Timberdoodles and Clos de Vougeot. It could be worse.

A "Timberdoodle"

 Yesterday, as I spent the morning helping a friend break down his eight point buck into meal size portions, I was reminded that I had neglected to report on our annual game dinner from last Wednesday. More often than not we drink Rhone's with this ritual event, but this year we decided to focus on Burgundies, Premier Cru or better, with at least ten years in the bottle. As is the custom, we cap the number of participants at nine. Each attendee is expected to bring one appropriate bottle to share. Anything beyond nine participants would result in too small a “pour” for each of us, with an insufficient amount to properly taste the wine.

The wines of Burgundy are arguably the highest and best use of the Pinot Noir grape. I never cease to be amazed at the difference between Burgundy's offerings and our own West Coast Pinot's. To me it is not even a valid comparison, the wines are so distinctly different. Sometimes it's hard to believe the vintners are using the same grape. My favorite feature of a good older Burgundy is the nose – you can smell the farm and the dirt. For the uninitiated, I assure you the experience is better than it sounds. For me a good Burgundy is the epitome of the wine makers art.

The Beechtree Grill - Poughkeepsie

The Beechtree Grill

1-3 Collegeview Ave.

Poughkeepsie, NY

845 471-7279

www.beechtreegrill.com

Open 7 days

Sunday Brunch

Monday from 5 PM

Tuesday though Sunday Lunch & Dinner

If consistency is one measure of success, than the Beechtree Grill can easily lay claim to the local title. Little has changed since the place opened twenty years ago. Much of the staff has been there for as long as I can remember, and that says something about how they feel about the place. Same for many of the local customers, whose appearance is as predictable as sundown. The Beech has been a favorite stop for me for as long as they have been open. I'll stop in once or twice a month and my glass of Pinot Grigio is usually on the bar before I have time to order something else.

It's a tiny place, seating maybe fifty people, with another dozen stools at the bar. During dinner hour those stools are prime real estate, as the Beech is a favorite destination for single diners looking for a conversation and a good meal.

Funding the Arts, And Why Government Should

An Open Letter to The Dutchess County Legislature

As municipalities grapple with budget shortfalls, arts organizations around the country are often the target of funding cuts. The current economic environment has resulted in projected funding cutbacks that threaten the very existence of many arts organizations, including our own Dutchess County Arts Council. The money allocated to the Arts Council is, in large part, distributed to other local arts organizations including the Bardavon and Hudson Valley Philharmonic. In a recent letter to the editor, I argued for the importance of funding the arts. I received many responses to that letter, mostly positive, but a number were not.

Loco for Locavore. Enough already!

The dictionary defines “locavore” as someone who practices eating food that is grown locally. “Farm to table” is another buzz phrase that marketing wizards use as often as possible to let diners know that the food on their plate was at the farm recently, and did not rely on oil guzzling transportation methods to get it here from across the country. Locally grown also means that the food is probably fresher, more nutritious, and hopefully tastes better than the week old stuff in most supermarkets. Its tough to try and make an argument against locavore and farm to table best practices, but there were a few times lately when it seemed restaurants had gone a bit overboard attempting to “do the right thing”.