Dining – Page 2 – Steve's Journal

Moto 2014

It had been a couple of years since we went to Moto, Chicago’s temple of molecular gastronomy. We had a very different experience on this visit from our past visits. It began with a table downstairs, in a space we didn’t realize existed. It’s much quieter than upstairs, and you can watch one of the chefs prepping dishes.

We entertained ourselves by identifying the element symbols on the wall

Downstairs dining room. It's much quieter than upstairs, and you can watch the prep chef — Downstairs dining room. It’s much quieter than upstairs, and you can watch the prep chef

Previously Moto served a ten or twenty course dinner where each course was very playful, and looked like something it wasn’t. For example there was a tiny cuban pork sandwich that looked like a cigar. But now they seem to have reinvented themselves as a more upscale experience (although pricing for a 14 course extravaganza remains a very reasonable $175). So the dishes were less playful, and there was a focus on how they were presented. Some of the presentations were extremely fun and imaginative, and a few we recognized as influenced by 11 Madison or Tru.

Because their dishes are hard to match with wines, we’ve always had the wine pairing in the past, but since these are (by necessity) rather odd wines, we opted to go off the list this time. That was probably a mistake, as indeed few of the courses matched our chardonnay and pinot noir. Dani and I finished by sharing a couple ounces of 1912 D’Oliveiras Verdelho Madeira, which was spectacular and would have matched every course. I photographed some of the more interesting looking courses:

This was the "menu." A tiny sample of an ingredient from each dish to follow — This was the “menu.” A tiny sample of an ingredient from each dish to follow

Fish with assorted accompaniments — Fish with assorted accompaniment

Welks and accompaniments on a glass plate over seaweed and seashells. I suspect this was inspired by Tru

This was everyone's favorite course, an amazing combo of onion and garlic flavors, and one tiny fragment that tasted like an entire smoked rabbit — This was everyone’s favorite course, an amazing combo of onion and garlic flavors, and one tiny fragment that tasted like an entire smoked rabbit

Three tiers, with wagu on to, broccoli in the middle, and other goodies below the screen — Three tiers, with wagu on top, broccoli in the middle, and other goodies below the screen

Shredded pork in mole. This was Linda's and Dani's second favorite dish — Shredded pork in mole. This was Linda’s and Dani’s second favorite dish

Three delicious cheeses. This was my second favorite course

Toasting marshmallows stuffed with graham crackers and dark chocolate, an inside out smore

Final parting course, a beach ball macaron

Afterwards we toured the kitchen, which was driven by an automated computer system that tracked and voice announced every course for every table. There was also a separate room for growing all the micro greens and herbs used throughout the menu.

We found this new approach at Moto interesting, but because it’s less playful, it requires spectacular food. Admittedly we are spoiled by other great restaurants we’ve been to, but we felt that, despite the creative presentations, there was only one gastronomic home run in the meal: the sampling of various onion and garlic pieces with a tiny fragment of smoked rabbit that was so flavorful it was like having an entire barbecue meal the size of a grain of rice!

I’ll return to Moto, but probably wait a couple of years to see what new things they come up with.

These poker chips are used to track food allergies

Sophisticated, automated, voice announced course planner for each table

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

Linda flew in to Chicago for a long weekend and to escape her Disney projects. Dani and I met her at Midway with Korean Barbecue tacos from the nearby Dos Ricco’s Mexican and Asian Cuisine. I like the Korean taco, but with a corn tortilla. These were a bit spicier than the last time, with a big squirt of Sriracha on each!

We had four hours to kill before our dinner theatre tickets, and Linda wanted to visit the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, where she hadn’t been since our visit in 1986. When we got there we discovered their featured exhibit was… wait for it… Disney!

For some reason the museum was closing at 4pm, so we only had two hours. Still, we made good use of our time, booking tickets for the Disney exhibit, the WWII sub and the coal mine.

I’m pleased to report that the museum is in excellent repair, a vast improvement from Dani’s an my visit a few years ago. Further more, the employee morale is amazing. We encountered five cast members — ticket seller, Disney tour host, two different guides at the sub, and the mine tour guide — who were all incredibly enthusiastic and helpful, going out of their way to make sure every guest had a great experience. This was better-than-Disney guest relations, and we left feeling very impressed.

MSI2014-4

Dinner was a The City Winery. We didn’t know the group playing, Jackopierce, although they’ve been around for 25 years. But I picked it because Dani and I had been before, and loved the ambience, great acoustics, interesting small plate food, and wines.

We spent an hour on the outside patio having appetizers and wine. Linda discovered that in addition to their own wines they have a 400-bottle list. Wow! Wines from just about every country, and some real gems at pricing only slightly higher than retail. We started with a Sea Smoke Chardonnay, and finished with a 2005 Morey Saint Denis that was really smokin’. I can’t believe that bottle was just $80. And all the glassware is Riedel, with each matched to the type of wine. Those glasses cost more than our wine!

Jackopierce was very talented, although no particular song stood out for me. But I really liked the opener, a local guitarist and singer named Phil Jacobson.

CityWinery

The Revenge of Burgundy

A few weeks ago we got together with Ron and Bev for dinner at The Vineyard, with the shocking result that the Bordeaux outshone the Burgundy. This almost never happens. So when Ron invited us to join Rhett from B-21 at their home for dinner, I was ready for a rematch.

Dinner, which Ron and Bev threw together on the spur of the moment, was amazing. We started with tuna tartare, smoked salmon, and Ron’s famous balls (sweet red peppers stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in bacon). These all went really well with the Jacques Selosse.

We segued to the patio for Stone Crabs with mustard sauce. What a great match to the Aubert and what a perfect evening for stone crabs on the patio!

This is where the Burgundy kicked in, and the first two were the wines to be all night… until the end, when Ron did beat them, with another Burgundy, as you’ll see.

In the dining room we had a phenomenal baked sea bass, radicchio salad with a delicious Chardonnay vinegar, and then prime steaks from the Meat House. We finished off with Bev’s famous tira misu. (I don’t think I’ve had tira misu since the last time I had Bev’s because it’s never as good anywhere else!) The idea was to mimic a dinner at Eddie V’s, but every course surpassed it.

As for the wines… order was restored to the universe. The old Burgundies were absolutely superb, and eclipsed all of the other wines. The Bordeaux paled in comparison, although the Unico certainly was a great wine.

As dinner wound down, I didn’t think anything would top the two 1964 Leroy wines, but then Ron dared me to name something and he’d see if he had it in his cellar.

For years my go to wines at Bern’s were the now-depleted Pierre Ponnell Burgundies 50s and 60s, in particular the 1957 Morey Saint Denis Clos de la Roche. 1957 was a pretty good year in Burgundy, but I always wanted to try the 1953. Sure enough, Ron had it! Well, not only was it stellar, it was the Wine of the Night, beating the Leroys. I scored it 100 points.

And now Ron has even more bragging rights about his cellar, because where else in the state (country, world?) could someone just pull that wine from their cellar?!

We finished out by the fire pit with some Armagnac. Everything had been so wonderful even Linda was amazed to discover it was 2am!

Jacques Selosse Lieux Dite La Cote Faron (Ron)

Creamy, Toast, great balance, green apple, kiwi fruit. Smooth, 94 pts

1990 Bollinger, disgorged 2001 (Ron)

Crisp, green, austere, acidic, bitter walnut, 90 pts

2008 Aubert Loren (Ron)

Butterscotch, cinnamon, toast, butter, very balanced and elegant, 95 pts

1964 Leroy Pommard Les Grande Epinots (Steve)

Earth, soy, forest floor, Asian spices, super balanced, crushed pine needles, 97 pts

1964 Leroy Grand Echezeaux (Ron)

Intense chocolate coated cherries with kirsch liqueur, really long, 99 pts

1966 Ch Mouton Rothschild (Steve)

Black cherries, bell peppers, pine, really awkward at first, then opened up, gardenias, vanilla, Creme brûlée, dust, then quickly faded, 88 pts

1995 Rayas (Ron)

Cherry pie with caramelized cinnamon crust, fig newton cookie dough, 94 pts

1982 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (Steve)

Fading fruit, still goof tannic structure, dust, cocoa, cherry, 84 pts

1983 Ch Cheval Blanc (Ron)

Bordeaux gravelly nose, black pepper, 90 pts

1970 Unico

Very, very young, mint, vanilla, not at all Spanish tasting, 100% Tempranillo, American oak, dill, cinnamon, caramelized sugar, buttered icing, 96 pts.

1947 Aloxe-Corton Bouchard (Ron)

Cherry, tobacco, bright, fresh, balanced, vanilla, elegant, woody, sweet, earthy, cotton candy, charred wood, 99 pts

1953 Pierre Ponnelle Morey Saint Denis Clos de la Roche (Ron)

Young, perfectly integrated, cherries, earth, balance, vanilla, wood, mint, vanilla, cocoa, spice, butterscotch, charred wood, amazing sweet fruit. I named a producer, vineyard and vintage that I wanted to taste and Ron produced exactly that wine, and it was the Wine of the Night. 100 pts

50 Year Armagnac

Pleasant, but lacking the depth, balance and complexity of Laberdolive Bas Armagnac. 90 pts

The Night Bordeaux Beat Burgundy

Long, long ago, when I first became interested in wine, there was a general perception that Bordeaux wines were better than Burgundy, particularly when they were aged. Over the decades that I’ve been tasting wines, I’ve come to the conclusion that’s almost always not the case. It’s true that some Burgundies lose their fruit over time, but 1 in 100 bottles of Burgundy that is aged for several decades turns into something magical that I’ve never encountered in a Bordeaux.

But last night things were different. For the first time in so long none of us could remember it last occurring, the Bordeauxs were clearly better than the Burgundies. We had selected terrific vintages for both categories. Our Bordeauxs were from the famous 1945 vintage, regarded as the best in the century. And our Burgundies were from 1949, an almost equally prestigious year. But the Bordeauxs clearly were hitting on all cylinders last night.

Because we knew it would be a late evening, Linda and I checked into the Ritz-Carlton. They unexpectedly upgraded us to a suite. I wish we had known in advance, as we could’ve checked in earlier and taken advantage of the gorgeous room and view. But Linda had a cold anyway, so we took it easy and joined our friends Ron and Bev at the Vineyard at 7pm.

The Vineyard does an interesting balancing act, not really a fancy restaurant, but not casual dining, either. We love the fact that the chef enjoys going off-menu to create whatever comes to mind, and that our server, James, really enjoys coming up with interesting food and wine pairings.

Dinner was the usual five hour plus extravaganza. Outstanding courses included the best ceviche I’ve ever had, accompanied by a brilliant fennel and mango salad, excellent fried green tomatoes (high praise from me, indeed), smoked salmon, parsnip ravioli, Caesar salad, all four fish from the menu, and a duo of filet mignon and rib eye. The chef basically knocked it out of the park. And then at the end of the meal we were presented with an embarrassingly low bill.

The sad thing is that this restaurant is closing next month, which was one of the reasons for our visit. It’s a shame, because they’re replacing it with something low brow, and it’s hardly necessary–the room was nearly full most of the night.

As for the wines, my favorites were very surprising. My top rated wine of the night was actually the Comtes Champagne we bought from the restaurant’s list. It was fabulously creamy, and priced barely above retail. I also liked Ron’s Laville Haut Brion Blanc.

Turning to the reds, the Burgundies just didn’t show up for work. They weren’t flawed, just not exciting. I’d even had Ron’s wine before and left a stellar note on Cellar Tracker, but this bottle was not a kindred spirit.

Of the Bordeauxs, everything was pretty close and all the wines were true to their heritage. My notes follow.

2004 Comtes Champagne (from the list) $175

Cream, yeast, great balance, long toasty finish, 96 pts

2005 Laville Haut Brion
Caramel candy, wax, lanolin, butter, ash, floral, super balanced, long, 97 pts

1945 Château Léoville Las Cases St. Julien (Steve)
Low fill, Wax, sweet raspberry fruit, chewy, fresh, 96 pts

1945 Leoville Poyferre St. Julien (Ron)
Very dark, tart blackberry, wood, coffee, young, 93 pts

1949 L’Heritier-Guyot Clos Vougeot (Steve)
Ruby, really fresh, fennel, 91 pts

1949 Liger Belair Charmes Chambertin (Ron)
Slightly musty, citrus, 86 pts

1966 Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac (Steve)
Young, bright, coffee, green peppers, lead pencil, classic Bordeaux, 92 pts

1966 Cheval Blanc (Ron)
Herbaceous, tight, anise, mint, chocolate, black cherry, 93 pts

1976 Joseph Phelps Insignia (Steve)
Red fruits, 91 pts

1978 Joseph Phelps Insignia (Ron)
Coffee, coffee, coffee, big fruit, vanilla, long, 95 pts

2001 Ch Suiduraut (Steve)
Great acidity and balance, great botrytis nose, raisins, long vanilla finish, figs, cream 94 pts

Great Old Wines at The Chef’s Table

We convened in the private room at The Chef’s Table at the Edgewater for a tasting. I have been trying for a couple of years to get Kevin Buckler of Adobe Road to schedule an extra day when he is in town so that I could introduce him to the magic of old wines. Kevin has an extensive cellar focusing on modern California wines, while Ron and I have cellars full of old French wines. So this was the day.

In attendance were Ron and Bev Siegel, Kevin and his friend Henry Wolfond, John and Debbie Henline, Martin Chaney, Linda and I.

We’d never done an event like this at The Chef’s Table, because they lacked the glasses. I solved that problem by giving them 62 Riedel Ouverture series, which worked well for both Burgundy and Bordeaux. Now we’ll have glasses there for future events.

The Chef’s Table staff, and especially our server Teran did a fabulous job. She is quite interested in wine and had researched the background on the wines, which was really neat.

Rather than our normal tasting followed by dinner, I had pre-matched the wines to food. Every course was great, and perfectly paced for our almost 5-hour dinner.

It was fun to introduce a couple of virgins to the complexity of old wines, and I think it’s safe to say they were stunned by the freshness and appeal, especially of the old Burgundies. As usual, serving the Burgundies first took the bloom off the Bordeauxs, but overall every bottle was in great shape and had something to offer.

The menu, followed by my wine notes:

Salmon Tartar
House Made Smoked Fish Dip
Pan Seared Scallops
Combination Cheese and Butcher Plate
Mushroom Torte
Eggroll / Crawfish Fritter
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Boudain Ball / Chicken Liver
Beef Filet with passed sides: Chef’s Mac & Cheese, Duck Fat Fries
Combination Dessert Plate

Jacques Selosse Substance (Steve)

Complex oxidative nose with secondary fruit flavors that develop after several minutes. This wine evolved for two hours in the glass. This Champagne is made with a Solera process, where older years are added in to new vintages. 95 pts

2008 Chateau “Y”(Steve)

Candle wax, lime, cotton candy, anise, butter. This was a bit of a disappointment as it never opened up as much as usual. 92 pts

2010 Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard (Steve)

No contest, this wine blew away the “Y”. Wood, spice, caramel, butter, good acid. A great match to the salmon. 94 pts

1953 Romanee Saint Vivant, Bouchard Aine & Fils (Ron)

Smoke, bacon fat, charred log, fresh cherries, fabulous. My (and most people’s, I think) Wine of the Night. 96 pts

1955 Louis Latour Romanée St. Vivant Les Quatre Journaux (Steve)

Iron, good fruit on the palate, earthy finish. 95 pts

1959 Corton, Charles Vienot (Ron)

extremely youthful, pine, dust, wood. 96 pts

1964 Maison Leroy Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (Steve)

Refined, youthful, mint, dried roses. 94 pts

1997 Chambertin Domaine Armand Rousseau (Henry)

Delicate, refined, great potential, it was easy to see how this could turn into one of those great old Burgundies some day. 92+ pts

2001 Adobe Road Pinot Noir (Kevin)

A great Burgundian wine, the first released vintage from Adobe Road. Wow, I wish they still made their pinot in this style! The wine fit right into the Burgundy flight. 92 pts

1961 Château Montrose (Ron)

Great color, latex, smoke. 92 pts

1961 Château Lynch-Bages (Steve)

Great color, briny, spice box, red fruit, extraordinary balance. 92 pts

1966 Château La Mission Haut-Brion (Ron)

Youthful, minerals, forest fire, sea brine, good acid, gravel. Not showing as well as several recent bottles of the same wine. 93 pts

1970 Château La Mission Haut-Brion (Steve)

Much headier than the ’66, young, red fruit, balanced. I hadn’t had this vintage of this wine before, nice one. 92 pts

1990 Ch. Cos d’Estournel (Henry)

Huge, structured, balanced, round, charred meat. This wine didn’t fit in this flight, but it will be great some day. 94 pts

1969 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve (Steve)

This was supposed to be a 1968, but turned out to be a 1969. Fortunately the vintages are extremely similar, although this was not an exciting bottle. Waxy, youthful but with a slightly bitter finish. 89 pts

1971 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve (John)

I think I’ve only had this vintage once before. Waxy, young, tight, green. This just wasn’t a Georges de la Tour night! 88 pts

1974 Simi Alexander Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Ron)

A very serviceable old California Cab with good fruit and balance, nothing remarkable. 91 pts

1975 Angelo Papagni Alicante Bouschet (Martin)

I think there was a lot of disagreement about this wine, but it has always blown me away, and continues to do so. Dark, unctuous, very fresh and young. Linda called it cough syrup, I thought melted chocolate. I wish I still had some of this! 95 pts

1985 Silverado Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon (John)

Wood, smooth, youthful, balanced. Holding up much better than other old Silverado I’ve had. Of course, this was a great year. 93 pts

1988 Stags Leap Napa Valley Petite Syrah (Martin)

Smoke, almost no petite syrah character. This is the wine we’d slip into a cab tasting to fool everyone, and it would win. I wish they still made it in this almost Bordeaux-like style. 93 pts

2004 Penfolds Grange (Steve)

Smoke, huge. I decanted this 3 hours before we poured, and it was almost ready to drink. This vintage is much more accessible than most Grange. 96 pts.

2008 B20 Sine Qua Non Syrah (Ron)

Blueberries, dense, still needs years. Like the Grange, this has 3 hours in a decanter, but still wasn’t ready. 97+ pts

1998 Adobe Road Cabernet Sauvignon (Unreleased) (Kevin)

What a treat to try this unreleased wine made from Silver Oak fruit and done in half French half American oak! dusty, balanced, smooth. 93 pts

Adobe Road Mystery Bottle (Kevin)

This unlabelled bottle was probably 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon. Another stellar effort. surprising sense of residual sugar, perhaps just a sign of how much fruit is still in it. 93 pts

2002 Adobe Road Zinfandel (Kevin)

Pasalaqua vineyard. Smoked meat, holding its fruit really well for an old Zin. 92 pts

2005 Adobe Road Zinfandel (Kevin)

Winner of the Sonoma Harvest Fair. This is a terrific wine. 94 pts

1968 D’Oliveiras Madeira Boal Reserva (Steve)

Too bad this came at the end of a long evening; it’s spectacular, and would have matched every dish we had. Sometime I’m going to take this to the Chef’s Table and nurse it all night. Burnt sugar, caramel, citrus on the palate, great acidity. 98 pts

Ron’s Birthday at Scratch

Ron Siegel celebrated his (ahem) 60th birthday at Scratch. It’s the new restaurant on Fairbanks in Winter Park, next to All Fired Up. The place is owned by three young restaurateurs who have done an amazing job of designing the space and creating an exciting environment for superb food.

This panorama captures almost the entire space, which is less than 20 feet wide.

They actually closed the restaurant for our party of 14. Our timing was great, because we arrived at 5pm, just before the thunderstorms, and left at 10pm, just after them. Some of the others were still there partying until well past midnight. Scratch is open until 2am.

Ron, Keith and I provided most of the wines. We didn’t try to match the food, we were just looking for great wines.

Every course was great, but my favorite was the rib eye, which was unlike any I’d had. It was served with bone marrow, which I’d never had like this. A bit of the bone marrow on each bite of rib eye was amazing. Easily the best beef I’ve ever tasted.

Also great was the coq au vin, which had an incredibly flavorful bone marrow reduction and amazing shallot puree.

Thanks to Ron for hosting this wonderful celebration, and for all the great wines. I’ve listed them below, although there were many more after we left, I’m sure.

1990 Pol Roget (for the millennium) (Ron)
Caramel, toast, lovely. 93 pts

1989 Jose Michelle (Ron)
Very crisp and dry, too dry for me. 90 pts

1992 Haut Brion Blanc (Ron)
Honey color, caramel, burnt orange, cinnamon, wax, sweet burnt marshmallow, lemon peel, I love this, and hadn’t had this vintage before. Keith felt it was oxidative, which is probably true, but one of the things I love about old HBB. Certainly unidentifiable as sauvignon blanc. 92 pts

2008 Corton Charlemagne Louis Latour (Keith)
Extremely floral, acacia, soft buttery finish, fairly simple, would hav egone well with the scallop, but didn’t match the ceviche. 90 pts

1961 Clos Vougeot Grivelet (Steve)
Tamarind, earthy, rich, medium garnet, orange peel, still good tannins, very appealing considering this was only a so-so year in Burgundy. 93 pts

1949 Clos Vougeot (Ron)
Mineral, sawdust, iron, blood, sweet finish, oranges, charred wood, this took a while to come around, but turned out to be great. 94 pts

1995 Corton Renauds (Keith)
Seashore, cherry, short, 88 pts

1970 DRC La Tache (Ron)
Good color, surprisingly tannic, vanilla, citrus, fairly simple, a good wine, but not a great quality to price ratio. 91 pts

1961 Ch Lynch Bages (Steve)
Very, very young, bright red cherries, vanilla, blockbuster, glad I have several more. 98 pts

1978 Ch Haut Brion (Ron)
Chalk, peppers, gravel, dust, slightly musty, I think this bottle was slightly off. 92 pts

1989 Ch Cheval Blanc (Keith)
Really balanced, vanilla, cherry, tannic, mint, black pepper, great aging potential, tobacco, I love Cheval, and this is the best (and youngest) one I’ve had in a while. 96 pts +

1966 Ch La Mission Haut Brion (Ron)
Perfect bottle, gravel, sweet cherry, long mint, cinnamon, smoky wood, This wine, poorly rated by Parker, is almost always my wine of the night. 99 pts

1983 Ch Margaux (Ron)
Seashells, briny, tannic, talcum powder, chocolate coated cherries, wood, this is why I don’t collect Margaux any more. 92 pts

1994 Ch Pavie Macquin (Gary)
Nicely balanced, dust, chocolate, tannin, youthful, good food wine, good with beef. 90 pts

1982 Ch L’Evangile (Keith)
Tar, extremely chewy, long tannic cherry finish, mint, herbs, pine forest floor, mushrooms, this is one of Keith’s favorite wines, and I can see why. This is the best 1982 I’ve had. 99 pts

1968 Grange (Ron)
Burnt mesquite, wormwood, young, probably still not ready, tannic, long, did I mention tannic, powerhouse that make be at its peak in another 50 years. 95 pts

1970 Lynch Bages (magnum) (Ron)
Bright red fruits, succulent, tart finish, pleasant, but a shadow of the 1961, 92 pts

1993 Ch Pajzos Esszencia (Steve)
I opened this because we needed to leave and I wanted to taste it, so I left the bottle for everyone else. I hope they enjoyed it. A Robert Parker 100 pointer with a reason. Phenolic, citrus, syrupy consistency but amazing acidity to offset it, dried fruits, pear, apricot, smoke, apple, caramel, kumquat, greatest dessert wine I’ve ever had, including Yquem. 100 pts

Solaia at K Restaurant

Keith Edwards organized this great vertical tasting at K on Edgewater in College Park.

Attending were Keith and Parlo; Ron and Bev; Steve and Linda; Niccolo’ Maltinti, the Antinori US Brand Manager; Tobias Fiebrandt of Leitz Wine; and Marc and Kai Frontario.

KeithEdwardsSoliaia

We began with a 1966 Moet & Chandon I’ve had in my cellar for twenty years. As with most really old Champagnes, the effervescence was gone, but great acidity made the wine quite an interesting old chardonnay, with a caramel and fig finish. An amazing accompaniment to the deviled eggs. 90 points.

Keith’s Jacques Selosse Initiale proved a great palate awakener after that, with a toasty nose, crisp fruit flavors and a lichee finish. Served with raw oysters I didn’t try. 92 points.

We then took our seats for the vertical tasting. As always, Keith was super organized, with beautiful tasting booklets for everyone. The tasting began with some introductory comments by Niccolo’.

Solaia is:

75% Cabernet Sauvignon
20% Sangiovese
5% Cabernet Franc

We tasted the wines from youngest to oldest, in four flights. My notes:

Flight 4

1982 349.00 (Keith)
Easily the Soliaia of the night, by a wide margin. A dead ringer for Georges de la Tour. Mint, coffee, vanilla, wax, with a long, sweet coffee finish. 97

1985 (Keith)
Slightly corked, thin. 87

1987 169.00 (Keith)
Intense peppers, tight, 88

1989 226.66 (Ron)
Dust, thin, short. 87

Flight 3

1990 226.66 (Ron)
Ripe unusual fruits, short. 88

1991 159.00 (Keith)
Mint, herbal, the favorite of this lackluster flight. 90

1993 189.00 (Keith)
Very ripe, with a short finish. 88

Flight 2

1994 189.00 (Keith)
Roasted nose, vanilla, mint, short. 87

1997 226.66 (Ron)
Tannic, thin, Wine Spectator Wine of the Year. 87

1998 (Keith)
Tobacco, pleasant but somewhat dull. 89

1999 189.00 (Keith)
Ready to drink, sawdust, very smooth, opulent. The favorite of the flight. 93

Flight 1

2001 189.39 (Keith)
Still needs time. Dust, good tannic structure, tight. The favorite of the flight. 92

2002 159.00 (Keith)
Smoked peat nose, no structure, short. 88

2008 (Niccolo’)
Chocolate mint, a hot weather wine, green pepper, cab franc, silky, sweet finish. 90

2009 214.39 (Keith)
Dust, charred meat, a bit gangly, acidic. 91

Overall thoughts: I was struck by the fact that the youngest wines were quite drinkable, which I wasn’t expecting, and that the oldest wines, even those completely ready for drinking, showed no signs of age. There were several stylistic shifts across the years, with the wines from the 2000s clearly better drinking, and the 1982 (one of the very first vintages) a completely different animal. Unfortunately that animal is what I’m looking for (as, apparently, was the rest of the group, since 9 out of 10 selected it as their favorite).

The value of the vertical was to show the consistency of the winemaking, which was high, and the product, which was moderate. Certainly as a group these wines could not be compared with French first or second growths, or the best cabernets from California. For Linda and I it reinforced why we don’t have Italian wines in our cellar, but of course for others the impression was different.

Dinner included a perhaps too subtle ceviche, a nice corn chowder, a lovely fish on a spectacularly flavorful bed of savory corn, an excellent duck dish on a risotto that even I (a risotto avoider) loved, and a superb wagu beef with truffle oil and mashed potatoes. This was far and away the best meal I’ve had at K. It ended with many passed desserts. Linda and I left after dessert, although more great wines came out, but she was tired, and the sugar had made it impossible to return to dry red wines.

Here are my notes on the wines that accompanied dinner:

1986 Gruaud Larose (Ron)
Restrained fruit, simple 88

1986 Lynch Bages (Steve)
Very similar to Gruaud, slightly less fruit, coffee 87

1969 Clos Vougeot Domaine Gros Freres (Steve)
Fruity, good acid, tobacco, bacon, mint, vanilla 94

1961 Chambolle Musigny Les Beaux Bruns Greveley (Ron)
Dried flowers, fat, Carmel, burnt log, forest floor 95

2005 Corton Clos du Roi Prince Florent de Merrode (Mark)
Now owned by DRC. Pleasant fruit, simple 90

1990 Gevrey Chambertin Nadeef (Keith)
Candy, mint, dried fruits 90

1993 Mersault-Perrieres Les Champeaux Ampeau (Ron)
Floral, good acid, fresh, drinking 20 years younger 94

1999 Rinaldo Barolo (Keith)
High acid, red berries 89

1991 Dominus (Keith)
This wine was presented blind as a first growth, but there was little doubt in my mind what it was. Green pepper, great tannin structure, coffee, graphite, spice, jalapeño, very young, talcum powder. Easily Wine of the Night! 99

Thanks to Keith for putting together a great event. These vertical tasting can be hard work, because they require lots of attention and careful discussion, but I find them the most educational of all wine events.

2011 Bordeaux

Last year we attended the 2010 Bordeaux tasting at the Rosen Shingle Creek, and it was a terrific event, so we were looking forward to this year’s version. Quite a few of our friends also attended, so there were 15 of us in all. That was actually a fairly large percentage of the total attendance of 150-200, which seemed to be down from last year, perhaps because ABC provided no way to buy the tickets online.

The event was held in one of the large conference spaces at the Rosen. We’d planned to have some sushi before hand, but a large sales convention had taken over nearly all the restaurants. We ended up at the bar of A Land Remembered for a tuna appetizer.

At the event we quickly learned why 2011 is not regarded as a great year in Bordeaux. The wines were mostly tannic but green, short, off balance, and thin. Certainly nothing like the 2009s and 2010s. Interestingly, though, the better producers managed to make significantly better wines than the lesser ones. While this isn’t surprising, the stratification was noteworthy, with almost no wines in the middle. Each wine seemed to be either completely unappealing or very good, with almost none falling in between.

It only took about an hour to try most of the promising wines, although we skipped a few whites and the Sauternes. As was the case last year, the obscure Château St. Pierre was probably the best buy.

The food last year was plentiful, but this year is seemed either more limited or simply delayed, and the attendees fell on it like hungry wolves. With long lines for the hot food we decided to leave and go to Calla Bella, the hotel’s Italian restaurant. We had a fairly uninspired meal there last year, but this year, sitting at the presentation bar that faces the kitchen we had excellent food and service. The Marguerita flatbread was authentically Italian, the Chilean sea bass was done with a deft touch, and the mushroom side was great.

If they do the event again next year I will definitely go, but I suspect similar results for the 2012 vintage.

Here are my notes on the wines:

Château d’Aiguilhe

Tight 88

Château Branaire Ducru

Tannic, some potential 89

Château Brane Cantenac

Really tannic 88

Brane Baron

Balanced 90

Château Camensac

Drinkable vanilla 88

Château Canon La Gaffelière

Green 89

Château Cantemerle

Very green 86

Château Cantenac Brown

Tannic 88

Château Carbonnieux

White: SB nose, astringent 85

Red: balanced 88

Château Chasse Spleen

Very rough 86

Château Clinet

Great structure 95

Daugay

Smooth but short 89

Clos de L’Oratoire

Tight, thin 87

Ferriere

Short 86

Fombrauge

Tannic 87

Château Gloria

Great coffee nose 91

Château Grand Puy Lacoste

Balanced 90

Lacoste Borie

Tannin mint 87

Château Haut Batailley

Very drinkable 92

Château Haut Bages Libéral

Green bitter 84

Château Lafon Rochet

Tannic green 85

Château LaPointe

Varietal balanced 94

De LaPointe

Merlot 89

La Tour Carnet

Good structure 90

Château Langoa Barton

Rough 85

Château Léoville Barton

Smooth 87

Château Léoville Poyferré

Mint, nice balance 95

Château Lynch Bages

Tannic 89

Echo de Lynch Bages

Drinkable 85

Clos Marsalette

Smooth 89

Phelan Segur

Awkward 87

Château Pichon Longueville Baron

Good structure 94

Château Suduiraut

Pape Clement

Great structure 95

Pibran

Dense, chocolate, coffee, Pauillac 93

Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Coffee gravel smooth 95

Château St. Pierre

Beautiful coffee nose, great structure 94

Château Talbot

Great balance 95

Butter Cookie Taste-Off

We did a butter cookie taste off, buying tubs of butter cookies all over Solvang.

Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery was the first of four bakeries in Solvang where we purchased a tub of five dozen butter cookies. These were among the best, but the real standouts here were the pastries. The macaroon was the best I’ve ever had, with a perfect crispy crust and chewy but not soggy interior. The cinnamon pastry, a sort of palmier with a cinnamon crust was amazing. We nursed it for breakfast three days in a row, and it was still just as good!

I found that Mortensen’s has the butteriest tasting cookies. I particularly liked the plain round ones with the curved tops. They have a long, buttery finish that is slightly salty and not as sweet as some.

Birkholm’s is Linda’s favorite. As of this writing their butter cookies still come in the traditional waxed cardboard tub rather than a plastic bucket. These were the softest and crumbliest. The standout is their plain, round, flat butter cookie, simple and very buttery.

Danish Mill Bakery’s were my favorite. I particularly like the crispy kind with raisins (or are they currants?) Their cookies seem to have a bit more body than the others.

Sadly, we did not visit the Solvang Bakery, since we already had twenty dozen, so we’ll have to save tasting notes from the iconic windmill shop for another visit.

Ancient Wines at The Vineyard

Close to a decade ago Ron purchased three old Burgundies from Premier Cru for next to nothing–$75 a bottle he recalls. Over the years we consumed the 1899 and 1893 bottles. I rated them both 100pts, and number them among the best wines I’ve ever had, fresh yet unbelievably complex.

But Ron had been saving the best for last. The four of us met at The Vineyard at The Ritz Carlton to experience his 1904 Richebourg and some other very old wines.

What a great night it was! We matched each pair of wines with food, and spent more than six hours appreciating these beauties, each of which was in fabulous condition, and very long-lived in the glass. If only we could find more of these treasures.

2002 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos (Ron)
Kiwi, pineapple, dry finish, soft, waxy, dusty, 95pts

2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos (Steve)
Seashells, minerals, brine, lime, 93pts

1999 Perrier Jouet (Vineyard wine list)
Caramel, toast, really balanced, 96pts

1904 Larronde & Freres Richebourg (Ron)
Great color and clarity, Caramel, still great fruit, last of Ron’s trilogy, leather, cinnamon, vanilla, spice box, mocha, butter, smoke, shouldering campfire, rhubarb, forest floor, juniper, burnt log, strawberry starbursts, possibly the greatest wine I’ve ever had, 100pts

1923 Henri de Behegre Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (Steve)
Great color, clarity and fill, iron, cherry, bacon fat, candy apple, cedar, still fresh after more than an hour, 98pts

1904 Cos d’Estournel (Ron)
Cinnamon nose, light color but brilliant, Indian food, curry, bacon fat, fresh sawdust, dusty, reminiscent of 1937 Cheval Blanc, 93pts

1959 Château Cos d’Estournel (Steve)
This wine had a very unusual label, having been imported to London by the Army Navy Stores. I saved this bottle. Great color and clarity, vanilla, restrained fruit, wood smoke, 89pts

1968 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve (Steve)
Very youthful, fig newtons, grilled buttered sour dough bread, red fruit, dill from American oak, 96pts

1978 Chateau Montelena (Ron)
Very youthful, paint, great structure, soy balsamic, mint, greens, silicone, asparagus fern, mint, licorice, good n plenty, 94pts

We ended the evening with a lovely Armagnac, comped by our server, James. Linda and I had booked a room at the Ritz, which seemed like one of our more inspired ideas at 1am!

Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse

Dani and I went to an Adobe Road Wine Dinner here, rather than experience the normal dining room offerings. We were going to meet in the bar, but on a Wednesday night after work it was a madhouse, so we hung out in Starbucks until it was time for the dinner.

Boy did the chef knock it out of the park. I’ve been to hundreds of wine dinners and this had to be near the top.

We started on the mezzanine of the Intercontinental Hotel with a superb 2009 Chardonnay. Great wine, possibly the best of the night, but unfortunately the winery is out of it. This was accompanied by a passed appetizer of bruschetta, which was a twist on the usual, with buratta cheese, proscuitto and a thin slice of pickled peach. Delicious.

Dinner was in a room off the mezzanine perfectly sized for twenty people. I got the sense it was far from the kitchen, because it took several servers quite a while to deliver each course.

The first course was Duck with cherries and dijon mustard, a perfect accompaniment to the 2009 Pinot Noir. The wine is good, but may have a trace of sorbate, and after a slightly earthy nose it quickly fades into a just okay California pinot noir.

The second course of hickory smoked lamb chops with mint, watermelon and tomatoes might have been my favorite. It was served with a 2009 Syrah that offered a smoky, meaty nose, but seemed a bit shut down. Apparently the night before it had been even more so; I think it just needs a rest after shipping.

Third course was Wagyu Ribeye with roasted baby potatoes and a black carrot. It was perfect with a chewy 2010 Knight’s Valley Cabernet.

Dessert wasn’t my favorite, although Dani liked the brown butter cardamom cake with roasted plums and whipped cream and black pepper. The plums seemed a bit tart to accompany the 2008 Zinfandel which was jammy but nothing remarkable.

Then Kevin pulled out the Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow! I could sip this all night. After an hour it was just starting to open up and do some amazing things. Brandy soaked cherries coated in dark chocolate, with a bit of pound cake at the end. It was dessert in a glass, yet not a drop of residual sugar! The wine must be close to 15% alcohol. Worth every cent of $95 retail. Give me this and the Chardonnay, and lock me in a room.

Kevin Buckler and Bob Dickinson were welcoming as always, and promised to come do a private event next time they are in Orlando (January?) We also met some other interesting people including Thaddeus Buggs, author of TheMinorityWineReport.com

I was very impressed with the “banquet” food at Michael Jordan’s. I’m not sure which course was the best, but I would happily return here for any of these entrees. Service was prompt and friendly, and the private room was perfect for a group of twenty. Most seemed to be racing enthusiasts at this gathering, as opposed to the Orlando events where it seems the guests are mainly wine enthusiasts.

I will definitely go back to check out the regular menu, because there is some serious talent in the kitchen.

Smoke House Garlic Bread

For years I’ve been trying to duplicate the amazing garlic cheese bread served at the Smoke House Restaurant in Burbank, California. Tonight I finally did it. The secret is to make up a paste and spread that on the bread. As it melts under the broiler, it leaves the crumbly nodules of intense cheese flavor that distinguish the bread. Here’s how to do it:

Ingredients

1 Loaf of uncut sourdough bread, preferably a sort of large baguette shape.
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp dehydrated cheddar cheese powder (Kraft macaroni mix will do in a pinch)
1 tsp garlic powder

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450F.
Soften but do not melt the butter.
Mix in cheeses and garlic, let stand for a while
Turn on oven broiler
Cut loaf of bread in half horizontally and save half for something else.
Spread the slurry onto the bread.
Place bread under broiler until edges are brown.
Cut into narrow slices.
Serve immediately.

Serves 1-4 depending upon how much of a pig you are.

Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty at Ravinia

For the Fourth of July Dani and I took the Metra up to Ravinia Park for dinner and a concert, rather than watch the Evanston fireworks from her balcony. The timing on the train worked out pretty well, because we got out of town before the crowds, and returned after everything was cleaned up. That’s not to say the train wasn’t busy, especially on the way back. But we found a seat both ways. In the past we’ve always taken the first train back, but this time we missed it by about 100 people. There are a lot more drunks on the second train!

We had dinner at Park View, the upstairs restaurant. It had been a couple of years since we’d been there, and it was a bit better than we remembered. The restaurant is run by Levy Restaurants, and they borrow chefs from Spiaggia and other places within their organization. It must be weird to run a restaurant that is only open a few months a year, and the slightly amateurish service is a telling detail. But for the most part things run efficiently, and the food is good if not great. It’s certainly a stunning setting, with lovely paneling, and a glass wall that overlooks the dazzling green of Ravinia Park. Best of all is being high above the sea of colorful people blanketing the lawn.

We dined through the opening act, Kate Earl, who everyone seemed to be ignoring, and arrived just in time for Goo Goo Dolls. There are three guys in this band: a drummer, singer/guitarist, and singer/bass player. I had been warned by Jeremy that you wanted to go get drinks when the bassplayer took the lead, and that is accurate. Dani described him as a baritone on helium, and his songs are not the hits. Actually Goo Goo Dolls doesn’t have a lot of hits, but the ones they did were competently delivered, and they didn’t outlast their welcome. It’s one of those bands where if you look really carefully you realize that almost all the music is being created by the two session players standing in the back: a lead guitarist, and someone on keyboards/guitar/sax.

After a long intermission for setup, Matchbox Twenty took the stage. They are a six piece band, with a lead singer, Rob, who does all the heavy lifting. They’re really good live. Their stage was an interesting, multi-tiered staircase with cool lights in the risers. I was amazed how many great songs they have. The set list was:

Parade
Bent
Disease
She’s So Mean
How Far We’ve Come
3 A.M.
Real World
Girl Like That
If You’re Gone
Long Day
I Will
Unwell
Radio
So Sad So Lonely
English Town
Bright Lights

Encore:
Back 2 Good
Push

Some of my favorites are off their new album, North, including I Will and English Town. The band did a great job of playing through technical difficulties including a complete fail of their video cube for most of the show. There were also instruments missing from the mix in some songs. This was surprising since this was their third show in a row played at this venue. I think it’s time for a new tech crew (more on this later).

Like Goog Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty didn’t spend any time talking with the audience, which to me is the reason to see an act live. But perhaps they felt that with three acts on the bill and a hard cutoff of 11:00pm mandated by the nearby housing, they needed to fit in as many songs as possible.

Both acts suffered from the worst lighting design I have ever encountered. Fully a third of each show was unwatchable because of blinding lights–both automated spots and fixed LED panels–aimed directly at the audience. WTF? I’ve seen this used at the ends of songs to get people to respond, but it is incredibly annoying when they are flashing in your face every few seconds. If I could find out the name of the moron who designed this I would be happy to start a petition to find him another line of work.

In all it was a fun evening, but I wish we could have gone the previous night, because I missed seeing the Evanston fireworks from the balcony, our Fourth of July tradition.

Northwestern University Graduation

Dani graduated from Northwestern University on June 21st, 2013, with a BS degree and double majors in Communications and Psychology. Linda, Nicole and I travelled to Evanston for the festivities. It was an activity-packed few days.

We began at the honors ceremony for the university, where Dani was recognized for her membership in the Mortarboard Society.

That was followed by a reception which Dani and Linda attended while I went to the airport to pick up her godmother, Nicole.

That afternoon Dani visited the local photo studio for some commemorative photos with her friend, Dana.

In the evening we went to one of our favorite Chicago restaurants, The Girl and the Goat.

Friday was the entire university’s commencement ceremony on Ryan field. The speaker was Mikhail Baryshnikov, who delivered a charming, heartfelt speech.

We had a great view, because we watched it on high definition streaming video in the comfort of Dani’s apartment The camera coverage was exceptional (done by the film students) and the audio–especially on the amazing orchestra–was terrific, too. It sounded like a CD. Dani’s friend Dana played the french horn in that orchestra.

In the afternoon we got absolutely soaked on our way the the Psychology Department’s party. But it was worth the trip, as Dani was recognized for her research grant. I had no idea how competitive that study she did last summer was, but she was one of only 2 proposals funded out of 250 applications. I also had no idea how special her presentations at two psychology conferences were. I had assumed it was a student adjunct to the conference, but her study was accepted as a part of the adult conference. Amazing.

At the party she posed with the other departmental star student, Mike, and her beloved professor (apparently the whole university’s favorite professor) Renee.

In the evening we went to our favorite Evanston restaurant, The Stained Glass.

Saturday was the School of Communications Convocation, where she got her actual diploma. Out of more than 200 students, Dani was the only one with three distinctions: Summa Cum Laude, Departmental Honors in Psychology, and Departmental Distinction in Radio, Film and Television. The honors in psychology were for her thesis, which was based upon her research.

That diploma holder was actually empty, but she ran over and got the real one before they changed their minds.

Afterwards we retired to the lake fill for some Champagne (price: about $100,000 a glass) and celebrating.

Then Dani posed in front of the Tech building where she spent so much time on her pre-med classes…

…and in front of the psychology building.

As part of the graduating tradition, she gave her stole to Nicole in thanks for all her support.

This picture makes a nice coda, since it’s where Dani stood six years earlier during her college tour of Northwestern.

Finally, it was time to return her robe and say goodbye.

We celebrated her many accomplishments with a lofty dinner high atop Everest.

New York Dining

We tried quite a few new restaurants during our week in New York, and returned to many old favorites. Here they are, in order.

Le Rivage

This really authentic French Bistro is very popular with locals, but just a block off Broadway. It’s located in a virtual “restaurant row” on 46th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. It offers all the classic French dishes, well prepared and served in a cozy environment overseen by the owner, who made sure we were enjoying everything. Reasonably priced.

Haru Sushi

We found this little sushi place just off Broadway after a show, and were quite pleased with it. Although it is a mini chain, it didn’t seem so, and it was worlds better than the tourist restaurants on Times Square. The decor is soothing, the fish is fresh, and the service was super-attentive. I would definitely return.

Bouley

Lunch here was pretty much perfection. The bread service is much appreciated, and something not offered by many restaurants any more, even the three-star variety. There are a few bargain pre-fixe deals in town at top rated restaurants, but I’d have to say that Bouley’s is perhaps the best. The quality of food and service really can’t be topped, and the room is unbelievably comfortable and welcoming.

Sardi’s

You go to Sardi’s for the history, not the food. It’s probably the same as it’s always been, but standards have changed. However its location right in the theatre district, and the drawings of ancient theatre stars that paper the walls are what it’s all about. Linda loves the spinach cannelloni, but warns that the appetizer portion is plenty.

Candle 79

This upper east side vegetarian restaurant is a charming place, with excellent service, and is walking distance to the Metropolitan Museum, which was our next stop. It was packed, so Pamela and I took a table upstairs while Linda and Dani ate at the bar. I loved the house made ginger ale. I was a bit disappointed in the food, because it seemed under-seasoned and under-flavored, despite having quite a few ingredients. The hummus appetizer was fine, but the falafel seemed like almost the same dish, just seared hummus in a pita without much sign of tahini or other ingredients.

48 Lounge

I’m an old fuddy duddy, but this place was close to the theatre, the hotel, and was open late. Lounge seating is–let’s face it–uncomfortable, and the soundtrack makes it almost impossible to converse, so going in I knew it would have two strikes against it from my point of view. But the drink list and wines were interesting, and the food was okay. Pork sliders were the best, followed by the kobe hot dogs. Tater tots, spinach artichoke dip and hummus were okay but nothing special. If you like lounge ambiance and are in the area, it’s worth a shot (pun intended).

Sushi Yasuda

Many people think this is the best sushi in New York. I don’t get it. Most restaurants I’ve been to serve better sushi.

“Omakase” is where you put yourself in the chef’s hands and multiple specialties are served. I’ve had it in some highly regarded restaurants in Los Angeles. At one, special delicacies were flown in daily from Tokyo (they later were put out of business for selling endangered species). At another, plate after plate of tiny tastes were served, with each thoughtful ingredient contributing to an almost life-changing wonderment.

Not at Sushi Yasuda. Here, the omakase showed up as a platter of sashimi looking like it was cut up by an axe murderer. Nearly every fish had the soft, mealy texture of near-pudding, and it was all uniformly flavorless. Then a platter of sushi showed up. Same fish, now on crumbly rice. The final plate was a piece of eel sushi, also mealy. How do you even make eel mealy? At $357 for three, the biggest dining disappointment ever.

Eleven Madison Park

I had the greatest meal of my life at Eleven Madison Park. I also had the second greatest here. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend their new format. There are still 16 complex courses, and the service is still masterful yet friendly. But the emphasis on theatre rather than flavor has taken it down a notch. Some courses seemed repetitive, and there were very few “wow” moments. I’d trade the table-side magic act (lame) and the carrot grinding for a few of those one-bite orgasmic wonders of the past.

The carrot course was actually one of the best. It offered a dozen ingredients to add to the freshly ground carrot. I selected mustard and mustard seed. If that sounds like haut cuisine, you need to get out more. And it would have been just as good if the carrot was ground in the kitchen rather than on a hand grinder clamped to the table.

Another theatrical course that was a bit more successful was the “picnic basket.” This was a fun idea, where you took ingredients out of the basket and set up your own picnic. The second best food came out of this. It was a freshly made soft pretzel with house-made mustard. There’s a theme here. Madison Park makes good mustard.

The various shellfish courses that started the meal were simply repetitive. And why did we have to all have the same meat course, when they were individually plated? Surely there are enough two ounce portions of lamb and duck in the kitchen to be able to mix it up?

Sadly, the great bottle of cognac that used to end the meal is also gone, replaced by a local apple brandy.

In short, Eleven Madison Park is still a good restaurant, but it is no longer THE restaurant. I’ll certainly go back… but not until the concept changes again.

Benoit

Benoit is a traditional French Brasserie in every way: ambiance, food and service. Our favorites here include the charcuterie plate and the whole roasted chicken for two. Ironically, we’ve had the whole roasted chicken at Alan Ducasse’s thee star Michelin Louis XIV in Monte Carlo, and this one is much better! We avoid Sunday brunch, because they don’t have the same menu, therefore no roast chicken.

Chez Josephine

This is my favorite after-theatre restaurant. Its dark and cozy ambiance is perfect for winding down after a show, and the period jazz piano player summons up the perfect soundtrack. The place oozes Paris in the 1920s, plus the food is top notch. On my latest visit I really enjoyed the pan seared Alaskan halibut in lemon sauce. The cozy table in the window offers the perfect intimate atmosphere, with music at just the right level for intimate conversation. And how wonderful to enjoy this caliber of food until 1am, so there’s plenty of time to relax.

Ocha

This cozy little place is on 46th Street’s restaurant row between 8th and 9th. The fish is fresh and menu offerings are extensive. The sashimi sampler was generous, and the salmon tartare had a great sauce. Compared to top rated Sushi Yasuda (where we ate two days earlier) Ocha was much better at a fraction of the price. Service can be a bit inattentive, but if you’re in no hurry it’s a great choice.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

This place, billed as New York’s most romantic restaurant, was recommended to us by Joy, who went there for her anniversary. We really enjoyed the ambiance of the place, which used to be Aaron Burr’s carriage house. The food was delicious, service very professional, and the piano player among the best I’ve heard. It’s divided into a number of intimate rooms. Most of the lighting is provided by table-top tapers, so it is, indeed very romantic. My barramundi had a wonderfully crispy crust, and the espresso souffle was light and airy. A glass of rainwater madeira was the perfect way to complete a perfect meal.

Charleston

We spent two days at sea, sailing from San Juan to Charleston, South Carolina. The Atlantic was fairly calm, and the sailing smooth.

We had booked Priveé, the private dining room, for Thursday night. It’s located between Toscana and Polo Grill, and you can choose items from both menus. We invited Ashley and Ming Cheung, a couple we met at the La Reserve wine dinner to join us, and the five of us had a lovely evening of conversation, food and wine. I probably wouldn’t book Priveé again, though, because most of the experience can be duplicated by requesting a table for five in either of the adjoining restaurants. You’d just have to decide what cuisine you wanted.

Friday we docked in Charleston. The weather was temperate and sunny. Charleston is a great port, because the pier is just a block from the end of Market street, the tourist shopping area of the city. We sensed this was what Pamela had been waiting for; she had a good time browsing the wide variety of merchandise.

At the end of the shops we split up, and Linda and I continued about a mile down King Street to O-Ku, a restaurant Dani and I discovered on a previous trip. They serve excellent sushi, in a really nice decor (although the menu and the lighting is better at night).

We made our way back along Market Street, where Linda stocked up on stocking stuffers for Christmas.

In the afternoon we tried out the putting green on deck 16, then watched as we sailed out of Charleston Harbor past Fort Sumter.

St. Barts

St Barts is by far the nicest island port on this trip. It is French speaking, the currency is the Euro, the residents are French citizens, and the cooking is French/Island cuisine. We tendered over to the small marina and strolled all the way around it.

Because it was Pentecost, most of the shops were closed, but we didn’t need any Louis Vuitton bags anyway. Linda found a nice cafe online. It overlooked the marina, and we enjoyed a light lunch an a nice bottle of Chablis.

Linda always travels with the portable chopsticks Dani gave her. They screw together, like a hustler’s pool cue.

Speaking of screwy, I couldn’t figure out the “concept” of the Concept Store:

La Reserve, St. Lucia, Barbados

La Reserve

The finest meal served during the cruise is a one-time event called the Connoisseur Menu. It’s served in the Wine Spectator branded La Reserve, a 22 seat restaurant that is only open three days out of 20, and serves food and wine not available elsewhere on the ship. Unfortunately our dinner was marred by the most boorish man we have ever encountered, but the other couple at our table were very nice newlyweds from Denver, Colorado.

Each of the seven courses were superb, and several of the wines were memorable as well. The standout was Kobe beef with a veal au jus tinged with a bit of Valrhona chocolate; it was served with a superb 2005 Marchesi Fumanelli Octavius Amarone Riserva. I ordered two bottles online the next day!

St. Lucia

St. Lucia is a pretty island, but there’s not a lot for cruise passengers who aren’t interested in the beach. We docked at Castries, but our butler said there wasn’t much in the town at the end of the 15 minute walk around the harbor, so we just browsed in the shops at the Pointe Seraphine pier for an hour or so, then returned to the ship for lunch.

Barbados

Barbados has a reputation for welcoming tourists, but I found it to suffer from the same annoying badgering that killed tourism in Jamaica. From the moment we stepped out of the cruise terminal we were accosted by taxi drivers trying to sell island tours. We finally waded through a sea of them and managed to get a cab for the short drive to the center of Bridgetown. The capital city isn’t particularly scenic, and on Sunday it was closed up tight, so after a brief, hot walk around, and fending off another dozen tour offers we returned to the ship.

In the afternoon we had our second cooking lesson, this time focusing on the Asian cuisine of Red Ginger, the ship’s best restaurant. We made four things, including a tasty Lobster Pad Thai.

Ecuador

Panama hats aren’t made in Panama. Who knew? They’re actually from Ecuador, which is convenient, because that’s where we are today, and I needed a hat.

Yesterday we had a great day at sea. I spent some time in the art studio in the morning ripping off Henri Talouse Latrec with a charcoal drawing, and in the afternoon ripping off Degas with an acrylic. It was my first attempt at acrylic, and I was impressed with the materials, but unimpressed with my ability.

In the evening we went to one of the four specialty restaurants on board, Red Ginger. It was spectacular. Great decor and great food. Highlights were the summer rolls, which included pomello, an asian fruit similar to grapefruit, and the miso glazed sea bass, one of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever had. It put Le Bernardin in New York to shame.

Speaking of which, yesterday the list of the top 100 restaurants in the world came out, and we’ve been to quite a few. And of course we disagree with the list. For example, we’ve been to six of the top 20, and hated three of them (Le Bernardin, Alinea and L’Arpege)! Two of our favorites we have already booked for our upcoming New York stay (Eleven Madison Park and Jean Georges).

Anyway, today we toured Ecuador. The country seems much more prosperous than Peru, and the people were extremely friendly, waving to the buses as we passed. My very limited Spanish was good enough to read the environmental billboards around town; it’s nice that they are taking pride in–and taking care of–their country.

The ship is docked in Manta, a tuna fishing port, and there are massive amounts of tuna being unloaded right next to us. Amazingly, it doesn’t smell, I suppose because it is so fresh.

Our first stop was at a house where they make buttons and knick knacks out of the seeds of the tagua plant. These seeds, when dry, are about as hard as ivory, and can be dyed to any color. It was a bit scary watching them saw and grind the pieces with no finger protection.

Then we drove up the local mountain, Montecristi, to see Panama (Ecuadorian) hats being made. It’s quite labor intensive, with the better hats taking up to six months to make, and costing as much as $1000. I bought the much less expensive $80 version, which was demonstrably better than the $25 version. The vendor showed me how to roll it up(!) and put it in its balsa wood box. Linda got a better deal in the nearby shopping area, buying shawls at three for $10. And yes, the official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar.

Our next stop was an agave factory, where they were turning the plant leaves into twine, and then weaving it into cloth to make burlap style bags. Personally I prefer my agave to be turned into tequila, but it was very interesting to watch the process: stripping the fiber from the leaves, drying, spinning, and weaving.

On the way back to the port we passed a shipyard where they build and repair boats the old fashioned way: with lots of wood. Our final stop was back in Manta at a small archaeological museum that displayed a few clay artifacts.

We really liked Ecuador, and there was a lot packed into this three hour tour.

Lima, Peru

For this year’s trip Linda and I set our goal to visit the last continent on our list, South America. (We’re not expecting to get to number seven, Antarctica, any time soon.) It seems ironic that the only inhabited continent we haven’t been to is the closest to our home.

Our friend, Pamela, from Australia, flew to Orlando to join us for a week before the trip, and then we all headed south. Well, actually we headed north, to Atlanta, and then south. Lima Peru is due south, oddly enough. It doesn’t seem like the east coast of the US should line up with the west coast of South America, but it does, hence no time change (except they don’t need to observe daylight savings time in a country so close to the equator).

The flight was surprisingly quick, just six hours to go about 3000 miles. That was a good thing, because the “flat” beds on this A330 were anything but. In all fairness, I think mine was broken, because it kept recoiling from the flat position, but the design doesn’t even attempt to level the bed, so you keep sliding off the bottom. Delta has won an award for some of the top beds in the industry, but I bet it wasn’t on this plane, which was inferior to the two other Delta designs I’ve seen, which we had on flights to Sydney and Istanbul.

We arrived in Lima and cleared immigration and customs before midnight. Since Pamela hadn’t booked her room through the cruise line, I’d called to arrange her transfer, and he dutifully appeared. I’d also called the cruise line to confirm ours, and they assured me the hotel was handling it. Nope. So we hired a taxi for the trip to the JW Marriott in Miraflores Lima.

Lima is criss-crossed by four lane roads, but they don’t seem to form a useful grid, so the half hour ride involved much jogging through back alleys to get from one road to another. Finally we followed the beach for a few miles, then climbed the steep palisade to Miraflores.

The Marriott is a very nice hotel. It’s a high rise located at the top of the bluffs, overlooking the bay upon which Lima is situated. During our Sunday in Lima the weather was a bit socked in with low clouds, but we could still see from one end of the bay to the other.

Pamela and I met for breakfast and then she retired to her room to rest up for a day while Linda and I went out to explore the multi-level mall that clings to the cliff face in front of the hotel. We had lunch there at an outdoor cafe appropriately named Cafe Cafe. Linda had a mixed ceviche dish she proclaimed the best ever. It must have been good, because she even scarfed down the octopus.

In the afternoon I took a three-hour nap (ahh, vacations) and then for dinner we went to a restaurant recommended by Diego, an Alcorn McBride intern whose mother is from Peru.

Taxis in lima are interesting. There are no meters, and the fare is subject to negotiation. The trip to the restaurant cost 10 Nuevo Sole ($4) and the trip back cost twice that. The restaurant is actually about two blocks from the hotel, but it is several hundred feet below, on the other side of a busy highway.

La Rosa Nautica is located on a jetty, so waves constantly break below as you walk out to the place past some cute tourist shops. Inside the spaces are quaintly decorated with flowers, mirrors and lacy white woodwork reminiscent of the Carnation Pavilion at Disneyland. We were seated in a round room with a 270 degree view. There are many dining areas in the restaurant, but ours seemed to be reserved for American tourists, which was very practical, as all the servers spoke English.

We had their tasting menu, which was three courses of three items each. Everything was beautifully presented, and quite tasty, and the price of $65 per person seemed very reasonable. To accompany dinner we had an Argentine Chardonnay that was quite dry, and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon with an interesting charred wood nose.

After a good night’s sleep, we transferred to our ship midday on Monday. The process at the hotel was inscrutably disorganized, with no one knowing when or where the transfer would be, no luggage tags to direct bags to the cabin, and no boarding documents. But somehow we ended up on a shuttle with our luggage, and got to the ship, where boarding and check in were quick and efficient. And despite all expectations to the contrary, our luggage showed up at our cabin, even with no cabin ID tags.

We are on the Oceania Marina, a ship about twice as large (1200 passengers) as our previous Oceania ship, the Insignia. This suite isn’t quite as nice as the one on the Insignia, or as spacious as the one on Celebrity last year, but the ship has much more to offer in terms of restaurants and public spaces. We certainly got a good deal on our suite, which was priced at under $650 a day for two including insurance, far below the usual half off rate, and even includes a $400 cabin credit. That plus the new unlimited Internet offering discounted to $20 a day make this a very economical luxury cruise.

We went to the main dining room, where the host invited us upstairs to the Polo Grill, one of the specialty restaurants (which tend not to be busy on embarkation day) for a nice dinner.

The ship overnighted in the Port of Lima (which is very noisy–thank goodness for earplugs) and then on Tuesday Linda headed out for a visit to two museums. Since they were right back where we came from in Miraflores, I decided to opt out of this tour and have a restful day on the ship. Linda enjoyed the trip, and reported much pottery, including this one that reminded her of our cat Tucker sleeping on her (although I think this guy is being eaten by the cat).

Peperoncino

A dinner at Dellagio’s Peperoncino with Ron, Bev, Andres, Paula and Linda, noted here because of the inclusion of a 100 point 1934 Burgundy from Ron.

Peperoncino serves authentic regional Italian cuisine in a fairly boisterous atmosphere. Because the place is long and narrow, it tends to get noisy. This was especially true, last night, when a large party showed up without a reservation and spent an hour pressed up against our table waiting for seats.

The food is good, although I prefer Ciao Italia over by SeaWorld. Service was certainly attentive, and the glassware is pretty good although limited.

Ca’ del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Prestige (Ron)
Vanilla, crisp, clean finish, 90 pts

2005 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouches Henri Boillot (Ron)
Waxy, soft, long buttery mouthfeel, lemon taffy finish, 95 pts

2007 Pulignt-Montrachet Les Enseignieres Henri Prudhon (Andres)
A bit closed, slightly buttery, 88 pts

1970 Ch. Mouton Rothschild (Steve)
Garnet, cedar, forest floor, smoke, cigar box, mint, sweet, Ron guessed it, 92 pts

1970 Louis Martini CS (Steve)
Petrol, glycerin, plastic, prunes, mint, amarone, Ron guessed it, 83 pts

1970 Corton Remoissenet Diamond Jubilee (Steve)
Bright cherry, soy, leather, earth, sweet, long, great structure, cashew oil, vanilla, mint, coffee, caramel, 95 pts

2004 Conterno Barolo (Ron)
Tannic, chewy, young, tar, mint, vanilla, forest floor, 95 pts

1934 Chambolle Musigny Dr Barolet (Ron)
Very light, orange rind, rust, spiced meat, sweet, coffee, candy, tobacco, cigarette smoke, red licorice ropes, cherry, pine needles, great fruit, pine needles, mint, refreshing acidity, 100 pts

1978 Lynch Bages (Ron)
Corked. Amazing, though, how this vintage, once thought to be too tannic to ever drink, is now softening into pleasant fruitiness.

1997 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Reserve Madonna Piano
Chocolate, burnt coffee, smooth on the palate, smoked meat, vanilla, 93 pts

2004 Malleolus de Sanchomartin Emilio More (Andrew)
Vanilla, meat, chocolate coated cherries, sawdust, 94 pts

Vino Chinato Louis Dressner (Ron)
Amaro like with Nebbiolo base. Cinammon, bitters, 90 pts

France Conquers Italy

Not since the days of Napoleon has it been so clear who ruled Europe.

Keith Edwards organized an extraordinarily informative tasting designed to compare ten Italian merlots with ten Bordeaux wines consisting of at least 75% merlot. In attendance were Keith, Parlo, Ron, Bev, Andres, Paula, Russell, Linda and I.

What a great location K Restaurant was! The appetizers before the event were also the best we’ve had, and included deviled eggs, crab hors d’ouvres, and some great cheeses.

Blind Tasting

Wines were served double blind through a complex mechanism that guaranteed each flight would have one Italian and one French wine. Keith provided a wonderful tasting booklet for our notes.

The flights turned out to be:

Flight 1

1998 L’Evangile 250 (Andres) 92 pts

1998 Le Macchiole’s Messorio (Bolgheri, Tuscany) $238 (Keith) 91 pts

Flight 2

2006 Bellevue Mondotte $70 (Russell) 88 pts

2004 Petrolo Galatrona (Arezzo, Tuscany) $264 (Keith) 93 pts

Flight 3

1996 Tua Rita Redigaffi (Suvereto, Tuscany) $259 (Keith) 84 pts

1998 Valandraud $160 (Ron) 92 pts

Flight 4

2000 Clos L’Eglise $140 (Ron) 92 pts

1995 Castello di Ama L’Apparita (Chianti Classico, Tuscany) $254 (Keith) 88 pts

Flight 5

1994 Chateau Angelus $170 (Ron) 92 pts

2004 San Giusto a Rentennano La Ricolma (Chianti Classico, Tuscany) $115 (Keith) 83 pts

Flight 6

1997 Lamaione (keith) 92 pts

1957 Petrus $462 (Steve) 96 pts

Flight 7

1993 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto (Bolgheri, Tuscany) $234 (Keith) 94 pts

1996 La Mondotte $185 (Russell) 93 pts

Flight 8

2006 Petra’s Quercegobbe Merlot (Suvereto, Tuscany) $54 (Keith) 91 pts

1998 Chateau Pavie $200 (Ron) 92 pts

Flight 9/10 (combined because otherwise the last flight would be obvious)

1997 Gravner Rujno $179 (Keith) 86 pts

1995 Clinet (Keith) (Badly Corked)

1996 Clos Fourtet (Andres) 84 pts

2001 Miani Colli Orientali $250 (Ron) 83 pts

Observations on the Blind Tasting

With only one exception, the French wine was better than the Italian wine.
In almost every case it was obvious which country the wine came from.
The Italian wines were, with the exception of the Masseto, quite disappointing.
The last four wines were close to undrinkable.
The Petrus obviously didn’t belong in a blind tasting with these, but it was excellent. I was very worried because it was an off vintage, and had been open two hours before we got to it, but in fact it held up for five hours. I guess there’s a reason Petrus is so expensive.
The other wine that stood out was the 2000 Clos L’Eglise, which has an extraordinary candy shop nose. It turned out this wine was 30% Cabernet Franc, so it was disqualified as a merlot, but it was definitely the best contemporary wine.
Except for the Petrus, and perhaps the Clos L’Eglise, the good wines were all too young to drink.
It’s easy to generalize and say French wines are better than Italian (which may well be the case) but it’s important to remember this was a merlot tasting, and Pomerol merlots are among the best French wines, while one wonders if they should be growing merlot in Italy at all.

Dinner

After the formal tasting, we segued into dinner, which was excellent. Shrimp on spicy grits, heirloom tomatoes, duck confit with goat cheese and a crispy crusted fish over corn were the standouts.

The wines poured during dinner were, in general, much better than the tasting wines. My notes:

95 Klaus Riesling Schloss Schonborn (Keith)

An incredible match with shrimp on spicy grits, not too sweet, 94 pts

2001 Ch Chevalier Blanc (Keith)

Nutty, lucious, waxy, 94 pts

1982 Savigny Les Beaune Lavieres Robert Ampeau (Steve)

Refined, thin, dried flowers, rust, 90 pts

2009 Gavi di Gavi il Monterotondo Il Gabbiano white (Andres)

Balanced, good food wine, 88 pts

1968 Vina Valoria Rioja (Steve)

Dill, balanced, youthful, cherry, Burgundian, Andres loved this, chocolate coated dill pickles, just kept getting better in the glass, 95 pts

62 Chambolle Musigny J Henri Remy (Ron)

Rust, Cherries, meat, charred cedar plank, animal fat, herbs, 98 pts

1990 Hermitage La Chapelle Jaboulet (Keith)

Vanilla, sweet, balanced, chocolate covered cherries, animal fat, 100 point Parker wine, 96 pts

1966 Ch La Mission Haut Brion (Ron)

Tobacco, gravel, the sea, gun metal, sweet, always Paula’s favorite wine, 99 pts

That was all the fun Linda could take, so we said our goodbyes and left the group to ponder dessert and, no doubt, more wine!

Blind Pairs at Luma

Ron organized this interesting tasting in the downstairs room at Luma. Attendees were Ron, Bev, Keith, Parlo, Andres, Paula, Linda, Dani, Jacques, and Alison.

As usual at Luma, the downstairs room was fabulous, and the food was variable. Standouts were the cauliflower torte, sashimi, and the main course of steak and fish.

Wine glasses are the limitation at Luma, and we weren’t anxious to dump some of the more stellar wines, so couples began consolidating. Soon the table was covered in glassware and we were hard pressed for glasses to reuse.

Thanks everyone, for bringing some fantastic wines. The popularity contest at the end of the evening mentioned a few favorites: 95 Rayas, 75 Haut Brion, 91 Tondonia, 04 Grange, 97 Yquem.

Jacques Selosse Initiale (Ron)
Only slight Ocidation, fairly Complex (very cold)
92

2003 Georg Breuer Berg Schlossberg (Andres)
Dry Riesling
Minerals, Petroleum, Viscous, Dry
94

2006 Silex par Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly (Keith)
Sauvignon Blanc
Tropical, custard
96

2004 Cheval Blanc (Keith)
Good structure, fully resolved tannins
94

2003 Ann Gross Richbourg (Ron)
Elegant, perfume, mature, vanilla, cinnamon
95

95 Rayas Chateauneauf du Pape (Ron)
Fresh cherries, potting soil, black pepper
97

75 Haut Brion (Steve)
Dust, peat, ash, mint, smoke
98

75 Heitz Martha’s (Steve)
Chewy, redwood, mint, dill, eucalyptus
92

93 Clos de Vougeot Thomas Moillard (Andres)
Big cherry nose, sour cherry mouth
88

96 Clos de Vougeot Thomas Moillard (Andres)
Horse, med sweet cherries, vanilla, mint
91

2007 Salanques Priorat (Jacques)
Fruit, cherry cough drop, caraway
90

2001 Vina Ardanza Rioja (Jacques)
Pork chop, dill
93

NV Billecart Salmon Rose (Jacques)
Iberico ham, dried roses
93

91 Dominus (Steve)
Dust, Black pepper, big structure
95

91 Tondonia Rioja (Steve)
Chicken broth, blood sausage, dill
94

2004 Grange (Keith)
Mint, fruit, herbal, gummy candies
92

2004 La Landonne Cote-Rotie Guigal (Keith)
Burnt buttered toast, meats
95

1997 Bienvenues Batard Montrachet Le Flave (Ron)
Candied apricot, slightly, unctuous, slightly oxidized
90

1988 Bonnes Mares, Olivier Le Flave Negotiant (Andres)
Light, classic burgundy, dried sour cherries, sour
86

90 Ch Montrose (Ron)
Vanilla, butter, tannic, 100 pt Parker
95

90 Ch Beausejour (Ron)
Roast meat, 100 pt Parker
96

2001 L’Ermita Priorat (Keith)
Cherry cough drops, garnache
95

2006 la ca nova Barbaresco bric mentina (Jacques)
Cherry,
91

1986 Hermitage cuvée Marquise de la Tourette (Andres)
Caramel, oxidized
88 pts

1985 Hermitage cuvée Marquise de la Tourette (Andres)
Warm red jello, caramel, vanilla bean, meat
90

57 Ruchottes-Chambertin J Thorin (Ron)
Old thin delicate oxidized Burgundy
85

2011 Pichler-Krutzler Gruner Veltliner (Jacques)
Saline, minerals, floral, celeriac, iodine, medicinal, nutty, hops
92

89 Angelus (Ron)
Dusty, fruit
93

70 Vega Sicilia Unico (Ron)
Light, fruity, Bordeaux like
92

2002 Clos Vougeot Castagnier (Jacques)
A bit funky, dried fruit roll
87

1998 Clos de la Roche Castagnier (Jacques)
Barnyard, plastic
86

2005 Christoffel Jr. Ursiger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese (Andres)
Petroleum, peaches
90

97 Yquem (Ron)
Baked apple pie, very balanced, long cinnamon pastry finish
99

Wine Lunch on Hillstone’s Dock

Ron arranged this lovely Saturday afternoon event for a fairly large group. The weather was cool and blustery, but plastic panels kept out most of the wind, and it was a delightful venue, with great service by Laura and delicious food by Hillstone (formerly Houston’s)

In attendance were Ron, Bev, Linda, Keith, Parlo, Andres, Gary, Trish, Carsten (Luma), John (Augustan Wines), Richard, and Noel

NV Shramsberg Rose (Hillstone)
Strawberries, good balance, 88

NV Bouzy Camille Saves (John)
Yeast, toast, 90

93 Haut Brion (Linda)
Chalk, candle wax, lanolin, lemon, honey, vanilla bean, 96

07 Sancerre cuvée les deserts Philippe Auchere (Keith)
Lemon, ash, 90

34 Volnay Champans Boisseaux-Estivant (Steve)
Rust, copper, cinnamon, blood orange peel, a bit thin, sandalwood, smoked meat, red apple peel, 93

1958 Barolo Antichi Vignetti Propri (Keith)
Sea air, iodine, miss, wet pennies, sweet finish, 93

1990 Echezeaux grand cru virile-Vignes Mongeard Muneret (Ron)
Classic mature burg, tons of fruit, cherries, smoke, wood, roses, 95

71 Volnay Nicolas Potel (Ron)
Light in color, pinot nose, smoke, wood, lemon curd, Key lime pie, mint, 94

59 Ch Grand Puy Ducasse Puillac (Steve)
Youthful, fruity, classic Bordeaux, iron, wood, glad I have 3 bottles left, 93

67 Ch L’Evangile Pomerol (Keith)
Fresh, fruity, sandalwood, candle wax, coffee liqueur, cotton candy, bubble gum, astonishingly good for a 1967, 93

83 Ch Lynch Bages (Ron)
Big, tannic, chewy, cherry, tobacco, cedar, pencil lead, similar to La Mission Hair Brion, but perhaps a bit awkward, 92

83 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill
Fruity, good for ten more years, baking spice, cherries, iron, wax, 93

82 Ch Trotanoy Pomerol (Ron)
Youthful, iron, vanilla, mint, 96

2007 Pierre Usseglio Cuvée de mon Aieul CDP (Ron)
Chocolate, raspberry, sweet fruit finish, cherry, vanilla, cinnamon, 97

2009 Delas Les Bessardes Hermitage (Ron)
Meat, smoke, bacon, vanilla, must less sweet finish than the CDP 99

(Both of these last two Rhones were Robert Parker 100 pointers)

Harold’s House of Omelets

When we used to live in Westlake Village, Harold’s House of Omelets was our favorite spot for breakfast. Sometimes we close the Alcorn McBride office and head over there for a late breakfast, because Harold’s wasn’t open for lunch!

Wednesday morning, Dani and I made the pilgrimage to Thousand Oaks, about an hour drive (hey this is LA, where you drive an hour to go to a restaurant) north west from our hotel.

These days Harold’s stays open all the way through dinner, and they’ve added Mexican food to the six page densely packed menu. But the omelets haven’t changed. They’re still football sized, with a thick fluffy layer of eggs concealing a literal pile of whatever is underneath. I like the “special” omelet, which has tomatoes, bacon, sour cream and mild chilis, all on top of crispy hash browns. Yum.

The decor hasn’t changed in thirty years (or possibly fifty, as this is their 50th anniversary). It’s nice that sometimes you can go home again.

Stellar Old Wines at Luma

Ron organized a great event in the downstairs room at Luma. Although the food wasn’t quite as good as our spectacular dinner there last month, the wines were stellar, spanning the great years, from 1947 (all time best Burgundy year) to 2000 (a DRC Ron pulled out at the last minute).

In attendance were Ron, Bev, Linda, Barbara (from Pepperoncino), Keith, Parlo, Andres, Paula, and Russell. Thanks for the great wines, everyone!

The Wines

1996 Roederer Cristal (Ron)
Vanilla, yeast
97 pts

NV Jacques Selosse (Ron)
Good acid
95 pts

75 Ch Palmer (Russell)
Medium body, underlying fruit, clay, wood finish, caramel, mint
90 pts

93 Haut Brion Blanc (Ron)
Semolina nose, perfect balance, fatty, lichee nut, white pepper, wax, limestone, pineapple, tropical, lush, buttery
99 pts

04 Corton Charlemagne Bouchard (Keith)
Lemon grass, key lime peel, ash, dusty, white asparagus, high acid, sea shell
90 pts

1947 Casa de Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
Recorked 1982 at Sebastiani Vineyards from the personal cellar of August Sebastiani
Good fruit and acid, youthful, bacon, wood, youthful
93 pts

71 -Nuits St Georges Arguillieres Remoissenet (Keith)
Mushrooms, fruit, balance
93 pts

64 Chambolle Musigny Remoissenet (Keith)
A bit of corkiness increased with air
88 pts

71 Corton Remoissenet (Steve)
Toasted marshmallows, great fruit, great structure
95 pts

47 Chambertin Clos de Beze Remoissenet (Ron)
Gun oil, spice, very young, earthy, smoke, horse stable
99 pts

47 Romanee Saint Vivant Drapier (Steve)
Cinammon, raspberry, cream, great balance
98 pts

61 Bonne Mares Hudeolet (Ron)
Earthy, good fruit, wood
97 pts

66 Ch Loeoville Poyfere (Keith)
Dust, youthful, mint, a bit short
88 pts

66 Ch La Mission Haut Brion (Ron)
Not typical LMHB, gun oil, peat, mushroom
86 pts

66 Ch Canon La Gaffeliere (Keith)
Candy nose, sweet caramel. pastry, cream, young fruit, tannin, died quickly
89 pts

62 Ch Haut Brion (Steve)
Classic Graves, elegant
92 pts

71 Ch Haut Brion (Steve)
Butter, Classic Graves, tight, coffee, smoke
93 pts

90 Ch Haut Brion (Ron)
Very young, cucumber, peppercorn
94 pts

94 Petrus (Andres)
Mouth filling, balanced, red fruits, wood
92 pts

82 Lynch Bages (Russell)
Coffee, chewy, big fruit, young, mint, chocolate, tannic
94 pts

89 Lynch Bages (Keith)
Chewy, mint, tannic monster, chocolate, chlorine, needs many years
92 pts

2001 Ch Climens (Ron)
A bit dull, peppery, petrol, considering this is a 100 pt wine, rather surprising
90 pts

2001 Ch Riussec (Ron)
Botrytis, acidic, slightly off balance
91 pts

2000 Echezeaux DRC (Ron)
Smoke, leather, cherries, tobacco, raw blood sausage, iron, needs many years
92 -> 96? pts

Farewell to Celebrity

Here are a couple of last photos from our final two sea days aboard the Celebrity Constellation. The bottom line is that I’d recommend this line if you’re looking for a Royal Caribbean type experience with better entertainment, but not for premium cruising where you’re better off on Oceania because of the food and smaller ship sizes.

Departure time came early, with a 7:30 am meeting time for Eddie Manning’s limo and the start of the 22-hour trip home.

Porto

Porto isn’t far from Vigo—just 84 kilometers—but it’s a different country and different wine-making. Our shore excursion took us to the Douro Valley, two hours away, where port comes from. Although port is named after Porto, the city has nothing to do with its production.

It was a rainy morning, but our luck held, and we didn’t get wet at either stop, and by afternoon the sun had come out.

Unfortunately our tour guide was a nice guy, but the world’s most boring tour guide. His name was Ricardo(ze). Along the way to Douro we stopped at Amarante, where there is an old church (I know, what a surprise, right). Linda lit a tacky LED electronic candle and said a prayer for a better guide, but it didn’t work.

So we spent a dull hour near the church, with a break for shopping but only a hardware store and convenience store nearby. Then on the way back to the bus we walked through the shopping street we should have been at all along, but with no time left to stop.

Another hour brought us to the Casa Amarela winery, a small property that has been in the same family since the 1880s, but which has been making wine only since 1994. We toured their cellar, with large old oak casks and a couple of stainless steel fermenters, and the crushing room, where they stomp the grapes in large granite enclosures.

Then we sampled their white port with some tapas that included their own olives and olive oil, which were terrific. (Unfortunately the olives weren’t for sale, but the olive oil was.) I don’t think I’d had white port before, and it was fairly pleasant. It was followed by a pleasant lunch accompanied by their serviceable red wine and a ruby port.

The drive back to the ship took almost two hours, but the view was much better than the footed in morning because we took the express way over the tops of the mountains, across many impressive valleys so panned by high arching bridges.

In the evening we had our own private sail away party on the balcony, with Martin, a table full of canapés left in our cabin by our butler, and a bottle of yesterday’s four euro Albarino. Audrey was tired from her walk around Porto, so dinner was just the four of us in the dining room. Afterwards Linda and I went up to Reflections for a 40s themed show and dance party with the entertainers.

The following day was the first of two sea days. We attended a wonderful Riedel comparative tasting that contrasted the difference between four wine glasses by having us transfer the same wines between various glasses. We went in skeptical, and came out true believers.

After two relaxing days at sea it will be time to head home from a very pleasant two and a half weeks of travel.

Vigo

Vigo is one of the southern most cities in Northern Spain, located only 20 miles from Portugal. It is Europe’s main hub for shipping fish, and the 10 mile long harbor is filled with platforms used to raise mussels, oysters and scallops. It’s a pretty port, and you can step right off the ship into the bustling down tom, which is surrounded by hills dotted with spanish style homes.

The ship didn’t dock until noon, which gave us time for a workout and some breakfast/lunch before our shore excursion.

This excellent excursion took us up the coast to the next estuary, Pontevedra, where we visited the old city of Combarro. A few twisty stone streets have been toured into tourist shops. Each intersection features a fountain and a “cruceiros,” a religious monument intended to ward off evil spirits. Ironic, since the shops were selling halloween merchandise. We had some tapas and white wine at a seaside cafe before continuing up the coast to Cambados.

In Cambados we visited a small winery and guest house where we enjoyed a tour of the 5 acre property, which has vines, birds and some fruit trees. Then we had a delightful meal of tapas and wine in the courtyard. The mussels were the best I’ve ever tasted, and they just kept bringing out plate after plate of them. Also delicious were mild cooked and salted peppers, similar to the flavor of chile relleno, a great match for the generously poured—and repoured–Albarino. Their red was pretty much undrinkable—-a fact the owner essentially admitted—-but they also made some interesting flavored grappas. I bought a bottle of Albarino and a bottle of herbal grappa. Total cost: 11 Euros.

The group seemed pretty trashed on the way back to the ship. Amateurs.

For dinner the group of five of us met in the dining room for a taste off between Martin’s 2006 Dominus and our 2008 Chapoutier Hermitage Le Meal.

Bilbao

The high water mark from the 1983 flood.

One of the many colorful squares in the old part of Bilbao.

View of Bilbao from above, with the Guggenheim by the river in the foreground.

This is what was in the butcher’s window.

After a workout Friday morning we spent a restful day on the ship. originally we had a dinner scheduled in a Michelin-starred chef’s kitchen, but it was cancelled, and since it was rainy we decided to spend the day on the ship, relaxing. We had dinner with Audrey, Emilio and Martin. Martin went to Rioja, and said it was a good trip. We shared a few wines, including a 2006 Lynch Bages, which had a classic Bordeaux nose, but was acidic and off balance. Maybe the rest of the bottle will be better in a couple of days.

Saturday we had a shore excursion into Bilbao, about 10 miles upriver from the port. It sprinkled throughout the day, but not enough to disrupt the excursion, and since it rains 40% of the year in Bilbao, I suppose it’s to be expected.

We began our tour on a mountain overlooking the city, for a panoramic view. Bilbao has undergone an amazing transformation in the last twenty years, from an industrial iron works into a garden-like model city. The centerpiece of the city is the Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Gehry. It was paid for locally, Guggenheim simply gave permission for use of the name. It proved to be a successful spark to the city’s renaissance. We drove past, but didn’t stop.

Our destination was the old part of the city, now a trendy shopping and dining district. Following a walking tour we stopped at three different tapas bars for a glass of wine and a pintxos (the “x” is pronounced “ch”). Traditionally pintxos was served on a stick, but these were all toast with either, ham, salmon or brie, plus marinated vegetables, fruits and so on. Each was excellent, and frankly better than anything on the ship.

We were back on board for an early 3pm sailing and formal night number two, which we celebrated with the tasting menu in Ocean Liners. This time we tried the prix fixe menu, which is one of the few good deals on the ship, at $89 for food and matching wines, considering the wines include a Puligny Montrachet and a Smith Haut Lafite Blanc. The service was excellent, and they were very flexible about letting us swap around courses from the regular menu, and changing the tasting pairings. In fact, we skipped dessert, and they comped us two glasses of Perrier Jouet instead, which were worth about half the cost of dinner. We’ve noticed that while the food even in this restaurant is just so-so, they are really good at salads. I had a quail salad with seared and caramelized goat cheese on arugula with a mustard dressing that was certainly the best thing I’ve tasted on board. It was great with a (gasp) Zinfandel from Chiarella Family Vineyard (the 2009 Giana).

Afterwards we attended a very good review of songs from around the world, presented by the ship’s company.