6:00 to 7:00 PM  First and Third Tuesdays – at least until interest in the event wears out – and then probably once a month – we will offer an interesting twist on wine tasting classes.   At least, we hope it’s interesting.

 The class/event is $20.00 ( with a $5.00 discount coupon being offered on the website every so often – check out the coupon page).  My understanding is that the coordinator, Southern Distributing salesman Mark Burden,  wants to move away from the strict wine tasting ‘class’ to a more casual atmosphere of social interaction with discussion of the wines. 

 We serve three wines with three food pairings.  So far the events have been very successful and developed a small following of 10 to 15 people.  The comments have been very positive.  Enjoying the wines, pleased with the food pairings, enjoying the friendly, open conversation.

 Mark has also suggested a relaxation of the food pairings so that instead of large, heavy servings, we concentrate on the wine flavors more with smaller, less heavy items.  We will make the offerings and see what the results are.  We will make changes as customer comment dictates.

 I agree that social interaction is fun but I certainly want some information about the wines and some clear leadership from the coordinator. 

 One big plus will be the Wine Discount Table!  Win Ritter, Beverage Manager, will select several special wines for a price discount if anyone wants to enjoy a bottle with snacks at the bar or with dinner.  Remember that a bottle of wine partially consumed with a meal may be brought home, following the state’s requirements.   I’ve seen the proposed list and suggested to Win that he was being very generous with the selections.  I certainly want to give value to our customers but let’s not get crazy.  This is a 160 year old adobe building and things wear out, break off and fall down pretty often.  We got to pay for this stuff somehow!!

 Anyway, give us a call to make reservations for the Tuesday Tasting if you think you can make it – 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM  Tuesday evening – First and Third Tuesdays of the month.  523-6700

Everything worked together so perfectly.  I was so pleased to hear the many comments on the food pairings.  Now, I’ve got to confess something:  I had not tasted the wines before making the pairings!   The distributor was so late in getting the samples to us that I went on line and looked at each winery’s website along with other sites who drink and judge wine.  Based on those descriptions of the wines, I developed the menu.  I know I was taking a chance but I’ve done it before on individual wines.   We have tasted 5 of 6 wines and the 6th wine didn’t come in.  So, I did the google thing.  But, this is the first time, we had not tasted even one wine.  Maybe, we should NOT taste the wines at all but just go by the websites’ descriptions!! 

Well, that might be taking too much of a chance.  No, we’ll stil work at tasting the wines but maybe we won’t be so hysterical about it if the distributor doesn’t deliver on the wine samples.!!

Jerry

Baked Brie with Roasted Pecans and Green Apples
A wonderful rich imported Brie round roasted with Stahmann Farm Pecans,
served with a sliced green apple and crispy lavosh cracker bread.    12.95 

Chilled  or  Grilled  Shrimp Cocktail
Served with our special House Recipe
Green Goddess sauce or traditional Tomato Cocktail sauce.  9.00 

Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms Dante’
Jumbo mushrooms sautéed with garlic and shallots, stuffed
 with mixed seafood, topped with cheese and baked in white wine.   8.95 

Crispy Green Chile Cheese Wontons
Crispy wonton skins filled with three cheeses and slow roasted Hatch raised
Green Chile, served with our own special Jalapeno-Pineapple Salsa. 7.50 

S A L A D S 

Double Eagle House Salad
Mixed greens with tomato wedges, cucumbers, black olives and
 House made garlic croutons with our Raspberry Vinaigrette
or your choice of salad dressings   3.50 

Spinach Salad
Savory spinach leaves with red onion, sliced mushrooms, House  garlic croutons
 and smoked bacon crumbles with Italian Herb Vinaigrette  3.95 

Sicilian Salade
Crisp greens topped with diced tomatoes, pecans, Kalamata olives,
sun-dried grapes, feta cheese and a splash of lemon all dressed
with virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar  6.95   

Insalata Caprese de Mesilla
Sliced tomatoes, sliced onion and cucumbers with mozzarella cheese
 with a lemon, basil and black pepper dressing  5.50 

E N T R E E S
Accompanied by Fresh Vegetables and choice of Double Baked Stuffed Potato,
Mashed Potatoes, French Fries, Onion Rings, Baked Potato or Pasta Du Jour. 

Chicken Mesilla
Seasoned grilled breast of chicken served with sautéed sweet onions, slow roasted
Mesilla Valley green chile and creamy Mennonite cheese. 28.95 

Chicken  Jerusalem
A juicy breast of chicken sautéed  in butter with fresh garlic, shallots
and a specially selected  Fume Blanc wine and rich, whole cream,
artichoke hearts and whole mushrooms. 28.95

F R O M   O U R   B E E F   A G E I N G   R O O M
Accompanied by Creamed Spinach Stuffed Tomato and
choice of Double Baked Stuffed Potato,Mashed Potatoes, French Fries,
Onion Rings, Baked Potato or Pasta Du Jour. 

     New York Strip Steak 
Aged 36 to 42 days  Grande   12 oz   42.95   Double Cut 20 oz   65.95 

Filet Mignon
Aged 28 to 35 days   Petite   6 oz   42.95       Grande   10 oz  54.95 
For Cowboy Style, we wrap the Filet in Green Chile and Bacon  Add $3.00 

Top Sirloin
Aged 36 to 42 days   Petite 8 oz  32.95    Grande   12 oz  36.95 

Delmonico Ribeye
Aged 28 to 35 days   Grande  12 oz  42.95     Double Cut  16 oz  54.95 

Boeuf Bourguignon
 Classic French recipe of sliced tender, aged beef, roasted garlic,
carrots and pearl onions with mushrooms in a rich sauce of fine red wine
on parmesan sourdough crouton.   32.95   

E N T R E E S
Accompanied by Fresh Vegetables and
choice of Double Baked Stuffed Potato, Mashed Potatoes, French Fries,
Onion Rings, Baked Potato or Pasta Du Jour.

 Plato Rio Grande
A three-cheese chile relleno, a specially aged petite 3 oz filet mignon
with red chile sauce, green chile chicken enchilada and
our special recipe black beans santa fe.  30.95 

Pistachio Crusted Salmon Fillet
Encrusted with New Mexico grown nuts then topped
with a pistachio cream sauce.  30.95 

Flash Grilled Halibut
Then baked and served atop wilted baby spinach leaves
floating on a sea of sauteed tomato, wine and caper sauce.  30.95 

Scallops St Jacques
Sauteed with mushrooms in butter, fresh garlic then blanched
with cream and wine, served with cheesy-garlic-herbed mashed potatoes. 30.95 

Tenderloin of Veal With Spinach and Proscuitto
 Seasoned, quick braised, served over Baby Spinach sautéed with
chopped garlic, imported Parma, Italy Prosciutto ham,
with an Italian Chianti Red Wine – Mushroom Sauce.  30.95 

D E S S E R T S 

Cloudcroft Lemon Ice Box Pie
A honey graham cracker crust filled with old
fashioned lemon custard, whipped cream.  5.25 

Crème Brulee
Traditional sugar crusted creamy egg custard.   6.50 

Caramel Apple Meltaway Pie
Layers of soft cooked caramel, Salopek Farms pecans,
cinnamon butter braised apples,  creamy cheesecake and
whipped cream with more pecans, in a honey graham cracker crust. 5.25 

Armando’s Pecan Pie
A favorite of one of our ghosts, we offer beautiful Salopek Farms
pecans baked in a rich, caramel cream and served on a praline sauce.  5.25 

Death By Chocolate Cake
Mmmmmm! Chocolate… deep, dark, rich, delicious, moist
chocolate cake layered with a creamy chocolate frosting
and decorated with, what else, chocolate.  5.25 

New York Cheesecake
Our famous New York-style cheesecake baked in a sweet
butter-honey graham cracker crust and served on
fresh raspberry sauce. 5.25 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
One dark chocolate and one white chocolate gourmet
 hand-dipped strawberries.  6.50`

A F T E R   D I N N E R   C O F F E E S
We use a special Starbucks St. Henri’s Blend
Irish Coffee - Jameson’s Irish Whiskey…………………..….5.95
Café Roma – Frangelico……………………………..….………6.95
Café Amor – Amaretto……………………………………………6.95
Keoki Coffee – Brandy and Kahlua….………..…………….6.95
Toasted Almond – Kahlua and Amaretto………….…….6.95
Death By Chocolate – Crème de Cocoa and Baileys…6.95
Nutcake – Frangelico, Bailey’s, Crème de Cocoa………………6.95

Every First and Third Tuesday
For February:   2/2/10  and 2/16/10
6:00 PM-7:00/7:30 PM
  $20.00 Per Person  Isabella Room 

Reservations Recommended
Limited Number of Spaces Are Available
Due to The Limted Amount Of Wine and Food
Walkins May Be Turned Away!

What Do You Get? 

1. You get tastings of at least three specially selected wines.

2.  You get a food pairing sample for each wine.

3. You get a discussion of each wine by a wine expert.

4. You get the social interaction of other oenophiles.

5.  You get a Special Discount Wine Table with selected wines available only
 to Tuesday Tasting members for dinner that evening. 
(You may take home an opened bottle of wine partially consumed with a meal.) 

It’s a fun and easy way to meet others who enjoy wine in a social atmosphere.
Just call Jeannie at 523-6700  Monday-Friday 9-5 to make reservations!

Limited Seating.  Walkins may be turned away for lack of wine and food…..

The Double Eagle Restaurant
And Peppers Café, Home of the World’s Largest Green Chile Cheeseburger

St Valentine’s Wine  Tasting  Dinner
Our Winter Event
Friday, February 12, 2010  6:30 PM 

First Course-Reception
Evolution #9 NV Oregon State White Meritage
Tomato and Basil Pizza Bites
Italian Sausage Pizza Bites 

Second Course – Salad
Sanford Pinot Noir 2006 (Famous from the movie “Sideways”)
Frissee and Apple Salad with Dried Cherries
Creamed Apple Cider-Honey Dressing 

Third Course – Fowl
Gaja Sito Moresco Barbaresco 2006
Seared Sliced Duck Breast with Port Reduction
Broccoli Spears Al Fresco 

Intermezzo
Cranberry Pomegranate Italian Ice 

Fourth Course – Beef  
Chimney Rock Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Hand Rubbed 5 Peppercorn Seasoned Prime Rib
 with Cabernet Reduction Au Jus
Green Chile Mashed Potatoes         Roasted Baby Carrots 

Fifth Course – Dessert 
Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut  NV  Sparkling Wine
Brie on Almond Croutons with Mascerated Strawberries
And A Chocolate Strawberry 

Seating is limited.  Advance reservations offered to our past attendees. 
We always sell out. Call today to book your seats/table with Jeannie 523-6700.
Advance Payment is required. Cancellations accept till 3:00 PM Day of Event.
 $85.00 Per Person

 Aphrodisia – Yep, it means what you think it means….  A recent edition of Wine Enthusiast had an article about what and why people say about food and beverages and the art of making love.  With apologies to the author, I’m gonna share some info here.

 Apple –  OK, so it didn’t start out with the best of reputations.  Remember, Adam and Eve and the Snake, Flaming Sword, chased out of Eden….   The Latin word for apple comes from malum or bad.  Something changed however.  And,  by the time Ancient Greece rolled around, the apple was a symbol of sex.  The beautiful, athletic Atalanta vowed to marry the man who could beat her is a foot race.  Hippomenes (I’m not making these names up!) fell in love with Atalanta and ask Aphrodite for help.  The Goddess of Love gave him three golden apples and instructed him to throw them onto the track.  Atalanta got distracted and lost the race. 

 Artichoke – Often depicted as a symbol of the female sex because those darn Greeks told the story of Cinara.  Cinara was a nymph who was turned into a thorny flower by her lover’s jealous wife so that he could never touch her again.  Ah, the course of true love never runs straight and easy.  Think of the tasty surprise waiting for you to peel the layers away. 

 Asparagus – Can you believe it?  Yep, they push their way up, up through the earth with their heads and grow and grow.  So, the man who eats many asparagus…well, nuff said.

 Basil – From India to Italy, basil is a bold ingredient in many foods.  The brilliant, sharp flavor is a stimulant said to promote passion in those who eat it.  In Sicily, a woman who places a pot of basil in her window is inviting her lover to visit. 

 Chile – Chile is the correct spelling – chili is the Tex-Mex dish of ground beef, onions and red chile powder.  Hot peppers release endorphins to block pain and cause a sensation of pleasure.  A chile’s spicy heat, bright color and suggestive shape make them a popular aphrodisiac.  Familiar side effects after you eat one – sweating, blushing and a racing heart – reinforce the lovemaking association.

 Chocolate – Delicious, dark and delectable.  Chocolate contains small amounts of serotonin, the soothing chemical released by the body when we fall in love.  The calming, comforting feeling serotonin induces is similar to a lover’s arms wrapped tight around you.

 Garlic – Not just for vampires any more.  One considered a cure for impotency.  Do you think they rubbed it on or tied it on whole or what?  Garlic does contain antioxidants and essential oils with antibiotic affects.

 Honey – Not just because you drizzle it on and lick it off. Bee stings were thought to be tiny wounds from Cupid’s love spiked arrows.  A dab of honey on the wound sealed it and honey’s own antibiotic properties promoted quick healing including reduced swelling.

 Lemons – It became a symbol of eternal love and faithfulness in marriage because it blooms many times during a year.  That’s what the article said.  No other explanation.  Do you think they just threw that in to screw with us?  I mean if they’d told a story about a sour lemon caused a young nymph to pucker up and be kissed by her lover Acidopholus I’d go for it.  But, blooming a couple of times a year?  I’m missing something there….

 Oysters – All seafood was once considered aphrodisiacs because seafood was associated with the birth of Venus, Goddess of Love.  Ok, now get this – the phallus of the heavens fell from the sky and landed in the sea (the womb of Mother Earth).  So, this big phallus is standing around heaven minding it’s own business when it trips (??) and falls from the heavens into sea.  Poof, thousands of species of fish are created and the ocean births a daughter, Venus, by willing it to be so.  Venus arises from the ocean scantily clad in strategic seaweed and popping out of clam shell.  What more do your need? 

 Mushrooms and Truffles – Some mushrooms have mystical powers.  Remember the Hippies of the 1960 chewed mushrooms and spread love, joy, peace and happiness.  I suddenly feel like singing Kumbahya and swaying hand in hand with my brothers and sisters all over this land.   Truffles, on the other hand, have a distinct, powerful pungent perfume making them delicate and irresistible at the same time.  And, you’ve all heard the stories about female pigs being used in France to sniff out the truffles.  But, did you know it’s because the truffles smell like male pigs.

 Nuts – And the same to you, buddy!  The hard, protective shells are a symbol of longevity and marriage.  The almond, in particular, is associated with fertility because almond trees are among the first to bloom in the Spring each year.  Chestnuts (from the word ‘chaste’) symbolize virginity and feminine virtue because a second shell and a spiky casing protect them.

 Pasta and Breads – Anything made from grains are associated with Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility.  Apparently, Fertility was a big thing back in Ancient Greece and Rome so they would work at convoluted logic on anything which might help.

 Pomegranate – With Pomegranate juice selling so well, alone and in mixtures with other juices, you know this had to be included.  Known as the ‘apple of love’, the Greeks made a special wine and peddled it as an aphrodisiac.  It is often associated with unity, friendship and brotherly love since it carries so many seeds packed together in small chambers.

 Meat – Rabbit is suggestive because to the ease with which it reproduces. 

 Saffron – the Queen of female aphrodisiacs!  Associated with female homosexuality because it’s named after Sappho, the Greek Poetess who was born on the isle of Lesbos.  It was believed to strengthen the uterus as well as stimulating the libido.

 Wine – Of course.  The ultimate love potion.  Bacchanalian rites and hedonistic cults used wine as the basis for their orgies.  The word “Vino” come directly from Venus and we all know about HER!  Today, we associate this seductive inebriant with moderation, good company, good health and, yes, a way to break down barriers while establishing a romantic connection.  How is that for polite language?

 
COFFEE FILTERS
 
Coffee  filters …. Who knew!   And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Store for almost nothing even the large ones. 

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the  microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.  

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome…  Coffee filters are lint-free so they’ll leave windows sparkling.
 
3.  Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
 
4.  Filter broken cork from wine.  If you break the cork when opening a wine  bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter. 
 
5.  Protect a cast-iron skillet.  Place a coffee filter in the  skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust. 

6.  Apply shoe polish.  Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.  

7.  Recycle frying oil.  After frying, strain oil through a sieve  lined with a coffee filter. 

8.  Weigh chopped foods.  Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a  kitchen scale. 

9.  Hold tacos.  Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods. 

10.  Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot.  Line a plant  pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through  the drainage holes. 

11..  Prevent a Popsicle from dripping.  Poke one or two holes as  needed in a coffee filter. 

12.  Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows?  Use  strips of coffee filters.. 

13.  Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken  fingers, etc on them.  It soaks out all the grease.  

14.  Keep in the bathroom.  They make great “razor nick  fixers.” 
 
15.   As a sewing backing.  Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.. 
 
16..  Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors. 
 
17.  Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews. 
 
18..  Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car. 
 
19.  Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills. 
 
20.  Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies..  Saves on having extra bowls to wash. 
 
21.  Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage. 
 
22.  Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls. 
 
23.  Use them to sprout seeds..  Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout. 
 
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers.  Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in  phone book.. 
 
25..  Use as a disposable “snack bowl” for popcorn, chips, etc. 

 1. To remove an adhesive bandage, saturate with vodka.  It will dissolve the adhesive.

 2. Clean caulking around tub and shower by using a spray bottle of vodka.  It kills mold and mildew.

 3. Spritz your eyeglasses with vodka and use a clean cloth to wipe dry.

 4. Prolong the life of  razors by putting the razor in a cup of vodka after shaving.  It will kill germs and prevent oxidation (rust) from the blade reacting with the air.

 5.  Spray vodka on wine stains and blot till dry.

 6.  Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to the face as an astringent to kill germs and tighten pores.

 7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12 ounce bottle of shampoo to help leave the scalp clean.

 8.  Use a spray bottle of vodka to kill ants and wasps.

 9.  Put ½ cup vodka and 1/2 cup water in a zip lock bag then freeze for a slushy cold pack for aches, pains and bruises.

 10.  Fill a clean empty mayonnaise jar with freshly picked lavender flowers, fill with vodka and seal tightly.  Set in the sun for three days and then strain.  The resulting tincture will help when rubbed on bruises, aches and pains!!

 11. To relieve a fever, wet a washcloth with vodka and rub over forehead, chest and arms

 12.  To cure foot odor, wash feet with vodka

 13.  Vodka will disinfect and alleviate pain for a jellyfish sting.

 14.  Pour vodka over the affected area when you come into contact with poison ivy.

 15. Swish a shot of vodka over and around hurting tooth.  Allow the vodka to dull the ache and pain. 

Cordial/Liqueur -a strongly flavored highly sweet liquor usually drunk in small quantities after dinner as a digestif.

 A cordial=s flavor can come from many sources: fruits, herbs & leaves, flowers, nuts, seeds and beans, roots and barks.   Cordials must contain at least 2.5% sugar but usually contain far more.  Honey, maple and corn syrups are also used as sweeteners.  Cordial and Liqueur as words are interchangeable.

 The base alcohol varies:  neutral grain spirits are common.  Many liqueurs, however, are made from a specific spirit, such as, Scotch in Drambuie, Cognac in Grand Marnier or Irish Whiskey in Bailey=s.  Others are distilled from the primary ingredients themselves.

 Cordial comes from Latin: cor which means heart.  Cordials were originally made by alchemist or monks as a health remedy or elixir to soothe weary travelers.  Liqueur comes from the Latin: liquefacere, meaning to melt or dissolve (which is how most cordials are made!).

 Cordials are produced by cold or hot methods.  Cold methods include infusion, maceration and percolation.  Distillers use infusion and maceration for fruits which might be damaged by heat.  During infusions, crushed fruits are soaked in water for as long as a year. The liquid is strained, sweetened and added to alcohol.   In maceration, the crushed fruit is soaked directly in alcohol.   After the liquid is strained off, the remaining fruit is distilled and the distillate is recombined with the infused liquid.  Liqueurs commonly made this way include: triple sec, cassis, cointreau; Grand Marnier.   Percolation is often used for flavorings such as herbs and leaves.  Ingredients are placed in a basket or strainer and the alcohol is pumped up over them.  This process, similar to brewing coffee without heat, may go on for months until all  flavor is extracted.  Ingredients may be distilled afterward.   Drambuie, Irish Mist, Chartreuse are made this way.

 Hot methods include distillation in water and distillation in alcohol.  Water distillation is used for delicate herbs and flowers.  Once distilled, the flavored water is added to an alcohol base.  Ingredients such as seeds, nuts, bark or orange peel are more often distilled in alcohol. They are first soaked in alcohol, the distilled with additional spirits.

Tuesday, February 19, 2010

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM      Isabella Room

 California Pinot Noirs

We will compare and contrast Pinot Noirs from
Carneros, Napa and Russian River and offer paired food tastings as well. 

$15 Per Person With Coupon From This Site

Regular Price $20.00 Per Person

Limited Seating – Reservations Recommended

575-523-6700