Florida is beautiful this time of year. It's spring break. Everyone is down from the northern states to enjoy their second homes and the gorgeous 80 degree weather. We are at, what is called, peak season now.
In as quickly as the winter came, I cannot believe we're approaching the end of 'the season' already. Where did the time go? I think the trip to the southern hemisphere messed me up a bit.
What does one do in Florida during the winter? Well, there's always a card came, that's for sure. Whether one plays canasta, bridge, rummy or mah jong, one will always find players that meet regularly. I am a bridge player myself, but have only been playing for about 5 years. I understand it takes YEARS before one can master the game and the bidding process. I don't have a weekly game yet. My only company right now is the app that I practice with until I have enough confidence to bid that no trump!
There's also golf. Guiseppe belongs to an all men's club, boo hoo. So no golf down here for me unless we go out to play with another couple. Then there's the pool and the beach. All day putting around and before you know it, it's time for dinner. Going out consumes our evenings. Meeting up with friends, clients and family for dinner. As I mentioned in a previous blog, no one eats home in Florida. It's a social state and eating out is the price to pay.
One night, Guiseppe and I met up with friends who took us to The Bistro Restaurant & Bistro in Jupiter. It is located off of US1 and owned by a jovial Irishman named Declan. In fact, seems like everyone that works there has that Irish brogue. It's part of the charm of the place. A paunchy man named Liam greeted us at the door and set the tone of the evening. The staff could not have been more cheerful or more willing to serve. The service was, exceptional.
The menu had something for everyone. It was Irish, American, French, Italian and Asian all on one menu. Fish and chips, a specialty, and what I ordered that light, was light and airy. Not oily in the least. The French fries were shoestring in size and crispy. The French onion soup was delicious as well. Our friend, Joe, had the lobster ravioli in a cream sauce topped with caviar. Sometimes cream sauce is so heavy you might as well drink from a carton of half and half, but not this cream sauce. It was tempered with the right amount of stock that it didn't coagulate once cold.
On this night, I had a glass of malbec from Argentina. Malbec was once a blending grape from Bordeaux, France. It was planted in Argentina and found success as a single varietal. In France, malbec as a single varietal is found in Cahors. How does a grape from two different areas be so the same yet so different? Malbec from Cahors is dark, like squid ink. It is full in the mouth with big tannins. Malbec from Argentina has softer tannins and though still dark in color, it is not near black like Cahors. It is more approachable as a red wine. Flavor-wise, both have the same plums, chocolate, red cherries on the palate. Both are medium to high in acidity.
For dessert, The Bistro had souffle. Be still my heart. I love souffle. What's not to love? They even offered a choice of Grand Marnier and chocolate. I opted for the Grand Marnier and it was sublime.
Finally, I highly recommend the reader to do a side-by-side tasting of an Argentinian and French malbec. Taste the differences. Then tell me what you think.
Links:
http://www.thebistrojupiter.com/
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