Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Maude Marketplace

Written by Allison Levine on March 28, 2020

Lifestyle Food

I always look forward to eating at Maude. I have been a fan since the beginning, going every month for four years for the seasonal tasting menus and then going quarterly for the last two years for the regional tasting menus. Dining at Maude is now on hold as we deal with the global pandemic Coronavirus. But, Maude, like many others, has reinvented themselves and has turned Maude Restaurant into Maude Marketplace and Maude Marketplace is the Please The Palate Pick of the Week.

The small 25-seat restaurant has been cleared and the dining room was transformed into a marketplace. Tables are set up around the perimeter of the room with different prepared items.

There is a table with prepared soups, salads and daily specials from Executive Chef Chris Flint. I have enjoyed Butternut Squash Soup, Coconut Curry Soup and Miso Mushroom Soup. I have also loved the Mushroom and Faro salad.

And, I could not resist the freshly made pasta after watching Chef Chris cut it in front of me.

There is a table with staples such as eggs, milk, butter and selections from the butcher shop at sister restaurant Gwen.

Along the chef’s counter are fresh vegetables and fruits.

And there are two more tables, one with freshly baked breads and the other with house baked goods from Pastry Chef Yesenia Cruz. Her chocolate chip cookies are decadently delicious!

Maude Marketplace is open Tuesday through Saturday from from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm.

To find out what is being served, check out Maude’s Instagram.

While I will not be eating at Maude any time in the near future, I am so happy I can still enjoy the delicious food while supporting a small business and that is why Maude Marketplace is the Please The Palate Pick of the Week.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County

Written by Allison Levine on March 25, 2020

Wine

Bright aromatics and high acidity are two reasons I love white wine. So, when I took a sip of the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, I fell in love. And that is why the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

Chardonnay is the famous white wine of Burgundy, France. But, there is also Aligoté, the “other” white grape in Burgundy. This almost forgotten white grape of Burgundy almost disappeared when Chardonnay grew in demand. There is still some Aligoté planted in Burgundy, typically planted in less productive vineyard sections. Aligoté is also produced in Eastern European countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria. But it is not a typical variety in the United States.

Edaphos Wines sources their Aligoté from the Barbed Oak Vineyard in Bennett Valley in Sonoma County. Bennett Valley is an area with steep hillsides, alluvial soils and fog retention. Barbed Oak Vineyard is an 18-acre property and there is less than one acre of Aligoté planted. It is planted in a part of the vineyard that is too cold for Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

The grapes are crushed into press, fermented by native yeasts in concrete amphora and moved to neutral barrel for malolatic fermentation. The wine spends 17 months on the lees and is not filtered before bottling.

Aligoté is known for its acid and this one is no exception. Citrus fruit, grapefruit, stone fruit, floral aromas and mineral notes jump out of the glass. The wine has lots of texture and a chalky finish.

Only 116 cases are made of the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County which costs $36 and is only 10.75% alc.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Oceano Wines Chardonnay 2017, San Luis Obispo County

Written by Allison Levine on March 18, 2020

Wine

Chardonnay is one of the most criticized yet most beloved white wines. For all those who say they do not like Chardonnay have not tasted a beautiful one and there are a lot out there. Chardonnay is a neutral grape that really showcases where it is from, as is the case for the Oceano Wines 2017 Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo County, the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

Sourced from the Spanish Spring Vineyard on the San Luis Obispo Coast, the vineyard is only one-and-a-half miles from the ocean. Daily morning fog and a cool climate, matched with marine shale, limestone and sandstone fossilized shells are all reflected in the wine.

The Oceano Wines 2017 Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo County retails for $38. It is a bright yellow color with aromas of lemon, green apple, honeysuckle and tangerine, as well as the ocean breeze and sea salt. On the palate, the wine is vibrant and crisp with with a medium body and a long, mineral finish. Each sip of the zesty wine makes you want another.