RoccoDiSpirito.com

Grab the Good Life with Rocco DiSpirito

September 12, 2005 - WOR 9/12/05

b>WOR 9/12/05

***IMPORTANT***
Rocco's Cookware has RETURNED to QVC! Please go to:

http://www.qvc.com/asp/frameset.asp?class=1125&tmp=hp&cont=mhcd&cm_re=HP-_-MASTHEAD-_-COOKING

***** W E L C O M E B A C K R O C C O *********

What's up everyone it IS time to Grab The Good Life! I missed you guys so much! Thanks to Michael Lomanaco and Drew Nieporent for filling while I was gone.

Plus, welcome to our NEW engineer, Tom Kirk! We will SORELY miss Mike Waller, who was a great co-worker and friend, but let's welcome Tom Kirk as our new engineer.

Today we have Ron Schrieve, a great Napa Wine maker and now maker of the Greg Norman California Estates Collection. Stick around for that!

Plus, Ny Magazine Food Critic Adam Platt will be here to talk about this week's NY magazine article, so stick around for that!

And the most IMPORTANT component to the show, YOU at 1-800-321-0710!

Rocco: I just want to say that summer is indeed NOT over yet! With the warm weather still here you can pretend your kids are home and you are off and the summer is still here! It's exactly what the good life is! And this leads me to my grilling story. I added charcoals in my gas grill and it melted my aluminum on the bottom of my grill. So I say next summer, do NOT buy a gas grill. Charcoal works best. Firstly if you are gonna buy, you might as well buy the 2000 dollar version, but charcoal tastes better to start with and if you really want to use a gas grill, use your stove. A lot of vegetables come out great on the BBQ like:

Green Peppers: cut the top and bottom off, tossed them in red wine vinegar, oregano and shallots and they were great on the grill.
Corn the same way: Leave it in the husk and steam it on the inside. Peel the husk off by pulling the silk down with the husk. To achieve this cut a clean piece off the top. Then pull down the husk and silk with your forefinger and it will come off.
Lastly I love to grill tomatoes: grill them until the skin blisters and serve them with an acid (vinegar/lemon) and toss them with some herbs as a warm side dish.

You can also do some meats: small lamb chops, thin pork cutlets, shrimp, thin beef and cook it quickly over the coals and it will be perfect.

The Great Gas Grill/Charcoal Grill Debate!

Scott in Manhattan: I disagree with you about the gas grill. I agree that Charcoal makes a smokier flavor, but you can add a smoke box to a gas grill with some wood inside and it works just as well.
Rocco: Why not just have a charcoal grill?
Scott: Cause the Charcoal grills grates are pretty bad and they do not hold a lot of heat. Plus it builds up too much gunk on the grill.
Rocco: If you buy grill baskets it will save you from that gunk.
Rocco: I agree, but you don't have to wash the grill over and over all you have to do is let that gunk burn off. That saves you on gas and all you need is match, light charcoal.

Greg in Seacliff Long Island: Welcome back Rocco!
Rocco: Thanks Greg!
Greg: Great idea for a nice family day: The 24th Annual Dinosaur Show!

24th ANNUAL DINOSAUR SHOW:
Location: Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Pkwy
Floral Park NY
Time: 11:00am to 4:00pm
Admission: $ 5.00 with all proceeds to benefit
the Farm Museum.

Further info: Museum Events @ 718 347 3276 ask for Amy at ext 13 or:
info@queensfarm.org

Rocco: Greg you a gas or charcoal guy?
Greg: Charcoal all the way baby!
Rocco: Charcoal is for real men Greg.

Let's welcome Adam Platt to the Show!
Rocco: Hey Adam how's it going?
Adam: Great Rocco, nice to see you back.
Rocco: So let's talk Perry Street, this is the new Jean-Georges Restaurant.

Perry Street
176 Perry St
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212-352-1900

Adam: What can we say, another restaurant in his empire. It's in the Richard Meier building (the one with the huge windows), this is his attempt to to open a relaxed bistro. This is a peared down restaurant compared to Jo-Jo.
Rocco:What do you mean?
Adam: A very clean and modern sort of museum esq place: the tables are bare, very white, menu's are quite simple (by his standard) and is expensive.
Rocco: About 65 a person?
Adam: Yeah, most of the entree's are over 35 dollars. The food is very good.
Rocco: You said getting is wasn's so nice, people on the phone-
Adam: Yeah when I first went there yes, they weren't very helpful. It is very hard to get into. Especially between the NY Times and my review.
Rocco: Why would you go here instead of other places?
Adam: I don't know if you would, there is a lot of buzz about it.
Rocco: Well he really is a talented person and that's why people want to go there; I worked with him a while ago and I can see why people want to be apart of his restaurants. So bottom line Adam: good food but not so good prices?
Adam: That's it!
Rocco: Thanks for being here Adam, see ya next week!
Adam: Thanks Rocco.

The Great Charcoal/Gas Debate Part Two!

Tom in New Jersey: I am Gas man and there is no flavor in charcoal!
Rocco: Yeah Tom I don't know about that. Let's go to Oksana.

Oksana in Connecticut: What do you mean a real man grills with charcoal?
Rocco: That's what I said!
Oksana: Well I am a lady and I like to marinade over gas!
Rocco: The marinade will taste better over charcoal!
Oksana: NO NO NO! Come to Connecticut and I'll show you.
Rocco: Ok, we'll settle this later. Let's go to Mike!

Mike in Brooklyn: Yo Def Chef, gas is like the microwave of the outdoors! You like cast iron?
Rocco: I'm so with you Mike! Love them, they have great heat conductivity!

Jeff in New Jersey: I'm gonna go with the charcoal BUT I have a gas grill with cast iron burners and the convienece rocks. The flavor goes to the charcoal but the gas grill is good if I add wood chips.
Rocco: Right, on a gas grill unless you add woodchips you won't have that smokey taste.

Let's welcome Ron Schrieve, wine maker!
Ron: Rocco DiSpirito, I am a Charcoal man!
Rocco: You sound like Opera Man too!
Ron: There is not like grilling with charcoal, it isn't the same on gas.
Rocco: So you're a wine guy and maker for 20 years.
Ron: Right out of high school into UC davis and got a degree in enology.
Rocco: Love it. Let's talk about Greg Norman wine Ron.
Ron: Greg Norman started in Australia making wines about 10 years ago and he got the wine making bug. His wife is a foodie and his daughter is in a culinary school in Florida.
Rocco: Now which ones have you created with Norman?
Ron: He gave me a blank palette and asked me to tell him where the best places to grow vineyards is. These wines are fantastic values, you'll never have the same quality for this price. We sent you a few bottles and let's talk the Chardonnay.
Rocco: I'm testing it now.
Ron: This wine has a beautiful clarity and purity that is an un-oak style that goes so well with scallops.
Rocco: So it's more like a Burgundy wine less oak more steel.
Ron: Exactly, a bright balance that is clear and fresh. A tropical taste to it as well.
Rocco: Let's try the Pinot Noir.
Ron: Another great one that ranges from 12-15 dollars at most.
Rocco: Wow Ron this is amazing - you know your stuff and for the value this is perfect!
Ron: Thank you Rocco!
Rocco: Which one is the best value.
Ron: The Petit Seuraut. It is a great burger wine or grilling wine.
Rocco: This is great stuff - Ron thank you for being here Ron!
Ron: Thanks for having me!
Rocco: See everyone tomorrow and GRAB THE GOOD LIFE!