Today: The latest buzz.

I made an incredible discovery on Wednesday night:  Espresso.  As usual, I’m a bit late to the game.  I have been awake for nearly 72 hours straight (just kidding… I took a three hour nap early this morning before heading to work).  I have done four loads of laundry.  I have updated my iPhone… twice (apparently I was more than one version behind). I’ve watched two episodes of Pan Am, while painting my nails three different colors.  I’ve written two grant proposals and drafted one budget.  I went seven rounds in the boxing gym without taking a single break.  I can’t stop dancing. Why is my eyelid twitching?

As someone who “swears off caffeine forever” multiple times each year, I may be venturing into dangerous territory. I had the pleasure of joining a few of my favorite Boston girls for a media dinner featuring coffee and wine pairings, hosted by Ted Allen and coffee expert Mark Uhlemann at the Nespresso Boutique on Newbury Street.  After only a few sips of my espresso martini, I felt like Jessie Spano on the trampoline (minus the diet pill addiction).  I was both so excited and so… scared that perhaps I had been invited to this fabulous event by mistake.  I prayed my over-sized lady briefcase wouldn’t knock over any of Nespresso’s teeny, tiny cute little espresso cups as I passed through the boutique.

When it was time to make our way to the dining area, set up towards the back of the store for this event, we spotted Ted Allen’s place card.  It didn’t take much coaxing to get Bridget to snag a seat next to the Food Network star, and our host for the evening.  Doesn’t she look like she’s up to something?

Our first course featured a sweet potato cup with parsnip puree whip and coffee caviar (yes, really).  The wine and coffee pairings included a glass of Argyle 2000 “Extended Tirage” brut sparkling wine, alongside a cup of Nespresso’s Livanto Grand Cru.  I think you know my policy on sparkling wine.  Bubbles make life better.  Prior to this event, I had no policy on Livanto Grand Cru.  I now do (it’s the same as my bubble policy).  I love when life gets unexpectedly better.

As our entrees were being served, we learned a bit more about the Nespresso brand, and their emergence in the US market.  Mark Uhlemann emphasized that this is not your run of the mill drive through coffee.  It is meant to be savored.  I started having flashbacks of the three hour lunch breaks I enjoyed as a sixteen year old exchange student in Rome (my host father once packed a Budweiser in my school lunch “because Americans love beer,” but that’s another story… and an awesome one, at that).  Does mixing espresso and sparkling wine cause flashbacks?  I’m willing to do the research and report back.

In addition to a glass of Pahlmeyer 2004 Merlot (not my favorite, but then again, I am white wine weenie through and through) and a tiny cup of Nespresso’s limited edition Dhjana (I love anything miniature, let’s be serious), I enjoyed one of the best vegetarian entrees I’ve been served in ages.  I savored nearly every bite of my roasted asparagus and crispy eggplant roulade.

Somehow, I saved room for dessert, which was paired with a glass of Niepoort 10-year-old tawny port and a cup of Nespresso’s Decaffeinato Intenso.  And my, was it intenso.  I probably could have sprinted home in heels, instead of lazily taking a cab ride (which wouldn’t be complete without a colorful lecture about the “jackassedness of paying for cab rides with credit cards”– direct quote.  Can you guess my new favorite word?).

I loved hearing Ted Allen speak about which restaurants he had visited in Boston, his experience with Nespresso, and his thoughts on the wine and coffee pairings.  He was truly charming, down to earth, and (not surprisingly) quite funny.  Mark Uhlemann offered great insight, and officially has me hooked on a new caffeine vehicle.  Diet Coke who?

It may have been the coffee, it may have been the wine, it may have been the chocolate… but I suspect it was actually the company– I had a fantastic evening.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Gearing up for a 12 hour work day… on a Saturday.  Jealous?
• Wondering about salting my pasta water
• So glad I was in the car to catch this SportsHub interview