marcus

I took a look at the red Bordeaux and the white Burgundies and can't find anything of interest. In general, like most retailers, they are pushing what's available, which are wines that are too young to drink. Also, although their discounts appear large, they are starting from an extraordinarily high price point. More relevant is to compare these prices to recent auction prices. I took a quick look at the 1986 cheval blanc and 1990 haut brion which at least one can think about drinking today vs recent prices from Sotheby's auctions. The Sotheby's website has a good capability for searching past auction results. For the 1986 cheval blanc, which I don't recommend, I find the 1983 and 1985 much better, they are charging $325 vs a fairly consistent auction price of about $150. For the 1990 haut brion, which is excellent, they are charging $333 versus a widely varying auction price of $210-$260.

fresh_a -- I am mystified by your response, are you claiming that this is really ellenesk's fault? Did you actually read her original post? I find it strange that your first reaction, cosidering that you work in a service occupation, is to blame the customer. Frankly, I find your descriptions of how concierges function in deluxe Paris hotels so obscure and elliptical that I now have even less confidence as to their actual operation.

I find Jamaica Blue Mountain to be the best coffee, but authenticity and freshness are certainly issues. I would also describe it as tending towards medium body, it is fuller bodied than Costa Rican and some other central american coffees. At its best, it is a perfectly balanced coffee that has a complex aroma that is almost wine like.

Lizziee -- I am somewhat perplexed at the recommendation of the 1978 Angelus, are you sure that it wasn't the much superior 1988. Up until 1985, Angelus was making their wines in vats rather than oak casks and the wines were very short lived. I checked the review in my most recent Robert Parker Bordeaux book, and he indicated that he last tasted the wine in 1983, felt that it was already in decline, and gave it a score of 75. It would probably score much lower today. Did the wine have a hard brown edge? Out of curiosity I checked through a couple of data bases of recent auction prices, but could not find any sales, which is not surprising.

As a result of cultural insecurity, I think that we're being far too sensitive. At least for lunch, there are a large number of formal restaurants including 1 and 2 starred ones in Paris and the provinces, that are actively marketing abbreviated meals. This undoubtedly results from local demand. What you see is a special section of the carte called menu d'affaires where you are advised to order a single plat or a plat plus appetizer or desert with the statement that there is no need to order anything more. I have the feeling that the French have already moved beyond, and we visitors remain beholden to antiquated customs.

The Gault Millau website indicates that the 2003 restaurant guide will be available Feb. 13. Time will tell, but I see no indication that it won't be available. I have noticed for several weeks that the magazine no longer appears on their website, which is now used only to advertize their books: restaurants, wine, food and wine products, and an encyclopedia of taste. There is also the ability to search the current restaurant guide.

Isn't the new Robuchon restaurant close to what's being looked for. An upscale informal restaurant with very good, but simplified, 2d tier cooking.

These are all good questions, and I for one am looking forward to the answers.

Yellowtail is not Tuna at all, it is some type of snapper. I have always believed that the term Himachi was reserved for a particular type of Japanese yellowtail, but am not really familiar with the varieties of this fish or its proper nomenclature. It is not found in the North Atlantic, so I have always viewed it as an imported variety and never objected to a foreign name. I think that Steingarten is going way overboard in criticizing yellofin tuna which is a very fine fish. Although bluefin is superior, it is relatively rare and all of the better specimens are bought on the docks and shipped directly to Japan. Yellofin tune, which is only rarely called ahi tuna in NY markets, is more expensive than and much better than albacore both for sashimi and for cooking.

I continue to find that NY Noodletown is the best restaurant of its type in Manhattan, I don't know about Flushing. The food is not transcendent and it can be inconsistent, but I have followed many recommendations over the years to purportedly better options, but never found them to be as good. I always end up going back. I also think that its just as good as it alway was, as is Joe's Shanghai, another restaurant that many feel has declined. In general, my view is that the disappointment growing out of inconsistency is the real cause of these reactions, rather than any overall long term change. The wonton soup, particularly without the noodles, can be wonderful, and the baby pig is more often than not, excellent. I also like their congee.

How real Grand Sichuan is, is a relative question. I have never been to Sichuan, but have eaten in well recommended Sichuanese restaurants in Hong Kong and Taipei and see very little correlation either in quality or format. In addition, Grand Sichuan is extraordinarily inconsistent, to take a page from Cabrales, even by my lower (very much lower) New York standards. I don't have any problem with spicing and oil when they are properly used and balanced, but I do with the overwhelming use of salt which goes beyond acceptability anyplace in the world with the possible exception of Korea. I think that the best basis of comparison is camphor duck, which can be tender moist and fragrant in a fine Sichuanese restaurant, but at Grand Sichuan, the duck can be stringy and the flavor has harsh edges showing a lack of subtlety in the smoking process. Also the Kung Pao chicken, ordered from the fresh chicken menu, should be called peanuts with chicken, rather than chicken with peanuts, as the quantity of peanuts was excessive to say the least. To be clear, I have eaten only at the 9th avenue restaurants in midtown and Chelsea, which I believe are interchangeable, based on which restaurant has the chef on any particular evening.

You can still find an appetizer of a dozen plump snails exactly as you describe at L'Ami Louis in Paris. If you follow that with their wonderful roast chicken, you will have one of the worlds great soul satisfying meals.

The Beaugraviere is a minimal 3 star hotel, in the US is would come close to being a dump, although not with the additional connotations of being dirty, it is in fact clean. I also has a dingy setting near the railroad tracks. The restaurant is very worthwhile at all times, and their truffle omelet in season is one of the unique dishes of the world. They also have one of the very best if not the best list of Rhone wines.

Wittamer is certainly one of the very best and has been around for a very long time, I've never heard of Marcolini. The last time time that I was in Brussels, probably 4-5 years ago, the best of all was Manon a very small shop just on the otherside of the ring road. Their most famous creation was the Sputnik. I assume that they still exist, but I don't know for sure. In Brussels the great chocalate creations are called praline, no relationship to the New Orleans stuff, and truffels are rather pedestrian by comparison. The problem with the praline is that they can't be shipped as they have a shelf life of only about 3 days and then they literally fall apart.

Haute cuisine soulfood

KarenS -- Overall, your discussion of Chez Panisse reads more like a political statement than a restaurant review. I went to the restaurant fully understanding their style and objectives and looking forward to it. I was not looking for fancy, or avant garde. They just failed to deliver. I wonder whether Chez Panisse today is anything like it was when Wolfgang Puck used to eat there befoe opening Spago. I wonder why, with their focus on California farmers and producers, they served me only French cheese.

SFJoe -- I appreciate the insights, what other Savennieres winemakers do you recommend. The 1990 Joly is legendary, and I was unable to find any when traveling extensively through the area a couple of years ago, even at the restaurant of the Grand Monarque Hotel in Chartres, which has the best collection of Loire wines that I know of.

Cabrales -- I must admit that I have no recollection of the wine list. I also remember that the pate en croute, although very famous, was not overwhelmingly great to me. However, the Bresse chicken and everything else was outstanding. He also cooks the most definitive version of quenelles de brochet, better than any in Lyon. The portion is large and very rich and ideally you should split it, there are two quenelles. You should make every effort to eat in this restaurant as soon as possible; it is the closest experience to classic haut cuisine that still exists. The town of Tournus has a number of pleasant 3 star hotels and the Romanesque church is very fine and worth visiting.

MartyL -- You give with one hand and take away with the other. 90 is the great year, and although Savennieres is long maturing, it should be approaching drinkability. 91 on the other hand was not good at all. Have you tried Savennieres elsewhere, it is made from Chenin Blanc, but tastes quite different from the other Loire's made from this grape. Do you believe that it has been mishandled, or do you just not like the style. Back in the 1920s, Savennieres was considered the equivalent of top white Burgundies.

Has anyone seen any N. Joly, Savennieres, Coulee de Serrant, at any NYC wineshop. This wine, which I find very interesting, almost never appears at auction.

Jaybee -- just saw your latest post. The issue is not $1 versus $6 dollars, that is just inflation, but how much that dollar could have earned if it were invested. Also, there is no reason to believe that the value of fine wines will continue to increase at the same rate. There was a historical revision in values that will probably not be repeated.

For those with a preference for older Bordeaux, such as I have, (although not to the extent of Steve P, I consider the super brilliant 1966 Latour, for example, to be ready to drink), there is really no all around good answer to the question as to how to reliably find these older wines. First let me say that buying wines on release and laying them away for a generation is probably the least good answer. Any close look at the forward value of money plus the cost of long term storage shows this to be a very expensive proposition. In addition, it requires you to have substantial disposable assets when you are young, the time when you are least likely to have them. Also the reputations of vintages and wines within vintages changes significantly over time, and you also have to see through the hype that comes with most new vintages. Many wines actually decline in value after release. Retail is also problematic. The vast majority of wine shops make their living from very recent vintages. They have no depth of inventory and you essentially have to pick and choose from an arbitrary and very limited selection. Most wine shops, even those that offer a veneer of seriousness do not have temperature controlled storage. Those that do specialize in old vintages, and have proper storage facilities, are very expensive, and even here you have no idea of provenance. Although a bit less expensive, the major mail order/internet wine shippers are still costly. The auction market provides the best selection and the best prices, but you typically need to buy cases, although individual lots can vary in size. There is usually some indication of provenance and storage history, but this is very superficial. You also need to be aware that one of the reasons that people consign their wines for auction is that the owner is not happy with their condition. In my experience, the percentage of less than perfect bottles of wine sold by major auction houses is staggeringly high, even for vintages as late as 1990, which is the most recent red Bordeaux vintage that I will consider buying. There are times at auction where a major well known collection whose history is well known is being dispersed, or where a major chateau is releasing a number of cases from an older vintage. These probably represent the most reliable opportunities as to wines in good condition, but these lots also will command a substantial premium. The message is that you have to really love this stuff and be willing to spend a lot of money and face many disappointments. I don't know of any easy answers.

I really like the white Champagnes like Salon, but for the real hedonistic pure wine pleasure, I prefer the yeasty rush that you get from Krug especially, but also Cristal. Dom Perignon is always well made, but can sometimes be lacking in oomph. However, I agree that the 1990 is genuinely brilliant. Have you tried the roses, I haven't, and I'm curious as to whether they taste different, or its just a color thing. The price premium is substantial.

mogsob -- I find GT's tecommendation of a wine which is known to be oxidized, for any purpose, to be weird verging on unbelievable (but true). I would be interested if you have any further insight into their thought process.

Cabrales -- When you say that you prefer the Chardonnay only Campagnes, is that based on also having tried the the best of the full bodied conventional Champagnes such as Krug and Cristal?