Capaneus

Picked up a half-case at 1218 Chestnut Friday, on Corey's recommendation. *Tried* to drink it tonight, but I live in Philadelphia. 9pm is apparently past closing time for *four* different local restaurants with posted 9:30 or 10pm closing times. I'm a hungry, bitter man. But at least I own six bottles of a nice wine.

I have to shut up soon, otherwise someone, possibly me, might get the idea I know Sancerre from shinola... In the meantime, I think guidebooks like the Hachette have an identity problem: they cannot stay current, for the same reasons the Atlas cannot, but their whole purported reason for existing is to help you make purchasing decisions in the here and now. In that regard, I can see them being useful in navigating a winelist, rather than a wine store - if someone were to bother lugging something that size around to a restaurant. Myself, I prefer sommeliers; they're more portable. Still, that leaves me with a problem, because I *do* like the Hachette... I think it's that I read it historically, not for practical immediate use, but to get a sense of what's what in terms of trends and such. Browse it for a few minutes at a time, letting random connections carry me along. As for completeness... I don't know Vouvray as well as I might, but for Bordeaux, which I know a little better, they do a fair job. How big a deal is Huet? It might be worth dropping them a stern yet kindly line...

<SCREAM; YELL; HOLLER> Yes and no. Of course. There is a sense in which, given the lead times of publishing and winemaking, no book on wine will ever be current. But some facts about grapes, viniculture, geography and history remain constant. I find the Johnson/Robinson to be not only a very useful, but also an endlessly entertaining, book, and probably still the standard for the field. When I replace it, it will likely be with a Revised Edition.

← "Factses? We don' need no steenken' *factses*!" Okay, so that's another *beauteeful* line of conjecture shot to Heck by mere pedestrian "reality". Feh!, I say to you! "Feh!", and also "Pfaugh!", sirrah!

Before they deleted the posts at that other message board, she said she went twice, all her budget would allow. Someone had questioned whether she could have eaten everything she wrote about, and she replied that she had indeed tried all those things in two visits. ← At a guess, having dealt with such budget issues before, at least one of those visits, if not both, was at lunchtime. Which, come to think of it, may have been part of the problem, if the high-octane talent in the kitchen sticks to the night shift... Oooo, can you say pre-cooked and refrigerated?

I haven't been there for a little while, but to hear these descriptions, the Lacroix brunch seems to be slowly morphing into what the Four Seasons brunch once was: glorious excess. It's good to hear, since when I go back to the Swann these days I sometimes wonder if my memory is embellishing the wonders of past meals. And my first (now at least year-old) Lacroix trials didn't quite rise to the mark either.

One small problem I have with the PLCB system is closely related to the advantages you derive from your size and purchasing power: with so many stores, the quantities of some tightly-allocated wines available to each store can be tiny, and are often not replenishable. So far so good, realities of the business and all. But when doing inventory searches state-wide for a given item I had trouble tracking down, some things become apparent: certain stores in... less urban areas, shall we say... get allocations comparable to the larger Philadelphia outlets; and those allocations frequently remain in stock there for quite some time. (It's also the case that Harrisburg stores seem to get very generously supplied ;-) My question then: to what extend is the distribution demand-driven, versus being beholden to unfortunate political realities; can the system be made more responsive to local demand; and is there a way in which I can get my greedy mitts on all that sweet, sweet Harrisburg-bound juice without going through the electoral process?

I'll add my thanks to the chorus, if I may, and jump in with a question about the PLCB's future: I have recently heard that you plan to retire from your position (presumably to begin drinking up your cellar - let us know if you require help), and I was wondering, given how much of the last few years' improvements seem to be a result of your dedication to the process, whether there are now institutional safeguards to keep moving the process forward, or whether you expect your successor to share your passion.

Personally, I would stay away from the Corton: at a minimum it would be an overmatch, at worst you might encounter the same problem you had with the Jaboulet. I like the rose suggestion, maybe a Tavel, but I like the NZ Sauvignon Blanc even better - in fact, I like it *because* of the citrus acidity: it will pick up the acidity of the salad, and it will cut nicely through the fatty richness of the salmon. As would the Riesling, come to think of it, but somehow I thing the slightly grassy flavor profile of the SB would be a better match. Here in Pennsylvania I've been getting Kim Crawford's 2003. I don't know what's available in your neck of the woods.

Not as far as I know... except that someone did mention the e-mail changed a little while ago. And they were never very good with the whole telephone technology thing. The new e-mail is studiokitchen@gmail.com, I think. The old one was studiokitchen424@aol.com.

Fair enough. My taste for bombast tripped me up again. The underlying point, though, is whether what you get is decent value. At those prices, I expect the kitchen to do better than not ruin the ingredients. And in the end, Ms. McCutcheon's job is to evaluate things like whether a given place does in fact provide an experience commesurate with the expense. She and I don't much agree, generally, but we seem to share a sense that what Bookbinders' provides is, somehow, a good deal less than what a patron is entitled to expect.

And with a passable bottle of wine, that sets me back what? 'Bout $250 to $300 for two? Are we willing to argue that is a good, decent, or even reasonable value for the dollar? I understand it's possible to have a meal there, or most anywhere, that does not cause my palate to disengage in utter revulsion. When did that become the standard to which we hold a restaurant? Will it or not, opening the doors to the public places a burden on a restaurant, and charging the prices they do raises it exponentially. I don't think those versions of Bookbinders I actually patronized ever met that burden. I don't find caveat emptor a satisfying critical stance. And I'm not a restaurant critic.

That's true. And many of them are the clientele at my restaurant. I sincerely hope Ms. McCutcheon doesn't decide to come eat at the Oyster House and write about it. She sounds impossible to please. Surprisingly the reopening of Bookbinder's doesn't really worry me from the "competitive standpoint. They're all the way across town and at a different price point. The Marathon Grill on my corner that's packed to the gills every waking minute is far more worrisome in terms of poaching our business. ← I think we may be a bit hard on Ms. McCutcheon: part of what she was doing in that "I'm just a powerless lil' critic" framing device was letting us know that she *was* taking off the gloves, because it was understood she could do no harm, and I think she was basically correct. She has in fact been pleased in the past, sometimes far too much so, I think. If she were to review the Oyster House, I'd expect her to be much nicer. Not that you guys need it. I think you put out a *much* better plate o' grub than Bookies does, and at a fair price. The problem I have with all the multiple incarnations of Bookbinders' is the sense I get that they're not even trying: "The tuna had a faint pink center surrounded by a sea of gray. No steam on the plate and my fish was body temperature...." - that's just inexcusable, in my never-humble opinion.

Wossa "Greg"?

And CP adds a place called Honey's, at 4th and Brown.

I searched for where our recent discussion of Persian food was, and sadly the topic seems apropos... While trying to jam in yet another Lombardi's pizza before the wrecking ball swings, I walked by Roya and saw that the windows are all papered-over, it looks pretty closed. I'm embarrassed to say it's been a while since I ate there so maybe this isn't all that recent? Still, I'd get there now and then and always liked it. Anybody know the story? ← I don't. I did, however, notice that the were Licence Application notices posted, so presumably there is a new place already lined up.

I think so, yes, at least to some degree. The trick, though, is that it has also had other effects, that Parker's opponents never bring up: I remember the widespread disgust at slipshod winemaking with which we'd greet each Burgundy vintage (and to a lesser extent Bordeaux), back in the Bad Old Days. Then Parker came, held many of the culprits to account ( even if we don't agree with his accounting), much of France was forced to modernize, and these days the main problem facing the wine industry is an *excess* of good juice. The fact is that many wine regions pick up their standards when the glare of the Globe falls on them. It's happened in France, it's happened in Italy, it's happened in Spain. I've hopped aboard too late to know if it's happened in Germany, so maybe someone else can comment on that. I happen to think we are in a Golden Age for us chronic drunkards. It's true that there's a lot of undistinguished wine out there. Newsflash: 90% of *everything* is *always* bad. It's only the fact that mediocrities fall from memory that allows us to romanticize the past. There's good wines at every price point available today, though. And yet there are still (and hopefully always will be) traditional winemakers in every appelation. Would I prefer that every Amarone were made to be a monster needing twenty-five years to mature? A side of me does, yes. But I don't have the storage to age anything for years, so those wonderful wines would be out of my reach in any case. Modern styles at least allow me to approximate the experience. And the small minority of drinkers who do have cellars can buy the wines still made in the old style. And hopefully I can weasel a glass out of them, now and again.

Uh. I've been drinking Zind-Humbrecht's wines for well over a decade now, and my impression (though I don't usually check the alcohol content) is that they are pretty mild stuff. That's also my experience with other Alsatians as well, which makes sense, given the climate. Now, if you've climbed aboard recently, the last couple of vintages have been freakish, because of very hot summers. You'll find the same across much of Europe - including the Mosel, if you can believe it. The Zind-Humbrecht wines in my cellar range in alcohol content from 11.5% for some of the SGNs to this wine which is better described by Parker than by me: There is a huge difference from vintage to vintage with their wines, the 2000 VTs in the cellar are 13.5%. ← That makes sense. Vendanges Tardives and Selections de Grains Nobles would start out with much higher brix than their regular bottlings, so they'd have to be vinified either sweet or dry and alcoholic. I've only ever tasted a couple, and they were sweet, rather than fully fermented, and the stuff I do drink more often I'll guess is in fact low alcohol. That '94 sounds like a Beast!

Uh. I've been drinking Zind-Humbrecht's wines for well over a decade now, and my impression (though I don't usually check the alcohol content) is that they are pretty mild stuff. That's also my experience with other Alsatians as well, which makes sense, given the climate. Now, if you've climbed aboard recently, the last couple of vintages have been freakish, because of very hot summers. You'll find the same across much of Europe - including the Mosel, if you can believe it. ***** The Jancis Robinson article stayed in my memory because of another point she made - that part of the problem is that many of these wines are neither designed nor ultimately destined to be drunk with food: more and more people are having them as a substitute for a cocktail, or in fact on occasions that once would have called for an apperitif, or champagne. Now whether the cart or the horses are leading that trend I will leave to your judgements. But I don't see it reversing itself. And some of this is not a bad thing. People forget how we used to bewail the quality of Bordeaux and Burgundies, year after year, until Parker came along to hold them to account. Many of these techniques and technologies are just *tools*, they can be well or poorly used. Overall, I think the quality of wine worldwide has greatly improved. It is only in the Realm Of The Sacred Cows that these changes are a problem, because they are mucking up the classics. ***** As to Amarone... really, those wines cannot be used as evidence of anything, beautiful freaks that they are. ***** I went to the Kobrand Pinot and Pork tasting here in Philly last night. Mostly American PN - except for a horizontal of Jadot's current vintage. I found myself sticking to his Pommard whenever I had food to eat, and drifting over to the HomeBoyz between bites. Make of that what you will. I enjoyed both, finally, and buy both. Except that I have a lot more trouble affording Burgundies, these days.

I'd recommend you look into Portuguese offerings, if they are available in your area. They can be a steal. My everyday white is a vinho verde from Aveleda, which is a really pleasant, slightly fizzy, easy-drinking wine, very hard to dislike - and comes in at $3.49/btl with case discount. I havent kept very good track of reds, but several Dao (region) reds used to be available in the $4-$5 range, and were generally extremely serviceable. I'll vouch for the white, but I would suggest you try the reds, since they range a bit in style, and some can be quite rustic. Others, however, are pleasant everyday quaffers, and I would wager with minimal work you could save yourself quite a lot of money.

You mean May 3rd, right? Because if so, that sounds terrific. I still haven't tried Marigold. But the wilder the better, says I! ← Any updates on this possibility? ← Nope. At this point, I've made a reservation, tentatively for twelve, for 5/3. We mentioned a price of $65 for five courses (amuse-gueule not included, I don't recall if desert was), and anyone considering attending can probably use that as guidelines. I expect Jonathan to e-mail me with more information within the next couple of weeks. I'll post that in the ISO thread when I have it. I think any further conversation on this should probably go to PM (right, O Powers That Be?). In the meantime, if you have enough information to make the decision to attend, by all means let me know. It'll be nice having a rough headcount, particularly if we need to add tables.

Uh. I am flummoxed. Just checked the website, and the following is the case: the Arrowood is not in at all; the Byron PN and the D'Arenberg S/V are listed as SLO - and full price. The Chairman's Selections list does not mention them. Have things changed?

Shouldn't that be ? At least that's how I recall my Latin culture youth.

We walked by Melograno on our way to Dog Park and noticed the set up. Upon harsh and protracted questioning they confessed they just had a wedding reception. No brunch in the near future.

Hah! It *rawked*! So neener neener neener to all of you who didn't show up. Now I'm going to lay down. I'm inu... ini... un... drunk.