Food & wine is another of my passions, and I'm always telling myself to write down memorable meals. Tonight doesn't quite fall into the category of memorable, but I picked up some bread, wine, jam, and cheese to snack on.

• Humboldt Fog cheese. With a thin layer of ash in the middle. Delightfully pungent, appeals to the salty side of the palate, with a little dank, musty aroma thrown in.
• Pear and fig jam
• Patrick and Christophe Bonnefond CÙte RÙtie 2000. This is a powerful wine from the northern RhÙne region. Nose of leather and burning matches. Takes a little time to open up, but finishes smooth, even a little smoky with no kickback. A fine example of the syrah grape.

This was the second time I've had the Bonnefond in two months; the first was at Heartland, where it was outstanding accompanying a plate of lamb chops. That was one of the more memorable meals.

While I'm at it, I might as well list my top 10 or so places to eat. Most are in the Twin Cities since I've only started to appreciate fine dining in the past 5 years or so.

1. Union Square Cafe, NYC - Consistent and outstanding food for the past ~15 years, and the best, most unpretentious service I've ever had at a restaurant.
2. Vincent, Minneapolis
3. Heartland, St. Paul
4. Balthazar, NYC
5. Modern Cafe, Minneapolis
6. Levain, Minneapolis
7. Solera, Minneapolis
8. JP American Bistro, Minneapolis
9. Lucia's, Minneapolis
10. Origami, Minneapolis

8:49:10 PM