Peanut butter and bacon sandwich – Mayor Bloomberg – impossible pairing?
In a piece entitled “Mayor Doesn’t Always Live by His Health Rules,” the Times reported yesterday on Mayor Bloomberg’s diet. To the tape:
HE dumps salt on almost everything, even saltine crackers. He devours burnt bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. He has a weakness for hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and fried chicken, washing them down with a glass of merlot.
Whoa–talk about impossible food-wine pairings!! Surely we can do better for Mayor Mike than merlot? Which wine with you pair with burnt bacon and peanut butter sandwiches? Or are they…impossible?!? Answer well and it could lead to Senior Pairings Expert in a possible future Bloomberg administration?!
Related: Elvis’ version of the peanut butter, bacon, banana (!) and butter (!!) sandwich
On September 23rd, 2009 at 8:23 am ,Damien wrote:
Young vintage port? Late harvest Gruner Veltliner? Maybe off dry Savennierres? Needs some acidity to cut through the fat and some roundness for the salt. I might serve a recent vintage of Lipitor as well, more for precaution than for flavor.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 9:06 am ,Damien wrote:
Actually, I have had a few Quintarelli Recciotos lately that I bet would work too. Rather a riduculous thing to serve with peanut butter, but Bloomberg wouldn’t be bothered by the cost.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 9:17 am ,Benito wrote:
As a native Memphian, I must note that the King’s preferred peanut butter and banana sandwich didn’t have bacon; that’s a modern variant for those who felt the original didn’t have enough salt and fat. I’ve never had one, but I’ve watched plenty of tourists plow through the greasy mess, and saw a demonstration from Elvis’ personal cook. She used an entire stick of margarine per sandwich.
For Bloomberg’s sammich? Alsatian white wine, well chilled.
Also see the Guberburger, a hamburger with a smear of peanut butter:
http://tastyfever.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/all-hail-the-guberburger/
On September 23rd, 2009 at 9:26 am ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Damien – yes to Lipitor! And, of course, in this case, budgetary constraints do not apply.
Benito – Yes, I thought Elvis was more known for the banana/PB (fried) sandwich so was surprised to see that bacon addition. And, wow, margarine! Add some transfats to the mix…
On September 23rd, 2009 at 10:20 am ,Dylan wrote:
I love that you actually found a photo of a burnt bacon and peanut butter sandwich.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 10:46 am ,Lyman Dally wrote:
An aged (ca.1999) Cote Rotie. Usually has some baconfat overtones, and The Mayor can certainly afford it.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 12:17 pm ,Boettcher wrote:
Keeping it in NY State I think a late harvest Riesling from the Finger Lakes would pair well with the bacon and peanut butter. I would also try a Pinot Grigio from the Alto Adige, one of Lageder’s higher end bottlings perhaps.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm ,Erol Senel wrote:
My initial reaction would be a white (i.e. – Riesling, Albarino, or possibly an ice wine), but the bacon gave me a different take.
I think I would pick a bigger pinot noir, probably from Willamette, OR of Sonoma. I think that it would not overpower the creaminess of the peanut butter, but would stand up to the salty, meatiness of the bacon. Plus, adding the cherry dimension to the mix would be pleasant.
I am going to have to try this one!
On September 23rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm ,Frank wrote:
German Riesling. Auslese
On September 23rd, 2009 at 3:45 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Site reader John writes in:
“The correct pairing is amontillado.”
On September 23rd, 2009 at 4:01 pm ,James wrote:
1997 Dal Forno Amarone.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 6:42 pm ,Holly wrote:
I do not believe that there is any form of peanut butter that will go with any wine. The one is pedestrian; the other celestial.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 6:53 pm ,Joker Filsby wrote:
It’s only a matter of time before Bloomy tries to ban wine as well. Why not? He is apparently OK with banning everything else he personally enjoys.
On September 23rd, 2009 at 7:31 pm ,jdfvino wrote:
Honestly, the thought of a PB&Bacon sandwich with an Alsatian white or a late harvest Riesling makes me want to wretch. A nutty, bacony (uh, that’s what we are dealing with, right?!) snack quickly brings to mind a Rhone red, north or south take your pick. Someone did mention a Cote Rotie, which would be quite nice, but a St. Joseph or Vacqueyras would also do the trick. Pinot Noir would be my second choice; a Pinot with a little boldness to be sure. Otherwise, I would just pour a glass of ice cold milk and go nuts I guess!
On September 23rd, 2009 at 7:38 pm ,winemonkey wrote:
I have to agree with jdfvino on this one. Those whites would make me wretch. This is not Thai spicy peanut sauce people. New world Pinot is best, but hey I’m biased. Also I like the idea of Amontillado as a nice nut neutralizer. (i said ‘nut neutralizer’. :)))
On September 23rd, 2009 at 11:18 pm ,U.S. Life Insurance Industry Cut to ‘In Line’ at Morgan Stanley Bloomberg | Best Life Insurance Brokers wrote:
[…] Peanut butter and bacon sandwich – Mayor Bloomberg – impossible … […]
On September 24th, 2009 at 6:15 am ,Steve wrote:
I would have to agree with Hugh Johnson who believes that peanuts kill wine flavors, so the best pairing would not be with wine.
For a non-wine pairing, it would only be right to use one of Elvis’s favorite bevies: Dr. Pepper, Lime Gatorade or Mountain Valley Spring Water. These are the ones mentioned on the Graceland tour that were stocked in his airplane. I’m not sure about he commercial connection that Elvis may have had or Graceland has with these brands if any, but of these three, the Dr. Pepper would probably have the right amount of scouring bubbles for the bacon.
On September 24th, 2009 at 9:28 am ,Mike Veseth wrote:
Kool-Aid would probably match up very well. Going with that inspiration, my friends Michael and Nancy, who like to buy the cheapest possible wines, once served me a wine that tasted just like Kool-Aid. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the brand and I wouldn’t want to make a bad guess.
With Bloomberg’s wealth he can probably drink La Tache with his sandwich. If so, more power to him!
On September 24th, 2009 at 11:16 am ,The Agitator » Blog Archive » Lunch Links wrote:
[…] does America’s biggest Nanny eat? A lot of the stuff he’s trying to stop you from […]
On September 24th, 2009 at 10:29 pm ,Billy Y.. wrote:
If it had to be wine, I’d go with an older vintage tawny port, chilled. But, my first choice would be Duvel Belgian ale. Heh.
On September 26th, 2009 at 1:33 am ,sgs wrote:
That has been one of my favorite foods for only about 4 decades. The thing is, it is really a breakfast meal. Does anyone out there drink wine for breakfast anymore? I broke that habit years ago. Maybe something light and fruity like a slightly chilled Barbarano?
On January 12th, 2010 at 1:15 pm ,Early Foodie wrote:
I haven’t had a PB/B sandwich since I was about 15, but I can tell you from experience that there is not enough bacon on the sandwich pictured! Need a few more slices to make it perfect, and use a non-hydrogenated PB like Smucker’s Natural – ummmmmm! Be sure to toast the bread (whole wheat to make it more healthy :>) otherwise it’s a gooey mess – only put PB on one slice, and nothing on the other slice. The beverage? Orange juice, freshly squeezed! This is definitely a breakfast meal.