Yummy Reservations and Delightful Destinations!

It’s too late to say Happy New Year – I can’t believe January is gone already.  If your holidays were anything like mine, food choices were out of control with parties, family gatherings and celebrations.  So, January is a good time to take a deep breath and slow down.

I’m choosing to blog on something this month that is very near and dear to my heart – an event, if you’re a local, you definitely need to make a “Yummy Reservation”, but also requires a ticket purchase.  Please don’t grimace when you here that it’s for an annual Wine Tasting in northern Baltimore County, Maryland.  Also, don’t assume that when I mention it’s held at the Hall of Our Lady of Grace Church in Parkton, Maryland that it’s your typical church fundraiser.  Trust me, it’s not – thanks to so many people that gladly contribute their time, money and talent to.

 

Let me share with you why this wine tasting is so “off the charts” fun, and I have lots of pictures to back me up.  This event started back in the year 1999, with the first event being a millennium-champagne tasting.  The next one was in 2001, and tickets for many years have been a sellout.  The attendance has expanded over the years to include as many locals as guests outside the community.  This year 33 wine and spirit vendors set up tables in the Hall, with an average of 5-6 tastings at each table.   That’s over 165 different wines and spirits to experience!

 

You may think that’s what makes the tickets so sought after.  But I think it’s much more – it’s also the food!  Your vision of a church hall event may be rows of big tin foil pans with lighted sternos, filled with things like sliced roast beef, mararoni and cheese, fried chicken, and similar “delicacies”.

To compare, let me entice your pallet with what you can experience at our wine event:  large, steamed & peeled shrimp, bacon wrapped scallop skewers, sushi, Oysters Rockefeller, Trays of raw fresh vegetables, cheeses and Italian meats, 3 cheese stuffed mushrooms, candied bacon (OMG!), Eggplant AND beef sliders, chicken skewers, tenderloin – and a few others menu items that I know I missed.

 

Is your mouth watering yet?  And let’s go back to the selections of so many wines both local, California and internationally.  Even the most sophisticated wine enthusiast will fall in love.  And the desserts were even more popular.  This year we had a amazing selection of peanut butter, strawberry and blueberry goat cheese cheesecake bars, Pana Cotta with berries, banana chocolate chip cookies, almond macaroons, bread pudding on a stick.  And trust me, I even sacrificed and sampled a few of the items before the event to make sure they were top-notch!

 

This year we were lucky to have the owners of a brand-new restaurant opening in Baltimore, “B3” (Baltimore Built Bistro) cater this event.   It’s so new that we were their first “official” event as “B3”.  They will be opening soon at 1928 Fleet Street, in Baltimore, Maryland.  If you do check out their website at www.bthreebaltimore.com, you’ll see that they are almost ready to launch.

Once the doors opened for this event, January 28^th @ 3 p.m., everyone received a list of all the tasting tables and what spirits/wines were available to sample, and the cost per bottle.  This also acts as your order form to use at the end of the night.  In addition, you receive a stemmed wine glass (not plastic) and disposable plate that actually holds your wine glass, so you can drink and have hands available for the food.  Pretty clever!  I probably sampled at least 25 different wines, along with enjoying the variety of wonderful food planned and prepared by Anthony Lanasa and Ryan Cooney of “B3”, together with all of the volunteers at Our Lady of Grace parish.

I also want to more than mention the reason this all came about is due to the generosity of Steve Goloueke, of Cranbrook Liquors, (www.cranbrookliquors.com)  located in the Cranbrook Shopping Center in Cockeysville, Maryland.  He is also famous in the area for his “Dollar Days”.   Steve is really in the fore front of everything – ticket sales, coordinating the wine vendors, set up and check in at the event, and getting all your wine orders filled.  Thank you Steve and all your volunteers (especially Jill!)

Unfortunately, you won’t have the opportunity to experience this “Yummy Reservation” until 2019, but I suggest that you mark this on your calendar – and don’t wait too long – there may not be any tickets left.

In February, I’ll be travelling to Austin, Texas.  I look forward to sharing some high points on this “delightful destination” with you.