Dinner time

Steak looks good but Cupcake wine has to be one of the most schitty wine producers out there. You’re better than that, @Gatorbait25

 

C'mon man, try one of my recommendations! Cupcake? Really?

 

Expensive beer.

 

Inspired to make some salmon croquettes.

 

You use egg and bread crumbs? Those things look rather rustic.

 

Egg and sifted flour

 

The steak in the OP looks great, but next time go with a cab instead of a merlot. Not sure if you live near a Publix, but they just had a BOGO on a $15 bottle called Urgency. Had never heard of it, but the wife and I tried it and liked it a lot. Had some last night, as a matter of fact, with a nice top sirloin and some brussell sprouts.

 

Nice looking steak, @Gatorbait25. Strip and skirt are my favorite cuts. That char and inside are perfect. Agree with the others on the wine. Go just north of $12 and you’ll see a substantial difference in quality. As @Gator by the Sea said, a cab would be more fitting with what you had. In addition to his choice, try something like Rodney Strong, which outside of Publix, is usually around 15.

My Sunday dinner. Caponata, and braised short ribs with pappardelle. Villa Antinori with dinner and then Charles Krug cab after.

 

@soflagator that meal looks fantastic! And Villa Antinori is one of my favorite wines to have with Italian food.

 

Great pics! A great cab for the $ is the Louis Martini - Sonoma. The Napa is usually twice as expensive but only a little better. Widely available and should be under $15. Very consistent from vintage to vintage. Closer to $10-12 and slightly lower in quality is the Grayson Cellars cab. Also widely available and consistent.

Edit: I too am a fan of Villa Antinori.

 

All my wife. She loves to cook and bake. So while I do know how, she typically takes the reigns, which I’m good with. But yeah, I eat a lot. Always have. Extremely healthy during the week(strictly greens and chicken or fish). So when I cheat on the weekends, I cheat.

Also, if you guys like Villa Antinori, on a bit more of a special occasion, try the il Bruciato(if you haven’t already) from the Antinori family. It’s in what I consider a danger zone between $20-50 where you can often be very disappointed and over pay for what tastes like a $15-25 bottle that somehow got inflated. At around $30, it’s a great Super Tuscan that I think drinks even above its price point.

 

Many years ago Mrs G and I were in Florence with another couple and found a little trattoria way off the beaten path and decided to have dinner there. It turned out the only guy who spoke English was the owner who had lived in Toronto. He ended up serving as our waiter and when I ordered a bottle of Villa Antinori, he asked if I was familiar with the wine. When I said I was and often bought it in the US, he told us his family and the Antinori’s were very close old friends. This lead to more great conversation (he was very into wine) and him bringing us things from the kitchen all evening long to try. We ended up sitting with him drinking Sambuca long after the place was closed. Thank God we found an honest Taxi driver or we would never have found our hotel. I always regret we were too bombed to even remember the name of restaurant, let alone where it was. I would have loved to go back.

 

That looks suspiciously like the toppings on Sundays pizza. Seriously, beautiful plate..Is that an eggplant caponata with feta?

 

It's eggplant yes. But the cheese is parmigiana reggiano.

 

Sofla, nice looking dish, but is that smashed green olives scattered on top for a briny pop?

 

Thanks. Not sure if you’re asking if it’s olives, or why they’re in the dish. But yes, they’re Castelvetrano olives. Maybe the only thing I ever get at Whole Foods. For whatever reason their quality of olives is great.

And yeah, they add a needed acidity and freshness that helps cut the richness of the meat, which has wine and thyme and other hearty flavors.