Archive for February 2012
happy [impending] bday g!!
t says: It’s g’s birthday on 3/3. In an effort to surprise her, I orchestrated [with a lot of help] a little multi-phase gathering/party this past weekend to celebrate. The theme was “things that g likes”. Phase 1 featured hanging out, eating food, and drinking wine.
meat, cheeses, veggies, chocolate sauce, utz specials extra dark pretzels, donuts, hummus
And all that food was for like … 6 people (we had some last-minute bailers – no problem – more for us!). The wine list was extensive (bottles outnumbered people at least 2:1), and we wasted no time getting started with reds, whites, bubbles, etc. But I think what made this phase of the evening fun were these:
donut close-up
a, being the selfless trooper that he is, ventured to “Fednuts” (i.e. “Federal Donuts”) to pick up a dozen of the above donuts: grapefruit, pistachio, pina colada, raspberry balsamic, s’mores, and banana. They. Were. Awesome. Grapefruit was the winner of the group, capturing 3 of 7 votes, with the remaining votes scattered among the rest. I disagree with the grapefruit victory (being my least favorite of the six), but I can’t argue with the numbers. In any case, you absolutely MUST go to Federal Donuts because it’s not all hype. It’s actually that good!
Other phases of the evening (with more attendees) include bowling, eating at Han Dynasty, and resuming wine consumption while watching tivo’d Iron Chef. To my surprise, everything ran according schedule and g was not the least bit sleepy at any point throughout the evening. Awesome!
g and I send our sincerest thanks to everyone who came – you really made the night special for g. Also – happy birthdays to w’s boyfriend (and to m!) … AND … congratulations to both w and her boyfriend-now-fiance for getting engaged! We’d like to think they got engaged the night before our party as a birthday present for g (she was rootin’ for ’em). We wish them nothing but the best!
a & v supper at supper
v says: At one point a and I wanted to have a section of afterdinnersneeze entitled “a to z + v”. [t clarifies: They wanted to see if they’ve gone to a Philly restaurant for every letter in the alphabet.] We worked on it for quite some time, but never got around to completing it. We were missing two letters when we starting writing the list, S and Q (which we eventually decided could be Cuba Libre because of its pronuncation). One day we ran by Supper and I yelled, “That’s our S”. a was confused by my enthusiasm, as he had no idea what I was talking about until I explained. He immediately shared in my enthusiasm and made reservations for a Sunday night.
It wasn’t the 1000 point table or that Supper is BYO on Sundays that made this meal special, it was the food. I always says that you can judge a restaurant by its vegetarian dishes. If I’m right, then Supper is the best restaurant in Philadelphia. I ordered the Daily Harvest, but substituted the pretzels for the first course. The pretzels were fresh and the mustard potent. While the combination was tasty, the ratio was off – too much mustard, too few pretzels. The Blue Elephant Farm Salad was one of the tastiest, albeit healthiest salads I have ever had at a restaurant. The vegetable quartet was comprised of four unique, palate challenging dishes. I ended my meal with the banana bread pudding, which rivals the bread pudding at Barbuzzo; ‘nuff said.
a says: I think this is one of the best meals he’s had in the city. the squid appetizer was inventive and full of flavor, yet light. The duck and waffle is interesting entree and does many things well. Best duck in the city… It’s definitely on the short-list. v says it was the best duck she’s had since Django… that’s right… she said Django…
iloveyoucapogiro
t says: Today marks the start of the google offer for $10 worth of capo giro gelato for $5. Whenever g and I go, we spend that amount. So basically – it’s half-off. That’s amazing. It’s so amazing that maybe even dz won’t protest if smn partakes (and if he does, smn, just don’t share with him).
if wine were a cocktail …
t says: We invited over dz and smn a night or so ago for some take-out and wine (and dessert … don’t forget dessert*). With pizza from Gusto’s, I went into my “cellar” and pulled out a pinot noir. Now, I had never had this particular Pinot, so I was gambling a bit, because when it comes to a new Pinot, I never know what I’m going to get. As soon as I hear “Pinot noir” (assuming I’m talking about red still wine), the two flavors that come to mind are red cherries and earth. This is interesting because depending on the absolute intensities of cherry and earth as well as the cherry:earth ratio, different pinot noirs can be very different from each other. You can get some over-extracted, over-the-top, fruit-bomb pinot noirs that coat your mouth and and scream “cherry” (or even darker fruits) from the top of its lungs, or you can get an elegant symphony of fruit and leather and earth and wood that moves you to tears. To paraphrase that dude from the movie Sideways: “when it’s great, Pinot noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling wine in the world.” I assure you that the wine we had was not such a wine, but of course, it’s pretty unreasonable to have such expectations for under $20 … and with some take-out pizza.
2009 calera pinot noir
2009 Calera Pinot Noir (USA, CA, Central Coast; $24.99 at PLCB, but <$20 everywhere else). The first thing I noticed about this particular bottle was that this was unlike any closure than I had ever encountered. Here’s a closeup:
what’s the deal with the glass stopper?
That’s right – it’s not real cork, it’s not synthetic cork, it’s glass! How interesting! Maybe I need to drink more wine or something, because this is the first time I’ve seen it. g did the honors and popped it with ease. Wow! No corkscrew necessary! While I’m sure this will affect/limit any attempt to “age” the wine over time (or am I?), it’s definitely darn spiffy. Plus, if there’s any left, you just pop it back into place and it’s [relatively] sealed once again.
The wine itself was intriguing because it didn’t quite remind me of pinot noir. I’ll let g explain:
g says: I smelled “jazzy strawberries”. It wasn’t just plain old strawberry – there was something else there – a lot like mint. When I smelled it, it made me feel like I really wanted to drink it, if that makes any sense. It tasted just like it smelled, with strawberries, other red fruit, and a strong minty flavor (the fresh-cut herb, not like peppermint or spearmint). It also felt like it had a little bit of carbonation on my tongue. I guess it was kind of like a cocktail! If t finds more at under $20/bottle, I think he should get some.
t says: I completely agree with the above assessment. As a matter of fact, we both mentioned red fruits (strawberry in particular) and mint independently and when I checked the Wine Advocate tasting note, I was not surprised to see that the wine critic found those two kinds of flavors as well. The wine critic then mentions “polish” and “elegance”, but I’m not so sure I’d go there. It does have this moderate-length finish where you continue to taste the pitter-patter of berry-mint flavor well after you swallow which is very pleasant, but it’s definitely not-so-much “elegant” as it is “flirtacious”. To be truly “elegant”, I’d expect something else to come into play to balance the cocktail-ness (or maybe “cocktaility”?) of the wine. There was some mouth-watering acid (which probably made it feel a little fizzy), but not a single bit of bitter tannin or funk/earth anywhere on the palate. I did get some earth on the nose, but that’s about it.
Impression and Plan: The Calera is an easy-going wine with flavors of mass-appeal (?who doesn’t like strawberry and mint?). Overall, g quite liked it and she expects that kp will like it, too – we’ll see. I feel that if it were $4 cheaper, I’d consider buying a bottle and having it on hand for emergency party situations. g feels differently, and would pay up to $20. I guess I just like something a little darker and a little more brooding.
*Noteworthy aside: smn made this super-awesome lemon pound cake thingee from Ina Garten. Holy crap it was amazing. Between the lemon pound cake and the chocolate cake balls, she’s a pretty darn talented baker. She was kind enough to let us have the remaining slice or two. I will eat them when g’s not looking …
a and v give Morimoto a second chance
a + v say: We wrote the following letter after a visit to Morimoto:
Dear Managers of Morimoto and Steven Starr Events,
Our party of six attended Morimoto this past Saturday (22nd, 2011) for a 9:15pm dinner reservation. We all frequent the top restaurants in Philadelphia but for our friend’s birthday, we chose Morimoto. First, let me praise the chef and kitchen staff for an exquisite meal. The Omakase challenged and surprised our palates with every course.
Sadly, what we will remember is frustration, which began with a thirty minute wait for our table. Thirty minutes is objectionable at most restaurants and unacceptable at a place of Morimoto’s caliber.
The night’s real disenchantment was the result of our server, Jacob. Although he was aware of the situation, he made no attempt to amend our wait, was impersonal, and hard to understand. More importantly, he forgot to acknowledge our friend’s birthday even though it was noted on the reservation and reiterated upon our arrival. Several other glitches throughout the meal paled to the egregiousness of receiving a bill ($1500) that was double the correct amount of our dinner.
One of these shortcomings is forgivable but together, given the circumstances and the server’s lack of rectification, made for an extremely disappointing night. We have great respect for chef Morimoto and owner Stephen Starr, and know our experience is not representative of their expectations. We hope this letter ensures these standards remain, which is what we have come to expect from your other fine establishments.
Sincerely, a + v
With an experience like that who would return? We did … after the apology we received – a $400 gift certificate with a note thanking them for sharing what happened. Now that is customer service!
On our return visit with the same group one year later (January 2012), we opted to order a la carte. We preferred this option, as it allowed us to try a variety of dishes and share with each other. The Cha-Soba Chilled Greed Tea Noodles with Chopped Scallion, Fresh Wasabi, and Dashi-Shoyu Sauce for Dipping, were great. a ordered the Duck Duck Duck (Madras Roasted Duck Breast, Confit Fried Rice, Duck Egg, Mandarin Oolong Reduction) and v ordered the Seafood ‘Toban Yaki’ (Sweet Prawns, Scallops, King Crab, Bok Choy, Manila Clams, Oyster Mushrooms, Citrus Butter). Both dishes were plentiful. While the flavors in the Seafood ‘Toban Yaki’ were delicious and the quality of the seafood and the care taken to prepare the meal stood out. a described v’s seafood dish as a Japanese Bouillabaisse. According to a, all three duck preparations were good, but the confit fried rice was “off the hinges”. Overall, our second experience was very good. The pork belly was very well prepared. The service was better this time. Our server was attentive, professional, and friendly. The room is a bit noisy so it was hard to hear her at times, but this did not interfere with our experience. As for Jacob – he surprisingly still works there.
big boy showdown
t says: Last time, we talked about the good times and good food had at Marigold Kitchen. But, as you might have noticed, after all that hype in the beginning of the post, we didn’t have time to discuss the wine! Just a reminder: the setup was that a and I each brought a bottle of wine unknown by the other. After a little discussion and thought, we decided to make it a Cabernet Sauvignon showdown … a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon showdown …
I decided to pick up a spendy bottle of Cab from the PLCB; we needed a good splurge after the holidays. Plus, I just found out that I could return my medical books to amazon.com for way higher than anyone else would buy them from me (Score!). I searched high and low for what I should bring (our home cellar doesn’t have many spendy options that are “ready” yet). And then I found it. I found a bottle that would have some special meaning as well as fall within our budget (i.e. less than the $$ I got from the books I sold). Basically, I was almost obligated to try it. I should note that I technically didn’t buy the wine from a state-run “store”, rather, the state-run website: finewineandgoodspirits.com. When you search for a wine, you can click the tab that says “special order” or something like that and see what’s lying around in the state’s warehouses (which I’ve read are kept at 65 degrees … however … with how tight moneys are nowadays in the state/nation/world, I seriously doubt anyone’s checking the thermostat regularly). So yes, it was a risk. With a vintage bottle of wine like the one I got, the risk is that it may have been improperly stored for several years and the consumer (little ‘ol me) would never know until I pop the cork. That said, I do my best to minimize risk. The most common problem with these warehouse-stored bottles (if there is a problem), is dried out corks (leading to air creeping down the sides of the cork and oxidizing the wine). Consequently, as soon as I get home, I cut the foil off the top and check the cork. And, if there’s the slightest bit of suspicious creepage of wine up the side of the cork (or less-than-perfect ullage or a cork that protrudes out the top some), I take advantage of the awesome PLCB return policy (i.e. no questions asked). As previously blogged, I have run into a cooked wine, and I imagine if I ever run into a corked or oxidized wine from the PLCB, I’ll be returning it for sure.
Sooooo … I bought the wine, prepared it (i.e. decanted it), and brought it to the restaurant, ready to go toe-to-toe with a’s selection. The waiter brought out the wines with the appetizers (i.e. after four or so amuses). We tasted, analyzed, pontificated, and, right before entrees came out, revealed the wines’ identities. This was followed by more tasting, analysis, and pontification. In short – it was a lot of fun and something we’ll definitely do again (except a more fiscally responsible next time … or g will have my head …).
Now for 1/2 of the big reveal:
t's pick: 2002 dominus estate
2002 Dominus Estate (USA, CA, Napa, ?Yountville?; $97.19 at PLCB) I had seen identical bottles going for $150 in NJ so I just had to give this one a whirl when I found it for under $100 at the state store. Furthermore, Dominus holds a special place in g’s and my hearts, as a 1999 Dominus was the wine at our rehearsal dinner (we still have the empty magnum and cork) … and 1999 was a special year because that’s when we started dating <insert obligatory “aww” here>.
By the time we had gotten around to tasting, our ’02 had been decanted three times (once into the decanter, once back into the bottle, and once into the restaurant’s decanter) and allowed to sit for a total of 2.5 hours. Because he’s tasted far more wines than I, I’ll let our wine guy take over:
a says: To start, thank you t for bringing out the big guns. At first, on the nose, I found this a little underwhelming and mainly dominated by funky (but not FRENCH-funky) earth. On the palate, it was lighter than I would have expected for what I knew at the time (big cab from Napa) with much less fruit. Plain and simple, this wine was dusty with lots of dirt and leather. The grip was excellent and the tannins quite smooth, however, the aftertaste ended abruptly. As this wine decanted, it evolved with the meal and became more enjoyable and less dominated by library/earthy flavors; the fruit woke-up on the nose and palate along with some nice chocolate notes. When I learned of the bottle’s origin, I was genuinely surprised… by the label outside and restraint inside. Having never had Dominus, this was not what I would have expected. This drank more like a 3rd growth than a cult napa cab. It was definitely an enjoyable bottle, especially as it opened up, but that being said, was it worth the coin? I can’t say it was. And unless we popped this guy during a dumb phase, I have a hard time believing the drinking window purported by Parker. I would say this is ready now and quite possibly on the downhill.
[on to the next wine:]
a's pick: 2004 Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Chappellet “Signature Cabernet Sauvignon” (USA, CA, Napa; $40 in NJ some time ago) This knocked my socks off. This was a good year from Napa Valley but I didn’t expect such a round wine from a lesser known producer at this price point. At the start, beautiful color with a lively nose of dark fruit and typical green vegetal notes. On the palate, I found blueberry jam, mocha, and some nice heat. This evolved to get a little more earthy [we mentioned baby-poop at one point] on the nose and peppery in the mouth, while beautifully lingering on the tongue. The heat did turn up during the final sips which could have been caused by warmish wine or just serious aeration for the last drops. Baller. (I have another bottle that I’ll give a little more time in the cellar.)
t says: I agree with a here. I think my unrefined palate may have gotten the best of me, as I, too, preferred the mouthfeel and plushness of the Chappellet. With a slightly longer finish, a little less heat, and a bit smoother tannin, I would have be scouring the net right now to find every last bottle I could. On the other hand, what the Dominus really needed was some sex appeal. It had some funk, it had structure, and it had silkiest tannins I’ve had in a while, but it was missing the center-stage fruit. It was like a Britney Spears music video without Britney (n.b. the Britney circa late-90’s, not the current Britney). Compared to the ’99 we had back in the day, this ’02 had less fruit, less acid, and smoother tannins. Parker-points-be-damned, the ’02 needed some oomph! Nevertheless, I now look forward to future bottles of Dominus, as Christian Moueix’s later vintages are known to be a bit showier. Dominus vertical in 2019? Who’s game?
after dinner sneeze 