I'm recovering from the Wine Spectator California Wine Experience in NYC. Both my feet and my palate need a desperate rest. It was an incredible event. The wineries brought some of their most beautiful wines and I was glad to have tasted them. 197 wineries were selected by the Spectator to attend this fundraiser for the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation. All the big guys were there: Caymus, Mondavi, Silver Oak, and everything showed beautifully, but these three were the wines I had to speak about. 

Everyone knows I have a special relationship with Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery. They had the value hit of the evening with their 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet. It was incredibly balanced with tons of blackberry, blueberry and a hint of toasted coconut on the mid palate. At $30 retail, it was a steal.

Ridge pulled out all the stops with the 1978 Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon. It's not every day I get to taste a vintage wine. Leather on the nose, cherry and that aroma of age that is just so incredibly gorgeous.

Bonny Doon's Albarino from Monterrey County Ca' del Solo Estate 2007 had the prettiest nose of the evening. As soon as I caught a bit of the scent I knew I would love it. This one was also a bargain at $20.

The big guys were all there…But these three will definitely stand out next time I hit up the wine shops (ok, maybe not the Ridge since it's about $400 a bottle, but maybe if I'm nice someone will get it for me).

I have always been in love with the dining scene in Ironbound Newark. It was introduced to me by a friend who told me he would take me to the best Spanish restaurants. We’d head to Newark after hitting some balls. We’d usually end up at Poeta bar for what soon became a tradition…Shrimp in garlic sauce with lots of bread for dipping, sangria and as a finale; Sambuca with coffee and three coffee beans.

That was just the beginning of my love affair with this incredible city full of restaurants. I became a regular at Adega, Mompou and Boi Na Brasa. I was having a massive Mompou craving last Saturday. I spent all day shopping for curtains at Ikea. It was stressful and time consuming, needless to say I needed some good grub.

Unfortunately after searching for parking in Newark and walking 4 blocks to Mompou, we were disappointed to find out that it was booked for a party. Starving, we began walking, trying to find a place to satisfy our hungry bellies.

About 3-4 blocks away, we noticed a new restaurant, Vivo. I was a little scared about the food. It's pretty easy to tell that the place turns into a bar at night, this made me wonder about the food. Once I looked at the menu, it all seemed pretty standard fare. I was prepared for disappointment, I was gladly mistaken.

We were seated quickly and greeted by Juan Antonio, the new manager. We ordered tapas and a bottle of Faustino V. The markup on the wine was more than reasonable and it’s really a great bottle. Juan Antonio was funny and very knowledgeable, he provided us with great service.

The meal began with bread with infused olive oil. It was incredible. They infuse their olive oil with garlic and bay leaves. The bread was toasty and warm. It was a great way to comfort a hungry stomach. For our meal, we ordered tortilla Espanola, patatas bravas, chicken croquettes and empanada Espanola. The empanada was my favorite part of the meal. It was an open faced baked beef empanada with cabbage. I had never had an empanada of this sort it was delicious. The tortilla Espanola was quite good, adding a bit of ham would make it perfect. The chicken croquettes were smallish and fresh, not greasy or overpowering. The only item that I was not in love with was the patatas bravas.

Overall a really good experience, the prices were right, the service was great and the food made me forget about my icky Ikea experience. I’ll be heading back there soon.

Vivo Tapas Lounge

167 Ferry Street

Newark NJ 07105

973-465-4800

I just recently moved to an amazing building in Jersey City, the Beacon. It’s got tons of amenities, but the best thing so far is the community that makes up the building.

Today, I attended the First Annual Jazz Brunch. It was supposed to be held on the sundeck, but it was nasty weather wise, so the event was moved to the theater. Chapman Concierge (which is in charge of the special events in the building) did a really nice job in relocating and adjusting to the indoor setting.

The event was catered by East Coast Caterers. The spread included breakfast sausages, steamed broccoli, bacon, scrambled eggs, brownies, French toast, delicious home fries, flounder Francaise, chicken pasta, grilled veggies, Champagne and spirits from Pastore Wine and Liquors one of our sponsors. My favorite was definitely the home fries (I went up for seconds).

It seems that many residents in the building are fans of Bloody Marys for they were seen in mostly everyone’s hands. Many of the ladies were doing Royal Kirs and Mimosas, but I stuck to plain old Bubbly (no need to mess with perfection).

It was a great deal for only $30.00 we got to meet our neighbors who are all incredibly sweet people. I can’t wait until the next event and I’m looking forward to getting to know the rest of my neighbors.

Perusing the Selections

The Healthy Selections

The not so healthy selections

You can tell what people like to eat by how empty the plate is

The Flounder

Upclose and personal with the flounder francais

Who does not love pasta?

Grilled Veggies

This was a very popular man during the brunch

The new neighbors