SHIPPING WINE TO NEW JERSEY

In the map on the left, the states that permit wine shipments are in white. The “wine” colored states prohibit the shipment of wines. Both New Jersey AND Pennsylvania are in the “NO WINE SHIPMENT” column. To folks like myself who are passionate about wine this prohibition on wine shipments is frustrating because many of the best wines are sold by mailing list and shipped to customers from small wineries in Napa, Sonoma and other areas of California and the two other major wine-producing states, Oregon and Washington.

Currently, a bill has been introduced that would allow wine shipments to the Garden State. It would also allow wineries in New Jersey to ship their wines to other states. Here is the story from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

NJ BILL WOULD ALLOW SHIPPING WINE

By Paul Nussbaum

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Looking for a rare Russian River red from California? Or a taste of Egg Harbor’s finest, a 2006 Renault Winery Cynthiana?

To pick up their favorite wines, New Jersey residents soon may have to go no farther than their front door.

A state Senate committee last week endorsed a bill to permit the shipment of wine directly to consumers from in-state and out-of-state wineries. An identical bill has been introduced in the Assembly, and Gov. Christie is reviewing the issue, a spokesman said.

If the bill becomes law, New Jersey will be the 36th state to allow such shipments, according to the Wine Institute. Efforts to pass a similar measure in Pennsylvania have been thwarted for years.

Supporters say the legislation would give consumers a greater choice of wines and prices and would boost sales by Garden State wineries. Opponents maintain the bill could hurt liquor stores and wholesalers and make it easier for minors to obtain alcohol.

“New Jersey consumers should not have to be limited only to what’s in stock at their local wine store, nor should they have to drive halfway across the state to get a quality New Jersey wine,” said Sen. Brian Stack (D., Hudson), a sponsor of the bill.

“Likewise, out-of-state visitors who try New Jersey wines and want to purchase them shouldn’t be shut out,” he said. “It’s time we give consumers and vintners the ability to deal directly with each other.”

Jeffrey Warsh, who represents three of the four major wholesale alcohol distributors in New Jersey, said direct shipping could cost the state jobs and tax revenue.

“For a very small [license] fee – $100 – those out-of-state interests can gain access to our liquor system and do great economic damage to our wholesalers and retailers,” Warsh said. He said the big four wholesalers (Allied Beverage Group, R & R Marketing, American B.D. Co., and Fedway Associates) employ about 3,000 workers in such jobs as warehousing and trucking.

At Canal’s Discount Liquor Mart in Pennsauken, Gary Brady, the wine buyer and floor manager, predicted that direct shipping by wineries would have little effect on the store’s business.

“It could affect us a little bit, but I don’t think it will knock out the big stores like us,” Brady said. “People like shopping in the store. We bank on our walk-in business.”

And, Brady said, the cost of shipping probably would deter many customers from buying over the Internet or by phone.

Dan Brown, who with his wife owns the small Wagonhouse Winery in Mullica Hill, said direct shipping would help him sell more bottles of such wines as his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (at $11.99 a bottle, a full-bodied red “with black cherry and black currant flavors aged for 18 months in French oak for hints of chocolate and coffee”).

“We do get quite a few requests for shipping, and when we say no, it’s a unanimous reaction of disappointment,” said Brown. “For us, it would be a benefit for sales.”

The Senate bill, which was approved 5-0 Thursday by the Law and Public Safety Committee, could come to a vote by the full Senate this month. The chief sponsor of the measure is Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (D., Gloucester), so Senate approval is expected.

If the bill makes it to Christie, “there are certain issues we want to take a close look at,” said Michael Drewniak, the governor’s press secretary. He said Christie was concerned about preventing minors from buying alcohol.

If the measure becomes law, the state would rely on delivery companies, such as FedEx and UPS, to enforce the shippers’ policies requiring an adult to sign for wine deliveries, said Senate Democratic aide Derek Roseman.

Throughout the nation, state liquor laws are in flux, as long-accepted ways of doing business are challenged after a 2005 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that in-state and out-of-state wineries must be treated alike by state regulations.

New Jersey in 2004 revoked a law that permitted direct shipment by in-state wineries, but not by those out of state. Since then, all direct shipping by wineries has been prohibited. New Jersey residents are permitted to take delivery of wine and other alcohol from a New Jersey liquor store.

In Pennsylvania, some state lawmakers have long tried to rewrite the state’s prohibition on direct shipping. Liquor Control Board regulations allow direct shipping only by wineries with a “limited winery” license.

Only one out-of-state winery, Kistler Vineyards of Sebastopol, Calif., has obtained such a license. A second, Hopewell Valley Vineyards of Pennington, N.J., is seeking one, said Nick Hays, spokesman for the Liquor Control Board. Many in-state wineries have the licenses.

Enforcement of the direct-shipping ban is a low priority for Pennsylvania State Police because of limited manpower and money, said Maj. John Lutz, director of the bureau of liquor control enforcement.

No criminal charges have been brought against consumers or wineries.

“We do receive a complaint occasionally,” Lutz said, noting that state police had investigated and sent “cease-and-desist” letters to two or three out-of-state wineries to stop shipping without the proper license. They have done so, he said.

There is a lot that has to happen between now and the bill being approved and signed by the governor. It is good news though that a very real possibility exists that NJ will, at long last, permit wine-lovers to purchase some of their favorites that currently aren’t available.

HEARD ON THE BOARDS #3

This is another installment on what is being discussed on the two most prominent wine boards on the internet, winespectator.com and erobertparker.com.

The universal debate on how to keep wine fresh after the bottle has been opened is continuing. The consensus seems to be that the best chance for maintaining the quality of an open bottle of wine is to pour the contents into a smaller bottle, add inert gas and re-cork or recap. Some claim they get weeks of life in the refrigerator using this method. Personally, I’d rather just finish off the bottle at the first sitting.

I wrote, not long ago, about the joys of Vintage Port.  A recent post advices readers of a new port just now hitting the American market.

The wine is the Quinta du Noval ”Black” and unlike the Vintage Ports that sell for anywhere from $60.00 to $100.00 you can find the “Black” for about $22.00 retail. Those who have tasted this offering from one of port’s best houses claim it is a bargain at the price with great flavor of plums and rasberries and drank well over a three day period. Some of the reviewers immediately considered it among their favorite ruby ports. I haven’t tried it yet but I will be on the lookout for it when it hits the stores in this area.

There was a healthy discussion on how much to tip on a bottle of wine in a restaurant. For instance, you are dining out and your dinner totals $200.00. You had a nice steak with all the trimmings for $80.00 and a great bottle of cabernet to compliment the meal for $120.00. Your personal custom is to tip 20%. Do you tip the 20% on the entire bill making for a $40.00 tip? Or do you tip 20% on the food portion ($16.00) and somewhat less on the wine portion? The consensus was that you do what feels right but there is certainly no obligation to tip another $24.00 on the wine which was certainly marked up 200 or 300 % over what the bottle would have cost at retail. Many felt that 20% on the food and 10% on the wine seemed to make sense.

There was considerable excitement generated by the 2008 Pinot Noir growing season in Oregon. Many are claiming this is some of the best juice to come out of this region in years. You should start to see bottles of the 2008 Oregon Pinot Noirs in your local wine shops very soon and if you haven’t tried this grape recently this may be a great time to give it a try. It’s one of my favorite wines with chicken and even certain fish dishes. It’s a lot more subtle than many other red grapes and there is an excellent chance you might become an instant fan.

EX-EAGLES COACH DICK VERMEIL, WINEMAKER

This is what former athletes, celebrities and coaches do when they retire. They head out to Napa and start crushing grapes. In fairness to Coach Vermeil, he actually was born and raised in the Napa Valley and wine has been a part of his family forever.

Anyway, he will be in the Philly area this coming Friday, February 5th and will be signing bottles of his wine.  You can visit his website VERMEILWINES.COM to learn more about the selections available. His premier wine is the Jean Louis Vermeil Cabernet Sauvignon, named after his great-grandfather. Here is a Robert Parker review of that wine.   

2002 Jean Louis Vermeil Cabernet Sauvignon  $69.95

 SKU #103663293 points Robert Parker: “The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Frediani Vineyard is stunning. Its inky/ruby/purple hue is accompanied by beautiful, pure aromas of creme de cassis, subtle wood, smoke, and licorice. Sensationally well-endowed, opulent, and voluptuous, with a 40+ second finish, this lovely Cabernet should drink beautifully for 15 or more years. This is the personal wine project of the Super Bowl-winning, renowned NFL head coach, Dick Vermeil. Vermeil’s family has French origins, having moved to San Francisco in the late 1800s, and Vermeil was raised in Napa Valley. His initial dive into the wine world is impressive. It goes against the rule-of-thumb that celebrities rarely achieve anything special in the world of wine.”   93PTS (12/07).

Editor’s Note: (Rumor has it that Parker originally gave the wine 87 points but on hearing the score, Vermeil began to cry and Parker changed it to 93.) Yes, I’m joking.

So, you can see that the wine isn’t cheap but it’s surprisingly good. I might be tempted to pick up a bottle at the signing next Friday. See you there!!

THE BIG HOUSE WINE COMPANY

If you’d like to drink good wine and don’t have the time to invest in learning a whole lot or the money to invest to assure quality in your wine purchases, then you need to know about the Big House Wine Company.

Based just a stones throw from the Soledad State Prison in California, The Big House Wine Company knows how to have fun with wine in addition to making some good juice. Their winemaker is known as The Warden and their wines all reflect names associated with the inner-workings of the criminal justice system. They make a Big House Red, a Big House White and a Big House Pink. In addition, Georgetta Dane, the Winemaker…..oops Warden, who hails from Romania and has a penchant for the more European grape varietals, produces a few other criminally indulgent wines. I would suggest you try all three of these.

THE SLAMMER – 85% Syrah 15%Petit Syrah

WARDEN’S COMMENTS
This is a full-bodied Syrah, forceful; perhaps even a bit “dangerous” dare I say (that’s why he’s locked up in solitary). Muscular and deeply concentrated this wine has a nose of sweet black berry jam and hints of dark chocolates. Balanced and well structured, it bodes a well-rounded mouthfeel and a long, pleasant aftertaste. This wine can be enjoyed now or cellared for several years.

THE LINEUP - 49% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, 1% Mixed Red

WARDEN’S COMMENTS
GSM is a colloquial and friendly name attached to that venerable style developed within spitting distance from the Pope’s French incarceration camp (it was actually a palace, but hey he’s the Pope) in Avignon. While the Central Coast has many micro-climates, some are very similar to the Southern Rhone valley. Each variety plays a part in the overall gestalt of this wine; blackberries and spiciness from the Syrah, raspberries and a hint of rose petals from the Grenache, and Mourvedre offers hints of truffles as well as the structure of a muscular backbone.

THE PRODIGAL SON - 100% Petit Syrah

WARDEN’S COMMENTS
Arresting hue of this very deep and dark red, is an attesting to the beauty of the boy. The bouquet is muscular with black fruits, blackberries, and cassis dominating the introduction. Then a whiff of anise sets in, followed by a whisper of smoke and white pepper. The palate follows the nose with lip smacking blackberry and currant. Flavors then intertwine chocolate, spice in a swirl of bodacious body, that one would consider gravitas. All of this delight leaves you longing for another sip, before ending with a hint of vanilla, oak, and spice.

If you are not yet tempted to try one of the wines from Big House Wines, here are three more tidbits offered to tempt you. All of their wines are under $10.00. All of their wines come with twist-off caps. They have a web site that is fun to explore just based on the creativity and wit of the designers and you would enjoy touring the “correctional facility” even if you hate wine! So, do yourself a flavor favor and pick up a bottle of any of the Big House Wines. They are available almost anywhere that wines are sold. You can thank me later!

 

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Sometimes you just have to blog aimlessly for six months or so before you learn some of the things that the system will allow you to do. It took me more time than it should to realize it was an easy process to change the name of this blog. Now, in a burst of inspiration, and because thousands of loyal readers, ok, hundreds of loyal readers, ok, two people asked me if I could do this, I am going to list in the coming days, in the right hand column, the NAME of each BYOB Restaurant, individually. You will then be able to “click” on the REVIEW that you want to read without having to scroll through all the pages. I know, I know, why would I want to go to all this trouble just to make things easier for the reader? I’m not sure.

Anyway, it may take me a week or so but that feature will soon be there. In the meantime, leave COMMENTS in the COMMENTS section and sign up at the bottom of the right hand column to receive e-mails when a new post appears.

Thank you for stopping by as often as you do and please know that your readership is greatly appreciated and the many comments I have received have made this project well worth the effort. THANK YOU!!

RISTORANTE PESTO – BYOB

It’s a little unusual to head out for a wine dinner on a Monday night but when you are accompanied by 4 unusual people it all makes sense! Frank, Steve, Ange and Val all showed up at Ristorante Pesto at 1915 S. Broad Street for another of the Oakview Survivor dinners. We have been doing this for about 3 years now and this core group always finds the time to enjoy a great meal and even better conversations.

After achieving the South Philly “impossible dream” of finding suitable parking we were seated and looking over the menu when Rita, no relation to lovely Rita, Meter Maid, from the Fab Four days, who was our server, appeared to give us her rendition of the evening specials. Rita, while opening three bottles of wine, rattled off 6 appetizers and 10 to 12 entree items in perfect rhythm without missing a word. It was an impressive performance.

As we ordered soup and appetizers, and patiently waited for the notoriously late Crown Prince of Doo Wop, we retold neighborhood stories for perhaps the 200th time. They never seem to lose their bizarre appeal. Frank D. had the vegetable soup and we toasted each other with our wines. Ange had brought with him the 2006 Calera, Pinot Noir; Frank had the 2007 Berco do Infante, Riserva while I had one of my wife’s favorites, the 2007 La Posta, Bizella Family Vineyard, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina. I would list here what Steve J. had except that I fear guilt by association, so it will remain nameless except that I might hint that it was white and it claims to be “the biggest selling Italian wine in America”, which speaks volumes for American taste buds! 

It was about this time that Val arrived.  I was finishing up my  Braciolettini (Rita’s spelling), thin slices of beef wrapped with seasoned bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese then grilled. This was a prefect way to start off the meal; nicely done pieces of beef covering gooey cheese.  Val thought it looked good and ordered the same thing himself.

Here is Val explaining to all of us that he would have been here an hour ago had a customer not offered him $1.50 for an old “45″ record that Val insisted he had to have $2.00 for or he would feel his entire career as a purveyor of “oldies” had been wasted. Fortunately, the client raised his offer to $1.75 and Val reluctantly agreed.

As I am writing this I am thinking back and remembering just how good my entree was. The Chicken Bolognese, chicken breast topped with prosciutto and sweet cheese and baked in a marsala wine sauce. This was served with “family style” spinach and roasted potatoes for the table. The combination of meat and veggies with perfectly roasted potatoes was wonderful.

I had been to Ristorante Pesto once before and forgot how good it could be.

Val had the Veal Francaise, veal medallions, egg battered and topped with a hearty portion of crab meat in a lemon butter sauce. Ange and Frank ordered the Bronzino, similar to sea bass, and stuffed with tender mussels, clams, shrimp and crabmeat and baked in a light tomato sauce. Steve selected the Veal Mare Monti, veal medallions topped with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese and jumbo shrimp in a mushroom demi-glaze.

Everyone approved of their food and our hostess, Jackie grabbed my camera to capture the satisfaction apparent in our faces. Fortunately, the picture is a little dark and it is not likely that the authorities will be able to issue any outstanding warrants based on what can be seen here.  Our server, Rita, brought the co/owner-chef, Claudio Conigliaro, from the kitchen, so that his image could be captured for posterity on my blog. As you can see, the quality of this photo is somewhat better so that I hope both Rita and Claudio are warrant-free. We thanked Claudio for a great meal and Rita for her exemplary service. We topped off the meal with a couple of desserts which we shared.

The Oreo Ice Cream Cake was a perfect ending to a culinary masterpiece and even though there is no picture of the home- made Tiramisu you’ll have to take my word that it was equally good.

Once again, not every BYOB chooses to open on Monday evenings, last night there were five degenerates from Oakview that were very glad that Ristorante Pesto was available.

MAGGIANO’S Little Italy – NOT A BYOB

It’s not often I arrive at a restaurant without my wine carrier containing one and probably two bottles for consumption with my meal. Last night was one of those exceptions. Our regular Friday Night Eight (I guess a better name for a dining crowd like this would be Friday Night ATE) ventured away from the BYOB venues of South Jersey and made our way to the totally revamped Cherry Hill Mall environs to dine at Maggiano’s Little Italy. This is one of three locations in our area for this national chain. The other two are at 12th and Filbert in Philly and King of Prussia. I had forgotten that Maggianno’s offers Family Style dining. For a fixed price ($26.50 per person, in our case) the table chooses two appetizers, two salad types, two pasta dishes, two entrees, two desserts and choice of two clergy to perform last rites.  Plates of those items are then brought to the table, shared by all, more can be ordered, left-overs from each group boxed and bagged for take home, resuscitators provided for any who collapse from over-eating and pretty much every other type of service you would expect from those presiding over a food orgy. Truth be told, it’s NOT a bad way to eat. Sure, I missed my wine but I had a Samuel Adams draft and I was quite content. Here’s what we had:

For salads we had the Caesar and the Maggiano. On a four star basis I give 2 to the Caesar and 3 and a half to the Maggiano. I’m not a big salad fan but this one was VERY tasty. For appetizers we had the Bruschetta  (crust a tad too crispy) and the Crispy Zucchini Fritte. I didn’t think I was a zucchini fan either but these were terrific. The crispy strips were coated with Japanese bread crumbs and served with a lemon aoili sauce that was a perfect addition. So far, I’m semi-impressed. Now I am awaiting the REAL food. One of our entree choices was the Eggplant Parmagian, which I don’t eat,  so I picked the Chicken Parmigian for the other entree figuring that was a safe bet. For pasta they chose the Chicken Pesto Linguine, Linguine pasta tossed with roasted chicken, pesto and pine nuts in a parmesan broth with a hint of lemon. The other pasta was the Chicken and Spinach Manicotti, savory crepes filled with chicken meat, ricotta aglio spinach, asiago cheese, covered with a house cheese and baked to a golden brown. The chicken parm was good, the linguini pesto was excellent, although I didn’t realize the chicken in that dish was hiding at the bottom and now resides in containers at Jerry and Sue’s house. The manicotti was wonderful. It was a really good meal made better by the fact that I went there with no expectations. Now, for the desserts:

That little item to your left is called Chocolate Zuccatto Cake. I vote we change the name to something more appropriate like Huge Mountain of Rich Food Just in Case You Can Squeeze in Another Morsel .  We liked it.  Here is the other concoction that appeared among the rubble at the end of the meal.

This one was called Apple Crostada, Caramel Sauce
Warm apple filling of Granny Smith apples, sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, baked in a pastry crust dipped in cream and crystallized sugar. Served with caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Garnished with mint. We managed to finish this one just prior to the call going out to the local EMT’s to get here quickly with their paddles. It would have helped if we could have left the cars and walked home but that didn’t happen. Happily, although Maggiano’s made every attempt to kill us with too much food, we survived to eat again.

One final note. It was actually surprising that with this much food the quality was excellent. I could do this again…..hey, we doin anything tonight???

BLACK LAB BISTRO – BYOB

My visit on Thursday evening to the Black Lab Bistro in Phoenixville, PA was a spur of the moment decision. I had an early Friday morning meeting at work and my friend Gerry B. suggested I stay over at his house for the evening. Once that was agreed to, it was pretty much a given that we would be heading out somewhere to drink some good wine and have a nice meal.

The Black Lab Bistro is located on Bridge Street in the heart of a rebuilt, and now bustling, Phoenixville, PA. In some respects the town reminds me of Collingswood, NJ. It was busy on a Thursday evening and Gerry reports it’s teeming with young people on the weekends. Inside this restaurant the walls are a cheery yellow and seating is ample allowing for some semblance of privacy. The menu is extensive and in addition they had a large number of daily specials that were just as enticing as the regular fare. I knew from the beginning I would not be able to resist trying the Lobster Mac n Cheese appetizer.

Let’s just say I would have been content with a slightly larger portion to serve as an entree and I would have been well fed for the evening.  This dish was perfect. A crispy top with wonderful cheese and lobster with truffles, creating a near-perfect start to the meal.  It was going to be hard for any entree to surpass this. While I was salivating over my choice Gerry was enjoying his Seafood Sausage in a whole grain mustard crème. This appetizer was eerily familiar to the Shrimp and Crab Boudin that I had at Karen & Rei’s just two weeks ago and found to be less than spectacular.

My fears were totally misplaced as this item turned out to be wonderful. It had a pate-like quality and the colorful red and green peppers interspersed gave it a nice taste and the mustard crème accentuated  everything. This is how you do Seafood Sausage!  As we enjoyed our starters we drank both our wine choices that Gerry had generously provided for the evening. The 2007 B Side, Napa Valley, Cabernet and the 2005 Merryvale, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Vineyard X Oakville, Cabernet. The Merryvale is a current Chairman’s Selection in the PA State Stores while the B Side was a recent purchase he made on a visit to Hops n Grapes down in my neck of the woods in NJ. Both these wines were elegant with great bouquets and lots of cab fruits. We both gave a slight edge to the B Side, it had a slightly unique texture and perhaps we weren’t expecting nearly as much from the B Side as we were from a wine where the grapes grew in the rich soil of the Beckstoffer Vineyard. It’s always nice to be totally surprised with a wine and it’s what makes tasting different wines such an enjoyable experience.

Choosing an entree from the many mouth-watering items on the menu was no easy task. Finally, I gave up and remembered that our server had said that the House Specialty was worth trying and so I did choose the

House Signature Dish

*Duck Breast and Divers Scallops

Pan Seared, Black Currant Sauce, Parsnip Puree, Braised Chard

$30 

            The duck was nicely done and the sauce flavorful. The scallops were damn near perfect; light, tasty and the black currant sauce was made for both. Gerry had his eyes glued to the Specials of the Day and couldn’t wander away from the “Black Angus Filet, “Oscar”, lump crab meat, asparagus and whipped potato.    There was not a  whole lot to not like about this entree as the tender filet was piled high on the mound of creamy potatoes and garnished nicely with the criss-crossed greens. Both of the wines proved excellent additions to the hearty steak and our conversation took a back seat to enjoying this gourmet feast.

In addition to everything tasting great at the Black Lab, I would also mention that the food presentation here is top-notch. I’m getting hungry all over again just looking at these pictures. But, as they say in the ginzu knives commercial, “but wait, there’s MORE”! You haven’t seen the desserts, yet.

 Say hello to my little friend, the Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream Sandwich. If I had any sense I would have passed on dessert as the duck, scallops and lobster mac n cheese should have been enough to feed a small army. Trust me, you would give in to this dessert menu just like I did. I’m not even going to tell you how good it was. Look at it again and see if you can guess.

I would strongly suggest that even if you can’t get over to the Black Lab Bistro in Phoenixville, that you click on the link I have provided to their website and go thru the menu. It will almost be like dining there without the best part of actually eating the food. Enjoy, I did!       

                                                                                                                                            

 

BARCELONA – BYOB

Barcelona - A European Bistro, is located in beautiful, downtown Pitman, NJ. Friends and neighbors have long lamented the dearth of suitable restaurants in Pitman which, with it’s Broadway Theatre and small town shopping, has long been a natural location for good eateries. Barcelona helps fill that need. It’s a great stop for pre-theatre dining and that is exactly what we were doing there this past Saturday evening. Our friends Jerry and Sue C. gave us their tickets to “Singing in the Rain” at the Broadway  Theatre and my wife Kathy and I, Joe and Carol B. and Tom and Barbara T. had a 6:15 reservation at a place I had never been before. The other two couples, being season ticket holders at the Broadway, had been to Barcelona a few times in the past.

The interior is bright and cheery and the tables are nicely spaced to afford diners ample privacy. Both Joe and I had brought with us Malbecs from Argentina. Joe had the 2008 La Posta ”Angel Paulucci Vineyard”, my wife Kathy’s new “favorite wine”, while I had one of my perennial favs, the 2007 Fabre – Montmayou, Barrel Selection, from Patagonia. Both seemed naturals for the spices associated with a Spanish restaurant.

The menu itself has a wide variety of interesting items and they had a few specials for the evening to add to the wealth of choices. Barcelona also offers an extensive tapas selection if you are in the mood for trying lots of small plates.

I chose an appetizer from the “Specials” list because it sounded different and interesting, it was Mark’s Spring Rolls, a crisp spring roll filled with steak, drizzled with cheese and served with carmelized red onions.

The dish was presented with four nice size offerings of tender steak, drizzled with the cheese sauce (think mini-cheese steak in a pastry shell). It was very filling and could almost have served as a meal.

Some of the women chose the Soup du Jour which was a Sweet Potato soup. Kathy and Carol both split an eggplant appetizer. It should be pointed out that our friend Carol B. is, by nature, a very sweet, charming and fun to be with person. She has, however, little patience with flaws in food or service when dining out, and is not hesitant to point them out when they occur. When both her soup and her appetizer arrived at the same time she was quick to point out to our server that an error had been made. The situation was quickly rectified without bodily injury to anyone and our meal continued in peace and harmony.

All three of the women ordered the Sweet Potato Ravioli in Sage Butter sauce. The pasta was nicely cooked and the filling flavorful. It should be pointed out that all of us had our eyes on our watches as we waited quite some time for the entrees to arrive and the starting time for our theatre date drew closer. Joe had chosen the Baked Bronzino from the specials menu and Tom and I both ordered the Tilapia Rellena, Stuffed Tilapia with shrimp, scallops and crab meat in a shrimp sauce.

We were really rushing toward the end to finish in time for the show but I would be remiss in not pointing out that the chef came to our table to apologize for the delay confessing that he had burned one of the tilapias and that was the reason for the slow service. He was nice enough to comp all of our desserts, and since we didn’t have time to have them there, we had them boxed for consumption after the show back at our house.

Overall, the food at Barcelona was pretty good, the experience was a little haggard, but I would say they certainly deserve another chance and the place shows the potential to be a nice spot for a weekend dinner in a town that desperately needs quality dining places.

TOP 100 INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS FOR 2008 BY DOLLAR VOLUME

 Industry Magazine recently published a list of the Top 100 Independent Restaurants in America for 2008 based on dollar volume of sales for food and beverage.

It’s an interesting list and here are a few of the stats that caught my eye.

 The #1 restaurant, for the 3^rd year in a row, was TAO-an Asian Bistro located in the Shops at the Canal, in the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. They did an amazing 64 million dollars in business in 2008. The #2 restaurant, New York City’s famous Tavern on the Green did 34 million. Ironically, Tavern on the Green served their final meals at a New Year’s Eve party on December 31^st, 2009, just a few weeks ago. It seems their long term lease was up and they were outbid for the lease by another restaurant group. Tavern on the Green has since filed for bankruptcy. The new owners would like to keep the same name but rumor has it the current holders of the name want $19 million dollars for it.

 Most of the places listed in the Top 100 are in Las Vegas (24) or New York City (31). The only two local entries were Carmines (Atlantic City) at #51 and The Lobster House in Cape May, NJ at #40.

 The highest average check in the group was a whopping $144.00 per person at The Four Seasons in New York. The lowest check of the group was a restaurant that I actually ate at in the town of Frankenmuth, Michigan. The $14.00 per person average check at Zehender’s (#48) is for the many, many chicken dinners they serve in this German-American town that bills itself as the “Christmas Capital of America”.

The complete list can be found here then click on RI Research at top of page.