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tighe

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Everything posted by tighe

  1. Damn!, where's the 'drool' smilie when you need it? I still say we need to do a eG event there some time in the not too distant future....
  2. tighe

    Describing Gigondas

    Helpful.... The descriptions of the taste of Gigondas are consistent with my experience, but I still struggle to characterize the very unusual mouth-feel I get from it. I sometimes wonder if others simply don't experience it in the same way for whatever reason. Here I go using an unpleasant sounding analogy to explain something I find enjoyable, but the latest/best characterization is that I get a feeling almost like I've inhaled a small amount of chalk-dust into my mouth when I drink Gigondas. I've never experienced anything comparable with another wine. One comment on mogsob's post. Wish I could remember exactly where I saw it, but some time ago I read an article on flavors in wine written by a chemist. They explained that tasting fruits and other substances in wines was often legitimate because chemical compounds created in the wine during fermentation and aging were actually closely related to compounds found in berries, melons, etc. That said, these descriptions get taken to rediculous lengths, in my opinion.
  3. tighe

    Boiling Milk

    Don't know if you've ever heard Emeril say this, its pretty rare, but be careful when you're simmering milk unless you want to remodel your kitchen!!..... Sorry, couldn't help myself......
  4. tighe

    Describing Gigondas

    I first tasted a Gigondas several years ago and was struck by its distinctiveness and have recently started drinking it more regularly. There is a particular mouth-feel and flavor that I don't get with any other wine, but I have incredible difficulty putting words to my impressions of it. 'Musty' is about the best I can do, but it seems inadequate. What are the 'wine-speak' words usually associated with Gigondas and do others agree that is a very distinctive style of wine? Thanks....
  5. I'm going to try to parse out my response in coherent pieces, please forgive me where I fail.... I have eaten at BM probably 8 times, other than the two wine dinners that I attended there and have noticed no appreciable difference in the quality of the food. The wine dinners may include special touches that are not seen on the regular menu items, but the fundamentals are equally strong. I believe experience, both in dining and writing about it, does play a crucial roll in being a good food critic. Simply recounting one's personal opinions about food does not a professional critic make, which is why very few of us on eGullet are getting paid to be food writers. You have to understand your own tastes in the broader context of taste and be willing to acknowledge where your impressions may be due to personal preferences rather than some absolute standard. This piece, and much of The Stranger's food writing, consistently fails to do this. Finally, the real issue at hand, the sauces at BM. As I've said, I haven't tried any of the dishes mentioned in the piece, but have a hard time believing that they could be so radically different from what I have sampled. I would argue that "too sweet", in particular, is in the palate of the beholder. Distinct sweetness in food, even desserts, seems to be widely regarded as a bad thing these days. I know that I have a much higher sweetness threshold than many people, so its possible that a sauce that I enjoy, others would find overly sweet. My experience at BM is that sauces are rich, amply portioned, well balanced and compliment the food they are served with in almost all cases, and where they don't I have no compunction about pointing it out. If my tone is irrationally defensive, its because I know the effect that reviews, even brief ones, can have on a restaurant's business and I frankly think that BM is getting screwed by the one in The Stranger. Guess this just means I'll have to go there even more often myself! - tighe Official Apologist For Brasserie Margaux
  6. You think if I went over to the history department they'd let me teach a course in the early-modern history of the Middle East because I've read a few books about it?.. To be fair, it appears that Min Liao has actually written a few pieces on music and film, so maybe The Stranger just has a whole posse of multi-threat writers....
  7. Screw Taco del Mar, I think that's what I want to be when I grow up!!....
  8. Sorry, but I have to get in one more parting shot...... Just to see what her opinions were on other places, I did a search of The Stranger's archives for other articles by Jennifer Maerz, the author of the blurb about BM. Guess what? She's a music writer! She's written a few pieces on films and art, but unless I'm missing something, she's never written about food before.....
  9. DR, thanks for the post. Considering I'm just a shade northeast of that area, I'm ashamed that I've never checked it out. Good coffee within striking distance of home would be a real plus!....
  10. While my knee-jerk reaction is to second MsRamsey's comment, I think there is probably a different explanation... First, thanks for pointing out the review. I had been meaning to read that issue and never go to it. Their main complaint seems to be with the sauces. If you are of the minimalist sauce school, that is, you like a small drizzle around the rim of the plate, much of what BM serves is not for you. In sauces, they are definitely Old School, in the amount and composition. I am a sauce freak, and if the sauce is a good one, as BM's virtually always are, then BRING IT ON! Personnally I am much more likely to complain about an insufficient amount of sauce than an excess of it. All that being said, I haven't tried any of the specific dishes that they mention and there are certainly any number of items on the menu that are excellent and not sauce-centric such as the sauteed wild mushrooms. I was dismayed that BM didn't even crack The Weekly's recently published Top 100. Its full of places that, to me at least, don't hold a candle to BM. Some examples of BM's sauciness:
  11. Thanks for the review, sounds like the food was better than the wines. Southern Italy is very intriguing to me, think I'll have to clear the schedule for that one....
  12. Ben, I'm only giving you a hard time because the chef pretty much told me to.... Well, OK, its also in my nature....
  13. All in good time my boy, all in good time...... Did I mention that the chef said he was still waiting to hear back from you on what kind of cooking class you wanted to set up for eGullet??
  14. No need to sneak, you can see it in all its obscene-ness (58 pages!!) here: Canlis Wine List I haven't done any real thorough checking, but my recollection is that the markup is particularly offensive at the bottom end of their list..... ....Wait a second...now that I have actually perused the list a little looking for some egregious case of overpricing it appears that mighty Canlis may have had to bow to our current economic realities. I'm counting 6 Chardonnays under $40 and all at somewhat reasonable markups over retail. Damn, facts interfering with a perfectly good argument again! It is still hardly a bargain wine list. Harumph.... Addition: the idea of a systematic analysis of wine markups at different restaurants in town could be really interesting. If anyone is interested and would be willing to assist with data collection, I would be happy to play the role of "stats person" mentioned by gc....
  15. My only problem with corkage fees is that they've gotten so high. Most of the upper end places are charging at least $25 these days, which to me is a sure sign of trying to defend an overpriced wine list. It seems like $15 is should be entirely adequate. I'm getting tired of places who feel like its OK to not have anything on their list for under $50 (Canlis!). I totally understand restaurants who won't allow you to bring a wine that they already have on their list. One of the other things DR mentions is the issue of taking left-over wine with you. I've never had a problem with doing that whether I brought the wine or bought it from the restaurant. I was at Mistral this weekend and we had two bottles of wine, but finished neither. They wrapped them for us to take with. Now, you're legally not supposed to have open containers of alcohol in the car, but that doesn't have anything to do with where you got it from.
  16. Sorry to be so impatient Lauren, but......spill it!! How was the BM Australian wine dinner last night?!?! Inquiring minds are dying to know.....
  17. OK, I'm +14 after today's trip to the used book store. Hardbacks were 2 for 1!! Found a stunningly beautiful French book called 'De la Vigne a l'Assiette' by Georges Blanc....
  18. 84 in my household..... Edit: only outnumbered by the quantity of books on economics and statistics....
  19. On the Channel 5 news last night, there was a story about how an unfounded rumor about employees at the Great Wall Mall in Kent being infected with SARS has reduced business by 30%. Worse still, is that police now believe the rumor was started with malicious intent. I know girl chow and I have talked some about this place and Imperial Palace, the excellent Chinese restaurant located there, in particular. So...if you're having an urge for Chinese food or shopping and are feeling up to a trek down south, I'm sure they could use the business. Hopefully the story being on the news will get things back on track.
  20. It tasted like something you wanted to get into and swim around in, thats what it bleepin' tasted like!!
  21. I've been to Maximilien a number of times and am a real fan...this sounds like a fantastic deal. This time of year when it stays light later, the sunsets from there are spectacular. It gets my vote for best quality of food/quality of view combo in town. One of my posts about a dinner there is at: Maximilien Anniversary Dinner
  22. The Spanish Table rocks, but the few times I've been there its been a struggle to get out with my bank account intact. Not because of their prices, but because I want it all... Using the names of some of the places mentioned by Coop and Johnathon, I did a little more web searching and came accross this column from Vancouver Magazine, written a few years ago. It gives a run-down of quite a few Portuguese places and, from the tone, seems to confirm what both of you said about the overall level of quality. One of the places mentioned that did peak my interest some is Tia Ana. Still around?, ever tried it? One thing I found funny about the article is that at the beginning he indicates that Portuguese restaurants were (in 1999) "hot" in Seattle. There's only ever been one place in town that claimed to be (in part) Portuguese and that was La Tienda Cadiz, now closed, but wasn't even open in '99.
  23. We're goin' international with this, baby, guess I hit a nerve... I guess the key decisions are whether we want to do lunch or dinner and if should be weekday or weekend. Both have their advantages, but I imagine that more people would be able to make dinner. Thoughts? I would probably vote for either a weekday dinner or weekend lunch. To get things rolling, here are my opening bids: dinner on the 30th or 7th or lunch on the 10th. I'm open to other proposals..... Here's a link to their web page to whet your appetite: Link MsRamsey's proposal to do it at someones house may be a good thought if the size of the group grows. I can tentatively offer up our place which is big enough and reasonably close to Jones.
  24. I want to apologize up front for the vague rambling nature of this question, but its the best I got.... A woman I work with told me that she heard (OK, so we're already at 3 degrees of separation ) that there are good Portuguese restaurants in Vancouver. Based on my one trip to Portugal, I love the food, and if there are some notable places, I would definitely make a point of visiting them next time I'm in town. The info I've been able to glean from the web has been pretty sparse. Seattle's only vaguely Portuguese place was short-lived, though good. So...what's the real story? Thanks.
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