On Friday we battled the kind of summertime traffic that only New York can deliver to attend Shinn Estate’s farmhouse dinner. One sip of the first wine, the 2007 sparkling brut, and the agony of the LIE was a thousand miles away….
The menu was an ode to Long Island in June. The blackfish, served steamed with Chef David Page’s “pea-sto” (first tasted here), was caught just that afternoon in Mattituck inlet. The pork loin (shown above, roasting) and Camembert-style cheese came from Mecox Bay Dairy Farm — one of the last holdouts in a stretch of land that was once blanketed with farms, and is now known as the Hamptons.
As always with communal dinners like these, the greatest joy was in breaking bread (and spreading it with sweet lavender-scented butter) with strangers who soon become friends. It’s how I met many of you; it’s how I met M.
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Shinn’s lovely unfiltered Chardonnay on our stoop. Grateful the summer is only beginning.
Shinn Estate. We were here just 15 hours ago for their farmhouse dinner. Can’t. Stay. Away. (PS: Say hi to Panda!)
Before leaving the North Fork, Andrea, Julie, and I stopped for a tasting at Shinn, my favorite NF winery (they have the best wines and the cutest dogs, ‘nuff said).
We were in such luck! Chef David Page, one half of the husband and wife team that started the winery a little over a decade ago, was debuting a new tasting of their most unusual and special wines, paired with a few nibbles.
We tried two gorgeous whites, including an unfiltered chardonnay that really stole my heart (you know how I love those hard-to-find unfiltered whites), and two outstanding reds that gave us Shinn’s take on Left Bank/Right Bank styles. Page talked us through them and, as we were the only ones there, we got to ask him all our questions about North Fork terroir (it tastes like oil — which you can either fight or find a way to work with), their holistic approach to farming, and living the escape-from-New-York dream.
I could only afford to bring home the chardonnay. But that’s exactly what great tastings are all about: trying wines you can’t get anywhere else — my boyfriend’s go-big-or-go-home dinners aside.
Speaking of M., I knew he’d be green with envy. Luckily Chef Page is planning to hold these tastings every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer. Reservations are suggested. I will most certainly be back.
I was sick all weekend (finally feeling better, thanks for asking :) so M. made me his (mildly) famous (ok not really but should be) butternut squash soup.* It’s subtly spicy and intensely creamy yet vegan — that is until you add a sprinkle of Parmesan. He suggested bringing it to that fateful Thanksgiving potluck but I dissuaded him, citing the difficulty of serving soup to a crowd without dishware (he more than made up for it with prebatched cocktails and homemade chocolate cake). It would be a year or so before I finally got to taste it. Glad I did, my friends, glad I did.
We had the soup on Saturday with greens pie and three rounds of Dominion (not nearly as good as Catan but you can play it with two people). Tonight I’m slurping up the leftovers with a side of Shinn Estate Vineyards Wild Boar Doe, one of the best wines this state produces.
Raising my glass to the speedy carriage of justice; the civil suit was settled out of court, us jurors were released, and I have a funny little only-in-Manhattan story to show for it (stay tuned…). What else can I say? Ice Cube said it best.
* For those who’d like to try this at home: he chops the squash into 1” cubes and sautees them in grapeseed oil (virtually flavorless) or olive oil with salt, pepper, and plenty of red pepper flakes until they begin to brown. Then he puts the sautee pan in the oven and roasts until the squash is soft, lets it cools a it then purees until smooth, adding vegetable or chicken stock to thin it out a bit. This technique gives you a wonderfully layered flavor that simply roasting and pureeing would not.
Speaking of rosé. Shinn was our favorite winery stop last summer. (Can you tell I’m counting down the days ‘til we can make it out there again?)
WINE ON WEDNESDAY- New York State is finally pumping out good wine at budget prices. For locavores on a budget( wcfoodies and followers), this is an exciting development.
WHO: Shinn Estate.Barbara Shinn and her husband used to be the proprietors of the resto “Home” in the west village. They ditched their city life for the North Fork of Long Island. Many of us dream of doing, and they did. Life is not about what we want, but what we do.
WHERE: North Fork, Long Island. They offer vineyard tours and wine tastings. Check them out this summer.
What: Yes, this is a pink wine. If you are intimidated by rose’ or think it’s only for women over 60….get over it,buddy. I always look to the French for advice in the sphere of wine(and lifestyle)….they drink this goodness all year long; and especially in the balmy weather. Out of carafe, in a bottle, from a tank—all versions are gulpable and shine with food. Shinn’s rose’ is a blend of red grapes coming from sustainably farmed(soon to be organic, i think) vineyards.
SMELL/TASTE: Go to your local market and cut up a few fresh red berries and whiff—the aromas in this wine are just as pure and vivid. Dry and fresh on the tongue. Lip- smacking kinda good.
SERVING: Serve chilly. It makes an ideal aperitif to incite hunger or pair with this.
COST: $15.0(Vestry Wines, Tribeca)
Our little trip to the North Fork was picture-perfect.
M.’s been going out there for a few years, so he knows all the best farm stands. Summer came late this year, so field-grown tomatoes are just coming in now (we brought some under-ripe ones home with us, to gorge on over the weekend), and blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries of all colors are on display to tempt a happy, boot-ed lass.
Oyster Ponds Farm, a small son-and-dad company, sells the very best berries. (The dad explained that selling the glorious fruit his son grows is his “retirement job.” He looked to be having just about the best retirement you could ask for.) We came back three days in a row, and brought no less than 6 little cartons home with us!
I especially loved a little stand next to a field at a quiet bend in the road — no one was in sight, just crates of sun-warmed tomatoes and vegetables with prices listed. There was a box for money in the cooler nearby. Wouldn’t it be grand if we could always operate on the honor system?
Of course we also made time for some wine-tasting. The best vineyard is Shinn Estate Vineyards, which you really must visit if you can. The husband-and-wife team, who once owned restaurants in Greenwich Village, not only make fabulous wines, but also have a lovely inn with a reportedly excellent breakfast.
