More Visitors!
Since Labor Day, I think I've had visitors about every other weekend. It's been great and I hope the trend continues. It's nice to see familiar faces.
Karen and Evan were the latest. Friends of friends, we met several years ago, and since, bonded over food and drink and chit chatting about whatever. They introduced me to the concept of having a Bay to Breakers party from the sidelines (I'll never forget passing out several pounds of bacon to the "serious" runners). Plus, Evan is an incredible griller.
Evan grilled tri-tip, basting it in wine-based bbq sauce (olive oil, garlic, cumin, pepper, wine, ketchup). Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate (Fall is setting in), so he walked me through the process of building a charcoal grill, but used gas for cooking. He also grilled up some veggies that I'd marinated in olive oil and balsamic, and then skewered potatoes for a grilled potato salad with arugula.
As expected, we went through plenty of wine. Following some appetizers and margaritas, we drank one of my favorites: a 2002 Dry Town Zinfandel from Amador County. This wine had originally arrived through my wine club, which I then took to Shane and Quan's house for dinner. Shane fell in love, and on a wine-themed road trip, he and Quan stopped at Dry Town, became friends with the owner and purchased a few bottles, one of which Shane gave me. The bottles were so fresh, they weren't even labelled. I let the bottle age for a few years, and it was perfect when we opened it on a Saturday night to enjoy while grilling.
For dinner, Karen and I chose a 2002 Amphora Falls Pinot from Mendocino, which complemented the tri-tip perfectly. We ended up with a 20005 Crios Malbec, not that great, but doable when it's the third bottle after a great meal. And it went well with the raspberry tart.