It's Not Flavor. It's Disgusting

This week’s topics include a bargain wine suggestion, I find a new toy that’s 17 years old, the best steaks I’ve ever made, the ghosts of meals past, cat litter in the grill, and I break ranks with my grilling brothers.

A Great Bargain Wine Suggestion.  Rothschild White Bordeaux.  This is a low end wine from the Chateau Lafite Rothschild winery.  Classic Sauvignon Blanc.  Yes, I know it’s a white Bordeaux, but that’s Sauvignon Blanc to you and I.  Fruity melon flavors with a dry finish.  Very nice.  $13.99 at Total Wines and you can impress your friends with your fancy French wine! 

Steaks at Home, Revisited.  I’ve admitted in prior posts to making really good steaks at home.  Frankly, when I order a steak in a restaurant, I really want them to bring me something better than I make at home.  Sadly, I’m often disappointed.  As I said in a prior post, it reminds me of how the Red must have felt after our marriage – high hopes and low expectations.

For years I’ve been using Precious to grill steaks.  Precious is a large, stainless steel gas grill.  I love Precious, but she has her limits.  One of them is that she simply won’t get rocking hot.  500-525 is about her max, and that’s with all burners (including the rotisserie) cranked up. Lately, I’ve been thinking I could do better for steaks.

So, recently I go out to my shed and pull out my old Weber kettle charcoal grill.  The Red bought it for me about 17 years ago.  We’ll call her the Original.  Side note – all grills are females.  Similar to boats.  I’m don’t know why, but that’s the way it is.

For Father’s Day, I decide that I’m going to grill steaks on the Original (bone-in rib eyes, of course!), and I refuse to use the ubiquitous Kingsford briquettes.  Do you actually now what’s in those?  Only some of it is actual ‘wood’.  Nasty.  So, I go to my local Ace Hardware (locally owned and operated, by the way), and buy some Ono charcoal.  Ono is lump, hardwood Kiawe charcoal.  Remember my Hawaii posts?  Kiawe is a cousin of hickory.

What is lump charcoal?  Nothing more than chunks of wood that have been burned into charcoal (burning wood in a low-oxygen environment).  No fillers.   No sawdust.  No crap.  Just wood.  In the case of Ono charcoal, I’m talking chunks the size of a Nerf football. 

How to light charcoal?  Have you ever smelled lighter fluid after you light charcoal?  Yes, some of that burns off.   But, I ask you – do you think that tastes good?  Methinks not.  I strongly prefer my chimney starter, using a little newspaper sprayed with vegetable oil. 

Back to the Father’s Day steaks.  I follow the same routine as I’ve done in the past, but instead of firing up Precious, I start a mess ‘o Ono charcoal in a chimney starter in the Original.  30 minutes or so later, I spread out the coals and I’m ready to grill.

I throw the steaks on and follow my normal procedure for creating hash marks that look oh so pretty.  I then flip the steaks and follow the same routine, though after rotating the steaks 90 degrees, I throw the lid on the Original to allow more of that smoky goodness into the meat.  

Foodie side note – this is why you buy thick steaks and pay real money for them.  You have time to add flavors to the meat, without overcooking the meat which, of course, is the cardinal sin of any griller.    

The Review?  The best steaks I’ve ever made.  Period.  Just salt, pepper, olive oil, and that fabulous smoke flavor from the lump Kiawe charcoal.  The smoke permeated the meat, particularly the pockets of fat that make rib eyes awesome. 

The next time you grill steaks, try lump charcoal and my tried and true method for steaks.  You won’t be disappointed.

It’s not flavor.  It’s disgusting.  Before I start the rant, here are some recent pictures of Precious.  She’s about 6 years old and I’m willing to bet she gets used more than your grill.  As clean as you can get a grill.  Yes, I know there’s browning inside the grill, but that’s just permanent discoloration from years of use.

I treat all of my grills like favorite cars that need love and maintenance.  I take each apart a couple times per year (or more) and scrub all of the pieces and surfaces.  Oven cleaner also works.  After each cleaning, I pour a thin layer of cat litter into the drip tray.  The cat litter absorbs the drippings and you just dump it into the trash when it’s time for cleaning.  

Onto the rant…. I don’t know why, but many of my grilling brothers don’t clean their grills.  Yes, they may brush off the grates now and then, but the caked-on ghosts of meals past are left underneath the grates, along with lots of remnants on the front of the grill. 

Perhaps we men see the grill as our last bastion of manliness that She Who Must Be Obeyed hasn’t invaded.  Perhaps it’s just laziness.  Either way, the excuses range from “It adds flavor,  like seasoning a cast iron pan” to “It helps the grill work better by insulating it more.”

My response to any such excuses?  BS.  First, that half burnt fish skin from last month is not flavor.  It’s disgusting.  Sure, the food remnants are probably completely cooked, so there’s little chance of any food borne illness.  The key word being ‘probably’.  Even if it is flavor, it’s the flavor of old, burnt food and unidentifiable stuff.  Nasty. 

Second, your grill is designed to function the way it comes from the store – clean and without the familiar nasty build ups.  You can’t tell me with a straight face that gas burners work better when they’re all clogged up with last month’s tri tip marinade than when they’re not.

Third, food sticks to dirty grates, which doesn’t result in pretty grilled food.

I’m officially breaking ranks with my grilling brothers and I’m sure to get hate mail due to this.  But, if your wife or girlfriend walks by your grill and says something to the effect of “Eww… You should clean that,” she’s probably right.  Put your big boys pants on and clean your grill.

Happy cooking.

WF

Chateau Lafite Rothschild - 1994 (I drank it)

This week’s topics include the Wannabe Foodie’s favorite Mexican food (anywhere),  décor that’s so cheesy it’s cool, hurts so good spiciness, a once in a lifetime Oenophile experience, and “Is this chicken or fish I’m eating?”

The Wannabe Foodie’s Favorite Mexican Food (anywhere).  Los Dos Molinos, South Phoenix, Arizona.  Los Dos Molinos  Not the location in Mesa, downtown Phoenix, or any other location.  This is the original in South Phoenix.  It is most definitely in the ‘hood’.

So, why is Los Dos Molinos all that and a bag of chips?  First, how about some ambience.  Not only is Los Dos in the hood, it used to be a mortuary.  Seriously.  A mortuary.  Check out the exterior.    

Now check out the interior.  You just can’t replicate this.  It’s cheese in the coolest way possible.  Bright colors and corona chandeliers  If you tried to duplicate this off at home, it would be garish at best. 

The food.  First, it’s hot.  Crazy hot.  By the time you finish all of your food, the water is hot.  I know that sounds impossible, but it’s true.  Here’s the salsa they serve to everyone. 

Think that will fight back in the morning?  I bet it will. 

All of their food is truly special.  However, I almost always get the ribs adovada, one of their spicy specialties.  A side note.  Los Dos is a lot like a Thai restaurant.  If they say it’s spicy, be wary. 

Adovada Ribs are slow braised with lots of herbs and spices.  I wish I could begin to duplicate this dish at home.  The ribs are served with spicy beans, rice, a homemade flour tortilla and, in my case, a great margarita  

The review?  Absolutely fabulous.  The meat is moist and succulent and easily pulls apart with a fork.  Great flavors inside the meat that surprisingly aren't lost in the ‘hurts so good’ spiciness.  Ok, that may not be entirely accurate.  They weren't lost in the spiciness for me.  I know there are a lot people, including the Red, who simply couldn’t handle this level of heat.  All they would taste would be the fiery chiles.  But, if you like hot stuff, this is your dish.

Plus, the cost for three dinners, a pitcher of margaritas, and two extra margaritas was about as much as my meal at Tamayo, my food nemesis.  All Mexican food should aspire to be Los Dos Molinos.  

The next time you’re in Phoenix, drive south on Central Avenue from downtown to Los Dos Molinos.  If you end up in one of the more suspect neighborhoods you’ve been to in quite some time, you’re going the right direction.  Take your Pepcid if you think you’ll need it and enjoy great Mexican food.

A once in a lifetime Oenophile experience.  So, my friend D has some great wines that he has moved around the country.  I think he assumed they were probably bad, because one day he says something to the effect of “I’m looking for an excuse to open a couple bottles.  Are you interested?”  Uhh… yes?  Is this a trick question?

So the Red and I come over for dinner and he opens a bottle of 1994 Chateau Lafite Rothschild.  If you don’t know if that’s a good wine, Google it.  This wine is usually regarded as the best wine in the world, depending on the vintage.  It’s certainly one of the most expensive.  Check it out:  

This wine was by far the most unique wine I’ve ever drank.  It smelled musty, though not bad, when it poured from the decanter into the class.  It tasted great at that time, though I drank it slowly and let it open up for 20-30 minutes.  Every time I tried it, the flavor had changed.  Often dramatically.   As it opened up, new flavors would appear in the wine.  Awesome.

D then opened a bottle of 1986 Silver Oak Alexander Valley.  Another truly special bottle of wine.  When first decanted, it had a slightly tart aftertaste in the back of the palate.  Frankly, it wasn’t enjoyable when first poured.  However, it opened up beautifully.  Imagine your favorite cab.  Now imagine the rough edges knocked off of it and all of the good flavors accentuated. 

Drinking these wines was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Would I spend the money necessary to buy these wines on my own?  No.  Did I absolutely enjoy drinking them and recognize that they were truly special wines?  Yes.  

I owe D big time.  Not sure how I’m going to repay the favor. 

A server that perhaps needs to learn more about food.  So, recently I’m at dinner with my friends B&D at a cool pub in Tempe, Arizona.  Your first beer is $5 minus the average price of gas, which was $1.22 for us. 

We’re chatting with the waitress about various items on the menu and she mentions the fish and chips.  Here’s the conversation verbatim:

Wannabe Foodie:  “What kind of fish is in the fish and chips?”

Waitress:  “Well, it’s fish that they batter and then fry.”

Perhaps she didn’t understand the question or simply didn’t understand that there is more than one kind of fish out there.  I could see my friend B out of the corner of my eye.  He was clearly thinking something to the effect of “Oh lord.  He’s gonna swing for the fences on this one.”

I decided to take the higher ground and simply said “Ok.  Thank you.”  Clearly her future is not in the food industry.  Perhaps in the recording industry.  I may have just met the next Jessica Simpson!  “Is this chicken or fish I’m eating?”

(And yes, she was tipped well.) 

WF

Poutine (uh... what?)

This week’s topics include another cheap shot at Tamayo, my first poutine (it’s actually not a dirty word), a ride on your huffy bike, an unexpected benefit of being the Wannabe Foodie, cat dander in the 

kitchen, and 15 years of love that have gone into my favorite pan.

A quick note for those of you who receive emails of this blog.  I'm not sure why, but the formatting gets all funky when the emails go out.  When you get your email, you may want to just read the blog on the site - WF Blog.  Your call, but thanks for reading.  

Most unique menu I’ve seen in a while – Euclid Hall, Larimer Square, Denver, Colorado.  This is a fairly new restaurant in Larimer Square.  It’s about a stone’s throw from my food nemesis, Tamayo.  I could wave my private parts in the general direction of Tamayo on my way to Euclid Hall while screaming  “Here’s what I think of your overpriced and under spiced food!” 

Here are some menu items from Euclid Hall.  You tell me what kind of restaurant I’m in:  Bruleed Bone Marrow, Foie Gras, Dover Sole Schnitzel, and Lamb Poutine.

Fancy French restaurant?  Uh, no. 

Here are some other menu items:  fried cheddar curds, oyster po boy, beef short rib kielbasa, and a brat burger.

Now you’re thinking it’s a pub, right? 

I suppose both answers are correct because you really can’t categorize Euclid Hall, but here’s my attempt:  over the top, gourmet, foodie, pub food.  The Chef is clearly classically trained, but also adventurous.  Just look at the variety of menu items I listed. 

So my friend J and I recently went to Euclid Hall for lunch.  J ordered the Bavarian Veal Weisswurst, which is made at the restaurant.  Actually, they have a number of homemade sausages to choose from. J also ordered the mustard flight (4 very different mustards).  

I’m glancing through the menu and come across a menu item that frankly, I’ve never seen before.  Poutines.  Yes, I know that it sounds like a dirty word.  Apparently, it’s a Quebec specialty and I can’t believe I’ve never seen one before.  The basic poutine starts with a bed of fresh cut fries, melted cheddar curds, and gravy.  I ordered the Roasted Duck poutine.   

Before you get on your huffy bike about the number of calories which must be in that dish, I agree.  It’s a heart attack on a plate.  It’s also absolutely delicious.  Crunchy fresh fries, barely melting cheese curds, and gravy, all topped with roasted duck.  Be still my beating heart.  Seriously.  I don’t know where this dish has been my whole life.

Euclid Hall is also visually appealing.  They took this old building, gutted it and made it modern, while still keeping the coolness of the old building, including the old hard wood floors.  If you’re a fan of old buildings and architecture, go to Euclid Hall and wander around the building.  I could totally waste a few hours and brain cells there (they have an extensive beer selection). 

Benefit of being the Wannabe Foodie?  My friends in various cities are constantly saying they have to take me to this restaurant, or that restaurant, and so on.  The restaurants are almost always good.  Places like Euclid Hall, which I would not have found on my own. 

Start a food blog, thrown down some snarkiness, and people just can’t help but take you to good restaurants.

What’s in my kitchen that should be in yours?  A block of parmesan.  I always have one in the fridge and I use it all the time.  Pasta, pizza, sandwiches, snacks.  Fabulous to have around. 

So many times I see people with pre-shredded or grated parmesan or, god forbid, the alleged parmesan that comes in a green can.  That stuff has more in common with cat dander than actual cheese.  For about the same price or even less, you could buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself.  You don’t have to big-time it and buy a chunk of parmesan reggiano from Italy, though it is the best cheese around and if you do, please send me some.   

A block of parmesan from Wisconsin is just fine and will taste far better than the pre-processed versions.  Buy it, grate it, place it on your favorite pasta dish, and think “Wow.  This is awesome.  It actually tastes like cheese!”

My favorite pan.  Yes, I have pretty decent pots and pans.  I’ve also waxed philosophically about the beauty of my Paella pan.  But, my single favorite pan is my 14” Lodge cast-iron skillet:   

I bought it about 15 years ago and have slowly seasoned it to the beautiful black you see today.  It’s inaugural seasoning was done in a wood-burning oven in a rustic cabin in Mammoth Lakes.  It was seasoned with….. bacon fat!  Any true southerner will tell you that bacon fat is the only proper way to season a cast iron.

I season it every few months with some additional bacon grease.  I also clean it well every time I use it and lightly coat it with some vegetable oil before storing.  I live in a dry climate, so the base seasoning needs to be supplemented after use.

There are only two ways to get a beauty in this kind of shape.  Inherit it from grandma, or put the decade or so of time into it to get it in this type of shape.

So, WF, why do I care about your obvious love affair with cast iron?  Because it’s a fabulous cooking platform that can literally take all of the heat you can apply to it.  You put it on your hottest burner on high and walk away for five minutes.  Unlike some pans, you’re not going to hurt it.  It’s cast iron!  You’re now ready to sear just about anything.  I use it for searing steaks, seafood, and other proteins.  

I also fry chicken and fish in it.  The Red makes corn bread in it.  We make pancakes and eggs in it.  It’s a decent substitute for a paella pan.  It’s a hell of a weapon against intruders.  Its uses are limitless.   

But, the best part of a this pan this is that it’s got soul.  Plain and simple.

Happy cooking.

WF

renofoodiescott@gmail.com

Trout!

This week’s topics includes pan fried trout caught by Thing 1, some Wannabe Foodie butchery, Denver Mexican food revisited, the Wannabe Foodie eats something that almost induces vomiting, and some unique dinner ambience.

 

A quick note on the speed of this page.  If this page loads slowly for you, it's not the page.  You need to update the version of Internet Explorer you're using or, even better, download Google Chrome.   You'll be shocked by how fast Google Chrome is.  


What am I working on?   Butterflied and pan fried trout! 

First, the backstory.  So this last weekend I took Things 1&2 camping up at Stampede Reservoir.  For those of you not in Reno, it’s a fairly large reservoir 20 miles or so northwest of Reno.  The forecast was for rain and chilly temperatures.  Oddly enough, the Red didn’t jump at the chance to join us. 

We did what you’re supposed to do while camping in the mountains.  We went fishing. 

So Thing 1 pulls up a 2-3 lb. Mackinaw trout.  For those of you who aren’t fishermen, that’s a very nice sized trout.  Beautiful orange colored flesh which is reminiscent of salmon.  You can bet your sweet paella that I’m cooking this beauty up.

So I'm back home from camping and I’m pondering what to do with this critter, which I have never cooked.  I’ve cooked a lot of rainbow and brown trout, but not a mackinaw.  Bake it?  How very Betty Crocker.  Grill it whole?  Ok, that has some promise.  Go Man vs. Wild and cook it campfire style in aluminum foil with lemon, butter, salt, and pepper in the cavity?  That also has some promise, and it’s a great way to cook fresh trout while out camping. 

However, none of those options excites me.  Thing 1 caught a beautiful, somewhat rare trout and I need to do something special with it.  I decide to butterfly it, which I’ve never done before.  It involves cutting the rib cage and back bone out of the fish so that it lies flat.  My first try, so the butchery wasn’t the best.  But, not bad.

I got out my lovely, beautiful, plan-to-hand-it-down-to-one-of-the-Things cast iron skillet and cranked up the heat.  Brushed the fish with olive oil and seasoned it with a little salt and pepper.  Seared it on both sides to about medium-rare.  Here it is cooking.  Note the dog fervently wishing for something to drop. 

I topped the trout with a compound butter made with lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley.  Isn’t she pretty? 

We served the trout with a fresh green salad (with homemade vinaigrette, of course), some oven roasted potatoes, some mac ‘n cheese I stole from the Things, and some fresh French bread.  And, no, I didn’t bake the bread.  I was camping.  Cut me a little slack. 

If that dish doesn’t make you hungry, there’s something wrong with you.   

The review?  Very nice fish and a great way to prepare it.  Butterflying the fish was challenging, though clearly something I’ll get better at with time.  You just need a steady hand, a sharp knife (shockingly, I had one on hand), and some patience.

The cast iron put a nice crust on the fish and the compound butter was a nice way to finish it.

Denver Mexican Food Revisited.  As some of you may recall, I did a less than favorable review of the restaurant Tamayo in one of my first blogs.  I may have suggested that Tamayo reminded me of Jessica Simpson (beautiful, but lacking any substance).  I also indicted Denver Mexican food in general.

  

A number of my Denver friends have since assured me that there is, in fact, good authentic Mexican food in Denver.  Recently, my friend J took it upon himself to prove it.

J took me to Tacos Y Salsa (TYS) on Federal and Mississippi.  For those of you who don’t live in Denver, that is most definitely in the ‘hood’.  TYS is first and foremost a taco place, and they make their own tortillas right in front of you.  The woman in this photo made tortillas nonstop while we were there.    

From her press to the griddle to my tacos.  I think I love that woman….

  

So we belly up to the counter and proceed to order a number of different tacos.  The reviews:

The absolutely fabulous.  Adobada and al pastor.  I would have eaten as many of these as they put in front of me.  I’ve got to figure out how to make those!

The pretty darn good.  Barbacoa.  Good, rich flavor, but not otherworldly good.

The just ok.  Carnitas.  Somewhat dry and simply not that flavorful.

The bad.  Chicharrones.  Chicharrones are pork rinds and they’re usually fried.  These were not.  They were braised.  The flavor was good, but the texture was disgusting.  Akin to large chunks of slimy tofu that slid down your throat as you ate them.    

The vomit-inducing.  At the end of our meal, out server gave us a chile relleno.  The chile was not fresh.  I think it was dried and then steamed.  Or mummified and reconstituted.  Either way, it was flat out disgusting.  The WF will eat just about anything and I had to suppress my gag reflex after my first and only bite.  Horrible.

The ambience.  Well, let’s just say it’s not Chili’s.  Young women in sandals and swimsuits who apparently just came from the water park.   Lots of children without shoes.  A woman in line in front of us who had to be pregnant with twins or triplets.  Families having dinner.  Horchata dispensers that appear to have never been cleaned.

 

The music was truly… special.  First, traditional Mexican music.  Then old hip hop.  Then more Mexican music.  Then 2 Live Crew.  Loud.  With children running around.  Wow.

 

All in all, TYS had some great tacos and I would definitely go back.  However, there are definitely some things that I will never order again!

 

Comments?  Post one below or email me.  renofoodiescott@gmail.com. 

WF

Banishment!

This week’s topic include the Wannabe Foodie banished from his own kitchen (the horror), my friends imitating the cast of Alien, beef birria, a Tombstone reference, age has its perks, the most unique breakfast I’ve had in a while, a random travel note, and an Oenophile book suggestion.

 

Banished from my own kitchen!  So, recently, I come home and my best friend from college and his family are at my house.  The next day, it’s my brother, then my best friend from high school, then most of my Reno friends, and then a lot of other people.   Clearly the Red is up to something.

At some point she walks up to me and says “We’re having people over later.  You will not be cooking.”  Me:  “Uhhh…  Could you repeat that, because it sounded like you said we’re having people over and I’m not cooking?! “  The Red:  “No.  You’re not.  It’s taken care of.”  The nerve of some people…..

So, a surprise birthday party ensued with a LOT of people and a LOT of kids.  So many kids that some of my single friends looked like the cast of Alien, furtively glancing around and worried that one might explode out of their belly …..  “There are so many kids…… They’re coming from every direction….”

The Caterer – El Adobe Café.  So the Red gets a local Mexican food restaurant to cater the party.  El Adobe Cafe.  Great choice.  Wonderful carnitas, beef birria (beef slow cooked in a somewhat spicy red sauce), chicken enchiladas, cheese enchiladas, rice, beans, guacamole, and homemade salsa.  Officially my favorite Mexican restaurant in Reno, and that’s saying something.

Raul must have gotten these recipes from his grandma because they have soul.  Lots of deep, robust flavors that usually come from a large Hispanic woman putting love into a dish for hours and hours.  If only I had married a robust Latina who loved to cook and learned from her grandma….  Marrying for love is so overrated! 

Beef birria – El Adobe has it and you need to try it.  I’ve never seen it on another menu.  Reminds me of a really good chile Colorado, but so much better.  I’d love to tell you what’s in it.  But I can’t, other than lots of mild red chiles, garlic, and beef.  I’m going to see Raul soon and I’m not leaving until he gives me at least one recipe.  Maybe two.  Raul – I’m comin’ and my notebook’s comin’ with me!  Only the Tombstone fans will get that reference.

The Red did a fabulous job surprising me and setting up everything for this party, including food.  The WF couldn’t have piss poor food at his party!  I’m a lucky man, though don’t tell the Red I said that.  I have my curmudgeonly reputation to keep up.

Why birthdays are so cool when you get older.  Everyone that walked in the door handed me a bottle of good whiskey, wine, or some other alcohol.  It reminded me of a 21^st birthday, except that no one showed up with a Coors light party ball, Boones farm strawberry hill (ladies – you know who you are), or Wild Turkey, and the cops didn’t show up.

 

Whiskey rocks, not whiskey on the rocks.  My friends S&J bought me some whiskey rocks for my birthday because they read my rant about not putting ice in whiskey.  You freeze the rocks and put them in your whiskey.  They cool down the whiskey without watering it down.  Very cool.  Check ‘em out:  Whiskey Rocks

Getting older certainly has its perks.

 

Most original and best breakfast I’ve had in a while.  So the Red and I were recently in Colorado for a U2 concert and we ventured up to The People’s Republic of Boulder, Colorado to see some friends.   Went to a great French restaurant that evening, which I’ll write about in a future blog.  The following morning we went out for breakfast to Lucile's, which is a small house converted into a Cajun restaurant.  I ordered the Cajun Breakfast.

This had Wannabe Foodie written all over it.  Red beans and pork topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.  Served with a side of grits and a large, homemade biscuit.  Yes, it’s starchy and no, you don’t feel exactly nimble after you eat it.   

But, it was fabulous.  The pork in the red beans was slightly salty, which went well with the tang of the hollandaise and the richness of the yolk of the perfectly poached eggs.  The grits were, well, grits, which I love.  The biscuit was the quintessential, flaky, buttery, Southern biscuit, though it was cooked in a pie pan and cut out in pieces.  Damn fine breakfast and great for a hangover, hypothetically speaking…

The second photo is what the Red had.  Beautiful dish.  A benedict with avocados, spinach, and hollandaise.

Random Travel Note.  So, here’s what the Red and I learned while in Boulder.  Bras are apparently optional for women of all ages.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  I leave you with that visual.

An Oenophile Book Recommendation – Judgment of Paris – the story of the upstart American wines beating the French in a blind taste test in Paris in the 1970’s.  Gives a great history of the Napa Valley and lots of information about many other wine growing regions in the world.  A great read for any aspiring oenophile.  You think you know wine?  Buy this book and I guarantee you’ll learn something.