PARIS. FOOD.

It's amazing how you can go from waking up on a hot Sunday morning in Chicago with vitamin gut and projectile carrot juice to eating snails and drinking rosé at a tiny French Bistro in Paris. Handfuls of valerian root, melatonin, and a magical little blue pill can do wonders for blurring the clutches of time zones and jetlag.  Besides, where's the fun in being tired for a full 24 hours of eating and drinking in Paris with good friends ahead of you? Before I get into my Paris eating adventures I'll brief you on what brings me to Paris in the first place.  I work at Webster's Wine Bar in Chicago, IL... the greatest winebar in the world (yeah i said it). Every year we take a trip to a specific viticultural region in search of knowledge, inspiration, understanding, and mostly great times with great friends.  We think it's essential to truly understanding wines of a region by immersing ourselves in the culture and the people.  After an epic winetrip to Austria (Kamptal, Wachau) visiting some 13 estates last fall, I learned how things are done on Websters trips which the following posts and pictures of this trip will illustrate.  They may manifest feelings of envy & wonder yet, keep in mind, these trips are WORK!  Tasting 100+ wines a day takes STAMINA.  Eating foie gras more than twice a day takes FOCUS!  Ping pong, eau de vie, riesling, killer ducks, cremant, hill climbs, asperges, 1976 pinot gris, more eau de vie, charcoutre, riesling, storks (!), tart flambée, riesling, VT... SGN... MUNSTER... this is no WALK IN THE PARK people! That being said, I hope you enjoy the next few posts about our trip to Alsace!  I'll be talking about terroir, wine laws, lots about biodynamics, ha grown vs production, foudres, acidity, and more.  I thought I'd start things off with 2 (3) places I fell in love with in Paris.

GLOU!

Jeremy, our wine director and trip planner extraordinaire was raving about this place all afternoon. Last time he was in Paris he wandered into the tiny storefront and found an amazing meal with simple delicious organic (and bio-d) food, some serious stuff by the glass, and a super friendly staff.  Despite some reluctance amongst our group of 11 (groups 1 & 2) we called ahead, fingers crossed, to reserve a table.  There is something to be said about how everything just seems to work out in our favor on these trips because Glou agreed they could accommodate!  It took me about 5 seconds to fall completely in love with this place. Two quaint tables sit outside on the sidewalk in front of tall skinny windows and a chalkboard featuring the days glass pours. 

We're greeted by a Berkel hand crank meat slicer consorting amongst a few small 2 & 4 top tables.  The long narrow room leads us to our tall curved communal table beside a wall of a hi-tech tap system keeping the esteemed wines fresh.  Three candy red drum lamps above us add a splash of color to the exposed brick wall with a black chalkboard showing more of today's features. 

We settle in and jump right into a bottle of Serge Batard Muscadet... is there a better way to start a meal? Fino, maybe.  A few bottles of 2009 Domaine de Fondreche Rosé get poured out as the food starts arriving. I purposely didn't document every morsel on the table because I was almost overwhelmed with how happy I was. 

The pictures should give you the idea. '07 Vincent Gaudry Sancerre (pn) tastes AMAZING with the orecchiette & morels, oh... and w/the lamb leg & tomatoes, dorade w/veg.. mmmhmmm. 

After the meal we had them put together a quick tasting of some of the wines in the case.  Sancerre, Meursault, Huet Vouvray, Ostertag Riesling, Condrieu (!)... Côte de Nuits, Côte du Beaune, St. Joseph, Côte Rôtie, St. Estèphe. What an experience!  I was totally blown away, not to mention lost complete track of when I had slept last. This shit is Matty fuel.  I could eat and drink like this forever (and we kinda did! for another 10 days).

and oh yes... they had this ridiculous olive oil that I wrote down so I could hunt it down when I got home.  HERE.

So after Glou we went out and blazed the town.  Found a local hip bar and chugged blanche bière then, I think... I don't even remember which one came first (ha), wandered into a charming winebar slash bookstore.  We found our sanctuary in the small back room where we drank Sancerre like it was Bud Light and raised ruckus like a bunch of loud Americans.  At one point a [tipsy] local came back with a huge smile on his face only to sit next to Dylan and just act like he was one of us.  Quite humorous to say the least.  After everything closed down we headed back to the hotel to tug off of some Mettè wild plum eau de vie and play in the street.  The night kept getting longer and the antics ensued... yes, even some Tai Chi.

"I still haven't slept yet," I say to myself, snapping photos of the Colonne de Juillet. "Saturday?.. Friday?.. Chicago..?  Didn't I close at the winebar? Is it Tuesday?... ah jeez."   The sun coming up in the Bastille still didn't phase my "pumped-up" meter still pinned to "F."  After some very much needed croque madames we finally kick back (haha, Dylan) to the hotel.  I managed to grab a few zzz's and wake up to the beginning of our Alsace trip!

fast forward 10 days...

back in Paris.

falafel.

Really, you have no idea.  My friend Katherine (yay, monkey!), and her fiance David assured me it was a good bet.  The kind gentleman who took my money assured me it was a good bet.  "Best falafel on EARTH" were his words actually.  Not only was it the best falafel on earth but quite possibly one of my single favorite things I've ever eaten.  I tend to get in trouble with my friends rattling off that kinda stuff... "favorite this, best ever that."  I mean it this time guys, I do!  Thank you Monkey.  Thank you David.  Even my guy Jared in Cincinnati knows what's up.  If you are in Paris, go.

Despite the slightly rainy afternoon, it doesn't stop us from running around town staring at the endless supermodels.  Absinthe shop here, cider bar there.  More supermodels.  I'm not sure if I could handle living in Paris.  Maybe there are Parisian women who dig Americans, you know, kinda like the way we dig accents here?  Maybe just a fantasy.  I resist a few impulse buys for the sake of my pocketbook but enjoy the afternoon boppin' around town with Spencer.

Cul de Poule

We jump over to the 9th for our next, and one of our last, meals of the trip.  The name literally translates to "hen's ass" (chicken butt, haha lowen!) although I just recently came across another meaning that it is basically slang for "mixing bowl."  Pretty clever.  The food?  Clever indeed.  I'll get to that in a second, but first, check out this room.  When we walked in they asked us if we wanted to sit upstairs.  Not having any idea we walk up a super narrow set of stairs along a wildly hilarious, and sometimes phallic, mural along the wall.  The whole room was a freaking bed!  That's right, tv trays as tables, pillows, small lamps along the back wall with a word search wallpaper that most have turned into playful graffiti.

Not to be outdone by Glou, we dove straight into the also humble, yet playful winelist. Cheverny Blanc, TROUSSEAU (JURA!), a life-altering low alcohol bio-d sparkling cab franc, and more delight from Corsica!  I'm fucking spoiled.

The food here was SO simple, most of the time each dish having only 3 elements to it. People always say that the simplest food is always the hardest to execute well.  Nothing here seemed hard, complicated, or overthought.  Smoked chicken with a paprika mousse and greens.  Cauliflower soup. Bayonne ham, melt in your mouth chorizo.  Smoked haddock, purée of yam, dill.  There was a huge pork shank on the table too that had some sort of orange zest glaze & polenta, that was out of control good.  At first I thought things were under-seasoned being the salt monster that I am, but after rethinking the flavors and tasting everything I realized that it was intended that way and ended up making the flavors a little more delicate.  Comfort food in a comfortable room made this extremely memorable for me.  There was a "tapiocaaaaaaaaaa" dessert w/whisky & caramel that was just  ______.  I'm just going to leave that blank for now.  A most satisfying calvados, paired with a smoke while peering out our own personal window on to the cool rainy streets of Paris allowed me to reflect on everything.  I'm truly grateful for this trip, these friends, and the ability to appreciate the most important things in life: food, wine, and people! When all of these things are good, it sure is a powerful thing.  à santé!

Seasonal Tunes mix series Vol. 3

Right back at ya with another one... sorry it's a little bit late, I was in France for 2 weeks. This month's podcast features more clever mixing/blending tactics and a wide array of new tunes for your earholes. As most of you know I don't really stick to genres and, quite frankly, think some of these new genre terms being thrown around are ridiculous. "Chillwave, Glo-Fi???" I don't care what you wacky people call it... but whatever it is I say, MAYiPLAY?

DOWNLOAD HERE right click.. save as

Tracklist:

The Books - Beautiful People

Roof Light - Harlem Power

FUR - Clears Throat

Dom - Burn Bridges

Wild Nothing - The Witching Hour

Tame Impala - Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?

The Black Keys - Everlasting Light

Gauntlet Hair - I Was Thinking...

Health - In Heat (Javelin Rmx)

Jamie Lidell - Your Sweet Boom

The Samps - Peppergood

In Flagranti - Ex Ex Ex (In Flagranti Mix)

Pallers - The Kiss

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Pan Sonic - Voltos Bolt

Sleigh Bells - Run the Heart

Fol Chen - In Ruins (Baths Remix)

Spirituals - Wanderings

Feldberg - Dreamin'

The Drums - Book of Stories

Junip - Rope and Summit

Cheers y'all

matty | ish!

Seasonal Tunes mix series Vol. 2

I've recently come to the conclusion there is a LOT of great music coming out these days. Last month I made a compilation mix for friends that included some of my favorite new releases spanning all genres. THIS month I decided to bust out my trusty turntables, hook up the SERATO, and give it a whirl.

DOWNLOAD HERE right click.. save as

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean

Floating Points - Shangrila

Onra - Long Distance ft. Oliver DaySoul

The Radio Dept. - Heaven's On Fire

Broken Social Scene - Ungrateful Little Father

Delorean - Real Love

Roska & Jamie George - Love 2 Nite

Tycho - Coastal Brake

Caribou - Odessa

Flying Lotus - Do The Astral Plane

James Blake - CMYK

Sbtrkt - Pause For Thought

Gold Panda - You

The Roots - The Stars (Dilla Joints)

Erykah Badu - Fall in Love (Your Funeral)

Knxwledge - Remember Who You Are

Washed Out - Feel It All Around

Foals - Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimbie Remix)

you can expect one of these every month!

ish! | matty

ish! - The Slithy Tove

For those of you reading my blog for the adventures in food, beer, & wine you should know that I'm also a dj whose been playing records for over 10 years now. After owning a bar for a few years in my mid twenties I managed to deplete the majority of my desire to be up in the club leaving me, for the most part, a bedroom dj. Occasionally I'll throw down somewhere at a friend's night (ahem, Smartbar on Tuesday May 4th) but I get a lot of satisfaction making mixes at home. The Slithy Tove is my most thought out and fully produced mix since MyDi$co Vol. 2 which was a huge hit in 2006. Being the genre-hopper that I am, I wanted to do a take on the current trends in dubstep. Personally I didn't want to jump straight to the "dubstep" genre because it's become quite a broad thing as of late. I think I even heard the term "Post-Dubstep" the other day. I guess this could fall under that category, yet I'd like to think of this mix as something that spans across several different styles to create something new. I'll leave the reviewing to y'all... I hope you like it!

DOWNLOAD HERE (right click, save file as...)

recorded live in chicago, il february 2010

shouts nate, caleb, rcp crew, lowen, corbin, daewon, sara & chandon, B, harp, alex, vince, spencer, john simmons, thosedamnkids, websters wine bar, smalls, meghan!, and all those who support my mad scientism.

contact matty.colston@gmail.com

http://www.pickledtomato.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/matty.colston

http://www.racecarproductions.com

mastered by the librarian

cover design by caleb halter

Tradition.. on it's Ear: The Bruery tasting @ The Bluebird

woah... i haven't posted anything in a while (sorry nate)

"We are a small craft brewery that specializes in Belgian-style ales. Our calling is to create beers with character and depth using the simplest and purest of means. We do not filter or pasteurize our beers. All of our bottled beers gain carbonation through 100% bottle conditioning, allowing carbonation to naturally occur through a secondary bottle fermentation. We strive to use unconventional ingredients, and we proudly state what we put into our beers."

The past year or so I've really started to develop a more focused beer palate. I've found that in the process of developing my beer palette I concentrate more on the beers I don't like, and ask myself why. Usually when I find out the technical details of a beer that I don't like, something is out of balance or they are trying too hard to add/do something different. Unlike wine, beers are recipe driven so I feel like creating balance in beer should be easier than wine. There are more variables in beer yes, but a seasoned winemaker has to really pay attention to his or her variables and manipulate on the fly. When looking at both craft brewing in winemaking with all of these factors at play, those who really pay attention to tradition & simplicity are the ones that can in the end make the modifications to eventually reach a truly unique wine or brew. Of course with beer there is room for playing with recipes, but I think that beers like these from The Bruery all taste like they are from the same brewer. I love it when I can taste the 'style' of a brewer or winemaker. In Austria last year I became even more hooked on Johannes Hirsch wines and I could probably pick out one of them blind from a mile away. He is another example of somebody who truly understands tradition but, not without skepticism, does it HIS way... in his case keeping just the faintest bit of residual sugar. Austrians typically like their wines extremely acidic and young. At the tasting with Johannes we learned what 10 years does to those wines and then you really begin to taste their efforts of creating their own style of wines.

Tasting these wonderful brews from The Bruery I'm immediately impressed with their branding: sophisticated & minimal labeling with a steady theme throughout all packaging, however, am even more enamored by their ability to craft true Belgian-style and run with it.

The lineup: Orchard White, Rugbrød, Saison Rue, Mischief, Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, Saison De Lente, Oude Tart, White Oak

Didn't waste any time, I went straight for it... the beer I knew I'd be most critical over, the Oude Tart. Slight oakyness from aging in red wine barrels leads to a leathery dark fruity character on the nose... I wanted to keep smelling it forever but it also begged to be drunk. My tasting notes read, "This is easily the best domestic sour I've ever had." Coming from my last post about the Ska sour, this is what I'M TALKING ABOUT!

The Orchard White, hazy, typical to this style with coriander & citrus peel includes lavender added to the boil. Lavender apparent on the nose gives this a new approach to this style but I think works pretty well considering I put this style of beer under the aromatic category. Rolled oats were also added for texture. I tend to like my witbiers pretty racy, I thought the oats took this away a bit.

Rugbrød, deeelicious... definitely up my alley. A Julebryg-style strong brown ale. Inspired by the traditional Danish dark whole-grain rye bread. Nutty malts with bready and roasty elements in perfect balance.

The Saison De Lente is their Spring Saison with a great rustic brettanomyces character. ABV 6.5%... I could drink this stuff every day, one of the highlights of the tasting.

The Hottenroth Berliner Weisse is quite unique. A few tart reactions and whispers around the room led me over to the table with the meat & olives before sipping this one. Tart indeed, with the wheat really coming out. Definitely a food beer, not a quaffer.

Why do all hoppy beers have to have some sort of keen or edgy name? I guess it's because most of the time they are plowing you over with toungue-numbing bitterness. Mischief, stays true to the name here and tiptoes around your palette with grace. The vibrant hop nose led me to believe I wouldn't like it, despite its deep and complex nose of melon & pear. "Fiendishly" (American) dry-hopped, I'm filled with joy to say that I LOVED this. 8.5% abv, lil high, but wow the balance here you just don't find in many beers done in this style.

White Oak, wildly unique. Rarely do you see a 12% abv beer this color. Light golden hue, unripe peach & oaky vanilla on the nose. The bourbon barrel aged wheat wine is blended with fresh Belgian-style Golden Strong ale to give this beer it's... well I can't even say. It's not something I'd drink, but I'm impressed with how smooth, yet not too rich, it is. I actually got some banana like qualities on the finish too.

Big thanks to Jason Baldacci @ The Bluebird for continuing to bring in QUALITY tastings. Cheers homie.. here's to you!

Ska Brewing "Belgian-Inspired Sour Pale Ale"

I came out to CO to visit my cousin and picked one up from the store yesterday. Sitting here now enjoying it as the snow is falling. As peaceful as it is outside, I can't say the same for what's in my glass. I totally agree with another blogger's comment on the bitter & sour being at war. Even with the lengthy finish, I still sense the battle between the two. I'm not a huge hop person, and can rarely do ipa's unless I'm eating food, although I always thought Avery's ipa was pretty good. Anyways, I love sours i.e. flemish.. or even a Monk's Cafe (yum). This, not even close (I know they're not trying to assimilate). It seems as if I'm just going to have to keep hoping for a domestic brewery to not over-hop everything. haha hope-hop.. I'm sure I could come up with some sort of play on words there. Shoot, if a domestic brewery that was crazy about hops (ahem, Lagunitas) would dare to do something less aggressive with em, that'd be a GREAT name HOP(e)-less. Where's my dedication beer?! Anyways, it didn't say abv on bottle so I googled to find that it was 6% before I drink this whole sucker. I concur with another beer blogger with his the C+ rating... drinkable, but let down that this "belgian-inspired sour" isn't even close to my expectations. The hops just get in the way of all those great sour flavors. I say if you're going to take the time and effort to do a beer like this, outside of your comfort zone.. then don't bring the extra hops, focus on that sour yeast! Although, now that I think about it... it is pretty unique in that sense.

http://www.skabrewing.com

...more about Brettanomyces and how it relates to sour beers.

oh... and I did come across my new favorite pilsner. Already planning on stocking tons for Chicago summertime.

this also managed to impress the heck out of me!

a local brew from Del Norte has created this "Mexican-Style Lager" with SO much more to it than it's counterparts south of the border. read BTI's tasting notes here.

¡tiempo para la tierra!

I recently began my research to live & work on an organic/bio-dynamic farm sometime next year. While I've made some connections in Austria and have lots of insight and inspiration from my colleagues, I can't seem to get Spain out of my head. Something very powerful is drawing me there, and of course my main interest is wine and grape harvest, I want to learn more about growing food too, not to mention become more fluent in Spanish. It's one of my longterm goals to eventually have land and grow a lot of my own organic food, hopefully supplying my restaurant and a small community with delicious vegetables. The trip could happen as early as this fall, mostly for the sake of working a grape harvest, but I might just shoot for next year so I can prepare to be there for 4-5 months. I've started the process by reading more about WWOOF (world wide opportunities on organic farms), but plan on reaching out to as many people as possible for advice. If anybody reading this has any insight or connections, I'd love to hear about it! Basque Country, Galicia, even Jerez in the South are all coming up on my radar.