ISAACS: GOOD AS EVER

ISAACS: GOOD AS EVER

Told you before. I’m a specials kind of guy. And that policy worked a treat for me when I dined in McCurtain Street’s Isaacs this weekend.

Had a quick look at the regular menu before getting down to serious consideration of the Specials. Four starters were listed and I choose the Pan Fried new season lambs liver and kidney salad with rustic potatoes and crisp bacon. Delighted with it: very tasty and surprisingly substantial.

Also very happy with the main course of Pan Fried John Dory fillets. Really well done as were the accompanying vegetables. Again, a substantial and tasty dish. The Sherry Trifle was also fine, scattered with broken bits of honeycomb and on a base of soaked cherries. Cherry Trifle maybe?

LITTLE BEAUTY IN SEE THROUGH RED

Little Beauty Pinot Noir 2009 (Marlborough, New Zealand), 14%, €23.99, stockists


This Little Beauty comes in a see through red with scents of plum and spice. Is there substance behind the sexy intro?


Yes indeed, that first kiss lingers. It does finish, of course, as all good things come to an end. But not before the passion ignites.  

CORKABOUT: NEW KINSALE ART GALLERY

Kinsale restaurants, Fishy Fishy and The Bulman, feature as Buckley Fine Art open new gallery in centre of Kinsale. read all about ...

CORKABOUT: NEW KINSALE ART GALLERY: "THE GALLERY: NEW IN KINSALE The bigger risk? Painting in the lands of a rain forest tribe in Borneo or opening a new art gallery in these r..."

KANTURK'S ROYAL BUTCHERS

MCCARTHY’S OF KANTURK

Jack (left) and Timmy

When Queen Elizabeth visited Ireland recently, McCarthy’s black pudding was served at the state banquet.  It was chosen because of the quality and flavour imparted by fresh blood from free range pigs, coarse Macroom Oatmeal, fresh cream and butter from North Cork Dairy and Midleton Special Reserve Whiskey.

NOUGAT HEAD TO HEAD

LORGE AT LARGE

In a rural setting, between Kenmare and Glengarriff, in a Kerry village called Bonane, a French chef called Benoit Lorge makes exquisite chocolates that end up in all corners of the world.

This success story started back in 1995 and goes on and on. They ship worldwide via their website  while local stockists here in Cork are Nash 19 (Princes Street) and the Sugar Cafe (Washington Street).

WASTE NOT WANT NOT

Waste not Want Not Summer Salads

50% of Lettuce we buy ends up in the bin! – FACT

With barbecues and salad days fast approaching Stop Food Waste reminds you that 50% of the lettuce we buy ends up in the bin. While a head of lettuce may seem cheap at around under €1 you can see how quickly this amount of waste can add up in euros over time. The STOP Food Waste programme is funded under the EPA National Waste Prevention Programme (NWPP). Waste Prevention is the preferred waste management option in Ireland.

Odile Le Bolloch, spokesperson for Stop Food Waste at the EPA, has the following advice for lettuce lovers in time for Midsummer’s Day: “When you buy lettuce, make sure to take it out of its bag and wash it as soon as possible. Spin the lettuce in a salad spinner to dry off the washing water and store it in the fridge in the salad spinner. Leave a small

Hard to beat this Old Vine Garnacha

Corona d’Aragon old vine Garnacha 2009,  Cariñena,  Spain, ABV: 13.5%, stockists  

This Wine Alliance  import comes highly rated by Jay Miller of The Wine Advocate Robert Parker who gave it 89 points. Other awards include Decanter Award (Bronze) 2011 and IWC Bronze Medal 2011. It is certainly a quality wine and comes at an attractive price.

TASTEFEST CORK 2011

Click to enlarge.

TASTEFEST CORK 2011

The sun blazed down as Cork’s inaugural Tastefest finished with a flourish in Fitzgerald’s Park on Sunday. Many families came out to support the food festival and at times there were buggy jams on the paths!

Chateau d’Estoublon

Chateau d’Estoublon

Fontvieille was the nearest town to us in a recent visit to Provence and so I took the chance to visit nearby Chateau d’Estoublon, mentioned in the Michelin Wine Regions of France Green Guide. Estoublon seems to be an up and coming organic producer in this area and I saw its wines on sale in the Palais des Papes in Avignon where it shared shelf-space with the big hitters.

It also sells its own wines, including some AOC Baux des Alpilles, along with some fine foods, fashion and furniture. There is no admission charge – it is after all a shop - and you will see some inviting items on the shelves. We helped ourselves to a box of Callissons, some of the famous nougat from Montelimar and also a bottle of the Chateau’s 2010 Rose (€12.00).

Needed something to go with the wine, so we headed for a local traiteur and purchased calamari in a Provencal sauce. Not a bad match at all. The wines proved itself but whether it would outshine the many classy Roses in a head to head is hard to say. Maybe a contest for the future.  Estoublon produces organic wines and have carried the Ecocert label since 2002, which certifies the validity of the organic farming methods used.

We were on our way back from St Remy de Provence’s www.stremy-de-provence.com Musée Estrine, Centre d’Interpretation Van Gogh. It has none of the famous artist’s paintings, many of which were executed in or near the town. Indeed, there are none either in Arles. Obviously, they didn’t think much of him then and are still scrambling to catch up.

In the St Remy centre, an 18^th century hotel, they substitute with high quality photos of the same size as the paintings. Here you will see an 1889 self portrait, The Sewer and Starry Night among many others.

For more info on Provence, visits my site here - http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/search?q=Provence

HOLIDAYS

ON HOLS AT PRESENT; check here for latest reviews and news.

Tastefest

From left to right Rubert Atkinson, Boardwalk Bar and Grill, Beth Haughton, The Club Brasserie, Brendan Cashman, Augustine's announcing details of their menus at TasteFest Cork from 23rd-26th June at Fitzgerald Park, Cork.

BURGUNDY EVENT IN BALLYMALOE

                                                                

Winemaker visit, presentation and tasting

Anne-Claude Leflaive, Domaine Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, in association with Paddy Moore, Moores’ Wines

Wine presentation and tasting with Anne-Claude Leflaive,  at The Grain Store at Ballymaloe, 3.30pm, Saturday 11^th June 2011. €35 per person.

Advance booking essential.

Domaine Leflaive has been described as Burgundy’s greatest white wine domaine, a flagship domaine in the Côte de Beaune, and biodynamic since 1997. It is a family estate that was initially created by Anne-Claude’s grandfather Joseph, and is now managed by Anne-Claude Leflaive. Decanter Wine Magazine, in their Top 10 White Winemakers of the World, rated Anne-Claude Leflaive,Domaine Leflaive as the Number1. All her wines, from Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru, have all been critically acclaimed by the world’s leading wine writers. A great opportunity to meet one of the great white winemakers of the wine world, and to taste the wonderful wines of Domaine Leflaive. It is over eight years since her last visit to Ireland, so an opportunity not to be missed for wine-lovers.

Wines for the afternoon presentation and tasting, 3.30pm, Saturday 11^th June:

Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne blanc 2008

Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 2008

Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Clavoillon 2008

Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 2008

Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2008

Ballymaloe House,

Shanagarry,

Co. Cork,

Ireland

Tel: 021 4652531      

res@ballymaloe.ie

TASTEFEST CORK

TasteFest Cork - Festival of Food and Culture, Ireland 2011

Festival of Food and Culture, Ireland 2011 23rd – 26th June 2011, Fitzgerald Park, Cork.

http://www.tastefest.ie/


Just a reminder about Cork's TasteFest at the end of the month. Looking better every day, so be sure and keep up with all the latest at the links above. Some pics from the launch follow.....