Saturday, June 27, 2009

So high on summer
























Had the best trip to Eastern Washington. Some Walla Walla highlights: Great meal at Saffron included sensational rabbit lasagna and the newly released 2006 Northstar merlot. Talk about a great combo! 

Also a yummy blackberry shake from Ice Berg Drive In, French onion soup made with Walla Walla Sweets at Brasserie Four, a meatball sammie at T. Maccarones and the best $1.50 taco from a truck on the west end of town. 

Then, driving back to Seattle, I stopped at Chinook, one of my all-time favorite wineries to pick up a bunch of rose. It had just been released and when I poured it alongside my pesto-Walla Walla Sweet Onion Tart last night, I was blown away. If there's a better rose made in this country, I want to hear about it. This one is so well-balanced, the soft fruit perfectly matched with a crispness that makes it so fine for summer sipping.

If scoring the wine wasn't cool enough, winemaker Kay Simon invited me to help myself to the cherries on the trees near the tasting room. She helped me pick! I came home with two bags.

I also came home with 50 pounds of Walla Walla Sweets! Who wants some? Or, who wants to share some onion-centric recipes? 

1 comment:

Alicia Arter said...

Slice them and eat them raw as a snack, dipping in sea salt, a puddle of really good balsamic vinegar, or in truffle cream or truffle salt from La Buona Tavola.