Trattoria di' Stagione: A Review

By Steve Siciliano

Bombay Cuisine owner Balwinder Bal clearly has had some difficulty in getting another business to take root in the space adjoining his popular Eastown eatery. Bal had previously operated a sports bar in the adjacent location and he followed up that venture with a restaurant that focused on southern American comfort food. Bal’s third attempt might just prove to be the charm as he has now partnered with former Tuscan Express chef/owner Dan Chudik to open Trattoria di’ Stagione, a restaurant that is offering some of the finest Italian cuisine in the Grand Rapids area.

Just as he did at Tuscan Express, Chudik makes the pastas and sauces for Trattoria di’ Stagione from scratch and he is using only fresh, local ingredients in the preparation of the restaurant’s seasonal Italian dishes. Barb and I have been so impressed with Chudik’s culinary talents that we have visited the trattoria three times since its May opening.

On one of those visits we began our meals with a breadcrumb stuffed, oven roasted artichoke—a traditional Sicilian dish that I have never seen outside my mother’s kitchen. On another we opted for a more ubiquitous Italian restaurant appetizer, but rather than being deep fried and accompanied with a side of red sauce, the pieces of calamari were lightly sautéed in olive oil with tomatoes, chilies and lemon and were served with chunks of fresh avocado.

The trattoria’s entrees have been just as innovative and just as expertly prepared—linguine with clams (Manila clams, white wine, garlic, chilies, parsley), pappardelle (with roasted mushrooms and fresh asparagus) ravioli (stuffed with porcini mushrooms and covered with a mushroom cream sauce) and a gnocchi dish that rivaled my Italian grandmother’s.

Dan Chudik is proving once again that having a surname that ends in a vowel isn’t a prerequisite to cook innovative and outstanding Italian cuisine. Because that cuisine is being combined with a professional wait staff and a small but affordable wine list, I have a feeling that Trattoria di’ Stagione will be a part of the Grand Rapids restaurant scene for many years to come.

Trattoria di' Stagione is located at 1420 Lake Drive in Eastown, Grand Rapids. Visit their website or Facebook page for hours of operation and other useful information.

New Beer Friday, Clown Shoes Edition (July 12)

By Chris Siciliano

No doubt about it—the hottest arrival on this week's New Beer Friday is Clown Shoes Beer Company out of Ipswich, MA.

Technically, this beer belongs on last week's NBF, as it came in sometime during the day last Friday. However (and here's us pulling back the curtain on the vast goings-on behind the scenes at Siciliano's), most New Beer Fridays are actually written on Thursday night. From time to time—last week for example—the latest, greatest new beers don't make the list right away. Our sincere apologies for showing you how the sausage gets made.

But I digress. Here's a little about Clown Shoes, courtesy of their own website.

Something’s happening, and it involves clown shoes and beer. Clown Shoes? Very long story, but to condense it a group of us submitted the name to the Beer Advocate contest that resulted in The Wrath of Pecant. Our submission didn’t crack the top 5. This burned me up inside. While driving one day the epiphany came: I could make my own Clown Shoes beer. In no way did I expect to create a brand, figuring it would be one batch of beer for fun and then done. But folks are digging the brews and a group of us are having a great time. Clown Shoes has come to mean a lot to me on a lot of levels. Clowns are questionable but the shoes make me laugh. They remind me about humility and to find humor in life. Our mission now is to produce beer without pretension while being free and a little crazy.

Enjoy New Beer Friday, everyone, brought to you lovingly from the not-too-distant past, a.k.a., the waning hours of Thursday night.

New (and Returning) Beer

• Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp Belgian-style IPA, $2.79/12oz - "Like a stamp on a tramp, this beer is about not so subtle seduction. Soft but complex malts, Chambly yeast, sweet orange peel, Columbus, Amarillo, and Centennial hops have merged to create a bodacious Belgian IPA" (source).
• Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet Black IPA, $2.79/12oz - "Hoppy Feet has been lovingly crafted by combining premium malt with lots of Amarillo and Columbus hops. Grapefruit and Pine are balanced on the nose and on the palate by a nutty, dark chocolate, roasted backbone" (source).
• Clown Shoes Clementine White Ale, $2.79/12oz - "Clementine is beer conceived in a dream, in the middle of a blistering beatdown of a day. We used Clementine, sweet orange peel, coriander, and summit hops to smack that mean day upside the head with a refreshing clown shoe" (source).
• Clown Shoes Crunkle Sam, $12.09/22oz - "We brewed Crunkle Sam, an American Barleywine Ale dry hopped with Citra hops, to celebrate America. America, we love you: thank you for allowing Clown Shoes to set off a few fireworks in the craft beer world" (source).
• Clown Shoes Porcine Unidragon, $15.09/22oz - "This is Blaecorn Unidragon made with Beechwood Smoked malt, which adds a natural meaty note (there is no actual meat in the brew). Aged 100% in bourbon barrels. Little piggies run, squeal to the heavens: Clown Shoes wishes you luck" (source).
• Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero, $10.39/22oz - "Roasted dark malts plus extra chocolate malts plus ancho chile plus cinnamon plus organic vanilla extract plus a chocolate eating, beer drinking, Clown Shoes wearing, multi limbed, gorgeous and glorious Mexican wrestler on the label. That’s the recipe for a Chocolate Sombrero!" (source)
• Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer, $10.39/22oz - "In a world full of uncertainty, hardship, and people trying to hold us back, do we need Vampires, too? Clown Shoes says "No! Die, monsters, die!" Our second anniversary ale incorporates signature dark malts, holy water, and malt smoked locally with hickory, ash, and vampire killing stakes" (source).
• Clown Shoes Muffin Top Belgian-style Triple IPA, $10.39/22oz - "Intense flavors, reminiscent of candied fruits, mixed with American hops and sweet orange peel to create a unique take on a Belgian-Style ale" (source).
• Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon, $12.09/22oz - "What should we call our Russian Imperial Stout? Black Unicorn? Soul Dragon? Nohhh. Let’s combine them and create the ultimate mythical creature: Blaecorn Unidragon. Imbued with a monstrous amount of dark malt and aggressive hops, Blaecorn Unidragon is a powerful and complex brew designed to improve with age" (source).
• Rogue Honey Kolsch, $11.49/22oz - "Situated just across from 40 acres of Rogue hops, 119 colonies of bees were carefully kept and fed and the honey was uncapped, extracted, filtered, and finally infused into a refreshing Honey Kolsch ale" (source).
• Shorts Spruce Pilsner, $1.99/12oz (limit 2 bottles/person) - "Imperial Pilsner Brewed with Northern Michigan Spring Blue Spruce tips & healthy doses of high Alpha Hops, aromatic earth tonic of the resinous piece pungens and humulus lupulus" (source).
• Brooklyn Silver Anniversary Lager, $14.39/22oz - The Brooklyn Brewery is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. We are fortunate to be a part of the incredible cultural renaissance Brooklyn has enjoyed during the last quarter century. Four great Brooklyn artists whom we met along the way—Fred Tomaselli, Roxy Paine, Joe Amhrein and Elizabeth Crawford—have created special labels for our Silver Anniversary Lager beer. We are saluting our beginnings with a special doppelbock version of the Brooklyn Lager we introduced in 1988. This beer is re-fermented in the bottle and will taste great today or years from now. The original was inspired by the beers of 19th Century New York and Vienna" (source).
• Cerveza de los Muertos Dia de los Muertos Hefeweizen, $1.79/12oz - Sorry. No commercial description currently available.
• Cerveza de los Muertos Amber, $1.79/12oz - Sorry. No commercial description currently available.
• Cerveza de los Muertos DOA IPA, $1.79/12oz - Sorry. No commercial description currently available.
• Cerveza de los Muertos Blonde Ale, $1.79/12oz - Sorry. No commercial description currently available.
• Cerveza de los Muertos Porter, $1.79/12oz - Sorry. No commercial description currently available.

Pointless Beer "Fact" of the Week

"In Great Britain alone, 93,000 liters of beer
are rumored to be lost each year in facial hair" (source).

Cheers!

Good Vibrations, Sweet Sensations: A Review of Unity Vibration

By Doug Dorda

Good vibrations, sweet sensations

Adorning the same shelf as gluten-free (GH) beers based off of sorghum fermentability, there may be found another class of "alternative beer" that is based upon an ancient drink famous for its ability to enrich a drinker's vitality and improve his or her overall quality of life. I’m speaking of the GF beers offered by Unity Vibration, a Michigan-based company that produces non-alcoholic as well as alcoholic kombucha. 

Those familiar with kombucha are sure to note that the beverage is characterized by a pronounced acetic acid bite that is the object of lust for those who regularly enjoy the fermented tea. Those who can not quite grasp what acetic acid may taste like will be pleased to discover that the taste is very similar to those found in many wild fermented beers, or most closely to the profile of “sour” that one may experience while drinking a lambic, the most prolific of which being those made by Lindeman's. 

While kombucha often contains little to no alcohol, the folks at Unity Vibration have allowed the organic cane juice—the sweetener of their beverage—to ferment three times, ultimately yielding a higher alcohol content. The first fermentation is comprised of creating the kombucha tea. The second blends the fermented tea with organic raspberries, ginger, peaches, or juniper, and the mixture ferments again in bourbon barrels. The final fermentation takes place in the bottle and is responsible for the creation of carbonation.

It is important to note that all of the additives in Unity Vibrations beer are raw, organic and, of course, gluten free. Having noted that the beverage is now alcoholic and wonderfully flavored by one of many choice organic fruits or roots, the question that remains is this: Do the beers taste like beer?

Earlier I made mention that the acetic acid produced during kombuchas fermentation makes the taste of these GF beers similar to the taste of fruit lambics. Those who did not know better may even assume that the raspberry offering of Unity Vibrations could be a pour of Lindemans framboise. However, we again find ourselves at the mercy of perspective as pertains to these offerings. Did you, as a classic beer drinker, adore and long for the sweet/sour bold and yet delicate nuances of wild beers in the Belgian universe? Those who answer yes will be more than happy to discover that the same family of contrasting flavors are presented in a package devoid of gluten thanks to the people at Unity Vibration. 

Personally, I find each of their offerings, being ginger, raspberry, peach bourbon, and juniper pale, to be wonderful beverages if not entirely reminiscent of classic beer as we (non-celiacs) know it. Each raw and organic flavoring promised by the label of the beer is found, and never found wanting. Never will you taste one of these beers and cry “artificial!” as pertains to the taste in question. I find that each beer begins with a cane juice sweetness on the palate that quickly gives way to a showcase of its particular flavor and dries nicely before the finish thanks to the savory acetic acid that wonderfully contrasts the fore-palate.

Unity Vibration produces the ginger and raspberry in both 12oz and 22oz bottles, while the peach bourbon and juniper pale come in 16oz sizes. I highly recommend that both the gluten intolerant and tolerant give them a try.

New Beer Friday, Hombrew Convention Edition (July 5)

Philadelphia City Hall

Preamble By Steve Siciliano

Last week my wife Barb and I traveled to Philadelphia to attend the American Homebrewers Association’s national conference. This was our first AHA conference and we were highly impressed. The topics of the seminars were wide ranging, the speakers were excellent and the various social activities over the course of the four-day event were efficiently run.

Barb and I made some valuable contacts with the folks who run the AHA and we got some good insights and ideas on the various ways Siciliano’s might participate next year as a sponsor when the convention comes to Grand Rapids. We met and socialized with a lot of like-minded folks who are passionate about craft beer and the enriching hobby of homebrewing. Since it was also our first visit to Philadelphia, we made sure we set some time aside to explore the City of Brotherly Love.

I like big cities and Philadelphia is certainly a big one. I liked the cacophony of its busy streets, the fast moving streams of people, the street entertainers and the idiosyncratic neighborhoods. I liked coming across the quiet pools of humanity lounging in its sculpture-filled squares and tree-shaded parks. I liked how its gleaming new buildings are juxtaposed with its historical, soot-stained old.

There are a lot of bars in Philly. We hit dive bars, craft beer bars, gay bars, Irish pubs, bars that call themselves cocktail lounges and a joint in South Philly called The Happy Birthday where the bartender and all the patrons were chain smoking. In an incredibly crowded Monk’s Café, Barb and I squeezed between fellow conventioneers and shared a bottle of Cantillon gueuze. In the gay bar I drank Allagash White, in the cocktail lounge a Yuengling out of a long neck bottle and in the Irish pub a perfectly poured Guinness.

Wherever we went we made it a point to talk to the friendly locals. In one bar we were schooled on how the Philadelphia accent is different from the South Philadelphia accent and in another we learned how passionate Philadelphians can be about sports.

“How are the Phillies doing this year?” I asked a bartender.

“They suck!”

“How did the Flyers do?”

“They sucked.”

“How are the Eagles going to be?”

“They’re gonna suck!”

When I told him I was a Lions fan he shook his head sympathetically and bought me a beer.

Speaking of beer, here's the latest to arrive on the shelves at Siciliano's.

New (and Returning) Beers at Siciliano's

• Petrus Aged Red, $5.19/12oz - "Oud Bruin fermented with cherries" (source).
• Timmermans Blanche Lambic, $7.29/750ml - "There is no other beer like Timmermans Tradition Blanche Lambicus anywhere in the world because it is the only white lambic beer. By adding spices such as coriander and dried orange zest, a light, fruity beer is created. It is subtly spicy and deliberately made cloudy. Should ideally be drunk from an authentic stoneware pot" (source).
• Dominion Hop Mountain Pale Ale, $2.29/12oz - "Hop lovers, this is the beer for you. Four different styles of American hops are artfully staggered against a sturdy malt backbone to create a unique, drinkable and balanced Pale Ale" (source).
• Three Heads Brewing Co. Loopy Oatmeal Red Ale, $3.39/12oz - "WE LOVE HOPS! Their tantalizing aromas. Their diverse and succulent flavors of citrus and spice. All the amazing ways they can be used in brewing. 3HB dedicates the Loopy to our favorite plant, the Humulus Lupulus. Enjoy the waves of tropical fruit intertwined delightfully with a creamy, velvety malt blend. Come get Loopy with us!" (source).
• Three Heads Brewing Co. Too kind, $2.79/12oz - "Our mamas always taught us that you can never be too polite. In their honor, we decided to test that theory with the Too Kind. It has everything you love from the Kind IPA but jacked up to an out-of-this-world level. A hop exuberance of pine, citrus and love that plays nice with others" (source).
• Stawski Lager, $1.99/12oz - "After searching for over 50 years for a lager worthy of my family name, I am proud to present the finest imported lager available. From my family to yours, enjoy!" (source).

Picture of the Week | Luke the Patriot

Cheers!

New Beer Friday, New Whiskey Edition (June 28)

By Chris Siciliano

Every once in awhile something new and exciting arrives at Siciliano's that is not beer and yet deserves our attention nonetheless. Case in point, our new staffer Josh Swift, who Steve Siciliano, the bossman, introduced in a blog post earlier this week (read it by clicking here).

Case in point again, Balcones Distilling, which, judging by the following description, is a whisky producer after our own hearts.

"Just five years ago, Balcones was little more than an idea fueled by a ruthless drive to create something new, something genuine, something worthwhile - a Texas whisky tradition. It all started with an old welding shop under a bridge. We hammered and welded our own stills, and sawed and nailed on that little shack to build the distillery that we use to this day. Since then, we have released seven unique spirits of which we are very proud and won 40 national and international awards from the world's top judges and critics. We don't just make whisky in Texas. We make Texas whisky" (source).

Not bad, eh? Keep reading to see the specific Balcones whiskys which we are now proud to carry. And, of course, for the beer-minded out there, there is something here for you as well.

New (and Returning) Beer to Siciliano's

• Goose Island 25th Anniversary ESB, $1.69/12oz - "Brewed as a collaboration between Goose Island Brewmaster Brett Porter, Senior Brewer Keith Gabbett, Pub Brewmaster Nick Barron and Alumni Brewmaster Greg Hall. Deep mahogany color, rich fruit aroma with notes of lilac, big malt body with touches of roast and a dry, crisp finish" (source).
• Dogfish Head Theobroma, $14.39/22oz - "This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilization to toast special occasions. the discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC. As per the analysis, Dogfish head’s Theobroma (food of the gods) is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds)" (source).
• Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon, $14.39/22oz - "Rogue Ales has collided with Voodoo Doughnut to create Bacon Maple Ale! This unique artisan creation contains a baker’s dozen number of ingredients including bacon and maple syrup from one of Voodoo’s signature doughnuts" (source).
• Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout, $10.79/22oz - "Complexity. Aged for three months in Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels, this luxurious stout has a deep ebony hue and a beautiful mahogany head. The woody, vanilla-like notes imparted by the barrels mingle with aromas of fresh baked bread, toffee, and espresso and envelop the rich chocolate and roasted barley flavors with a fine bourbon character. Our exclusive partnership with Wild Turkey gives Anderson Valley a world class, consistent source of barrelage, allowing our brewers to explore new frontiers in barrel-aged craft beer" (source).
• Arbor Demetrius Barrel Aged Sour Double IPA, $17.49/22oz - "Arbor Brewing Company is proud to offer this exclusive, limited-edition, hand-packaged and bottle-conditioned ale in the Belgian Aged Pale tradition. Our interpretation of this rare Belgian stye was created by aging our Larry Hoppe Double IPA for six months in gueuze-innoculated oak casks and then bottle conditioning for a minimum of two months. The result is a unique ale with a bright golden hue, moderate carbonation, and a burst of complex fruity, spicy, sweet-tart, and earthy flavors, with a quenching acidity in the finish. As with most bottle-conditioned ales, there may be a thin layer of sediment on the bottom of the bottle. For best results, uncork slowly and decant gently into a glass without disturbing the sediment" (source).
• J.K. Scrumpy's Farmhouse Summer, $7.99/22oz - "J.K. Scrumpy first started making hard cider in the 1850's, and they've been using the same apples from the same orchards ever since. This natural, USDA Certified Organic cider is the real thing, offering up crisp apple flavors, and maintaining a moderately sweet profile that makes it sweet year 'round" (source).
• Wychwood Ginger Beard, $5.49/17oz - "Back off it’s Ginger Beard, he’s a fiery character and his beer is no different. This amber ale is infused with fiery root ginger to deliver a spicy finish with a bit of bite" (source).

New Spirits

• Balcones Baby Blue, $44.68/750ml - "Baby Blue is a unique corn whisky made from atole, a roasted blue corn meal. Baby Blue isn’t bourbon nor white lightning. It has the freshness and verve of traditional corn whisky but with a refined complexity. The result is a round nuttiness and roasty overtones with a smooth finish. Baby Blue was the first Texas whisky on the market since prohibition, and is the only craft-made whisky to have received a 5-star rating from F. Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal other than Balcones '1' Texas Single Malt" (source).
• Balcones Brimstone, $44.68/750ml - "Purification through fire—a Texas oak fire, that is. Rather than using Scottish peat smoke, this one-of-a-kind whisky is smoked with sun-baked Texas scrub oak using our own secret process. The result is a whisky full of fresh youthful corn and light fruit notes married with a bold smokiness. Brimstone is the world‘s first wood smoked whisky ... a Texas campfire in a bottle" (source).
• Balcones Texas Single Malt, $63.16/750ml - "A unique style of malt whisky—Texas made, Texas proud. Balcones Texas Malt Whisky is born of hundreds of years of distilling tradition transformed by a deep sense of place. Mellow notes of sauteed pears and ripe fruit mixed with a lingering toasty malt character. We are very excited that this whisky which we have worked so hard to produce is finally ready to release. We hope you enjoy it" (source).

Wisdom of the Week

The radish farmer points the way with a radish;

the brewer points the way with his beard.

Cheers!

Meet Josh Swift: Beer & Wine Aficionado, New Team Member at Siciliano's

Welcome, Josh!

By Steve Siciliano

Josh Swift’s first experience in retail was not exactly a good one. 

When he was eighteen and working as a stocker in a Grand Rapids beer and wine shop, he broke a bottle of 2001 Hess Mount Veeder Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. But he didn’t let that rather inauspicious beginning deter him.

“Wine fascinated me and I began asking my older co-workers questions,” he said. “Eventually those interrogations, along with the stealthy tastes of wine they would sometimes give me, helped me to build a base of knowledge and I was occasionally given the opportunity to help customers.”

His fascination with wine gradually grew to encompass beer, and soon as he turned twenty-one “it didn’t take long for me to tear through all the styles.”

Josh, a recent graduate from Grand Valley with a major in history, views both beer and wine as a symbol of camaraderie. “My fondest memories with family and friends usually involve beer or wine in some way,” he said. “I’m always excited to show customers new ambers or push them to try a lambic for the first time, not because I’m looking for a sale, but because I want to share my passion.”

We have a feeling that he is going to fit in nicely around here.

Gin Review: St. George Botanivore, Dry Rye & Terroir

By John Barecki

The world of American craft spirits in the last few years has been churning out some pretty amazing stuff, from single malt whiskey to absinthe. St. George's Spirits out of Alameda, California has been pressing the issue since it's conception in 1982, starting from something this imbiber sadly is not too familiar with, Eau de vie, fruit based brandy that is notoriously hard to make.

It all began with Jorg Rupf, a native of Germany. Rupf came to America to work and was completely blown away by the food culture and the availability of fresh top quality materials. Inspired by the quality of fruit in the Californian orchards, Jorg took his old school knowledge of Eau de vie distilling and started to write his own symphony for the palate, and the rest, as they say, is history.

These three St. George gins I will lay out are prime examples of what the right combination of history and raw materials can become. The Botanivore is the first on this journey. This, for the most part, is similar to the London dry style of gin. One of the fun things about gin is the alchemy of extracting the essential oils from all the produce. Flavors in this gin range from black peppercorn and coriander to even citra hops. It has a fresh Herbaceous character in the nose, floral, citrus peel and a slight sweetness.

The second is the Dry Rye, a curious one using a high rye content in the mash causing a malty backbone similar to a Genever (the precursor to gin). Big juniper sets the tone followed by a peppery spiciness, nice savory herb and fruit qualities brings up the rear. This is a great one to experiment with in place of whisky in mixed drinks.

The last selection is the wonderfully flavorful Terroir. Using a generous handful of plant life from the California woodlands, this elixir conjures up sitting in the middle of a fir forest. Douglas fir and sage start it off, very herbaceous on the palate, zesty lemon and lime accompany a dry but lingering finish. This one really threw me for a loop. It's a gin with a story within itself.

All of these gins pack a lot of character into each bottle. Even for unseasoned gin drinkers, they are a treat for the senses. I definitely recommend a least checking out the available sample pack to see what all the fuss is about.

These gins are available at Siciliano's Market at $36.99/750ml each or $29.97 for the 200ml three pack.