Really Nice!

I completely forgot, the same thing happened with someone at our table who replaced the squab with duck in her tasting menu. Our waiter too served it with immediate apologies and announced that they'd bring another shortly to replace it. We just passed the over cooked one around the table. By the time the dish came back to her, the new one was coming out of the kitchen.

Blue Heron requested that I offer an account of my dinner at Le Gourmand from another post: Naked and sweaty in Seattle. It was my birthday dinner so I didn't even know where we were going. I honestly thought we were going to a barbecue! There were five of us. Kriste brough along a bottle of champagne, which they graciously offered to continue chilling. No one recalls what they charged for corkage. We sat down at about 7:15 and everyone was there by 7:30. The waiter poured our champagne and let us be for a while. I think it was about 8:15 before he got our order into the kitchen. THe whole night was a bit slow paced. We left at about 11:45 and I wasn't quite ready for the night to go that long. I would have taken a siesta beforehand to be better prepared. There were two servers for the 28 chairs, I counted 23 people when they were at their busiest. The food was good, but a bit rich for such a hot evening. And as the evening wore on the restaurant got hotter. Four of us had the seven-course tasting menu, but due to the heavy influence of mushrooms, Kriste opted for the regular menu, which consisted of blintzes filled with Sally Jackson sheep milk cheese in chive butter sauce, rack of Lamb in montmencory(sp?) cherry and lavender sauce, She thought this was the best dish of the night. I thought his chanterelle mushrooms were my best dish. As Steve mentions, the foie gras a bit on the small side, but it was prepared well. The fish/seafood terrine was quite good. Over the last couple of years I've developed an aversion to fish, especially steamed. I was hesitant to try this, but it went down okay. We were kept being told that we were going to have legumes as out main side dish, but we got a plate of steamed greens and new potates. They were out of profiterols. We concluded that the staff was only going as fast as the kitchen. I'm not sure if adding one more person to the kitchen would help or hinder. I liked the prices of their wine. After the champagne we had 2000 DeLille Chauleur Estate (white) for $42. Not bad considering it's $32 in the stores. All-in-all it was an enjoyable evening, but it was very expensive.

The latest issue of The Quartly Wine Review reports that Karen McNeil, author of The Wine Bible, will be hosting a 13-part series on PBS this fall titled Wine, Food and Friends. Also reported in this same issue: "French winemakers now have government approval to use the word "Shriaz" as a synonym for "Syrah".

Is this the place that burned down last night?

Here are two posts on the subject in the Pacific Northwest forum... Eastern Washington wine trip. Oregon wine trip. There are two Web sites that you can use as a reference for each region. Washington Wine Country and Willamette Valley Wineries. If you come to the Seattle area, you can visit Woodinville, about 20 miles east of Seattle, where you'll find Chateau St. Michelle, Columbia, Betz, Di Stephano, DeLille, Matthews, Silver Lake, Januik, Austin Robaire and a few others. Some might need an advanced appointment. I know DeLille only offers tastings on Fridays and you have to call to make an appointment. (It's worth it!) Here's a link with a few maps to help navigate the area. Most WA and OR wineries make a late harvest wine of one type or another. Kiona makes a good one, but the day I went there it just didn't float my boat. Covey Run makes excellent dessert wines. Elk Cove in OR also makes a nice LH Gewürztraminer. Good luck and enjoy!

Yeah! And hopefully it's something more than a scribbled AB on a sticker that's pasted in the book. That's what I got in I'm Just Here for the Food .

Wow, double bad on my part. Don't mean to post a dupe, and a four-year old one at that. It's headlining on Saute Wednesday with a 07.20.04 date. That's my source and it might also be where Artichoke saw it.

Second course: Tortelloni di Fizzano. Pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach, served in a beef and pork Bolognese sauce. "This is bad. This is really bad," Marcella says. She stares into the bowl. "This is Bolognese sauce?" Everyone looks glum. "I must console myself," Marcella says. She orders a Jack Daniel's.

Folks, I think we're missing the main point of the article. Goodness me!

Thomas Keller is publishing his Bouchon Cookbook in November! Here's a link to the post in Food Media and News.

In each of my four visits, they did call. This is spread out over the last four years so unless this changed recently, like no longer allowing walk-ups to make a reservation, they should call. But then, I always call as close to 48 hours of the reservation as possible. This means I usually call at 5:30pm two days before hand. And not knowing where I'm staying two months ahead of time when I make the reservation, I give them my home phone number. It's a nice little treat when you come home to listen to that voice mail, something to reflect upon. Hmmph...Not sure what their actual policy is... I've been 4 times, and I went twice in the last couple of months. They have yet to call, and each time instructed me to call and confirm with the confirmation number. I live locally so perhaps that has something to do with it. I know I would not want to risk not confirming two days prior and counting on them to call... To important to risk. Beats me, but I agree, it's definitely too important to risk. I wonder if they ever had someone not confirm and then show up after (I assume) the table was given to someone else. Oh the tragedy!

Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Stategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking.

This wine laid the ground?!?! Wow!

In each of my four visits, they did call. This is spread out over the last four years so unless this changed recently, like no longer allowing walk-ups to make a reservation, they should call. But then, I always call as close to 48 hours of the reservation as possible. This means I usually call at 5:30pm two days before hand. And not knowing where I'm staying two months ahead of time when I make the reservation, I give them my home phone number. It's a nice little treat when you come home to listen to that voice mail, something to reflect upon.

First, for those coming late into the game, here's a report from our trip to Eastern Washington. That wine is Ridgefield 2001 Cinnamon Teal. It's 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent Merlot. I liked it because it had some depth, it lingered for about 10 seconds in the mouth. It had dark fruit notes (black cherry, plum, blackberry). Not too tannic, and definitely drinkable now, but I felt this could lie down for about five years before showing its full potential. This was the WOW wine of our trip through Eastern Washington, specifically the Red Mountain AVA. This wine comes from the Columbia Valley AVA. I'm told that they sell it to Esquinn, Pete's, Seattle Cellars, Pike and Western. I've never seen this before, but I've never looked for it before. I will be looking for it in the future. An addition to this wine, you might want to look for wines with grapes grown on Red Mountain. This AVA is a bit higher than the surrounding area, even though it's not really a mountain. This AVA is hotter than the lower lands so they tend to pack that rich BIG flavor that you're looking for, and often ripen weeks earlier than other areas. I mentioned that you should look at Pete's and Esquin, but check Costco too. Here's a list of wineries that have or use vineyards from the Red Mountain AVA. Look for them in stores, but I can't guarantee that they'll have wines from this AVA for under $10. When you see one of the wines, look for it to say something like "This wine comes from grapes grown on Red Mountain." Blackwood Canyon Vintners 53258 N. Sunset Road Benton City, WA 99320 (509) 588-6249 Hedges Cellars at Red Mountain 53511 North Sunset Road Benton City (509) 588-3155 Hightower Cellars 19418 E. 583 Pr. N. E. Benton City (509) 588-2867 Kiona Vineyards Winery 44612 North Sunset Road Benton City (509) 588-6716 Oakwood Cellars 40504 North Demoss Road Benton City (509) 588-5332 Sandhill Winery 48313 North Sunset Road Benton City 360-887-5629 Seth Ryan Winery 35306 Sunset Road Benton City Tapteil Vineyard Winery 20206 E. 583 PR N.E. Benton City 509-588-4460 Terra Blanca 34715 North Demoss Road Benton City 509-588-6082 DeLille <- Their D2, which is their lowest priced red, starts at $28. It'll make a good 'once a month' wine. DeLille Cellars 14208 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE Redmond, WA 98052 425-489-0544 Mathews Cellars <- Another good 'once a month wine' if you're looking for wines under $10. This and DeLille are good to share with that special someone. Matthew's Red Mountain grapes come from Hedges vines. Matthews Cellars 16116 140th Place NE Woodinville WA 98072 425-487-9810

I know you mentioned a primary interest in reds, but if you want to give a BIG white chardonnay a try, check out Columbia Crest Chardonnay Columbia Valley Grand Estates 2000. You can find it under $10 at most places and under $8 at Fred Meyers most of the time. This wine constistently gets 90+ points from Wine Spectator. Last year it was ranked 16. Drive out to Woodinville and go to Chateau St. Michelle and Columbia. They're right across the street from each other. Up 202 you'll find Silver Lake. These three wineries have good red wines under $15, which usually means you can find them under $10 when they're on sale at the stores. Go there for a tasting some weekend afternoon and take notes as to what you like, then search for them at Esquin or Pete's.

I love making this stuff! Last weekend I made a chicken galantine stuffed with truffle and foie gras. Here's the basics: 2 chicken breasts/2 chicken thighs remove fillet from chicken breasts; set it aside run chicken thighs through food processor with cream, kosher salt, black truffle oil, and herbs de provence Mince about 2 ounce foie gras; gently fold into minced chicken Pound chicken breasts flat on plastic wrap Season with salt and pepper Layer with thinly sliced truffle Top with minced chicken thigh Top with fillet Roll with plastic wrap; wrap in foil Poach it at 150F for about 30 minutes. Chill overnight in fridge This dish is served cold so season it more than you normally would because the taste buds have difficulty picking up the flavors on cold items. Tighe is right about Larry's, DeLaurenti's and Whole Foods. A few local restaurants that can also guide you include Le Pichet and Campagne. Here's some notes from my culinary school days. Charcuterie Charcuterie rewards tough cuts Plat de Charcuterie Pâté is cold meatloaf. Nothing to be afraid of. Pâté en Croute means pâté in a crust. *Required to qualify as pâté en croute.*Ground meat, smooth using straight method. *Make a crust. *Aspic (geleé) is a clarified gelled cold stock. *Internal garnish such as a tender cut. [*] Terrine is an earthenware mold. Also anything cooked or shaped into the mold. [*] Confit is duck or goose cooked in its own fat. It preserves the meat because fat covers the meat. [*] Rillette is an appetizer, made usually of pork or goose meat, that is diced, seasoned, cooked, and then pounded or ground to the consistency of a spread. Fatty pork, sometimes duck, that is poached and confitted. [*] Campagne (the charcuterie, not the restaurant ) uses a high amount of fat and liver. Features smoothness and viscosity.

"A really good wine" is really subjective. I think it's more accurate to say a wine made for ageing. Just got this e-mail from a newsletter... TWIST OF IRONY I was packing a suitcase last week to head to the Rhone Rangers event in Seattle and found a corkscrew handed out during Taste Washington in April. The corkscrew is from Hogue Cellars, which announced earlier this month that it is switching 70 percent of its production to screwcaps.

When you open a corked $400 bottle of wine "frustration" isn't the first word that comes to mind. Corks aren't the only source of TCA. Both BV and Gallo have recently discovered that their TCA problems were coming from elsewhere in their facilities. Any idea if screwcaps can prevent TCA from penetrating the bottle during storage. My assumption is yes, but...

New owners taking over at several Seattle favorites New owners at Chez Shea, Luau Polynesian Lounge, Noble Court, and A New York Pizza Place among others.

There's another good find at Costco, 2001 Penfolds Bin 389 Shiraz. It's $18, about $6 less than elsewhere. This wine is made in barrels that held the previous year's Penfolds Grange. It's amazing what this bottle unleashes after you have decanted it for about 2 hours. Give it a try.

I have a drink every time he says really nice!

Was going through my tasting notes and found something you might like to read. This dinner was August 14, 2001. Rack of Lamb Pan roasted potatoes Green salad Wine: Penfolds Grange 1979 Start preparation in reverse order Green Salad romaine lettuce croutons yellow pepper heirloom tomato bacon orange dressing mustard sugar salt and pepper celery seed mustard vinegar evo Pan Roasted Potatoes russets thyme oregano parsley sage onion Pan fry in oil/butter finish in oven while lamb is resting add herbs last two minutes of cooking Rack of Lamb Crust: bread crumbs rosemary garlic basil mint evo Sear lamb on meat side; 2 minutes Pat with crust Roast in 425F oven 11 minutes pound Remove of oven; cover with foil; let rest 10 minutes Wine: Penfolds Grange 1979 Visual Surface: brilliant Color: black cherry Legs: very slight Olfactory Aroma intensity: powerful Quality: extraordinary Character: fruity, vegetal, spicy, animal Length: long (40 seconds or longer) Gustatory Sweetness: dry Acidity: nondetectible Alcohol: almost nondetectible Softness: thick Astringency: flowing Body: full Reflective Sensations 05 min: black currant 10 min: black currant 15 min: black cherry 20 min: blueberry / plum 25 min: spicy 35 min: clove / chocolate 45 min: oak / citrus / pear 60 min: vanilla 70 min: woody 80 min: leather 95 min: Grandma's house! <- or inside an antique furniture store 105 min: Grandma's house 115 min: mushroom 120 min: old wood floors Finish: Lovely and lingering Overall Feel: Warm Additional comments Sniff this slowly. This stuff is inhalable. The wine keeps going and going. It doesn't die. Two hours after first pour and it wont' stop. Intoxicating and mesmerizing. The glass fills the entire olfactory epithelium. An immense array of aromas. The flavors don't decline, they evolve and change from one Sensation to the next. Even the glass the next morning, which had maybe 1/2 teaspoon of wine left, had immense power. ------ So that's what I wrote. The amazing thing about this wine was how the flavors evolved. Each sip from that first minute to past two hours would give more than 40 seconds of finish. The flavors would change but the persistence didn't. We didn't decant it, rather we let it decant in the glass. I think we spent the first 15 minutes just sniffing it. It was weird getting citrus and pear from a red wine, but that's what we got. Somewhere near the 95 minute mark both my girlfriend and I blurted out, "Antique Furniture!". It reminded us of the antique stores in Snohomish, just outside of Seattle. An even better tasting note comes from the 1981 Penfolds Grange. Unfortunately, I can’t find them at the moment. Guess I’ll have to go into the inventory and write a new one.

I saw him maybe five times over the years on his 'little rascal' scooter, usually in front of Frank's Produce. It was always a pleasure talking with him.

Rovers The Herb Farm Canlis