sunday morning quickie - French toast is easy and almost foolproof. Add crispy bacon and you’ll be saying “What Hangover?” The French bread is better if it’s a day old. If T has made her Caesar Salad the night before, it’s the perfect way to use up the rest of the loaf we had for the croutons. Don’t forget some good Canadian maple syrup. I like a little more vanilla flavour and that’s reflected in the directions below. For the spice, substitute what you like best.  We do nutmeg or cinnamon.

We love their wine and we’ve been patiently saving this one. We went back to my hometown of Nelson a couple of years ago and made sure we drove through the Okanagan wine country on the way back. We wheeled into Burrowing Owl Estates Winery and were immediately impressed. It’s a beautiful set-up on a hill right in the middle of the vineyard. Their restaurant, The Sonora Room, is an amazing space with its super-high ceiling and beautiful views. When we were there they were just breaking ground on the Guest House. My good friend, Melodie “The Enabler,” stayed there last fall, loved it, and told me I had to pay a visit. I might just pack up the wife and dog and move there.  Not the Okanagan…  I mean live right at Burrowing Owl, in the restaurant. Great food, unlimited supply of Burrowing Owl wine.  

During our visit, we tasted the four wines available and bought all but one. It’s interesting tasting wine that’s actually too young to drink. You have to project your tastebuds to the future and imagine what that wine will become. When you’re swirling it around in your mouth you can tell that all the deliciousness is there and it’s exciting to think of how good it will actually be in a couple of years.  

As always, Burrowing Owl came through with this 2005 Cab-Sauv. To try it yourself, pop into your closest Liberty Wine Merchants.

The last thing I must add is the meal that accompanied our Cab-Sauv. It had been calling my name for a year:  Italian Fondue! Please check with your doctor before trying this recipe. I saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on the food channel and talked about it so much that our visiting cousins bought us a super-sweet fondue set. The ingredients to the heart-stopper: Gruyere, Fontina and Pancetta….  yes, I said Pancetta. We made the recipe for just the two of us and had to shut it down about half way through. Absolutely delicious but very rich.  Invite a couple of friends over.

2005 burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon awards:

2007 Grand Harvest Awards
Bronze - 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Okanagan Wine Festival
Silver - 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon tasting notes:

Aroma in this wine are an intense, rich expression of varietal primary fruits, including cassis and black berry, interwoven with toasty oak tones, tobacco, cedar and cloves. On the palate, there are soft, luscious tannins with length and balance, and a nice, warm finish. This wine rounds out the reds of 2005 which was an outstanding vintage.

 Price:$38.00(ish)

Another Moment of Zen watching dogs play.  Makena and Sophie (our good friends Evan and Gaile’s dog) playing at a park just off Chancellor Blvd out by UBC.  All set to the Musical stylings of Richard Cheese. Editorially I know theses are all bad cuts.  But what could I do, Evan kept throwing the ball the same direction.