Ted Task

A comment from one who drinks Patron "neat with a water back." Oh, yeah, I did spend most of my adult life in the Bev. Alcohol trade. 100% agave silver (meaning NOT aged, not colored) is the cleanest of the spirit drinks. Many , many less headaches to the bottle........just because it's a vegetable product. If you need a longer drink, try my own personal T & T (tequila and tonic) great for coming off a hot ball field, or just sittin' around on steamy hot E. Coast days. Ted Task

I WISH that Gonzo were in my neighborhood, I'd probably hang there. The pizza is grilled, then topped, then warmed on the grill again to marry the ingredients. We had two, (they are almost as thin as an Alsace tarte flambe) the first was mashed potatoes and sausage, the second (better in my opinion) was carmelized onions and 'schrooms. We were grazing, so there were a number of tastes on the table. I liked the sardines in saor (classic Venice, where the Chef spent a year),a three (you choose) item plate of very nice cacciatorini with fig and fennel jam, some procuitto di Parma (what could be bad?) and ripe spreadable Gorgonzla. Another dish I fancied was a grilled sweet onion salad. A fennel crusted pork tenderlion brought raves from several of us. We managed to wash all of this good eats with a Sicilian blend of Nero and Syrah, by the handle of BENUARA Cusumano 04. Did not know the wine before, but will make it's aquaintance again. IF, I had any disclaimers, it would be that the room is very large and without sound deadening, but what the hell, I'd be sitting in the bar area or outside if I was a regular. GO! to Gonzo..140 W 13th St. NYC , 212-645-4606 and tell Vincent that I enjoyed myself in his establishment. Ted Task Rockville, MD.

the wine was a Knights Valley St. Lucia Highlands. I was surprised at it's drinkability since it was 15.2 alcohol. I'll not add much to this report, as I do believe Curlz captured the place. I WILL return and next time maybe sit in the "up back" room, maybe just a little more intimate. DAD

For those in the Washington DC area, Magruders has a super rotisserie bird. It tastes even better on Wednesdays when it's only $3.99. Yes, it's small, but two of us usually do not finish it at one sitting. It's what we used to call a poullet (Fr. poule). If I'm feeding more , then it's off to Costco, where I'll wait until the fresh hot ones come off the spindles. As declared by an earlier contributor, it's EASY, and FAST and CHEAP! Tastes good too. Ted Task

JUST ( a week ago) came off the Disney cruise (4 nights) The food was outstanding!.. Obviously very good product is purchased to start with, then they do good work. Fact of the matter one night the meal was so good, I asked for and complemented the Chef. 'twas a herb crusted wonderfully cooked piece of cod (old Yankees like me enjoy cod) on a bed of Pernod influenced spinach. At buffet lunch there were all the stone crab claws that I wanted to eat. Yes, they were small, but they were FRESH! Having spent my life in F&B, I KNOW when I'm being served good stuff. Their bake shop also does very good work. Was surprised to find an old time dessert that most folks do not know. Floating island. I also enjoyed a good old fashioned Kaintuck chess pie. Having said the above, one night they had a Pirates of The Caribbean, with a menu to match. I'm no pirate, did not like the menu and told them about it. ANYTHING I wanted they would have prepared. That's my report on Disney. Don't get me started on Princess (last fall in the Baltic) one bad meal after another. No taste, no seasonings, no thanks. Ted Task

PLEASE! Report when you return......going to S.A. in early May, most time to be spent in Safari camps, but have planned five days in Cape Town and wine country. Would VERY MUCH appreciate what a fellow "gulletier" has to report. Ted Task

Ersters with a horseradish vodka....I'll be there faster than planned! Or maybe just a plate of those cute little Kumimotos (sp?) Ted task

Oh, my goodness! The Sansome St. "Joint" that I used to frequent when working in Philly has an honest to gracious WINE PERSON! Whoopee! Next time I'm up that way, I'll be sure to stop in. Maybe there will be a recent vintage of good old fashioned Muscadet (sur lie of course). For those of you who are unfamiliar with a wine that seems to have lost it's way, this comes from a part of France that is JUST like the Jersey/Del./Md shore. LOTS of the same seafood (called something else in French, naturally) which we'd probably pair with Sauvignon Blanc. Try it you'll like it. Best of everything, professionals don't need luck ,we work to achieve. Ted Task

The restaurant where Bare Bones used to be is NOT a Muslim restaurant. Ate there about two weeks ago and enjoyed the food. Ask the Sushi chef to play the Chinese stringed instrument hanging on the wall. He is VERY talented. Can't speak to the Sushi as that's not what I was there for. Ted Task

Thanks for bringing this up, Menton! It was the first thought I had as well; unless your wallet permits, it's far easier to choose a great restaurant that's BYO rather than to worry about how much you're going to spend on wine and whether or not you'll like what you choose (or what is recommended). David, one 'twist' to this or a future article might be to ask the question of how you decide what wine to take to a BYO restaurant when you don't (always) know ahead of time what you'll be eating! ← Curlz makes an interesting point, which I'll attempt to help solve. If someone has given you a lovely bottle of BIG RED WINE, don't take it to a fish house. When I go BYOB (seldom, here where I live), I KNOW where I'm going, and take wines (note the plural) that will work with the style of the restaurant. When (rare) I'm going into unknown territory, I make it a point to take SEVERAL bottles, a mix of red and white (well, not really that much white) and hope that I can make some intelligent matchings. One wine which I will almost always have is a bottle of Beaujolais Villages from a BETTER producer, I can make this wine work with almost anything (remember it can/will take a light chill). Unfortunately this lovely wine has been so bastardized by some shippers that the consumer is either afraid of looking bad or just plain scared away. Try to find Beaujolais which has not been porduced by carbonic maceration, rather cuvee traditional, and if possible from the village of Moulin a Vent, Morgon or (more delicate) Fleurie. Last but not least on this style of wine, if you are one of those who gets TERRIBLE headaches from red wine, try Beaujolais. LOTS less hystamines, definately NO American oak. Ted Task

In my opinion, ordering wine in a restaurant is a matter of YOUR responsibility, to yourself and guests. SOME knowledge is your job. Knowing which varietals of wine best complement the foods you are likely to order.eg: Sauvignon Blanc with white meat seafood , Pinot Noir with the "steak meat" fishes. Then you can ask for more specific help. Especially if the producer/shippers names are unfamiliar. There is SO much written about wine today, how can any consumer NOT get some ideas. (You could do some self education by investing $20 in one of the best wine books available to consumers: The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil , Workman Publishing). Experimentation at home doesn't hurt either. If all else fails, you could even come down here to Maryland where I teach a whole bunch of consumer classes. Ted Task Rockville MD

You were VERY lucky! At least three times a year, I venture over to Va, and buy a selection of the current "Two Buck Chuck." The INconsistency is what I find. Remember these are wines PURCHASED on the market from various sources, while they may represent a value, there is just no continuity of quality. I've tasted very good, and mostly just plain ordinary. They represent a wonderful place for people who are not "Geeks" to get "into" wine, but in my opinion nothing more. There is SO much good juice at the 5/6 dollar level from various sources, I could not use $2Chuck for everyday, especially since they are not $2, but more like $3.50 Ted Task

in " BALHMER" I always enjoy CORKS, @1026 So Charles, tel # 410-752-3810. Chef owner Jerry Pelligrino has built this lovely little place from scratch. Good variety on the menu, and a wine list where everything is marked up just $11. over cost. Hard to find a table without at least one bottle on it. He is an Officer in La Chaine des Rotiesseurs and hosts the local "Wine Brats" chapter. This is a "don't miss" place. Ted Task

Without reading every thread on the subject, let me report on a few good places in Copenhagen, having just returned. On a very old thread there was a mention of a herring restaurant that writer could not properly identify, but he gave general location. As I love that kind of challange, I'm pleased to report the GOOD herring rest. is in NYHAVEN and is named NYHAVS FAERGEKRO at Nyhavns 5 1051 Kobenhaven , it sits on the canal edge about a half block from the famous ELS. We had at least ten versions of herring while sitting outside in the sun/light breeze sipping a Carlsburg. I only wish there was an outpost of this restaurant here in the states, so I could make at least a quarterly visit. 'twould be nice for others to see how great a simple little fish can be. Doesn't matter, dill sauce, curry, mustard,cream, fried, smoked they were all wonderful. MUCH more sophisticated food at: FROKEN NIELSEN,Gammel Kongevej 27 (the theatre ) where we had an excellent Boulabaise , lovely filet of Baltic salmon, but the end of the meal was STUNNING, a slice of organic Danish blue cheese with a comfit of pickled onions in a plum sauce. You gotta taste (and see the colors on the plate) to understand. Oh, my. GRABRODERTORV 21 (this was suggested by very old dining companions and they were right, almost next door is another that they had suggested PEDER OXE which we did NOT get to but on basis of this one,go. We dined upon an old favorite (not often done well) of calves liver with onion and bacon and the Mrs decided that the roast chicken was delectible. Go here! For those of you who cannot go very long with out some spice in your lives, we are the same, and found NAM THIP at Viktoriagade 3, very good , very cheap Thai. We also ate at HERCEGOVINA in Tivoli, a buffet with multiple choices, TASTE first then decide. Same advice for ANKARA, Turkish buffet, again taste first then decide. For those who will be in Copenhagen for any length of time I found a very well stocked wine shop, it's in Nyhavn. BJORN LINDELL, NYHAVNS VINHANDEL/VIN SELECT, Nyhavn 44. The grocery stores all had lots of selection, we took on a cruise some So. Africans for about $5 (US) a bottle , paid the $10. (US) corkage and were well satisfied (the wines were, for the most part, better than the food). Ted Task

Just back from a VERY short two days in St. Petersburg, only one restaurant experience to report, and that was acceptable. Almost opposite the Admiralty, we had a very good lunch at ...The Actor (sp.AKTEP) on Bo3thecehckhh HP between Maltar and Almhpa.ttebckhh.hp. Oh, boy am I sorry, but no Cyrilic letters on my keyboard. Ted Task

Last night first trip to Palena, I must say something of GREAT import!!! The BEST thing about our first visit is finding how easy this little gem is to get to on THE METRO!!!!!!! That meant that I could imbibe without fear, and thanks to Derek we sure did. I'm an OLD drinker, so the sidecar wasn't for me, BUT it is a wonderful rendition, good presentation and tasty. Then there was this OUTSTANDING expresso based cocktail, yum. The wine selection is well selected, and to my eye not "Rape and pillage" pricing. The half roasted organic chicken at $9. (we ate in the bar) was moist, flavorful and tender.I only wish there had been another mouthful of the sauted greens. I will echo preceeding comments on the Gnocci, almost a light as my matzoh balls, which (unless held down) float and bump the ceiling. Terrific "joint" which is now on our repeat list. Ted Task

Over my years in the wine trade, I've come to realize that everyone wants to "Ride the hot horse". So when a NON Champagne producer (note the cap. C) mislabels his wine, he is just plain trading on anothers reputation. Ms Melker was right about the treaty that WE did not sign (typical American arrogance ) because ( at that time the largest congressional delegation was the Empire -NY- State,) and at that time NY was the largest sparkling wine prodcution center in the country. Get the picture? I've been priviledged to represent several of the great Champagne houses, and to ALSO be responsible for a couple of superb American Sparkler producers. All have honed skills, all produce the best "Bubbly" that they can and ALL taste wonderful. My answer to anyone is, first TASTE, TASTE, TASTE, then determine what your pocketbook can handle on that specific occasion. There are times when we drink American and there are times we drink French and still other times when we drink Spanish..etc etc.........just as we do not go to the same restaurants night after night. My final thought is , just because the FRENCH government doesn't seem very "nice" right now, it's just maybe the way WE are seen by others in the world. So don't allow your purely political passions deprive you of some spectacular imbibing. Ted Task

Roberto Donna does not need me to extol his cooking or his #1 restaurant, BUT.... here is the BIG surprise. What I report has been going on for about a month. Several days a month...only when "The Big Guy" ( and he is a right fair sized fellow) is there..........HE cooks on the grill in the demo kitchen. Lunch offering today (food $5.00,soft drinks $1.00) was a choice of a gorgeous sausage OR a cut of pork shoulder, these sandwiches are on a grilled foccacia (style) bread about 9 inches long.....and who is making these .you got it........himself!!!!!!!!!!!! He is in front of the grill sweating and making sandwiches and putting on the fixings as requested. Worth calling ahead to see if he is there, and then jumping into DC just for the experiance. I did not have the pleasure of THIS food, as I was there for a tasting of Cantina Tramin (Alto Adige) wines, so I had the following elegant lunch. (see the wine thread for my wine comments) Poached Shrimp over cannellini salad, a summer salad that could easily be enjoyed for dinner (just give me somemore). Tortellini of mozzarella and tomato in butter and sage sauce ( this BLEW my long term diet, as I sopped up the butter sage sauce with house made bread). Sea scallops with citrus sauce and potato puree (this was to show off the Gewurtz,we died and went to heaven. Selection of aged cheeses (with Lagrein) followed by a "Right out of the fields" watermelon granita. Espresso and I ran home to report.

Just returned from a tasting of the newly bottled 2003 vintage from this producer. We tasted with and around a superior lunch at Galileo in DC, (I'll report on the food under the DC thread). As I have NO commercial interest, I think I can speak very candidly. Overall quality was very high, we tasted the following :Pinot Grigio, nice weight, round and fuller bodied than most of the insipid juice we normally see. Pinot Bianco (a personal favorite from Alsace, Oregon and Santa Barbara) this was a lovely rendition, with good acidity to match the food. Sauvignon Blanc that had a Pouilly Fume character, fuller bodied, with less harsh acidity than usually seen. Chardonnay that was served MUCH to cold, when it warmed and opened it was more than repspectable. Next was the KILLER, a single vineyard Gewurtz (Nussbaumer) of Zind Humbrecht, Schlumberge, Weinbach quality. Last and certainly not least was an aromatic LAGREIN, this (VERY old) varietal was a treat, with an aged cheese selection, I want to drink it with veal, lamb and/or venison, as I think about it with bison too. These wines are imported by Winebow, so they should be in fairly good distribution, especially on their home turf of NY and NJ. Go and try for yourself. Ted Task

Dinner last night at David Gregory...super....AS USUAL. Two of the four opted for the RW special #30.04 and were mightly pleased with their Morrocan shrimp.pork chop selections, less thrilled with the peach crisp which wasn't (crisp that is). The other two ordered off the menu and as previously sugested were very pleased. Tasted a new to me ( a wine guy) Pinot Gris from Oregon...Big Fire, this was a stuner for varietal expression (for the UNinitiated this is Pinot Grigio in it's proper style)and was also the best priced PG on the list. I am an unabashed fan of Gregg Hill, having followed his career and cooking from New Heights to Garbiels and now to his own "joint." Always interesting, always tasty, always innovative. If you have'nt been there.give it a try. Caucus Room the other night (NOT on RW ) and can attest to "Little" Richard Beckel's cusine....yes, there is more than steaks and chops!! Wonderful appetizer of tempured soft shell in an elongated bowl of cioppino. Stunning rockfish presentation and , yup, some great steak, all the while drinking our own wines. This is one to watch as he reworks , readjusts and restyles. Ted Task

Stelvin closures (aka screw caps) are a BIG part of our wine consumtion future. Someone asked about comparisons. Last year in The Clare, I tasted Reisling that had been under screw cap for twelve years.....WONDERFUL!!!!! Ask Randall Graham why he has changed his ENTIRE production to Stelvin! That "little" winery produces about 300,000 cases /year. Yes, most of those wines are expected to be consumed within two years , but when someone of the stature of BONNY DUNE makes that much of a change there are reasons. Just last night we trashed three bottles of VERY highpriced whites, and really did not drink an '83 Ch. Margaux because it was corked, kept airing it to see if the taint would blow off to no avail. Take it from an OLD, longtime wine guy the "screw caps" are here to stay. My guess is that some of the more highly reputed vintners will experiment, but stay with cork. Then (wish I could recall who) there is the Napa winery which bottled half of the production in traditional cork and half on screwcap. To sum up all of this verbiaage, for good "everyday" don't even be concerned, For the "Collectors", taste, taste and taste again and over the next ten/twenty years you'll decide. It IS the furture. Ted Task

FYI, when the pols and their hangerson leave Washington DC for the weekend (read, all the time) the downtown restaurants are often more than happy to see us come in from the 'burbs. The Caucus Room (locally owned, with a super young Chef) offers the opportunity to bring your own wines with NO corkage charge. Last night we were three couples,two of the parents generation, one of the next. We brought some serious wines and here (finally) I'll get to the question. The next generation had no problem allowing the waiter to handle the white wines, but when it came to the reds..he was insistant upon opening and decanting them himself. BOTH his father and I said that he was wrong in not letting the waiter handle the job, we felt that he was demeaning the waiters abilities, and that afterall it was his job. (Any slight was very generously covered by our tips).........BUT, I'd like fellow Gulletiers opinions. I will share your voices with my young friend. Ted Task

Spent a week in Washington State last year, and found that the state of the art is extraordinary. I am personally VERY fond of ANYTHING produced by L'Ecole 41, but to answer your price point request; try Hedges CMS, which on the EAST coast retails for about $12. This is an interesting winery, that make a range of wines which any/everyone should know, GOOD juice! If I read your original message correctly, you are a newcomer to the State, get on your horse and get East of the Cascades , spend a few days (each trip) and see AND taste a ton of great wines (most are sold right at the wineries). Without my notes, I cannot I.D. a superb small winery whose Cabernet Franc knocked me out (both "regular" red and STUNNING rose). Go looking! Ted Task

Katie, I realize that you have a wealth of wine connections. I will still offer some/any advice you'd like , as Mrs. and I spent a three weeks down under two years ago. At the time, I was still active in the industry and visited some wonderful producers. We also had a BALL in the markets in both Adelaide and Melbourne.......gracious Aussies who didn't hesitate to give us a taste or even a mini lecture (did you know that macadamia originally came from Australia?) I did'nt. So do not hesitate to contact me either thru the wonderful gullet or direct. G'day mate. Ted Task Rockville, Md.

Oh, BOY, did this subject hit home with me. Please understand that I'm OLD, and have spent my life in the food and bev biz. THERE IN NO REPEAT NO EXCUSE FOR POOR OR SLOPPY SERVICE.....NONE. What I chuckle at is when my children (they are approaching 40) NOW say to me,dammit I'm getting to be just like you.........especially when they are the CUSTOMERS, and are spending money. This is my admonition to all of you who think that it's OK to allow for "Someone having a bad day.".....they should have "stood" in bed. When one is paid to administer service, they had better be well trained and then watched. I blame the retail outlets almost as much as I blame the apologists. You get what you deserve, unless you don't put up with the bad service, and noisily complain about it. Not as "nasty" as I am? Don't tip at all! For the life of me, I do not understand anyone feeling that they have sent a message by tipping ONLY 15%. SERVICE is noble, only here in the US do we think that working to serve others is demeaning. OK, I find that I'm lecturing, so I'll shut up. Ted Task