Another wine

We've discovered a decent, moderately priced, Italian red wine I thought I might mention. Leo found it at the wine store across from his gym in western downtown, and paid about $18 for it (he thinks).

The wine is Patrizi Dolcetto di Dogliani 2003, from the Dogliani area of the Cuneo province in the Italian Piedmont region, way up in the far northwest corner of Italy by France and Monoco. While Dolcetto di Dogliani is a fairly new DOGC denomination and is considered to be the best of the Dogliani area wines, Dogliani has actually been noted for its fine wines since the 15th or 16th centuries, and the dolcetto grapes have been the source of fine reds in northern Italy for centuries.

We drank it with a mild sausage and pasta dish with lots of cheese, then with dessert afterwards, and it stood up well to the food while remaining a smooth, drinkable wine. As with most dolcettos, it has a deep red color. Leo thought he detected notes of apricot in the flavor.

It's a nice wine. We will probably get more.

Saigon Saigon, Arlington VA

While we were in the neighborhood shopping Monday, we popped in to Saigon Saigon for lunch. We both had bento lunch boxes, Leo the curry beef and me the Hanoi grilled pork. Leo also had a garden roll and a mixed berry smoothie with rum. I tasted the drink, and it could have benefitted from a splash of cream. My only complaint was that I had asked for a garden roll (unfried) as a substitution for the spring roll (fried) that came with the bento box, and that request didn't get communicated to the kitchen.

Here's Leo in his Kody pose: