Well, I didn’t win a James Beard Award this year. Again. (Might have helped if I had written something last year worth entering, of course).

But Tim McKee did, and it’s about time. And it’s Alex Roberts’ turn next year. These are two of the best chefs in the country, plain and simple. (Actually, Alex’s food is realtively plain and simple, while Tim’s, at least at La Belle Vie, is more complex and fussy.)

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to win a James Beard Award awhile back, and since my way better half and I never got a chance to properly celebrate, we decided to have a fifth-anniversary party last weekend. We made a bunch of recipes from the series on Italian regional cooking that nabbed the honor, and man, did it get scarfed up.

“Even the skinniest girls broke down and were heaping the chow onto their plates,” said my friend Joe in the aftermath.   One particularly popular dish was the grilled garlic-breadcrumb shrimp, and I give a lot of credit to the aforementioned Mr. Roberts, who tipped me off to what kind of shrimp he uses to magnificent effect at Restaurant Alma. Coastal Seafoods, ho!

The wine was a little bit more of a mixed bag.  A very intriguing white brought by my buddy Mike proved … well, weird, maybe oxidized, maybe just not in its prime. The oldest wine, 1964 Barolo from Givanni Scanavino, was pleasant and had some life to it but clearly was past its prime. Both fun, worthwhile experiences, though.  Some 1997 Barolos were very good but hardly profound; same for a few older Brunellos.

The most interesting experience involved two bottles of the same “Super Tuscan” wine, the 1997 Tignonello. Early on, a 750-ml. bottle was a bit flat and angular. Later in the evening, my pal Craig showed up with a magnum of the same wine, and it rocked: fresh and vibrant, deep and soulful. Our best guess is that the first bottle was improperly stored before it was sold; there’s no way bottle variance was the sole factor.

My other two favorites were a 2004 Perticaia Sagrantino di Montefalco (but admittedly I’m very partial to this tannin-laden varietal) and an approachable but almost profound Barbera d’Asti, the 2004 Roberto Voerzio, also in a magnum.

Ah, live and learn. But mostly live, to the utmost, the way James Beard did.Â

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