When I was at Publix I spotted these frozen mussels and thought I’d take a leap of faith. Wow! Linda fixed them on some scampi flavored pasta and they were delicious, as good as at a restaurant. They’re made by Bantry Bay. Two servings for $8, what a deal.
They went great with the Burgan’s Albarino from Spain. $14 from B-21 and rated 90 by Wine Advocate.
As a side we had a vegetable souffle from Garden Lites. This is also a delicious dish, and turns out with a nice crust, even when microwaved.
I’ll classify this blog entry as “cooking” but it’s more like heat and serve!
For our Wine Syndicate group’s quarterly dinner we challenged ourselves to correlate price with quality. We failed.
Meeting at The Capital Grille, we poured six pairs of wine, completely blind except for knowing the wines’ prices, but not which price went with which wine. The results were eye opening. Here are the six flights, and how things turned out:
1988 Haut Brion Blanc ($490) vs. 2006 Ramey Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay ($50)
The group unanimously preferred the Ramey (ash, oak butter, opulent, 95 pts), and thought it was the better wine! After a couple of hours the Haut Brion became a lot more interesting (waxy, candy, minerals, gigs, nuts, vanilla, honey, 90 pts), but my scoring was unchanged. No one caught the almost 20 year spread between the wines, and everyone thought the Ramey was a white Burgundy.
1973 BV Special Label “Burgundy” ($75) vs. 1983 DRC Echezeaux ($680)
This was the only flight where the group was evenly split as far as popularity. Most identified the true Echezeaux (mint, delicate, 93 pts), and Debbie named the BV Special Label (redwood, sweet, 92 pts). Good job Debbie!
1979 Opus One ($357) vs. 1979 Inglenook Petite Sirah ($30)
The group unanimously preferred the Inglenook (paint thinner, wood, figs, 89 pts). This was the first vintage of Opus (mint, vanilla, pencil shavings, 87 pts), and it was the worst wine of the tasting.
2007 Jean Royer Chateauneuf Prestige ($40) vs. 1989 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle ($230)
The group almost unanimously preferred the Hermitage (meat, smoke, bacon fat, mint, 90 pts) which was correctly identified by Ron. Good job Ron! The Chateauneuf was odd (candy, berries, fruit wrap, jam, smoke, 88 pts).
1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild ($900) vs. 1991 Dominus ($220)
The group unanimously preferred the Dominus (green pepper, gravel, lead pencil, mint, 97 pts) and thought it was old world and the more expensive wine! The Mouton (coffee, smoke, tar, green peppers, rubber, bacon, smoke, 95 pts) was a Parker 100 point wine that everyone thought was new world! To make matters worse, Ron, Bev, Linda and I had tasted both of these wines at events within the last two months, and none of us identified them or had them associated with the correct continent!
1963 Graham Port ($300) vs. 1992 Guenoc “Port” ($20)
A solid majority identified the real port (soft, delicate, complex, red-wine nose, 92 pts). The Guenoc (woody, 90 pts) was a fine product but was overshadowed by a great vintage of the real thing.
The Bottom Line
Out of six flights, we were unanimously wrong half the time, identifying the cheaper wine as the more expensive! Spend those dollars wisely, folks!
Most restaurants open to indifference and close within a year. But every once in a while someplace hits upon exactly what the public wants and is an instant success. Cocina 214 is not a place I would have predicted would fall into the latter category, which is why I’m not in the restaurant business.
Located on an obscure side street off of Park Avenue in Winter Park, it’s even hard to find the door. But last month, when we heard about the place opening online and checked out their interesting modern Tex Mex menu, we decided to try it before they went out of business. No worries there. When we arrived today for lunch the valet was having trouble finding places to park cars, and there were at least a hundred people packing the restaurant’s dining rooms. Clearly there is an unsatisfied demand for gourmet Mexican food in this town.
Everything we had was good, especially Linda’s ceviche, and her chicken quesadilla, which was the best quesadilla I ever tasted — except for the ones Linda makes herself (and this one probably had about 5000 fewer calories). I also liked my fish tacos, and the verde y verde salsa we ordered was a great blend of lime, cilantro and jalapeno.
Prices were reasonable. Our waiter should return to whatever his former profession was, but I noticed that everyone working the dining rooms, kitchen and front desk seemed to be really happy to be there. The place is pretty noisy when it’s full, so I recommend dining outside on the patio.
In case you’re wondering, Cocina is Spanish for kitchen and 214 is the area code for Dallas, which is not where this restaurant is. But it’s definitely worth checking out Cocina 214 in Winter Park.
One of the under-appreciated restaurants in town is actually the closest to us (well, not counting sneaking in the back entrance to Victoria & Alberts). It’s Nine 18 at the Grand Cypress Golf Resort. The restaurant used to be The Black Swan, but about ten years ago they changed the name and reduced the prices, while keeping the menu pretty much the same. I’m not sure how that worked out for them, because the place is still usually empty, but they need to stay open to cater to their resort guests. Anyway, you can reliably get an almost great meal there for a reasonable price, and the service is terrific.
Somehow Imperium, a wine bistro in Celebration, had escaped my attention, although it’s been in business for three years. It’s a bit like The Cellar at the Stained Glass in Evanston, which we love. Maybe not a dinner destination, but certainly a nice place for wine and tapas style foods and flatbreads.
Linda thought it would be a nice weekend outing to drive up to Ocala, about 90 minutes north, so we picked up Martin on our way and went to Cuvée Wine & Bistro. The place has an interesting business plan, which combines two different concepts: a restaurant, and self-service wine dispensers.
It occupies part of a former bank building, but has been redecorated in a pleasant, trendy way. High booth backs keep the noise level down, although the old farts next to us were quite rowdy. Each dining room is surrounded by rows of wine dispensers, some refrigerated for the whites, others not, for reds. There are well over 100 selections, available in 1, 2.5 or 5 ounce pours. As with other such places, you load a card with money, and then it’s debited as you use the machines.
We arrived at 6:30 and things were fairly quite, but the restaurant soon filled up, although I don’t think they turned any tables twice. What’s interesting about the success of the place is that it doesn’t seem to be driven by all the wine dispensers that surround the dining rooms. We saw few other patrons wandering around to try different wines with each course. Instead, most either let the waiter bring them a glass of something, or ordered a bottle for the table. Still, being surrounded by all those glowing bottles probably boosts wine sales. I couldn’t see the bar from where we sat, so I don’t know how much tasting traffic originated there.
The food was mostly very good. A cheese sampler plate offered a nice variety, and my clam appetizer was delicious. Salads were fine, and the steaks Linda and Martin had were good quality. I liked my eggplant napoleon, too.
The wines are more fairly priced than at the other self-serve wine place I’ve been to, The Wine Room in Winter Park. Many selections are just $2 for a taste. There are also more expensive selections, including Opus 1 ($15 per ounce) and Joseph Phelps Insignia, at an absurd $23 per ounce. Unfortunately, of four high end wines we tried (Tapestry, a Nuits St. Georges, a Pommard, and Dominus) all were spoiled by having been open a long, long time. As evidenced by the strong geranium smell, the dispensing system can’t keep them good forever. Our waiter cheerfully credited us for the wines we complained about, but they should have been removed, rather than left for the next sucker. None of the lower priced selections had this problem, and we tried many. Best QPR (quality to price ratio) was the Bell Petite Sirah.
Cuvée certainly has a better atmosphere than The Wine Room, and it was fun to try small tastes of many different wines with our food. We all agreed we would return.
I think I first saw this take-off on the London Underground map somewhere in London. It shows most of today’s celebrity chefs, and purports to show how they are interrelated. You can try out the interactive version, which gives you the chefs’ bios, or buy a poster at hartmansalt.com
Every couple of months there is a “Vine and Dine” event at the Everglades Restaurant at the Rosen Omni Center near the Convention Center. The events are usually quite fun, because the chef rises to the challenge of matching foods to wines, and you meet some interesting people at the communal tables. The event seems to attract a mixture of locals who are neither wine snobs nor newbies, plus random tourists.
Unfortunately, last night’s event wasn’t that great. The wines were a gimmick from the Mendocino Wine Company which owns Parducci. Made by Parducci’s assistant winemaker, they are basically supermarket plonk with a rock album label attached. The Chardonnay, in particular, suffered from severe smoke taint, and really shouldn’t have been bottled at all. The food was good but not really things we’d prefer to eat. And the people sitting around us happened to be newbies on dates, so it wasn’t nearly as interesting an evening as usual.
This fund raiser for the Orlando Science Museum was everything we hoped the event two weeks ago at Dellagio would be, but wasn’t. There were over 100 wines arranged around the fourth floor of the museum. Each table had 4 to 8 wines, and the event, while well-attended, was arranged in such a way that it was easy to get any wine. The wines were better quality than at most such events. A few favorites:
Roederer Estate Brut
Biltmore Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Coppola Director’s Cut Cabernet Sauvignon
Beringer Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Quite a few restaurants participated, and the food was top notch. Highlights were:
Bang bang shrimp from Bonefish
Smoked Salmon from Stonewood Grill
Sushi from The Fresh Market
BBQ pork slider from BB King’s
The event included two seminars presented by Luis Torres from Constellation Wines. We attended the second, which challenged us to taste the difference between mountain and valley grown wines from Sonoma and Napa. This was the best wine seminar I have attended. Torres is an exciting speaker, with great presentation skills and technology, and even though his audience had been drink for two hours, they were quiet and attentive. This event was the exact opposite of the boring and chaotic seminar two weeks ago. Torres divided us into groups to evaluate eight characteristics of each wine, and then showed how those characteristics were the result of the growing region, as demonstrated by satellite imagery.
I heard about this place that makes insane hamburgers, so Tommy and I had to try it. They are… insane. Tommy got their very craziest offering, which included beef, chicken, sausage, ham, bacon, corn, lettuce, cheese, potato straws and a fried egg! No tomato though. I opted out of the sausage and chicken. Even Tommy couldn’t finish this burger, as his leftovers attest.
Not necessarily a great burger, but certainly a bit of insanity.
Yellow Dog Eats is a wonderfully funky hangout that the locals fill every day at lunch for the best sandwiches you can get in Central Florida—and perhaps anywhere.
The menu is filled with the eclectic creations of owner Fish Morgan.
The pulled pork is a favorite, but nothing here is that simple. Add applewood smoked bacon, a hint of raspberry sauce, some of the house-made and bottled mustard BBQ sauce… superb.
But my personal favorite is the Kitty Cat Nap Salad, Organic greens, raspberry vinaigrette, and the most amazing heap of exotic tuna—filled with craisins, nuts, and Chinese five spice.
Owner Fish Morgan circulates and makes everyone feel at home. Well, at home with a wacky brother, anyway!
Parking is behind the place through a narrow drive on the left, or across the street. Eat out back, in the charming patio.
Yellow Dog is hard to find, but packed every day. That says it all.
Tonight Linda and I finished a six month project of watching all of LOST on DVD. For me, it was the first time to see seasons 1 and 2, for Linda it was her first time seeing seasons 5 and 6.
The first time I watched the final season I knew a lot of things were fitting together, but it was much more fun this time, because I knew who all of the characters from the early years were. It was also fun to spot the forward references. There were many, as the writers clearly had most things planned out from the start. I really like all of the seasons, but especially 3-6.
It really is amazing how the whole show fits together. Since Linda hadn’t seen the last year, it was quite a struggle to keep from letting anything slip. But Dani and I managed it, and she was quite surprised.
SPOILER ALERT
Some of my favorite moments:
Episode 1, John Lock explaining the rles of backgammon to Walt: “Two players, two sides; one is light, one is dark.” That’s what the show is about.
Sayid in various episodes sometimes saying he is a good man, other times saying he is a bad mad. That’s also what the show is about.
Lock losing his faith, Jack finding his. That’s also what the show is about.
Christopher, who had a big part considering he spend all six seasons dead.
Juliet’s dying words about getting coffee and going Dutch, lines she repeats in the final episode.
Repeated lines, sometimes by different characters: “See you in another life, brother,” “It worked,” “I wish you had believed me.”
Every actor; they were all perfectly cast.
The revelation that the flash sideways of season six were the afterlife caught Linda by surprise in the final episode. She liked the concept, just as we did. The writers had really boxed themselves into a corner, because so many favorite characters had to die to serve the plot, so showing how they would resolve their lives on their own provided fans with some gratifying wish fulfillment without being contrived or sappy. It also allowed the final episode to exert a tremendous emotional pull, as characters remembered their loved ones through a series of split second flashbacks that amounted to a greatest hits retrospective of the whole show. Then, ending the show exactly the way it started—the plane, the bamboo field, the tennis shoe, Vincent the dog, and Jack’s eye—was a stroke of genius.
I’m sure it will be a long time before I see anything of this caliber again.
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
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.
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 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
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
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.
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.
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.
Goat cheese and beet powder lollipops Eleven Madison
Fingerlings with caviar at Eleven Madison
Liquid nitrogen mixology at Eleven Madison
Fluke appetizer at Le Bernardin
At the NY Apple Store by Central Park
Steve & Linda at the 1986 Bordeaux tasting
Ron & Bev at the 1986 Bordeaux tasting
First growths at 1986 Bordeaux tasting
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
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
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!
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 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.
Ron Siegel set up this tasting at Vintage Vino in Kissimmee, with dinner provided from the restaurant next door, Chef John’s Lakeside. We were joined by Keith and Parla Edwards. I contributed a bottle of the 1986 Dominus.
I hadn’t ever had much Dominus except for the 1991, so it was fun to trace the development of the wine from the first vintage to the most recent. Wisely, Ron had us taste the three youngest wines first, then we skipped back to the beginning. This essentially arranged the wines in order from least to most interesting.
On our 33rd anniversary we invited our friends Ron & Bev Siegel to join us at Victoria and Albert’s chef’s table. Ron and Bev just celebrated their 36th anniversary, so it was a dual celebration. Maitre d’ Israel Perez managed to rearrange his schedule to host us, and Chef Scott Hunnel outdid himself, preparing some of our favorites and introducing us to some new creations.
The Food:
Sour Cream Ice Cream with Caviar
Chef Scott tested a new sturgeon caviar from Florida on this dish, one of my favorites from last New Year’s. He also placed the ice cream on tiny flakes of potato. Amazing dish!
Buffalo served under a glass filled with smoke
Tuna Tartar on a salt block
Scallop and Octopus nicoise
Lobster panna cotta
Simply an amazing course. The buffalo in particular is extraordinary, because of the fresh smoke. The charred (and tender) octopus is also great. The tuna tartar is new.
Curry Lamb
The lamb is warm in the center, but the dry ice under the plate chills the outside, when the juice is poured on. A favorite of ours.
Alaskan King Salmon cooked tableside on a very hot salt block
Another favorite, introduced when they opened the Victoria Room
Pullet Egg with Pork Belly
This was a pretty edgy course, with Chef Scott playing around with “sous vide” low temperature cooking in a bag. The egg was semi-raw. Fun, but I probably wouldn’t have it again!
Maine Lobster in Coconut Curry
This was a completely new dish, and a really neat presentation. Delicious.
Quail with Apples
Boy, does that name under-describe this dish. One of the best game bird dishes ever. A mixture of quail and duck, served on an amazing puree. This experiment is a keeper.
Herb Crusted Niman Ranch Lamb
Just a wonderful piece of lamb.
Australian Kobe Beef with Garlic-Potato Puree
Monterey Abalone with Toasted Capers
A great entree. The abalone was pounded thin and delicate. The Kobe had that grass-fed slightly gamey flavor. But I’ll be glad when we can get Wagu from Japan again.
Cheeses
Israel opened both dessert wines for this, and it was fun to see how the white matched the aged Gouda while the port matched the Stilton
Vanilla-Poached Pear
This was new and delicious. A nice light addition to the dessert offerings
Chocolate Mousse Timbale
Perfect with the port
Assorted Friandises
There’s a new banana-filled chocolate that’s really good
It was fun to try so many new things. We were lucky to go on a night when Chef Scott had time to experiment.
The Wines:
For the evening’s theme I chose vintages with special meanings for us, and Ron matched them.
NV Billecart-Salmon Rose (purchased from V&A’s list)
Hard to believe this is supposed to be a rose, no pinot noir character at all.
Very pale, citrus, caramel, 91
93 Haut Brion Blanc (Ron)
Initially corked, but if left to sit and not swirled, the nose blows off
Citrus, creme, stone, wax, caramel, vanilla, 93
2008 Aubert Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay (Steve)
White pepper, citrus, toast, butter, lemon finish, chalk, vanilla, brown sugar, 93
56 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon (Steve)
Linda’s and my birth year. Unfortunately, a terrible year for wine, worldwide!
Good color, smokey, metallic, some fruit, slightly bitter finish, wood nose emerged after 1 hour, 92
91 Dominus (Ron)
This is the wine I’ve been acquiring for Dani, as it’s regarded as one of the best California wines ever. It was nice of Ron to bring this for her.
Very Bordeaux-like nose, olives, tannic, burnt coffee grounds, 96
1964 Leroy Pommard (Steve)
Classic old burgundy, good fruit balance, spicy nose, mint, spicy, iron, coffee, sweet, 98
My “wine of the night”
78 Ch Mouton Rothschild (magnum) (Steve)
I have very few magnums in my cellar, so it was a treat to see how much fruit this had.
Smells just like the Dominus! Coffee, lots of fruit, lead pencil, wax,wood, 96
95 Ch Mouton Rothschild (Ron)
Really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really tight! It was simply impossible to drink or evaluate this wine, and this will likely continue to be the case during my lifetime. Check back in 2040 or 2050. 94?
2004 Grange (Steve)
Woody, very big but drinkable, menthol, chocolate, vanilla, more open than the 1988.Grange must have made a stylistic change, because this wine is more drinkable than most old Granges, 97
91 Rivendell Tear of the Clouds late harvest Vidal (Steve)
The only wine to ever be a unanimous best of show winner at the Florida State Fair.
Youthful, medium sweet, great acid, not cloying, apricot, 95
92 Guenoc Port (Steve)
Wow, this is holding up well! We should try this against a vintage Fonseca. Youthful, not too sweet, good acid, citrus, great match to chocolate, vanilla, mint, 97
Whenever we go to Victoria & Albert’s chef’s table I always say it’s the best event ever, and this one was no exception. A truly word-class restaurant.
One of our favorite casual restaurants is the independently owned Colorado Fondue Company in Casselberry. Dani started a tradition of going there on or near her birthday when she was ten, and we always take a picture with their moose.
We saved the best for last. Having been to Joel Robuchon’s l’Atelier in London, we knew it was good, but I had expected his formal restaurant, Robuchon, to be better. However I actually prefer the honest flavors of the simple ingredients at l’Atelier. I also, surprisingly, like sitting at what is essentially a sushi bar, and chatting with the servers and watching the chefs.
We went on Friday night, and had a great time. One of our servers, a Nigerian named Sunday, was especially nice, and encouraged us to let him make a reservation for us after our show the next night, and so we did. l’Atelier two nights in a row, wow!
Before dinner on Saturday we saw Ka, our favorite Cirque show by a mile. The story line, consistent theming, and amazing technical aspects of the presentation set this apart from all other Cirque shows. My favorite moments are when the huge platform is first revealed and slowly rotates to show the audience what it can do, then when it later transforms itself into a vertical wall. The show has been rearranged since we first saw it, so that the impressive vertical battle—where you feel like you are watching from above—is now at the end, a great way to finish with the best scene.
We finished out meal Saturday with these delicious mini hamburgers. I’d had a hamburger with foie gras and caramelized onions at db Bistro Moderne in New York, but these are much better. The small size—just four bites each—and the wonderful brioche bun make these a little slice of heaven, without being overpoweringly rich. It was a real treat to end out week in Vegas on such a high note.
With our wine group back in Orlando, Linda and I have a few days alone in Las Vegas. Thursday we met Ron Ford of Simon Malls for lunch at Sushi Roku and a backstage tour of the Forum Shops.
There are two main shows, with very sophisticated gas, steam, lasers, hydraulics, animated figures, audio and video. Over the years Ron has replaced much of the original equipment with Alcorn McBride gear. It was very gratifying to run into so many people backstage who complimented us on the reliability of our gear.
Ron provided a great tour, and I could tell that he and Linda were kindred spirits, as they talked Hoffman Boxes, Elco connectors and PLCs for a couple of hours. What a treat!
For dinner Linda and I walked next door to Andre’s in the Monte Carlo. The food was just so-so, but the wine list was interesting, and not too pricey by Vegas standards. We had a 1955 Cornas that had lost its fruit, a 2001 Clos de Tart that Linda said was good (by this time my cold was bad enough I couldn’t really smell anything), and a tasting of four vintages and types of Reserva Velha Barbieto Madeira that seemed pretty interesting: ’54 Malvasia, ’53 Bual, ’40 Verdelho and ’51 Sercial.
Delmonico’s was the final restaurant on our Wine Syndicate Las Vegas culinary adventure, and it was easily the best experience. Incredibly attentive and professional wine service by Ryan Anderson made the evening a delight. At last, here was a place that really understood the concept of a wine tasting dinner.
This was also the best slate of wines during the trip, and the best tasting we’ve done in several years. The wines:
2000 Montrachet, G. Amiot 2000 Ch ‘Y’
1968 BV Special Label Burgundy
1976 Clos de la Roche – Pierre Bouree Fils
1964 BV Georges de La Tour Private Reserve
1955 Ch Cheval Blanctenth
2002 Dominus
1986 Ch Mouton Rothschild
1999 Ch d’Yquemtenth
2000 Ch d’Yquem tenth
All of the wines showed great.The favorites were the 1955 Cheval Blanc and the Chateau Y, which is the dry wine from Yquem. I scored the latter a perfect 100, which I almost never do, for whites, especially.
Earlier in the day we changed hotels, moving from the Vdara to the Mandarin Oriental. I had originally booked the Mandarin as a special treat, but it sort of backfired, because we like the Vdara much more than I was expecting. Our suite at the Mandarin is impressive, with about 80 linear feet of glass wall wrapping around a sharp corder of the building, right on the strip.
Of course, the service at the Mandarin is perfect. Heck, during check-in you get hot towels and tea! Still, we both preferred the quiet environment—and the dramatic height—of the room at the Vdara, and it cost less than half as much.
For lunch we went to Lotus of Siam, regarded by many as the best Thai restaurant in America. It’s in a dumpy shopping center off of Sahara, so I’m sure we looked a bit incongruous piling out of a stretch limo. Certainly it was the best Thai food I’ve ever had, and it was great with a large party, because we could have a little taste of so many dishes.
The wine list is quite amazing, with a thousand or more selections, and priced in many cases below retail. There are many bottles that are simply not available at retail, and we took the opportunity to try several 100 point Parker wines. While I didn’t record the food, the wines were:
1997 Corton-Charlemagne Bonneau du Martray – Waxy, 90 pts
2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, Pierre Usegglio, Cuvee de mon Aieul – (RP 100) Tannic, balanced, chocolate dipped cherries, 94 pts
2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, Domain de Janasse – (RP 100) Velvety, meaty, 97 pt
2007 Sine Qua Non Pictures – Grenache, 15.6% alcohol, (RP potential 100) Big fruit, mint, leaves, wood, plums, meat, 100 pts
2000 Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Fiacre Champagne – same wine we had a Robuchon, but at half the price! A deal for a vintage Champagne at $75. 95 pts
My scores are mostly lower than Parker’s, but he’s a nut for that 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape vintage.
In the evening we walked over to Ron & Bev’s suite at the PH Westgate for a get-together and had some salmon, Champagne and a 1989 Ch. Angelus that was drinking great, but young. Their suite is expansive, with a wonderful view of the Strip. The blue and red tinted glass is a bit weird.
For dinner we went to Aquaknox at the Venetian, for our vertical Georges de la Tour tasting. We sat at the chef’s table adjacent to the kitchen, which was a bit crowded, like last night, but fortunately this time we just passed the wines so I didn’t have to squeeze around. The vintages were: 63, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79. Standouts were the 68, 69, 70, and the 77, 78, 79. Interesting that they are both runs of three consecutive years.
The food was pretty lackluster, as with my previous visit to Aquaknox:
Buffalo Mozzarella with basil and olive oil – probably the best course, because the ingredients worked together
Scallop – sliced thin and flavorless except for the parsley on top
Poached lobster of truffled creamed corn – Not much flavor to the lobster, but the creamed corn was definitely the best thing we tasted. We should have just had a bowl of this!
John Dory – the chef is famous for this dish, but I don’t know why. A nearly flavorless white fish served with trumpet mushrooms that didn’t go with it at all.
Maple leaf duck breast with lentils – Nothing really worked here, either. Lentils don’t really enhance duck breast.
Veal Ossobucco – A train wreck. The veal was like dried out pot roast, and the mushrooms were bitter and weird tasting.
Pineapple-Mango Creme Brulee – this was a delicious creme brulee with some bits of fruit in it, and went very well with the wine John brought, which was the best of show dessert wine from the state fair, a late harvest Seyval Blanc from Ohio.
Needless to say, two strikes and Aquaknox is off my list!
Monday Linda and I walked up to the Forum Shops and had lunch at Sushi Roku. Our server, Chase, made some great recommendations.
It was a beautiful morning, and we stopped to look back at our hotel across the Bellagio fountain pool.
After lunch we bought some wine and cheese and bread and hosted an afternoon get-together in our suite.
In the evening, Ron arranged for a hummer limo to pick us up and take us to the Venetian.
Pinot Brasserie did a great job with dinner. Our server, Cathy, adeptly handled the entire party.
The Menu:
Endive Salad – a nice combination of sweet and bitter, with a cirus edge
Seared Foie Gras, Langoustine Tail – Really two courses in one; the truffled morel mushrooms under this were superb
Pumpkin Ravioli with chicken with brown butter – this chicken was better than last night’s chicken at Robuchon
Chateaubriand and Maine Lobster Tail – Another two course dish, both were delicious
Sorbet
Cheese and accompaniments – very nice presentation, but we’d been eating cheese all afternoon!
Belgian Chocolate Souffle – a nice salty/sweet crust on this
Espresso
The format for the wines was six pairs, poured blind, with one Burgundy and one California wine, of comparable ages. It was easy to tell them apart until the last two flights, when things got tough. Nearly everyone had 100% scores until the last flight, when the wine of the night turned out to be a 1973 BV Special Label Burgundy with God only knows what grapes in it!
1949Charmes-Chambertin, Liger-Belair
1959BV Beaumont Pinot Noir
1958Echezeaux Domaine de la Romanee Conti
1958BV Beaumont Pinot Noir
1961Bonnes Mares – Drouhin-Laroze
1960BV Burgundy
1967Chambertin Clos de Beze P. Gelin
1967BV Burgundy
1971Beaune Greves Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus Bouchard
1970BV Beaumont Pinot Noir
1976Clos de la Roche – Pierre Bouree Fils
1973BV Special Label Burgundy
I’ll post my notes on the group’s site.
Unfortunately I started getting a sore throat during this event, but Linda was nice enough to go over to the Aria and get me an assortment of medicine to help me try to shake it.
I would definitely have another event at Pinot Brasserie, although it would be better to schedule all these Venetian events earlier, because there is an obnoxious nightclub across the hall from them, and the thumping gets old after a few hours.
When I was at Publix I spotted these frozen mussels and thought I’d take a leap of faith. Wow! Linda fixed them on some scampi flavored pasta and they were delicious, as good as at a restaurant. They’re made by Bantry Bay. Two servings for $8, what a deal.
