The Good Life

My first guest is Zov Karamardian, Orange County California’s own national treasure and award winning restaurateur. Zov’s Bistro in Tustin, serving contemporary eastern Mediterranean cuisine, has since 1987 been one of the most popular and highly rated restaurants in the county.

Create fresh and easy meals any night of the week with Simply Zov: Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist By Zov Karamardian. Every home-cook hopes to create fresh and inspiring dishes for every meal. But what most of us lack is time. With Zov Karamardian’s new book, the tempting world of garden-fresh cooking is easier than ever without spending hours in the kitchen. As a follow up to her best-selling cookbook, Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart, the acclaimed chef and restaurateur has come up with a simple and easy approach to cooking, Simply Zov provides clean and satisfying meals for busy people.

“My philosophy is convenience, quality and healthy ingredients and quick preparation,” she said. “We’re all busy, so there is really little time left to cook and shop. All the ingredients in the book are available in any market, except for some spices which you can easily find in a Middle Eastern market or health food store.”

In the second half We’ll be talking about a great new book; Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest, with author Cole Danehower.

Home to more than 1,200 wineries, the Pacific Northwest is North America’s second largest wine region, and with the publication of Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest (Timber Press) there is for the first time a comprehensive guide to understanding the unique wine character of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho. Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest is the first book to profile all 29 appellations of the Northwest – regardless of political boundaries –from Oregon’s renowned Willamette Valley, Washington’s famed Walla Walla Valley, and the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, to less widely-known, up-and-coming wine countries such as Lake Chelan, Umpqua Valley, Snake River Valley, and Similkameen Valley.

James Beard Journalism Award-winning writer Cole Danehower has distilled a decade’s worth of Northwest wine experience into a single volume that describes what makes the region distinctive for wine – from soils and climate to topography, and geology – while providing insightful profiles of 160 wineries that he feels best represent the character of each Northwest appellation. “I wrote this book for wine-curious consumers who want to understand what makes the Pacific Northwest one of the most exciting wine regions in the world,” said Danehower in the introduction to the book. “Wines come from, and reflect, specific places. To appreciate the character of Northwest wines, we need to understand the nature of the places – the wine countries – they come from.”

The Good Life Guy Wine of the Week:
Something special from the Pacific Northwest!

2009 Bergström Old Stones Chardonnay, Willamette Valley AVA
This Chardonnay went through full malolactic fermentation and was aged in roughly 40% new oak. Medium straw-colored, it reveals an expressive nose of smoke, toast, baked apple, pear, and hazel nuts. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has ample ripe, savory, layered fruit, excellent volume and concentration, a smooth texture, and a lengthy finish. Although it can be enjoyed now, it is likely to unwind for another 1-2 years and drink well for 5-6 thereafter. Robert Parker WA-92, WS-91