Artisanal. The term is tossed around every-damn-where in the food/wine world these days, unfortunately starting to imply overwrought and/or pretentious; which is a shame, since all it basically means is hand-crafted. And since hand-crafted is the opposite of mass-produced (i.e. highly processed, artificially colored, flavored, and preserved, and as such potentially bad for the body and palate), in concept I'm all for artisanal. Until it becomes more of a marketing term than a marker of quality, which appears to be in process (excuse the pun) as I write. So what will be the new term, the one that more accurately means quality? Hmm... (Reminds me of the transition from old-school-cache organic to new-school-cache local - how 'bout you?) What would you prefer - locally mass-produced or organically artisanal (but shipped from half-way around the world)? Do you care? Ah, a little food terminology for thought on a Saturday's eve...

As I write, I've been listening to a wine blog/podcast brought to my attention by Stu The Wine Genius - Graperadio.com. In particular, he pointed out the interview of (artisanal!) Sine Qua Non wine producer Manfred Krankl (great name, eh? The interview is in the archives, 11/27/2006). Since you most likely won't be able to get your hands on Sine Qua Non yourself (very limited production, very high demand), have a listen to the interview (in two parts) instead. Meantime, I'll reminisce fondly about the Sine Qua Non I've been privileged to drink, courtesy of Stu, knowing that I'll never drink it again unless he shares more of his (photo, in his cellar, from last year; each vintage has a different, fabulous label, waaay cool). Sigh. And thank you Stu!

Good morning! I intended to post last night about our delicious evening at Rudy and Ana's. I even sat down at my computer, spread out my notes (I have to take notes to keep track of all the fabulousness!), put my hands on the keyboard and thought, am I nuts? I am so full, and so tired, get your ass to bed, girl! So I did. Thus here I am this morning, refreshed instead of exhausted, with a nice cup of (decaf) coffee, ready to decipher the pretty hilarious notes I take when we all get together. Last time, I scribbled all over three of Rudy's business cards. This time, actual paper, but just imagine, I am eating, drinking, talking, laughing, and trying to write, all at the same time. For those of you who know me, enough said. For those who don't, I eat (too) fast, drink (too) fast, talk (too) fast, laugh (too) loudly - add in something as sedate as note-taking, and one of these things is not like the other... You get the picture.

So, to begin, we arrived at Rudy and Ana's way cool St. Paul loft, absolutely gorgeous. Had a lovely glass of Champagne (forgot to write that down, off to a good start), lots of pate and salmond spread, and kicked things off in fine style. Sat down to a first course of silky squash soup (yum), which Ana made (recipe in comments, below), and with which she graciously served the challah I baked for them (below). With it Rudy served a 1997 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses Burgundy.

Our next course was a big, meaty, crispy crab cake - a perfect crab cake - from gandmcrabcakes.com in Baltimore, MD. With tomatoes, avocado, and a slaw that Rudy forgot about because it was all so nice just the way it was. Anticipating the crab cakes, Stu brought a lovely and crisp 1997 Twisted & Bent, Bent & Twisted Sine Qua Non white. For dessert, a seriously decadent (whew!) slice of chocolate cake with a 1996 Vine Cliff Napa Valley Merlot, along with sips of and chat about various tasty liqueurs, the first of which was a pine-needles-in-a-bottle Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur of the Alps, by Josef Jofier, Steiremark. And another by the same maker, Lauria Alpensahne Alpine Cream Liqueur, described on the bottle as a "timeless union of alpine cream, Pear Williams Brandy, and regional mountain pears." It was, as Ana described, like a pear smoothie. Lastly, which we all breathed in more than actually drank, a Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Tequila, with the color and fragrance of a brandy. Ahhh, sated, cozy, and buzzy, Stu, Debbie, John, and I made our way out the door into the frigid air (damn it's cold today!) and home to our warm beds. Not to post on our blogs. So thank you Rudy and Ana for a beautiful evening, we loved being in your gorgeous home and so appreciated the delicious food and wine and great company.

Oh, and a couple more things I jotted down, first of all Rudy's blog, check it out. And, I believe related to the Champagne we were drinking, we started discussing the pronunciation of Reims, in France, which all of us had assumed was said 'reem' but Rudy learned is actually said 'rance,' as in rhymes with pants. Or in this case, France. So there, next time you're chatting about Champagne, and Reims, you'll know the correct pronunciation. Which can be tricky, I've learned. For instance, after studying French (briefly, in high school) I know how to correctly pronouce chaise lounge and armoir, but you can sound like a serious asshole in some settings using correct French pronunciation. So use your better judgment. When in France...of course. When in rural Minnesota...perhaps tone it down a bit.

Oh, and yet one more thing - I sampled a Molton Brown handwash I hadn't tried before, Naran Ji, loved it, I kept smelling my hands as we wrapped up our dinner. I'm ordering some today!

Here's how to have dinner on your own: cook yourself something you love but your family doesn't and enjoy every..single..bite. Tonight I enjoyed spaetzle with browned sage butter topped with a pile of freshly grated pecorino romano, with a glass of Riesling. Early, which is when I like to eat. It was tough, but somehow I managed.

Had lunch with my boy at school today. I brought in some soup and bagel sandwiches - not as cool as McDonald's, but still better than the usual. Then I read to his class, a book that Nathan and I own and have enjoyed reading for years, Saint George and the Dragon, a good old-fashioned fairy tale with gorgeous illustrations. I'm so glad he still likes me to be at school. I know it won't last forever, so I really try to savor and enjoy it while I can. And I love seeing him with his friends and in his element, it's cool.

Working on a major din tonight - woo hoo! With Stuart Williams (his wife Debbie has other plans, damn!) and Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield. Possibly Fugaise, possibly something else depending on the timing we can pull off. I don't really care where it is because I know a good time will be had by all. And lots of good food and wine too, yeah baby, it's gonna be awesome. I hope. I shouldn't get so ahead of myself. Slow down, Stephanie.

So, even though I've already showered, I'd better hit the KBs for some sort of workout given that I probably have some serious calorie consumption ahead of me tonight, even if I employ my mindful eating/savoring/moderation type of concepts, ha. (That's me, oops, I mean Pavel, the KBs guru, hoisting a KB I'm quite sure I couldn't even pick up.) Folding laundry will not count as a workout today, right Pavel? Damn, or however you'd say it in Russian (Pavel is Russian; major Russian). I have to say, on a blustery, snowy day like today, the idea of a cozy night out is very appealing. Yay. And kinda Russian too. Dr. Zhivago-esque, I'll have to hunt for caviar on the menu. (I just worked my way from a KB workout to caviar, all in the same paragraph. Again, slow down, Stephanie.)

We are on for Fugaise - yes! - and Debbie can now join us - double yes! I'm hoping duck ravioli is on the menu, we'll see soon enough. Ah, a quick glance at their online menu reveals no duck ravioli, but an interesting rabbit chou farci (stuffed cabbage) that I'll be happy to sample instead. Fuck the duck (oh, you know I couldn't resist that obvious rhyme!), I'm going for the bunny. I'll leave my main course undecided until I arrive. See what we're drinking. See if they've tweaked the menu. An adventure...

Try again! No bunny, instead I (and Stu) opted for trois veal (as he named it, v3) - veal sweetbreads with lentils, apples, and whole grain mustard for a first course (below right); and veal scallopine with winter root ragout, rosemary, and lemon pan sauce garnished with a quick saute of yes, more veal sweetbreads (below left). I apologize to those of you 1 ) opposed to consuming veal, and 2) revolted by sweetbreads. I do. And then comes the (expected) BUT... because it was fucking sublime, the whole thing, it was. With our first course we sipped a 2001 Puligny-Montrachet from LeTrezin vineyard by Marc Colin, plus a Volnay Brouillard Premier Cru by Georges Glantenay et Fils. With our main course we moved on to two more amazing reds, one brought by Stu, a 1996 Sine Qua Non Against the Wall California Red by Elaine & Manfred Frankl, tag line "we made just enough to be dangerous." Rudy brought the other in a Stump-the-Stu wrap concealing the bottle. It turned out to be from New York's Finger Lakes region, a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from Chateau Lafayette Reneau. I hadn't a prayer of figuring it out, of course, but Stu made some fun guesses. Chef Don Saunders sent out a lovely slice of sheeps milk cheese with cherries and port reduction (mmm...), with which we sampled an unusual yet delicious Chateau d'Orignac Pineau Des Charentes. What can I say? I ate too much, drank too much, it wasn't moderate, and I'm very happy anyhow. We had a blast seeing Ana and Rudy (above), Debbie and Stu (left) and I hope we get together with them all again soon. Not a bad way to launch into the weekend... Thank you Fugaise, Chef Saunders, the terrific waitstaff, Stu and Debbie, Rudy and Ana. And John, of course. My kind of night...