Flight Savor Fare

Flight and French Broad Brewery invites everyone to come to a beer dinner on January 26. Interesting beer and food, good company — make your reservations today by calling 828-694-1030. $50 per person.

Menu
Seared tuna with mango gastrique served with:
Gateway Kölsch — While known for their lagers, German brewers also produce terrific ales. French Broad’s Kölsch is faithful to the great German ales found in Köln. Golden in color, with a refreshing crispness, pleasantly sweet malt finish, and distinctive German hopping.
SRM: 3.9 • IBU: 32.3
OG: 11.5º PLATO
5.3% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME

Panko fried duck with dried cherry cream and roasted corn served with:

Wee Heavy-er Scotch Ale — This staple from the highlands of Scotland
is right at home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Wee
Heavy-er is French Broad’s best-selling beer. At 7% ABV, this beer is
meant to be savored. Great with food and friends.
SRM: 14.5 • IBU: 24
OG: 17º PLATO
7% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME

Grilled rack of lamb with balsamic syrup and pommes frites served with:

Rye Hopper — An Asheville interpretation of an American Rye Ale. The
rye malt character is accompanied by a distinctively heady American hop
profile and a smooth, bittersweet finish.
SRM: 10.5 • IBU: 59
OG: 15º PLATO
5.9% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME

Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding served with:

13 Rebels ESB — French Broad Brewery’s interpretation of the classic UK Extra Special Bitter. A bright copper color with a complex malt palate is complemented by traditional British hops, notably East Kent Golding. French Broad has made this classic public house session beer a cult classic with its skull and crossbones artwork.
SRM: 7.3 • IBU: 42
OG: 13º PLATO
5.2% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME

If you read my blog, and obviously you do because you’re reading this, then you know how often I quote the Wall Street Journal wine columnists John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter. The husband and wife team have written entertaining and easy to read columns for the WSJ for 12 years. They say (who is “they?” read it for yourself here) the columnists actually made decent salaries; something rare in journalism today. They blame it on the internet’s free information.

Let’s hope Dot and John resurface soon.

Become a Fan!

Nancy Hayes is a fan of

Flight Wood Grill and Wine Bar

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In “Value From the Vine” in the December issue of Bold Life, Keith Dalbec interviews Nan (and other local experts) about good, inexpensive wines.

Nan said she loves Rhone reds and odd blends such as some of the Rhone-style Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre wines from California’s Rhone Rangers in Paso Robles. She is crazy about Oregon Pinot Noir, but her recession retreat wines would be Shiraz from Jacob’s Creek in Australia or anything from Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington State. A Zinfandel under $15 from California such as Cline or Windmill would also make her happy.

Check out the entire article in Bold Life here.

Wine Spectator Top 100 2009 Wines came out recently.

Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc is #9 with 96 points!

We also have these on the list:

#19 Landmark Steel Plow Syrah 94 points#32 Colome Malbec 92 points
#47 Orin Swift The Prisoner 92 points
#69 Catena Malbec 91 points
#77 Gloria Ferrer Brut 90 points
#82 D’Arenburg The Stump Jump 90 points

How about a top 100 wine dinner? Let us hear from you if you like this idea.

Peppermint Martini

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 ounces vodka
* 1 ounces of white crème de menthe
* 1/4 ounce of peppermint schnapps
* Mini candy canes for garnish

Gingerbread Martini

* 1 part Vodka or Vanilla Vodka
* 1 part Gingerbread Liqueur
* ½ part Kahlua®
* 1 part Half & Half

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a crushed graham cracker rim.

Cosmopolitan

Everyone has this recipe.

4th and Main – the Classic
Ditto

Where have all the bitters gone? Angostura bitters, that is. A crucial ingredient in some cocktails and there is none to be had in all of North Carolina nor the upstate of South Carolina.

Check your liquor cabinet — if you have any extra, let me know! Apparently, bitters is the new gold in our world.
The people who manufacture the bitters think it’s amazing too! Check out this quote.

“Angostura ® aromatic bitters is an essential bar ingredient. The mere presence of Angostura ® aromatic bitters is an indication of sophistication. There would hardly be a top quality bar or restaurant with any pretension to style anywhere in the world that would not have a bottle of Angostura ® aromatic bitters on its shelf.

What more can I say? I have to find some fast!

Global Surplus of Delicious Wines = Drink Well for Less

The Wine Spectator, October 15 issue, lists 500 great buys in wine right now. Some are grocery store wines (Barefoot, Little Penguin), some are boxed wines which according to WS, are getting better and better and some you can get by the case from Flight. (828-694-1030).

Reds- 90 points and higher

Peter Lehmann – Shiraz Barossa 2006. 91 $16

Yalumba – Grenache Barossa Bush Vine 2008 90 $17

White – 90 points and higher

Villa Maria, Riesling Marlborough Private Bin 2008 91 $18

Beaulieu Vineyard, Chardonnay Napa Valley Carneros 2007 90 $17

Chateau St. Michelle is Washington State’s values powerhouse for both red and white wines, according to WS.

Jill, a Flight bartender, dresses the part of a dry martini

The street was filled with pumpkins, goblins and martinis.  The deejay rocked and the little girls sang while the little boys danced although some could barely walk.

Pirates, and pumpkins and goblins

Flight's patrons enjoyed watching the little monsters.

November Cocktails

Cran-Peartini

2 anjou pear slices

juice of ½ lime

1 oz cranberry juice

1 ½ oz citrus vodka

½ oz triple sec

3 cranberries on cocktail pick for garnish

In mixing glass, muddle pear slices, lime juice and cranberry juice. Add vodka and triple sec. Add ice to tin. Shake well. Double strain into glass, using the strainer over the shaker while pouring contents thru a sieve placed over the glass.

The Toasted Almond

A relaxing sippers with a nice almond-coffee flavoring and are really nice on chilly fall evenings by the fire.
Ingredients:

* 1 oz vodka
* 1 oz coffee liqueur
* 1 oz Amaretto
* milk or cream

Preparation:
Build the vodka and liqueurs in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.
Fill with milk or cream. Shake by placing a mixing tin over the glass and giving it one or two good shakes.

The Winter Cocktail

is a classic recipe from the first part of the 1900′s that would use ginger brandy, which is relatively scarce now, but the new Canton ginger liqueur is a perfect substitute and if you cannot find pimento dram another allspice liqueur will do. The Winter Cocktail is a wonderfully warming drink that is one of those gems lost to time but worth the reintroduction.

Ingredients:

* 2 oz rum
* juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp ginger liqueur (Canton)
* 1 tsp pimento dram
* 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Preparation:

Pour the rum, juice, sugar and liqueurs into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass. Add dashes of bitters on top.

Thanks to cocktails.about.com for these recipes.