Harrison's Wine Grill & Catering

August 15, 2008

In This Issue:

• Vote for Harrison's –
  State College Magazine's "Best of"
• August – GarlicFest and
  Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
• PA Preferred Best Chef Competition
• Wine Discoveries –
  Lucy's Recommendations
• Announcements/Calendar
• Frequent Diner Benefits

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Vote for Harrison's

Each year State College Magazine does “Best of” awards – voted by the people. We have won the “Best Caterer” for the past three years (and hope to do so again!). There are many other categories for restaurant votes – while we'd appreciate being written in for lots of them, the magazine isn't accepting repeated votes or ballot stuffing. So in the interest of good communication and strategic small-town vote-getting, we like to suggest if you only vote for one…

Best Caterer

And otherwise any/all of these:

Best Wine List, Best Seafood, Best Power Lunch, Best Salad, Best Sandwich, Best Fine Dining, Best Hotel Dining, Best Service

» Cast your vote now and thanks for voting!

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August – Local and Seasonal!

GarlicFest

Our second annual celebration of locally grown garlic is really bringing in a great response – and goes on all through August – with Tait Farm's freshly harvested, organic garlic. We will have several different garlic options to enjoy – come in and check it out!

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes – Prepared Three Ways

Choose:


Tait Farm Local/Organic Produce
The best of the summer! Hot weather produce like Tomatoes (heirloom & field varieties) Fava Beans, Herbs (basil,cilantro, tarragon, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, marjoram, mint), Summer Squashes, Green Beans, Melons, Sweet & Hot Peppers. And did we mention – GARLIC?

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PA Preferred – Best Chef Competition

On August 19, 2008, Chef Harrison Schailey will defend his regional title as PA Preferred Best Chef: He competes at 4pm on the 19th and if victorious, he'll be back on the 20th for noon semi-finals:

PA Preferred® Best Chef of Pennsylvania Competition

Ag Progress Days – August 19 & 20, 2008
Main St. between East 8th and East 9th Sts.

This “Iron Chef”-style competition will feature eight chefs from the area's top restaurants in a heated battle for the title of PA Preferred® Best Chef of Pennsylvania—West-Central Region on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 19-20. The best go on to the state competition at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January. Special guests and local media celebrities will also take part in this exciting event.

» See the details

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Find Interesting Wines – State College, Pa

We all know how hard it is to find those wines recommended in the Wine Spectator and cooking magazines when shopping in Pennsylvania because so often the wines are not carried in our state. We have a solution! Lucy Rogers, Wine Director of Harrison's Wine Grill, discovers new wines each week and samples them at our weekly Wine Tasting Wednesdays and features them by-the-glass in the restaurant. Following is some of her interesting and reasonably priced summer finds:

Welcome to our new “Wine Feature” segment. As I started to go through my notes from wines we tasted at our Wednesday wine tastings I found an interesting pattern. Of the 7 wines that I decided to mention here, 5 are from South America . You have probably heard of the great values that are coming out of Chile and Argentina these days, and the list below is just a little more evidence that some of the more exciting wines to hit the state store shelves are from these two countries.

White Wines
Trivento Torrontes Select 2007, Mendoza , Argentina , $9.99 PLCB code 4382
Torrontes is a grape indigenous to Argentina that makes a wine that can have a highly floral nose but whose flavor, while fruity, is light and crisp in the finish. They make excellent food wines as their acidity balances out the fruit-forward aspects of the wine and are a nice change of pace among the many summer wines available. In the past 6 months I have seen several bottlings of Torrontes available at the state store from producers like Zolo, Bodegas Lurton, Crios (Dominio del Plata), Santa Julia and Alta Vista Premium.

Casillero del Diablo Gerwurztraminer 2006, Maule Valley , Chile , $9.99 (PLCB code 28653)^
Some of you may be familiar with Gewurztraminer as a spicy, fruitier wine that hails from Germany and France 's Alsace region. Some are drier than others--particularly those from Alsace --and so sometimes you can't be sure what you're going to get when you pick up a bottle of Gewurzt. When I saw this wine in the State Store I was immediately intrigued, as I had never seen a gewürztraminer from Latin America . Casillero del Diablo (a line of Chile 's prominent Concha Y Toro wine company) has a good reputation for making quality wines at very reasonable prices. Their Gewurztraminer was no exception—it had great fruit flavor, a hint of spiciness that is true to Gewurztraminer wines, but had a nice dry finish that balanced out the fruit. You could try this wine with spicier dishes, particularly any Asian fare, and it also pairs nicely with creamy desserts like crème brulee and cheesecake.

Dry Rose Wines
Summer is not over yet, and there will still be plenty of hot sunny days where a refreshing dry rose will be just the thing you need to complement your grilled or barbecued dinner. I love dry roses for picnics too as they will complement a wide range of foods—particularly salads that can make pairing difficult because of the presence of vinegar. Well-chilled rose will provide the oft-needed relief on a warm summer afternoon.

Tamaya “Pink Goat” Syrah Rose 2006, Limari Valley , Chile , $13.59 (PLCB code 7030)*
Don't let the pretty pink color of this wine fool you—wow, is it dry! Made from syrah, the fruit flavors are subtle and there is definitely a peppery note in the very dry finish. If you like syrah but find August is too hot to drink it red, give this Pi nk Goat a try.

Red Bicyclette Rose 2006, France, $9.99(PLCB code 4742)*
The fact that this French wine is owned by E & J Gallo shouldn't deter you from giving it a taste. This wine has some great summer berry flavor and is certainly fruitier and rounder than the Pink Goat mentioned above. And again, it is another wine that's got a nice finishing acidity that keeps it from tasting syrupy or cloying. It's a great aperitif wine for a party or to serve with those cooler dishes prevalent this time of year.

Red Wines
Chalone Vineyards Monterey Pinot Noir 2006, California, $18.99 (PLCB code 6341)*
Finding a quality Pinot Noir with even just a hint of complexity for under $20 can be quite a challenge. I think this offering from Chalone is an exception—the wine has some great pinot noir varietal characteristics—a nose of rose petals and earth and some multi-layered flavors of strawberries and raspberries with very soft tannins. If you like Pinot Noir but are often put off by the high prices, you may just want to check this one out the next time you have a hankering for the great red grape of Burgundy. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Dominio del Plata, “Crios” de Susanna Balbo Malbec 2007, Mendoza, Argentina, $12.99 (PLCB code 29161)* ^
While big reds aren't always on our minds during summer months, sometimes they can be the perfect complement to a big steak hot off the grill. This Malbec has some great plum, blackberry and spice notes, good structure and tannins that are present but not overwhelming. This is a wine for those of you who are drawn to big, dry reds that have plenty of warm fruit flavor.

These are just a few of the wines we've found this month and we will continue to bring you new discoveries each month. My advice: don't be afraid to try something new, and as I always say, make sure you take down a note or two about why you liked a certain wine, the wine's name, varietal and vintage so that not only will you be able to find the wine again but it will help you in narrowing down the flavors you like and make new discoveries of your own.

Until next month, cheers,
L

*Currently being featured by the glass at Harrison 's Wine Grill
^indicates that these are considered “specialty” wines by the state store and so would only be available at the North Atherton store.

Lucy Rogers is the former managing director of Chicago's Club Wine International and has many years experience in the food and beverage industry all over the United States. For the past four years she has been running the wine program at Harrison's Wine Grill, where she has conducted weekly wine tastings, developed a creative and affordable wine list, and has brought current trends in wine to patrons in the restaurant. She has also taught multiple series of wine classes designed to make wine accessible to everyone in a fun and informational atmosphere. Drink Well!

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Harrison's News

Calendar

• August – Fresh & Local GarlicFest & Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
• August 19 – Harrison's at the Boalsburg Farmer's Market
• August 19 & 20 – Chef Harrison defending his PA Preferred - Best Chef of Pa Regional Title at Ag Progress Days
• September – New Fall/Winter menu
• October – Our fourth annual Oktoberfest celebration

Competitions & Awards

• Voted 2007 "Best Caterer" and "Best Hotel Dining" by the Readers of State College Magazine » See the details
• Winner of PA Best Chef Competition: Harrison competed in and won the regional "Pennsylvania Preferred – Best Chef of Pennsylvania" competition. » See the details
• First Place Winner Overall – Salsa
  Second Place Winner – Chili in the "Second annual Chili Cook-Off and Salsa Competition" in downtown State College

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Frequent Diner Benefits

Free Soup: Our free soup for Frequent Diner Members has now been extended into 2008. Any time that you visit us for lunch or dinner, you are welcome to a free cup of one of our six daily soups - for either dine-in or carry-out. Yes, take it home with you if you like (we want you to remember us deliciously at lunch the next day!). A minimum purchase of $5 is all that is required.

Rewards: Restaurant dining, carry-out, and gift certificate purchases are all good for one point per dollar spent – and 300 points results in a $30 gift card. And, receive double points when you refer new members. And don't forget the soup!

Easy to Use: If you do not have your card, we can pull up your membership by name – no worries.