Cigar City Brewing

I’d never been to a micro brewery tasting before, so when I heard about a Cuban dinner and beer tasting at Padrino’s, I asked Martin if he’d like to go. Since it combined two of Linda’s least favorite things—beer and Cuban food—I didn’t bother to ask Linda!

The event was a lot of fun, mainly because the beers were very unusual and complicated and different from each other, and all really matched the courses with which they were paired.

We were also lucky that we sat next to Matt and Phil from Lockheed. Phil knew as much about beer as we knew about wine, so it made for some interesting discussions.

Justin from Cigar City Brewery hosted.

The dinner featured five traditional Cuban dishes—tostones with chorizo, roast pork, ropa vieja, paella and tres leches—each served with a Cigar City craft beer specifically chosen to enhance the flavors.

The food was good, though not the best Cuban in town (that’s at Numero Uno).

The beers:

Maduro Brown Ale 5.5%
coffee, minerals, good bitter to sweet balance, 92

Guava Grove
Guava purée secondary fermentation Belgian farmhouse brew
Yeasty, sour, hint of fruit, mint, a difficult brew to like due to its sourness, 89

Big sound scotch ale
Thick, malty, plum, sweet, licorice, 94

Jaialai IPA (India Pale Ale) draught
Tropical fruit, apricot, citrus, hops, 92

Cubano Espresso
Coffee beans added to brown ale
Not chewy, but complex and with a long coffee finish
93

Afterward, Martin and I sat outside with Cohibas and Gran Marnier, and listened to the agonized screams from the sports bat across the parking lot as the Magic ended their season.

 

1982 Bordeaux

Ron organized this 1982 Bordeaux tasting at Bull  & Bear. Words cannot express how much better a tasting this was than the 1986 Bordeaux event in New York last week. That said, I still don’t see what all the fuss is about 1982 Bordeaux. There are many better years.

There was almost unanimous agreement on the best wine of each flight; this almost never happens. The highlight for me was to have the different flights organized by region, and really be able to see the consistency between them.

It was also great to have such exceptional palates at the table. Attendees were: Ron, Bev, Steve, Linda, Keith, Parlo, Russell, Andres, Paula, Rafaelle and Audrey.

My wine of the night was the Pichon Lalande. Other standouts were the Gloria, which was way out of its class, the Yquem, and the Armagnac.

The food was, as usual, far beyond that of a normal steakhouse, and everyone chipped in with some exceptional wines. Great service by Arnaud.

35 wines, 11 people: sounds about right.

The wines and food:

Warmup Wines

96 Perrier Jouet – Rafaelle
Pleasant, high acid, 92

NV  Brut  Jaques Selosse Initiale – Ron
This was my WOTN from the Dominus tasting, and it came close again tonight.
Yeast, peel, perfect balance, 98

2003 Bruno Giacosa Extra Brut – Andres
Fresh, vanilla, 100% chard, 90

Flight 1

82 Certan de May (Pomerol) – Keith
Medium garnet, Smoked meat, ash, lime, red berries, oily, 94

82 L’ Evangile (Pomerol) – Keith
Chalk, restrained fruit, nuts, potpourri, smoked meat, took a few moments to open up, iron and glycerine finish, 96

82 Latour a Pomerol – Andres from Ron’s cellar
Youthful, floral, smoke, tomato leaves, not Pomerol- like, 92

Flight 2

82 Leoville Barton (St Julien) – Keith
Green vegetables, soil, mint, forest floor, rich, 90

82 Gloria (St Julien) – Steve
Lightest color, Smoke, fruity, low acid, high fruit, bacon, mocha, mint, Burgundian, coffee, elegant, really interesting wine that was easily the best bang for the buck, since it is an unrated growth, 95

82 Leoville Las Cases ( St Julien ) – Russell
Dark, Chocolate pudding, flan, chewy, very young, structured, fruitcake, pine, sawdust, wax, 97

Flight 3

82 Montrose (St Estephe ) – Russell
Plastic, slightly musty, vegetables, rust, metallic, I’m not a Montrose fan, but this seemed off even for Montrose, 90

82 Cos d’Estournel  (St Estephe ) – Ron
Vanilla, meat, spice box, bacon, smoke, 96

82 Calon Segur – Andres from Ron’s cellar
Light, earthy, iron, blood, like.  Rhone, soy sauce, cedar, 92

Flight 4

82 La Legune (Haut Medoc) – Rafaelle
Bubble gum, toothpaste mint,  a bit short, this flight was quite different from Flight 3, into which this wine was originally mistakenly poured, a good lesson, 92

82 Pichon Baron ( Pauillac ) – Steve
Hint of the bubble gum, disappointing 91

82 Pichon Lalande ( Pauillac) – Ron
Roasted peanuts, meat, smoke, mint, WOTN! 98

Flight 5

82 Haut Brion ( Graves ) – Steve
Oxidized, Cinnamon toast, goes on forever, butter, vanilla, flawed bottle but a great wine, only Linda and I could get around the oxidation, everyone else disliked it, 95?

82 La Mission Haut Brion ( Graves ) – Ron
Tight, tar, olives, sweet soy sauce, tomato paste, meat, I expected this to be wotn, but it was disappointing, 92

Dinner & Wines

82 Laville Haut Brion blanc – Ron
Oil paint, linseed oil, pineapple, mineral finish, slightly corked, would have been a real standout without the TCA and the stiff competition, 92

2000 Ch. “Y” – Ron
Paint thinner, citrus, intense tropical flavors and apparent sweetness on the palate (elicited a long discussion about fruit vs sugar), wax, sawdust, New World style, 97

1999 Ch Beaucastel – Andres
Vanilla, restrained fruit, caramel, 89

Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle – Rafaelle
Balanced, green, vanilla, toast, great match to sorbet, 93

Marinated salmon
Red pepper sorbet – this was amazing!

Escargot with gnocchi – perhaps the best escargot course I’ve ever had

82 Giuseppe e Figlio Dardi Barolo – Steve
Oxidized, iron, vanilla, 89

82 The Magician Cantina Delatorre del Mago Aldo Barolo – Ron
Spice, youthful, figs, wood, 92

Foie Gras on brioche with orange compote – great dish

82 Feeemark Abbey Johannisberg Riesling Edelwein Gold – Steve
Medium brown, pears in syrup nose, botrytis, great acid balance, fantastic with the foie gras, this later faced the Yquem and took no prisoners, I wish I had more, 95

99 Brunello – Russell
Mushroom, Eggnog, dirt, vanilla, char, 92

Diver’s scallops with cauliflower

71  Vosnee Romanee Bouchard Pere & Fils – Ron
Fresh Pinot, pomegranate, cherries, dried out, I expected more of this since it’s a good year, vineyard and decent producer, disappointing since it was the night’s only Burg, 90

Abacus, ZD (solera) ninth bottling – Keith
Big cherries, vanilla, wood, butter, this wine is a true solera, with the new vintage added to the old each year, very interesting, 95

2004 Barbaresco Bernardot Bricco Asili Ceretto – Raffaele
Vanilla, meat, 93

1993 Chateauneuf du pape, Mathieu Pierre Anselm – Andres
Vanilla, Very Burgundian, tasted blind everyone thought it was pinot noir (although I thought it was pinot meunier), 90

Steak, carrots, potato puree, mac & chesse with bacon (amazing) and sauces

82 Kenwood Artists Cabernet Sauvignon – Steve
Cedar, cherries, better than I expected by far, 92

90 Pichon Lalande (rated 78 by Parker) – Keith
Vegetal, didn’t deserve a 78 but not a good wine considering the great year, they must have picked too early, 87

Lemon peel, cooked and cream filled – a wonderful dessert, and actual lemon that was steeped in gran marnier until the peel was an edible container.

2007 Hermitage Perrin – Rafaelle
Vanilla, Bacon, lime, an interesting wine, but should have been served with the meat to really enjoy it, 94

82 Joseph Phelps Insignia – Ron
Dried cherry, served too late to really appreciate it, it needed an hour to evolve and we didn’t have an hour, 92

82 ch d’Yquem – Ron
Very balanced, botrytis, citrus, vanilla, spice, great with the dessert, 98

82 Labordole Bas Armagnac – Steve
Chestnut, vanilla, floral, this is the armagnac we had at Robouchon, but an even better year, a great finish to a great evening, 98

 

Zucchini Casserole

A Somewhat different version than the one I usually make, this one has no marinara, just fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. zucchini
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 lb. tomatoes, chopped
  • seasoning
  • 1 cup Italian cheese

    Preparation:

    Heat oven to 400° F.

    1) Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté the onion in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant. Cut tomatoes in 3 to 5 pieces, and add, along with the herbs and spices.

    2) Cook over medium heat until the liquid is mostly gone (but not dry), stirring occasionally — it should end up being about a cup. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes.

    3) Meanwhile, cut the zucchini into slices approximately ¼ inch thick. Take the largest slices and line the bottom of a 9 X 9″ or 8 X 8″ pan.

    4) Spread about ¼ of the tomato mixture on the zucchini (don’t even try to spread evenly; it won’t work), followed by ¼ cup of the cheese.

    5) Continue layering. It should come out to four layers, but if it only makes three, just try to divide things relatively evenly. Don’t put the final layer of cheese on yet.

    6) Bake for 20 minutes. Top with the rest of the cheese, and lower the temperature to 375 F. Bake for about 20 more minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.

    Makes 6 servings.

    Dijon Salad Dressing with Roquette

    • Two handfuls roquette (arugula)
    • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • 4 fl oz olive oil
    • 4 fl oz vinegar
    • croutons
    • seasoning
    • lemon juice
    • pinch sugar

    Linda’s Gazpacho

    Linda made some delicious gazpacho last night. She started with a recipe from Food Network and modified it.

    Ingredients

    • 2 cucumbers, diced
    • 3 large tomatoes, diced
    • 1 red pepper, chopped
    • 1 green pepper, chopped
    • 1 red onion, chopped
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 stalks celery, chopped
    • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
    • 2 1/2 cups V8 juice
    • Salt
    • Lemon Pepper
    • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
    • Juice of 1 lime
    • Tabasco and Tapatio hot sauces

    Directions

    In large glass bowl combine vegetables. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Add half the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Combine puree with original mixture. Chill for 4 hours and serve.

     

    Benoit

    Linda enjoys the delicious charcuterie board.

    We finished our trip to New York with an authentic French Bistro lunch at Benoit. We’d spotted this place in our walks around the neighborhood of the hotel, and it looked just like a Paris bistro. So before catching our limo to the airport we walked over and enjoyed a great charcuterie plate and a melt-in-your-mouth roasted chicken, along with pomme frites, of course. It was only later that we found out why the food was so wonderful — it’s Alain Ducasse’s restaurant! Then it was back to the airport, and reality. Great trip.

    Whole roast chicken and pomme frites. They brought this out whole for show, then returned it to the kitchen to carve.

    Eleven Madison Park

    A jam-packed day of culinary adventure in New York City!

    The City’s Top Rated Zagat Restaurant — But Why?

    Our day began with Lunch at Le Bernardin, the city’s top rated food according to Zagat, the only place rated 29/30. We’d been to Le Bernardin before, and didn’t like it, but Ron and Bev wanted to show us how good it could be. Indeed, we had a much better meal. The service and appetizers were wonderful. It still probably wouldn’t be a place I’d take the time to revisit, with so many other choices available. The fish isn’t remarkable enough on its own to draw me back. Linda described her entree as a dish well suited to a retirement home! The preparations just lack the extra layer of genius that transcends good and takes it to superlative (as we were later reminded at Eleven Madison Park, but I’m getting ahead of myself).

    1986 Bordeaux Retrospective

    Our next stop was the original reason for this trip: A 1986 Bordeaux Retrospective put on by Executive Wine Seminars in Tribeca. 39 attendees shared two bottles each of 13 different wines. We were interested to collect some ideas for our own Wine Syndicate events, but in this event actually turned out to be a bit less profession, formal and polished than we were expecting. Basically it was a couple of tipsy guys pouring wine, and a lot of people with opinions but very little sign of good palates. Still, it was interesting to have four first growths side by side, although the Talbot actually edged out the first growths in my notes:

    Vieux Chateau Certan (Pomerol)(Parker 92)
    Pine, black pepper, thyme, 88

    Rausan-Segla (Margaux)(P96)
    Tar, Smoked meat aftertaste, tight, 91

    Pichon Lalande (Pauillac)(RP96)
    Floral, balanced, structured, most fruit of the first four, 90

    Cos d’Estournel (St Estephe)(RP95)
    Perfume, chalky, tannic, anise, tight, 88

    Ducru-Beaucaillou (St Julien)RP92
    Tannic, mint, corky finish, flawed bottle, 90?

    Graud-Larose (St Julien) (RP94)
    Big, structured, long smokey finish, jammy, old style, 93

    Leoville Las Cases (St Julien)(RP98)
    Chewy, tight, mint, balanced, elegant, herbs, died quickly, 94

    Talbot (St Julien)(RP96)
    Coffee, balanced, scorched earth, toast, cranberries, 97

    Haut-Brion (Graves) (RP93)
    Chalk, gravel, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, mint, perfume, 96

    Margaux (Margaux) (RP96)
    Cheese, tight, 91

    Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) (RP99)
    Lead pencil, vanilla, 93

    Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac) (RP100)
    Smoke, herbs, figs, tight, tannic, veggies, mint, 95

    Climens (Barsac) (RP)
    Apricot, low acid, pleasant, 90

    Bottom line is that Parker really overrated the Lafite and underrated the Haut Brion (as usual). The only two of these wines I’d buy are the Talbot and the Haut Brion.

    The Greatest Dinner of My Life

    We finished this busy day with dinner at Eleven Madison Park. We’ve tried Michelin three star restaurants around the world, and dined at the kitchen tables of some very famous and talented chefs, so we’re probably a bit jaded as foodies. It was therefore a complete and delightful surprise to experience what we both agreed was the best meal of our lives!

    A relaxed and friendly atmosphere, very professional service, and superb winelist and wine service all helped to make the evening special. But it was the food that stole the show. Course after course, every bite surprised and delighted. There wasn’t a weak entry in the lot, and we tried essentially everything the kitchen offered. At the middle of the meal we visited the kitchen for a demonstration of molecular gastronomy using liquid nitrogen, and then ate the result.

    This list cannot capture the amazing flavors of every bite of this meal:

    • Halibut tea with nori lavash
    • Fluke sashimi and scallop sashimi, both with citrus
    • Goat cheese lollipops coated with beet dust
    • Sea urchin panna cotta
    • Smoked sturgeon sabayon
    • Fingerling potato with caviar
    • Foie gras terrine with pickled onion
    • Seared scallop with Valencia orange
    • Roasted cauliflower curry
    • Braise pork with peas and mint
    • Wagu beef with smoked potato puree
    • Egg cream
    • Chocolate with popcorn ice cream
    • Mignardises

    Wow, just typing that list I can taste each one of those again!

    Our sommelier, Rob Kihlstrom, provided superb advice. The wines:

    Claude Jenet Champagne (comped by the restaurant)
    Balanced, creamy, good food wine 92

    1996 Nuits-Saint-Georges Meo-Camuzet Aux Boudots
    Smoke, dried cherries, vanilla, leather, 95

    2005 Reisling Auslese Schieferterrassen Heymann-Lowenstein
    Minerals, pears, perfect balance, 96

    1997 Clos de Tart
    Tar, meaty, bacon, smoke, earthy, mint, anise, vanilla 95

    1989 Hermitage Sorrel la Greal corked (2 bottles)
    We gave up on this after two flawed bottles and changed to…

    1989 Chateauneuf du Pape, Vieux Telegraph
    Vanilla, cherries, chocolate, big, chewy, 93

    1975 Leoville Barton
    (a taste sent from Keith Edwards, who happened to be there the same night with Parlo, Russell and Nicole)
    Classic old Bordeaux, 92

    Guillon-Painturaud VSOP Cognac Grand Champagne (comped by the restaurant)
    Pleasant, citrus, 92

    We closed the place at 1am. What an amazing restaurant. We can’t wait to return!

     

    Spiderman: Turn Off the Suck

    When we first planned this trip to New York, I asked Ron if there were any Broadway shows he wanted to see, and he mentioned Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. Having heard how awful the show was, and that it was by far the most expensive Broadway show ever produced, I admit to a morbid fascination to see just how bad it was. So we got tickets to see it. When we purchased them, American Express insisted on reading a warning that many purchasers had been unhappy with the show and that there would be no refunds. Not a good sign when you’re spending $300 a seat!

    We knew the show had never officially “opened.” technically it is still in previews, the longest any show has ever remained so, and a sure sign of trouble. Nevertheless, it continues to be sold out. Since the day we bought the tickets there have been two other interesting developments: the director, Julie Taymor, was essentially fired, and they’ve announced the show will close to for a month or two to be reworked. In fact, today is its last day.

    With all that going against it, I was expecting it to be bad, and I wasn’t disappointed. It might not be the worst Broadway show ever, but it’s in contention. If you factor in production cost, it’s a clear winner.

    The main reason it sucks is the usual one: story. It seems as if they couldn’t bear to just retell Spiderman’s origin, so they layered two incomprehensible plotlines on top of it.

    Incomprehensible plot line number 1: Four unidentified teens are attempting to come up with a Spiderman story that is essentially this show. The story is… a retelling of Spiderman’s origin, combined with incomprehensible plot line number 2.

    Incomprehensible plot line number 2: Arachne is a mythical character who committed suicide and became an immortal spider. Now she is in love with Peter Parker and is creating imaginary versions of his past villains and convincing everyone on the planet that the world is being destroyed (or not) to convince Peter to be with her rather than Mary Jane. If that sounds like it makes no sense, it’s because it makes no sense. It is, however, a good excuse for having lots of people dressed as spiders dangling from cables.

    The first half of Act 1 is so bad that the audience was giggling in embarrassment over how bad it was! I’ve never experienced that before.

    The other huge problem with the show is the dull, repetitive and poor music by Bono and U2. There might be five halfway decent songs, and that’s being generous.

    A lot of people have said they don’t know where the 70 or 80 million bucks went for this show, but I didn’t feel that way. There are tons of giant moving things: set pieces, video walls, ramps, lifts, hoists, plus a rigging system that can fly two people over the audience as they fight. It looks expensive.

    The show has exactly two things going for it: those giant moving things, and the impressive arial work of the eight stuntmen dressed as Spiderman. I’ve seen a lot of over-audience flying, but this is truly impressive. It’s also the reason the audience applauds at the end, although there was no unanimous standing ovation, the first time in a while I’ve seen that.

    If they can continue to pack the theater after they rework (and presumably officially “open”) they may, at $300, eventually pay back the investment, but this show can’t travel, which limits its revenues. If you take away the gimmicks that are clearly not portable, it would be unbearable.

    The show sucks mainly because Julie Taymor, who co-wrote and directed, is a mask designer, not a writer or director. She won a Tony for directing Lion King, but that already had a story and a score, and she won the Tony because it was her idea to design cool masks and put them on top of characters’ heads instead of over their faces. That doesn’t make her a writer or director. Obviously.

    So now that they’ve called in others to fix it, what will they do? Will they have the guts to discard the two incomprehensible plot lines and all but five songs? That seems unlikely. As a result, I’m betting that the Spectacular Spiderman will continue to suck, but perhaps just not so spectacularly.

    The 5 Browns

    The 5 Browns is a classical music group of five siblings—Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, Melody and Ryan Brown—who play piano. Five pianos. All Steinways, all at the same time. They put on a great show last night at the Plaza, playing a combination of classical and more modern “classical” music, plus several film scores.

    I hadn’t been to the larger of the two theaters at the Plaza before. The concert wasn’t well attended, with only about 150 people there. I blame that on poor marketing, because the Browns certainly put on a great show. The day before the show, Martin sent me a special offer to see them at the Plaza theater last night, and I ended up with a $45 fifth row ticket for $10! That hardly pays to move five Steinways around the country.

    My favorite moments of the show were:

    • The opening number, Holst’s Planets, where the orchestral parts were divvied up amongst the pianos.
    • A suite of music from Star Wars. Apparently they also recorded this at LucasFilm.
    • Reflections On “Shenandoah,” a modern piece composed for five pianos.
    • A solo performance of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. I’d only ever seen Daffy Duck perform this, so it was pretty impressive to see how a human accomplishes this near-impossible piece!

    The Browns were extremely professional at what must have been a difficult time, given the events of the previous day. I’m really glad Martin alerted me to this show.