by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com
“Hiya, Dutch!” A basso voice thundered from the doorway leading into the Webster
House lower function room. “How’re they hangin’, you old bastard?”
“Ink Spot White!...Even and gracefully and proudly like yours, if yours haven’t
already shriveled up into tiny acorns,” I answered.
Ink Spot White was a Clark University classmate during the mid- to late ‘30s. We
had been friends and kept closely in touch. When we frequently saw each other at
class reunions, we mischievously exchanged coarse greetings, such as this.
His name was Irving White, a ponderous gentle giant, well above six feet and 300
pounds, a gentle guy of quips and cranks and wanton wiles. We nicknamed him “Ink
Spot” when we were at college because of his 50-cent-piece-size of jet black
hair growth below his lower lip; hair growths other than an occasional mustache
were uncommon at college, when appearance and behavior were conservative and
laid back in those less flamboyant times.
A classmate named me “Dutch” after the legendary New York gangster, Dutch
Schultz, and it stuck – even appeared in the yearbook as my middle name. I was
never entirely comfortable with that nickname.
With the welcoming food of the irresistibly delicious Spinach/Feta Pita and
Cheese Pita Rolls for this Greek wine dinner firmly clutched in one hand and
Roditis Greek white wine in the other, I hurried to approach Ink Spot; upon
reaching him I shrugged helplessly at my inability to shake his hand. I said,
“Ink Spot, your ancient and respected old age hasn’t deprived you of the
youthful blasting boom and reverberating rumble of your voice.”
“Hey, Old Buddy,” he said, shaking my shoulder in lieu of handshake, “And I am
pleased to note your once big manly voice has not yet turned to childish treble,
to pipe and whistle in its sound. After all, you are into the sixth age of the
seven ages of man.”
I replied, “And I note your greeting contains its customary earthy oaths and
gutter utterances…Are you still the persistent unrequited lover…sighing like a
furnace when you quote woeful ballads to your mistresses’ eyebrows?” I added.
“Speak for yourself, John,” he said laughing, “You were the more romantic poet
of the two of us. I still can quote that beautiful poem you wrote and sent to me
when Lillian died.”
Paraphrased quotations and poetry bantering were our customary routine when we
would meet: We had taken Shakespeare, poetry, Greek drama and classical music
classes together and enjoyed showing off to each other that we still remembered
our lessons.
With my hands occupied, I couldn’t wave him off…to prevent his quoting the poem
that still affects me emotionally:
“Beautiful she was to look upon,
And beautiful to know;
All who knew her loved her.
“There was none to whom she was not tender,
Compassionate in her voice or her silence;
There was none of whom she did not think well.
“She is gone now,
You may remember her if you will;
For me…she is still everywhere
And never to be forgotten.”
“At the lonely break of dawn
The dew of fresh flowers sparkles to her eyes;
“Through the lonely mid of day
The shadow of her presence revolves around me;
“In the lonely late of afternoon,
The twilight softens in the memory of her hair;
“And at the lonely dark of evening,
All my thoughts go fluttering, quiet-winged to her;
She gathers them into the nest of her silence --
“And I come back to her, to my beloved Lillian once more;
I come back to her…to rest with love refreshed…in silent
Sweet sleep.”
Ink Spot dabbed at his eyes with a napkin, which I handed to him, and he
followed with a Joshua-ion trumpet blow from his nose.
Waitress Patti Thomas extended to him for the fourth time the platters of the
Spinach/Feta Cheese Pitas and Cheese Pita Rolls hors d’oeuvres; O’Hara’s
Discount Liquors’ Jim Vasiliadis poured a third refill of his Roditis white wine
– Lafazanis 2005, $9.59: crisp, mineral, good fruit, light body, refined,
perfect pairing with the delicate hors d’oeuvres; and we reminisced about our
precious golden yesterdays at Clark interspersed with our chattering about the
pitas and the wine.
Ink Spot was familiar with attended boards, his having traveled extensively at
home and abroad and dined at prestigious restaurants and hotels.
He is a contradiction: a retired professor, he is renowned as a
chemist/physicist who integrates those disciplines in groundbreaking research;
he is invited to lecture and participate in cutting edge scientific research at
universities the world over. To me…he is deathly dull when in those personas.
However, when dwelling upon the enlightening, civilizing humanities -- devoted
to the fine arts, classical music, philosophy and enrichment literature -- he is
engaging, charming, witty company.
I asked him, what brought him to this Greek dinner? He said he had recently
returned from Greece where he had lectured in Athens and Rhodes and had enjoyed
Greek cooking. My announcement of the Webster House Greek wine dinner on the
Oxford Wine Room website -- www.oxfordwineroom.com – had brought him here.
I said that I had traveled through Greece, including Athens and Rhodes. “How did
you enjoy the beaches of Rhodes?” I asked with a slight smirk.
Chuckling: Trés stimulating! Beach totally covered with totally uncovered,
topless, jiggling ladies! Were I younger, I would have retired to Rhodes, then
and there…and would never have need for Viagra.”
His comments about this evening’s wine and food indicated his expertise as
gourmet.
The dinner was served at the 60-seat sold out upstairs function room.
The dinner: The hors d’oeuvres of the above-mentioned two pita varieties baked
in light crispy phyllo dough were a sensation. Raves of delight emanated from
around the room, and the unrestrained, undisciplined gourmands rushed the tables
and uninhibitedly gobbled away and away and away. The result: the spinach/cheese
pitas and its four platter refills vanished, denying late comers their pleasure.
Chris, alarmed, urged restraint with the remaining cheese pita rolls and the
Roditis wine, reminding us of the sumptuous dinner to follow with five
additional wines.
Ink Spot, of among the unrestrained gobblers, mused: “Not overly seasoned, not
overly spiced, everything delicate and delicious. I could extrapolate their
chemical elements –”
Chris interrupted, announcing that the appetizer was being served upstairs:
Scallops Moussaka – pan fried eggplant rounds with caviar spread, roasted red
pepper pieces; the pan seared fresh tender sea scallops were topped with fresh
tomato salsa.
Its superb seasoning and the Argyros Atlantis white wine 2003, $12.79, added
intriguing complexity to the dish. The pairing was like ballet dancing on the
palate. The Atlantis: superb fruit/acid balance, sweet-edged nuance, herbed,
honeyed, flint subtlety, long smooth swallow. I bought three.
Covetously, Ink Spot focused intently on Toshka Tittlebaum’s for-take-home
container with the scallops. Compassionate, Toshka pushed the container to Ink
Spot who hefted himself to his feet and gracefully kissed the back of her hand.
Toshka pushed her chair to adjoin Ink Spot’s. Hmmm, a romance?
First of the three entrées: Salmon Plaki – baked fresh fillet of salmon cooked
with fresh vegetable slices and dill was accompanied by Lafazanis Saint George
Red wine 2004, $9.59.
The pairing was perfection; fish and wine were extraordinary together. The wine:
big, big nose; palate: fruit loaded with balancing fruit acids, soft smooth
texture, slight complexity of soft tannin, long aftertaste. I bought six.
The generously-portioned salmon was as moist, tender, and delicately deliciously
seasoned as any salmon I have ever eaten…and that covers many years. I noted
only completely empty platters were returned to the kitchen.
Toshka, with her tightly clutched salmon-contained container, hurriedly moved
away from Ink Spot by exchanging seats with me. Hmmm, romance over?
Second entrée: Chicken Greek Style – pounded chicken breast sautéed with fresh
spinach, scallions, feta cheese, white wine and cream on a bed of brown rice.
Sigalis Santorini White wine 2004, $15.99, proudly escorted the chicken from
plate to palate.
Ink Spot: “You look far way, Julian. Are you OK?”
I answered: “I’m remembering the island of Santorini as I sip this Santorini
wine…when beloved Lillian and I toured Greece. We rode uncomfortably on
slow-footed asses to the top of a steep, much too narrow mountain road. At a
tiny restaurant there, I enjoyed chewy bread with olive oil, Santorini wine,
soft cheese, cold fish and marinated lamb. When we descended, precipitously and
apprehensively, worried that the donkeys might fall over the mountainside, our
backs were stiff and our asses were aching and sore…”
The chicken was spectacular with its varieties of accompaniments – again, I
cannot remember tasting a chicken dish any better than this. I ignored Ink
Spot’s long looks at my tomorrow-evening’s one-third-remaining chicken portion
in my container.
The Santorini wine played well with the chicken – a sweet edge, good fruit and
acid balance, lively texture, smooth swallow. I tasted the chicken with a re-sip
of the Atlantis white and preferred the Atlantis at three dollars and twenty
cents less.
Perhaps uninhibited after so many sips of wine, Ink Spot rose and addressed the
diners, his booming voice reverberating throughout the room:
“I say in all modesty, I am an accepted authority on Greek wine culture and I am
pleased to share enlightening information that will enhance your understanding
and appreciation of Greek wines.
“France, Spain, California, Australia – from wherever – are Johnnies-come-lately
in wine culture. Greek wines and grapes are linked closely with mythology and
very ancient history. The first inhabitants of Greece attributed the grape vine
to the gods Dionysus or Bacchus and enhanced its origin with legend:
“Dionysus was not satisfied for having disclosed the secret of making wine only
to the Greeks. He felt it belonged to the whole world, so he traveled to many
different places around the earth to teach the art of cultivating the vine and
producing wine. Dionysus remains to this day the symbol of happiness and joy, of
life’s richness and fulfillment, of festivity and gaiety…of naughtiness and
seduction.
“This precious heritage from ancient Greece was made possible because of nature
and environment: The favorable soil, sun and sea breezes combined to produce in
Greece natural wines that are rich and wholesome, sweet and dry, without –
without, mind you -- the necessity to blend or strengthen them, as is needed in
other countries.
“So, in summary, my respectful audience, because of the prevailing conditions
described above, Greece has been producing wines of excellent to exceptional
quality, as you have already tasted- and will continue to taste tonight. The
wines’ richness, flavor and texture embody the light, sun and soil…and the
winemaking expertise handed down through the ages.
“Sing aloud Hosannas, my friends! And enjoy these comparatively undiscovered,
ignored or under-appreciated excellent wines…Ah, I see O’Hara’s Discount Liquors
Jim Vasiliadis, spiffily dressed up in his Sunday-going-to prayer-meeting suit
and throat-choking shirt and tie, beaming at my remarks; he has a large
inventory of Greek wines.”
Third entrée: Roast Rack of Lamb, comprising two tiny lamb chops, lightly
marinated with a hint of mustard on salad greens, and Greek style lima bean
salad, were tender and delicious – but, oh so tiny: two bites of each chop…and
out. It had two consorts: Argyros, Atlantis Red 2003, $12.79; and Lyrarakis “The
Last Supper” Red 2004, $12.79.
Had I not eaten sumptuously of the preceding courses, the sparse meat on the
chops might have been a disappointment.
Both wines were home runs, touchdowns, three-point baskets, three hockey puck
scores. The Atlantis was assertively plum-fruited, soft-textured, nicely
balanced, smooth in the swallow and long in the aftertaste. I bought three.
The Last Supper had a bit more acid bite than the Atlantis; had it been poured
before the Atlantis, I might have bought it instead of the Atlantis. Both are
superb price/quality value wines.
Ink Spot, studying the baklava cheese cake ingredients composition on the menu
with hungry eyes: “As I eagerly anticipate this famous cheese cake that
concludes this superlative dinner, my mind wanders to the Greek islands:
“I reflect on the varieties of herbs and spices that were used at the different
hotels, restaurants and outdoor cafés. Apart from garlic that some chefs at some
cafés reluctantly eliminated from our dishes, the seasonings kissed the food
gently – subtly –and made our Greek dinners memorable.”
Came now the moment of diet decadent delight: Helena’s Baklava Cheese Cake made
with creamy lemon feta cheese, topped and bottomed with a layer of feather light
pastry, raspberries and ground nuts.
Degenerate dieters consumed Chris’ offered seconds, albeit some of us were green
around the gills from already having supped all too well and perhaps none too
wisely. Perfection plus!
Ink Spot patted his protruding belly as he led the standing applause for Chef
John Hammerstrom and his kitchen staff. Chris led the applause for waitstaff of
comely Ann Robert and Patti Thomas and for ever-smiling, hustling Sean Maynard.
All wines shown here are 20 percent discount-priced at O’Hara’s Discount
Liquors.
Next dinner is Portuguese Wine Dinner on Wednesday, March 21. Suggest your
reserving now: 508-757-7208.
Wine Pick: Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2006, $12. Great
fruit-forward style with lively citrus flavors – lime, grapefruit, tangerine --
crisp acidity and a hint of grass and herbs. Super price quality value.
Wine Pick: Kumala, South Africa, Chardonnay 2004, $9. Seek out this gem of a
value! Flavors of citrus and hints of vanilla with emerging tropical fruits and
lemon; nicely balanced with lively fruit acids; smooth swallow and moderately
long aftertaste.
Email Comments to Julian at:
julian@oxfordwineroom.com