It happens to be my birthday today and it is almost a sin to not report what wine I am drinking tonight. The answer is: I have no idea.
Instead I am going to tell you about an amazing wine that I had last Thursday night for a pre-birthday dinner with my girlfriend Leah and our friends Denise and Celso. We went to the Ottomanelli's Cafe, owned by the Ottomanelli Brothers. Ottomanelli Brothers is a butcher shop company with three butcher shop locations, two steakhouse locations, and a tiny traditional Italian restaurant, the Ottomanelli's Cafe.
The food there is delicious. Traditional Italian food served with a side of pasta, with fresh cut products and simple home recipes. And incredibly fair priced. I had a Chicken Marsala and a bowl of New England Clam Chowder for less than $15 and both were the most delicious examples of those two dishes that I remember having.
To top it off, the restaurant is BYO. There is no alcohol on the menu and they allow you to bring in your own, which we took full advantage of. I brought a 2007 Ridge Jimsomare Zinfandel and I have never been happier that I decided to buy several cases of this wine. The nose is soaked with fresh cranberries, cherries, and cherry blossoms and the taste is smooth as silk followed by bright red cherry and smooth cranberry at the end to give the wine a slight tart finish. It made me want another sip, and then another, and all too soon the bottle was gone. My mother had a 1990 Jimsomare and it was incredible. I hope I can resist the urge to open the rest of these bottles and allow the wine to age and show more delicate flavors and aromas, because I think it will.Anyway, Happy Birthday to me. And I hope you all enjoy your own birthday wines, beers, and liquors. But be sure to enjoy your friends as well, for they are good at any time.
