Food & Wine Pairings To Try This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the time of the year where you surround yourselves with the ones you love. This Thanksgiving, why not surround yourselves with the ones you love and a bottle of these wines to share with the table? Not sure what to drink or how to pair it with? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered with a food and wine guide is guaranteed to make your guests think you’re secretly a sommelier.

For Those Drinking White

Sauvignon Blanc

Enjoy a glass of fruity Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018. Cloudy Bay, produced in the Marlborough region which produces wines with an extra fruity aroma and flavor. If you enjoy the taste of lime, grapefruit, and nectarine, you'll definitely enjoy sharing a glass with your loved ones this Thanksgiving. We suggest pairing this with your sides like scallops and green beans.

Bordeaux

Made from the best varieties of white grapes in the Bordeaux region 2016 Mouton Cadet Blanc will fill the room with a wonderfully fruity smell. Meanwhile, it will fill your tastebuds with a delicious blend of grapefruit and lemon flavors. Since white bordeaux is rare, you may not want to miss out on your chance to share a bottle around your Thanksgiving table this year. This too will pair well with scallops with citrus fruit, oysters, seafood linguine.

For Those Drinking Red

Grenache

Bonterra Grenache 2015 will give you the taste of Thanksgiving dinner all on its own. The grapes used in this wine were grown on a previous cherry farm, so keeping with history, this wine features black cherries. You'll also enjoy the taste of sage, rosemary, and cracked black pepper, which is perfect to go along with your turkey this year. They even have a whole list of recipes you can find here.

Bordeaux

The Château Couronneau 2015, Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux ($19) is biodynamic wine from Côtes de Bordeaux’s newest and smallest appellation. This Merlot-forward red has a bouquet of ripe plums, blackberries, dark cherries and violet. This stunning wine enhances any dish with a fruit component such as duck with cherry chutney or a pork roast with winter fruit and Port sauce.

Merlot

The Elysian Merlot, the debut wine in Bonterra Organic Vineyards’ Elysian Collection, plays off the bucolic ideals and pastoral tranquility of northern California’s organic farmland, highlighting the diverse natural elements that create unique environments for grape cultivation, handpicked from plots teeming with life and biodiversity. The Elysian Merlot embodies the essence of a wine vinified from organically grown grapes, with a harmonious chorus of black plum, carob, raspberries and soulful minerality. This will pair perfect with any red meat you may be eating.

Cabernet Sauvignon

For those who can’t resist dessert this Thanksgiving, Spoken Barrel's Cabernet Sauvignon gives off the aromas of cherry, black currant, dark chocolate, and roasted oak, which are all symbolic scents of fall. This wine also tastes of blackberry, cherry, and vanilla. Whatever dessert you plan on serving this Thanksgiving, consider serving a glass to your guests with their dessert. Will be using the recipe below for the perfect tart,

Spoken Barrel Apple, Shallot and Blue Cheese Tart

 Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 ½ cups shallots, thinly sliced, (about 3 large shallots)

• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight

• 1 small pink lady apple, thinly sliced and seeds removed

• 1 ½ tsp thyme leaves, roughly chopped

• 4 oz mild blue cheese, crumbled

• 1 Tbsp honey

1.       Preheat oven to 400°F.

2.       Over medium high heat, sauté shallots with 1 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt until soft and starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool slightly

3.       Using a rolling pin, roll out the puff pastry until 12x12”, dusting your work surface with flour as needed.

4.       Assemble the tart by evenly spreading the shallots over the pastry, followed by the apples, thyme and blue cheese allowing a ½“ border.

5.       Bake the tart for 20 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and crisp. Drizzle over the honey and serve warm or at room temperature with Spoken Barrel wine.

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5 Reasons to Build a Bike Online

Gone are the days when a physical store was a must for purchasing a bicycle. Now, with online stores everywhere, your dream bike is just a fingertip away from you.

Buying a bike has now become so easy, you can just click your screen and quality will be delivered to your doorstep in a few days. Some of these stores come with direct-to-consumer sales; which means there will be deeper levels of intimacy between the buyer and seller, and also offers a great DIY customization experience.

You Understand What you Have

The best thing about building a bike online is that you know exactly what you will be getting. You can essentially build a bike online that you always wanted as you can add as many new parts as you wish. With motorbikes, you understand how the motor is placed, how much power is being transferred from the battery to the motor, and how the brake lever wiring works. Putting a bike together guarantees that you have a proper sense of how all the parts works.

You Can Fix It

A benefit that comes with building a bike online and understanding it fully is the things you learn while putting the bike together. Putting parts together and replacing them will be easy enough for you after building your bike. If you want to replace a gear, for instance, since you attached the motor yourself, the task should not be a big deal. Or, you can watch informative videos on how to properly take specific bicycle brand parts apart.

You Choose What you Want

With building a bike online, you have the complete control of whatever colors you would like to see on your bike frame, the quality of chains, tires, rims, lighting quality and others.

With building a bicycle, the first thing you will get to choose is the frame. The frame design, material and build will play a huge part in determining how your bike eventually turns out. The wheels, tires and handlebars are just added bonuses. After selecting your preferred frame, you have the options of selecting the ‘groupset’- the moving parts of a bicycle. You select brakes, wheels, tires, inner tubes and saddles, and then make the final choices of seat posts, saddles, stems and handlebars.

You Start with Your Preferred Bike

Of course, building a bike online guarantees you will make your choices for parts and components based on what you like, your needs and your ultimate aim. There will almost definitely be a sentimental attachment to a bike you build by yourself, and not just a store bought one. The bike would be unique to you in many ways.

You’ll Feel Good

Basically, building things comes with some levels of pride at what we can do. Building a bike online comes with an even greater sense of pride, because it would be yours. The quality and how it works out will boost your ego, and make you feel more capable.

If you plan on building a bike for professional commuting reasons or just for the fun of having a DIY project, you should definitely go forward with the idea. The rewards of your labor will be right before your eyes every day. If you are a woman, you can choose from some of the best bikes for women available online right now. 

 

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What To Know About Long Island City Area’s Residential Development and Transportation

With the announcement from Amazon that it has chosen New York's Long Island City for part of HQ2, Localize.city took a data-driven look at the area to see what’s in the pipeline for residential development and transportation. The area has the largest number of apartments currently under construction. It’s also No. 1 for number of new units authorized as well as for permits filed but not yet approved.

The strain of the influx of new residents is already being felt on LIC’s streets, which will incrrease in the following months. While transit upgrades may be on the way, the neighborhood is No. 1 for issue like complaints about parking, blocked bike lanes and is in the top 10 for complaints about parking placard abuse. 

"When Amazon moves part of its second headquarters to Long Island City, it will have a tremendous impact on the neighborhood and others nearby," said Localize.city urban planner Stephen Albonesi. "But if any area in New York is poised for a major influx in residents, it's Long Island City, where a building boom is already remaking much of the area and where residents have been grappling with how to meet the demands of thousands of new people.”

 Other takeaways are is that the neighborhood would be six times bigger than Manhattan’s Hudson Yards, with up to 24,000 units of housing, 52 acres of parks, 19 schools and more than 1 million square feet of retail and office space, officials have said. It would take at least a decade to build and would better connect Astoria, Long Island City and Sunnyside.

While more units will pop up groceries and pharmacies are still scarce, and publicly accessible gyms may be in short supply because they’re included as amenities within many private developments.

But more retail is on the horizon: roughly 500,000 square feet is expected by the early 2020’s. Much of it may skew toward chain stores, large grocers and movie theaters, which could make Long Island City more of a an area to work rather than live.

To see the full report click here.

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A Lobby To Welcome You Home

The list of what to look out for during an apartment hunt can seem never ending. You probably attend each viewing with reams of paper reminding you about things like location and the quality of the view. The more bases you cover, the less chance there is of landing in an imperfect living situation, right?

But, despite a world of preparation, many of us forget to consider one crucial thing; the entrance lobby. It wouldn’t even cross many of our minds to spare this a thought. You aren’t buying the lobby, after all. Surely the apartment should be more important?

When you break it down, though, that lobby is the first thing you’ll see when you arrive home. It’s the first impression your guests will form of where you live. Hence why many landlords go all out by investing in expensive floor tiles, and even contacting aluminum canopy manufacturers to provide an entrance to come home to. The grander the entrance, the better the prospects. With that in mind, you may want to start your next viewing appraisal before entering the potential apartment. For proof of things to look out for, consider the prowess of these top New York lobbies.

The Galleria, 117 East 57th Street

From the moment you set eyes on The Galleria, it’s clear to see that this complex has something to shout about. This entrance canopy ticks all the boxes. Things only improve as you get closer, and spot the iconic swooping glass entrance. Without needing to set foot in the building, it’s clear these apartments come complete with dreamy contemporary designs. What more could a property hunter ask for?

The Osborne, 205 West 57th Street

Many would argue The Osborne has the best lobby in the city, and it’s difficult to disagree. Built back in 1885, this couldn’t be further from the modern glitz you’ll find at the Galleria. Instead, this lobby will put you in mind of a stately manner. The gilded ceiling is only the tip of this lobby iceberg. You also have brownstone walls and traditional paintings galore. You could go as far as to say this is the dream apartment block for fans of Downton Abbey.

River House, 435 East 52nd Street

Of course, New York’s most impressive apartment building had to find its place onto this list at some stage. A pillared stone gate leads you into this beautiful lobby, complete with gardens and river views. The highlight, though, is the cloakrooms which you’ll find there for all your party needs.

The Plaza

Whether you recognize it for its iconic appearance in Home Alone 2, or because you’ve marveled at it many times; The Plaza also deserves a look-in. The lobby for this apartment complex is about as grand as you would imagine. Again, the entrance brings to mind a stately manner house. This image is only furthered by the iconic chandelier you’ll fail to miss when you walk in. How does that sound for impressing anyone you bring home?

 

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Have a listing you think should be featured contact us or email at Jeremy@offthemrkt.com to tell us more! Follow Off The MRKT on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.