Tag Archives for photography

Winemaker’s dinner – food porn

My husband and I are fortunate to live in the heart of Washington’s wine country. Within an hour of our home there are well over 200 tasting rooms and growing. Of course, we all have our favorites and luckily the two of us agree that Terra Blanca is top notch (and the people there are very friendly, too!). We belong to their wine club and enjoy visiting their gorgeous facility. We recently attended a winemaker’s dinner there that featured their signature wine, Onyx. This is what we got to enjoy:

This is what a wine dinner table looks like when you're having a seven course meal with seven different wines...

This is what a wine dinner table looks like when you’re having a seven course meal with seven different wines…

first course - Cocoa dusted sea scallop with roasted wild mushrooms and fig syrup. Paired with 2002 Onyx

first course – Cocoa dusted sea scallop with roasted wild mushrooms and fig syrup. Paired with 2002 Onyx

second course - Roasted beet tartare with goat cheese, sumac powers, beet chip, and arugula pesto. Paired with 2003 Onyx

second course – Roasted beet tartare with goat cheese, sumac powder, beet chip, and arugula pesto. Paired with 2003 Onyx

 

third course - pork with greens, red wine jus, and barley truffle risotto. Paired with 1999 and 2006 Onyx

third course – pork with greens, red wine jus, and barley truffle risotto. Paired with 1999 and 2006 Onyx

At this point we had a palate cleansing lavender scented sorbet with vanilla-honey and apple, but I didn’t get a decent photo of that. It was lovely!

fifth course - Duck breast with roasted parsnips, dark cherry gastrique and braised Swiss chard. Paired with 2000 Onyx

fifth course – Duck breast with roasted parsnips, dark cherry gastrique and braised Swiss chard. Paired with 2000 Onyx

 

sixth course - Lamb crusted with pepitas, with black current veal jus and potato croquette. Paired with 2009 Onyx

sixth course – Lamb crusted with pepitas, with black currant veal jus and potato croquette. Paired with 2009 Onyx

 

seventh course - Chocolate gateau with wildberry jam, Hawaiian sea salt, vanilla bean creme, and caramel glass. Paired with 2007 Onyx

seventh course – Chocolate gateau with wildberry jam, Hawaiian sea salt, vanilla bean creme, and caramel glass. Paired with 2007 Onyx

The pork had two pairings because the winemaker (Keith Pilgrim) and his wife (ReNae) had differing opinions of which was better. The vote of the room was for the 1999 Onyx, which means Keith gets to keep being the winemaker as that was his choice. Both were excellent, but I picked the 1999 as well.

The beet salad made me nervous as I had a traumatic beet experience as a youngster that involved a salad bar and an assumption that something was a spiced apple when it was, in fact, a beet. But I tried everything and I did enjoy the beets – I suspect the roasting had a lot to do with that. I’ll not be running out for beets, and I probably enjoyed the goat cheese more, but I cleaned my plate.

The lamb was my absolute favorite of the food dishes (though the chocolate cake was divine!). Although the 2009 Onyx is really young it is amazing already. We walked out with several bottles to enjoy at home.

All in all, if you have the chance to attend something like this – DO IT! We hired a car service so we could enjoy and be safe. It’s certainly an extravagance, but we had a wonderful evening and met some really interesting people.

Bon appetit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scene while walking: February 21, 2013

 

At the National Mall in Washington, D.C., there are a lot of waterfowl. During my time there I chanced upon a couple of ducks who were dipping into the water for a snack. This has always made me giggle and whisper (if I’m in a crowd) “DUCK BUTTS!”

These two appeared to be doing a synchronized swimming routine.

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Scene while walking: February 20, 2013

I had time recently to walk by many of the memorials in Washington, D.C. One of the most moving for me is the Vietnam Memorial – a wall of names memorializing lives cut far too short. On this day I saw a young boy standing on the shoulders of a man and making an etching of someone’s name. I have in my mind all three are related, and the name he was capturing is a man he never got to know.

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Scene while walking: February 18, 2013

I have a job that requires some travel. Most of the time I just get to see airports, hotels, and meeting rooms. But recently on a trip to Washington D.C. I had a little time before a dinner meeting and took a long walk around the National Mall. The most visible thing from a distance is, of course, the Washington Monument. It is still closed for repairs from the earthquake, but the outside view is always impressive. And since today is President’s Day (the day we celebrate George Washington’s birthday) it seems appropriate to share these photos today.

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Here is the view looking back from the Lincoln Memorial:

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Scene while walking: February 15, 2013

I finally went for a walk with my “real camera” in tow. Mind you, I now have a real camera because my mother got a new camera for Christmas and I now have her old one – plus a big lens and superb tripod and carrying case. I still need to figure out how best to carry it all and not ruin my back and neck, but I am so happy that I carried it on this particular day. I walked by a ranch that has a small herd (if that’s the right term) of goats. They are so attentive as I walk by but are usually far from the road where I am walking. This day, however, they were very close to the road and the little kids decided to show off by climbing all over a wood pile (and they enjoyed eating bark, too).

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I caught this one in a rather unflattering moment, but it makes me laugh so I decided to share it with you:

IMG_2743Apparently bark is tasty. I shall let them have it though. Interestingly, the adult goats were focused on grass (but all I ever saw was the back of them so no photos this time…)

IMG_2741Based on the adults, when these kids grow up they will have fine beards that will swing gently to and fro when they turn around to look at the strange humans walking by.

 

 

Scene while walking: February 13, 2013

Every weekday when I am working from my office I try to get there early and spend my first hour walking. In fact when I don’t do this I find my day doesn’t go as well. That early walk is a great time for my brain to wander and for me to simply enjoy the scenery. It helps me keep everything in perspective, I think. This may be true in part because I have the privilege of walking by the Columbia River at sunrise, and it is a glorious sight.

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note the duck wakes!

Scene while walking – February 8, 2013

A lot of my neighbors have horses. I hadn’t appreciated just how many before I started walking regularly. One on my street will ride her horses on the canal edge across from our home and when we have the windows open we sometimes hear him whinny as they go by. While I was out recently she was riding him – I was too far away to catch up and ask for a photo this time, but I did get this picture as she rode him to a nearby field to let him run a bit. It’s not a fabulous photo, but I like the sunlight and framing of the horse. I also enjoyed watching him gallop in the field.

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click for large version. It’s better.