Without a doubt, the hardest part of running The Urban Grape is the effect that it has on our home life. Specifically, the fact that we see our children so much less than we want to. It’s brutally tough to be away from them so much and even harder to explain to them the reasons why we are not home as much as we used to be. I mean, look at these little punks.

Wouldn’t you hate to get out of your sweats on a cozy Sunday and head to work?

While it’s always hard to leave them, the reward on the other side is truly worth it. TJ and I love being at the store, love our Sunday night events, love all the hard work. But sometimes you just have to get out of Dodge, and that’s what we did last weekend.

On Thursday night we piled into the car, turned up the radio and took off for New York City. Or “New Nork” as Noah called it until we corrected him, at which point he called it “Yew Nork.” We got to the city around 10:30 with the boys passed out in the back of the car. We tucked them into their big cozy bed, but not before Noah did a happy dance on top of it. He didn’t really care where we were he just knew that both of his parents were going to be completely focused on him all weekend.

After a lazy morning of tv in bed (delightful), we spent five hours at the Natural History Museum, which was the impetus for the entire trip. Noah has tired of visiting Boston’s dinosaurs and wanted to see the big boys in NYC. I can honestly say that TJ and I were completely blown away by his incredible knowledge of dinosaurs. He knew every skeleton’s name, knew their classification, knew their era and what other dinosaurs lived during that time. It looks like TJ’s encyclopedic wine brain has been passed down to Noah.

So happy.

The Museum has a great new exhibit on Sauropods that the boys both really enjoyed. It has life-like models and a pretty intense paleontological dig site where kids (ahem, and their parents) can dig out dino bones using real tools.

I don’t know how they or we had the energy, but they desperately wanted to see FAO Schwartz so we spent an hour at the store before finally heading back to the hotel.

In the end, and despite putting up a noble fight, New York completely conquered Jason, who passed out on the way home. Really who can blame him, I would have given anything to have been in that stroller snoozing.

That night we drank Sidecars and Duval LeRoy’s Femme de Champagne while the boys ate fancy room service hot dogs and crispy french fries. After a quick pillow fight they passed out in bed and TJ and I were left with nothing to do but catch up on every single tv show we’ve missed this Fall. Have you been watching “Up All Night?” That show regularly makes me bend over with laughter until I am crying and can’t breathe.

The next day we spent five hours in Central Park, the highlight of which was the huge playground on the South side.

My crazy kids scootered for over an hour while TJ and I chilled in the sun and relaxed. After that we climbed virtually every rock in the park, rode the carousel, ate salty pretzels and more hot dogs, and visited the zoo. Boston needs more playgrounds like the one in Central Park – it was just incredible.

That night after more Sidecars (obsession brewing), we headed over to Landmarc in the Time Warner building. This restaurant is brilliant for many reasons, the most important of which is that is pretty much dedicates itself to families from 4-8 PM. We walked in to a bustling restaurant with loud, fun music and every table overflowing with NYC hipster children. When James Brown came on and Jason took off and started dancing in the middle of the restaurant, I didn’t have to tackle him at full speed just to avoid an incident. It was sort of status quo around there. The food was excellent, the wine selection and prices were outstanding, and the kids loved being part of a grown up night out. If you are ever looking for a nice place for a family dinner while in NYC I definitely recommend Landmarc.

The best part of all of this, though, was spending such amazing quality time with our boys and with each other. When we got back to Boston and had to leave for the Beyond Bubbie’s Kitchen event that night, there were okay with it because we had reminded them that no matter what they are the most important things in our lives. Also, they were so well behaved and really embraced discovering a new city. It makes me feel like the world is our oyster and we can now start exploring it with them, even though they are still so little.

Next up Washington DC for that city’s dinosaur exhibits – does anyone know of any other great museums for dinosaur viewing? I’d love to hear about them!

Don’t forget that tomorrow night is our Patz & Hall Chardonnay and Pinot Noir tasting (amazing wines, absolutely worth a visit) and Saturday is our Dogfish Head and Stone Brewing Company beer tasting. See you at the store!

*I love today’s blog from Mike. Mezcal is polarizing – people either love it or hate it. But everyone seems a bit intimidated by it. Learn a little more about it and decide for yourself!

Mezcal is a spirit that people are trying to love, but need are still confused about what exactly it is.

The most basic questions are: What is mezcal? And how does it differ from tequila?

Both are distillates from the fruit of agave plants. Tequila is a form of mezcal that by law can be produced only in several designated areas centered on the state of Jalisco in western Mexico. It is made from the blue agave, and while the law requires only that tequila be 51 percent agave, all good tequilas are 100 percent blue agave.

Mezcal comes from the vicinity of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. While mezcal can be made from any number of varieties of agave, the vast proportion uses the espadin agave. Oh, by the way, the legend that a bottle of mezcal always contains a worm is simply colorful marketing shtick.

Tequila is mostly produced in factories, but most, if not all, good mezcals are essentially handmade in small family operations. The agave for tequila is generally roasted in large ovens. For mezcal, the agave is usually roasted in palenques, or rock-lined pits, accounting for its characteristic smokiness.

In Scotch terms, you can think of mezcal as possessing the challenging, distinctive flavors of peaty Islay malts, and tequila as a smoother, gentler Speyside variation.

One way to look at mezcal is – mezcal is to tequila what rye is to bourbon.

But if comparisons give you a sense of where mezcal stands, the only way to really know is to taste a few. For me, the flavors in mezcal are unlike those in any other spirit, even tequila. They are diverse, fitting for a spirit that reflects its terroir so well.

The flavors of a great mezcal are not mitigated by oak or long aging. They offer no vanillas or chocolates, honeys or heathers. Instead, you get a briny, vegetal burst, with Tabasco-like hints of vinegar, salt, oily smoke and earth, and an uncompromising purity.

Lets start to enjoy it for what it is and not fear it for what its not.

Spicy Smoked Bubbles

This cocktail is going to have lots of flavor but should still be balanced and refreshing.

2 oz Mezcal (Sombra Mezcal has a nice balance of smoky subtle sweetness for a clean mixing style)
1 oz of homemade agave orange and habanero simple syrup (recipe below)
½ oz of lemon juice
1 ½ oz of Cava (Kila Cava very refreshing crisp bright cava with really nice bubbles)

Combine all of the ingredients except for the champagne into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 30 seconds and strain into a martini glass or over ice. Top with cava and garnish with an orange twist.

Homemade Simple Syrup

5oz of agave nectar
5 oz of hot water
Zest of half an orange (grate the peel of the orange  into the mixture)
4 thin sliced rings from a habanero pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and let it come to a boil over medium low heat. Once it does, take it off of heat and let it chill over night.

Now enjoy!

Just a few odds and ends as we limp toward the weekend (is anyone else fighting a petri dish of school germs from their kids? Oy.).

First and foremost, Mike will be doing a cocktail demonstration at UG on Saturday October 22nd from 5-8. I asked Mike to come up with a cocktail for my sister-in-law’s baby shower and he sold me on staying away from the bubbly and going straight for the hard stuff. It was a mixture of Stoli Vanilla (I was supposed to use vanilla syrup but I cheated), unfiltered apple juice, mint, cinnamon and lemon. It was unreal. I am a complete cocktail believer now and Mike is my guru.

On Saturday he’ll be showing how to make three gin cocktails that he created – The Gin & Roses with gin, riesling, lychee puree, lime and rose water; the Smoked Aviation with gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and champagne foam (what?!); and the Gin Blossom with gin, triple sec, lillet blanc and orange bitters. Stop by and see him in action!

On Sunday, I hope you’ll join us at the spectacular WGBH studios for Beyond Bubbie’s Kitchen, an event to benefit the New Center for Arts & Culture. The event is from 5-9. Thirteen Boston-area chefs will be on hand to demonstrate their versions of traditional Jewish food and we’ll be pairing wine with each of the items. It’s going to be fantastic and you can still buy tickets by following this link.

Lastly, I wanted to share a few photos from a dinner party we had the other night. In my opinion, the wine usually takes a back seat to my home cookin’, but on this particular night my meal was a little off. I made roast chicken over bread salad from the Zuni Cafe cookbook, and honestly the recipe was written in such a convoluted way (five pages of paragraphs for a roast chicken!) that something got lost in the translation. It was good, but not spectacular.

The wine on the other hand was amazing. The hit of the night was the 2009 Faiveley Burgundy which we sell for about $70. Domaine Faiveley is quite renowned for their spectacular wine-making traditions and their 2009 vintage seems to be at the head of the 2009 pack. The wine was inherently drinkable right out of the bottle and after decanting it was spectacular. It’s a thinner style than American Pinot Noir, obviously, but didn’t lack any of the flavor that our palates have become accustomed to. It was smooth and round and delicious. If you are looking to jump into the 2009 Burgundy fray this would be a good bottle to consider.

Although I didn’t love my roast chicken, I did cozy right up to this French Apple Tart with burnt caramel ice cream from Toscanini. Kracher dessert wine for the ladies and Pappy for the guys. Not such a bad dinner party after all!

When you get right down to it, the state’s recent decision to allow grocers to hold additional liquor licenses is really a tale of two customers.

The first customer is a regular client of The Urban Grape. This past Saturday he came to the store and bought a thousand dollars worth of wine.

The second is a woman from Vermont who was in town and stopped into our store because “the grocery stores down here don’t sell wine and I need a bottle for tonight.” She bought $15 worth of wine.

Which do you think is more valuable to us?

The answer is, they both are. We love and value our regular big spenders. They show us loyalty and Lord knows it’s a lot of fun to work with them on a weekly or monthly basis. But the reality is that they are just the icing on our cake. The cake itself is made $15 dollars at a time, day in, day out, over and over and over again.

You can imagine our dismay when we woke up on Sunday morning to the news that a “compromise” had been reached between the Massachusetts Food Association and the Retailers Association of Massachusetts that would allow grocery stores to increase the number of liquor licenses grocery stores can hold from three to nine (in a sliding scale from 2012 to 2020). The compromise means that this question will not make it to the ballot next year, as was expected, and the voters of Massachusetts will not have an opportunity to express THEIR opinion on this matter as they did in 2006.

What happened in 2006? The ballot measure that would have allowed grocers to sell beer and wine at more locations was soundly defeated. This time around both sides remarked that they wanted to avoid a “costly” battle meant to sway voters. Forgetting, of course, that the real cost of their back room deal is in the small boutique liquor stores that can be found in neighborhoods across Massachusetts. Forgetting, of course, that the real cost will be the Walmart-ization of our state’s wine, beer and spirit choices in the future. Meaning, of course, that it was cheaper for one side to pay a little money or political capital to the other in order to make this problem go away.

Here’s how it will hurt us and here’s how it will hurt you.

When a store decides to pick up a certain sku of wine, the price depends on how much of it they buy. One bottle costs more than a case, a case costs more than a palette, and so on. Let’s say The Urban Grape decides to buy a case of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. Our price would be vastly different from Shaw’s, as they would be buying in bulk for all of their stores. We would have to compete on price, however, so it would be on our shelves for roughly the same price as theirs. But they will be making several times profit on it compared to very little profit for us. Multiply this by every wine over time and we will slowly go out of business.

How will this effect you? Wine buyers at supermarkets buy for the biggest common denominator. They also need wine that will sell itself so that they don’t have to staff the section and hand sell. Looking for that super-esoteric wine that you read about in the New York Times? Yeah, don’t bother. The supermarkets aren’t going to pick it up because they it won’t make sense to buy by the palette. They’ll buy recognizable brands and labels, and mostly likely will have nation-wide price deals for ones they buy in every state. Have you been to the food section at Target lately? Do you see a lot of cool, interesting food products there? Exactly my point. You could ask your cool local wine shop to get you that wine, but it won’t be in business any more. Even if it is still in business, the state’s distributors will have less reason to bring that wine into Massachusetts because they won’t have a lot of retail buyers for it…and down the drain it all goes.

Here’s the real kicker though and the piece of this deal that they are trying to frame in a super-positive light. The total number of liquor licenses available in the state will not increase! Hooray – this means that our children will not be surrounded by liquor stores! Not exactly. What this actually means is that when it comes time to buy a liquor license in Newton, or Cambridge or any other town where the licenses are all fulfilled, any license that becomes available will go to the highest bidder. Who do you think is going to win that bidding war? Hadley and TJ Douglas from Boston with their two kids and dwindling savings account, or Supervalu in California who owns chains of supermarkets in every region of the country? That means that new owner-operated stores will have a nearly impossible time getting a license and that established stores like UG, Central Bottle, Wine Bottega, Ball Square and all of the other stores that you love will be hard-pressed to expand their businesses.

So a back room deal between politically motivated associations was reached late last week, the story broken over the weekend, and the MA legislature voting “early this week” to ratify the new law. All of this done after months of being promised that a comprise would be reached through a ballot measure, not through a back room deal. All of this done expertly to keep us and more importantly, YOU, from having any sort of say. No ballot measure on this one, everybody. Let’s raise a glass of Yellowtail and cheers this short-sighted decision.

*Mike’s first in a monthly blog feature on “Barstrology,” in which he shares perfect drink recipes for each of the Zodiac’s signs!

I have never been a huge fan of horoscopes and astrology, but I have a few women in my family who are very intrigued by them. In homage to them, I thought it would be fun to pair each sign’s traits with the appropriate cocktail. Each month I will spotlight the current sign.

Libras, you’re up first. If Libra is your birth sign, I suggest you try a few of these cocktails and see if any of these personality traits come to life!

Libras have a strong sense of right and wrong, and despise discord and confrontation. They are tactful people who approach life with a bit of sugar-coating to make the ride less bumpy for themselves and for those around them. With the scales of justice as their symbol, Libras innately, and often unconsciously, strive for balance and serenity in their lives – sometimes going to extremes to maintain the peace despite the ups and downs inherent in everyday living. Libras are generally well-liked in their social circles and function best in situations in which they are surrounded by admiring friends and family. Of all the zodiac signs, Libras are the best at being able to see both sides of an issue; however, in their need to please everyone all the time, they may often be perceived as uncommitted or indecisive. Libras appreciates beauty, and will usually have top quality possessions and a tasteful wardrobe and hair style. In their quest to be all things to all people, Libras may come off as somewhat flirtatious in some instances, and may have a tendency towards gossip, as they can’t get enough of learning about the people around them. They are the peacekeepers of the zodiac, and when trouble arises, you can count on a Libra to help smooth ruffled feathers.

The Classic Vesper

The Vesper is a true balance of booze. Just like the Libra, the Vesper acknowledges both sides of the story, but has traits of indecisiveness. Vodka and Gin both make a good base for this drink, but to truly find balance, use both. Libras like to sugar coat potentially rough situations – here we sugar coat this strong and powerful cocktail with Lillet to smooth it all out.

3 oz gin (I am a huge fan of  No. 3  London Dry Gin – it offers balance between dry and aromatic citrus and makes a clean refreshing cocktail)
1 oz vodka ( Use your favorite…everyone gets weird about vodka suggestions!)
½ oz of Lillet  (Lillet [French pronunciation: li'le] is a brand of French aperitif wine)

Stir all ingredients in a shaker with ice for 30 seconds and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

French 75

Libras tend to be flirtatious and gossipy and nothing helps ignite those traits like a classic champagne cocktail. This little gem is one of the more potent cocktails – the Champagne helps your head feel a little light and free, then the gin kicks in. Your inner Libra will pop right out. Just try not to have too many – they are delicious, yet oh so dangerous.

2 ounces London Dry Gin
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 ounce lemon juice
5 ounces Brut champagne ( Duval Leroy Brut is a crisp and bright champagne that will blend well with the other flavors)

Combine the gin, sugar and lemon juice over cracked ice in a chilled cocktail shaker. Shake to combine. Strain into a Collins glass half-full of cracked ice and top off with the champagne.

Enjoy your signature drinks, Libra!

This past weekend I crossed a major mother milestone off the list – solo airplane travel with two children under 5. I have been dreading this moment, not because I thought it would be hard, necessarily, but more because the idea of being trapped in a confined space with my two boisterous boys while hurtling through air is not really my idea of a good time. That said, they were complete angels, save for the full fledged WWE-style wrestling match that took place under our seats while we were waiting to deplane (American Airlines, why must you put families in the last row ALWAYS?).

We were in Texas to see family, to celebrate our niece’s seventh birthday, to fete my sister-in-law at a baby shower, and to go on rides at the Texas State Fair until we were all green-faced and limp-wristed. This is my second year in a row shepherding the kids through the Fair without TJ, which is somewhat ridiculous. My side of the family has a long history of weak stomachs and motion sickness. My children take after their father, he of the iron gut. Yet there I was on the Ladybug ride, spinning around and around, then spinning around and around backwards, while my two year old yelled “FASTER! FASTER!” My pregnant sister-in-law couldn’t help but smirk from her perch in the shade, and my brothers had the flat Coke at the ready as I stumbled off the ride.

But all of this – the travel, the spinning, the nausea – it was all worth it for one simple reason. Fletcher’s Corny Dogs. Papa Fletcher, of the Fletcher family, was just recognized as the official inventor of the corn dog. The Fletcher family has been serving their world-famous hot dogs on a stick since 1942. It’s no regular hot dog, however, it’s a corn-meal battered bit of heaven. I love Fletchers Corn Dogs and consider them in many ways one of the best parts of Texas.

On three weeks time at the Fair, the Fletchers sell over 500,000 corny dogs. And it’s not like they are the only food purveyor there! Last year I also added a deep-fried Frito Pie, but this year I realized that less is more….one corny dog is all I really need in life.

So if you are in Texas and at a sporting event, please take a look around and see if they are selling Fletcher Corny Dogs. You will not be disappointed! And if you can add an ice cold beer, even better.

Our wine dinners with Capital Grille are back, and back in grand style.

On October 19th, Cameron Ashmead, one of the co-owners of Elderton Wines, will be joining us for a very special evening of hard to find editions of his vineyard’s most famous wines.

Located in the heart of Australia’s Barossa Valley, Elderton is a small, family owned and operated winery. Their wines are some of the most highly regarded in the world, and are perennial favorites of wine writers and magazines across the globe. From the moment their Shiraz won the “World’s Best Shiraz” trophy at the 2000 London International Wine & Spirits Competition, this winemaking team has never looked back.

The wines we will be tasting on the 19th are as follows:

• 2009 Elderton E Series Unoaked Chardonnay
• 2008 Elderton Estate Shiraz
• 2006 Elderton “Ode to Lorraine” Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot Blend
• 2007 Elderton “Ashmead Family” Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2002 Elderton Estate “Command” Shiraz
• 2006 Elderton Estate “Command” Shiraz
• 2008 Elderton Botrytis Semmillion

The 2002 Command Shiraz is considered a “library wine” and is extremely rare and hard to find at retail. The Urban Grape will have access to the 11 6-packs in the state and it will be available for purchase that evening (as will all the wines). The ’06 Command Shiraz, the Ode to Lorraine and the Ashmead Cabernet are also highly allocated wines that are no longer widely available. If you love to collect wine and you love Elderton, this is an evening that should not be missed.

Tickets are $125 per person and include a fabulous paired dinner from The Capital Grille that includes:

• Crispy Lobster Fritters with a Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade
• Australian Lollipop Lamb Chops with 12-year Aged Balsamic
• Seared Tenderloin over a Mushroom Demi-Glaze
• Chocolate Espresso Cake with Strawberry Sauce and Mixed Berries

If you are interested in purchasing tickets, please act quickly. We are limiting the number of tickets available so that Cameron can really have time with each participant. To reserve your tickets please call the Capital Grille in Chestnut Hill at 617.928.1400.

I hope we see you there!

This past weekend was full of good eats, one of my favorite kinds of weekends.

On Saturday night TJ and I were supposed to go to the ARTcetera party at The Castle but our youngest son was sick so we decided to stay home. TJ was exhausted from his trip to WA and I couldn’t say no when he asked me to make him seared scallops over risotto. While I couldn’t resist him, I did up the ante a little, instead recreating a corn salad and seared scallop dish my sister-in-law made this summer (adapted from the Young Man and the Sea cookbook by David Pasternack).

After trekking off to Whole Foods to get my provisions, I came home, popped a Perrier Jouet Flower Bottle and got to work prepping dinner.

I couldn’t find any corn on the cob so I roasted frozen corn instead. Easy and didn’t really effect the dish at all.

Next, I braised shiitake mushrooms in white wine, thyme, butter and shallots until they were soft, fragrant and tasty (about 30 minutes). I’m not a huge mushroom fan, but love them prepared like this. They were incredible.

While all of this was happening I prepared the other aspects of the meal – a rosemary oil for our arugula, toasted walnuts, grated goat gouda and a fig vinegar reduction to pour over some gorgeous fresh figs that I spotted (when my syrup got too think I threw my last few sips of PJ into the pot to loosen it up a little…divine inspiration!).

After the kids went down we opened the 2010 Fausti Passerina. Neither of us had ever heard of this grape before (me, not so surprising…but surprising for TJ). It’s a white wine grape grown in the Marche region of Italy. It’s very fresh tasting, nice and citrusy. We both loved the wine (it’s super inexpensive too!), but felt that we probably would have been better off opening a bottle of Chardonnay for this particular meal. Regardless, the meal and the wine were fantastic.

The next night we had our pig roast with BabyTrain BarBARq at the store. The evening included grilled pizzas, asian spring rolls and peach cobbler, but the real star of the night was the pulled pork taco with mango and spicy kimchee. I am freaking obsessed. I want to eat this every day for the rest of my life and I’m so sorry that my photo is blurry. I think I was shaking while I took the picture because I couldn’t wait to devour it.

All of the beverages were outstanding as well. We started with the Poochi-Poochi Sparkling Sake and I think people were, as a whole, surprised that sake could be 1) sparkling and 2) so incredibly delicious. We are slowly turning more people on to sake and I love it! We also sampled the Hitachino Nest White Beer and the Yamazaki whiskey. I am not a whiskey fan, but the Yamazaki was outstanding. Smooth and easy to drink and paired perfectly with the peach cobbler. We also sampled a Shochu cocktail made with ginger simple syrup, lime juice and coconut water that Mike created for us. It was outstanding and in my mind the only palatable way to enjoy Shochu.

We had so many great clients at the pig roast and lots of new faces too.

I know a lot of you see me tweeting back and forth with @theurbanhound pretty much non-stop, well here she is live and in the flesh with her wife Michelle. Now that’s a good pig roast!

All in all, an outstanding foodie weekend. Hope you had a few treasures of your own this weekend!