Who’s coming to Dinner?

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It’s a question that has been the topic of many a series. Who would you invite to dinner?  There are lots of common answers – from current pop stars to the usual movie stars.


I’ve added a little twist – Who would you want to sit next to? It gets very interesting when you move to more than two guests.


Adam and Eve


Muhammad, Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha


Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Ghenghis Khan and Attila the Hun


Mikhail Gorbachev and Winston Churchill


Marilyn Monroe, Olivia de Havilland and Lauren Bacall


Alex Zanardi, Stephen Hawkings, Terry Fox and Rick Hansen


Sophia Loren, Ingrid Bergman, Helen Mirren and Judi Dench


Anne Frank and Albert Einstein


T E Lawerence,  Gertrude Bell, and Susan Travers


Orson Wells, Steve McQueen, and Humphrey Bogart


Tina Turner, Storm Large and Cher


Sterling Moss, Ayrton Senna and Juan Miguel Fangio


Love to hear who you would want to have to dinner and who you would want to sit next to.

Pucker Power

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127019

Vouvray sec Vincent

$23.99

13.5% alcohol

A father/son vineyard in the Loire Valley, Vincent Raimbault and his son produce wonderful wines from 25 to 60 year old vines. 3 Generations have been working this 14 ha site that is on a slight elevation with a definite Atlantic influence. Clay with outcrops of sand and silex on limestone bedrock.

There is a lovely maturity to this white. It’s fresh and fruity. We were immediately impressed with the flavours. Definitely a 00 in sweetness.

It worked wonderfully with a roasted organic chicken and a sheet of roasted veggies (parsnips, small BC potatoes, red pepper slabs, red onion quarters and a leek.) Homemade pickled beets rounded out the plate.

So Much for a Bin 4 Burger

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And here I thought we were going out for dinner that night. Grocery Shopping day, and B thought differently!

Well, if that’s the way you’re gonna be, I guess I’ll have to do something a little different. First, skip the buns, Thin wholewheat pit out of the freezer. And spiced up the pork/lamb/beef mix and made them into kefta (Mediterranean meatballs). Nope, not fried. Grilled in the oven. Whist raiding the Potato Chip bag, she who shares the kitchen with me made up a lovely veggie platter and added dolmades to the mix.

And of course a beer was appropriate.

Classic Dinner

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Code: 589432

$16.49

Louis Bernard Cotes du Rhone

It’s a lovely blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and Viognier.


Very well balanced.  It’s not one of the mystery case offerings. But, this is one of our favourite white blends and a standard ‘go-to’ if the mind hits a blank when wandering the isles.  Always good to have one in reserve.


Teamed up with an easy one pan dinner:  An omelette. The Treehouse Twist is to melt a little Feta/Kashkaval cheese mix on top.  We like the sheep variety of the Kashkaval and our’s is a Bulgarian import.


Home stewed rhubarb on top of Frozen Yogurt was a refreshing dessert.

Treating Himself

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Guest Andy Brown:

I decided to treat myself today.  

A Sterling Silver Striploin steak with baked potato, grilled yam and peas, washed down with a delectable Inniskillin 2009 “Dark Horse Estate” Meritage.  

Don’t have an exact price on the wine but it was in my $40+ section of the wine cooler.  

Whatever, it was worth it.  An excellent complement to the steak.  It is composed of 50% Merlot, 30% Cab Sav and 20% Cab Franc.  The description says the careful crafting of the individual wines “has yielded a deep purple toned wine with ripe cherry and chocolate aromas, firm tannins, and rich flavours of vanilla-infused oak and plums.”  The components underwent extended fermentation in their skins, followed by barrel aging for 12 months in French and American oak.  

Being in the bottle for 11 years did not hurt I’m sure.  I made a special toast to Di who I’m sure instigated this purchase.  She was the real wine aficionado- I can’t think of any of her selections that I did not like.  

Photos: Andy Brown