[Wine] Torres Priorat

DISCLOSURE: My visit to the Torres winery at El Lloar in the Priorat was provided free of charge by Pico Communication and Torres. Many thanks to all those who helped arrange the visit. 

The Priorat is a sun-baked, mountainous region inland from Tarragona and south of Barcelona. Climbing up through the mountains via the modern but very windy roads brings about a sense of awe. Abandoned terraces are visible, cut into the hillsides, once verdant with vines but now abandoned for decades. The combination of emmigration and the fascist rule of Franco took their toll on the Priorat, resulting in an 80% reduction in the area under viticulture. 

The DO Priorat winemaking region was created in 1954, but it wasn't until the late 1980s and early 1990s that things started to change. In 1985, the bottling of bulk wine was phased out and the production of quality wine was phased in. Then came the revolution. In 1989, winemaker Rene Barbier and a gang of likeminded winemakers bought land in the Priorat and introduced fine winemaking techniques along with French grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. The world started to take notice, the modern reputation of Priorat wines was born and it has continued to grow ever since.

The vineyards at Torres near El Lloar

[Travel] New York November 2012 - Part Two

It's been approximately a week since we returned from the USA, and I want to go back. We gorged ourselves in New York before heading south like swallows to the sunnier climate of Florida. The sun shone every day, temperatures remained firmly in the balmy region and I even got some colour. I'm still examining my head to figure out why we returned to a cold, dark and wet Ireland.

Last week, I presented you with Part One of our eating in New York. Now it's time for Part Two. We stayed mainly in the vicinity of our hotel, somewhere in the midst of SoHo, NoHo and the Lower East Side. The area around Essex Street and Rivington Street is heaving with coolness and great venues and we didn't have a hard time finding places to eat. 

The time difference kicked in hard on the Saturday morning and we were up early looking for our breakfast. I came across Shopsins while browsing and their frankly bonkers menu hooked me in. Shopsins is located in a tiny space in a little corner of the Essex Street Market (a wonderful market, which makes me want to live nearby). Apparently chef-owner Kenny Shopsin has a reputation for eccentricity, but all I know is that the food was good. My plate of crisp hash, eggs and bbq duck was colossal ($18),  but matched equally by his heuvos racheros made with brisket ($18). 

Shopsins - heuvos rancheros with brisket and crisp hash with eggs and bbq duck

We headed south from Essex Street, heading towards Century 21 at the bottom of Manhattan. The thought of hours in this bargain heaven department store was too much for Himself, so we split up for a few hours before regrouping and heading back to our hotel. Later we headed out for drinks, finding ourselves at The Noho Star where himself ordered the grilled shrimp BLT ($16.50). I don't know how he does it, as I was still stuffed from breakfast.  The BLT came with a creative side serving of potato crisps mixed with fried sage and rosemary, and himself was delighted with the juicy shrimp. 

The Noho Star - Grilled shrimp BLT with that amazing side dish and some tasty cocktails

Later in the night, my appetite resurfaced so we called to Cocktail Bodega, which himself had spotted earlier. I can only describe the concept as juice bar meets cocktail bar meets diner. Spiked smoothies and fruit juices are served alongside a short selection of street snacks. Despite the informal, counter-order surroundings, the drinks aren't cheap with my coconut smoothie mojito costing $13.  However, just like a juice bar, there is a loyalty card offering every seventh drink free, so perhaps the long term economics are a little easier on the pocket. We ordered tasty glazed coconut curried shrimp ($11) and spicy jerked chicken satays ($7), before crossing the street back to our comfortable hotel bed.

Jerked chicken satays and coconut curried shrimp at Cocktail Bodega

Sunday morning, and it was time to pack up before grabbing brunch and heading to the airport for our flight to Fort Lauderdale. We strolled back to Rivington Street watching the neighbourhood wake up, this time to Spitzer's Corner, which describes itself as an American gastropub. The walls are covered with dark wood planks, giving this venue an immediate feeling of intimacy. With over 80 beers on offer, this could easily be an ideal pub. However, we were here for brunch with me ordering the chorizo hash ($11) and himself having the pork belly and eggs ($12). The pork belly was the clear winner with its succulent fatty softness and  sweet asian marinade of soy, garlic and ginger. 

Spitzer's Corner - chorizo hash on top, with asian pork belly below

Thus New York November 2012 came to an end - but there's more to come when I round up our eating in Miami. 

Shopsin's General Store, 120 Essex Street, New York 10002
URL: www.shopsins.com

NoHo Star, 330 Lafayette Street, New York 10012
Tel: +1 (212) 925-0070
URL:www.nohostar.com
Twitter: @TheNohoStar

Cocktail Bodega, 205 Chrystie Street, New York 10002
URL: www.cocktailbodega.com
Twitter: @cocktailbodega

Spitzer's Corner, 101 Rivington Street, New York 10002
Tel: +1 (212) 228-0027
URL: www.spitzerscorner.com
Twitter: @spitzerscorner

[Travel] New York November 2012 - Part One

We arrived into New York on Friday afternoon. The flight with Aer Lingus had been far from great (food-wise) as my pre-ordered gluten-free meal hadn't made it onto the plane. In addition, all of the snacks and chocolate on sale from the trolley contained wheat in some form or another. By the time we were approaching JFK, my tummy was growling.

We had booked a hotel in the middle of all the cool spots - SoHo, NoHo, the Lower East Side and the East Village. Even better was the fact that the famous Katz's Deli was just a few blocks down the street. Around since 1888, and lately featured on Adam Richman's show "Best Sandwich in America", Katz's Deli is truly legendary. It's gloriously untouched by time, from the paper ticket you receive as you enter all the way to the formica tables and counter tops. Hundreds of photos line the walls, and their famous "Send a salami to your boy in the army" slogan is everywhere. 

Tables and photo adorned walls at Katz's Deli

Even before we had left Ireland, himself had decided that he was going to order the Reuben ($16.75) - a massive sandwich of thickly sliced pastrami, melted swiss cheese, Russian dressing and sauerkraut. I went for the melt in your mouth fatty gloriousness of a hot open faced brisket sandwich ($16.05). Even the terrible frozen steak-style chips couldn't ruin this carnivore delight. Katz's Deli feels immutable, as if it will transcend the centuries. You can read more about Katz's in this GQ article from Alan Richman.

Hanging salamis, the Reuben sandwich and the hot open brisket sandwich

Schillers is located in a former drugstore on the corner of Rivington & Norfolk and comes from famous New York restauranteur Keith McNally. We were lured in by the promise of half-price happy hour cocktails, but our server told us that they wouldn't be available for another hour. Regardless, we decided to stay for one, and I had a slightly savoury tasting pear-jalapeno margarita (if possibly a little too light on the lime). 

Schillers, Rivington Street

Later in the night, we found ourselves down at the northern end of Chinatown. To be honest, it never takes us very long to find asian food, and so we entered Nam Son, a Vietnamese restaurant on Grand Street. After waiting for some tables to turn over, we were seated and we quickly chose two bowls of the ridiculously cheap pho, along with a beef & lemongrass stirfry.

The broth used in pho is made over many hours, by boiling bones, spices and meats. The result is a light coloured broth, which is rich in flavour. Both varieties of pho were wonderful (beef for me and seafood for him), with oodles of noodles. In my case, the topping of thin raw beef slices cooked quickly in the broth once pushed under with the chopsticks. 

Bowls of pho and condiments at Nam Son'n

That's the end of Part One of our eating in New York, but if you want more, read on in Part Two.

Katz's Deli, 205 East Houston Street, New York 10002
Tel: +1 (212) 254-2246
URL: http://katzsdelicatessen.com

Schiller's Liqour Bar, 131 Rivington Street, New York 10002
Tel: +1 (212) 260-4555
URL: www.schillersny.com
Twitter: @SchillersNY

Nam So'n, 245 Grand Street #1, New York 10002
Tel: +1 (212) 966-6507

A Sunday in New York

My job can be pretty demanding. This may come as a shock to those of you who believe the life of a management consultant to be a cosseted existence of champagne and oysters. Sadly, this is not so. Generally it consists of late nights, missed lunchtimes and too many airline lounges. But sometimes, just sometimes, my traveling life can be pretty sweet.

I've been on my current project, an Oracle R12 implementation since November 2011. During the intervening period, I've had to travel to the US several times, sometimes up to 3 weeks at a time. I thrive on international projects, working with a diverse range of colleagues and clients, but being away from home and family can suck.

On my last trip, and with some military quality planning, himself and myself arranged to meet on New York's Fifth Avenue. He flew from Dublin, while I flew north from Raleigh. Our trip coincided with Fleet Week, so the city was at once both quiet and stuffed full of sailors. The weekend flew past with trips to the Empire State Building, Liberty Island, Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial. We didn't plan any food adventures, as the time simply hadn't been available, but luckily Sunday turned out to be a pretty decent day food wise.

Sunday was already bright and warm when we left our hotel on West 37th Street. Brunch was booked in a restaurant on West 23rd Street, so we decided to stroll over, giving ourselves a chance to look round. On our way, we passed Brgr on 7th Ave (between 26th and 27th) where I noticed a sign for their milkshake, proclaimed to be the best Milkshake by New York Magazine. The famous milkshake was a rich, creamy concoction of blueberry and pomegranate. It's pricy at $5.50 plus taxes, but definitely delicious.  

Blueberry & pomegranate milkshake at Brgr

We passed the famous Hotel Chelsea, now hidden under a heap of scaffolding. It's impressive to stand outside this famous location, reading the names of famous guests from the wall plaques. Bob Dylan, Charles Bukowski, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Arthur C. Clarke and even Brendan Behan have all lived at the Chelsea. Then it was onwards for us to the Guilty Goose, a lovely family inn in the heart of Chelsea, where the ground floor has been turned into a restaurant with a fine selection of craft beers. 

Duck and fowl features front and centre on the Guilty Goose menu and the brunch menu serves many classics, all with a little twist. After ordering we were served some rather dull corn bread, along with French press coffee (no espresso based drinks here). My D.L.T., a twist on the classic B.L.T. featuring duck ham, fried egg, lettuce and oven dried tomatoes. This was served with garlic aioli and garlic french fries ($16.00). This was decent enough, but could have benefited from more of the tasty duck ham.

The Duck, Lettuce & Tomato (D.L.T.)

Himself had chosen the Goose omelette which arrived as a delicate pale yellow wrap, covered in micro leaves ($15.00). The omelette was light and fluffy, enclosing a wonderful mix of goose confit, olives, chèvre and english peas. Goose is a meat that I tend to associate with heaviness and Christmas, but here it was light and wonderful.

The Goose omlette

Leaving the Guilty Goose, we continued down to West 22nd Street, where we ascended to the High Line Park. This amazing park was once a 30 foot elevated train line which was originally used to take dangerous train and tram traffic off the New York street level. Unused since 1980, it has since been turned into a mile long promenade on the west side of Manhattan. Its layout changes as you walk, sometimes wide with greenery and benches, sometimes narrow with birdhouses. The sun was blazing down at this stage and it was so enjoyable to sit basking in its warmth.

The wonderful Highline park

We then descended from the High Line Park and followed West 23rd Street down to the Chelsea Waterside Park and Pier. From there we had a lovely view out over the Hudson River, and a less lovely view of a man in a bright neon blue banana hammock playing badminton. That's New York for you, you simply couldn't make it up. 

View of the Hudson River from Chelsea Park

Our fairytale time in New York was drawing to a close, but we made a heroic effort to fit in one last meal at Righteous Urban Barbecue (RUB). New York City isn't exactly where you'd expect to find top-notch BBQ, but Chef Paul Kirk is hailed as one of the best pitmasters in the world and a member of the BBQ Hall of Fame. The restaurant itself is simple and basic. As it was a warm and sultry New York evening, all the windows and doors were wide open, with seating spilling out onto the pavement.

I chose the Burnt End Dinner, which features the point of the brisket, cooked twice until crispy and lightly sauced (€20.95). This is a limited availability dish, and comes with two sides, for which I chose onion strings and super fries. I love the crispy ends of roast meat. In fact, I'm the person who asks carvery chefs for all those crunchy, tasty end bits. These burnt ends didn't disappoint, and neither did the sides.

Burnt ends platter with fries and onion strings

Himself chose a mixed plate of barbecued chicken and ribs. Overall, he wasn't that impressed as the rib pieces were tough and chewy, more reminiscent of jerky. Both platters featured the weird addition of sliced white pan.

Mixed platter of barbecued chicken and ribs

Rub BBQ wasn't quite the high note on which we had hoped to end our New York trip, but it's worth checking out if you do find yourself in NYC, with no chance of venturing further south.  Real BBQ is a great modern cuisine, but unfortunately without too many devotees in Ireland (other than Mike Corcoran down in Ballinascarty, Cork). 

And so it was that our short trip to New York came to an end. We reluctantly got into separate taxis and headed to our separate airports. But we can always say that we arranged to meet on 5th Avenue. 

Brgr, 287 7th Avenue, New York 10001

The Guilty Goose, 131 West 23rd Street, New York 10011

Rub BBQ, 208 West 23rd Street, New York 10011

Whirlwind New York - Day One

Back in November 2011, we recently spent a few whirlwind days in New York. I was passing through on my way to a week's work in North Carolina and I had managed to wedge in a short layover in New York. It was all decided in quite a hurry, which meant that we travelled to New York with no real plans. But as always, New York didn't disappoint.

After a hairy taxi trip, where the driver spent most of the time getting incomprehensible directions from someone on the other end of the line, we arrived at our hotel in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is changing rapidly into a cool spot, providing a nice alternative to staying on Manhattan. Following check-in we headed out into a bright but cold winter's day for a walk. We wandered along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade which has great views onto Manhattan Island. From there, we wandered northwards until we came to the magnificent Brooklyn bridge.

Underneath the Brooklyn Bridge

At this stage we were getting hungry, but thankfully we spotted Ignazio's Pizzeria, tucked in under the Brooklyn Bridge on Water Street. We were drawn in by the delicious looking pizzas served atop pizza stands. I've since seen these stands in many US restaurants and I think it's quite a clever way of serving pizza, as they free up a lot of table space. As drooling over other peoples food from outside a restaurant is never really socially acceptable, we headed inside, where the air was filled with delicious pizza smells.

My tipple of choice was a bottle of delicious Blue Point Blueberry Ale ($5), brewed locally in Long Island, while he enjoyed another native drink, Brooklyn Brown Ale ($7). We shared a simple starter of baked anchovies ($8) while waiting for our Sicilian pizza ($21). When the pizza arrived at the table, it was a riot of colour. Bright red tomatoes and vibrant green basil jostled for position, and the cheesy topping was grilled to crusty perfection. One pizza was more than enough between two of us, especially considering the thicker New York style base.

Blue Point Brewing Company Blueberry Ale

Pizza at Ignazio's, Water St, Brooklyn

Ignazio's Pizzeria, Brooklyn

Refulled, we headed back out into the cold air and continued our walk along Water Street. We entered the Brooklyn Bridge Park and eventually came to the foot of the mighty Manhattan Bridge. At this stage, the winter sun was starting to sink low, providing some lovely daylight for photos. Being down at the edge of the water provided a magnificent viewpoint to survey the city. Afterwards, we turned inwards, and headed south, passing underneath the huge, sturdy feet of the Manhattan bridge, where the air is constantly full of the sounds of passing trains and traffic. I'd reckon that living anywhere near the bridge would require either being a heavy sleeper, or a set of the finest earplugs.       

Manhattan Bridge

Later that night, we found ourselves having a few drinks in Eamonn Doran's on Montague St. That's the great thing about being Irish, there's always an Irish bar with an Irish barman. Even after only 12 hours in America, it was nice to hear an Irish accent.  With a few drinks onboard, we felt insulated enough to head out into a bitter cold night. We walked back down to the Brooklyn Promenade to see the New York Mahattan skyline at night. Despite the intensely bitter cold, this was a magnificent sight.

Himself is always hungry, so on our way back to the hotel we stopped at a Five Guys burgers outlet on Montague Street. Five Guys is a real success story, having grown from a single Virginia store in 1986, to over 900 outlets in the US. Their burgers regularly receive accolades, and there are apparently 2,500 possible burger combinations. Himself kept it simple ordering a bacon cheeseburger and fries.

The burger was very much an American style burger with two thin but juicy patties, oozing melted cheese. The fries were substantial, with skin-on and lightly dusted with a flavouring mix. This isn't a gourmet burger joint, but it is a fast-food joint where you can get a real burger. (Read this blog post for more about a similar chain, Jakes' Wayback Burgers).

Bacon cheeseburger at Five Guys

Fries at Five Guys

More to follow soon on Day 2 of our New York trip...

Curacao Ostrich Farm

During our December holiday on the island of Curacao we visited the Ostrich Farm in Curacao. As part of your visit, a tour guide will drive you on a short circuit around the farm, stopping frequently to explain different aspects of ostriches & ostrich keeping. (It turns out that ostriches are unintentionally hilarious).

As part of our trip, we also got to stand with a bowl of food and feed two adult ostriches. It's a bit intimidating when they are towering over you, with their cold reptilian eyes. One of the birds could have had a career as a lurker - he featured in the background of every photo I took, just lurking.

Once you're finished with the tour, you can also grab a quick snack or more leisurely meal at the Zambezi restaurant, where I enjoyed an amazingly tasty, spicy & moist ostrich burger. The Ostrich Farm offers a free pick-up service if you book evening dinner. Sitting on the veranda at twilight or during the night would be amazing.

Île Sainte-Marguerite - Cannes

While on our recent holiday, we decided to take a day-trip to the lovely Ile Sainte-Marguerite, just a few minutes by ferry from Cannes. It's the largest of the Lerin Islands and its main attraction is the fortress prison which is allegedly the source of the story of The Man in the Iron Mask.

The ferry departs on a fairly regular basis from Quai Maxime Laubeuf and it's only about 10 minutes to the island. As you approach the island, you can see the fortress to your left and the clear blue water with moored yachts will take your breath away.



We spent a while wandering around the fort, followed by a long walk through the forest and pathways of the island. A word of warning, there are some restaurants on the island, but they are pricey, although there is a great little van that does good value coffee. Bring some bottled water with you to keep you hydrated.

The island is a perfect antidote to the tourism of Cannes. We spent a while following a little salamander through the shrubs and later watched birds nest. The island was a welcome change of pace.

A Sunday in Cannes

We arrived into Cannes around midday on Sunday and went immediately from the Gare SNCF to our hotel, the lovely, modern Hotel Le Renoir on rue Edith Cavell. Our room on the 4th floor was huge and beautifully decorated in soothing creams with a large bathroom. Our balcony provided a beautiful view of Northern Cannes as well as the Alps to the East. Pleasant and polite staff added to the charm of the hotel. This place really is a little treasure, especially if you can book it at a reduced price on the internet.

The one downside to Hotel le Renoir was the fact that WiFi access was not free. In fact it was quite expensive. I hate paying for WiFi access, especially in hotels, and I really dislike high internet charges. Hotels, especially cool ones, really need to cop themselves on in this regard.

We took a walk towards the port, and had an excellent lunch at Restaurant La Farigoule, 82 rue Meynader located towards Le Suquet. Chicken liver salad and fish soup were the starters while we had fish and duck for mains. Desserts were also included in the menu for E16. The addition of some sparkling water, a half bottle of rose wine, two coffees bought the total to around E50. The waitress added two shots of apple liquer on the house. Excellent!

We wandered up the hill to La Castre, in Le Suquet, or the old town part of Cannes. The Castre Tower and the Chateau were built in the 11th Century by the monks of Lerin to protect the port of Cannes. Climbing to the top of the tower is not hard (not when compared to the belltower in Brugges) and affords a spectacular view of both the town and the port. You can see all the yachts moored below as well as the ferries which sail regularly to the Iles.


The whole area around Le Suquet is charming and picturesque with steep paved streets, stairs and flowers blossoming. It's a refreshing part of Cannes when compared to the blowsy eastern part of the town.

Later that evening, we went in search of food on Le Suquet. We had walked up the steep rue du Suquet earlier in the day when most of the restaurants were closed, but later in the evening it had transformed into a bustling hive of activity with restaurants perched on the edge of the narrow street. After walking up the whole street, we chose Prego, 16 rue du Suquet, this decision being based on the modern decor and funky red chandelier.

Prego was offerning a menu de degustation for E25 outside the door, but we had to especially ask for the menu once we were seated inside. The restaurants here will take every chance that they can to extract a few extra quid. I had a delicious terrine de foie gras to start while he had petit farcis de Nicois - essentially delicious little meatballs served in grilled vegetables. I then had the St-Jacques, or scallops, served with the coral on, while he went for seabass. Both dishes were served with rataouille and a mix of sauteed leeks. Desserts were chocolate fondant and a creme brulee. One bottle of house red and some sparkling water cost just under E80. It was pretty good food, served in a lovely setting, but such a pity that you had to look for the special menu rather than having it given to you.

Hotel le Renoir, 7 rue Edith Cavell, 06400 Cannes. 04 92 99 62 62

La Farigoule, 18 rue Meynadier, 06400 Cannes. 04 93 38 94 95

Prego Restaurant, 16 rue du Suquet, 06400 Cannes. 04 93 99 92 93