Elissa

:word:

Nevan: surely PN from both Burgundy and Oregon are lucky to have you in their camps. Thanks for all the info. Can we expect Northern RhOre-a-Gonian blends next?

doesn't la tache command that price for what it may become?

When I heard him speak Ken Wright said he wanted to make wine to drink now, not wine to last for decades. Yet american PN (in my limited experience (and not having had any really old ones)) does not rival (say) La Tache. Clearly the lands and ideas diverge, but isn't one also better or worse? Do you sense movement from or towards an haut Burgundian style? Do you expect the wines to refine themselves over the next centuries (optimistic i know) into something as good? btw i've liked Westrey.

Have you seen this piece in the Wine Spectator? Doesn't mention Domaine Serene, which I've liked.

According to yesterday's NYTimes ,

in chinatown one walks in the street to avoid the throngs shuffling on sidewalks. outdoor cafes here would be a welcome addition, esp. if in hammocks or tree houses. maybe a new hybrid of the car lift garage and outdoor cafe. do you remember that just before sept 11 giuliani decided taxicabs should be bigger and charge more? a more recession-proof idea is to eliminate fuel-powered vechicles from manhattan, replace them with electric golf carts that you drive 'round town but don't own, just slip a debit card into while using. with saved space and new revenue, tree-line and build promenades down streets. more oxygen, less polution and prettier environs. also, it's easier to avoid a bad economy if things look nice

The other day at a shop in NoHo I met a medical student whose mum was from Thailand. He said that she lives in California but that whenever she visits town she makes sure to go to Pongsri . They make her a soup that's not on the menu. He said that it was the single place in town to make it, though what that soup is, I cannot say Compared to what I've ordered there, the food in Thailand was better, but then I ate it either in the jungle or on the beach Haven't been of late, but reliable sources say Rain on the UWS has new gusto

I tried the Numanthia (99) and couldn't really understand all the fuss. But it was at a tasting and maybe hadn't opened.

JuJu, Night Dreamer and Speak No Evil are just a few of the Wayne Shorter albums replete with well crafted, mysterious, emotionally rich tunes that gave his band mates (and Miles) a chance to stretch out and dig in and breathe. When the tunes were written, they were played to swing. In Jazz the word 'swing' connotes the part of music that makes you want to dance. As an opposite of sing-song, swing is the fluid pulse that - in jazz or other (mainly) African-American musics - makes minds and bodies sway and bounce as if in trance. Swing's kinda like delishiousness, which in the West might be said to come from French food and approaches to preparation. Recently it seems that Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock both have made conscious decisions to play music in a different way. If you've seen either of late, you've heard the same extrordinary tunes (and some new ones) played with the same voices instrumentally, but with an emphasis on other aspects of rhythm. A friend who knows Herbie explained to me that he'd decided that the swinging part of jazz made it too accessible and easy to like. In the last few years Herbie and Shorter have both worked a great deal with bassist John Patitucci, who to my ear decidedly does not swing. I liked it the old way better, I must say, with rhythm sections like Ron Carter and Elvin Jones, but I'd still pay $100 to see Wayne in a heartbeat. Perhaps WD wishes to explore the idea that dining need not be about pleasure. That people, in order to 'get' his food, ought journey to him through an array of plates that, while interesting, do not necessarily taste good. I suppose if he turns out to be the next Ornette Coleman and write great tunes, or flavors that change the way we eat, that's one thing. Come to think of it, could be fun too. To my ear, the potential still tastes better than the food, but here's to a bright future

BTW what's the story with the ownership of the 4 on Clinton: AKA, Alias, 71 are all the same? Partners in WD are different? Thanks.

Grimes did not do a chop job on WD. I think to the contrary his was a balanced, reflective review that somewhat contextualized many of the same issues I had with the meal. I found his analogy of 71 being a great rock band and 50 being cerebral jazz apt, as there was nothing in my meal at 50 that made me want to dance. I also agree with Grimes that WD50 disdains the pleasure principle. While that might be interesting, it's neither at this stage all that delicious nor worth three star prices. WD wants to walk a highwire. Grimes acknowledges that that is just what he's doing, which seems a compliment. If one can reasonably say that WD50 mines controversy then why wouldn't they're pleased with the review? The place is packed all night every night anyway: some say Art is a line out the door. Grimes writes with respect for WD's and even makes jibe at himself. However at Alias, down the block, you can eat fascinating food that tastes better for less money. Or so has been my experience

Vive la difference. For me, WD50 was far too barroque and fetishized, far too precious and high-strung. I wouldn't have minded those aspects as much if the food tasted good, but the two apps and entrees I shared late last Wednesday night with a friend left us cold. It occured to me that maybe WD was absent - I could imagine all these tricks being in the wrist - but everything tasted a lot alike. The ingredients did not play star roles; their vaguely perverse presentation did. As per its title, this is indeed a place about the chef, not about the food or the customers. I was rather shocked that a new restaurant with this kind of hype and backing would seem so unintentionally underdesigned. No offense intended, but there isn't much going on there in terms of aesthetics. The service (we ate at the bar) distinguished itself with nearly depraved indifference: it was as if the bar tender was doing us a great favor when he rattled off the dishes and their ingredients at a lightening pace. When I asked him what he'd just said, he was indignant and spat the words out at me faster. I also found this an oddly masculine dining experience: fauxAdria for your inner macho cavalier. And while my inner macho cavalier is quite robust indeed, this wasn't his type of meal either The apps: overdone octopus tentacles, peeled of their skin which gave them a processed turkey feel. The shallot pickle too pointed, not deep. The infamous anchovy, foie gras and chocolate app: foie gras itself not especially good; the vinegared anchovies seemed neither to enhance the gras nor expand as a result of the combination. Seemed to me that the chocolate served to make this a "Dude, I ate it!" dish that, while not unpleasant, made a cynical stab at expectations and adventurousness. Cynical because while it didn't taste bad, neither was it that interesting or (to my palate) at all delicious. The mains: a sadly overcooked monkfish in dashi; and seabass with longbeans (these were good) over a cauliflower with almond oil puree. The puree bit tasted like nothing, like peanut butter and like the overcooked monkfish. Which is not what I look for in sea bass. The skin wasn't bad, though its crispyness seemed more aspired to than achieved. I had two glasses of wine and would not recommend either: a Greek rose and the Alsatian Riesling. However, I did find WD50 a fascinating contrast to Jefferson, where many of the same ideas are executed with an exquisite and formidable aplomb.

Thank you Pan. As far as brunch goes, I found it extraordinary. When was the last time you had memorable eggs? parsley, garlic and lemon peel (or sometimes though not in this case orange peel) mince. used on osso buco

Brunch this am at Prune nothing short of stellar: Braised beef tongue omelet with gremolata and marrow bone on the side. Exquisite "Prune Juice:" freshly squeezed lemon, lime, orange, tangerine and grapefruit. Huge tho: I ate about half the omelet. edit: finished the marrow

The wine may be better, but the word seems to me contrived and awkward. Also, it sounds better pronounced incorrectly

Aha! That must be why even the flabbiest, fruitiest, flattest of California wines taste better in their Meritage blends. Coppola's meritage (for instance) is almost even good. While their Rosso I don't mind for its price point, their straight regular cabs and merlots I find perfectly atrocious.

An article in today's NYTimes about travel to and things to do in Montreal. Did they get it right? p/s Roy's Hardgroove is both mighTy-electric and dancable should those be considerations. Of course in addition, he can actually play...which is not to say others can't, but that precious few do as well.

LML

Milos certainly did have fresh fish. Also a chic li'l hotel had just opened down by the river

also, great music played nightly as i recall in the hotel lobby for free round about midnight. what's the name of hotel HQ?

Dollar Brand is/was Abdullah Ibrahim's other name. At the Iridium room a few months back, he was perhaps with Rashied Ali on drums, not Billy Hart. Have you seen Paulo Braga? He played with Elis Regina, Tom Jobim et al. Last I saw him was with the Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Cantuaria too bad Chico Buarque doesn't tour

i wonder if Eryka Badu will be with Roy?

Do you know which trio w/ Dollar Brand? Is drummer Paulo Braga with Bia?

Do catch Roy Hargrove. This year Roy plays with his Texas funk band from the new Hardgroove record. Maybe Eryka Badu will appear as she's on it, as are Q-Tip, Steve Coleman and Meshell Ndegeocello. IMO Hargrove the premiere horn player of his generation and I'd imagine that your daughters would enjoy it too VM. He was a guest artist last I went to the Montreal fest and had a week with his various bands (4tet, 5tet, 8tet etc) at a big venue. Hargrove's Cuban album Crisol with Frank Lacy on trombone won a Grammy; however I'd recommend both his new record and Roy Hargrove with Strings but caution that as with food, jazz sounds better fresh than canned. The last year he's been mostly on tour with Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker, as the element that swings....