Mar 11, 2010

Hi All you Lunatics;
The New Joys and What we will do.....

March 2010

This just happens to be my birthday month (again....)

It is also my favorite month because we can finally see the absolute beginnings of SPRING which is right around the corner. Have you ever noticed that the emerging greens on plants coming out of hibernation seem to be the very greenest we will see all year? I have some Podophyllum pleianthum x versipelle (try working that into a conversation....) Basa that are just emerging from the mulch in the garden. They look like small 1" hats. But.....they are Spring to me. That one little sign it is coming.

Our native California Buckeye has the same effect: late February/early March we see the green leaves starting to unfurl on these rounded majestic trees. They are usually the first to be in bloom in the area. For a month before anything else sometimes......and we know that change is coming....

BasaWe are doing a re-model job of the entrance to the restaurant, the seating area, and then the ladies and men's bathrooms. Let Gary know if you like his new projects outcome...

Sooooo......cooking.....this time of the year.....

Slow braising in big ol' heavy enamel dutch ovens: turn them on, and walk away.....love this....

It is Chicken Pot Pie time, Beef Stew time, Arroz Con Pollo time.....and I am just glad that we were able to acquire the heavy duty pots we needed for this type of cooking. I am a firm believer in a brand called "Le Creuset" that has the crazy colors of reds, yellow, greens, white, orange and others but the heavy enamel over the cast-iron is something you can buy now, and will to your grand-children. They seem to be impervious to any kind of damage, and they go from stove-top, to oven, to table just like that. And on top of that, they hold their heat at a high boil, or the lowest simmer.

If you do not have one of these kinds of heavy dutch ovens, buy one. They truly are one of the kitchens essential items. Believe it or not, I purchased all my pieces on Ebay, from this Canadian company that sold them about 50% below retail, but I have heard that there is an outlet store for the Le Creuset line in the outlet stores in Folsom. Or I have also seen some awesome pieces at a place called the Home Goods on Sierra College Blvd. at Douglas in Roseville. These are crazy prices there, lower than wholesale and totally worth the trip there. (Side note: if you have ever been to Costco, you know it is overwhelming the first couple of times you shop: you go in for a bag of cashews, and come out spending $300.00 on other stuff you "have to have". Home Goods is like that .......bed-sheets for $10.00? Towels for $4.00, dishes and kitchen items galore.......it makes your head swim at the bargains they have there!)

So, in honor of us getting our dinners and meals going so we can go outside and jump into Spring, our recipes available for download will be in this vein of get it going and forget about it. We are approaching our good and beautiful weather here.....lets get outside and do something!!!
And then eat ....and drink a good bottle of wine....and then take a walk and then a nap.....heaven......

Have you signed up for our Facebook page yet? It is a couple of times a week where you will know what special seafoods, desserts, and soups we are offering for the evening.....it is fun to see the responses from those of you who are part of this vast, vast network of socializing souls...

Here is a direct link to our sight:
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For this month, we are offering our special "Buy one dinner, get the second one at half price" on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This is a great savings for you.

And WINO WEDNESDAY = 30% off any bottle of wine on our list!

Thursdays is NO CORKAGE THURSDAY! Bring in a bottle of your wine (that is not on our list) and we will pour it for you with your dinner free! You gotta love that!

New wines on the menu:
Amador Cellars 2007 Rocky Point Vineyard Zinfandel- this is an awesome Amador County wine that has been introduced to us from Kristin, our rep from the winery. She had told me how delicious it was, and I have been stringing her along and she has been patient with me. Well. Big fruit, great body, excellent with food, and dare I say it: I like it slightly chilled.

2006 Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon - This venerable winery from the Napa Valley has always been at the top of my Napa wines.....this Cabernet is what we California wino's love in a Cab: big, bold, and almost staining the glass with its fruit. So good with red meats and stews, but also with tomato
based pasta dishes too. We love this...

Duas Quintas "Douro" (Touriga grapes) - If you have not had this varietal before, you should try it. One of Portugal's famous wines, it has been used in America and Europe as a "blending" wine, but on its own, it is fantastic, and a wine I believe will be a popular varietal soon. This wine is so good it is great all by it self, just sipping. C.G. DiArie makes a wonderful bottle on their reserves, and I encourage you to get that when it is available, but today, you can have this one and love it!! So far, we have served two cases of this wine, in just 2 weeks. It is a repeat purchase for people it is that good.

Dillian Petite Sirah - Good old Tom Dillian in Amador County keeps his score 100% with me on this wine. Luscious is all that I can tell you. Petite Sirah may be my favorite varietal because of its drinkability and its complex nose and taste. It is also so good with foods and cheeses, and appetizers, and sitting in front of a fireplace sipping slowly. A wonderful product from an amazing vintner.

Hollys Hill Patriarche Blanc - We carry several of Hollys Hill Wines, but this is the one I have had the most requests on. Steve DelaRosa has always encouraged me to taste and appreciate this wine, and we are so happy he is persistent. This white wine is a blend of some of our counties best Rhone grapes: Rousanne, Granache Blanc and Viognier. Wonderful!
Take care.

David at Cafe Luna

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and our By-The-Glass Selections Pairings
Just Double-click on the under-line above to preview or download
March 2010
March 2010 Promtions
Double-click here for a down-loadable & printablepage of Dining Discount coupons
Here is our promotional plan for this month. These are available to only you, our customers who have signed up for our e-mails and looking at our web-page and e-mails.
#1. On Wino Wednesday, all full bottle wines are 30% off the list price. The change here is it used to be wines under $35.00 and over 50.00......now you get to have any one on the menu, bottles only. So now, a $40.00 bottle will run you $28.00 on Wino Wednesdays......Yahoo!!!!!
(Does not work with by -the-glass offerings)
#2. BYOB Thursdays! On Thursday nights, diners wishing to bring in their own bottle of wine getting one free bottle corkage per table. That alone will be a $15.00 savings. Please don't bring in wines on our list though.....how gauche. Call us first if you have a question......does not include holiday evenings!
#3. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 1/2 off dinner coupons. Buy first dinner at regular price, second dinner is half off the menu price; limit 2 coupons per table. You must bring in the attached coupon in and be honored for the month of March, 2010.

This Month's Recipe::::

Double Click on the recipe title for a PDF copy. Enjoy
A wonderful marinade, a great salsa topping and a great barbecue entree.
Wine Trivia:
Here are some interesting and fun facts about wine and other alcoholic beverages......

Would you consider drinking a wine with one of the following olfactory descriptions :

  • Dumb: Muted but promising, closed.
  • Nutty : Found in mature White Burgundy and Amontillado.
  • Wet Wool : When there is too much sulfur in the wine.
  • Stewed : Like leaving a tea bag in your mug too long.
  • Petrolly : Found in mature riesling.
  • Cat Piss : Found in the varietal aroma of Sauvignon Blanc.
  • Skunk : Do you need an explanation ?

Did you know that ?

Most wines do not improve with age.


The word Alcohol is derived from the Arabic language (al kohl or alkuhl). Consider the fact that a large proportion of the Arabic population is forbidden from consuming alcohol for religious reasons.


Poor soil quality tends to produce better wines. The trick is to "challenge" the vines by making them "work" harder.


Although red wine can only be produced from red grapes, white wine can be produced from both red and white grapes.


Need to set your food or drink on fire ? The way to do it is to preheat the vessel holding the alcohol, as well as a portion of the alcohol itself. Certain alcoholic beverages are exempt of this rule however and are readily combustible (i.e Sambouka).


What is proof ? It is alcohol content in half the proportion of the proof degree specified. A 200% proof vodka would taste as alcohol, as its alcoholic content would be 100% (doh). However no such content has been yet recorded on commercial products. In the early days of alcohol trading, whiskey was mixed with gunpowder in order to determine if the alcohol content was high enough to set the gunpowder aflame. (It is inadvisable to attempt to test this fact, consequences could be dire).


Try to pronounce this correctly : brandewijn. It is the original word for Brandy (Dutch in Origin).


The wreck of the TITANIC, holds the oldest wine cellar in the world and despite the depth and wreckage, the bottles are still intact. Happy divings. (Although if you are American you will probably be required to produce a valid ID that you are 21 years of age, before diving.)


Did you know the names of the different bottle sizes :

Champagne Bottles:

  • Magnum : 1.5 lt (this magnum does not kill, except perhaps if you aim the cork well enough).
  • Jeroboam : 3.0 lt
  • Rehoboam : 4.5 lt
  • Methuselah : 6.0 lt
  • Salmanazar : 9.0 lt
  • Balthazar : 12 lt (Rightly named after one of the three magicians who carried the holy gifts)
  • Nebuchadnezzar : WOW 15 lt (Try drinking this on your own, and then perhaps you will be able to pronounce it correctly.)

Bordeaux bottles among others also include:

Double Magnum : 3 lt (for double the effect).