GordonCooks

I guess I want to know if this is a thread on legitimate 4 star restaurants or personal 4 star experiences.

I interpret this as CB does better bistro than Daniel does haute cuisine on a given night.

4 stars serving 4 star food ADNY Daniel Jean Georges Le Bernadin Per Se 4 stars serving 3 star food Bouley Masa 3 Stars serving 4 star food Babbo Danube? Craft Underated Blue Hill – 2 stars

I do mostly traditional but the weirdest combos ever to come from “my” pizza stone are Sushi pizza – cover dough with combo of butter, wasabi, soy, sesame oil, and cover with seared tuna slices after cooking Moo-Shu pizza – cover with soy, butter, sesame oil, hoisin, Chinese cabbage, bamboo shoots and scrambled egg – cover with cooked pork or chicken Chicken wing pie – cooked thigh meat over mozz, some crumbled maytag blue, and a drizzle of wing sauce – a late night fave! Arugala, pancetta, and buffalo milk mozz, Gourmet mushroom pies with capicola, Bolognese pie, etc My normal marguerite is getting a drizzle of aged balsamic and a mound of micro-greens at the end. PS – I’m not discussing my Chicago style Thanksgiving pie – a highly lauded creation which I will never admit to making.

Sufferin Sbragia!

50-50, I would have paid more for older vintages or enjoyed a smaller, older selection for the same. Dishes: Delamotte NV Brut Copper River Salmon Tartar with Cucumber, Melon, and Osetra Caviar nice match with the buttery salmon and salty caviar 1999 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Wild Striped Bass with Spicy Pea Shoots Citrus in the saucing paired well 2001 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet “Les Folatieres” Warm Shellfish salad Another nice pairing 2001 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Cazetiers” Hudson Valley Foie Gras Peach Melba style raspberry gastrique I took another pour of the Les folatieres due to my hunch on a 2001 Faiveley. It proved a wise choice 2000 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Tenderloin of free-range veal with succotash and black truffle over veal cheek canneloni Best pairing of the evening 2001 Kreydenweiss Riesling Clos Reberg Vendage Tardive Pluot and almond crostada Lack of residual sugar in the wine left this flat. The pluot was rather tart

Ooops It's at Tastings (Wegmans - Pittsford, NY) this evening It looks like a small venue (30-35) but there will be a few Rochester winos in attendance. I'm looking forward to talking a little to Sherwood Deutsch of Century Liquor. He probably has more burgundy that he's forgotten about than most wine store have seen. GordonCooks, If you see Sherwood, again, tell him Phil Ward, formerly of Lauber Imports, says Hello! And also to Mike Misch. His "closet" behind the office astounded me every time I was privileged to go in it. Truly amazing inventory of French wines. Lauber? - did you work with Scott Wilcove? We must know a lot of the same people. I know a few people at Universal who regale me with Mike Misch stories. You're right about the back room.

Delamotte NV Brut Citrus and mineral, fairly light and crisp 1999 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Soy and citrus on the nose, lots of tart green apple. Tasting notes noted roasted nectarine which I didn’t pick up at all. 2001 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet “Les Folatieres” Nice lemon curd with a little tropical fruit. Good acid with a little smoke. Needs more time 2001 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Cazetiers” Decanted 3 hours prior which was not enough. Totally closed – didn’t improve at all by the end of the evening 2000 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Concentrated and not very austere. Powerful red fruit, cinnamon, and mineral. Long and ripe on the finish but needs a few years to settle down - wotn 2001 Kreydenweiss Riesling Clos Reberg Vendage Tardive A little on the thin side. Some mineral and spice but more like a cheap tokay than a vendange tardive

Seeger's - no ifs, ands, or buts about it

I have some 2000 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon and wonder how close or how in style they are. Any experiences with the Kreydenweiss Riesling Clos Reberg VT anyone?

Ooops It's at Tastings (Wegmans - Pittsford, NY) this evening It looks like a small venue (30-35) but there will be a few Rochester winos in attendance. I'm looking forward to talking a little to Sherwood Deutsch of Century Liquor. He probably has more burgundy that he's forgotten about than most wine store have seen.

Delamotte NV Brut 1999 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 2001 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet “Les Folatieres” 2001 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Cazetiers” 2000 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 2001 Kreydenweiss Riesling Clos Reberg Vendage Tardive I'm looking forward to the Dujac and Kreydenweiss but I think the 2001s may be a little young

2001 Domaine Boyer Martenot Meursault Les Charmes: Nice spice and tart citrus on the nose with the lemon/grapefruit zing continuing on the palate. More spice and clay than fruit though but a good finisher 2000 Chateau Le Nerthe Chateauu-neuf-du-pape: Big but supple and smooth – I would never peg this as CDNP in a blind tasting – more like recent Cote de Nuits I’ve had (I haven’t had many cdnp lately so I be off). Vanilla, bark, and juicy red fruit with a refined and silky finish.

My recollection of Buddakhan is "Asia de Cuba" meets The King and I

Here are some things I enjoy that other people may consider a chore Stock & Demi-Glace Bolognese Pasta Puff Pastry Pit BBQ

The work involved in putting away a real bouillabaisse is worth all the effort because the sum-of-its-parts payoff is so incredible. But this must be enjoyed with friends and lots of wine. I agree wholeheartedly, I enjoy the long cooking process of making a stock, cassoulet, paella, etc (It's how I relax) These dishes are pretty much ready to go when served. I guess it's when I'm faced with hunger pangs and am unable to gorge myself at a reasonable rate

Crawdads? I've never eaten the traditional way. I'm not a suck out the tomalley type on the lobster type guy so I think I'd pass. My inquiring mind would like opinions though

The olives located at the bottom of a dirty martini

Ditto in Green Bell peppers and raw celery. Although I use them when I cook.

Personally, I've never been a huge fan of crab legs. I can't tell you how many times I've waded through leg after leg, crunching, snapping, bending, and slurping, only to finish hungrier than when I began. Let's not even metion Peel & Eat shrimp or Artichokes. I'm curious as what everyone considers an effort or effortless?

Krispy Kremes

What a fantastic read! Can I forward my reviews to you so you can punch them up a little? thanks edit sp

My Philly trips always include a trip to Geno's and Pat's. I love going to the Pat's and ordering totally wrong so I can see the old guy grit his tooth

How's the Rhone blend? (Cuvee L or something I think?) The Cuvée L is the flagship meritage. It is cabernet sauvignon and merlot with a small percentage of cabernet franc, I believe. It is quite expensive. The Rhone blend is delicious, if unorthodox. The cepage is syrah, merlot and cabernet franc. It's called Alex' Blend. Very fragrant, good weight on the palate, chocolate mid-palate, excellent finish. Randy's 2001s are the best wines they have made so far, IMO. Aaaaah, Alex Blend..thanks

How's the Rhone blend? (Cuvee L or something I think?)