O-Ya

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about a dark sliver of a Japanese restaurant called O-Ya, and a recent visit confirmed that with this one, you’ve gotta believe the hype. I had read reviews from what I thought were fanatical diners who would go in once, then cancel reservations at another restaurant for the following night and return, less than 24 hours after paying the tab, right back to O-Ya. But it's really that good. Just a short walk from South Station in what’s known as the Leather District, O-Ya is run by a husband and wife team: he’s the chef, she’s the sake sommelier. Both logged time in Japan and he seemed to have soaked up that country’s affinity for food that has a perfect mixture of precision, elegance, funk and delight and she is well steeped in sake knowledge as the list features selections that stumped and delighted my sake-knowing dining companion. (There’s a great wine list as well, but the sake feels like the When in Rome... thing to do).

The menu is long but enthralling, and it's based on the omikase style of dining. It consists of myriad small plates, each a little universe unto itself. I won’t discuss specific dishes because half the fun is discovering the menu for yourself. The owners told me diners take the paper menus home and bring them back on future visits in order to eat the dishes still untried. It’s like a dreamy gustatory to-do list.

The preparation of the dishes, the creativity, attention to minute detail, and an utter refusal to rush any part of the cooking process (something you don’t often see in the States) all add up to what has been my most dazzling meal of the year. I can’t wait to go back and then go back the next night.

O-Ya 9 East St Boston, MA 02111 (617) 654-9900

Tour de France Tasting Tour

Tour Drinkers

World-class cycling and wine-growing are two badges of honor for the French, as they are both part of the country’s identity. In fact, in days of old, riders of the Tour de France were provided with wine along the grand route to ‘nourish’ them and keep their spirits up during the grueling three weeks of riding. With the Tour de France well underway this year, we have been recalling a great visit to France for the Tour in 2002. While following in the mountain stages in the Alps and Lance Armstrong’s fourth Tour victory after a time trial win in Macon, we were fortunate enough to experience the local wines in each region. Whether enjoying a five course meal with a notable bottle Chignin-Bergeron from the Haute Savoie region by the Lac d’Annecy or sipping on a bottle of Macon-Villages table wine with local cheeses and meats on a baguette along the course, the wines of France added to our festivities as well as our cultural education along the way. What we have discovered in the years since is that the Tour makes for some great wine-tasting, even from our home here in the States. A wine map of France coupled with a map of the Tour makes for an easy guide to tasting your way along the Tour, a truly fun way to stretch your knowledge of French wines and introduce your palette to some new favorites.

For example, this year’s Tour began in England, one of the top countries to import French wines. After a time trial in London and the first road stage to Canterbury, the Tour moved to the European continent to begin a clock-wise tour of France. The cold weather wine-producing areas were the first on this year’s Tour, with an early stage from Belgium through the Champagne region, home to world renowned sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Riders then cycled through Chablis and the heart of the Burgundy region, known for both whites and red wines, also made with the above noted grapes. The TV race commentators even referenced team celebration of a stage win with a great bottle of local Chablis.

From Burgundy, the Tour heads to the Alps, and then on to the southern climes with the Cotes du Rhone region’s reds made from Syrah and Grenache grapes, front and center, followed by the reds and whites of Languedoc-Rousillon on the Mediterranean Sea, featuring Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes. As the Tour heads north toward Paris, riders will skirt the Bordeaux region adding Cabernet Franc and Semillon to the list. Once back in the summer heat of Paris, riders and spectators will no doubt enjoy some of the famous white wines of both the Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, and Alsace Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer, even though these wine-growing areas of France were not included in this year’s Tour.

So, go visit the French section of your local wine shop, armed with a map of the Tour de France (www.letour.com), and you too can enjoy these famous old world wines. Just don’t drink and ride!

Hats off to the All American 'Lob-stah Roll'!

As you disembark the plane at Boston’s Logan International you can feel your mouth salivating for one of Massachusetts’ famed lobster rolls, or in the native tongue of a true Bostonian “Lob-stah” roll.

After years of following my husband’s lead to find the perfect hot dog (which of course, would be the original Gray’s Papaya, it’s all in the bun), we decided that the culinary focus of this vacation would be to find the perfect lobster roll in and around Cape Cod. Or at least we would master how to make the perfect lobster roll

We had our long standing favorite lobster roll from the reliable Squire in quaint (and preppy) Chatham. Side track: Chatham is the quintessential Cape Cod town with its white picket fences, bandstands, some kitschy galleries and lot of gingham and madras patterns on the natives. But I digress, back to the lobster roll quest. The lobster roll at the Squire does not try to be anything more than a simple lunch item, albeit expensive. It is served on a plastic basket lined with wax paper with chips on the side. The soft hot dog bun has uncrusted sides, traditionally you are supposed to butter and toast the side of the bun but I tend to think it ruins the succulent taste of the lobster meat. The Squire seems to agree and they too leave the bun untoasted. As for the lobster meat, they have nice chunks of lobster with about two tablespoons of mayonnaise combined with some chopped celery and salt and pepper. So simple but so good but NOT a “cheap eat” at $17.95. I’d like to see Rachael Ray try to eat her way through the Cape on $40 a day! Obviously we had to have a point of comparison so we tried a couple more rolls on the Cape. Cook’s in Orleans, another Cape town just 5 minutes from beautiful Nauset Beach, is far more traditional. Traditional in this sense means grease and fried bread. Not my style, however the lobster was excellent but I found the combination with the grilled buttered bun to ruin the delicate lobster flavors. A little cheaper than the Squire at $14.95.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed in some of the other rolls that were either grilled with butter or the soft bun quickly became soggy from too much mayo. By the way, this is one of the major reason restaurants grill the bun. With that said, I decided it was my turn to attempt a version of the lobster roll. For a first try, it wasn’t bad and I added a secret ingredient (cayenne). Here’s my recipe for 2 lunch sized lobster rolls.

Ingredients: - 2 lobster tails (the best meat) not cut but torn into bite size pieces - 1 stick of celery finely chopped - 3 tbs canola mayonnaise (it’s better for you) - Pinch of Cayenne - Squeeze of one lemon - Pinch of Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper - 2 Fresh hot dog buns with uncrusted sides

Directions: To make the lobster salad combine the bite size lobster pieces, celery, mayonnaise, cayenne, lemon, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 hours. When ready, place lobster mixture in soft bun and serve with cracked pepper. For garnish, place on white plate with salt and vinegar potato chips and celery sticks.

Cork and Sustainability

I was recently at a dinner and the topic of conversation turned to cork, my good friend made a statement about the wine we were drinking, which happened to have a plastic “cork” stopper. She proceeded to tell the table that the wine industry has begun to move away from cork, embracing other methods such as plastic or screw cap enclosures, and that this was in fact a more “green” method. But is it really?

Well, I have to admit I was somewhat surprised myself to discover that cork harvesting is actually a very sustainable practice. Through a little bit of research I found that cork is both renewable and biodegradable. Almost nothing is wasted - each part of the cork tree serves an ecological or economic purpose. Cork trees are one of the few trees that can live without their bark, since the trees have two layers of bark, and the outside layer can be removed without hurting the tree just as long as the inner layer is not penetrated. Furthermore, since the trees are not cut down during the process of harvesting, they maintain the soil and prevent erosion from occurring.

Harvesting cork is an age-old practice that not only keeps the cork oak trees alive, it provides jobs for people and homes for several endangered species such as the Bonelli’s eagle, the Iberian lynx, the azure-winged magpie, and the Barbary deer. To protect these animals from losing their delicate ecosystems, consumers should remember to always try and buy cork, especially since wine-bottle closures account for almost 70 per cent of the cork market!

I guess you can say you are really drinking for a cause

Wine Columns for the Week of June 13, 2007

Like a zombie rising from the grave to feast on human flesh, the wine-ratings debate is revived once again in this week's SF Chronicle. As ever, Robert Parker receives a bit of a scolding, and the issue of competitive ratings between publications and what amounts to grade inflation also raises its unseemly, undead head. Elsewhere in the same section, there's an entertaining vignette of Thomas Keller handing out "snow cones" to Napa Valley Vintners auctionees, and Blake Grey discovers whether the "Catania Mezzo Wine Enhancer" can live up to its promise of all-natural enhancement.

Over in the Miami Herald, Fred Tasker sings the praises of negociants. In the WSJ, Gaiter and Brecher test the bold claims of boxed wine producers that the wines will keep for 6 weeks after opening. They conclude that the wines would indeed still be palatable -- if only they had been palatable in the first place.

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of June 13th, 2007

Wine Columns for Week of June 6, 2007

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of June 6th, 2007