"T"

Started with Pastis, moved on to a bottle of Super Bock beer from Portugal, some Pooles Rock Firestick Chard from Oz with dinner and now finishing a glass of Frescobaldi Nipozano CCR 2001 I openned yesterday. Working tomorrow so no Scotch tonight. Cheers, Steve

For reds I like De Torens Fusion V as well as Springfields Whole Berry Cabernet. For whites Springfields Life From Stone Sav/ Blanc is one of the finest example of this grape from the "New World". Chenin Blanc or Steen (I think that's what they call it in SA) can be very nice from SA as well. Cheers, Steve

That's it. Next time I'm in a lazy mood it's back to the ol' hood for salmon cakes. Just wonderin', Snacky, how do you imagine turtle boogers taste? So nice to have time to post again now that the boy is sleeping through the night. 7 weeks down, a couple O' thousand to go. Cheers, Steve

When I lived in loftville I went to Pan O and I found the whole experience to be quite nice. Let's face it, nobody goes to a place like Pan O Pan for highly inventive food. We go there because we are either tired, lazy, too busy or worth less than a politicians word in the kitchen. We want food done well. Easy. That said Keith, I agree with everything you said as far as putting in the effort to show respect to the company you keep but that shouldn't mean going broke or spending 2 days in the kitchen preparing things.

Nah. For me it's the jerk wearing cologne or perfume that takes away from the total experience of wine tasting. What the hell is wrong with these people. I'm sure they know they shouldn't wear anything with strong odors but they do regardless. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they also eat a large serving of extra hot vindaloo and chew on raw garlic before a tasting as well.

Shelly: Enjoy Paris. It truly is one of, if not "the" greatest city in the world. Oh yeah, full of envy, that's me :)

Thanks for the link. Next time I'm in NY I will be there!!!!! Just finishing a glass of Mac 18. Mmmmmmmmmmm......

Paradis is getting stupid $$$$. That's what my wife calls it when I spend that kind of money on wine/spirits. Hennessy XO, Camus XO both very good yet different in style. Chef Koo, you didn't mention which grade of Cognac you tried? Just curious.

My fave out of Greece is Gaia Estates Agiorgitiko. Intense red wine with an international discipline, meaning modern wine making techniques, yet still retaining a somewhat old world character. Perhaps the finest Greek wine I have tried. Mind you it's not as though my cellar is overflowing with Greek wines :)

Sun Peaks? Great for Mountain Biking in the summer. We usually BBQ after a ride. As for winter no idea. Oh well, back to my wine. Cheers and much luck in the 'Loops'.

Cin cin

And this would be because ......... the smoky quality perhaps? Or am I just taking things too seriously again? ← Similar to smoked meats, you shouldn't consume too much of those products either. If you enjoy it though a cup of Lapsang in moderation is fine.

LOL. Nullo that was funny. Sucks about Dupont though.

Be careful not to consume too much as it is carcinogenic. But so is walking in downtown during rush hour. What's a brutha to do? Drink up.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm fish wine. But can they still call it a wine if no grapes are involved? And what exactly are they going to distill? Sounds fishy to me. I'm sorry, my wife is having a child soon so I feel I need to start involving myself in silly humor otherwise the boy will look at me and shake his head and think things like " sure hope when I get older I make sense".

As others have said wine books are a great way to get informed. Another great way is to work part time at your local wine shop. Spending 8 hours looking, talkin', sellin' and depending on the manager sippin' wine is a fine way to educate oneself. Also a great way to meet others who share your intrest in wine. Many of the fine folks I hang and sip with now I met while working in wine retail. Just another avenue to consider. Cheers

My name is Steven Sakai. That night there were 7 at our table. My wife and I alone spent 125.00 freakin' dollars. No problem with that since most of it was alcohol related, and we have certainly paid much more in other restaurants that we frequent. We had a lovely waitress, a great time, the fries were yummy, the mushroom strudel was yummy...we were all pretty happy with our meals and were well aware of what a great deal it was at $15 a pop. That said, at the end of the evening a few of us did have some comments regarding the set menu. We were all also very clear that we wanted to come back and enjoy more of your food and what seemed like great hospitality. However, reading your posts has made us reconsider (I'm using the collective we, as both my wife and I had a similar response to your lovely missives). First of all, this is a forum where people post their thoughts and opinions regarding restaurants in this city. My understanding is that you started this thread...reading over some of the posts, I can see that some of them might get your nose out of joint, but if you have read responses on other threads, you must have known what to potentially expect. However, some of the responses contained some very positive feedback, and I thought, some valid criticisms. Perhaps you took some of these posts to be hostile...I'm not sure why...but your response certainly felt very bitter and angry. Reading your last post, my wife and I were in agreement that we would rather spend our money somewhere else. Shame for us, shame on you

Two glasses minimum per night, more if I don't have to work the next day. I don't feel that is over the top since it is always with a meal. Now, how much Cognac or Scotch is consumed that is a different story :)

What Coop said word for word. You speak the truth Brutha!!!! Although, I've seen some cute sommeliers. Bring on the underwear

Hey Ling sounds like we had the same meal and the same experience. I found the beef also lacking somewhat and the sauce lacking very much. The Heather is much better than it was last night. We all enjoyed the whisky/whiskey list and ordered off that list. It made us happy. We also ordered a few sides of the fries along with the mushroom strudel along with the cheese plate. All was done well.

I've had many 1997 Tuscan's and so far the verdict is lukewarm. For such a hyped vintage the wines have not lived up to all the print they have been given. Not to say that they have been bad, they certainly have not, but I wonder if either the Monsanto in question is playing dumb, it is the riserva BTW, or are we the victims of hype? Now the 2001 Rosso di Montalcino from Siro Paccenti, there's a seal clubber for ya. I think I posted notes on that a while ago.

I'll be there on sat with family in tow. Always love hangin at the Heather. Can't wait for the Whisky. Bowmore Darkest please. BTW, any chance to try the Middleton? Just kiddin'. Cheers

Good for you. If you have any credible wine experience then you would know if a wine was corked or not. This reminds me of a meal I had in Paris where the second glass of a Chablis from a different bottle than the first glass,( I saw the waiter openning another bottle), ended up being corked. The owner felt it was fine but would open another bottle for me. Which I said was fine. He then said he would drink the wine and said it was fine, no cork taint. All night he would hold the glass up and toast me with the corked wine. By the end of the night I noticed the same glass of wine was still undrunk and he must of conceeded defeat because he presented me with a bottle of Monbaziac(sp) to take home. Anyone who has opened a bottle of corked wine knows that it gets stinkier and stinkier as the night goes on.

Gaia Estates, from what I understand from a buddy who managed an Oddbins in the UK, are one of the more highly regarded estates in Greece. This wine is made from a local variety called Agiorgitiko. Don't know much about it but it makes great wine. Medium garnet core to a watery garnet rim. Moderately intense on the nose. Sweet cherry, ripe dark berries. Jammy but not Oz jammy. Toasty, licorice whip. Medium acid, soft-medium tannins. More medium tannin but quite soft. Fair amount of alcohol (14%). Ripe, rich dark berry fruit. Nice concentration of fruit without being obvious. Mixed spices. And then the oak. Nicely toasted while still allowing all the fruit to show through. This is absolutely wonderful wine from a country that dropped the ball as far as wine making is concerned a few moons ago. Seek it out. Buy it. Enjoy. Cheers

So Russian mobster cool does the trick? Glad you had a good meal. Cheers