Howie

Hi again, everybody! Thanks so much for all the suggestions--we are about two weeks away from heading over there and really looking forward to the trip. I will definitely make sure to post back once we return. Cheers, Howie

Dana, Hope this isn't too late, but I received some wonderful recommendations from egulleters last summer: I've attached the link below. In Napa, would recommend tastings at Joseph Phelps (great sit-down tasting) and Pride Mountain (really friendly people and nice lineup of wines). Taylor's Refresher is a great restaurant while you're in the area. Cheers, Howie http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...f=24&t=7009&hl=

Hi Canada posters! NYC egulleter heading to the Tofino/Ucluelet area (after a few days in Vancouver) for the first time in mid-August. Really excited and the info. I've searched for so far has been really helpful. We are debating as to whether to stay in the Middle Beach Lodge while we are in the area or a small B&B in Ucluelet (which has a working kitchen so we can cook some of our own fresh seafood!) My one main question is about down-home, seafood shack style eateries on Vancouver Island--are there any recommended ones? Per FG and everyone else's advice, we will definitely try either the Wick Inn, Long Beach Lodge, and/or Cafe Pamplona while we are in the area, but also interested in a nice, get-your-hands dirty seafood eatery where we can crack open a crab (FG--really curious to get one the size of a "small puppy") or just slurp some oysters. I've seen links to the Schooner on 2nd and Sea Shanty in the area--do any egulleters have experiences with these restaurants? FYI--the itinerary for our trip so far is 4 days in Vancouver and 3-4 days in Tofino/Uncluelet. In Vancouver, we will be staying in Richmond so will make sure to hit Kirin and Sun Sui Wah; we also will be dining in at Ouest for the first time which has gotten me super-excited (looks like we may get a kitchen table, too!) Maybe a day trip up the coast or to Whislter... Then, it's off to Tofino/Uncluelet. Thanks so much, Howie

Anyone ever been to Denville Dairy in downtown Denville? I grew up loving their ice cream, and must admit, I'm pretty biased by this point. Their french vanilla is one of the best I've ever tried! Howie

In New York City, I know of two stores that have a pretty decent South African section. 67 wine has a really good selection run by Bart, their south of the equator buyer/salesman. They have a nice website as well. 67 Wines Crossroads, on 14th street, has always carried an eclectic bunch as well. Hope this helps! Howie

Stephen, These are excellent reports; thanks again for taking the time to write them up! Next time you go Luger's, don't forget the bacon strips... Howie

cabrales, i've been checking the Bouley website recently as well and was thinking the same exact thing! happy to report that they are still offering a 5-course tasting menu at lunch--i walked by during my 3-day stint of jury duty down in tribeca but unfortunately didn't have time to sit down for a meal. it was posted on the door that the restaurant was offering the 5-course tasting menu for $45. (i think this was raised $5-10 in the past few months.) i believe they still offer a smaller 3-course prix-fix lunch but i can't remember the price. sorry about that! Howie

For what it's worth, here's Wine Spectator's Top 10 wines of the year; keep in mind that the editors try to take into consideration wines that are widely available and reasonable pricing. I never quite understood the composition of the WS Top 100 list, but this year really baffles me. The 99 Guigal CNDP wasn't even the best Guigal wine released this year at the price range (I'd give my vote to the 99 Guigal Brune et Blonde Cote Rotie). Oh well. #1: 99 Guigal Chateauneuf de Pape #2: 99 St. Jean Cinq Cepages #3: 97 Banfi Brunello #4: 99 Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon SLD #5: 99 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon #6: 99 Duckhorn #7: 97 Antinori Brunello Pian delle Vigne #8: 97 Frescobaldi Brunello Castelgiocondo #9: 00 Ch. La Nerthe Chateauneuf de Pape #10: 99 Leoville Las Cases

Rosie, Thanks so much for the report--your meal sounds fantastic. I grew up in Denville and it's weird to see it become a booming little restaurant town. I've had good to above average meals at Cafe Metro and Heritage Grill near Main Street, and great meals at another BYO Italian about a two minute drive away named Attilio's Kitchen--too bad it's so crowded nowadays that there isn't even room for walk-ins on the weekend! And let's not forget the always great Denville Dairy... Thanks again, Howie

Fitz, Congratulations! I'm sure that wherever you choose will be fantastic... While a lot of great suggestions have been thrown out, another option could be Don Pepe II in Montville. Might be more on the expensive side for a rehearsal dinner, but my family has always loved the great seafood selection, family style paella, and homemade potato chips that they offer. Nice environment--I'm not sure if they have a private room or not. Howie

I know this may sound a bit boring, but we always keep a case of Guigal Cotes du Rhone (around $10-12/bottle). Pairs great with food, consistently dependable, and widely available.

MartyL, Thanks so much for posting this--champagne (and especially Salon) is priced so high in the United States. I will definitely be checking out Premier Cru's website. I can't offer any tasting notes on the 1985 but in regards to the 1988, I find it to be a very elegant, classy champagne that is very clean in the palate. A great blancs de blancs, and even better when you can find it at this price! Speaking of Salon, does anyone know if they've declared a vintage for 1995/1996 yet? Thanks again, Howie

A beer is always great, but perhaps try a German Reisling w/ spicier Asian foods such as Kung Pao Chicken. In my opinion, the presence of some great acidity, no oak, and a touch of sweetness pairs really well. Josef Leitz is one of favorite winemarkers, and a bottle of his Reisling Kabinett should be under $15.

For those that haven't picked up a hard copy of the annual restaurant guide, I think they recently posted some of the issue's contents up on the web in the past few days: http://eat.epicurious.com/gourmet/restaura...2002/intro.html

Fat Guy, I agree with you wholeheartedly--this place is the best. I was lucky enough to be a student in New Haven when East Buffet opened and everything from the dim sum to the lobster with ginger and scallions to the fancy custard dessert selection were more than impressive in my book. While I haven't tried the Flushing location, the Hamden branch is fantastic and blows away any other Chinese/Asian buffet that I've had in the Tri-State area. Wishing I had been on the 7-year plan now... Howie

Kim WB, It's really funny you should post this, because we felt the same way about having crab withdrawal two weekends ago, before we headed down to Baltimore for a wedding. While not exactly what you're looking for (crab and beer joint), we ended up going to Mo's Crab & Pasta Factory in the Italian district of Baltimore (really close to the Inner Harbor). Great garlic crabs and baseball sized crab cakes that are so delicious--we had a great time and definitely got our crab fix the short time we were in the area. Please report back, because I'd love to hear more suggestions for next timer we're down there. Howie

Nina, I'm a big egullet fan as well, but once in a blue moon, i'll cruise over to the wine spectator and the west coast wine forums for a browse. no subscriptions needed. http://www.winespectator.com http://www.westcoastwine.net Hope that helps, Howie

Lidia, Thanks so much for joining us for a chat; needless to say, I am a big fan. I have to say that my all-time favorite pasta dish has to be bucatini all'amatriciana and have never enjoyed it more than when made in the Bastiniach/Batali manner. I've tried my best to duplicate the recipe at home. I think I have everything down, but for some reason, I can't seem to get the same quality of guanciale retail vs. what's in the dishes at one of your restaurants. I've tried the butcher at 28th & 8th in Manhattan (though I forget the name) and have even tried curing my own pork jowls... Any suggestions? Do you cure your own guanciale? Thanks again and congratulations!

vengroff, The last I heard of this was in the NY post, but can't seem to find the link. From what I remember, Jean-Georges was opening two restaurants. The first was an Asian/Asian-fusion place on Leroy with a new chef from Shanghai. Second, he was looking into opening a restaurant in Shanghai, but I can't remember what specific type of cuisine. Pretty exciting news that they are starting to break ground. Meier doing the architecture is an added plus as well!

Suzanne, Not sure if you'd be up for it, but the NY Times posted a recipe last week for cold sesame noodles with cucumbers and chicken. I haven't tried it yet but it looks pretty standard--the key is using peanut butter. Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/12/dining/12MINI.html

I can't remember the price, but I've seen the single vineyard Moet & Chandon champagnes at Morrell recently.

While I haven't had a chance to look at the other lists yet, here is the Babbo link, Bouley doesn't have theirs posted. Also I've added Veritas list (which is an absolute library and downloadable by pdf) as well. http://www.babbonyc.com/wine2.html http://www.veritas-nyc.com/wine.htm.

Steve K, I think you're right, there are more than enough suggestions here to give anybody new to the area a good start. I totally agree--by doing a good amount of legwork and research beforehand, we can manage to not fall into the tourist traps and paying too much. Thanks for the accomodation links--I think we are leaning towards staying in Calistoga. Also, I just checked out the CIA-Greystone website. Karen MacNeil's 5 day wine program isn't offered while we're there (and we wouldn't be there long enough to do it anyway) but I haven't decided if this is a stop yet. There's so much other stuff to see and do. Ron, as an alternative to Calistoga, where would you suggest instead?

Beachfan, 'm sorry to say, but it looks like we are going to miss each other. We are heading out West the first week in August; we have about nine days to make it down the CA coast for a wedding in the LA/Orange County area. So tentatively thinking one or two days in the Bay Area (which we've been to more recently so don't need as much time), two or three days in Yosemite (which we've never been), three days in Napa/Sonoma, and then take our time driving down the coast and spending a night in Monterey. If we stick to this game plan, we may be able to visit the main Ridge facility instead. I've heard about the Berkeley Cheeseboard, but have never been. I'm eager to check it out. The North Berkeley imports wine store looks like a must stop--I just briefly checked out their website. I'd love to give some of those single vineyard, small production champagnes a taste. I've purchased wines from K&L in SF on the Internet and want to see that store in person. While it seems in a totally different vein than NB wine store, do you think it's worth a visit?

Jim, Great advice--thanks. Your reply prompts another question... Does anyone know of any other artisanal cheese makers in the area that would be a great visit? Maybe even get to sample some raw, unpasteurized stuff too... Jim, do they let you taste unaged, unpasteurized cheeses at Vella? Forgot to add that we are going to try and visit the new culinary institute out there as well. Has anyone been? Thanks!