31. January 2009 by Azat.

The Yerevan Brandy Company produces the original Armenian brandy since 1887.  Brandy produced  according to traditional methods combined with the finest selected sorts of grapes from Ararat Valley.

Thirteen to eighth century BC ancient Armenian region known as the land of Nairi, and also an important kingdom in the Armenian national history.  20 years old Nairi is the most famous high quality collection Armenian Brandy.

20 year old Nairi is the most famous high-quality collection Armenian brandy.  The finesse of the finished brandy is a testament to years spent slowly maturing in oak barrels.  Nairi is made of 20 different blends(what the French call “eau de vie”).  Its exceptional softness, delicate taste and fine unique aroma make this brandy unforgettable.  Balanced and complex, the rich bouquet slowly releases a succession of aromas that have built up over the years: vanilla, spices, pepper and delicately fragrant flowers. In the mouth, the infinitely refined texture reveals an extraordinary palette of flavors that blends spices, the subtle essence of ripe fruit and the finesse of oak.

Can you tell I love Nairi.

I have never had the occasion to taste Louis XV or a Hennessy Richard Cognac to do a true comparison but I can tell you that you will find NOTHING that will come close to this for the bargain price of 50-70 dollars.  Nothing

If you wonder why old Cognac is so expensive here’s something to bear in mind.  It takes 9 barrels of wine to make one barrel of eau de vie. To have just one barrel of 100 year old eau de vie, 9 barrels worth will have evaporated, so you could say it takes 90 barrels of wine to make one 100 year old barrel of aged spirit.

I also wanted to list some of the noteworthy brothers and sisters of Nairi from Yerevan Brandy Factory

 Ani

 Akhtamar 

Vaspourakan - This is a very very smooth brandy

Yerevan Brandy Factory

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26. January 2009 by Azat.

R23 is a great sushi place with great views of Downtown skyline.  I started coming here so many years ago.  Maybe 10.  They had just opened up the place.  It is located in the “hood”(not really). Watch out for the homeless.  The neighborhood has improved dramatically as more and more artsy folks have moved in to the old downtown toy district

The place itself is an old Rail Road warehouse on track 23(hence the R23 name) that has been turned to a great sushi bar. Beautiful old brick building with warm wood floors and high ceilings.  Chairs designed by Frank Gehry made of cardboard.  Very romantic and nice place.

The sushi is terrific as well. :)  Tourists who come to LA from Japan always request to come to R23 because of the quality of their food. They have traditional basic sushi at R23, but this in my opinion is what makes R23 so special.  you wont find albacore with special sauce or yellowtail with jalapenos(dont get me wrong I love those as well, but this is very traditional and simple sushi).  What makes R23 so special is the freshness of their food.  Jake the owner and Kato the manager must have incredible connections with the folks in the LA fish market.

Their shari (sushi rice) is really good and this is key to good sushi. The way they form the sushi and the proportion of the sashimi to the rice is also well done. Their uni is the only uni I can eat around here because everything here is super fresh.  Their ama ebi (sweet/raw shrimp) is nicely big and plump. Their wasabi leaf ohitashi is very good too. Their dungeness crab salad is exceptional.  Also, good tempura is not an every day find around here but you’ll find it at R23.

R23 is not an inexpensive plave to dine but in my opinion it is worth every penny.  I’ll give this place 4 stars.

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25. January 2009 by Azat.

Conundrum is a beautiful wine from Caymus Vineyards.  Although its a separate brand on its own.  It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Muscat Canelli.  In addition to that they also add small amounts of Sémillon and Viognier.  I first has this wine at my friends Babak Hosseinzadeh’s house and I was blown off my feet at the beautiful aromas and taste of this wine.  Its an excellent food wine that can be enjoyed with  wide variety of international cuisines and a whole range of courses: from appetizers through dessert. To fully enjoy its aromas and flavors, the wine is best served slightly chilled.

Wine makers notes: “Powerful aromas of green apple, tangerine zest and honeysuckle.  Core flavors of apricot, melon, pear and light vanilla are beautifully balanced by the sparkling acidity of citrus fruits. The lush, creamy, mouth-filling texture is heightened by powerful floral and bright tropical fruit notes and leads to a full, powerful finish.”

We enjoyed the wine with a great pasta dish and a wonderful desert that Krista(Babak’s wife) had prepared.

I would rand this wine at 3.5 stars and a good bargain at about $22

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24. January 2009 by Azat.

Im going to give you a very easy recipe this time and my next blog entry will be on a great wine to serve wit this recipe called Conundrum. I will at some point list and write about some Armenian cognacs/brandy as well. This time I just put a link to one called Nairi which is a beautiful 20 year old gem for a very bargain price.

Armenian Tortellini 
Calories Per Serving: 0
Preparation Time: 15
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
1 Pack Tortellini (I get fresh kind. 1 pack per 2 people from Trader Joe)
4 oz Crumbled Gorgonzola
2-3 oz Heavy cream
Crushed roasted nuts of choice
Few springs of parsley.
Salt and pepper too taste
Cooking Instructions:
Cook the tortellini in boiling water for 6-8 minutes. While the tortellini is cooking heat up the cream. Now the part to make the tortellini an Armenian food. Add a tablespoon of Armenian cognac. Add the diced parsley and salt and pepper to the cream.
Serving Suggestions:
When the tortellini is cooked plate it 10-12 per person. Add the crumbled Gorgonzola on top of the tortellini, Add the crushed nuts and add 3-4 heaping table spoons of the cream. Let the pasta sit for couple of minutes for everything to semi melt and bond together.
Additional Comments:
Very very easy to make.  You dont have to use cognac or brandy, you can use bourbon as well.

This is an image of the ad from Nairi Cognac

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20. January 2009 by Azat.

It would be a crime if I started a blog without doing my first post about my favorite wine all time…  However before I do talk about “The Boxer” from Mollydooker I want to explain the name behind 90PlusWine.com.  The main reason is that majority of the wine I consume is rated 90 points or higher by one of the major wine rating magazines(Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate(my favorite) and Wine Spectator).  Its natural for the wine that is rated high to be of better quality however wine does not necessarily need to be expensive to be 90+ points and these are the wines that I will talk about most in this blog.  Often you will see gems in the 8-12 dollar range that get great ratings.  In addition to that you will often see different agencies rank/rate wine differently and I have notices that my pallet will agree more with that of Robert Parkers ratings from Wine Advocate…  over time we will talk more about each but enough of that for now.

Lets talk about 2005 “The Boxer”.

Here is what Parker said about it “The Boxer Shiraz exhibits a black/blue purple color, an incredible density of fruit, along with that tell tale purity, blackberries, white flowers, melted chocolate, sweet licorice and subtle wood. Full bodied, beautifully textured and layered, with an awesome finish it should drink well for 4-6+ years. 95 points. Robert Parker Jr Wine Advocate # 165”

I first tried “The Boxer” about 3 years ago.  Had always been a big fan of Marquis Philips wines especially S2 and #9.  When I heard they had left that venture and started Mollydooker I had to try their new wine.  I got an early shipment of Two left Feet(we will talk about it some other time) and The Boxer.  I immediately opened a bottle of the boxer and decanter it and let it sit for an hour(in general I always recommend people decant their reds an hour or 2 prior to consumption).  When I tried my first sip I knew I was hooked to this new wine from them.  It bursts in your mouth with multiple of flavors and has a great aroma.  It is a VERY powerful, big, bold Shiraz from Australian McLaren Valley.  The taste lasts for long time and will linger in your mouth for a good 20-30 seconds after you swallow the wine.  Tones of raspberry, cherry, chocolate and oak last a long time.  The color of the wine is dark dark burgundy.  You hardly notice light even when held to the sky

I give this wine a 4 ½ stars only because I have tasted 3-4 bottles that are true 5 stars and I hate giving 5 stars and its only about $20.  Cant buy any wine in that price range that can compare.
Label for The Boxer

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19. January 2009 by Azat.

Hello Helllo!!!  Guess with this first post I will do a quick introduction of myself and my blog.  My name is Azat Aslanyan and I’m the Director of Engineering for a pretty cool startup in the advertising business in SoCal.  90 Plus Wine is a company I started couple of years ago with the idea that when I have some money I will open up a small bar that will serve reasonably priced highly rated wine.

Besides fine wine I also love food and cooking and in this blog I plan to talk about both Food and Wine and different and interesting combination. I cant say I’m vegetarian because I do eat fish nowadays but I have not had chicken or meat for 16 years now.  However I do cook everything for family and friends and the recipes I will list and will talk about will cover all kinds of food.  I also love fine dining and plan to cover some of the restaurants I visit over time.  I also travel and have always said that much of my travel revolves around food(I call them gastronomic holidays) and when I travel will write about that as well…

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