A Wine Review from Dad

Here’s a review that my dad, Larry Burton, did.  He’s been our wine editor for Hot in Little Rock for 3 years, and we love his columns.

We’re embarrassed.  We should have known better.  We served a wine we didn’t know to guests and, well, let’s just say it was not a very good decision.  We vowed, when we began writing this blog a few years ago, not to write about any wine we hadn’t enjoyed.  So here’s the rub: the wine we are going to describe may get better with age, but for now it is best left along.

This 2006 Calvet Réserve de l’Estey Médoc  is a red Bordeaux blend.  When we opened it there was not much of a nose, a little red apple and some cedar.  Truly, the nose was thin, we don’t know how else to express it.  Silly us, we never should have poured it, but we did.  Thank goodness our guests are polite people, but there were no requests for more.  After everyone left, we tried again.  Glad to say things had improved a bit and there was cherry, maybe a little strawberry and a touch of vanilla, in addition to the apple.  Not delicious, but much better than when we had opened it.  Perhaps it will develop if left cellared for a couple more years…but maybe not.

We certainly learned our lesson.  We won’t offer any wine we haven’t tried.  The exception of course is when guests have brought the wine.  We’ve been lucky on that front.  Now, duly humbled, we headed back to the wine store.  Maybe we’ll even listen to the recommendations there.  They seldom fail.

P.S.

Next time we’ll tell you all about the hors dourves we’ll be serving at Wildwood on Sunday, before a wonderful recital of District Met Audition winners.  Or, you can taste them yourself by attending.  Cost is $25 for adults and tickets can be secured through Wildwood.

A Break

Yes, it’s true.  I’ve taken a break from my daily emails at Hot in Little Rock and Hot in Argenta.  It’s really killed me to make this decision.  But now that it’s done, I can actually take a shower most mornings!

Cate is 8 weeks old and the whole family is in love with her.  She’s a wonderful baby – sleeping through the night and enjoying the world around her.

And now it’s my turn to take the time to teach her about life and focus on her, as well as Beth and Sam.  And the gallery – we’re getting ready to open a Barry Thomas show next weekend at Greg Thompson Fine Art.

So, I suppose all good things must come to an end.  But not completely.  Not really.  I’m still living local.  And I’ll still write about it right here.  Like our recent trip to Chicago and our dinner at Alinea.  Now that was an experience.  Stay tuned, because I must tell you about that night.

Cookbook Unveiled

After a year of hard work putting recipes on paper, my father and I finally unveiled our new cookbook a couple of weeks ago.  Locally Grown: Recipes Inspired by Local Living is a cookbook filled with things I love.  From recipes I grew up with – like Mom’s Popovers and my grandmother’s recipe for Eggplant Parmesan – these are recipes that anyone can make.

We made them easy – on purpose – because cooking should be fun not hard!  And because I love living local, I wanted many of the recipes to contain ingredients available at local farmer’s markets or right down the street.

The reception to the cookbook has been great thus far.  AY Magazine featured it in their May 2010 issue, and I’ll be doing book signings at Eggshells on May 8, THEA Foundation on May 17, and Historic Arkansas Museum on June 11.  Phew!

Let me know what you think about the cookbook.  If you’re not from around here – you can still order the book from Amazon.com.  Just click the link at the top of the page!

Stir Crazy

Being trapped inside one’s home for three days is tantamount to insanity.  At least that’s what it feels like from where I’m sitting.  Trapped at home, thanks to a freak and out of the blue snow storm.

Monday we awoke to no school and snow. “Where did this come from?” I wondered.  There was no warning – no preparation for this storm.  The kids were, of course, thrilled.  They put on their snow gear (that they never get to wear) and were in and out of the house all day.  The snow kept coming.  By the end of the day, there was probably 7 inches on the ground.

No problem.  In Arkansas, snow days last a day, the sun comes out, and we all go on with our lives.  So I’d helped my daughter move some of her stuff to her new room downstairs.  As we prepare for a new addition to our family, our eldest now gets her own room AND her own bathroom.  I’d vacuumed and scrubbed, done the laundry, cleaned the kitchen.  I felt utterly productive.

Then the phone call came late on Monday.  No school for Tuesday!  Okay.  So Tuesday is just a precaution.  Tuesday we’ll be able to get out, run some errands, no biggie, right?  Wrong.  Tuesday dawned and all the roads were ice.  People were slipping and sliding and there was no way my car was going to handle ice.

The kids didn’t mind.  They continued to play with friends outside and just be kids.  I did more laundry.  I washed some more dishes.  I scrubbed all of the cabinets clean.  I was on a roll!

But by mid-afternoon I was tired.  And I wanted to get out.  I wanted to do something – anything.  Really, I wanted to go to the gallery and work!  We were able to get out in my parents all-wheel drive vehicle to make a short jaunt to my favorite restaurant for my birthday dinner.  That was nice!  But there were crazy people and wrecks everywhere.

And then last night, another phone call.  No school Wednesday.  Ugh.  So by now I’ve done all of the laundry.  This is a miracle in my house!  And all the dishes.  And the floors really need to be swept again.  But I’m tired.  I’m tired of doing NOTHING all day.  One really needs to get out and have some variety during the day – at least this one needs that!

It’s odd, I think.  We spend all this time going going going.  Then when we have the chance to do nothing at home – it’s fine for a day, but then the novelty is over.  I want to get back to routine.  I want to work.  I want to see my friends.  I want to take my kids to their after-school activities.  I want to go to the store!

I love my home.  I love being here with my family.  But I suppose too much of a good thing can kill it.  Variety is the spice of life, right?  The kids are done with the snow.  They’re as bored as I am.  Even making cookies doesn’t light anyone’s fire.

Well, hopefully tomorrow brings some routine.  Until it snows again – like they say it will…tomorrow night.

Labor Day Luxury

We’ve been working so hard getting our gallery up and running and successful.  But over Labor Day weekend, we decided to close up shop and head to Greenwood, MS for some rest and relaxation.

Greenwood, Mississippi is an interesting town.  We drove in via Memphis (where we spend a day looking at the Caroll Cloar papers at UM), which took us through the backroads of Tennessee and Mississippi.   Poverty surrounded us.  This was especially true when we reached Greenwood.  Shanty houses and trailer parks were everywhere.  And even the sign pointing to the Viking factory seemed old and rusted.  We wondered:  was this really the same town that housed our luxurious destination – The Alluvian Hotel?

As we reached downtown Greenwood, it still didn’t seem possible.  The downtown area was deserted on a Friday afternoon.  As we turned onto the main street, Howard, we began to see some signs of life.  We pulled up to the hotel and walked inside.  It was gorgeous.  Marble floors, green apples for the taking, and a huge painting by Mississippi artist, William Dunlap.  The front desk manager, Kelvin, was so friendly.  He got us all checked in and we headed upstairs.

Our room was no disappointment.  We had a bottle of champagne waiting for us.  The bathroom was sleek and modern, and the room was elegant and comfortable.  We kicked off our shoes, popped open the champagne, and brushed the dust off from our journey.

And I couldn’t help but think – what a dichotomy of classes.  Encapsulated on this one block was immense wealth and prosperity.  The Viking Cooking School and the Alluvian Spa were across the street.  A world renowned restaurant was next door.  Yet, not two blocks away sat poverty.  How had this come to be?

Well, The Alluvian Hotel is owned by Fred Karl, who also owns Viking.  He is from Greenwood, and has helped make Viking into a very sustainable and sought after brand for outfitting one’s kitchen.  We know:  we own all their pots and pans and knifes!  And Viking is the main employer in Greenwood.  Without this major company, this town might cease to exit altogether.  I find it amazing that one company – one man – can make such a difference in the lives of so many people – but why do they still live in such empoverished areas?  It’s a question I can’t answer.

That night we enjoyed a very Mississippian dinner at the adjoining restaurant, Gardina’s.  We sat in our own private booth/room (which is apparently very Mississippian as well) and the food was divine.

The next morning, my mission was to enjoy Greenwood until our appointment for massages.  And we did.  We spent almost two hours in the local bookstore, Turnrow Books.  It is a fabulous independently owned bookstore.  It’s housed in an old building and features two stories of local and international books.  It also has a small cafe upstairs.  The center is open and well lit with natural light.  We loved being in there.  It just gave us good feelings and soothed our soul.

We wandered through an art gallery and several clothing stores as well.  We picked up some homemade pimento cheese and freshly made bread and headed back to our room.  Snacking on this local food, we relaxed and then headed across the street for massages.

The Alluvian Spa is another great place.  I felt bathed in luxury from the moment I stepped into the dressing room.  The massage was wonderful, but somehow, the time I spend in the steam room and five-headed shower was even better.  I poured myself a glass of tea and relaxed in the hot steam.  They’d thought of everything.  From disposable toothbrushes, to deoderant, combs and hair goop, I was loving every minute of this private and special bathroom experience.

After cleaning up, I felt refreshed and ready to cook!  We enjoyed a cocktail on the porch of the hotel and then joined our cooking class at the Viking Cooking School.  What fun we had!  We made lobster and steak and potato chips a delicious salad.  And we drank a lot of wine!  The cooking class was fun, but it was the people we met that made it outstanding.  Talking with people from other areas, learning how to make gumbo from a crusty old Louisiana man, and laughing.  Our night was perfect.

We look forward to returning to Greenwood, amid it’s dichotomy of wealth and poverty, for another getaway soon.  Maybe this time we’ll venture beyond the comfort of that block and find some local juke joints.

Friends United

I love my friends.  They are loyal, good people.  And even those friends I don’t see that often are always there when I need them.  Over the past few years, lots of changes have happened in my life.  And I’ve learned a lot.  And the one thing I can say is – except for my son dying – I wouldn’t change a thing.  And I know for certain that the friends that are in my life now are the most caring, compassionate and true friends that anyone could hope for.

Two of those friends are Martin & Melissa Thoma.  Their help and expertise through their company Thoma Thoma has catapulted my business to the next level.  But along the way, we became friends.  Not ordinary friends, but deep, to your soul friends.  We’ve traveled with them and discovered how totally compatible the four of us are.  And all four of our kids – despite age differences – really seem to like each other and enjoy each others company.

The Thoma clan came over for dinner last week.  It started as a simple dinner invitation.  But as soon as we learned that Claire was back from her Chicago internship, it quickly became Crepe Night!  You see, Claire has a reputation for some great crepe fillings.  And I have the reputation for making some great crepes.  So the challenge was on!

I started making crepes about an hour before everyone arrived.  They are not difficult, but they do take a little time.  Simply mix eggs, flour, milk and salt and you’ve got your batter.  We have one of those cool crepe irons, so I simply dipped the hot surface into the batter and then peeled it off when cooked.

When Claire and Melissa arrived, Claire got out mushrooms, spinach, onions, and got to work.  She also brought the ingredients for a ham and cheese crepe, too.  I decided I would try my hand and making my own butter as one of our appetizers, so I emptied a pint of cream into my Kitchen-Aid mixer and turned it on.  Important in this process is covering the top of the mixer with saran wrap.  Otherwise, your kitchen will be covered with little spots of cream!

After about ten minutes, I checked the mixer.  There it was:  little bits of butter solids at the bottom of the bowl.  Delighted, I scooped them out, formed them into a ball and put it in a small dish.  Then I poured the buttermilk out (make pancakes with this!).  The butter is, of course, soft to the touch.  So back it went into the mixer.  I added a little salt and chopped, fresh from the garden, parsley.  I mixed it briefly until combined and molded it again.  The butter was done!

I sliced a fresh baguette and our appetizer was ready.  Oh – we were all so delighted!  It tasted like heaven.  We cooked with some of it, too.

As dinner approached, I reduced some balsamic vinegar in a pan until it was a sticky sweet sauce.  Claire put the crepes together.  The spinach and mushroom mixture went with some goat cheese and the balsamic reduction.  This was heavenly!

For dessert?  More crepes, of course!  We spread Nutella, bananas and coconut on some, and others just got a little sugar and lemon.  We had to make another batch of crepes just for dessert – and there were no leftovers!

What made this dinner even more special was that even though I had set our dining room table, we never made it in there.  All eight of us stood or sat in our kitchen, taking turns eating, making crepes, drinking wine, and just being together.

I think that’s the best part of a good friendship:  being happy with each other wherever you end up.  We didn’t have to have a fancy dinner.  We didn’t even have to have a proper sit-down dinner.  And no one cared that the kitchen was messy from crepe-making, or that the wine bottles were piling up.  We were just all happy to be together.

Like Christmas.

Oh, I do love food.  After returning from a two week vacation with the kids, Greg and I took off for the 20th Anniversary of the Hot Springs Gallery Walk.  That was pretty cool, and I look forward to sharing that time of enjoying Hot Springs with you later.  But this morning, waking to the animals and their pleas of food and relief, I got up earlier than planned.

After making some wonderfully strong coffee, I read the local paper.  The skies are overcast today, and I hope it does rain a little.  I love rainy days where we have to do nothing but stay inside.  Greg fixed a glorious dinner for us last night.  I found Dover Sole at Fresh Market.  I was ecstatic.  Being landlocked and not being able to eat meat, I must get excited about the fish that is flown in from other parts.  Dover Sole is my favorite fish of all time.

We enjoyed the fish, along with a vegetable medley of new potatoes, carrots, and onions with parsley.  It really was a wonderful meal.  So this morning also greeted me with a very messy kitchen.  That’s my job.  Greg cooks and I clean.  I think it’s pretty fair.  With the dishwasher humming and the counters scrubbed clean of olive oil, I turned to two large paper sacks on the kitchen bar.

My father picked up my weekly order from the local farmers market in Argenta while we were in Hot Springs.  This is probably the best farmers market ever.  Jody Hardin makes sure of that.  He’s a local hero in my book.  When Little Rock wouldn’t ban those “farmers” who sold produce they had flown in, or picked up at the local Wal-Mart, Jody left and started the Certified Arkansas Farmers Market.  It’s located in the Argenta area of downtown North Little Rock, and it continues to grow and flourish.  Only products grown and made in Arkansas are allowed to be sold there.  It’s fabulous!

So there they sat, unpacked since my father left them for me yesterday.  They were like bright shiny Christmas packages waiting to be opened on Christmas morning.  I ordered the produce a week ago, and I didn’t quite remember what I had bought.  Digging into the first sack I squealed with delight.  I brought out eggplant, tomatoes, red, green, and yellow peppers, okra, shitake mushrooms, zucchini, squash (with the blossoms still attached!), and a dozen ears of fresh corn.  In addition, I bought fresh herbs: mint, dill, cilantro, and parsley.  These herbs are so much better than the “fresh” ones you can buy at the supermarket.  They are full of flavor and picked just for me.

I can hardly wait to start cooking.

Let’s Get Started.

It seems like a logical leap – me writing this blog.  I’ve been writing Hot in Little Rock for almost two years now.  In May, I started Hot in Argenta.  These are online publications that highlight all the best of the areas of Little Rock and North Little Rock.  Why those areas?  Because that’s where I live and work. 

Hot in Little Rock started because I love living in Little Rock.  I love the people, the stores, the restaurants, the arts – everything!  So I thought, why shouldn’t everyone else realize that they’re living in a spectacular place, too?  I mean, everything is turning to the internet.  Amazon has taken over the book selling industry.  Yet there’s a wonderful, locally owned shop here in Little Rock – Wordsworth – that is owned by a delightful woman and they specialize in local authors.  Why should I give Amazon the business?  Wordsworth can get any book my heart desires.  And why shop at Victoria’s Secret?  Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions has the same wonderfully sexy bras and panties – but Barbara herself will help me find the perfect fit.  Who will help me at Victoria’s Secret?  Not Victoria.  I know, I worked at Victoria’s Secret when I was in high school.  (Now there are some stories there!)

So my mission when Hot in Little Rock began was to highlight the places where you can shop, eat, drink and be merry locally.  Let’s keep the local economy stimulated – and by doing that we’re helping our community stay strong.

But, I also love to travel.  This summer has really been nuts.  It seems as though I was travelling every other week.  And helping my husband open his art gallery at the same time!  And what I realized as I was travelling, was that I’m always craving what’s local.  Wherever I am.  I’m looking for where the locals eat, not the places that cater to the tourists.  I want to go to the Farmer’s Market.  I want to cook and eat local fare.

So why not write about these experiences?  I can’t write about them in Hot in Little Rock – because that’s supposed to be about things to do in the Little Rock area.  So here I am, telling the world about what I’m most passionate about – living local.  So I hope you’ll follow along and I hope you enjoy my stories about living local.  And I hope it inspires you to live local, too.  Wherever you are.