Whiskey Week!?
Hell-O ladies and g's. Until a few hours ago, I was prepared to blog about how excited I was to remember on Thursday night during my subway ride home that there were brussels sprouts from the farmer's market in my refrigerator. The revelation nearly caused me to blurt an exclamation of joy at the thought that I was not about to disembark the train in Astoria, land of imported and droopy vegetables, without a green or two up my stockings. I have learned, however, from laughing out loud at a Moth podcast or two that fellow riders do not take kindly to apparently spontaneous vocal outbursts.
I kept it to myself and skipped home, ready to strip those little sprouts of their outer leaves, slice them in two and caramelize their tender little middles in a skillet sizzling with balsamic vinegar and garlic. What fabulous gastronomic joy!
But alas.
Today is LB's birthday. (Happy birthday, LB!) And the virtues of brussels sprouts have been trumped by a scotch and cheese tasting at the Brandy Library in Tribeca.
Six scotches with six cheeses and warm, delicious bread followed by decadent chocolate from the newly opened L.A. Burdick... A very content urban gastronomer is clicking the keys this evening.
Not only was today LB's birthday, but it was the last day of Whiskey Week. Oh my. If only I had known! Whiskey Week! I could have enjoyed seven full days of whiskey! A different whiskey for each day... but instead I slowly sipped six whiskeys and enjoyed a moment of rest on the seventh.
Or something like that.
Our visit to Brandy Library was actually a year overdue. It was LB's birthday present from 2008, but well, we never got it together enough to go, until tonight. LB, EB and I started at Walker's for brunch, went to see 2012 (a movie so terrible, it made us laugh to watch the destruction of the Earth) and then landed at the Brandy Library.
By self-description, the Brandy Library is an establishment that is "well-stocked and willing." Oh how those words make my liquor-soaked heart sing! The interior looks like the library of an old estate, but there are bottles of liquor lining the shelves instead of books. The menu is a novel that will take you on a journey and bring you back again. Classic jazz exudes softly from the speakers and dim amber light fills the space warmly.
LB and I each ordered a scotch whiskey and cheese pairing. Three of the scotches were of heavy peat, meaning they were on the smokey side. Scotch, it seems, is as complicated in taste as is wine. It is aged. The region and the casks both contribute tones to the complicated dance upon your tongue. As a result, I now want to go to Scotland solely to taste the fabulous land that brought such a fine drink to the world. (And perhaps to meet a fine Scot or two.)
In the meantime, however, I will settle for telling you about the pairing:
Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or with Aged Gouda (goat's milk cheese from the Netherlands)
Dalwhinnie 15 year with Grana (hard Italian cows milk cheese)
Tomintoul 16 year with Bleu de Laqueuille (French cow's milk bleu)
Bruichladdich 12 year with Epoisses (French cow's milk soft cheese)
Bowmore 15 year with Chaource (French cow's milk cheese, similar in consistency to brie)
Laphroaig 15 year with Valdeon (from Spain, mixed)
During the first round of tastes, the cheese was sometimes overpowered by the scotch, but during the second round, with our pallets warm and our sinuses open, the cheese and scotch pairings seemed more complimentary.
I wish that one blog post was enough to elaborate on each scotch and each cheese, but I'm afraid, the evening has worn past this digital girl's school-night bed time.
I will tell you, readers, the scotches I enjoyed best were the Dalwhinnie and the Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or. There was a sweetness to both, a caramel-like flavor. A glass or two of either would warm any whiskey-drinking digital girl's heart on a cold winter evening. The cheeses I thought were tastiest were the Epoisses (tangy with hints of honey) and the Bleu de Laqueuille (bold!) followed by the Grana.
The Brandy Library is a must if you live near NYC. If you don't, well then, it's time for a visit. My futon is forever open.
Stay tuned, my friends! More adventures to come. As always!
Hell-O ladies and g's. Until a few hours ago, I was prepared to blog about how excited I was to remember on Thursday night during my subway ride home that there were brussels sprouts from the farmer's market in my refrigerator. The revelation nearly caused me to blurt an exclamation of joy at the thought that I was not about to disembark the train in Astoria, land of imported and droopy vegetables, without a green or two up my stockings. I have learned, however, from laughing out loud at a Moth podcast or two that fellow riders do not take kindly to apparently spontaneous vocal outbursts.
I kept it to myself and skipped home, ready to strip those little sprouts of their outer leaves, slice them in two and caramelize their tender little middles in a skillet sizzling with balsamic vinegar and garlic. What fabulous gastronomic joy!
But alas.
Today is LB's birthday. (Happy birthday, LB!) And the virtues of brussels sprouts have been trumped by a scotch and cheese tasting at the Brandy Library in Tribeca.
Six scotches with six cheeses and warm, delicious bread followed by decadent chocolate from the newly opened L.A. Burdick... A very content urban gastronomer is clicking the keys this evening.
Not only was today LB's birthday, but it was the last day of Whiskey Week. Oh my. If only I had known! Whiskey Week! I could have enjoyed seven full days of whiskey! A different whiskey for each day... but instead I slowly sipped six whiskeys and enjoyed a moment of rest on the seventh.
Or something like that.
Our visit to Brandy Library was actually a year overdue. It was LB's birthday present from 2008, but well, we never got it together enough to go, until tonight. LB, EB and I started at Walker's for brunch, went to see 2012 (a movie so terrible, it made us laugh to watch the destruction of the Earth) and then landed at the Brandy Library.
By self-description, the Brandy Library is an establishment that is "well-stocked and willing." Oh how those words make my liquor-soaked heart sing! The interior looks like the library of an old estate, but there are bottles of liquor lining the shelves instead of books. The menu is a novel that will take you on a journey and bring you back again. Classic jazz exudes softly from the speakers and dim amber light fills the space warmly.
LB and I each ordered a scotch whiskey and cheese pairing. Three of the scotches were of heavy peat, meaning they were on the smokey side. Scotch, it seems, is as complicated in taste as is wine. It is aged. The region and the casks both contribute tones to the complicated dance upon your tongue. As a result, I now want to go to Scotland solely to taste the fabulous land that brought such a fine drink to the world. (And perhaps to meet a fine Scot or two.)
In the meantime, however, I will settle for telling you about the pairing:
Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or with Aged Gouda (goat's milk cheese from the Netherlands)
Dalwhinnie 15 year with Grana (hard Italian cows milk cheese)
Tomintoul 16 year with Bleu de Laqueuille (French cow's milk bleu)
Bruichladdich 12 year with Epoisses (French cow's milk soft cheese)
Bowmore 15 year with Chaource (French cow's milk cheese, similar in consistency to brie)
Laphroaig 15 year with Valdeon (from Spain, mixed)
During the first round of tastes, the cheese was sometimes overpowered by the scotch, but during the second round, with our pallets warm and our sinuses open, the cheese and scotch pairings seemed more complimentary.
I wish that one blog post was enough to elaborate on each scotch and each cheese, but I'm afraid, the evening has worn past this digital girl's school-night bed time.
I will tell you, readers, the scotches I enjoyed best were the Dalwhinnie and the Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or. There was a sweetness to both, a caramel-like flavor. A glass or two of either would warm any whiskey-drinking digital girl's heart on a cold winter evening. The cheeses I thought were tastiest were the Epoisses (tangy with hints of honey) and the Bleu de Laqueuille (bold!) followed by the Grana.
The Brandy Library is a must if you live near NYC. If you don't, well then, it's time for a visit. My futon is forever open.
Stay tuned, my friends! More adventures to come. As always!
Glenmorangie - Quinta Ruban - matured in a port cask -- even better than Nectar D'or. I promise! It occupies a place of honor right next to my 23 year Pappy...
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