I love exploring foods and beverages and introducing them to readers.
As a food writer, people such as chefs, business owners, readers and others frequently reach out to introduce me to new things. Here are two examples of some recent experiences I enjoyed.
The delightful winemaker, Patric Matysiewski with Sauvage Spectrum Winery, 676 38¼ Road, invited me to try Sauvage Spectrum’s newest tasting.
Sauvage Spectrum has put together “The Blending Lab Experience.” For $59, you receive three different wines – Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot – each in a 200 ml beaker.
You get a worksheet to write notes regarding the flavor profiles and then you have fun blending different percentages of each wine to make your own unique “Bordeaux style” red wine blend. There is plenty of wine to share with someone for a date or time with friends.
After you decide on your favorite combination, they bottle an entire liter of it for you to take home. I had a great time and think it will be a hit.
CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel
The Athenian Burger is a popular item on The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill’s menu.
CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel
While you are there, I recommend eating some food, too. Sauvage Spectrum has gourmet potato chips from Spain, and I enjoyed the Mediterranean herbs option.
In addition, there is a charcuterie platter you can purchase or you can even bring your own food and eat it there.
From a sensory perspective, it’s best to keep the food fairly neutral tasting and smelling so it doesn’t interfere with your blending abilities. However, if you are like me and aren’t a very knowledgeable wine connoisseur, then just do whatever works for you.
You can book this wine blending experience at sauvagespectrum.com.
(Side note, Matysiewski is married to Taryn Brooks and they have the upbeat, Chicago-inspired restaurant in downtown Grand Junction called Cruise Control Kitchen & Cellar, 555 Colorado Ave.)
CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill has seasonal menu changes such as this summer watermelon salad.
CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel
I also recently enjoyed lunch at The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, 2566 Patterson Road. This hosted experience meant that a friend and I ordered a variety of foods of our choice to try.
We ate our way through a multitude of appetizers, main dishes, salads, soup and desserts. Everything came out tasty and we had days of leftovers!
Having lived in Greece for a semester during college and also cooking Greek food at home, I was a bit apprehensive about a fast casual Greek restaurant.
On the one hand, it is really nice to have some quick foods with different flavor profiles in town. On the other hand, I’m picky about Greek food and didn’t want to judge them unfairly.
While this isn’t a traditional Greek restaurant on the shores of the Mediterranean — that’s a location that automatically makes everything taste fantastic! — The Great Greek did a nice job bringing some Greek foods such as gyro, tzatziki (a garlic yogurt dip), avgolemono soup (a lemony chicken and rice soup in which I added more lemon juice since I like it extra tangy), and other items to fruition.
I also like how The Great Greek took some items and made them its own. The Athenian Burger was a big hit with my companion and it features beef, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, tzatziki and feta in its massive creation.
The “feta fries” were topped with a melty combo of feta and mozzarella and are super popular.
CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill’s massive dessert sampler platter included some terrific baklava ice cream along with rice pudding and baklava.
CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel
A skewer of grilled shrimp was nicely done and is one of The Great Greek’s best sellers.
The four dip combo was generously portioned and featured tzatziki, hummus, tirokafteri (feta, roasted peppers and cream cheese), and melitzanosalata (my favorite with roasted eggplant, olive oil, garlic, and lemon) with lots of pita. (It has a gluten-free pita too.)
The Great Greek’s baklava ice cream was my favorite thing I tried. The massive dessert sampler for $15.99 included baklava ice cream, baklava and a vanilla cinnamon rice pudding. All three were good, but the ice cream was truly special. This vanilla bean ice cream had chunks of baklava inside of it and was drizzled with honey. Yum!
For beverages, The Great Greek has wine and beer, sparkling water, and a variety of soft drinks. Almost everything is made from scratch in-house.
It has local owners, 19 employees and offers catering options. While I was there, threstaurant was hopping with people of all ages enjoying their meals inside and on the patio or getting takeout.
A special shout out to the friendly staff and to manager, Sara Cochran, for all their hard work.
Lovely local wines and Greek food are definitely enjoyable! I had fun trying them, meeting new people and exploring these Grand Valley options.
Email Christine Gallagher at allthingsfoodchristine@gmail.com.
Dining and Cooking