Duck Walk Wines: North Fork

Duck Walk Wines is one of my favorites in Long Island, but until Mike & Sara's trip out with us, ABF & I had only been to the Water Mill location.

After a lackluster trip to Pindar (nonexistent customer service and less than wowing wines), I asked the ever-accomodating ABF to drive us 2 minutes down the road to DuckWalk's North Fork location. (See Sara's review of all the hot spots here!)

For some reason, I'd always thought of it as a smaller location, but it's actually impressively large.

There's tons of seating, a spacious bar, a stunning fish tank and even more outdoor space (which I saw when I stepped outside during an unfortunate coughing fit).

We started with the Duck Walk Chardonnay, which is the very first chardonnay to win my heart (and my tastebuds). Sara & Mike are big Chardonnay fans, and I think they liked the offerings at Duck Walk (though once again, I'm more partial to stainless steel-fermented while they prefer the oak-barrel version).

We also tried their Reserve Merlot (one of my favorite favorites), Windmill White, you name it--we sipped it!

Of course we had to try the dessert wines, which wowed me from my first visit there. The Aphrodite (a Gewurztraminer) is like a fruity explosion in your mouth--perfect for sipping after a lovely meal, pouring over ice cream, or standing alone as dessert all by itself. Mike & Sara went home with a bottle of this, and ABF & I have one waiting at home. It's so so so so so so good, and it might even be for sale at your local wine/liquor store (a few of my neighborhood stores carry it). If you want a showstopping wine, Aphrodite is it!

Connor was our guide on this visit, and after the dessert wines, it turns out he was just getting started. He kept pouring taste after delicious taste, and sharing bits of trivia, knowledge, and passion along the way. He was in no hurry to get us out of there, even though we arrived about 30 minutes before the tasting room closed.

Duck Walk serves their dessert wines with small chocolates. They always instruct you to taste the port, ice wine, or Aphrodite on its own first. Then take a small nibble of chocolate and taste the wine again. It's striking what a difference the chocolate has on the wine's flavor profile (and by "flavor profile" I mean "awesome deliciousness that practically defies description").

Duck Walk was the polar opposite of our experience at Pindar (which I'm pretty sure is their sister winery!), where no one bothered to explain what we were drinking or even ask if we had any questions. I'm so glad Mike & Sara's first visit to the North Fork ended here! Thanks to Connor and everyone at Duck Walk North for making our trip there such a blast! We've replenished our wine cabinet and made yet another fun memory on the North Fork! Cheers!

Duck Walk North
44535 Main Road
Southold, NY
(631) 765-3500

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Love Lane Kitchen: New Visit!

Love Lane Kitchen has long been a favorite for ABF & me, so we were excited for the chance to bring out That Sara (of NYCNomNom) and her BF, Mike!

We started the day with a tasting at Clovis Point, and a few hours later we made it to LLK for dinner. First up: those delicious dinner rolls!

That Sara has a pepper allergy, and our server was very attentive and took it seriously. She checked on all of our dishes to make sure they were safe for Sara to eat, and she was also correct! Several times I've been out with Sara and we've been assured there are 'no peppers' in a dish, only to find out that there is actually a jalapeno, habanero, bell or other pepper in there after all.

We started with the calamari salad to share, which was deeeelicious. No peppers, lots of flavor! Fresh lemon juice, navy beans, and perfectly cooked calamari. Yum.

You'd think we were sick of wine by this point, but Mike, Sara & I still had room for a chilly glass or two of Gruner Veltliner.

This was light and lovely.

For my entree, I picked the skirt steak. It came with fries and a tasty chimichurri-type sauce. The serving was huge--I shared with everyone and still had leftovers. Tender, tasty, delish. The side salad was perfectly dressed and full of fresh, crispy, delectable veggies.

ABF ordered the stout-glazed short ribs with mashed potatoes. These were melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious.

Sara ordered the pork belly with a soft-boiled egg. This smelled amazing.

Mike ordered the cheeseburger, which I've never had, but which seems to be quite popular.

When dessert time came, I was crushed to find out there was NO. RICE. PUDDING. I should have bowed out gracefully then, but no, I foolishly forged ahead. We all decided to share the pumpkin cheesecake, the chocolate pecan pie, and the apple pie. They were tasty, but I prefer the rice pudding AND I was way, way beyond full at this point. The pumpkin cheesecake was my personal favorite, but everyone enjoyed everything. Pretty much sums up every visit ever to Love Lane Kitchen!

Love Lane Kitchen
240 Love Lane
Mattituck, NY 11952
(631) 298-8989

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Clovis Point: Wine & Cheese with Friends

For our fun-filled day on the North Fork, we took Sara & Mike to Briermere Farms and then Clovis Point! Sara & I had both bought Groupons for a wine & cheese tasting, and it was about to expire. To Clovis Point!

We arrived around 2pm and the joint was hopping! We saw Hal, one of the owners, pouring samples and greeting visitors. He always stops to say hi, and his passion for what he does is clear and makes the place even more welcoming.

We started with the whites, as Clovis Point's steel-barrel Chardonnay is one of my all-time favorite white wines. Mike & Sara enjoyed the oak barrel too, but they are even more fans of Chardonnay than I am. Long story short, everyone of us took home a bottle of Chardonnay.

How gorgeous are these wine glasses? Love.

We hit up the reds as well, including the complex and lovely Archeology blend. Once we had tasted all the wines, we each chose a full glass to take out on the patio with our cheese plate. I chose the Archeology. I would have gone for the Artifact, my all-time favorite there, but they were out. *sniff*

ABF, Sara & Mike all went with the Chardonnay-another great choice!

How's that for a lovely sip and nosh on the outdoor patio?

Almost as soon as we sat down, I knocked over my glass of red. No, I wasn't even tipsy, just klutzy. I did manage to get some on poor Sara's lap, but most of it hit the ground in a red splash resembling a crime scene. Thankfully, the glass didn't break, and the lovely staff more than replenished my glass for me at no extra charge.

I think we all had a lovely time, soaking up the sun's rays, laughing like crazy, and tasting delicious, award-winning wine offered by our hospitable hosts at Clovis Point. ABF & I are always happy to bring friends here for a little break from city life. Once again, a lovely visit...and our day was just getting started!

Clovis Point Winery
1935 Main Rd
Jamesport, NY 11947
(631) 722-4222

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Briermere Farms: Winter 2011

ABF & I escorted That Sara & her boyfriend Mike to the North Fork for a fun-filled day of eating, drinking, and shopping. Our first stop (after a quick visit to Williams-Sonoma in Riverhead) was Briermere Farms, which is a one-stop shop for all things delicious.

Last year, ABF & I had the caramel apple to end all caramel apples (see that here!), but it turns out this visit we were a week or 2 too late--that season was over. Bummer. There were still plenty of fresh veggies, plants, and oodles of apples available.

Instead of stocking up on pies, we opted for smaller treats, of which there were plenty! It was an almost-overwhelming assortment!

I picked up some pecan puffs, which I know better as Mexican wedding cookies (and they go by a different name for every culture, it seems). These were outstanding--crumbly but not too so, and sweet and nutty. Divine!

I also snagged a pumpkin bite square--it smelled so spicy and heavenly. We all shared some later during our wine tasting at Clovis Point.

Once again, Briermere Farms kills it in the baking department. There is no bad 'season' to visit this spot...and personally, I prefer it in the off-season when the line doesn't stretch all the way across Sound Avenue.

Briermere Farms
4414 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY
(631) 722-3931

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