LiveWorld Transcripts

SocialNet presents

Niqui Hunt, Lauren Phillips and David Green
Romantic Meals

August 23, 1999

Oysters aren't the only thing that can add some romance to a meal! Can you believe pasta and veggies? With the right wine, of course! Chef Lauren Philips and winemaker David Greene give advice about preparing romantic meals.

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SocialNet: Welcome to the Social Series Chat! Our topic for today is great ideas for Summer Dates. Joining us is Chef Lauren Phillips and Winemaker David Greene from Quivera Vineyards. Niqui Hunt, VP at SocialNet.com is also joining us to speak about the SocialNet.com website. Our first guest this evening will be Niqui Hunt, VP of SocialNet.com. Welcome Niqui!

Niqui: SocialNet.com is a site that welcomes people for different activities. We have four services- One service for dating, one for sports and recreation, one to find business partners, and one to find a roommate. We thought it would be fun for our first event to give you ideas for your first date.or any date! Lauren and David are here to offer up their suggestions, so without further ado, let's open up the floor for questions!

Lauren: Hello!

David: Hello!

Luvstocook: What would be a nice inexpensive meal to serve to a date I was looking to impress?

Lauren: A pasta with some nice summer vegetables, with a nice pesto. Veggies, garlic. You can start with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette. Stay away from a longer pasta, like spaghetti. But this time of year, you do have the best of all the summer produce, so you can toss some of that in. Red wine or white wine, either is delicious. Follow that with ice cream and fruit in a fresh compote. Add a little brown sugar or fresh ginger, making it special.

David: For summertime, I'd recommend a white wine, a sauvignon blanc; even a pinot blanc or pinot gris.

Needsideas: My boyfriend is one of those basic meat and potatoes people. Any ideas to jazz up meals without over doing it?

Lauren: You could take a piece of beef tenderloin, put a split in the center, and put some gorgonzola cheese in it. Also, make a red wine reduction sauce ahead of time, which you would serve over it. For the potatoes, either do herb-roasted potatoes, or garlic mashed potatoes. In summer, you can do a meat and potato salad. Make a romaine salad with a strong vinaigrette or Caesar dressing, then add sliced steak and roasted potatoes to it. Tomatoes can be added atop that, also.

Singlemale: Is there a wine that goes with everything? Or should we stick to the white wine with fish and chicken, red wine with the rest rule?

David: I don't think there is a wine that goes with just one. I think some varieties are quite versatile. Zinfandel is good with vegetables, and also with a steak.

Lauren: Yes, that would make that sauce delicious.

David: I think a red Rhone wine would go with fish, so you can't always use the white wine for fish idea. Chicken can also have a lot of red wines to go with it, including zinfandel and pinot noir. The main thing is to find a wine you LIKE.

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