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It has been my experience for certain wines that I am able to get via a mailing list from the winery that they are less expensive than they would be in retail stores if I could find them. These tend to be pretty highly allocated wines and sell very little through distributors. On the whole they are priced much more reasonably than many of their competitors given the quality and names involved. On the other hand, I have seen a number of wineries selling their wines direct that don't appear to offer any discount. I believe these tend to be wines that sell a lot through distributors.

Nice job. I'm sure it was difficult, but someone had to do it! Were the bacons served in a blinded or double-blinded fashion? I am curious since you stated that the Nueske was already the crowd favorite. Was therre anything about the Tocino that made it mexican besides the name? You said it was indistinguishable from most of the supermarket brands.

I refuse to believe any 2 restaurants are exactly alike. Unless cloning were legal but even then nano-building construction is light years away. ← Exactly alike? No, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle for Restaurants would preclude that, but substantially alike would probably fit.

Sounds like a nice combination.

Good news on Max's. I hope it finally comes to pass. I have no doubt that Zecchini's place will do well. For some reason he seems to have a Midas touch. I know it isn't the food though, which at best is mediocre.

That is a shame. I like Scallions. It is nothing fancy, but has good wholesome food. I'm afraid that downtown saratoga is starting to become just another homogenized mall town. Another loss to downtown Saratoga is Little India whose lease was not being renewed. They had to vacate by the end of this month. That place wa a lunchtime favorite of mine if I was working at Four Winds and finished an early day. I would tend to order samosas and lamb paneer.

You are correct, Mark, none of these would be a loss to the fine dining of Saratoga, but it is indicative of other problems. The Chez Sophie move should be very interesting. i believe that they have the presence to pull it off and make sure it works right. The risk is losing something of the personality of the restaurant that helps make it special. I am not expecting anything special from Zecchini with Mare Mare. Why should he start now? I am still waiting for Max London's restaurant to open. My understanding is that financing has been the issue. That would be further indication of the economic issues alluded to above. I would think that if anyone can make a fine dining establishment work in saratoga it ought to be the Londons.

The four restaurants in NYC that I haven't yet been to that I most want to include Urena, Gilt, Cru and Room4Dessert. I thin Bux' comments about the employee pool are quite pertinent. It is very difficult in the United States outside of the largest cities to find the right employees to work these restaurants. It takes a certain interest, skill and knowledge to be able to do so and do it at a level that makes the restaurant shine. Restaurant service has historically been much more of a transient position in the US than say, in Europe where historically it has been a career. Hopefully, that is changing in the US.

I think Ore has some good recommendations for wineries to visit. Whether to have a car or not really depends on what you wish to do with most of your time. If you will be spending most of your time in Naples forget about a car, but if you wish to just spend a day or two visiting Naples a car is fine. If you are going to have a car, though I would recommend staying outside of Naples. While the Amalfi coast is IMO the most beautiful area in the region to stay, it is not the best base for getting around the area as a whole. Sorrento IMO would be the best position from which to get around to various areas with or without a car. The train service from Sorrento to Naples and some other surrounding areas like Pompeii and Herculaneum isn't bad, but won't afford you the same freedom a car will. With a car you can also easily visit the Amalfi coast (Positano is clearly one of the most beautiful villages I have ever seen), wineries, buffalo farms and just about any other location you might want. It is also a good point from which to catch a ferry to Capri or some of the other islands.

I just heard that Chef Larry Shepici has left Sargo's in Saratoga. I do not as yet know what he is up to. He is being replaced by "Peter" formerly of the Sagamore. I will supply additional information as I find out.

I do replicate some food, but I'm not really famous for it Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously, that is pretty cool technology and he does some pretty cool things with it.

...or a little lobster bisque with the same treatment. Now that is savory!

Reasons to be cheerful, part two... with a little luck, I hope this year to make it to The Fat Duck!

Cool photo. What did Chef Cantu's presentation consist of? The expressions on the faces are priceless.

I'd have to say that, in general, wine lies squarely in the non-savory drink category. Certainly there are those with meaty qualities, but they are ultimately a fruit based beverage. ← I'm not sure what being a "fruit based beverage" necessarily has to do with being sweet or savory. Sure there are a number of wines that are sweet and a whole class of wines that fit squarely into the "sweet" category - i.e. dessert wines, but the majority of fine wines, especially fine red wines are squarely in the "savory" category, especially if "savory" is defined by anything that is not sweet as appears to be the case within this topic. The better red wines certainly contain many nuances of savoriness even for a less broadly defined usage of the word. I enjoy cocktails, but when I really want something savory to go with a meal i prefer an appropriate wine. My point was that the relative popularity of wine for this purpose may be a reason for the relative dearth of "savory" cocktails. The point may be moot anyway as the lines between savory and sweet even in the food world continue to blur. The real issue is a question of balance anyway. I don't want anything that is pure salt or pure bitter or pure sour or pure sweet, but I love them all when combined in the proper balance. That balance is determined by circumstance. I prefer less sweet before or during most of my meal, but that will shift towards the end to following a meal when sweetness becomes my pleasure. Even then, it requires some balance so as not to be cloying.

Nice post. I found the descriptions of the Joly and the Yquem particularly interesting. I didn't even know that Joly made a moulleux from Coulle de Serrant!

Two important things.

Welcome to eGullet, flyingsaucier! This is interesting and somewhat surprising information. Did these people leave Per Se specifically to work at Gilt?

Nice report. Some very nice wines come out of Lebanon. The two most well known Lebanese vintners in the U.S. are Chateau Musar and Chateau Kefraya. Both also have second labels, I believe. The wines are very distinctive. People generally either love them or hate them. I am in the former camp. Musar makes a very nice white in addition to their reds. i'm not sure if Kefraya does. Can you recall if it was one of these that you had?

BTW, my doubts have nothing to do with the fact that these restaurants originated in Philadelphia (or if they had originated anywhere else for that matter).

Thing is, I haven't reached any conclusions yet. Nor has anyone else that I have read. Skepticism is just that...skepticism. There is a big difference between saying that one has doubts about whether a place will be worthwhile and saying that it is no good. If a person were to make a comment that any restaurant sucks without having personally experienced it I would agree with you. I have not seen that to be the case here, although plenty of people, including myself, have expressed doubts.

This doesn't really sound like a ringing endorsement or even a reason to not be skeptical.

He also writes occassionally for The Art of Eating newsletter.

Wow! If this is not a meal to travel for, I do not know what is. Freakin' spectacular. Jeff, your photos are as stunning as the food itself. I look forward to the commentary. I sure can't wait to get there myself. You and the other "regulars" are certainly enjoying a special experience as you are part of the evolution of this phenomenon.

While I can't compare them to other Paris markets, I enjoyed the Belleville and especially the Bastille Markets - both in the 11th. Here are a few photos from the Bastille. The Poulet Bresse and the Confit aux foie de volailles were particularly good. The vegetables, mushrooms and fruit were superb as well, but then it was September! Confit aux foie de volailles Sausages and other charcuterie - same shop Proprieters hard at work Poulet de Bresse and preparation Poissonerie Gambas Mushrooms and herbs