Vinotas

Hey all, Thanks, we're living through this and it's quite tough. Frankly, it looks like the kitchen and office threw up on the living room. We didn't have time to pack things away as the final permits came in so fast and our GC was ready to roll right away. So we basically emptied both rooms into our living space. This being a NYC apartment, this doesn't leave us much room. Ergo the need for Champagne, which is sadly and frustratingly delayed. I am looking forward to ending this, and seeing signs of progress lifts the spirits. Cheers!

Day Five ended with a shocker: visible signs of progress throughout the kitchen. Granted, going from the utter destruction and devastation that had been present to something slightly better wasn't difficult. How awesome, rough corners had been plastered over, and holes in walls had been filled in. Electrical boxes were in place and wires were capped, awaiting the appliances and lights I had bought. Best yet, the guys had laid out in pencil where everything was going, and this allowed me to get an idea of what the kitchen would look like when finished. Grantd, I do have an active imagination, so that helped with the process: the sink would go there, the range here, and the dishwasher right there. And look at that, the dry bar's drop-ceiling is almost done, the walls smoothed out. How cool! I was so happy at the progress that I didn't mind finding out that my case of Champagne was on back-order... Pictures HERE. Cheers!

No great sadness to see Rick go, he really hadn't showed that much. And Ryan just has to go, every dish he's made has been a flop. Nikki could be a close 2nd, luckily she was on the winning team this episode. I really think that Richard is the one to watch. Oh, and when Andrew said it was "His house" I wanted Colicchio to look at him and say "No, Andrew, this is MY house. Now go and wait while we decide your fate." BTW, I forgot, are GE MonoGram, Toyota and Glad sponsors? Cheers!

Day Four of the Great Kitchen Renovation of 2008. Despite the crew's best efforts, a thin veil of dust covers everything in the living room and bathroom, though our bedroom is thankfully unaffected (seemingly). Dust quickly clings to every inch of exposed skin the moment one ventures from the haven of the bedroom, and seems to slip stealthily into the mouth and eyes. There was a lot of sawing and hammering and banging, and by the end of the day it seemed like several more trenches for electricity and electric boxes had been dug. In addition, the first tangible sign of progress on something that will be visible after all is said and done was apparent: the drop ceiling for our closet dry bar. Is this a sign? Are things heading in the right direction? Could the dust storm be over soon? God, I need a glass of Champagne! Where the f*!k is that damned case??!!! Pictures HERE. Cheers!

Day Three and now things got messy. The crew showed up around 10:15am (a bit late, grrrr...) but nonetheless they quickly erected big plastic sheets, opened the windows and installed fans to suck out all the mess they were making. Today, they'd be digging channels in the concrete for electrical wires as well as enlarging the entrance to the kitchen. There had been a doorway and French doors there, but these were quickly torn down, making the entire apartment look HUGE. Amazing how a little tweaking can affect the visual effects... What I hadn't anticipated was the amount of dust and the mind-bending smell of plaster that permeated the place. Well, at least I slept well and had very, very, very interesting dreams... At least I am seeing major progress. Only 2-3 more weeks, I've been assured... More pictures HERE. Cheers!

Day Two of the Great Kitchen Renovation of 2008 dawned cold and windy. Thirsty for my espresso, I stumbled blindly into the kitchen, or where the kitchen had been. Damn, forgot, I'm in the midst of a reconstruction. Luckily, my beloved Francis Francis X5 espresso machine was plugged in, but in the living room. After a few shots, the General Contractor and his crew returned, and their first question took me by surprise. "You're tearing down the wall today?!" I had been told this wouldn't happen until Tuesday, so I'd have the weekend to evacuate the tiny space I call an office. So, another round of moving, shoving and dissassembly ensued. The phone, the Wifi modem, the answering machine, the desk, the computer, pretty much anything that has to do with an office was shoved into the living room in the space of a few minutes. I'm not even sure why we call it a "living" room, there's so much stuff in it that one would be hard-pressed to actually "live" in it. The crew sealed off the space with plastic and supports, to keep the dust out of the rest of the apartment. Supposedly. There followed a rapid-fire exercise in rewiring, as I struggled to get the Internet and my phones back up and running. As I sat down to work, the hammering started. Rather, the sledgehammering. And the sawing. And the cracking. And breaking. And smashing. OK, I need some peace and quiet, so I left the house. When I returned, the kitchen and office had merged into one huge space. The fridge and the oven were in the space once occupied by the office. So now, as I wend my way through the maze of stuff that my "living" room has become, I wonder, sometimes aloud, "What the Hell did I get myself into????" And more importantly, where the Hell is my case of Champagne?! Cheers! Again, pictures are HERE.

Well, it's finally begun: my kitchen renovation. After 4 months of delays and dashed hopes, the permits and licenses came through, and work began. This will be part of my record of my experiences as our old kitchen is ripped out, ripped open and replaced with a brand-spanking new one. Today, the old cabinets were torn out, as was the countertop, sink, faucet and light fixture, as was most of the floor. All this in 2 hours???? Pictures can be found HERE. Stay tuned... Cheers!

Considering most wine bars serve wines by the glass, it makes sense that they'd be part of the small-plates trend. You can order a tasting of some wine as well as the food that's associated with it without needing a full-blown meal or bottle. This educates folks as to how certain wines taste with certain foods, and it's always nice to think you're learning something as you drink and eat! And indeed, it makes sense on an economic basis to open a small place instead of a full-blown restaurant. When is the article coming out? I'd love to see it. Cheers!

It's always a treat when friends from out of town visit. What better excuse to open some Champagne and Burgundy? Granted, I've been known to open both at the drop of a hat, so it's not like I really needed much of an excuse... So we welcomed our travelling companion and a few other friends with open arms and open bottles on Saturday night. We began the festivities with some NV Champagne Chartogne Taillet, a lovely and elegant wine with tiny prickly bubbles that starts off shy but then builds on the palate with some lemony toast and light nuts to a great finish. This was so good, it disappeared rather rapidly. I was thrilled to try this producer as I'd heard very nice things about them. When that bottle disappeared, I grabbed the next available (and last! Sacre bleu!) Champagne in the fridge, a half-bottle of NV Nicholas Feuillate Rose. This too was delicious, with light cherry and berry notes mingling with toasty aspects and good acidity to firm it up. Nice if a bit light, I prefer my Roses to have some more "oomph" to them but this does nicely when I'm in a bind. So we sat for dinner, and the two roast chickens I'd made were carved and presented, alongside roast potatoes and onions (which had been under the chickens to soak up the fat and butter drippings), and a sautee of wild mushrooms and garlic. What better to drink with such a meal than Burgundy? Actually, that shouldn't be a question, it should be a fact. I poured the 1993 Ampeau Volnay Santenots, a wine that I'd enjoyed several times in the past. To my horror, the smell of funk filled my nostrils, and we realized that this wine was corked. TCA had reared its ugly head. Damnit! OK, the next wine looked and smelled OK, a 1998 Mongeard Mugneret Echezeaux Vieilles Vignes. Beautiful color, lovely smell, ooooh that's good. Big on the palate, with tons of dark but elegant Pinot fruit and slight hints of sous-bois and some bracing acidity, this would end up putting on weight and becoming more and more complex as the night wore on. Yummy! The second flight arrived, a duo of 1985s, a favorite vintage of mine in Burgundy: 1985 Prince de Merode Corton Bressandes and 1985 Dubreuil Fontaine Corton Bressandes. Both were delicious and showed well, however the Dubreuil definitely had more going on, was more complex, and carried itself with more vigor than the Prince. It was definitely the better wine this night. Our third flight would be a single bottle, generously offered by one of our guests. The 1964 Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur Clos de Vougeot "Musigni" was beautiful to look at, to smell and to taste. This wine, from a small parcel of the huge Clos de Vougeot vineyard which abuts the fabled Musigny vineyard, filled the nostrils with spicy, dark berries interlaced with hints of mushrooms. The bottle had been topped off at the winery, which explained why it sometimes seemed so young and vivacious despite its age. The mouthfeel was pure velvet and silk, a real joy to have roll over the tongue. After "ooohing" and "aaaahing" over these wines, it was time to serve the next dish: the cheese course, of course! Out came our cheese platter, with 3-year old Comte, a Chablis-finished Epoisses and some Ossau Iraty from the Basque region of France. Man, that Epoisses stank! Not one to serve reds with cheese, I grabbed our two whites, which had been open and breathing for several hours: a 1999 Domaine Chantemerle Chablis Fourchaume and a 2000 Pernot Bienvenues Batard Montrachet. These two could not be more different, but I say Vive La Diffèrence! The Chablis had those classic iodine, seashell and crisp lemon flavors, on a vibrant structure that had minerality to spare, and was lean and precise. The Bienvenues, on the other hand, just filled the mouth from the get-go, a huge wine that offered tons of white flowers, lemons, and almond notes on a massive frame that was both sensuous and powerful, whose finish went on and on and on and on... Oh, wow, I can still taste it... Tarts appeared for dessert, and we poured a half-bottle of our visiting friend's wine, the 1983 Chateau Gillette Crème de Tete Sauternes. A sweet wine from Bordeaux, it was fantastic, with sweet honey and lemon and pear and hazelnut vying for my attention, all balanced out with a bracing acidity. We took our time eating and drinking the wines, laughing for many hours, and ending in the wee hours of the night. But it's times like these when you realize that wine is truly a bonding agent. It isn't just convivial. It has brought me together with a diverse group of fun individuals from all over the world and all walks of life, whose over-riding similarity is their unbelievable, and sometimes truly obscene, generosity. This evening was a perfect example of this. And it has made our lives that much brighter. Pics are HERE. Cheers!

I made Bourdain's pork rind-wrapped cassoulet this weekend and something went wrong along the way. I sourced the Tarbais beans at Kalustyan's but found they were much bigger than the beans I got from D'Artagnan the first time I made it. In fact, the beans never cooked through and remained annoyingly crunchy, no matter how much I tried softening them. Two days later, after reheating, they were still crunchy! I posted my results and pics on my blog, http://www.vinotas.blogspot.com/. My guests, while supportive, preferred the d'Artagnan cassoulet to this one, as did I. My next attempt might have to wait while we redo the kitchen, so we'll see. As an aside, I was the recipient of Abra's generosity and her lamb cassoulet ROCKED. Cheers!

GREAT episode, probably one of my favs. It was really funny watching Tony on the line, though I did detect a bit of wistfulness at the end when he says it's a young person's game. In any case, as someone who's witnessed several restaurants during the rush, I have to say this was one of the most accurate representations of a busy night that I've ever seen on TV. Cheers!

Suzy, Indeed, these pics were taken in September, so the weather was balmy and wonderful. Nibor, I agree, omelettes in France are nothing like their flaccid counterparts in the US, no matter how hard one tries. The eggs are denser in Europe for some reason, and of course the butter much better. I've managed to approximate some in the US but it's tough, one needs to source some farm-fresh eggs or the result is dreary. Cheers!

Hi David, I've only been to Chablis once, and only for the day. I ate at a winery, so I can't really offer any advice, sorry to say. I know there are a few good places, but you might want to Google them. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Cheers!

That's the perfect word, thank you.

I thought the Hawaii episode was good, if harmless and a tad bland. The part with the chefs was good, however. As for Zimmern, well, I can't stand the guy, I always feel like he's talking down to me, as if he knew better because he doesn't mind putting disgusting things in his mouth. I also sometimes feel like he's talking down to his hosts, which Tony never does (except to Zamir, but that's different). Cheers!

Wow, I haven't been back to l'Ecole in YEARS. Last time I thought the food was good and well-priced, but I am talking 10 years at least. I meant to go back but with so many other choices to explore I just never did make it. Perhaps I should think about another visit. Cheers!

In response to Dave Hatfield's request for pictures of the Beaune market, I finally got around to posting them. This past week was extremely busy, I had a ton of work so I offer HERE some pics from one of my last trips to Burgundy, to the small city of Beaune. On Saturdays, farmers and merchants from all over the region congregate in the main square, offering a veritable cornucopia of sights, smells and sounds to tickle the senses. Why can't we get something like this in New York? Feel free to drool... Cheers!

Wow, most impressive, that's an amazing story about what sounds like an incredible meal. You've got chutzpah!

OK, so I finally watched the Romanian episode and have to say it was pretty damn boring. I still think the Russia ep was the worst so far, but this would be very close in line. No offense to any Romanians, but it certainly didn't make me want to go out and try anything from the region. Usually after a NR show I want to go out and visit the country they were in. Not this time though. Cheers!

Whoa, sounds like I need to see the Romanian episode to believe it! I did not like London, found it boring, but I did enjoy the Jamaican one. Nothing, IMHO, is as bad as the Russia episode, which bored me to tears and actually made me turn it off part-way through. That was just horrid... This past week's ep is on my DVR, I'll check it out when I have a chance today or tomorrow. That bad, eh?

I'd suggest Beaune for the Wednesday and Saturday markets, especially the latter. I will link to the pics ASAP and you will see what I mean.

Don't forget Mi-fugue Mi-raisin on the Rue Delambre, at the edge of the 6th and 14th. He sells CDs and wines and is very friendly and knowledgeable. He recommended a great Champagne (Lassaigne) as well a nice 2005 Burgundy Hautes Cotes de Beaune when I was there a few weeks ago.

I would add that the Saturday market in Beaune is to die for, I have a pile of pictures somewhere around here that I'll link to when I have a chance. Strolling through these gives one a quick idea of what the local specialties are and what the regions offer. I do agree that mapping them out might be tough as there are so many of them. Perhaps just pointing to the major ones in each region (ie Beaune in Burgundy, Uzes in the Southern Rhone, etc...) might be a better idea? Cheers! PS: Opened one of the saucissons last night and it was delicious!

Indeed, I was surprised how comprehensive it was. It wasn't just food (though of course that was my main focus), it was everything. That said, I only bought food: several pigs worth of saucissons secs to bring home to the US.

I was in the Rhone Valley last week for 3 days, travelling around, wine-tasting and pretty much relaxing after the lunacy that was ViniSud. But I made a point to visit the small town of Uzes to see the legendary market, and wow was it amazing. Artisans, cheesemongers, farmers, soapmakers, everything was fresh and from the area. Why can't we get something like this in NYC? In any case, HERE are some pictures of the Saturday market. Feel free to drool. Cheers!