The recent bounty of warmer weather has many of our guests seeking advice as to what wines are best enjoyed on a hot summer day/night. So, we decided to compile a short list of some of our food-friendly favorites.

Light crisp whites are the perfect choice with salads, seafood and lighter meats such as simply grilled chicken or pork. Look for varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Verdejo from Spain, and Gruner Veltliner from Austria.

If you are normally a red wine drinker and would prefer to beat the heat with a fuller-bodied wine, then now is the time to try one of the many rose wines being offered at restaurants, grocery stores and wine shops. Tis the season for these refreshing beauties that range in color from pale salmon to dark pink and from off-dry to bone dry in flavor. These days almost any red grape you can think of is being made into this popular summer choice. Wonderful on their own, they are also great accompaniments to barbecued meats, seafood and vegetables.

Feeling creative? Make a Sangria! There are literally thousands of recipes online for this festive warm weather refresher. Google sangria and the name of your favorite chef and see what pops up or satisfy your creative side by simply combining a bottle of your favorite white, red or rose - nothing too precious and a bit of your favorite fruit sliced or chopped (oranges and lemons are popular choices). Many recipes call for a splash of triple sec and then sweeten to taste with sugar or your favorite fruit juice. Let the flavors meld for a couple of hours in the refrigerator and then delight in your creation.

Cheers!

An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a delimited grape-growing region distinguishable by geographical features, the boundaries of which have been recognized by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. A viticultural area should be based on features that affect the growing conditions of the area (climate, soil, elevation, physical features). It may extend across political boundaries, and there is no maximum or minimum size. However, the entire area should possess a unifying feature that distinguishes it from surrounding areas.

Two new viticultural areas have been added in Washington this year…

Snipes Mountain AVA in February and Lake Chelan AVA in April, become Washington’s tenth and eleventh AVA. Both are located entirely within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. Snipes Mountain includes Upland Vineyard and Harrison Hill Vineyard which includes some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Washington…some more than 40 years old.

Lake Chelan AVA currently has 15 wineries and 260 acres of planted vineyards. Grape varieties planted here include: Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

For more information on Washington Wine and some great links, visit the Washington Wine Commission at washingtonwine.org.

Our friends at the Intiman Theatre have offered up a great $5 off deal for our Purple Cafe blog readers! Simply call the theatre at 206.269.1900 and mention promo code “purple” to receive your discount. In addition, your ticket to any show this year at the Intiman Theatre gets you 10% off your bill here at purple! Simply present your ticket to your server.

After the show, stick around to take part in their “White Russian Discussions”. Meet at the bar in the lobby to receive great drink specials on White Russians and take part in a post-play discussion led by a member of the Intiman staff.

For more information on the show, click here.

The 31st annual All Fools’ Day Parade will be held this Saturday, March 28th in Woodinville. This year, the parade will benefit the Homeward and Maltby Food Bank. All parade participants are asked to bring a can of food to donate. The days activities are as follows:

• Pancake Breakfast from 8:00am - 10:00am at the Fire and Life Safety District Headquarters
• All Fools’ Day Parade from 11:00am - 12:30pm along NE 175th Street
• From 1:00pm - 4:00pm is the Basset Bash and Brigade (Bring your Bassets to strut their stuff)

For more information on this great community event, visit the Greater Woodinville Chamber of Commerce.

All 3 Purple Cafe locations are participating in the Tap Project during World Water Week, March 22nd - 30th. Started in New York City in 2007, the Tap Project is based on a simple concept: restaurants will ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they would normally receive for free. All of the funds raised will be donated to UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible drinking water to millions of children around the world. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days. For more information, visit the Tap Project website at tapproject.org.

Here at Purple Cafe and also at our management offices (Heavy Restaurant Group),  we are doing our part to spread awareness for Colon Cancer Awareness Month. This is an important issue for us as we have had a close member of our “Heavy” family survive colon cancer. As a result, we are getting the word out and participating in the following:

• Today, Friday March 6th, is “Dress in Blue Day”. All employees have been encouraged to dress in blue and/or wear a blue ribbon to promote awareness and show their support.
• On March 22nd, employees will take part in the Mercer Island Rotary Club’s Half Marathon, 10k or 5k. All the money raised will be donated to Colon S.T.A.R.S and other colon cancer organizations here in Seattle.

Unbeknown to many people, colon cancer is the #2 cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. The interesting thing and in many cases tragic, is that colon cancer is 90% preventable when detected early. That is why it is so important to know your family history and spread the word! For more information, please visit the Seattle Colon S.T.A.R.S website.

It’s the dead of winter, let’s talk braising…

Why does braising blow every chef’s proverbial skirt up? Quite frankly, it’s because many chefs feel that it is the ultimate cooking method. A method that, through skill and knowledge, one can convert a shoe leather tough piece of meat into something meltingly tender. It is also a method that provides you with free sauce as you cannot braise without liquid. The only thing that you need to do a successful braise is time, and in some instances…lots of it!

So how do we braise? It’s not that hard at all really. You need a really tough piece of meat, flavorful liquid and aromatics like herbs, vegetables and spices. You also need a pan that you can seal up tight (if only with foil), and an oven.

Step 1: Searing
Get your pan really hot (for all of you out there who aren’t professional cooks, we really mean it, HOT!), and then add the oil you are going to sear with and the well-seasoned meat. Sear the meat on all sides as deeply brown as you can without burning it.

Step 2: Deglaze
Remove the pieces of meat and pour in your flavorful liquid (wine, stock, etc.) and your aromatics and scrape up all of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. You are beginning a sauce even now.

Step 3: Put the Meat Back In
Don’t be greedy! The liquid should only come halfway up the side of the meat at the most. If you use too much liquid, your sauce will not be concentrated. You should also braise in the smallest possible vessel for the same reason. The meat and liquid should just fit.

Step 4: Tightly Cover it and Braise Away
Get a tight lid on your braise (yes, it has just become your braise) and stuff it into an oven no hotter than 350 degrees. Know this, the worst braises are done at 350 or higher, so go as low as time permits. Never go higher than 350 because the liquid inside will boil and the meat will get dry. For safety sake, don’t go below 250 either as bacteria can develop at lower temperatures.

Step 5: Quit Peeking At It!!!
Um, don’t peek. It just slows you down. You need at least 90 minutes for a good braise, but often much more. Our really big lamb shanks for Seattle Purple’s menu sometimes take six hours!!

Step 6: Remove Meat, Strain Liquid, Make Sauce
This is up to you how you do this part. If I’m making shredded beef tacos I just put some liquid back in with the shredded beef to keep it from getting dry. If I’m making our lamb dish, then I put the liquid back on the stove and reduce it until it becomes a gooey intense demi-glace sauce. There are many options here.

Step 7: Don’t Fear Your Braise the Next Day
When a sauce from a braise cools down it will make a jelly that would make Bill Cosby proud. Don’t be put off by this.

Even though this process is fun, it takes time. We have braised pork shanks in Woodinville and braised lamb shanks in both Kirkland and Seattle. Come on in and try them if you don’t have time to braise something of your own.

I went and saw Memphis at The 5th Avenue Theatre last night and came away impressed! All in all, a very good show. Officially billed as “Memphis, The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, it is a new musical about the music scene in Memphis in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The music was fabulous and it turns out that all music and lyrics were written by Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan. Memphis will be in town through Sunday, February 15th…do yourself a favor and check it out!

I recently spoke with Purple Seattle bartender, Jim Benoit, on the subject of his favorite wine that perhaps many people are not aware of yet. Jim offered up the ‘Evergreen Vineyard’ Riesling from Efeste Wines. Located in Woodinville, Efeste Wines is relatively new on the wine scene but is already impressing with 6 current offerings in addition to their Riesling including a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet-Syrah Blend and 2 Sauvignon Blancs.

Jim says “some Rieslings can be one sided…either too sweet or posses too much acidity.” He characterizes the Efeste Riesling as “perfectly balanced” as it is “still sweet enough but also with good acid as to make it an easy food pairing wine or something to simply sip by itself.”

On the Efeste website, winemaker Brennon Leighton adds, “Evergreen is a high elevation vineyard, which is very cool compared to most Washington Vineyards. This allows the fruit to hang long into October, and still retain lots of acid while keeping the sugar accumulation low. This is a classic Riesling, balanced with tons of mineral notes.”

Currently, the Efeste ‘Evergreen Vineyard’ Reisling is on our Seattle wine list only…stop in, try it, tell us what you think!

Cheers!

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, how about some pairing ideas? There are two classic pairings that we believe will suit the vast array of flavors on your holiday table. For the white wine drinkers, it’s gewurztraminer. This is a full bodied wine with aromas of orange blossom and lychee nut that will stand up to most foods. In addition, it will really bring out the flavor in your classic Thanksgiving starches…yams, potatoes, and stuffing. Also, if you prefer white meat turkey, it is a match made in heaven.

For the red wine drinkers…how about a little gamay? It will be a harmonious wine with just enough body to bring out the moisture in the turkey. This wine even has a soft enough finish to pair with the ever so tart cranberry.

Now, even if you are full, there is always room for dessert! There is nothing better than a little pumpkin pie after a large meal.  The trick then is to drink something on the lighter side. A late harvest riesling will have just the right amount of body and sweetness to compliment the pumpkin. However, if you are looking for something even lighter, a moscato d’asti is a delightful companion. With just a touch of effervescence, it will help you end your evening on just the right note!

Happy Thanksgiving!!