Archive for March, 2009
Friday, March 27th, 2009
by: yes I am still “Employee of the Year,” Kelly
Yay, spring has sprung and that is a cause for celebration! What do I want to grab to celebrate but the ever delicious 2005 Quita de Cabriz Bruto of course. Let’s just get something out in the open, I really heart Portuguese wine. We carry quite a few at LUSH which means I have had the chance to try quite a few. Usually they are made with grapes indigenous to Portugal, so you will rarely find a Cab, Merlot, Chard blah blah blah but rather find grapes like Maria Gomes, Baga, Bical rah rah rah. In fact, I believe that they grow over 500 different varietals, so the possibility of trying something I have never tried before is endless!
With all that being said, I do love to grab a bottle of the Quinta de Cabriz Bruto becuase, well, it’s delicious. Made from a blend of Malvasia Fina and Bical, this sparkling is super refreshing while having a really nice balance to it. Lots of citrus notes without being too acidic. Yay for celebrating spring with this sparkling wine!
Tags: Baga, Bical, Employee of the Year, kelly, lush wine, Malvasia, Maria Gomez, Portugal, Quinta de Cabriz, Sparkling Wine
Posted in Our Favorite Things, What we are thinking, What we're drinking | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
LUSH Interview, 10 Questions with…
Fernando Beteta,
Sommelier and Manager of NoMi at the Park Hyatt
NOMI
At the Park Hyatt Hotel
800 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 239-4030
BIO: So, this kid knows a thing or two about wine…and food. When Fernando speaks of his mom’s cooking, he is evoking the essence of real freakin’ authentic Guatemalan food. But, he has traveled extensively, sampling language, culture, food and beverage from the east and west, as well as the middle, up and down. Mr. Beteta is graced with an advanced palate, a good nose, and a charming personality. His wine and menu pairing is quite lovely and he is absolutely adept at pulling off such a prestigious and demanding position at NoMi. Fernando has dashing good looks and a rockin’ collection of awards, including 3 editions of ‘Best Young Sommelier Midwest’ by L’Ordre Mondial Des Gourmets Degustateurs Chaine Des Rotisseurs and is officially a ‘Rising Star’, although we think his star quite high enough at the moment. Wanna meet us at NoMi for a glass of wine?
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Tags: Adam Seger, Aquavit, Carlsberg Beer, Chicago, Doug Frost, Field Blend, Gruner Veltliner, Guatemala, La Gondola, Le Francais, lush wine, M.S., Mercat a la Planxa, mom's cooking, Montrachet Jacques Prieur, NoMi, Park Hyatt, Ping Pong
Posted in Interviews, Travel, What we are eating, What we are thinking, What we're drinking | 3 Comments »
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Our very own Ms. Rachel Driver, manager of LUSH, was live online this afternoon chatting about WhiskeyFest, and the LUSH Week of Whiskey. Check it out…
http://chicagoist.com/2009/03/23/chicagoist_podcast_323_-_booze_glor.php
But, the lineup of events is also posted below, so you can be in the know about all the FREE Lush tastings. It’s all whiskey all week…and whiskey barrel aged beer, and cocktails, and whiskey barrel aged rum…can you tell we are EXCITED?!
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Tags: bourbon, Chicagoist, Jane, Julian Van Winkle, lush wine, Old Rip Van Winkle, Pappy Van Winkle, Rachel, Twisted Spoke, whiskey fest
Posted in Current Events, Interviews, What we are thinking | No Comments »
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
We just finished up the final session in our French series last night. And what a way to end it, focusing on the wines of Bordeaux and Champagne! Two heavy hitting regions that can be rather intimidating, we wanted to provide an overview of the terroir, the grapes used, how the wines are made, and important information for buying wines from these areas. And we wanted to open wines that would demonstrate the variety that each region has to offer! The wines we poured were:
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Tags: Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Jane, lush wine, Rhone
Posted in French Wine, class | No Comments »
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Ten Questions With…
Ms. Tatiana Abramova
Wine lover and collecter
BIO:
Tatiana met the LUSH crew a couple of years ago while expanding her search for all things delicious in wine. She brought her gregarious disposition, challenging opinions, and a few bottles of wine to share. By day, Tatiana is a mild mannered, strict yet fun, Mary Poppinsish figure, shaping the lives of two little ones. By night, Tatiana is dedicated to increasing the depth of her wine knowledge and prowess, exploring the best menus in Chicago, and finding the perfect bottles to stock her cellar.
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Tags: "Cellaring", Alinea, Cafe Iberico, Chateau Musar, Domaine Fichet, Elizabeth David, Frontera Grill, Gail Greene, Glen's Diner, Hopleaf, Hot Doug's, Hugh Johnson, Jac McInerney, James Beard, Jeffery Steingarten, Jill Gubesch, La Creperie, Leth, Lettie Teague, lush wine and spirits, M.F.K. Fisher, Mary Poppins, Michael Carlson, Pops for Champagne, Publican, Rick Bayless, Roong Petch, Russia, Ruth Reichl, Sauternes, Schwa, Sean Thackery, Sepia, Topolobampo, Violet Hour
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, March 13th, 2009
LUSH Interview
10 Questions with Jeremy Kiens
Chef de Cuisine, Tallulah
539 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60625
info@tallulahchicago.com
BIO:
Chef Tony Graves has created a seasonal menu, well versed contemporary and world cuisine, that is complimented by Tallulah’s elegant and modern interior. Simple, stylish, and full of dynamic flavors, Tallulah is an excellent dining adventure. Chef Jeremy Kiens rocks the kitchen. I highly recommend popping in and getting your eat on. (more…)
Tags: Acme Oyster House, Alba Truffle, Asian Avenue, Chef de Cuisine, Dom Ruinart Champagne, Duck fat fries, Foie Gras, Hot Doug's, Inniskillin Ice Wine, Jacques Pepin, James Beard, Jeremy Kiens, Lucien Albrect Cuvee Cevill, Mario Batali's dad, Orin Swift Prisoner, Pike Place Market, Pinot Gris, Salumi, Tallulah, Thai Classic, Thuringer, Traci des Jardienes, White Burgundy
Posted in Beer, Interviews, What we are eating, What we are thinking, What we're drinking | No Comments »
Friday, March 13th, 2009
Presented by Ms. Erin and Ms. Rachel at the Fine Arts Building, 410 South Michigan
Kallari Chocolate, Ecuador
LUSH is sticking to our eclectic tendencies and love of all things interesting, odd, and delicious, thus pairing Ecuadorian chocolate with LUSH wine is a tasty challenge! Pairing wine and chocolate sounds like a brilliant idea…and it is, if properly executed with balanced flavors. The trick to compatibility is to carefully match the right wine with the right chocolate. But, since taste is a very subjective matter, you will have to experiment. Sigh, such a tough task. (more…)
Tags: Kallari Chocolate, lush wine
Posted in Our Favorite Things, Special Events, What we are eating, What we're drinking | No Comments »
Monday, March 9th, 2009
Last night we taught the first in our series of three classes on French wine. The focus of the first class was the wines of Alsace, Loire, Languedoc, and the Madiran. These are some of my favorite regions in all of France (hell, all of the world!). So many delicious wines, different terroirs, and exciting winemakers. We chose to group these regions together because of some similarities in winemaking mentality and aesthetics. These are smaller regions, for the most part (okay, the Loire Valley is about 700 miles long!), with the best producers being small, family owned wineries. A lot of these producers are proponents of non-interventionist and biodynamic winemaking, really fulfilling the legacy of terroir so painstakingly implemented by the AOC system. (more…)
Tags: Alsace, AOC, Baumard, complantation, Domaine D'Or ed de Gueles, Languedoc, Loire, Madiran, Marcel Deiss, Montus, School of LUSH
Posted in French Wine, class | No Comments »
Friday, March 6th, 2009
Cream Wine Company just did a very unprecedented thing, considering. They put some very obscure, very delicious wines on sale. Apparently, not every wine shop and restaurant in the city of Chicago buy weird wines from small producers. But, as a lush, I love it! Hopefully not too many other shops catch on before I can drink, er, I mean sell it all.
But, this inspired me to open a few really cool things on this very sunny and warm ’spring’ day. So, please read on for an account of what happens when I drink at work…and then do a bit of research and spout random facts that are cluttering my head.
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Tags: Alsace, Cream Wine Company, France, Paul Blanck
Posted in French Wine, What we are thinking, What we're drinking | No Comments »
Friday, March 6th, 2009
Ten Questions With…
Chef Paul Kahan
avec, Blackbird, Publican
BIO:
Chef Kahan likes good food. He creates amazing, delicious dishes. He seems to be one of the pivotal components within the architecture of all things culinary in Chicago. At Blackbird, he crafts forward thinking plates with finely tuned technique, at avec, the fare is sublimely simple with a lovely Mediterranean kick, and at the Publican he plays with pig. Yeah, he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest, too. He is a powerful force, but exact, and executes simply tasty and entertaining meals with great prowess. (more…)
Tags: Avec, Blackbird, Gouden Carolus, Mike Rhulman, Paul Kahan, Publican, Westmalle, WilliamRice
Posted in Interviews, What we are eating, What we are thinking, What we're drinking | No Comments »
