OCD Wine Website Goes Live

Well, if you're one of the three people not including my mother-in-law who may be reading this, CONGRATULATIONS!, you've already been to our website (more than likely). This is good news! We thought that our brand of social networking - getting together, having dinner, drinking wine, playing croquet, going to the country, etc. was totally passé at this point, having been supplanted by spending one's time Facebooking, instead of face timing. Well, you can't share a bottle of wine over the internet, though I suppose you can both buy the same wine and sip it in your homes by your computers and discuss it over the internet - wow, that sounds like fun! I guess we're kind of old school and like to actually get together have the opportunity to say awful things to each other IN PERSON, when it really counts, unlike on the internet, where it's detached sport. Getting back to our website - hopefully, you can find something of interest on our site, whether about wines or ways to enjoy wine more. To that end we'd like to use the site to bring folks together in real time, in real life, to sip and share our love of wine. Check out the site and feel free to use the CONTACT US area to say those awful things that can't wait until we see each other in person.

Nanu Nanu

Of all the honors bestowed on us since we started spilling our wine into the gullets of the in-the-know people, this is a special night for this 80s TV kid. Otto's Constant Dream is the official wine of the 15th annual Mork & Mindy convention happening this evening in Boulder Colorado. Because of this our Chieftan and Fianance guru, Melissa and Dan are in Boulder to personally pour our Riesling and Syrah (mork & mindy, get it?) for the Nanu-heads in attendance (this year's record breaking evening squeezed 37 Nanu-heads out of the primordial ooze of America, the UK and Korea). Fun, light-hearted and with an unwavering moral compass OCD Riesling is the wine equivalent of Mork, obviously and our dark, dusky and difficult Mindy is Syrah all the way. However you slice it, Otto is amped to be part of this rarefied world!

Raise your glasses, wherever you are to Mork, Mindy, Dan, Melissa and all the Nanu-heads out there.

When Dumb People have Smart Phones

First off: do not panic. Dumb people are allowed to have all kinds of things, like children, in America, so smart phone ownership is NOT restricted here just to freelance design professionals. Anyone may have a smart phone. ANYONE! When they have this power in their hands, all manner of mayhem may be unleashed on those around them. I just thought I'd warn you. So there, you've been warned.

Wine is not, unfortunately, the opiate of the masses.

Should you wonder at all what is the true engine driving America, all you have to do is listen to the unbelievable rhetoric surrounding the switch to all digital TV. You would think, with all the turmoil and outright desperation plaguing our great country these days, the switch to digital TV would be a back burner issue - I mean, after all, who doesn't have cable and a flat screen, right? Isn't that what people bought with their subprime, overpumped piggy banks called houses? Apparently not. In fact the switch was such a big deal that Congress, yes that Congress passed an emergency measure to delay the switch to ensure that people had time to be ready. No man must be left behind!!! I mean really? Really? The buying and voting power of people who watch a static-filled Wheel of Fortune is so important that the federal government is bending over backwards to make sure they get their Vanna sans static? Wow. Losing your TV is far more important, apparently, if one is to use Katrina as a comparison, than losing ones life in America. While the US economy steamed headlong at full power toward catastrophe, Congress squabbled and preened. Thank god they've awoken to save Pat Sajack.

All I can say is, God, I LOVE this country!

Unisphere/Globitron - orbasmic!

OK - I'm going to go out on a limb here: I think the Unisphere in Flushing Meadow Park, Queens, is New York's most remarkable monument. It's actually better than a monument, it's a bold and beautiful bit of engineering, science as sculpture. Built for the 1964-5 World's Fair by the U.S. Steel Corporation, the Unisphere is 140 feet tall and weighs 900,000 lbs and is made entirely of lightweight STEEL. While not as beautiful as when it was first perched into the fountain, it is still one handsome son of a bitch and unlike most famous works of art, you can walk right up to it and climb it if you dare (some graffiti artists have gotten to the lower ring, but that's as far as they've dared). Uncharacteristically in our post 9/11 world, one can get as close to the Unisphere as they like. The fountain is ringed with skateboarders actually grinding on the rim of the fountain and the police don't even care! As a former skateboarder who's been chased by many a cop and security guard, I'm both happy for them and jealous. As a lover of old New York and it's treasures, I'm slightly appalled at how laissez-faire the park officials are at keeping the Unisphere protected. In the end, while I lazed literally directly under the Unisphere and ate my lunch today, I was happy it belonged to the people now. Does U.S. Steel even exist anymore? I don't think so. As I lounged in the shade of the Unisphere watching the hive of activity around me, planes departing from nearby La Guardia airport fly directly over the globe allowing you to see them framed by the Globetrons ribs and guidewires - it's really super cool and a view of the world that the Unisphere presaged (and survived to see).

I rode my bike their from my home in Bed Stuy - it's not difficult, though not for the feint of heart either - and having a bike gives you ready access to a very large park with tons of very nice places to picnic, or watch some very competitive soccer, play a nine hole pitch-and-putt golf course, play tennis or visit the Queens Hall of Science which has the world famous New York City Diorama which I think is a must-see for any New Yorker. I might even suggest that some egg salad sandwiches and a bottle of OCD Sauvignon Blanc would be perfect companions when you decide to go. Just don't forget you have to ride home too.

More on Queens adventures coming up including great ethnic restaurants that don't have liquor licenses.

Riesling & Lobster Rolls

For those of you who live in Brooklyn and either live in Red Hook or own one of the following: bike, motorcycle or car - you now have access to some very very tasty lobsters. The place is The Lobster Pound on Van Brunt St. - the main drag of Red Hook - and you'll be looking for a nice bit of punnery in their sign: a lobster hooked to a tow truck which is trés apropos for Red Hook as you well know if you've ever had your car towed. Anyway, these nice folks have excellent lobster and are the kind of people your relatively happy to give your hard earned TARP money to. At $9.50 per pound (yesterday), The Pound's price was only 51 cents higher than Fairway down the street and the lobsters at Fairway are the softshell kind that are raised in the aqua-projects in the Bronx - not comparable. If you think all lobsters are created equally, you are sorely mistaken. The Lobster Pound lobsters were extremely feisty - this is something you absolutely want in your lobster. The lobsters at Fairway are generally a lethargic bunch, like midwesterners after brunch at The Country Buffet - you could probably boil these people to death and they wouldn't notice either.

We returned home with 3 pound and a half lobsters for $42 and prepped the backyard for some guests. I always steam my lobsters - it's quick and easy and takes between 6 - 10 minutes depending on how many lobsters you've stuffed into your pot. I put about 2 inches of water into a large lobster part and then put a metal rack perched on a small collander to keep the lobsters out of the water. This is important because if the cold lobsters go in the water, it takes a long time to get the water boiling again and defeats the purpose of steaming. Once the water is boiling, plop those suckers into the pot and put the lid on. If you listen really carefully, you can actually hear them initially enjoying the sauna and then they start to wonder why they're really in there, and then it's too late. When done, the lobsters will be bright red and if you're in doubt, pull on an antennae and it should pull out with a little effort - not fall off on it's own, but a slight tug. Plop them in a bowl and let them cool - you can also dip them in an ice water bath if your guest are on the way. Once cool enough to handle, extract all the meat and DO NOT FORGET THE LOBSTER FAT. That's the white blobby stuff and it add FLAY-VORE! Also do not exclude body meat extraction as there is some very sweet crab-like meat in the catacombs above the legs. I add a little mayo salt and pepper to the mix and put it in the fridge.

Whence your guests have had some time to anticipate the fact that you are serving them lobster on your dime, throw some hot dog buns on the grill - I favor top split or New England style buns that offer ample exposed un-crusted bun to apply grill marks to. Lightly toast the buns and just jam pack those buns with lobster meat making sure that a few lower claw pieces and knuckles sit proud over the bun proving that you have not padded one lobster with some sea leg from the Japanese supermarket. I spritz a little lemon and tobasco on my lobster roll and am a very happy camper.

Now this is the important part: pull a bottle of OCD Riesling out of the fridge and pour a glass for all. Take a small sip at the toast to wake up the buds and then take a gnarly bit o' lobster roll and wash that down with a larger sip of Riesling. These two things in the accompaniment of summer are truly Wonder Twins. While it may seem expensive to make lobster rolls, this very packed lobster roll would cost anywhere from $15 to $28 out and about in NYC - so it's really a bargain when you consider that and it's kind of an adventure to get the lobsters and cook them. One thing is for certain - you guests will appreciate you more when you serve them lobster and OCD - especially if your normally an unrepentant asshole.