tommy

my impression is that it's becoming harder for restaurants to get them.

i assumed this place served food, and was going to ask how it was. but i figured i'd look at the website instead. but i didn't find any reference whatsoever to food. is my assumption wrong?

i want someone to list 5 great pinot grigio values. i totally believe everyone when the say that santa margherita is overpriced swill, and so many better values and more interesting wines are out there. unfortunately, i just don't pay enough attention when i'm drinking them to pick out anything notable. although i'm usually drinking santa margherita. let's see a list of good buys and great wines!

pinot grigio is way easier to pronounce than pinot gris for the average person. even the well-crafted pinot gris from the US, germany, etc., will probably never catch up to pinot grigio.

generally, you just order. none of this "day in advance" nonsense. but, you can call to make sure.

ian, that's what i was referring to.

any word on this little place nestled off of 17 and 80 in "jackensack" (as the menu says). who knew there was a third thai restaurant in jackensack? 380 w. pleasantview ave "jackensack" (i can't get enough of that), NJ 07601 201.448.6188

as of a few days ago, there didn't seem to be any. i went to the one in little fairy, and the other one. i looked high and low, as well as left and right. no luck. you guys have an advantage as you at least know where they *were*.

3 of how many?

while this may be true, they are for all intents and purposes unavailable to a very very very very large segment of the population here in the states.

you said that yesterday.

you're not happy with yours?

do you mean the server might as well pour to the whole group to start with before it's tasted? if so, how does the server know that the table is filled with this particular type of wine nut who apparently has to taste corked wine every change he gets?

more thoughts.

i think we'll see that that depends on who you ask.

i'd prefer to try wine before it is poured into several glasses in front of my nose. no sense in more than 1 person getting mildew on their lips and tongue.

Yup. FNTV is part of my cable package. Fine Living is not available here. It's all up to the local cable company, but the fact that there are some great food shows out there that I can't see really bugs me. Chad visit fineliving.com. they have a nice little set-up where you can request the station without having to actually call or write your cable company to tell them that you want it.

1. perhaps i should have used the word "swirl" instead of aerate. 2. only if you're swirling in such a way that you're coating the entire inside of the glass. although, i've been known to come close, i'm not sure everyone is as aggressive as i am.

in my experience, a slight trace of TCA will become less prominent after a wine has been aerated. and if we assume for a moment that what i'm experiencing isn't TCA, but something else, then i'll restate to suggest that off odors from a bottle become less prominent after a bit of aeration. so i don't know that i'm buying #1 wholesale. but, that has nothing to do with the priming issue, but rather my assertion that i don't swirl much before sampling a wine. it should also be noted that any priming that i have experienced has come *after* the wine is presented and sampled and, of course, OK'd. as for bouquet, it would seem logical that if the wine is coating the entire surface area of a glass that the bouquet would somehow be effected. but again, i'm waiting for someone to do a series of side-by-side taste tests.

an environmentally sound choice no doubt. friends of mine have bamboo flooring in their kitchen. it looks wonderful, and they claim it's very durable. i've heard mixed reviews overall, though.

this has happened to me several times over the years. the times that come to mind are at Mesa Grill in NYC, and at Cibreo in Florence. Mesa Grill handled it horribly, and i've never returned (this was probably 10 years ago, and i no doubt would have gone over and over for personal and business reasons), and Cibreo went out of their way to accommodate us and did the right thing (although the transaction was a bit awkward and left me wondering if we'd be sent packing for the night). i can't imagine having any real recourse other than never returning (Mesa Grill) and perhaps helping to perpetuate an unflattering nickname for the chef/owner (Booby Flay).

although, i've heard, and believe, that swirling and otherwise aerating can make it a bit harder to detect a mild case of TCA taint, as the bouquet can very well overpower the taint. until someone does extensive side-by-side taste tests, i'll chalk up this practice to one of preference, erring on the side of "it can't hurt" and "it's nice to see restaurants going to extra inch and paying attention to the glass and wine, which can usually indicate that they give a crap".

does Stagehouse have a fireplace? i seem to recall that they do. certainly romantic. no view, though.

craig, what are your thoughts on this process adding to the bouquet of the wine, at least initially anyway, as the entire inside of the glass is "coated" with the wine. it seems like wine foreplay. not totally necessary, but it can't hurt, as long as you have the time.

seems like this was a larger service issue, rather than a priming issue.