Creative Wine Names

When it comes to wine, I am no expert. I have my favorites and I know what my friends enjoy if they are coming over for dinner. I even have a few varieties that I go to when taking a bottle as a gift. Still, there are times when I see a wine with a unique label or a creative name and I have to add it to my cart. Recently, I have found this creativity reaching new heights and wanted to share a few names that have made me laugh – some have even surprised me turning out to be great wines.

-“Ass Kisser” Chardonnay, Australia
-“Earth, Zin & Fire” Zinfandel , California
-“Train Wreck” Cabernet Sauvignon, California*
-“Evil” Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia*
-“Cheap White Wine” Blended White, California
-“Mommy's Time Out” Pinot Grigio Blend, Italy
-“Fat Bastard” Shiraz, France*
-“7 Deadly Zins” Zinfandel, California*
-“3 Blind Moose” Chardonnay, California*
-“Herding Cats” Blended Red, Africa
*Wines that I have tried and enjoyed.

If you are at the store and see a label that makes you smile, give it a shot. The bottle may not only start a conversation, it may make you start enjoying a new wine. Enjoy!

Holiday Brunch: Eggs Chesapeake

While breakfast is the most important meal of the day, brunch is arguably the most fun! I have had great times meeting my friends in the city for brunch or exploring new restaurants with my wife while touring different neighborhoods. There is something about a relaxing Sunday and eating at your leisure that makes brunch the most fun meal of the week!

This week was a special brunch. Given the holiday, the girl and I decided to stay home and relax but we were not giving up the meal we love. We made a memorable meal at home and enjoyed the day together. Our dish was based on one served at one of our favorite breakfast/brunch restaurants, “The Chicken or The Egg,” on Long Beach Island. Check them out: http://www.492fowl.com/ - while their style is easygoing and fun, their food is no joke. (Btw: it took all I had not to write ‘no yolk’ there.)

This dish is the perfect mix of flavors. Starting from the bottom, the dish includes a toasted English muffin topped with cheese, a crispy crab cake, and a poached egg. Finally, the dish is topped with rich, creamy hollandaise sauce. Delicious. Paired with perfectly seasoned hash brown potatoes and a kiwi for color and as a nice palette cleanser, it was truly a brunch meal we’ll never forget. Wash it down with a nice, crisp Mimosa. Enjoy.

Hurricane Warning

As with the end of every summer, hurricane season is back again. Right now we are in the thick of the 2010 season and Earl is heading for our shores. For those of you on the east coast it may be time to head to the grocery store and pick up all the essentials. I recommend you stock up on everything necessary to wait out the storm: milk, water, eggs, bread, brie, fresh pesto, etc. Ok, so perhaps I am the only one with the last two items on my essentials list – to each their own.  Regardless of what is on your essentials list, stock up now and be careful – hurricanes are nothing to mess with. Stay in, stay calm, and take care of yourselves.