Nat Decants Free Wine E-Newsletter Wine picks, articles and humor from Natalie MacLean, named the World’s Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia. Natalie is also the author of Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. For more details on this book and to sign up for the newsletter, visit www.nataliemaclean.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pCs2_Aeqxk

Our friends in the band, Travis Gray & The Frontiers were in Nashville during the flooding earlier this week. The band’s bassist, Matt Dobbs, is also cameraman/director on the Carmine’s television show. Travis, Matt and Shane produced a short video documentary of their trip, and the trials they faced.

Let me start by saying, YES, I agree that American consumers ingest way too much salt. It is obvious from all of the medical studies that the average American consumes way more salt than is healthy.

On a personal note, I realize that I eat way too many potato chips during the course of a week. Recently I cooked for a private group in the television kitchen. My guests were health care professionals. While I was cooking for them, the conversation turned to healthy eating. One of my guests wanted to know how I stayed so trim, with all of the time I spend in the kitchen surrounded by tasty temptations. I explained I generally maintain a healthy diet. My theory is Moderation- not Deprivation. I try not to overdue eating unhealthy foods, but I don’t cut anything out of my diet, I just eat less of those foods or eat them less frequently. One thing I really do love to eat is potato chips. My guests scolded me, saying that potato chips are probably one of the most dangerous snacks to eat, in terms of being unhealthy to eat, because of the high fat and salt content.

I know this, but still eat potato chips. And I love all kinds. As a matter of fact, I pick a style of chip depending on my mood. There’s dozens of different styles and flavors of chips, but they all have one thing in common. Every type of chip I eat is salty. That’s part of what makes them so enjoyable.

I also love to fill my jaw with sunflower seeds while I’m at my son’s baseball games all summer. Often, I’m watching 5-6 games a week while eating a couple of bags of seeds. And yes, I realize that they are loaded with a TREMENDOUS amount of salt!

But these are choices that I make. I don’t drink to excess. I don’t smoke. I don’t add salt to my food at the dinner table. Actually, I don’t HAVE salt on my dinner table. I never salt a dish in a restaurant before I take a bite of the chef’s work.

So, in my book, the politicians should stay out of my kitchen. I’m old enough to decide for myself how much salt is too much. I read labels when making food purchases. I’ve spent over 16 years working in professional kitchens. Enough is enough guys and girls. Let’s have the politicos balance budgets, insure that no child goes hungry in our schools, and remember they work FOR us, not in spite of us.

Each and every time a chef would add any kind of salt before, during, or after cooking, there would be a $1000.00 fine  per occurrence. It’s not made clear if the fine would be assessed to the restaurant or the chef.

An excerpt from the measure:

“No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of any food for consumption by customers of such restaurant, including food prepared to be consumed on the premises of such restaurant or off of such premises”. (link here for more info:http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=051&sh=story&story=35898)

Not only is this a gross abuse of political clout, it’s ill informed, and just plain stupid.

As New Yorkers, we have had to contend with :

1)Banning hydrogenated fats  in baking

2)Mandatory nutritional analysis posted for food items

3)Proposal to tax “sugary beverages”

Some quick thoughts about each idiotic suggestion:

1)Hydrogenated fat is solid or semi-solid at room temperatures. It is found in hard and semi-soft margarine and in vegetable shortenings.  These products are then used in processed foods like baked goods, plus, as margarine or spread,  we then use them on our healthiest foods: baked potatoes, steamed vegetables, oatmeal, etc. The most common use is for pre-packaged baked goods which are manufactured by the baking conglomerates, NOT the local bakery down the block. The reason is that when these fats are used, they extend the shelf life of the product. So the Ring Dings you are eating could very well be 6-12 months old.

2)If local mom & pop restaurants are eventually mandated to adhere this this nutritional analysis requirement, you well never see another “Daily Special” created by your neighborhood chef again.

3)Instead of taxing sugary beverages, stop spending more more than you have!

To my knowledge, assemblyman Ortiz has never cooked nor baked professionally.

Is this still America? What do you think.

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There are some fairly developed palates among my red wine drinking friends. My guests can all appreciate a really great bottle of wine. But here’s a little trick to make a little go a long way.

First, I opened a Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1991 and let it breath. This was the first wine that we all tasted. Opening possibly the best bottle of the night FIRST is a good idea, because at this point everyone has a clean palate to start. The second bottle opened was a Grand Cru, great wine, but a 2000; a little young and not fully rounded. The last bottle of the night ( well, maybe there were a couple more in between), was also one of the best bottles of the night. We opened and drank Ridge Jisomare Cabernet Sauvignon 1998. Outstanding!

So here’s the theory: open the best bottle to start, and another great bottle to finish the evening. In the middle, your friends are knoshing, talking, swilling, and probably getting a buzz on. The first bottle sets the tone for the evening, and the last bottle is well remembered!

This makes me crazy. Let me tell you why. Applebee’s is a chain.  The way that the chain insures that the food is consistent is by not really cooking anything. That’s right. The kitchens in most chains do not feature skilled chefs (t.v. ads to the contrary), the also don’t contain open flames. No flames= no cooking. Then how is it done? By shipping in packaged foods, especially sauces, fabricated in one location, and then re-heated in microwaves. MICROWAVES!

It also means that on average, for every dollar spent by the locals in one of these chain restaurants, approximately 86 cents leaves the market. In other words, only 14% of the money you spend at the chain restaurants stays in the local market.

And, have you ever tried to get a donation from one of the chains? Good luck. As a matter of fact, think about who was working the booths donating their food and time at the last charity event you attended.

So the next time you are willing to spend your hard earned cash for a meal, think about where to spend it. Do you want to support a local business? Then vote for your neighbor with your dollars. It will help keep the local guy in business.

Chef Jamie Oliver Accepting Award

The annual

Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference awarded Britain’s Jamie Oliver their annual award of $100.000.00 today. The award is given to individuals who their “One Wish to Save the Word”. Chef Oliver’s wish is “…for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”

Oliver’s plan is to create an organization which will spur a popular movement that will inspire people to change the way they eat. More info can be found at

www.tedprize.org/tedprize-updates/jamie-olivers-wish-help-me-combat-obesity/

Well maybe he/she really is, but the big factor that everyone forgets is that the restaurant business is BUSINESS. Do people forget that in the business, you are working when the majority of the world is off? That means Friday and Saturday nights, usually Sundays, and definitely holidays you are at work while your family and friends are partying

And one pretty lousy holiday to be working is Valentine’s Day. Why is working Valentine’s Day so horrible? Because every amateur and idiot is plopped down at your restaurant to eat. Now, let me clarify. See, every guy that wants to score some points, or more likely just score, figures that they MUST take their lady out to dinner. It’s as if some fatal malady will befall you, or worse yet you might not get lucky, if you don’t have reservations secured for some swanky restaurant.

Working in a restaurant comes with a unique pressure on Valentine’s Day. On this day, guys and girls that have rarely if ever eat at a place where you don’t order at the pick up window are the most common guests.  One problem is that these guests are accustomed to slop being served to them 10 minutes after they place their order “or dessert is free” because “when you are here, you’re family”. What crap!  When the food is cooked to ordered, and no microwave exists in the kitchen, a pork chop that takes 20 minutes to cook will take 20 minutes to cook!

This is one example of what you can expect your day to be like if you are working in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day . More seasoned diners know that this day is best spent at home with your significant other, some great wine, and a delicious home cooked meal.

Here is something really strange.

Not too long ago, an Albany, N.Y. area restaurant manager told a couple to leave the establishment after a fellow customer complained that the male and female were in the ladies restroom. And they weren’t just hanging out. It seems that they were interrupted while having sex.

Now, I’ve had some pretty strange things happen at my restaurants in the past. This incident doesn’t really surprise me all that much.

What’s weird is this story from The Huffington Post that reports Mildred’s Temple Kitchen a restaurant inToronto, Canada, is asking customers to have sex in the restroom while enjoying dinner. Well, not actually while eating dinner, but maybe before dessert.

The individual bathrooms will be open for trysts from February 12-15, with a French Maid working the restrooms so as to be “kept clean”.

Co-owner Donna Dooher told the Toronto Star that guests would be expected to supply their own condoms, however.

So, here’s a simple and delicious recipe for a dish that can be made a day ahead of time.
Then just re-heated with little effort so it is ready for half time!