Affogato & Coffee Close Ups

As I was watching an episode of the Netflix show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”, I was inspired by the tantalizing coffee close ups. Jerry Seinfeld will be having a nice conversation with a fellow comedian and they will pan out to a close up of an espresso shot being poured, it is coffee porn!  Each close up makes me instantly crave an affogato. If you have never had an affogato before or don’t know what one is, let me drop some knowledge on you! It is simply ice cream; my preference is vanilla, with a fresh shot of espresso poured over it. 

The word affogato is Italian for “pour over” and it is fitting that my first affogato experience was at an Italian restaurant. I was out to dinner with my teammates, back when I was in wine sales, and one of the regional sales managers that represented a portion of Italian wine ordered us each an affogato. The wine was great that night, but the affogato was what really stuck with me. There are certain meals, dishes, or drinks that will stick with you and you will find your mind wandering back to them over and over. The affogato is one of them for me. It is the perfect balance of hot and cold, sweet and bitter.

My recent affogato experience was in the Downtown Claremont Village at a place that is set up perfectly for espresso and ice cream harmony- Augie’s Coffee and a la minute ice cream. The two shops share a location and are only separated by a waist high counter top. Augie’s coffee is a coffee house that specializes in small batch, honestly sourced coffee that they roast themselves. While a la minute is liquid nitrogen style ice cream made from the freshest ingredients in KitchenAid mixers. The two stores together are just asking you to order an affogato, making it so easy to enjoy ice cream and espresso together. The photo above is the affogato I ordered!

Again the experience continues to stay with me just as the first time I tried an affogato. If you have not tried an affogato or had no idea what one was before reading this, then my recommendation is to find the nearest place to you that has ice cream and espresso and get your hands on one. I would not be waxing poetically about it if it wasn’t worth the trip. Plus we all need more excuses to eat more ice cream, so hurry out and get one. You won’t regret!

Welcome Back Post- Wine Pairing Basics

Posts from my Spicey not Pricey blog have been coming up on my Facebook memories from 2012.  A lot of things have changed in 6 years but I have been inspired by a few friends to give this another shot. I pulled up the blog and glanced over a few posts. I don’t find much inspiring about a paragraph about a Trader Joe’s wrap that I ate for lunch, although delicious the only joy someone can get from that would be reading it aloud in a Hulk Hogan voice- try it!

A recent trip to the Central Coast inspired me to write about wine pairing for the re-launch post. The picture above is a lovely Chicken under a brick entrée from Ember Restaurant in Arroyo Grande paired with Chamisal Estate Pinot Noir. It was delicious! By no means is this a “perfect” pairing because I firmly believe pairing beverages with food is taste is up to the eater. There are basic rules to wine pairing: acidity in food goes with acidity in wine, a little bit of heat can use a little bit of sweet, fatty red meats go with wines with tannins, sweetness of the wine must be sweeter than the dessert and what grows together goes together. What grows together goes together is always good rule of thumb- the cuisines from around the world usually have a wine from that region that go with them. But really if you like the wine and you like the food and you like them together then it is a good pairing regardless if it follows the rules of wine pairing. A lovely marbled rib eye will taste great with a top notch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon because the intensity of each match well with each other. That same Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon would also taste great with a Double-Double from In-N-Out. That same In-N-Out burger would taste great with a Modelo Lager because In-N-Out is a great burger and can go well with any beverage.

In addition to matching foods and beverages that you love together, a big part of wine pairing is the atmosphere you are enjoying the wine and food. This also makes recreating a wonderful tasting experience difficult. The pairing pictured above was enjoyed at a quaint neighborhood restaurant with my girlfriend. This same wine and food combination would not be nearly as enjoyable in a cramped loud restaurant with questionable company. Needless to say there are so many factors that can make a great wine pairing. Some basic rules can help guide you into making the right decision but ultimately if you have a smokin’ hot date on Valentine’s Day with a good wine and a delicious entrée, there is no way it is not gong to be an enjoyable culinary experience.

At the end of the day the most important thing about wine knowledge is knowing what you like and how to order it or buy it. A classic pairing is not going to be enjoyable if it is not something you enjoy. So drink great wine, eat tasty food and you will stumble into remarkable wine pairing experiences. A great pairing is up to the taster.