Category Archives: Amanda

FWFWF-Reserve Wine Tasting

The Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival has ammped up their game this year. Not only will they host a fabulous festival in March, they also have hosted special events thoughout the year. I was graciously invited to the reserve wine tasting that was held at the Modern Art Museum on February 4th.

This was a very intimate event where I enjoyed 26 pours of amazing wine. I should have gotten a medal for making it through all of them. (If you ever get the opportunity to attend any wine tasting, take it … it’s a great way to learn what you like. Especially with all of the new wines being produced to meet today’s society’s needs, they’ve even created a gluten free wine now! I will definitely be trying this soon.)

2012_SLDCSMy two favorite wines of the night were a treat because they have a bit higher price tags. I’ve been to Napa Valley a couple times and have learned that I love most wine that comes from the Stag’s Leap District. I was delighted to see something from the region–the 2012 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon (retails for $75); a complex wine with notes of blackberries and I get a hint of vanilla. Wine Spectator gives it 90 points and Robert Parker gives it 93 points.

My other favorite from the night was the 2012 Adobe Road Cabernet Franc from Knights Valley, Bavarian Lion Vineyard (retails for $58). This medium-bodied wine has notes of blackberries and cranberries and pairs very well with Italian food. The price is on the high end of most Cab Franc wines, but I think it is worth it.

I am so excited to attend this year’s festival in March. Tickets are on sale now and I would highly recommend going to #latenight- desserts after dark and/or Burgers, Brews & Blues. Susie and I will see you there!


Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival 2016
March 31- April 3, 2016
fortworthfoodandwinefestival.com
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#FWFWF

Product Review: Willa Vodka

Low-cal vodka? Don’t mind if I do. Willa vodka is touted as a “natural, healthier, lighter premium craft vodka”, and it being low in calories means it’s lower in alcohol content than other vodkas (70 proof compared to the industry standard 80 proof).

01_willa_bottleEven better that the lower calorie count? Willa is all about advertising to women. (Even though it was created by two men!) “Independent spirits for independent women” is their tag line that scrolls across the top of their website … but don’t let that fool you, guys. (You won’t lose your man card for buying this.) Anyone who is looking for a more health-conscious vodka, this is the one. I let some guy friends visiting my boyfriend try it … and let’s just say it wasn’t just me who liked the taste.

It was awarded the silver medal for best “Small Batch Craft Vodka” at the New York International Spirits Competition in 2012. In 2013, Willa brought home the gold medal for both taste and bottle design at the SIP Awards.

This non GMO vodka has a smooth taste and a great price. It’s made with 100% organic Italian wheat and the water used for distilling is from the Nantucket Aquifer. The nose has a bit of citrus and just a slight bit of charcoal. The taste was smooth (thanks to the lower proof) and had the same citrus notes, but was incredibly clean.

The Willa brand is in the process of expanding. They have started a Fundable page looking for investors to help expand into flavored vodka, gin, and rum. I look forward to what is to come for this new brand.

Lemon Drop

Lemon Drop


WILLA VODKA
willavodka.com
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~$29 for 750mL

Here are a couple of the recipes that Willa suggests:

Lemon Drop
2 parts Willa Vodka
1/2 part fresh lemon juice
1/4 part stevia simple syrup

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist.

Cos-lo-politan

Cos-lo-politan

Cos-lo-politan
3 parts Willa Vodka
1 part cranberry juice
3/4 part fresh lime juice
1/4 part fresh orange juice
1 barspoon of light simple syrup

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a an orange twist.
  

***Willa gave our team a bottle to try out.***

Product Review: The Musical Corkscrew

I’ve heard of a party in a bottle, but until now, I’ve never heard of party in a corkscrew.

musical corkscrewThis stainless steel corkscrew sings “O Sole Mio” whenever you open a bottle of wine. Last night, I found myself humming along to this classic Italian song as I opened my bottle of wine. Perfect gift for your wino buddies out there and the batteries are even included.

Bonus feature: the more wine you drink, the more fun this corkscrew gets.

 

For $17.99, it’s a great gift and the quality is inferred in the price. If you are going to open a bottle of wine, why not do it with a little class bass?

MUSICAL CORKSCREW
by BigMouth Toys
Purchase here
$17.99

Palio’s Grapevine

I love visiting Grapevine … it’s perfectly quaint with a little something for everyone.  I began the night by dropping by Messina Hof to refill my growler with some cabernet sauvignon before heading down the road to Palio’s for dinner. (Palio’s is an order at the counter or take out restaurant. If my visit was the norm, it seems they do a large amount of their business in take out orders.)

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Palio’s is a chain that can be found all around DFW, but each restaurant is independently owned. They make their dough from scratch daily and use all natural ingredients. They offer authentic Italian pastas, salads, calzones and side dishes.

To keep things fresh, each month they do a few specials like Wives Appreciation Night, National Dog Day, and National cheese Pizza Day–each special offers some sort of free pizza. Luckily, I made it there on National Cheese Pizza Day, which included a free cheese pizza if you spent a certain amount of money! (And the only thing better than pizza is free pizza. ?)

I went for the pizza of the month, which was a meat and cheese stromboli and it was served with a side of marinara and a garlic butter sauce. I would highly recommend the garlic butter because … duh, butter makes everything better.

The dessert display looked reeeeeeally good, but I was stuffed and just couldn’t. (Could I?) Palio’s graciously gave me a cannoli to take home, which was AMAZING.

In the summer, Palio’s has a great patio that is a perfect place to watch the fireworks over Lake Grapevine. Sounds like the perfect night to me. I mean … pizza, wine, fireworks … yeah.

PALIO’S GRAPEVINE
1000 Texan Trail, Suite 100, Grapevine, Texas
817-328-0777
www.paliosgrapevine.com

Hours – Mon-Sun: 11am-10pm

*I was treated to dinner compliments of Palio’s Grapevine.

Caledonia Spirits

I recently attended an event highlighting Caledonia Spirits and have been intrigued by the brand since. Each of their spirits is crafted in small batches with Vermont honey. (And this honey is le-git! I was given a jar of raw honey to take home and taste and I don’t think I will be able to go back to honey as I knew it. This raw, unfiltered honey has never been heated so it has traces of pollen, propolis, and beeswax.

Barr Hill Gin (90 proof) is handcrafted in small batches. Raw honey is added just before bottling with a finishing taste of juniper berries. Barr Hill Gin has a gold medal and “Gin of the Year” at the 2013 Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition and it won the a double gold meal at the 2012 New York International Spirits Competition.

Tom Cat Barrel-Aged Gin (86 proof) is aged for four to six months in new, charred American White Oak barrels. It has whiskey-like notes of oak and spice with a finish of juniper and honey.

Barr Hill Vodka (80 proof) is handcrafted in small batches completely from raw honey. It has notes of honey, flowers, and vanilla and has a very smooth finish and was (way too) easy to drink.

Oh, and all three of these products are gluten-free and kosher … so that’s neat.

CALEDONIA SPIRITS
www.caledoniaspirits.com
Facebook | Instagram

If you are ever in Vermont and want to check out the distillery:
46 Log Yard Drive
P.O. Box 1249
Hardwick, Vermont 05843

Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-3pm (July-December)

 

Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival

The best of the best came out during the weekend of the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival. I was able to attend four of the seven events during the festival. Each event was unique and extremely well-planned and executed.

The Grand Tasting Friday night was overwhelming to say the least. There were more than one hundred restaurants, wineries, breweries, and distilleries represented in the Worthington Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. I had to plan a strategy to make it all the way though so that my stomach and liver didn’t hate me at the end of the night. (Or the next day, for that matter.) The highlights were, of course, Fort Worth favorites such as Rahr & Son’s Brewing and Firestone & Robertson Distilling.

#latenight Desserts after Dark at 809 Vickery was a short Uber ride from the Grand Tasting. This event was all about who had the best dessert and who could make the best cocktail using Firestone & Robertson’s TX Blended Whiskey. (I’ll bet you $50 that Susie was really upset that she had to miss this event.) There were eight desserts and eight drinks featured. My favorite drink was the Proper Manhattan from Proper. I also enjoyed the Texas Peach (TX Whiskey, vanilla bean simple syrup, Texas peach preserve, pistachio foam and cinnamon) from Bob’s Steak and Chop House. The Fan Favorite of the night was from Thirteen Pies. It was called John’s Banana Milk Punch (TX Whiskey, cream, house-made banana puree, and a farm egg, garnished with a banana marshmallow and vanilla cookie crumble.)

"John's Banana Milk Punch" from Thirteen Pies, Fort Worth

“John’s Banana Milk Punch” from Thirteen Pies, Fort Worth

Saturday night consisted of cowboy boots and lawn chairs at the Burgers, Brews, and Blues event. This event was held along the banks of the Trinity River with eleven chefs and twenty-two craft breweries showcasing the best each had to offer. The live music included sets from James Hinkle, the Michael Lee Clemmer Band, and the Chris Watson Band. I am always up for a good beer, so this was probably my favorite event of the weekend. There was a good mix of local breweries such as Rahr, Lakewood, Rabbit Hole, Panther Island, and Martin House. Unfortunately, the lines were extremely long for the burgers, so I opted for more brews than burgers. (Oops.) My favorite burger that I did wait in line for was Rodeo Goat’s Chaca Oaxaca which was a beef/chorizo burger with avocado, queso fresco, fried egg and tabasco mayo. (Yes … it was delicious.)

Sunday Funday wrapped up the weekend at the Coyote Drive-In. There was a wide variety of food trucks to sample during this event,  but mIMG_3934y favorite food truck in attendance was definitely Salsa Limon. The food truck is usually parked next to The Cellar at 2919 West Berry Street (across from TCU) and their tacos can also be found at their permanent location located at 929 University Drive. They are all about serving the best Mexico City-style tacos in Fort Worth. PRO TIP: Add plenty of jalapeño cream salsa if you like a kick to your tacos!

Bravo, Fort Worth … bravo. If you have the chance to attend any of the events at next year’s, make it happen. It’ll give you the chance to find some new Fort Worth treasures and enjoy old favorites.

FORT WORTH FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL 
fortworthfoodandwinefestival.com
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Save the Date for next year: March 31- April 3, 2016

Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $125 depending on the event.

Kin Kin Urban Thai- Fort Worth

Chef Eddy Thretipthuangsin (most just call him Chef Eddy), of Bite City Grill, has done it again. He has recently opened Kin Kin Urban Thai in the West 7th development in Fort Worth. The space, previously MK Sushi, has been completely transformed into a modern, clean, comfortable restaurant.

Kin Kin means “eat, eat” or “let’s eat”. Chef Eddy has created a menu of traditional Thai dishes along with American favorites with a Thai twist. Kin Kin has been a way for Chef Eddy to pay homage to his mother as well as the country of Thailand. His mother, Pat, helped create many of the menu items … she used to cook for the Thai royal family and Eddy began his culinary career by learning from her. He spent a month traveling Thailand to help shape the menu at Kin Kin. He says, “Bangkok is one of the most vibrant culinary cities.” So thankfully, he is sharing that with Fort Worth (and soon Dallas).

It was very difficult to choose what to order first because of the great selection, so my strategy was … what would be a great bar snack? (I know you are reading this to find out about the drinks – duh.) If you’re coming to Kin Kin in to hang out and have a drink, order the shrimp chip for a snack. They are this glorious, airy chip that remind me of Cheetos. Who wouldn’t like upscale Cheetos? The pork and shrimp dumplings were delicious, and are served in a traditional bamboo basket with green cabbage and soy sauce. I’m pretty sure I will have this as my meal next time I am there. My other favorite bar snack was the Bangkok shrimp (crispy shrimp, garlic, cilantro, sweet plum sauce). I don’t think you could go wrong with anything on the menu and I give everything I sampled two thumbs up.

Chef Eddy’s brother, Chris, is the mastermind behind the drink menu. The difference between the drinks at Bite City Grill and Kin Kin is the complexity. If you go back and read about the Bite drinks, you will see that they are on the elaborate side and you’re given bitters to control taste. The drinks at Kin Kin are simple and to the point. My favorite cocktail was the Lychee Margarita (tequila, Soho Lychee, fresh lime). Crisp and refreshing, I have admit that my glass was empty before I knew it. If you have never had lychee before, it has a similar taste to a pear or grape and it’s a great combination with the lime of the margarita. I’d say that this is a go-to “summer tasting” drink. The Tom Yum Bloody Mary (lemongrass infused vodka, bloody mary mix, Sriracha) is flavor roller coaster. It’s a fusion of Tom Yum soup and a Bloody Mary.

Kin Kin also did a great job of choosing their beer and whiskey options. The two categories are “Far East” (imported Pacific Asian options) and “Down the Road” (local Texas options) for each list. (P.S. Did you know that Japan is doing some seriously awesome things with whiskey? Yeah … it’s happening.)

The service was amazing from the moment I walked into the front door; everyone was very hospitable and the service was prompt. Parking is easy and convenient and Kin Kin Urban Thai is located right next to the garage entrance (which has free parking – just don’t forget to get your ticket validated before you leave).

IMG_3685


KIN KIN URBAN THAI
www.kinkinurbanthai.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
2801 West 7th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107
817-984-1363

Opening Summer 2015: 11661 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75230
Opening April 2015: 3211 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX 75219

Unfortunately, Kin Kin does not have any happy hour specials yet. As the restaurant takes root, that might be an addition for the future. Currently, the only special is for take out ($1 off the price of each item in your order).

 

Barleywine and Swine

A few weeks back I trudged through the ice and snow to the sixth annual Barleywine and Swine event at Flying Saucer Fort Worth. Not only did they offer over twenty different barley wine selections, but a huge plate of all things swine. (Because that just makes everything better.) It was the perfect way to warm up on a cold, icy day.

Flying Saucer Fort Worth

I am a novice when it comes to barleywine, so for those of you like me–here’s the condensed version: it’s a strong English ale that range from 8%- 12% ABV. The only reason it has any connection to wine is because of its high alcohol content and that its matured in wooden barrels. Barleywine can be cellared for years and usually age like wine. Other than that, it’s all beer. Its subtle caramel notes comes from a prolonged boil and hops are used throughout the brewing process. Barley wine can be sweet or bittersweet with the smell of fruits to super hoppy.

Out of the few American barley wines that I tasted, my favorite by far, was from the Breckenridge Brewery. It’s a 10.1% ABV beer with molasses and black cherry accents. This beer is cold conditioned for three months and barrel-aged in fresh, American Oak barrels for 6 months. For those of you who like your beer extra hoppy (not me) go for the Epic Barley Wine Ale. This 10.1% ABV is brewed in Salt Lake City. I could only have a few sips due to the hoppiness of this beer. The Firestone Walker Sucaba is a 13.5% ABV that is brewed in California with subtle chocolate and vanilla flavors. This one was pretty sweet, which make for a great after dinner treat. Each barleywine was served in a brandy sniffer for $6/6oz pour.

Swine Platter- ribs, pork loin, bratwurst, beer braised cabbage, applewood bacon

Swine Platter (ribs, pork loin, bratwurst, beer braised cabbage, applewood bacon)

If you haven’t had a chance to stop by Flying Saucer in downtown Fort Worth, it’s worth the trip. It is in walking distance to the newly renovated Sundance Square (which is amazing) and they have loads of craft beers on tap and a huge patio … what else could you possibly ask for? Keep up to date with their fun events, like Barleywine and Swine, on their website.


Flying Saucer Fort Worth
www.beerknurd.com/stores/fortworth | Facebook
111 East 3rd Street, Fort Worth 76102
817-336-7470

Monday – Wednesday, 11am – 1am
Thursday – Saturday, 11am – 2am
Sunday, noon – midnight


NOTE: Flying Saucer calls it “barleywine”, but some add a space.  Just sayin’.