Tinderbox Kitchen and Annex

What’s in a Barrel…Wine of Course

tbox — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:20:36 +0000

I just got back from the first of many trips to McElmo Canyon, Colorado. There in the middle of what seems like barren desert runs a 25 mile long canyon full of agricultural production. At about mile 12 is what we have just dubbed, the Tinderbox Vineyard. This trip involved meeting with the land owner, the farmer and wine maker Joe Buckle and blending what will be our very first Tinderbox wine. The grapes are grown there, just 4 hours from the Tinderbox back door and the wine-making style of Joe is perfect for our first home-grown wine. After barrel tasting from the 2010 crop, we settled on a red, northern Rhone-style blend. We are very excited to produce and provide a true “House” wine, which in this case doesn’t mean cheap, it means a creation painstakingly grown, aged and blended to match Chef Scott’s cooking profile. This red will pair incredibly well with a good majority of the dishes. It is being made with attention to the fruit; taking from it exactly what it was grown to give. It will be what I deem “Old-World” style; not overbearing, not overly tannic or fruity, just a wonderfully balanced wine made to complement food. Stay tuned as I work through the process of further barrel aging, the ultimate exercise of blending and the bottling and labeling of this terrific addition to the Tinderbox experience.

2012, the end of…

tbox — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:21:43 +0000

So in which camp are you? Those that believe that December 21 marks the “end of the world” or those who believe the date marks the day the Earth and its inhabitants undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation? Whichever you inhabit, use the next 11 or so months to “end” certain things in your life. End the habit of drinking “house wine” because you think it’s cheap; end the habit of ordering the same thing every time you go out because it’s “safe”; End the overuse of the word “No” in your daily life…We believe 2012 is start, the start of the next best thing!

New Look

tbox — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:01:06 +0000

Today we launch our new website with the help of Jeff Saville and Garrick Brooks. As we thought about our first years in business (and trolled the web for other great restaurants around the country) we thought that a more visual “tour” of the restaurant, food and our town was more important. If you think about it, when you’re looking for a place to eat don’t you want to “see” where you’re going to enjoy the meal? So much of eating out is the experience; after all we can eat at home or call for a pizza delivery but when you venture out it’s the whole entertainment value we seek. We will still endeavor to show you our menu changes every day so check back often! See you soon on the Southside.