A meal away from the holiday rush

**This can be also be found at Food & Wine Blog, where I am a contributing author.**

As the holidays approach there are many ways that people seek out to celebrate. There is nothing like trying something different or new among friends and in the spirit of holiday good will. If you enjoy fine dining, excellent wines, and have the time I may have found something that is of interest.

I tend to enjoy having sumptuous meals. I enjoy having the chance to taste various wines from here in the U.S. and abroad. And I truly enjoy the aura that spending time with good people provides. Often with the bustle of work, the need to meet deadlines, family issues and the pace of the world being able to sit back and just enjoy a meal is lost. To rejoice in friends and good company and a good wine is more akin to some old movies than modern life. But that does not have to be the case this December.

In a well decorated Victorian style mansion, on December 8th, you can have a traditional 19th century meal, replete with wines to satisfy any palette. Located in the Albany area, the 3 ½ star Saratoga Rose Inn & Restaurant will be providing a 4 course meal that would be the envy of most any you may have.

Rather than tell you all of the meal I feel that just tantalizing you a bit with the main course and some of the wines is sufficient. Sometimes a bit of the unknown adds to the spice of what you do know and expect.

The main course is Roast Goose with Sage & Apple Stuffing & Port Wine Sauce served with Rice Croquettes & Peas. This will be accompanied with a M. Chapoutier, Crozes Hermitage "Les Meysonniers" France - Northern Rhone wine. I’m sure this has the interest of many. The entire meal will feature several wines including 3 wines from here in the United States. Two are from Washington State and one from Oregon.

I’m sure you are interested in knowing what else might be had. For 3 hours a meal of this nature seems the perfect escape from the holiday gift buying season, or year end corporate reports. It’s the start of a weekend get-away that most of us can say we want to have. But don’t let me put ideas in your head.

All aspects of the meal are included in the limited seating for a cost of $75 per person. I for one find this to be a small price for a delectable meal. To find out details and to set reservations you can call 518-696-2861.

What a nightclub can tell you - 8.20.2007.1

I was out recently; at a club that has a huge hip hop following and I noticed a few things. Normally I tend to go to bars or more upscale places as they tend to have less of all the noise that I find gangsta rap to be, but I wanted to try something different. Different is hardly the word to describe what I noticed.

I realize that most would not go out in a suit to anywhere besides work, if it was required that they wear one. That is the general culture in America these days. Everyone wants to be as casual as possible. I am a bit old school, real old in style. I prefer to go out in a suit. I was raised that a man should stand out from a crowd. I was raised to take pride in my appearance. I have learned that most people make an assumption based on what you wear, and the first words out of your mouth regardless of the surroundings.

Given these facts, the particular club I was at, I was the only person in a suit. As I mentioned this is not a new experience for me. Every guy in the place, White, Black or Asian (yes they were all in the same place) was wearing sneakers or work boots, jeans, t-shirts and other accessories. You might have thought that there was some kind of music video going on.

Of course some were wearing their fake teeth. You may have seen this type of stuff before. Platinum, gold, diamonds and the rest in their mouths and earrings (usually just one) to match. It was quite the assortment of wannabe thugs, future rappers, convicts and soon-to-be convicts. When I say convicts, I mean just that as I was told by a few about the differences of county and state prisons. Joyous knowledge there.

But I started to wonder a few things. I tried to figure out how much money was being spent on this thug look, and comparing it to my own appearance. It was quite surprising.

Given the average thug there are sneakers that run about $150, jeans about $50, t-shirt (print on it) $45. Then there are the rings, gold with diamonds that can go from $325 to over $8000. A similar range can be found in gold teeth, ranging from a mere $30 to $7000. At a guess the top end of cost was not in this club, but some probably had the more mid-range of these items. Figure about $4000 at best, but more likely $2000.

For myself I had $200 shoes, a $1200 suit, and a $70 custom shirt. A mere $1500 for everything. I don’t wear rings, earrings or the like.

Before anyone might think me a pauper consider this. For all that money they are showing, they can’t wear most of it at work. Running around casually, they are targets to be robbed for the more expensive items. If they wanted to go to a fine dining restaurant, they wouldn’t be let in (well many of them). I don’t mean Red Lobster, or some other chain. That’s not fine dining; it’s just a fancier version of fast food.

Effectively they have a set of clothing that is useless for almost anything besides going out. Of course there are the more illegal occupations which it is perfect for. Yet again that also means that they are perfect targets for police to follow and arrest. The $2000 spinning rims don’t help either.

Continued in Part 2...

Review of the Instinct Resturant and Nightclub Part 2 - 8.16.2007.2

Continued from Review of the Instinct Resturant and Nightclub Part 1...

The salads were a bright display of colors and a tasty combination of lettuce, tomatoes and additional vegetables. Very crisp. Moving on to the main meal I had the Monaco Filet Mignon with roasted potatoes and my guest had the New York Strip with rice pilaf. The presentation was quite good.

While I enjoyed the Filet, I found the roasted potatoes to be slightly underdone, but that is because they are intended to be made that way. You can have them done in a more traditional manner by request as the waitperson takes your order. My guest equally found the meal satisfying. The merlot complimented the meat quite well. The portion size was easily filling, and my friend could not finish the New York Strip.

Other options that we could have had included Ahi Tuna, Jamaican Pork Chops, Rock Lobster Tail, Riviera Veal Chop (Thursday through Sunday) and Oven Roasted Duck to name a few. Throughout the menu, like the wines, Romania dishes are sprinkled along with other cuisine of a similar exotic nature.

In terms of pricing, Instinct is a bit more expensive than some of the other restaurants in the area. My meal with my guest and 1 bottle of wine worked out to about $35 per person, not including the tip. So it was far from exorbitant for locals, and a huge discount for those familiar with the prices found in say New York City.

Overall I found Instinct to be a lovely departure from the norm of most Binghamton area fare. It has a relaxing atmosphere and upscale look. The food is good, served in a timely manner, without the rush or crowding some posh fine dining restaurants seem to always include. The pricing is reasonable and far less than what could be expected for the quality that is provided. I can easily say that this is a place worth stopping at if you are driving through the area, or desirous of a trip to an out of the way, less fast-paced place.

If you would like to find out more about the hours, menu, specials, wine list, or other activities and events at Instinct you can check www.instinctnightclub.com or call 607-757-9977.

Review of the Instinct Resturant and Nightclub - 8.16.2007.1

For those that are traveling to Toronto, Syracuse, or New York City in the other direction, even those just traveling around and seeing different parts of New York State you might want to stop in the Binghamton area. The reason for the side trip is a relatively new fine dining restaurant called Instinct.

Instinct is a unique concept in the area in that it is an upscale fine dining restaurant during the day, and on Thursday through Saturday evenings it is also a nightclub. While many that live in cities such as New York, Chicago, Cleveland and others may find such a concept to be the norm Instinct is virtually the only option of this nature.

It is obvious that the owners, Romanians by descent, wanted to bring a touch of Manhattan nightlife to the area and they succeeded. Just looking at the style and arrangement within the restaurant and bar areas would lead one to think they might have been transported to SoHo or Midtown Manhattan. There is a comfortable modern feel that is not crowded or impersonal. The lighting, mirrors and color of the walls combine to set the warm tone, which is excellent for eating or dancing.

By the way, the restaurant opens up for dinner at 5pm and there is a dinner rush. But you can easily find yourself one of a few diners if you go just a bit later, say at 7:30 on a Wednesday night. And have no fear of being distracted by the bar crowd. That section is adjoining but separates enough to be of no consequence to having a great meal.

I will be speaking about the nightclub aspect of Instinct separately, but the dining is quite good. The staff is all quite friendly and knowledgeable. Several of the waiter/bartenders come from some of the top upscale restaurants in the area. All of them are friendly and informative, especially about the wine cellar and menu. In my meal there I found the waiter to be around enough to keep up with my needs and yet not even close to hovering.

Starting of with drinks the bar is fully stocked. Take particular notice that several top scotches and multiple popular brands of liquors are available. The variety of selection is one of the best in the entire area. This diversity is also found in the wine list. Wines from Sonoma Valley, local wineries and Romania can all be had here. Take note though that the selections are by the bottle and not the glass, except for the house wine, which is Turning Leaf.

I was looking forward to a Merlot called Vampire, which naturally comes from Romania. Sadly this was not available as they had just sold the last bottle earlier that night, but there was no delay in providing several comparable choices. We settled for a Ronald Strong 2002 Merlot, from Sonoma. This was a full bodied wine that was quite enjoyable.

Continued in Part 2...

Michelangelo’s Resturant review - 12.21.2006.1

Here is something for those living closer to where I am, or visiting the area. Few things are more enjoyable than a nice meal. One of the better meals I’ve had out in the Binghamton area is an Italian restaurant called Michelangelo’s. This restaurant recently re-opened after having to renovate due to the flooding that swept the area earlier this year.

While there are many Italian restaurants in every city, this is the one that stands out to me for this area. The interior of the restaurant is completely new and quite stylish. There is nothing that would indicate that over 5 feet of water had filled the place. The walls are a pleasant rust color with several paintings in the main dining area. The tables and chairs are a nice dark wood and as attractive as they are comfortable. There is plenty of space to accommodate large groups and couples or individuals, even when the restaurant fills up. The lighting is quite nice as well. Large windows capture the sun during the day and after the sun sets the soft indoor lighting is set at a level that compliments the décor. There is also a small but well stocked bar that can seat about 6 – 8 people while they wait for a table to open.

While the interior is attractive, the draw is the food of course. The menu has a decent selection of favorites and staple dishes. And there are daily specials that are equally appealing. Whether it’s chicken, veal, pasta or a combination of these choices, the portions are more than enough to fill a person. In particular I found the veal to be an excellent choice.

My most recent outing gave me a chance to enjoy a personal favorite. One of the specials was chicken francese, and I requested if veal francese (it’s not on the menu) could be made instead. The chef indulged me and made a fantastic meal. The presentation was topped off with seared lemons. I mention this meal in particular because it’s a hard dish to make and sadly is not very common these days. The lemon sauce is difficult to get right, with many places putting in too much lemon, or using store-bought lemon juice instead of fresh lemons. When it’s done wrong you can tell in the first bite, but when it’s done right as it was in this case it’s a delight.

The wine selection is quite nice and the house reds are a wonderful accent to the meal or just as a drink by itself. If you lean to stronger drinks the top shelf selection is quite large for a small bar. The scotch selections include my favorite; Glenlivet (just the 12 year old) which makes Michelangelo’s only the 3 place in the area to carry it (to my knowledge).

Overall I found the entire experience to be pleasant and enjoyable. I wasn’t the only one to think so, as the restaurant quickly filled between 5 and 6:30. I would strongly suggest reservations if you expect to be going here Wednesday to Sunday in the evening. Don’t plan on late night dining here though as the hours are about 11-9 during the weekday. And at about $25 per person (including 2 glasses of wine) the cost is quite reasonable. So for an enjoyable meal that is perfect for a date, an evening away from the kids, or a family outing I would suggest Michelangelo’s.