Living with MCL

Fleur de Lys Aug ’10

That’s Edie and me having dinner at Fleur de Lys the night before attending the Aureole Wine Weekend at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this past weekend. Now while dinner at Fluer de Lys was one of the best meals I’ve had anywhere, it still pales in comparison to what was in store for us the following three days at Aureole.

To put it in its proper perspective, I would just say it is probably the only event, or place I’ve gone to where I didn’t miss being off the bike. That’s how good it is.

The level of the food, wine, and service is unmatched anywhere. It is a little pricey, but there are some things you just can’t put a value on. But always remember, you can’t take it with you, and the event included 2 dinners, 3 lunches and 2 breakfasts. So it was definitely worth it.

Even better is the exclusivity of the event. There were only 28 in attendance, most of whom also attended last year. Some of whom I even remembered. One couple even flew in from Germany, strictly for this event.

And not only was the food and wine first rate, but the knowledge gained by being able to pick the brains of some of the more noted people in their fields is priceless.

Words really can’t describe it, so I took a few pictures, on my new Droid X. Unfortunately a photographer I’m not. Plus I was having a little trouble using the camera, but I still think the pictures provide a relatively good representation of the event.

Well, I would have to say there was near perfect weather in Santa Barbara this past weekend for the California Wine Festival. The skies were clear, and the temperatures ranged from the mid 60′s to low 70′s. It doesn’t get much better than that, and it’s the main reason we love southern [and central] CA so much.

Of course, I can always find something to complain about. It’s just this time, it won’t be the weather.

My biggest complaint was I didn’t ride my bike for 3 days, and watching all the other cyclists riding along the beach, heading out for what was likely a brisk morning ride into the foothills, made me envious.

Then there was the fact, the hotel we stayed in wasn’t what I had expected. It was nice [sorta], and the price was right, but it just didn’t have the class nor the ambiance of the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort, or even the Hotel Mar Monte, both of which were on either side of us.

Oh, but so what! We didn’t go there for the room, or the ocean view. We went there for the wine, and there was lots of it. Three days worth. Most of which was pretty good. We even came across two wineries I think deserve mention. The first one being Cynthus, and the other Tercero.  I particularly liked the concept of Tercero. There are 4 different wine makers (who also work at some pretty prestigious wineries), who produce their own version of wine from the same grapes. It was fun comparing the different styles. And Cynthus, I thought made a good Cabernet Sauvignon.

Another problem, was while the event was billed as the California Wine Festival, it was mainly wineries from the central coast participating, and most of the wines were of the Rhone varietal. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing (and had I read the website a little more closely, I would have known that), as I do enjoy Rhone wines, and Edie and I do need to expand our horizons from just Pinot Noir’s. Plus there was the token participation from wineries around the state.

All in all a good time was had, and I did get my share of much needed Vitamin D. Especially on my head. I probably should have worn a hat.

Still believe in the benefits of vitamins and supplements? Still have trouble grasping the idea that vitamins and supplements are a well devised scheme by the pharmaceutical and supplement industries to separate you from your hard earned money?

Then maybe this article from Consumer Reports will finally convince you otherwise.

Americans ………….. spent an estimated $10 billion on them [vitamin and mineral pills] in 2008, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. But recent studies undertaken to assess their benefits have delivered a flurry of disappointing results. The supplements failed to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and premature death.

“We have yet to see well-conducted research that categorically supports the use of vitamin and mineral supplements,” says Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Most studies show no benefit, or actual harm.”

While some people may need supplements at certain stages of their lives, nutritional deficiencies are uncommon in the U.S. “Almost all of us get or can get the vitamins and minerals we need from our diet,” says Paul M. Coates, Ph.D., director of the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Just more evidence supporting what I’ve been trying to tell everyone all along. Vitamins and supplements do more harm than good, and it’s what I attribute my contracting MCL to, and it’s the complete stopping of taking any vitamins or supplements that I attribute my longevity (8 years without treatment), along with high intensity exercise, and [of course] wine.

Even if you don’t believe me, at least believe Consumer Reports. They don’t have any axes to grind.

Read the entire article.

Can you imagine anything more decadent than that?

Yeah probably, but as we were eating them this afternoon at Charlie Palmer’s at Bloomingdales, accompanied by a glass of the Hartford Court Lands Edge Pinot Noir, I didn’t much care.

They were that good!