In A Pinch

It's no secret I love good food and wine. Lately I've made more of an effort to support locally owned establishments but I'm always up for a good "chain" adventure! This weekend I found myself face to face with a T.G.I.Friday's menu. A typical Friday's experience for me would be cocktails and apps at the bar before a movie or in an airport. I couldn't remember the last time I actually sat down to a full meal at the popular chain. But I did remember the wine by the glass list brought out a tiny bit of the wine snob in me. I know I know!! I can always go for a good burger and beer but on this night I was craving something on the healthful side and a yummy glass of vino!

I ordered the new Dragonfly Salmon dish with Kung Pao sauce, jasmine rice with pineapple pico de gallo and steamed broccoli. It was delicious! The sauce wasn't nearly as spicey as some Kung Pao's I've been hit with and the rice was sweet, with coconut and fruit! The broccoli was perfectly steamed! Even though it was a little sweet for my tastes it was great food, now back to the little wine issue! I ordered a Mirassou Pinot Noir which was very jammy and sweet for a Pinot. It worked good enough! The price definitely worked at $20!! Just an idea for you to try next time you go to Fridays!

Salmon, Sauvignon & PInot

Funny how great minds think alike. My friend Michelle was traveling this week and talked about a great salmon recipe she came across. "Funny" I said, "I found a good one also!" Turns out we were both reading Food & Wine Magazine and were on the same page, literally. She cooked, I brought the wine! Perfect!

Pinot Noir typically pairs well with salmon and I had been dying to open the '07 Martinelli Bondi Home Ranch that's been in my cellar for the last year. Big nose, smooth, just phenominal! One problem. The two sauces that accompanied the fish were super spicey with black beans, chipotle, tomatillo, etc. And the salmon was topped with a chile-honey glaze. The Pinot Noir, as fabulous as it was, disappeared in all that heat. Thanks goodness another friend brought an '08 Cremashci Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. The crisp fruit did a much better job of cutting through the spice! Talk about an explosion of different flavors! I'm still thinking about it!

The salmon recipe comes from Bobby Flay and is in the May 2010 issue of Food & Wine! Michelle opted for jarred tomatillo's, when you read the recipe you'll understand why! Find it!! It's a keeper!!