jeffperez62

Happy Birthday my friend.......perhaps we could get a small egullet group get together one night for a drink or 2..I know we have a few locals wandering aroun here Happy New Year!

Hey Red...I agree with you on the Sequoia Grove. I thought it was nice also. I was shocked to see WS give it a 82 or something like that. I also liked the 02' Chard. I got the cab in Connecticut for $22!! happy New Year!

The Greenwich produce location that closed was the one on Greenwich ave. South Salem and GCT are still open.....for now.

Looking back on my meal at Mecca, aside from the scallop dish everything was very good, I think I'll go back soon to do a little more "research". Chris, the wines I brought were a 98' Fontodi Casa Via and a 97' Ferrari Carano Tresor. If you look at his list, their are many bottles that are marked up 3-4 times wholesale! That is a pet peeve of mine, just as the corkage which you mentioned. I wish I could find those little eels also .....how were they prepared?

I had dinner at Mecca last week. While I do agree that it is good, I really don't think it's on the same level as Meigas. The biggest disapointment of the night was my wife sea scallops with "Spanish Style" pasta.. 5 overcooked scallops with fettucine in a tasteless tomato sauce. Every thing else we had though was quite good. I think Mecca offers a great price/quality ratio for the food. I really did not care for the wine list although they do carry some nice bottles. I think a $30 corkage fee is quite steep for a neighborhood restaurant in Norwalk.

I second the Bonton rec. They are THE best fish purveyor in Fairfield county. Thats if you can get a parking spot on the Greenwich shopping mall.....oh, I mean Greenwich Ave. Whole foods meat counter does look quite nice ....sadly after 25 years on Greenwich ave., Greenwich Produce has closed it's doors. I guess they could not sell enough produce to pay the $37,500 a month rent!!!! Also, the Darien cheese shop does a nice job

I had dinner at Match in SoNo last night which was great (as usual) Relish hit the scene this year with a bang but each time I go there the food seems to lack focus and if you go and the chef is not present it can be hit or miss. Donovans is still the best burger in Fairfield county and Meigas is IMHO the best restaurant inCT. Right across the street from Meigas is the Fat Cat pie co. which is owned by the same folks that own Fountain Head wines. Pizza, salad and cheeses from the Darien Cheese Shop. Interesting wine list which is priced great also.

Thats interesting...Next time I stop by there I'm going to inquire about the "pollution factor" and see what they have to say. Someone told me that they practice the "fair trade" thing and they some how deal directly with a grower which gives the grower a fairer price than S***bucks would. They seem like they follow the whole "peace, love, mother earth thing so polluting the air would definetly be against their philosophy.

I was at a function last week and the Owners of Hudson Valley Foie Gras were telling us of their worries. They feel that they do need the help and support of any one who disagrees with the anti-foie movement. So if you want to make a call or send a letter they feel it would be of great help. It seemed to me that they are quite concerned about this matter.

On a friends recomendation I stopped at the Mud Truck at Astor Place today. It was one of the better cups of Joe I've had in NYC. Just wondering if any one else has been there and what do you think?

In New York Magazine a few months ago there was an article about the equipment they use to clean the kitchen, in particular, a small "buffing" machine to clean the griddles, flattops , stoves and other stainless steel equipment. Does anyone recall or have this article still? I'm trying to remember the name of that little buffer. And if I recall, they said it could be found at home depot.

Over dinner last night the argument started.....is it tomato sauce or gravy??? Who the hell started calling it gravy?

I think she has been the Chef d' Cuisine for Chef Valenti since day 1 at 'Cesca.

Lavagna was one of my favorite casual spots for a decent meal but I have not been there since the chef went uptown to 'cesca. Any reports??

OK then....in a nutshell can someone give me the route I should take (which BART to take where, switch where etc..) Is taking a cab an option??? If so, how much might it cost? Or if I drove is it a HUGE pain in the butt? (7:30 reservation) PS.....I'm staying at the holiday inn at Oak airport

what I'm really looking for is a casual, nice dining experience similar to Market or Cindys Backstreet in Napa where I can get (or bring) a good bottle of wine and have a good meal (maybe with some good people watching thrown in for good measure!!)

I'll be stuck at one of the Oakland airport hotels on a Mon. night in February with a empty night to kill before an early morning flight. Is there a casual, great restaurant in hte area I can go to or is it possible to get to SF from Oakland on mass transit??? If I drove, how far is it (timewise????) If I do go to SF where should I go? In the past I've been to Delfina which I really enjoyed.

Just returned from a week in Calistoga. We ate at Pilar, Cindys and FL to name a few. Our hotel , the Calistoga spa is right across from Stomp, which was almost empty every night we passed by. Pilar was very good, I would eat at Cindy's every night if I could, and the FL.......need I say more. I just got off the plane and my eyes are rolling to the back of my head, so I'll give more details soon. We did stop up at Ladera to see Carolyn (which was spectacular.....and Carolyn, you rock!) which was one of the highlights of our trip!!

I have not heard much on egullet about Compass in the last few weeks. Who is the current chef?? Has any one been there recently?? If so, how was it?

Had tapas at the bar in Bolo on Sat night. I like the "highchair" type tray that they pot on the bar to make things a bit more comfortable.

There is a big difference in the Parker(90+) and WS (80pts) rating for this wine which I thought was interesting.

Thanks Mark.....If and when you open that 2001 Togni, let us know what you think

I've heared of Togni but have never tried any of his wines. I just recieved a bottle and wondering if i should hold for a while or enjoy in it's youth.....any advice based on the winery's track record??

I just recieved a bottle of primo which actually is labeled Zinfandel on the front label ( for U.S.A. marketing purposes I guess) and is labeled as primo on the back label........very interesting

We go to Calistoga every year and we always return to the Calistoga Hot Springs spa. The rooms are comfortable and you get use of 3 different mineral pools with the price of the room. The rates are reasonable, and for a few extra bucks you can do the mudbath /massage thing. Calistoga is a great little town. You can walk over to the Palisades gourmet market and do a little picnic.