Stove Meltdown – Part Deux

My New Baby!

As you may remember from last week’s post, I had quite the event when my stove, a KitchenAid Architect Series II, decided that it wouldn’t turn itself off and I thought I was {{this close}} to losing my house and, possibly, me.

Well, the events since then would have made the writers of the Keystone Cops series proud.  The actions of the principals have been nothing short of head-shaking.  However, after talking to Contact 13 and finally getting everything resolved with RC Willey, I now possess a brand new GE Profile range.  It’s beautiful!

Now all I have to do to is to tell the KitchenAid people that their services are no longer needed.

They sent out their “authorized” repair company to take a look at the dismantled heap that was once my stove, and opted to shell out nearly $800.00 in parts – excluding labor – rather than replace a dangerous appliance.  Well, no.  That option wasn’t an option.  There’s a part of me that could still see, in my mind’s eye, the stove explosively launching itself through the kitchen wall into my neighbor’s home.  Or into my living room.  Or into *me*!  That’s not exactly a view that promises peace of mind.  As a result, I’m not mad at RC Willey any more.  True, it cost me a few extra dollars to upgrade to a more serious, more highly rated and superior range, but I feel it is money well spent.  There is no price tag on peace of mind.

RIP KitchenAid

Now I can happily concentrate on the one thing that’s been my obsession.  This website.

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern about the unbelievable situation that unfolded.  I feel so loved!

Stay tuned.

Because of changes in the new site and mailing list, please be sure to go directly to VegasWineaux.com and re-subscribe.  More on that in the next post!

It Was a Great Day Until My Stove Blew Up

Let me explain.

Those of you who have hung out at my house know how enthusiastic I am about my kitchen.  About four years ago, I completely remodeled my kitchen with new cabinets, granite countertops, and travertine tile backsplash.  True, my high-end consumer grade appliances have given me fits from time to time, but overall, it’s been a happy relationship.

Then last Thursday happened.

It started off as an ordinary morning as I began getting ready for work.  About 6:00 a.m. I popped a couple of sweet potatoes in the oven of my KitchenAid Architect range, set the timer, and hurried off to my room to finish getting ready for work.  The timer went off about an hour later, and I went into the kitchen, turned off the stove, and propped the door open just a bit to help dissipate some of the heat.  I went back into the restroom to finish dealing with hair issues – there were many.

I came back into the kitchen and immediately noticed that the air was quite warm, but what really got my attention is that there was an error message on the display of the stove.  I didn’t really read it, but noticed that the stove was still on.  This time I made sure that it was turned off and removed my potatoes from the oven. (By the way, I HATE microwaved potatoes).  Once again, shaking my head in bemusement, I went into another part of the house to finish getting ready for work.

A few minutes later when I walked into the kitchen to get my lunch together, I went into instant panic mode.  The kitchen was hot and the stove was ramping up hotter and hotter.  The error message that I had overlooked before stated that the oven was overheated.  What I thought was the fan blowing was actually the blower pushing superheated air through the stove.  I opened the door slightly hoping to diffuse some of the heat, and went outside to turn off the circuit breaker.  I came back into the darkened house and THE OVEN WAS STILL OVERHEATING!!  I was getting *really* scared and panicky at this point – and for those of you know me, “panicky” is not something I do – and could, in my mind’s eye, see my house going up in flames.

I ran back outside and turned the circuit breaker back on (a very, very stupid thing to do in retrospect), and came back into the house to make phone calls before I perished in a hot potato induced inferno.

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The Wineaux Guy and New Site Testing

At Hug last year enjoying his favorite SB

Hi All!

I’m working very hard on getting the new look of Vegas Wineaux up and running. I’m having a few issues – all technological in nature which brings me back to the first time I upgraded the site nearly two years (!!!) ago.  This is a test post as I see how the mailing features are working.  If you got a copy of my last mailing, you know that I am in testing mode since I fired my last email service (they weren’t mailing – a key need of mine), and am trying out a new one.  We’ll see, but I’m getting skeptical at this point.

Meanwhile,Rod  the Wineaux Guy was here a couple of weeks ago and did a tasting of Hug Cellars Cedar Lane Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc.  This is one of his favorites and it shows! He did well for his first time on camera, and although he called himself a few names, I thought he did quite well. The good news is that he will be doing tastings periodically since he has quite a good palate.

So enjoy the show and I’ll be seeing y’all soon as I work through the glitches!

Just Click Here to see the tasting!

Lunch on the Strip – Taqueria Cañonita

Canonita

I had some time to kill between the “day job” and the Convention Center, so I stopped in for a quick lunch at the Taqueria Cañonita restaurant at the Venetian. My son had promised that I could get a quick lunch on the cheap there, and naturally, I was highly skeptical. But since it was located very close to the Convention Center, I thought I’d give it a try.

First bit of advice: don’t go alone. Not only was my “outdoor” table by the canal wonderfully romantic, but the food really is meant to be shared.

I was seated next to the canal where the turnaround area for the gondolas is located. If you’ve ever been there, you know that’s where the gondoliers will stop and serenade their customers and the crowd with beautiful operatic arias. It was a free show, and I enjoyed every second. It was yummy to the ears and goosebumping to the arms.

The large, yellow-orange menus revealed a variety of surprisingly reasonably priced food items. While I could have tried a whole array of different dishes, my time constraints (and budget, of course) naturally limited my choices.

At the urging of the first server ( I hate the word “busboy”), I started with the chips and salsa, which is an extra charge of $2.00 and is not automatically placed on your table. Before you get all huffy because of that, hear me out.

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Vegas Wineaux Loves a Quickie

Oh please, people! Get your mind out of the gutter!

Allow me to explain.

While technically this began at the last Marché Bacchus tasting on Saturday, it came to a head, so to speak, last evening.

I didn’t feel like cooking, had tons of work to do at home, wanted a quick dinner, and had (okay, *wanted*) to buy some wine that was on sale. At Marché of course.  So I bought the last four bottles of Londer Vineyards Pinot Noir and decided to stay for dinner.

I don’t need to rave about how great Marché Bacchus is.  Their accolades are legendary.  And for more than a decade, this little restaurant has been a haven for foodies throughout Vegas and the world. Literally.  So while I could tell you that the fresh crusty bread was perfect with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or that the beautifully rare duck breast on a bed of wilted Napa cabbage and flavorful reduction was luscious, or that the Russian River Pinot Noir – served perfectly in a Burgundy glass, of course – was the ideal accompaniment, or that the smooth sound of Martin Mancuso saxophones was just the right touch for an evening out on the patio, I won’t.

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Vegas Wineaux Focus On – Sculpterra Winery

Although we visited Sculpterra on the last day of our long Paso Robles Wine Festival weekend, I decided to showcase them first because of the sheer number of pictures that I took of their spectacular grounds. They also have an unusual story, and I felt that was definitely worth sharing.

In spite of their 60+ acres and the fact that they’ve owned their own vineyards since the late 70s, Sculpterra wines are actually quite new to the consumer. Their first vintage was 2005, and even now, their production is only about 3300 cases per annum. They sell most of their grapes to others but keep enough back to create wines under the Sculpterra label. For instance, they sell the greater part of their Cabernet Sauvignon production but retain all of the Viognier for their own use.

Paul Frankel, the son of the winery owner, literally grew up on these grounds, learning all aspects of vineyard care and management and winemaking. A recent graduate of California State University at San Luis Obispo with a degree in Viticulture, he arrived at the university program with a lifetime of hands-on experience and knowledge that other students could only imagine.

A tall, slender young man with arresting green eyes and a quiet, self-effacing manner, he has an easy natural charm and an obvious passion for winemaking. After all, he’s been in the vineyards since he was a wee lad! He has worked on the last few releases as he has been gradually transitioning into becoming Sculpterra’s full-time winemaker.

The interview was fun to do with him. Actually, it’s less of an interview than it is just allowing Paul to tell us in his own words a little about the winery’s history and what’s planned for the future.

And then he’s a rocker who uses his old rocker van for vineyard tours.

But I digress.

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