February 10, 2012

In Search Of The Deal

 

IF YOU’RE LIKE me, when it comes to dining, you’re perpetually in search of a deal. It’s not so much to do with financial concerns, although you can’t be too frugal these days.  For many like me, it’s more about the challenge. It’s just fun to find a great value after putting some small bit of effort into the search.

Wine is a good place to start. When ordering an expensive wine on occasion I expect big things and can only be satisfied or disappointed (although I expect the former). But if I take a chance on a $35 bottle that I don’t know anything about, there’s an “excitement of the chase” that’s also brought “to the table”.

I can’t help but get excited, that this may be my next great find, my new favorite that won’t break the bank. In this spirit, and that of the New Year, I plan to try new things. It may be a wine from a new region, a new style, a new varietal.

This determination applies to other aspects of the dining experience.  It may be a new exotic beer or a freshly invented cocktail. My adventure may well go beyond beverage and into the realms of the kitchen. I look forward to trying a new fish I’ve never heard of or pasta that I’ve previously ignored.

One thing I am certain to find on such a quest with this type of mandate is new territory. That’s what it’s all about. That’s the tastiest morsel, the part that is most memorable. I can’t think of any better approach, to dining or to life in 2012.

The featured blogger for this post is Station Casinos Vice President of Food & Beverage Mark LaVoie

Las Vegas Bars: ‘Sipping’ Tequila in a Margarita? Darn right!

Red Rock's Cabo is one of several Station Casinos restaurants and bars where you can get a great "shaken" margarita. Say Hi to Rick at the bar.

NOT TOO LONG ago, a buddy of mine had a tequila tasting at his birthday party. Ok, I know some of you are making the sign of the cross with your fingers, while backing away from your computer. But fear not, there are some really fine sipping tequilas out there. I’m talking Añejos, meaning tequilas that have been aged in fine oak barrels for 1 to 3 years. Some of the bottles at the tasting were Condé Azul, Gran Centenario, Don Eduardo, Don Julio 1942, and my personal fave Chinaco. And the other night, I wandered over to Cabo, in Red Rock, to see what tequilas they poured. Happily, I found all of those mentioned above — and then some! So I hopped onto a bar stool and ordered, “Don Eduardo Añejo margarita on the rocks. No salt.”  

“What?” you say. “He wasted a ‘sipping’ tequila in a margarita?” Darn right I did! And I wouldn’t call it a waste. In fact, using an añejo tequila in a margarita can take it from merely refreshment to being one of the finest mixed drinks you’ve ever tasted. And let me tell you, the margarita that Rick (the bartender at Cabo, Red Rock) placed before me was one fine sip. I asked Rick about the “mix” he used, and he told me it was made fresh, every day, with hand-squeezed lime juice. Rick also informed me that the harder you shake a margarita (never, never stir), the better the flavor. Well, Rick must have shook mine within an inch of its life because it was near perfection. Now, a word to the wise: a well-made añejo margarita goes down real easy. Maybe a little too easy, if you know what I mean. (And I think you do.) Meaning you could find it a bit more difficult to get up from your seat (read nearly impossible). But upgrading to an añejo can change everything you thought you knew about tequila and margaritas. 

Tequila & Margarita Specials at Station Casinos

If you have a favorite añejo tequila, let me know below what it is. After all, margarita season will be on us before we know it.

Cheers,
Jeff Perry
Sr. Ad Writer, Station Casinos