Teikoku Restaurant, sitting just outside Philadelphia, is fast becoming my favorite dining spot in the known Universe.

I’m not a food reviewer, so I’m not going to try to do justice to the stellar dishes they whipped up for their last food & wine tasting event.

I will, however, tell you about the wines that Heather Wright (wine educator and consultant from Cellar Door Imports) chose for the event, since they’re all great budget-minded picks for your next Asian food dining sojourn:

08 Arabella Sauvignon Blanc (W. Cape, SA): Tropical fruit dominates even over the acidity. Bit too much bod for lil’ ol’ me but it’s cheap!

07 Banyan Gewurztraminer (Monterey County, CA): Somehow it’s 1D despite lychee, lime, rose petal, & melon. Still, hard to beat for the price

07 Banyan Viognier Madera (CA): Fat & oily, with a crazy banana nose that’s all over the place. Not “pure” by any stretch – but damn fun!

07 Hyatt Chardonnay (Rattlesnake Hills, WA): Vanilla syrup & pears, good balance, but a tad astringent on the finish. Decent pick, nice $.

06 Hobo Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, CA): Ripe as hell but red berries, licorice, & pepper keep things interesting. Good pick for BBQ beef.

If you’re in the Philly area and want to join in the next Teikoku wine event, details are below…

And finally, from the “Damn, wish I had a tech support staff!” Department: I’m way sorry for the lack of video feed from last night’s live twitter tasting. It worked when we tested it several times earlier in the week, but at show time there was no sound. Since we were right in the thick of the event kick-off, I decided to abandon video rather than try to address it then and there (which would have been a big distraction during the tasting – not to mention during my dinner!). I’ll make sure it’s working before the next event!

Cheers!