Wine Writer

That's what I would also like to call myself from now on.
Sure, I've mentioned wine in many of my pieces, like in this review, for example, and included wine suggestions in many of my recipes, but I am now starting to write exclusively about wine.
My first article was recently published in the spring issue of (A)WAY magazine (p. 29-31), and in the coming weeks another one will be published, in French. More on that later!
I hope you enjoy this piece -- which happens to be on one of my favorite (and rather underestimated) wine regions!

Chez Alexander

On Saturdays, hubby and I like to treat ourselves to lunch somewhere nice. Over a glass of wine or two and a good meal, we celebrate the weekend, talk about our future plans and simply enjoy each other's company. 
Recently, we've been staying close to home and are going to restaurants in our own city -- Almere. Our town center has a wide variety of restaurants, but if I may be honest, I haven't really been tempted to eat at many of them. Perhaps that may have something to do with bad experiences early on, back in the day when the city was still very young. Very young?? That may sound strange to those who do not live in the Netherlands, so let me explain. Almere is the youngest city in the country. The first inhabitants moved here as pioneers -- way back in 1976. If you want to know more about the city where 'everything is possible' (or so they say here), have a look at the article I wrote for DUTCH back in December of 2012. 
During the last few years, our town center has gone through significant changes. New shops and restaurants have opened and closed, and much to my pleasure, Almere now boasts a few interesting places that offer more than your standard Dutch croquette or tosti for lunch. Last week I told you about the new restaurant, La Maison. This week I want to tell you about Chez Alexander.
Although the restaurant is not new, and despite the fact that it is French oriented (always interesting for a Francophile like me), last Saturday was our first time eating there. After reading some reviews of previous diners, I was a little apprehensive. It was very tempting to just hop on over across the street to La Maison, but hubby convinced me.
When we came in, we weren't immediately noticed, but it didn't take too long though before our very friendly waiter came to our table and asked if we wanted something to drink. We ordered two red wines (Métairie du Bois, a velvety blend of cabernet sauvignon and syrah) and browsed the lunch menu which included sandwiches, salads, soups, pancakes and standard Dutch uitsmijters or omelettes. I noticed that there were escargots on the dinner menu and luckily, serving them for lunch would not be a problem.

While Hans had the Flaquette Chez Alexander (a hearty sandwich filled with chicken and salad and served with thick-cut fries)...

I went for the lobster and prawn soup followed by the escargots. The soup was amazing. Perfectly seasoned and richly filled with plump, juicy prawns. I could've easily eaten another bowl! 

The escargots, however, were good, but not really great. First of all, I expected them to be served the traditional way (in their shells, with butter, parsley and garlic). Alas. What I got was a 'cocotte d'escargots' with a little too much mushrooms and not enough butter. I also had a chuckle at the fact that they were served with a tiny escargot fork. I think a small spoon would've done just fine. This is the way I've been served escargots like this in France anyway. I think if they spruced up the flavor of this dish with some garlic, butter and perhaps a bit of cream, it would be wonderful. And no mushrooms. Not for me anyway. 

But I'm not really complaining. The service and the wine were great, the soup was fantastic and there's a lot on the menu that I still want to try. 
After lunch, we love a good espresso, but this time Hans asked if they could make us an Italian cafe con panna (yes, not French!). Our request was granted and we rounded off the meal with a very decandent whipped cream-topped espresso!

All in all, it was definitely worth a try. We look forward to going there for dinner very soon!

First Spring Weekend

Finally! We had a taste of spring here in the Netherlands. I was beginning to think we were in for an eternal winter! Last week the weatherman was already predicting temperatures of about 15 to 20C, and although it could have been sunnier, it was such a welcome change from all that cold! 

Of course, I made the best of it. Nice food, good company, lots of outdoor time, a little gardening and a Pastis or two. Perfect!

On Saturday we decided to try out a new restaurant here in our city. La Maison (Almere) serves brasserie-style fare and offers a three-course menu (you can choose from 7 starters, 7 mains and 7 desserts) for only € 22, 95. The wine list is not big, nor does it aim to impress, yet it certainly satisfies. We enjoyed a smooth, velvety Rioja (Velo Tinto Joven) -- and bonus points -- it was served in beautiful glasses. 

If you love the brand Rivièra Maison (as I do) you'll be feasting your eyes here as most of the decor includes some of their signature pieces. What a wonderful idea to use the brand's gorgeous furniture and clean, crisp look! 

But back to the food! Besides dinner, La Maison serves breakfast, high tea and lunch. We were there around midday, so lunch it was! Hans had a club sandwich with bacon, chicken, lots of greens and a side of chips (a must with any club sandwich) and I had the warm goat cheese salad with spinach, croutons, pine nuts and crunchy bacon. Both dishes were so simple, but so good! The restaurant only works with fresh products, so no crappy bottled salad dressing here.

After lunch, we drove to Oldenhof in Hilversum for some new wine glasses. As an avid wine drinker, I believe glasses are very important. I have a glass for my white wine, a glass for my Burgundies and a glass for my Bordeaux. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) I broke one of my Bordeaux glasses last week. I was rather sad, until I suddenly remembered Riedel! I found out about the Austrian wine glasses after a press dinner a few months ago. We were invited to try some wonderful wines at Het Eigendom in Rotterdam (you can read about that here) and they told us all about Riedel. The lead crystal glasses come in grape-specific variations so that the character of the wine really shines through. Maximum enjoyment is what we're talking about here. Even Robert Parker called them "the finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes." And according to Time Magazine "this Austrian clan of master glassmakers has done more to enhance the oenophile's pleasure than almost any winemaking dynasty." Lucky me because as of Saturday I am the proud owner of two beautiful Riedel glasses! 

Just like the wine glasses, the rest of the weekend provided maximum enjoyment. I even got around to making two batches of canelés! 

Here's to more great weekends! Hope yours was fab too!