Black Walnut Winery Comes to Phoenixville, Interview with Valerie Castle – Proprietor & CFO

by Washington Washington

In a perfect world, professions would always reflect and incorporate one’s passions and interests. Fortunately for Valerie Castle, Proprietor & CFO of Black Walnut Winery, that’s what eventually transpired after she, her husband Lance, and partners Jack and Karen Kuhn decided to first try winemaking back in 2001.

“We started making wine in our garage, approximately 350 bottles the first year,” says Castle. “Now we make around 27,000 bottles a year.”

In the winery’s formative years, the Castles and Kuhns worked with friends to help process 500 pounds of grapes for their ‘unofficial’ first crush under a canopy of Black Walnut trees at the Castle’s home. This grew to be an annual event and several years later, in April of 2006, they began the process of renovating a 198 year old bank barn in Sadsburyville, PA to house Black Walnut Winery (3000 Lincoln Highway).

Now, the four owners plan to open a Black Walnut Winery tasting room at the corner of Gay and Bridge sometime during the second half of August (exact date TBD). Their tentative hours will be Wednesdays and Thursdays 4pm – 9pm, Fridays 4pm – 10pm, Saturdays 11am – 10pm, and Sundays 1pm – 8pm.

“We chose to open a Phoenixville location for a number of reasons,” claims Castle. “My husband (our winemaker) and I live in Kimberton and have been watching the rejuvenation of downtown Phoenixville with a great deal of excitement. We’ve been discussing potential locations for additional retail sites with our business partners, Jack and Karen Kuhn, for some time, and Phoenixville has always been at the top of that list. The availability of a beautifully renovated retail space in close proximity to a number of successful BYO restaurants in a thriving business area made the decision to move forward an easy one.”

As for special events, The Black Walnut Winery will feature live music on select weekend evenings, wine and artisan goat cheese pairings (with Amazing Acres Goat Dairy) several times a year, and wine & chocolate pairings (incorporating Prestige Chocolates) for special occasions such as Valentine’s weekend. They will also host special events such as private wine, cheese and chocolate pairings at the Phoenixville site as requested by customers.

“Making your own product and bringing it out to the public is very fulfilling,” said Castle. “We have a strong commitment to providing our visitors with good wine through an interactive experience and welcoming atmosphere. We want people to enjoy themselves and not feel that they have to rush through what we have to offer.”

For more information, please visit http://www.blackwalnutwinery.com

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admin, July 27th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Interviews, Previews

Antigua Guatemala – Restaurante Authentico Guatemalteco

by Washington Washington

We all know and love Mexican food… right? I mean, I make tacos for dinner every other day – lamb, fish, veal, you name it. But how similar is Mexican cuisine to the cuisine of its curious neighbor to the south, Guatemala? Well, luckily Phoenixvillians have the chance to find out now that Antigua Guatemala (119 South Main St. – 610.935.2700) has opened and is currently serving authentic Guatemalan food.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by a friendly woman who quickly seated us and gave us the low down on the place. She pointed out the authentic Guatemalan table display situated at the front of the room… A nice touch to the already bright and comfortable interior. Shortly afterwards, we were given some fresh chips with black bean sauce and an additional cup of salsa verde. We cracked open the beers we brought, began snacking, and all was good.

The menu contains a selection of authentic entrees, fajitas, and soups. There are also a variety of drinks, desserts, and a children’s menu.

I went with the Churrasco, a chargrilled steak rubbed with Central American seasonings and served with Guatemalan salsa, sautéed scallions, black bean sauce, and Spanish rice. The dish came with three warm homemade tortillas which was confusing to me at first. After speaking to the very pleasant and helpful manager (who was walking around to make sure all diners were satisfied) he instructed me to dip the tortilla in the black bean sauce, then add rice and some steak. It turned out to be great advice, as the final construction proved to be a delicious combination of flavors.

The steak itself was thin, yet tender. There were a few pieces of gristle, but not many. The sauce on the steak was fairly basic to my taste buds, however, the manager also brought us a container of the red salsa, which I was warned would be very spicy. It had an excellent flavor… Fiery, but not unbearable, and it made me sweat. I like it hot though.

My fellow diner ordered the Pollo a la Parilla, a fire-roasted chicken marinated in Antiguan spices, served with a garden salad and Spanish rice. She was pleased and had more than enough to make a second meal of it. I however devoured my entire plate, which was no easy task.

After trying Antigua Guatemala, I can honestly say that I’m very pleased to have a restaurant like this in the neighborhood. Although the selections are somewhat similar to what you might find at a Mexican restaurant, there are some distinct differences. Also, while menu is somewhat limited for now, I would expect their selections to grow in time and look forward to trying something new next time (perhaps the “Latin style” sausage – intriguing!).

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admin, July 23rd 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Reviews

Now Showing: 9500 Liberty at the Colonial Theatre 7/16 thru 22

9500 Liberty (2010)

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

‘Liberty’ Balance

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

I have long waited and looked for a way that documentaries could break out of their tired, tired formats, either talking heads ‘n’ clips, or that old pompous, condescending “this is good for you” tone. Filmmakers Eric Byler (Charlotte Sometimes, Americanese, Tre) and Annabel Park have done it with their new film 9500 Liberty. In other hands, in other times, it could have been a simple film that followed the democratic process as an anti-immigration bill goes in front of the Board of Supervisors in Prince William County, Virginia. But Byler and Park saw their film growing organically in a new direction and went with it.

The movie starts with an amazing sequence: Byler and Park are interviewing a local Hispanic man when a white man comes along and begins ranting about how no one speaks English anymore. Rather than ignoring him or cutting him out, Byler and Park began talking to the man, filming the entire exchange. They posted the clip on YouTube, and it went viral, drawing national attention to a local issue.

The filmmakers then interview right-wing blogger Greg Letiecq, who was more or less responsible in whipping up the county into a state of hysteria and getting the anti-immigration bill in front of the Board of Supervisors. His readers regularly claim that they’re afraid to go out at night. Letiecq fuels these fears, claiming that many of the immigrants are actually Zapatistas, armed and ready to take over. He also claims that crime is on the rise in William County, when in fact Byler and Park show that it’s on the decline.

Eventually, due to pressure, confusion, fear and hysteria, the bill passes, and includes a “probable cause” section that requires police officers to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect might be illegal. (It could also result in the entire county being sued for racial profiling.) At this point in the film, the Chief of Police Charlie Deane casually begins talking about how troublesome the new law is, which results in angry shouts of “treason” from the righties. This is the last straw for many citizens who finally decide to stand up for what they feel is right.

At this point, the Washington Post asked Byler and Park to write essays on the situation, which they did, and they were also asked to speak at the board meetings. People soon figured out that in all the fighting and frenzy, the filmmakers had gathered the most complete and accurate information around. The filmmakers incorporate these events into the film itself, acknowledging that their presence has subtly changed the course of history. It’s as if, two-thirds of the way through the film, the filmmakers stepped out from behind their black curtain and continued the show on stage. This very simple gesture is actually a fairly radical idea; no documentary can be entirely objective, and to admit this on camera is a idea that’s all too rare. Most documentaries simply pretend that they are objective.

This is Byler’s fourth theatrical film; his previous three were all romantic character studies, with a hint of melodrama. I like them all, and I think he has a genuine touch for emotional behavior and a good eye for composing such behavior. His leap from melodrama to politics may seem huge, but once again his eye for human emotions and behavior is intact (all credit due to Park as well, whose official debut this is). Best of all, is that this never turns into a Republican-bashing film. It’s far less interested in getting angry and placing blame than it is in initiating a calm, thoughtful discourse. Remarkably, it demonstrates that while fear politics work very well, the politics of rational people can work just as well.

Jeffrey M. Anderson is a freelance film critic based in San Francisco. His work has appeared in the San Francisco Examiner, the Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Metro, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the Las Vegas Weekly, Cinematical.com, Greencine.com and BayInsider.com. In addition, he maintains his own movie review website, Combustible Celluloid.com. He has served as an Oscar expert on television and a horror expert at film festivals.

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admin, July 16th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Previews
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