MAD PROFESSOR LIVE @ GALA HALA

Last night I went to check out Mad Prof, and the performance was very, very solid. Energy level high, the Professor in top form, and the bass, prodigious. I'll describe the show in more detail in an upcoming post.

Heather B. - All Glocks Down

Heather B!! Remember her on the real world, first season? Speaking of hip-hop luminaries, writer Kevin Powell was also a cast member.

Heather hard....

Two from Contino

Well, I promised a comprehensive CVNE, Vina Real, Contino post, but fate would not allow it as the notes are spread amongst two different tasting books, one of which is currently residing in Rockridge, where my tasting group recently met to taste through some wines, double blind (look for that post very soon). So, for now, two notes on some pretty amazing wines from the famed Rioja estate, Contino.

Contino Rioja Gran Reserva 1996

For the detail oriented, this cepaje is composed of 85% tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo, 10% Graciano. Fermented in stainless, with a 15-20 day maceration, followed by 2.5 years in a mixture of French and American oak barrels. After 2.5 years aging in bottle, the wine is released to market. Mineral, dried cherry, spice, and everything nice that you would want in a Gran Reserva Rioja of this caliber, from such a well regarded vintage. There is great acidity and structure in this wine, and though it's tasty now it should continue to develop for a number of years.

Contino Rioja Graciano 2001

While this is decidely more modern, aged in barrique (new American and, per the website, 'semi-nueva' French oak), the wine nonetheless is impresionante. Bright, bursting purple fruits show in this single vineyard Graciano. It's intenser than a muv, with great acidity and length. Tight, though, and has a lot more to show. I'd love to see the wine in a decade. Only 3,034 bottles were produced - for between $130-$150 a bottle (I'm guessing based off the wholesale price) this wine could be yours.

Husker Du - Pink Turns To Blue

I started listening to Husker Du five or so years after this performance, so around '92. As I recall I was reading an article about Sugar, which of course mentioned the importance of Husker Du in the development of alternative rock. Since I was then around 13 and had an older brother feeding me a steady stream of cool music, I was excited to have made my own little discovery. First I bought Warehouse: Songs and Stories, an oft dismissed, poppy major label effort that I still maintain is underrated. Then I got a Rhino Records re-release of the Everything Falls Apart EP, which also included a few assorted singles and B-sides. Then I finally bought Zen Arcade, which to this day sounds as fresh, innovative and inspired as it did when it was released 24 years ago. Pink Turns to Blue is one of the tracks on Zen Arcade, which ranks amongst my favorite all-time records.

Cantina di Gallura Vermentino di Gallura 'Canayli' 2005

Last night I cooked up some linguini with olive oil, raw garlic, crushed red peppers, walnuts, chopped parsley and and toasted bread crumbs (no pecorino or parmeggiano because of the cold) and enjoyed a few glasses of this Vermentino to accompany the dish. The pasta was solid, but the Vermentino was smoking! Ripe, red appley nose, with a soft, fleshy palate of apples and melon. Some bitter melon and iodide on the finish. The extra year in bottle really fleshes this wine out; the flavors are simultaneously vibrant and minerally, while maintaining a slightly viscous texture. Vermentino di Gallura D.O.C.G. is located in the northern part of Sardegna, and this particular example is the Cantina di Gallura’s top-of-the line, from the granitic canayli vineyard. This is a really interesting Italian white for $15 and change.

Obligatory Wire Post

For the few people out there who still don't know - I'm from Baltimore (And no, I'm not just saying that to be cool, or for street cred, per the hilarious 'stuff white people like' posting from yesterday). I have been playing some serious Wire catch-up of late, since I have never had HBO, tend to not watch much TV with friends who do have HBO, and am relatively new to the rent or burn onto DVD an HBO series phenomenon. What a brilliant show, though! Not having grown up in the projects, I can still tell you that the dialogue is authentic and the details very much on point. Some examples would include the lake trout sandwich, Stringer's conversation with his DC guy in the second season ('I hate go–go music anyway,' - a hilarious example of the Baltimore-DC rift, as in Bmore club music is popular, whereas in DC it's all about go-go), and the depiction of Locust Point as a gentrifying extension of Federal Hill. Of course this won't make sense unless you have spent some time in Baltimore, but if you have then you know what I'm talking about.

'The Wire' boasts some unbelievable character development. Most folks' favorite character would probably be Omar, the very openly gay stick-up man. His penchant for attractive, light skinned African American guys, loyalty to the double barrel shotty, and ability to rile anyone and everyone, from pushers to sleazy criminal lawyers, makes for one complex, entertaining character. Oh, indeed!

Everyone from Terry Gross, to Thurton Moore, to wine blogging stalwart Lyle Fass have been fawning over this show. If you've been under a rock and want to find out more, here's some more info on The Wire.

Doing Battle against The Cold

For the past week or so, every third person I have interacted with regularly either has had a fresh or lingering cold. So it is no surprise that I finally have succombed to the germs myself and have been fighting the good fight since Saturday morning. Surely the bachelor party schedule in Tahoe - what with the days skiing, nights drinking and carousing, and sleeping minimally - has aided the attack of the germs. But on day 3 of the cold I seem to have, at least temporarily, stopped the advance of the cold from itchy-scratchy sore throat phase to nasal congestion and discomfort phase. At the risk of sounding cocky, I have pushed the enemy back and am advancing towards their turf. Who knows, maybe I'll be cold-free by Wednesday?

Here's the current anti-cold regiment:

- LOTS of water, throughout the day (constantly drinking water)
- Tea 2-3 times a day (pick your favorite. Just NO MILK. Brew with fresh ginger)
- 3000mg minimum vitamin C a day
- NO DAIRY. Minimal processed foods.
- Meals with vegetables and lots of raw garlic, including:
- CABBAGE. I think I have eaten half a head a day. Three variations:
Chinese cabbage (olive oil, soy sauce, serrano or jalapenos, 4 minced cloves raw
garlic, ground black pepper.
Thai cabbage (olive oil, lime juice, fish sauce, serrano or jalapenos, garlic,
chopped peanuts or cashews, salt, sugar, cilantro)
Mexican cabbage (olive oil, lemon or lime juice, garlic, onion, cilantro, cumin,
cayenne, salt)

Yes, it's some homeopathic, hippie type shit. But I think it's working. To celebrate, I opened a bottle of Jo Landron's excellent 2006 Domaine de la Louvetrie Muscadet 'Amphibolite.' I am happy to report that my tastebuds are working pretty well - the wine tastes just as pure, snappy and delicious as I remember. Probably should stick to just 2 glasses though....