Refreshingly non-multi-cultural, resoundingly mythic and visually ravishing – the Seattle Opera’s “Ring” cycle invaded my consciousness last Sunday and didn’t let go until six days, four operas, and 17 hours of music fit for the gods had elapsed. Here’s baritone Greer Grimsley as Wotan. Yes, he was that choice — sexy, masculine, archetypally moody, AND he could sing!
(to be continued…)
My homecoming dinner, after a week of opera in Seattle, involved chorizo and Bellwether Farms ricotta pizza, Roman-style thin and delicious, from The Cellar Door. The long, long communal table was filled with prix fixe clients, headed by Bonny Doon Vineyard winemaker Randall Grahm & family. And Charlie Parker’s kitchen was hoppin’ with smart ideas.
Since woman does not live by pizza alone, we also shared an evening alacarte special of slow-roasted pork loin, sliced over a bed of fragrant creamed corn and spinach. (Those are infant rohlrabi sprouts atop the pork.) A pungent relish of tarragon deviled egg played counterpoint, and everything tasted spot on paired with Grahm’s current masterpiece, the 2005 Cigare de Volant. This oasis of enlightened food and wine is located dangerously close to my house. It’s just so easy to drop by, sit at the bar, select something small – okay, maybe two or three things small – and pair with wine. Life is still good.
In addition to sampling two charming – really, that’s the word – examples of Spanish mencia varietal, we split a small plate of tender, tangy calamari salad on a float of micro-gazpacho. Soif still owns the island of intriguing off-the-beaten-track wines. Go immediately to sample the mencia flight, including the lively tamarind and roses of the 2007 Guimaro “Amandi” from Ribeira Sacra.
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.