Introducing the man with a name fit for a movie title. The Curious Case of Dylan Bean. The Legend of Dylan Bean. Dylan Bean & The Chocolate Factory. The Dylan Bean with A Dragon Tattoo. All right. I’m finished. So. Dylan is a recent NYC transplant and works with me at good ole Domaine LA. He also shuffles (stylishly and with purpose) around town slinging some mighty fine juice representing Amy Atwood Selections.
Here we go!
Name: Dylan Bean // Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT // Current location: Los Angeles
Favorite Winter beverage: This winter I’ve been drinking a lot of white wine from Spain. Thanks to Domaine LA, I’ve discovered some cool white and orange wines from Spanish winemakers like Laureano Serres, Pedro Peciña, and Fabio Bartolomei from Vinos Ambiz.
Favorite place to grab a drink: Lately it’s been El Prado in Echo Park. The mood there is just right – simple, cozy, and the bartenders spin vinyl all night long.
Favorite toast: I like the Chinese toast “gan bei”, which means “dry the cup”.
Favorite post-dinner quaff: Limoncello
Favorite food & beverage pairing: Buttered popcorn and Muscadet that I smuggle into the theatre. I’m really into the salty/sour combo. And wine always tastes better while in the dark, watching the big screen.
If you could travel to one region of the world right now for its food and/or drink where would you go? Hong Kong. I like all the dim sum dumplings, pork buns, haa gow, shu mai — basically any food that is wrapped. And I like ordering from a cart, it all feels so democratic.
What’s for sipper? A fresh and grapey Cabernet Franc from Domaine des Sablonnettes in the Loire Valley. This wine reminds me that life doesn’t have to be so serious.
Movie title: The Bubbly, The Blade & The Bean. PS- real men wear Top-siders.
As you all know, I was in Italy this past fall. Traveling, drinking wine, traveling, drinking more wine. Eating. The usual. A few weeks during my epic journey I was lucky enough to be joined by one of my best friends, Christina. We are two drama school pals that have both ended up in this crazy world of wine. She is (too) far away in London so whenever I travel to Europe, we always try to meet up. And wine drinking is always involved, of course. Add to that a Flip video camera- and I think you can see where this is going. I made this little “outtakes” video back in September and think it’s about time it made its BHMF debut. We had originally hoped to make a kind of homage to 3 Sheets… the female Zane Lampreys! When watching the footage all the “unplanned” and blooper clips were WAY more interesting than anything else we recorded. Lesson learned: nobody wants to hear you talk about wine. Seeing you get drunk- that’s the ticket.
Make some limoncello! Or just drink it. Or do both!
Let’s take a moment for a Brunello flashback…the Amalfi Coast. 2001. On a beach near Sorrento under the midday sun. I approached a small shack on the rocky shore in search of refreshments. The woman in front of me was being poured a pale yellow beverage over ice. It was cold. I wanted it. During slow sips and the development of an afternoon buzz, I learned this was the Amalfi Coast’s prized limoncello; a lemon infused pure grain alcohol with sugar.
I was recently given a bottle by an Italian wine rep who had picked it up in the coastal town of Ravello. Ahhh- I could almost feel the ocean breezes. It’s sweet, rich and viscous but its ice cold temperature makes it refreshing. A great summer digestif if you ask me. If you can’t get your hands on an authentic bottle of this yummy stuff, you can make your own! Check out Italy Logue’s step by step recipe.
