GordonCooks
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Posts posted by GordonCooks
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Rochester is not a dining destination, by any means. That said, as my wife is from Rochester (and I have therefore been several times), here are my suggestions:
Upscale Dinner: Edwards. One of the Landmark Rochester Restaurants and housed in a historic downtown building. They have recently moved and I have not been since the move, but my meals there have been pretty good (their beef wellington beats any version from NYC hands down, but that's not exactly difficult) and fairly reasonable. The Daisy Flower Mill is also pretty good for prime rib.
Burgers: Rochester is burger heaven. Here are a few suggestions: Bill Gray's, Schaller's (the one by the lake), and Sullivan's are three of the best. I especially like Sullivan's.
Nick Tahoes -- a Rochester institution (hot dogs). BYOG (bring your own gun).
Ice Cream -- Abbot's (the one by the lake). Frozen custard at its best.
Drinks -- The Old Toad. An English pub serving actual real ale imported from England. Brilliant!
I'll take Rochester over anything Buffalo or Syracuse has to offer. As a native Rochesterian - I'll offer my 2 cents
Edwards has fallen off since the move
The best fine dining is Max at Eastman place
Owner/Exec Chef is a Rochester Institution. Quali stuffed with Foie Gras Mousse, Wagyu Shortrib stew, Duck Cassoulet, etc - and probably the lightest Gnocchi you'll ever have.
If you prefer a hip/upscale experience - try Pearl on East ave
Pacific Rim type food and it's the current place to be "seen" The Chef, Dan Eaton, is cooking at the Beard House in December.
The Daisy is on it's fourth or fifth reincarnation - a step above chain food.
Burgers ? There's a littany - Sullivan's is one of the best (hand cut fries and rings)
The old Nick Tahoes has closed
Abbotts custard is a must
Italian restaurants are some of the best anywhere.
Dinosaur BarB-B Q is a must -
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I will also be going to Rochester next month for a conference. Any info on Mario's Via Abruzzi or Rio Bamba? For what it's worth, both Wine Spectator awards restaurants.
Avoid both
Mario's is little more than homogenized banquet food.
The Rio offers excellent quality but little value. The Chef is former Bouley sous - Jay Cohen but the microscopic portions and Manhattan sized checks will disappoint.
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Check some of the bottle tops to see if the cork has raised above the neck (check an older bottle, 10 yrs of so). You could probably check the top through the foil with your thumb. A decent sign of how warm the bottle got.
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I cant run a business like that in NY, leave the door open and the cash register will dissapear.
I think I understand the situation a little better.
As far as the cash register - I meant it's a small place with regular daily customers.
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Gordon
That was what I was thinking. I have to actually work around my schedule. I work 9-5 and get paid well, so I cant devote all my time to the wholesale business until it can pay my bills. If I go retail, I have to have someone behind the counter all the time. Just another fine point to work out.
Brian
Think more of a rack and whoever is handy cashing a person out. If you find that you're so busy that too much time is being taken to wait on customers - call in grandma
If you gear your business towards a late crowd - I think you can still do some retail but mostly single serve desserts, cookies, etcThere's a nice little bread shop in town that is wholly run by just the owner/baker. He hears the bell ring on the door and he sees who it is. Most people leave the money on the counter for him.
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In terms of retail - I would suggest Muffins, Croissants & Scones.
You'll be able to handle a small counter
It will minimize wasted product (pastry dough, fillings, etc.)
It will provide a cheap way to sample your product
It will provide a place to showcase some of your wares
It can lead to eventual expansion - specialty breakfast trays, coffee, breads, sandwiches, etc
Best of Luck
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Kind of a funny thing, given the relatively modest level of ambition/achievement generally associated with Vin Santo - but these are truly monumental wines.
What are some other good Vin Santos ? I've had very few I'd consider memorable and a few I'd like to forget. Mainly due to lack of knowledge
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The ability to sell pizza by weight (as opposed to our slice/whole pie) allows for infinite combinations. Surely one of the greatest innovations of our time.
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I tip my hat to you three - I'm green with envy
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Too bad, because Portet made some of the better Zinfandels and Cabernets in California, IMO.
Ditto !
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A friend of ours told us of a vineyard in the Languedoc that sought and received permission to grow zinfandel on an experimental basis.
Bux -- I know of at least two (failed) attempts to grow Zinfandel in France. Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac attempted it at Domaine de Triennes in Provence and Jean-Louis Chave planted some vines on the Hermitage hill for his own personal amusement. Both found that the climates were too cold and they could not get the grapes to ripen sufficiently.
Best regards,
Claude Kolm
The Fine Wine Review
What ever happened to Bernard Portet since his return to France ? Clos du Val was the first Zin I ever tasted.
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From research I have done, the French AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee) labeling regulations limit not only the geographical area, but the grape varieties used, how far apart the vines are planted and number of clusters per vine (i.e. density and yields), whether they are allowed to irrigate, the conditions of winemaking, and wine alcohol content. All these micro-managing regulations would surely keep the French wine industry from much experimentation and from changing their wines to keep up with the rest of the world, let alone changing tastes.
I still feel there's plenty of room for innovation within those guidelines.
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I've enjoyed saving a few special bottles for my birthdays and really special ones for milestones.
My 30th was a Cult California night
1994 Abreu Madrona Ranch
1994 Caymus Special Select
1994 Dalla Valle Maya
and my recent 35th was a
1985 Gaja Barbaresco
1986 Chateau Latour
1989 Chateau D'Yquem
As I start to think about the next milestone - it's interesting to see how my palate has changed over the years. Will it be Rhones ? Burgundy ? Champagne ?
What are you holding for the special occasion ?
PS - My 25th consisted of Single Malts, Cigars, shots of Grand Marnier, and sleeping on my bathroom floor.
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I think the main theme has been the decline of French wine quality - I personally think that it's moreso the increase in quality of Italian, Australian, Amercian, New Zealand, South African, etc. I still believe French Wine to be the Benchmark from which many wines can be compared to.
We'll probably see a economic equalization of some sort - the french wines will decrease in price as many of the marquee names i.e. Gaja, Penfolds Grange, Sassacaia, Tignanello, Opus, Greenock Creek, Colgin, Bryant, etc, etc - increase in price. I'm selfishly hopeful of a Bear market in french wine - I'd love to get some cases of Grand Crus for my golden years. In the meantime - I consider myself an equal opportunity consumer.
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My ex (not a good cook) tried to make homemade cookies and used thick soy sauce instead of molasses.
The sad part is that it probably helped more than it hurt.
Did she purposely substitute thick soy sauce (kecap manis?) or did she think she was using molasses?
I have a dear friend I love very much who doesn't understand the concept of preheating an oven. She puts whatever item into the oven while the oven is cold; then, she turns on the oven. She and her husband tell me that it's a waste of electricity to preheat. They're also unwilling to pay for decent knives, yet they wonder how I can chop so much more quickly and precisely whenever I bring over my own knives (and mine aren't even close to top-of-the-line). For someone who scored quite low on the snob test, this sounds awfully snobbish.
She had watched me make cookies many times for my nieces and nephews - she just didn't pay attention to the label.
The cookies were for a going-away party at "her" job so I let it slide.
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A propos of nothing: are there deals on French wines given the "boycott" or is this just a story some wine stores are using to push stuff out the door? If there are deals, where are they to be found? Is it true that some pretty big French wines/vineyards/shippers are actually owned by Americans or American based conglomerates?
Just about any French wine in the store is probably been paid for by an domestic importer. I would also surmise that the decline in future sales may have more due do with everyone and their cousin blowing their wad on 2000 Bordeaux futures than, "Patriotism"
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I would offer that a sold wine at auction that brings a premium price - promotes speculation ANSI increases the winemaker's profile expotentially.
Auction buyers do not experiment. You don't build your reputation on the auction market. Auction buyers are only buying from producers with already established reputations and then only buy wines from the best years.
Please explain the California Cult Phenomenon and how a First year production of any David Abreu or Helen Turley wine would bring a higher auction price than just about any 96, 97, or 98 Prem Cru
Mass insanity.
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I would offer that a sold wine at auction that brings a premium price - promotes speculation ANSI increases the winemaker's profile expotentially.
Auction buyers do not experiment. You don't build your reputation on the auction market. Auction buyers are only buying from producers with already established reputations and then only buy wines from the best years.
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QUOTE]
The auction market is a market unto itself and separate from normal trade channels. The actually number of estates that are actively and successfully traded on the auction market are few. Every year new estates enter the status of a wine that is collectible and hence a potential auction wine. These new estates are no longer exclusively French. Auctions do not help sales of the estates because they have already sold these wines.
I would offer that a sold wine at auction that brings a premium price - promotes speculation and increases the winemaker's profile expotentially.
edit:spelling
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Tippers who double the tax
Tax here is 9% - that seems pretty fair.
We're at 8% from a recent 7% - I don't want this to digress into a tip thread - but college years spent bartending and having many a friend in the business have shown
"the difference between a fair and great tip may be 5.00"
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Father and son Golitzin are talented winemakers. My experience is that these wines are not at their best upon release and are definitely not fruit bombs. They show a lot of structure and age very well. I wish I had some of the '89 reserve in my cellar.
Absolutely - I know the Cabernet grapes used in the two wines were slightly different (as far as vineyard) but I rememeber reading something about the wine-making process I thought.
I should note that both wines were decanted prior to tasting
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Tippers who double the tax
People who say "Medium Well"
Hostile vegetarians
People who send wine back because they don't like it
People who change their order after it's been placed
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T.N.
1999 Quilceda Creek Red
Unexpected nose of Barnyard and leather in addition to sweet black fruit. Big, gelatinous texture and slides down the throat. Loads of ripe fruit and tannin in the powerhouse. Don't wait with a wine this approachable - drink it now.
1999 Quilceda Creek Cabernet
Similiar nose but not as Bretty with more noticeable wood. Tasted even bigger than the Red with firmer tannin and immense structure. Seemed to have a more pronounced cherry flavor. Should be a show-stopper in years to come (if you can keep your hands off it)
Why is Bordeaux better today?
in Wine
Posted
The 1976 Paris Tasting (in addition to Parker's 1-5)