Fresh Snow and Alcoholics

We got a coating of fresh snow today. The perfect skiing snow that is so rare in the northeast. It is cold, so the snow is light and airy.

Yesterday I had an interesting chat with an alcoholic. I always find it interesting and enlightening to talk to an alcoholic; provided that they are in recovery. Actively drinking alcoholics can be fun, but are rarely enlightening. But an alcoholic in recovery generally has attained a kind of gritty, tough wisdom that can only come from staring the devil in the eye, and surviving the journey back to the surface.

Our conversation gave me pause, and changed my perspective on the rest of my day yesterday. He said something that was simple on the surface, but is missed by so many of us in our daily quest for success. When he was going through treatment (over 25 years ago), his counselor asked him what he wanted in life. The list was short: love, acceptance, inner peace, and some way to deal with the negative voices in his head. That was it.

We all have negative voices in our head, but what makes an alcoholic different is that those voices drive him to drink until he is near death. Literally. Most alcoholics I know have nearly died at least once. We forget how powerful those voices in our head can be, because for most of us it is just a little background noise that we can deal with one way or another. But they are there, and their influence on our lives is insidious.

Today I skied in fresh, light powder. Today was a powder day in a region where powder days are so rare that I have to re-learn how to ski in the stuff. It was glorious. Glory snow. I was ripping turns and digging my knees into powder and floating through bumps. Telemark skiing has a few simple metaphorical lessons to teach us as well, like the alcoholics do. When you are telemark skiing, you need to remember 3 simple things: trust the fall-line, commit to the turn, and keep your upper body centered and quiet. Well, maybe one more. Avoid trees.

In skiing, like in life, if you don't commit fully to the turn, the skis cannot do their job, you will lose control and crash. But committing to the turn takes courage and faith. The first time that you let go of the fear and let it happen, it is an amazing feeling of accomplishment. Once you learn how to do it well, it is like dancing down a steep hill, hopping from one turn to the next, always on the edge of losing control. The voices are silent when this happens. It is the closest I can come to the true peaceful inner state of nirvana that Buddha seeks.

Then, of course, I get to the bottom and have to get on the lift. The cell phone goes off. It is the ex. I forgot my daughter's snow boots, and she won't be able to go out and play in the snow unless I get them over to her today. The voices start up again. Within seconds I become completely unaware of my beautiful surroundings and the falling snow, and I am awash in guilt, shame, anger, resentment. But fortunately, the top is only a few minutes away, and the fresh powder silences the voices once again, the lactic acid burn in my legs and the rush in my head are all I can feel. Nirvana once again, even if only for a few moments.

2007 Château Paradis - Terre des Anges

Today, I enjoyed a glass of this Château Paradis "Terre des Anges " with a delicious bison ribeye steak.


This wine is a French blend of 55% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. A little bright out of the bottle, it quickly eases into it's own with a concentrated, full bodied richness, exuding quite a bit of oak and dark berry.

The strong tannins and acidity make it an excellent match for strong, flavorful cuts of meat (such as the bison ribeye I paired it with) or rich cheeses.


The general consensus appears to be that this wine should age well over the next 15-20 years. At around $20-$25/bottle, definitely a keeper and one to cellar.

Bison Ribeyes

A few weeks ago, I received a very special treat - my good friend the Blind Monkey arranged to have several flash frozen, grass fed bison ribeyes steaks overnighted to me in a carefully packed styrofoam box.

I'd been waiting for the appropriate time to give one a taste test and it just so happened that today was the day - at lunchtime no less!

After a quick thaw, I prepared the ribeyes with my favorite simple steak seasoning of freshly ground pepper, a dusting of garlic powder, and a generous coating of coarse kosher salt. Although more lightly marbled than most cuts of ribeye, I noted the uniquely deep, dark, reddish purple hue of the bison meat.

I preheated my infrared grill and put a quick sear on the steak - perhaps 2-3 minutes per side flipping once, and served it with a double carb side of quinoa and pesto pasta, and a glass of 2007 Chateau Paradis Terres des Anges. (If you're going to have a ribeye for lunch, why hold back?)

Although I was really looking forward to enjoying this cut of bison, I actually wasn't quite sure what to expect, and was secretly preparing myself for potential disappointment. I've had 'locally grown, grass fed, organic, yadda yadda' cuts of beef before and frankly, while for the most part tasty, I've found that the texture and flavor can vary greatly, typically leaning toward the gamey,tough side.

Well - it turns out my fears were completely unfounded. I am certain my simple words cannot do this cut of steak justice but all I can say is that I'm a true believer in bison now. The flavor was excellent - well balanced and not too gamey. The texture was fantastic. Although this cut was fairly lean, it was perfectly tender and juicy- I would put it somewhere in between the tenderness of a good dry aged ribeye and NY strip - absolutely delicious. Thank you Blind Monkey! I'm lucky to have a few more of these stashed in the freezer.


You're hungry now aren't you? Uncork a nice bottle of wine and get your sear on!

2005 Silverado Vineyards - Napa Valley Cabernet

I'm a bad friend. Tonight, much to the Blind Monkey's chagrin, I opened the 2005 Silverado Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet that I was supposed to share with him.

Luckily, I'm sure he understands as he knows I have a serious weakness for 2005 reds and probably wonders how it survived this long. Tonight the combination of a cold winter evening with 8 inches of fresh snowfall sticking to the trees, a handcut delmonico steak seared on the IR grill prefaced by manchego and aged gouda made it impossible to resist (I will make it up to you BM).

Once again, 2005 did not disappoint. This wine is actually a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. It has a nice dark purple hue with a full cherry scent. Right out of the bottle, it has a slight bite, which disappeared within 5 minutes after which I found it surprisingly smooth with a great balance of dark fruit, silky tannins and a nice long pleasant finish. Delicious throughout every aspect of the meal including the cheese, steak and dark chocolate. Ahhhhhhh. Life is good.

Snow. Lots of it.

Today, my good friend (and incidentally, one of the most all around awesome, intelligent, witty, best looking guys I know), set up this blog for me - did I mention how awesome (and modest) he is?

He also sent me these pictures of his backyard after last night's snowstorm:

I'm jealous. But, I am spending the day with my beautiful daughter, and this evening, I will be visiting another good friend where we will have an incredible meal, sure to be accompanied by some fine wine and company, so I have that going for me. More on this later.