I’m headed to Boston for the day to join TJ for the Best of Boston party tonight. Before I hop on the plane, a few thoughts…

If I could say anything to the owners of Groupon, I would say this…”Thank you for helping us win a Best of Boston for Best Wine Shop – West.”

Seriously, I really would say that. Because I firmly believe that every horrible scrape you get yourself into in life can come with a silver lining if you play your cards right.

The night before we ran the Groupon last year, we realized that it might be illegal under ABCC regulations and tried to get our representative at Groupon to stop it. He and his bosses assured us over and over again that it was legal, and despite our asking them to suspend the Groupon, they didn’t choose to take our advice. That is, until they had sold over 2,000 of them in a matter of hours, realized it was in fact illegal, and pulled the deal. It made them look bad. It made us look worse (remember this happened months before the ABCC provided real clarity on this issue). For a young company it was a moment when our whole business plan could have combusted right before our very eyes. I felt such immense guilt that I could barely look at TJ.

Disheartened, we decided the best way to deal with the situation was with transparency, and that became our tactic through the entire crisis. We posted a very honest blog about our Groupon regrets and tried hard to calm every frayed Groupon nerve. The crisis blew over quickly, and the chatter became more about how well we handled it than anything else. We hoped we would never have to talk about Groupon again, and stuck with that plan for many months.

That is, until Boston Magazine called and asked if they could interview us for a story about Groupon. Remembering our original commitment to transparency, we said yes. We gave the journalist from Boston Magazine an honest and informative interview about our experience, always keeping it positive while focusing on the many ways in which our business was thriving despite the fiasco. That interview turned into a tour and a tasting. And a relationship was born.

It was a long road from that point to winning Best of Boston (a road shepherded by a God-send named Nicole!) but I will always believe that the seed for this moment was planted then.

TJ and I couldn’t be prouder of our staff or more thankful to our customers. I’m so proud of him for all that he has accomplished in the first year of The Urban Grape, and he is likewise as proud of me. It feels great to win a Best of Boston. Really, really great! It also feels like it is just the beginning. Over a quiet celebratory lunch yesterday, TJ and I never once talked about the past year, just our plans for the future.

More than anything, it reinforces our belief that if you are open and honest with people, and run your business with transparency and integrity, even mistakes can be turned into fortuitous moments.

Summertime strikes me as a time of great metamorphosis. I see it the most in my children, who grow and change all year, but spend the summer sprouting by leaps and bounds – physically, emotionally and mentally. In the three weeks that we’ve been on the Vineyard, our two year old has changed from a toddler clinging to his babyhood to a little boy sprinting toward his next adventure. Similarly, our older son’s brain and body are so finely tuned right now. Every crab in the ocean is a reason to learn and absorb. I see him developing interests that will last him a lifetime. The world is their classroom and it is changing them daily.

It’s no surprise then, that TJ and I found ourselves drawn toward (and relating to) a bottle of wine called “Experiment” by Ovid Wines. Their winery is named for Ovid himself, the Roman poet who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD and whose greatest work was “Metamorphoses.” They were struck by the metamorphosis of the land as they created their vineyard, and the metamorphosis of the wine itself as it traveled from grape to bottle. Or, as they put it, from grape to “something sublime.”

Their “Experiment” label is a small production wine that the winemakers have played with in some very specific and controlled way, in an attempt to push the winemaking envelope. No two vintages will be have the same experiments, and no two vintages will ever taste the same. These are truly one of a kind wines.

The 2004 was their first vintage and we had it with dinner the other night. It is a blend of four second harvest Bordeaux varietals, all planted in 2000 and considered young vines. This was basically the wine that they fooled around with, for lack of a better term, to see what sort of wine they could produce. They never really meant to release it, but it has aged so gracefully that they put it on the market for all of us to enjoy. It’s smooth and silky with a long lasting finish. The core of the wine is cassis, blackberry and currant with aromatics of frankincense, cedar and licorice. We all found it to be quite lovely, and deserving of additional years in the cellar. It’s a special bottle of wine with a very special story.

The meal we paired it with was a metamorphosis too, of the best summer variety. We took a few fresh ingredients – halibut, arugula, tomatoes, peas and mint – and turned them into a feast for the eyes and mouth.

What’s coming soon to a village near you (a Brookline Village to be exact)?  The Brookline Teen Center will soon be breaking ground at 40 Aspinwall Avenue. BTC will be a place where 7-12 graders can thrive in a safe, interesting and active environment.

Why does The Urban Grape care about The Brookline Teen Center? Because when there is nowhere to go after school, teen drug and alcohol use rises. In fact, in a recent study, 40% of Brookline area teens admitted to drinking. We may be in the business of facilitating the recreational use of alcohol, but we should just as much be in the business of making sure that teens have less access to booze and more access to positive social activities.

The Center has been the dream of Paul and Saskia Epstein since 2006, but until recently funding has been slow to come. Thanks to a series of donations, 2011 marks the year that the Center will move into reality, with plans drawn up and a construction plan in place.

The plans for the Center look extraordinary – it will feature a cafe, gym, bowling alley, dance space, and classroom and homework areas. It’s exactly the kind of space that teens will gravitate toward. But it’s up to all of us to make sure that this space becomes a reality.

But who said fundraising can’t be FUN? On Tuesday, July 19, for only $10, you can stop by The Urban Grape and taste all sorts of quirky and cool pairings with pizzas from Naked Pizza in Brookline. This event will not be about Bud Light and greasy pizza. Instead try:

The Smokehouse Pizza with Toeg’s “Hopback” Amber Ale (Both this pizza and beer will be gluten-free)

The Pima Pizza with HouHouSou “Bubble Bubble” Sparkling Sake

The Mediterranean Pizza with Sada Vermentino

Omnivore Pizza with Marenco Brachetto D’Aqui

If you need to drool a little bit, click here to see pictures of all of Naked Pizza’s specialty pies. I have to stop going to the website myself, as it induces an all out pizza craving of epic proportions.

We’ll be doing some Naked Pizza and UG giveaways throughout the night, too! So please join us, throw down a ten spot (or more!) and have some fun while doing it. The next generation of our community will thank you for it!

Anyone who has ever had breakfast with me at home during the summer knows that I have one singular obsession. Thick-sliced toast slathered with peanut butter and topped with juicy summer tomatoes and a sprinkle of salt.

I cannot tell you how many nay-sayers I have converted to this particular breakfast. In fact, after running screaming from the combination, said disbelievers usually ask for another helping. And then another. One can only eat this breakfast during the summer, so I encourage you all to try it and see for yourselves. In case you need some further encouraging, here is some photographic evidence.

Only use a summer tomato.

Slater your favorite peanut butter on thick-sliced toasted bread. Use whatever peanut butter is your favorite, but this isn’t really a time for Jif.

Pile it high. Don’t forget to sprinkle it with kosher or sea salt. This is a vital step that brings all the flavors together.

Just trust me. Have I lead you wrong before?

Pig cutting board optional.

*Please forgive the wonky formatting of this post. I am living on an island off an island and my internet connection is non-existant. It can’t stay connected for long enough to have it accept my format changes and I’m tired of arguing with it!

There’s cornbread. And then there’s what my sister-in-law made the other night for dinner. This girl is Southern, so her bar is set high. But even by her exacting standards, this was the most exceptional skillet of cornbread ever made.

We got the recipe from Tasting Table a few weeks ago. The post was about “Spicy Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread Straight from the Skillet.” Is there anyone in the world that could resist that? My brilliant sister-in-law made a few key changes. First, the recipe calls for pickled jalapenos, but she decided to saute fresh diced jalapeno in the bacon grease instead. Secondly, although the recipe calls for all fine grain corn meal, she did half fine grain and half coarse grain, which gave the cornbread a less cake-y texture. (My computer won’t let me link at the moment, but just search “Tasting Table Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread” and the recipe will pop up)

The rest of the dinner was no slouch either. We grilled a tenderloin that had been marinating in homemade teriyaki sauce and rounded out the plate with a light orzo salad with tomatoes, feta and heaps of herbs from my mom’s garden. Lastly was a warm beet salad with blue cheese and walnuts. Each bite was simply fabulous. We have been talking about the meal for three days straight.

Knowing that a fine meal was coming his way, TJ picked out two Bordeaux that he had been wanting to try. In a rare guest blog appearance, he shares his thoughts on the wines – they weren’t what we expected them to be!

“Battle of the Bordeaux: 2000 Cos D’Estournel vs. 2000 Chateau Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville

I always like to do bad news first. It goes along with my philosophy of ripping off a band-aid as fast as I possibly can. So, a little bad news.

You may have been into the store and noticed that Beer Guy Noah hasn’t been around. You may have subsequently noticed Monica moping a little bit. After all, she may love Noah more than anyone else in the world. Poor Noah tore his meniscus playing basketball a few weeks ago and while he at first tried to tough it out, it soon became clear that he needs surgery. So he’s home resting, miserable, waiting for his surgery next week. I keep trying to inspire him with the fact that Jon Bon Jovi came back to perform after knee surgery in just about a week and JBJ is 50! Maybe our cheerleading is helping a little, but he’s still pretty bummed. He’s probably out until some time in August, but we know he’ll be back just as soon as he can. Send good knee-healing thoughts his way, please…it’s just not The Urban Grape without him!

But with bad news always comes good news. We recently added a wonderful new addition to our staff. Chelsea Bell came to us by way of Best Cellars and is studying for her CSW. We are so lucky to have her join our store – she is passionate about wine and has a natural ease with sales. Here is her bio in her own words…

“To quote the great Federico Fellini, ‘Life is a combination of magic and pasta’ and to me, nothing goes better with pasta than vino!

I grew up in Gloucester, Massachusetts where family was everything. There is nothing I relish more than opening a bottle of wine (or two) with my family and unwinding. I was introduced to wine by my family and intensified my relationship through working at Best Cellars in Boston’s Back Bay. I am currently on track to take the Certified Specialist of Wine exam this fall.

As a recent graduate of Northeastern University with a B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Marine Studies, I have done a lot of soul searching about my desired career path. For me, the world of wine encomposses what I love about life; family, food, travel, working the land and sharing moments with good people.”

A year into business, our UG staff has really solidified into a wonderful team!

My mother has a cookbook addiction that I have also inherited. We take them to bed like new releases on the New York Times Best Seller list and linger over every picture and recipe. When I haven’t been at home for a while the first thing I like to do is browse through my favorite cookbooks (why don’t I own any Jamie Oliver cookbooks myself?) and devour her new ones.

My current favorite, and newly brewing obsession, is the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook. It was written by a husband and wife who own a little neighborhood restaurant in Brooklyn that routinely wins Best Brunch in NYC.

This is sort of a funny cookbook for my mother, because she’s not really a breakfast person, a sandwich person, or a baker, and most of the recipes fall into these three categories. The rest of the cookbook is just comfort food cooking at its best, and the dessert section is ridiculous. I want to make every single dessert in the book, and plan to this summer.

After reading the Clinton St. cookbook over breakfast every morning for a week, I finally couldn’t take it any more and dove in for two quick and easy recipes.

The first recipe I made was their “Brookies.” These are not quite a brownie, not quite a cookie. The recipes makes 20, and they were all gone in a matter of moments – these two little guys were all that were left by the time I got back with my camera. My brother, who likes to say he doesn’t have a sweet tooth, pretty much demanded that I make these again immediately. They really were that good, although I didn’t leave the batter in the freezer for long enough (impatient/didn’t believe the batter really needed to partially freeze) and as a result they were thinner then they should have been. Didn’t much matter. They are a keeper.

Later that day I made the “Blueberry Smash” Cocktail, which I highly recommend as a drink through blueberry season. We doctored it up a little for our tastes and I included our version of the recipe below.

Per drink:
6 fresh blueberries
4 fresh mint leaves
2 T simple syrup
2 oz (let’s face it, we went heavier) gin
Club Soda

Start with a pretty glass. Muddle the blueberries and the mint. Add ice to the top. Pour 2 oz gin into each glass (or to your taste, we have a very heavy pour in this family. The original recipe called for 1 oz). Top with club soda or seltzer water, and serve with a mint leaf garnish.

So refreshing, summery and festive. I think it would be just as good with vodka too, if you don’t care for gin.

We plan on cooking from this cookbook a lot this summer, so I’ll keep you posted on how we do. But if you love breakfast food, you’ll definitely want to check this book out.

This past weekend we switched our whole website to a new server, so you may have noticed it acting erratically, or perhaps not even being there at all. Hopefully the whole site will work more effectively now, which was the reason for the move. We were a little site on a server with some big sites and as a result we got constantly bogged down. No more!

The transfer brought with it a loss of email, some lost (and then found) files, and general frustration, but at the same time it was nice to have a guilt-free four day break from work over the 4th of July weekend. The result is that I’m a little behind on blogging, so let’s get cracking on that right now. Starting with a really wonderful Martha’s Vineyard day last Friday.

It was our first day here that was truly gorgeous right from the sunrise. My parents’ house on Chappy often starts and ends the day in fog, so when we get a brilliant sunrise, we are all up to greet it. Also here to greet the day was TJ, who flew down first thing to surprise the boys. Noah was in a horse show at his riding camp that morning and there was no way TJ was going to miss it two years in a row (having missed it last year due to the store just opening).

Here is Noah atop of Cheers. This year he started to learn how to steer the horse on his own, how to trot and proper jumping position. I can’t even hide how happy I am that he enjoys riding. I grew up riding horses and miss it every day. So to see that little nugget up on top of a horse makes me pretty happy.

My mini-cowboy.

Even his baby brother was fairly impressed.

Later that day my mother whipped up some homemade pasta and a simple sauce that simmered on the stove all afternoon. I’m being sarcastic, of course. It took her half the day and it was so worth it.

We paired it with a 1997 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco, thinking it would be a perfect match. In theory, it should have worked, but the bottle just seemed tired. TJ and my dad thought it had just lost all of its fruit, while I thought it was down right sour. The essence of what it had been was still there, but in all it was a disappointment. A rare miss from the wine cellar.

But really, the star of the night was this divine pasta dish.

It was our last quiet day for the next six weeks. My brother and his family are here now and the kids don’t stop laughing, playing, tickling or rough-housing all day. It’s a good thing we have a house full of gin and wine!

I’m curious what your favorite drinks from the holiday weekend were. Did any of you crack open your Bully Boy bottles? We sold so much of it last week!