chrisnorth

I keep my wine at Chelsea Wine & Storage (formerly Chelsea Wine Vault), located underneath the Chelsea Market. (Note: you can no longer enter through the wine store in the Market; you need to enter from the 16th St. door near the freight dock.) In general I have had a good experience and would recommend it to Manhattan-dwellers who are looking for reliable professional storage in a convenient location. Two things I have particularly liked about Chelsea are the very friendly and accomodating service, and the excellent online inventory system (which was several years in coming but worth the wait). The cellar is very "high-touch": they have been extremely accomodating to requests for quick turnaround/delivery, finding ways to move wine from one place to another (even overseas). They maintain inventory at the bottle level (useful for those who like my buy a lot of mixed cases) and will pick single bottles from cases. The delivery charges within Manhattan are reasonable (around $12). The catch is that it is fairly expensive -- I think it is now above $2/case/month, don't have my statements in front of me. And handling fees can add up -- $3/case in or out, which means that if you ask them to pick 12 individual bottles from separate cases you are looking at a $36 fee. At this point since I have moved to London and intend to keep most of my wine in NY (since I will return to NY at some point, and with much of the wine intended for long-term aging I would rather not move it twice) I do not need to pay a premium for geographical convenience or high service levels and am investigating less-expensive options. Any suggestions for NY-metropolitan-area wine storage much appreciated. Chris

Having recently moved to London, I am considering moving over part of my wine cellar (currently in professional storage in NYC) to London, as there is a goodly part that is ripe for drinking. I have asked around a bit in London about where to store wine professionally, and have been very confused by the answers I've received. There seem to be a range of storage options ranging from storage facilities run by wine retailers such as Berry Bros (but then from what I've heard one can only store wine purchased from that same retailer in the cellar, unless you buy a lot of wine from them in which case they'll let you store your other wine too) to third-party facilities such as London Bond. What I'd love to hear is feedback from someone with direct experience with storing wine in London. The research I've done has left me thinking that many of these options are expensive and sometimes cumbersome. There seem to be a lot of potential hidden charges, limited ability to access wine by the bottle instead of by the case, lack of online database access to inventory information, etc. I have some experience in NY but am considering changing cellars -- but will put that in a separate post. Thanks in advance, Chris

in the mid-90's i picked up a case of 1989 orion (the first vintage? in any case an early one) at auction for a song. sadly the last bottle was polished off last year, but this was a spectacular wine. never had a bad orion but this was one of the best; unfortunately once the release price crept up to around $100 i stopped buying it.

Almost exactly a year ago I spent two weeks eating my way through Melbourne and Sydney and Vue de Monde was by far and away the most exciting meal out of a number of excellent meals. Not perfect, but there was real creativity and ambition.

Thanks for the welcome and the helpful replies. I will definitely look at the other posts mentioned and check out a few of the restaurants you recommend. There's no question that the exchange rate affects my perception of value. I'm paid in sterling but it's hard not to do the conversions (though I'm trying not to). But where I say a meal wasn't particularly good value, I mean that even at a more "normal" exchange rate of 1.5. Take The Cow, for example. That's the kind of place that I would visit regularly in my neighborhood in New York (I lived in the East Village for the last 10 years) and expect to pay $30/person for appetizer, main, and a glass of wine. A comparable meal at The Cow is around £30-35/person -- expensive enough to make me want to think about it. I think there's something to that, but after five months I don't have enough experiece to say. My experience at Clarke's, and somewhat at the River Cafe, was of food with a real personality and philosophy behind it. My experience at The Square -- as MobyP said -- left me with "the sense of having spent a fair sum for some luxury ingredients moderately to well prepared". Daniel, yes. Soho House and Les Halles are not well received by the locals, I don't think. Les Halles has been a disaster ever since Bourdain became a celebrity, and frankly was never better than an okay bistro before that (I used to work nearby and eat there regularly). What I'm gathering, in sum, is (a) I haven't been eating at the right places and will rectify that, (b) London dining is simply more expensive -- even at a normal exchange rate -- than equivalent dining in NY or Paris, and © there are (I suspect) fewer places at the top end that really warrant the huge expenditure. One final question for the group before I leave off pestering all of you and start slogging through the boards as I should have done in the first place. Is there a restaurant guide or a particular reviewer you find reliable? I've found Zagat's in London to be substantially less reliable than the NY version (which isn't particularly good, but has some value); and Time Out isn't doing anything for me except for some of the low-end ethnic restaurants. Thanks again for all the advice. Cheers, Chris

I'm a native New Yorker recently moved to London, and have been consistently disappointed by London restaurants -- so much so that I have almost given up going out to eat. (Good for the wallet but not for culinary happiness.) What London restaurants will convince me that I'm mistaken? Would be equally happy with the diviest place or formal 3-star Michelin dining -- as long as the result is a great meal that is worth the price. In the desperate hope that someone will tell me what I’ve been doing wrong, I detail my dining experiences so far below. What I’d really like to know is: 1. Where are one or two places where one can have a absolutely first-rate, special meal – the sort of meal you’ll remember for years? The places that it would be a shame not to have visisted? 2. Where are some good places for everyday dining – reliably very good and good value? 3. What inexpensive ethnic restaurants are worth the effort to hunt them down? Especially interested in South and South-East Asian food. 4. Finally, any opinions on these places that have been highly recommended: St. Johns, Moro, Locanda Locatelli, New Tayyab, Rules, Nahm, Hakkasan, Tamarind, Chutney Mary, Chez Bruce, La Trompette, Rasa, Quilon, Sagar. Many thanks in advance. Chris The only really first-rate meal I've had in London so far was at Clarke’s in Kensington. Think a British version of Chez Panisse and you’ll get the picture. The appetizer (there is no choice of dishes at Clarke’s – there’s one menu, take it or leave it – though I think you do get to choose whether or not you want a cheese course) was the second-best salad I’ve ever had (the first-best being at the original Bouley back in the early 90’s), with rocket and other assorted bitter greens, the more flavorful mozzarella you can imagine, toasted walnuts, fresh figs, and a balsamic (really first rate balsamic) vinaigrette. The main and cheese were very good though not at the same level, and dessert disappointing. Important note if you’re thinking of going: demand to sit in the main (ground floor) dining room; the basement dining rooms are really not terribly nice. I think my favorite everyday place in London so far is must be the Electric Brasserie, which is very much on the lines of Balthazar and Pastis but with better food and a more enjoyable atmosphere. I eat here regularly and generally find it good value for the quality. Enjoyed the River Café but found it a little expensive for what it was (luckily it was a business lunch). I remember a really good tagliatelle though, and the setting on the river is of course lovely. For very inexpensive Italian, I was surprised at how good the Carluccio’s chain is. The main Neal Street is good but (yet again) expensive for what it is (especially the wine list), though I might go back for the mushrooms. Casale Franco was a pretty good local Italian in Islington at a fair price. Had a very nice meal at The Square, but the price was staggering (I think something like $125/person before wine) and the meal not special enough to justify it. Also we had excruciatingly slow service which resulted in us still being in the restaurant at 2am, one hour after everyone else had left – though we hadn’t ordered anything unusual. (I think our soufflés must have fallen on the first try.) At the Burmese restaurant Mandalay on Edgeware Road we ate very good food at ludicrously cheap price – I think it came to £15/person including several courses and beer. Will definitely go back. Found Busaba Eathai (several visits) to be good – but not spectacular -- Thai food at a very fair price. (There is always long queue but I've never waited more than 15 minutes -- note that couples get seats much more quickly than larger parties.) The wine list is pitiful, which is a shame as Thai food is an ideal opportunity to break out all the reasonably priced rieslings in the world. And the service is very rushed -- they don't try to hide the fact that they want to turn the tables over as quickly as possible. But I’ll still go back given the good value. In contrast, I’ve found the Wagamama chain quite mediocre. Churchill Arms is apparently famous for its Thai food – I think more for the unbelievably low price (£5 per dish or something like that) and the amusing juxtaposition of Thai food and traditional British pub than for any spectacular quality, based on my one meal there. Club Gascon was really underwhelming, and one of the biggest disappointments so far (versus expectations). The décor – and the food – just try too hard. Several of our dishes were very good, several not impressive at all. The wine list is impressive in its coverage of the South-West of France, and is one of the only reasonably priced winelists I’ve seen in London – but unfortunately the staff (both our waiter and the sommelier) were not very knowledgeable. Le Caprice at Arlington House is apparently a local favorite, but I don’t see what the fuss is about. Comfortable brasserie food of varying quality in a cozy setting, but at quite a premium. Of the Indian places we’ve tried, Red Fort has been by a long way the best (again several visits) – but it’s quite expensive and on the chi-chi side. Vama was a huge disappointment; nothing was great, and several dishes were almost inedible, though the service is quite friendly. Star of India in South Ken has really slipped from what it was 5-6 years ago, though you can still get a decent meal. A colleague took me to a staggeringly expensive Indian restaurant (have forgotten the name) in a little townhouse on a side street off of Sloan Square that was pretty good (and had an impressive wine list) but at a steep price. I would love to find great Indian food at a decent price – it must be possible in London! The Cow is a perfectly respectable gastropub, but with dinner for two (cheapest bottle of wine on the list, shared appetizer, no dessert or coffee) at £70 a bit steep for what it is. I must say that I don't understand why this is such a highly touted restaurant. Eight over Eight was good Asian fusion in a very slick setting. Very good wine list. Nothing particularly memorable though, and you pay for the privilege of eating in a room with so many attractive people. I had high hopes for Racine after it won Time Out’s 2003 “best new restaurant” award. In the end it was a pleasant and authentic French bistro – but not better than what you could find in any neighborhood in Paris at 1/3 the price. La Trouvaille (Soho branch) on the other hand was a very nice meal for the price. I thought the winelist had a particularly good selection of regional wines. Definitely a place I'll return to. I've heard, by the way, that the Islington branch is not as good. 6 St Chads place is a smart new bar/restaurant in King’s Cross that has a very nice and affordable lunch. At night it is more about drinking than eating. In any case very welcome in the neighborhood. Uli in Notting Hill came highly recommended – but the pan-Asian food was unremarkable (though inexpensive). The long list of other places with expensive and unmemorable meals would include: Oscar (buzzing restaurant in Charlotte Hotel); OXO tower (high tourist quotient; impressive but expensive winelist); Teca (Italian in Mayfair primarily frequented by investment bankers – ridiculous markup on wine); and many, many more.

Thanks for the recommendations. We have added Icebergs to the list based on recs from Sydneysider friends, also Bistro Lulu. Claude's is closed for an entire month, unfortunately. Neither Sailor's Thai, Billy Kwong, nor Bistro Moncur take reservations so we'll take our chances. Am also thinking about a repeat visit to Longrain which I rather enjoyed 2 years ago. Will report back in mid-January ... Chris

For cheese, definite Alex Farms. There's one in the St Lawrence market, and another in the basement of the Manulife building. The cheese is better and less expensive than at Whole Foods -- though the latter does a decent job too.

I agree with the "intellectual" comment. Ate there two years ago and had an extraordinarily memorable meal. They were fully booked that night and I was in Toronto just for the weekend, and after some begging the offered to let me eat in the "lounge" (a small area where guests sit for a minute before being taken to their table -- not a bar proper). The maitre d'hotel served me personally, and Susur came out after every course to ask me what I'd like to eat next. (The answer, of course, was "whatever you'd like to cook for me, Chef!") My second visit was a few months ago and while the food was still exquisitely prepared, somehow it didn't impress me as much. I'm not sure if the food changed or if I did; lately I've been less interested in elaborate, labored food, and I came away from the meal thihnking that while it was excellent, I hadn't really enjoyed it as much.

I'm heading to Tassie, Melbourne, and Sydney too in a few days and would appreciate comments & suggestions. In Tassie we are staying at Cradle Mtn Lodge for 2 nights and I'm assuming that there aren't a lot of restaurants driving distance from there besides the one at the hotel -- which is supposed to be good. Then Launceston for two days, staying at Hatherley House. We are having lunch at Stillwater on the 24th; haven't yet been able to find anything open for dinner that night which excites us. Christmas Day almost nothing is open so we're eating at a place recommended by the hotel, Lawrence St Brasserie -- looks simple. Dec 26th we have lunch at Strathlynn (Daniel Alps) and then fly to Melbourne While in Melbourne we have reservations at Vue de Monde; was dying to try Flower Drum but they are closed Dec 25-Jan 9. :-(. Also considering the following -- recommendations? -- diningroom 211 and/or Mrs Jones, Asiana, Melbourne Wine Room, Walter's Wine Bar, Yu.U, France Soir, Soupierre. Then to Sydney -- most of all for a repeat pilgrammage to Tetsuya, which on a previous visit offered one of the most memorable meals of my life. We are eating at Wharf for New Year's. Other places we are considering trying: Sailor's Thai, Billy Kwong, Claude's, Bistro Moncur, Becasse, Marque. (Oh, and we're staying in Darlinghurst explicitly so we can eat breakfast EVERY DAY at bill's ... I still have dreams about the scrambled eggs from the last time I was there. Well, maybe we'll make it to Bather's Pavillion for a second breakfast one of the days we're there ...) Any comments or suggestions gratefully appreciated. Chris