COMMENTARY
Head for the Bordeaux
10/14/2012Take, say, a cup of Château Lynch-Bages. Add a splash of Château La Gaffelière. Open a bottle of Clos Louie, wave it vigorously in the air nearby (the stuff is expensive) and then recork it. Throw in a jeroboam of Château Gruaud-Larose, and what do you get?
I have no earthly idea. It should be some sort of wine.
The complex, multi-layered wines of Bordeaux are revered as the finest in the world, and studying them can take a lifetime. If you would like to learn about Bordeaux, or if you already know about Bordeaux, the BYOB Wine Dinner at Revolution Grille may be just for you.
That's BYOB, as in Blend Your Own Bordeaux.
Representatives from Trinchero Family Estates, in Napa County, California, and Heidelberg Distributing Co. will be on hand to discuss the endless intricacies of Bordeaux wines and to help the participants blend their own. Best of all, chef Rob Campbell will serve a meal especially designed to go well with Bordeaux.
The dinner will be Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at the restaurant, which is at 5333 Monroe St. Seating is limited, and reservations are required at 888-456-3463. The cost is $59.95, plus tax and tip. So don't expect any Château Gruaud-Larose, whatever that is.
Badgers, happy
The slow food movement is not about foods that are cooked slowly, of course. It isn't necessarily about Crock Pot cookery. Rather, it is more about the opposite of fast food; it stresses organic eating and a connection between the farmer and the consumer.
On Oct. 26 and 27, the movement will (slowly) make its return to the Happy Badger Café in Bowling Green with what is being called an RSVP Dinner. This time, the menu will be designed and prepared by a guest chef, Bill Kolhoff, executive chef for Walt Churchill's Market.
The menu had not been determined as of press time. What we do know is that guests should arrive at 7 p.m. either night. And because it is an RSVP dinner, reservations are needed; call 419-352-0706.
The cost is $50. If you would like wine with your meal, you are requested to bring it yourself.
The Happy Badger is at 331 N. Main St. in Bowling Green.
The real thing
Around these parts, people wax philosophical about their chili mac. Everyone has a favorite place to get it, but for a lot of folks the Platonic ideal of chili mac is what used to be served at the Original Chili Parlor.
From the 1940s through the 1960s, the chili parlor on Erie Street downtown was beloved for its plates full of spaghetti, chili, beans, and meat, topped with Parmesan cheese and served with Saltine crackers. You knew the food had to be good because of all the police cars parked outside.
Although the Original Chili Parlor is gone, the secret recipe lives on, in the hands of the heirs of the restaurant's owner, Norman Masiker. One grandson, Tim Frass, is chairman of the board of the Eleanor Kahle Senior Center, which leads us to what, in the world of chili mac, amounts to big, big news:
Next Sunday, Oct. 21, Mr. Frass will be cooking up a batch of the original Original Chili Parlor chili mac for a senior center fund-raiser. Just $10 will get you a plate of the real thing, and if you are 50 and older it is $8. Children are $5, and children under 3 are free.
The chili will be served from 1-4 p.m. The center is at 1315 Hillcrest Ave
Cooking off
Time sure flies. Or as they say in Latin, tempus certainly fugits. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Village of Walbridge. It seems like just yesterday.
Big events are planned for the celebration of this momentous occasion, but big events need money. So the villagers are raising money now to celebrate their founding later.
One such fund-raiser will take place Nov. 3 at Athens Baptist Church, 101 Breckman St., in Walbridge. Along with a silent auction, there will be both a chili cook-off and a soup cook-off.
The competition will be fierce, but not as fierce as it would be if you brought your own best chili or soup e_SEmD or both! Each category will be judged both by judges and by hungry ordinary folks who will be sampling and voting for their favorites, so a total of four awards will be issued.
No entry fee will be charged, and neither will there be an admission fee, though donations will be appreciated. The festivities will run from 1-5 p.m., with judging at 2 p.m. The silent auction will end at 4 p.m.
For more information, visit WalbridgeCent.com.
Gut reaction
One key (of many) to healthy living is maintaining a strong immune system. And one way to achieve a strong immune system, according to the Weston A. Price Foundation, is to consume plenty of protein, as well as probiotics and cultured foods.
Kris Johnson, the leader of the foundation's Toledo chapter, will talk about nurturing a healthy digestive system with protein, probiotics, and cultured foods at 6 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Grace Lutheran Church, 4441 Monroe St. As always, samples of the foods discussed will be provided, surely including whole grains and animal fats, which the foundation touts as the keys to good health.
The class is free, but donations will be welcomed.
Items for Morsels should be submitted two weeks before an event to food@theblade.com.