Mark Sommelier

'97 was a very light vintage. You should be able to find '99s discounted similarly, and they are meatier more substantial wines.

FWIW, Every time I have tasted '70 Lafite, it has been underwhelming.

Personally, I don't think serving table wine with soup is appropriate. The acidity added is usually overpowering in the form of vinegar or citrus acid. I prefer to serve fortified wines - the sherry recommendation is good, also Fino sherry, dry Madeira, sometimes tawny Port depending on the ingredients. With this particular soup, I'd go with dry sherry or white Vermouth. There is also the possibility to serve nothing.

I saw a good example of this the other night. 2 couples at the table, one guy orders a very expensive bottle of chardonnay. They look at the menu, he pays no attention to the structure of the menu (ie: 3 course prix-fixe or degustation menus) and orders "the fettucine" as an appetizer from the tasting menu and then 2 main courses (each carrying a supplement). When the waiter questioned the choices he got irate. The "fettucine" is actually a dish made with cuttlefish cut like fettucine and sauteed quickly to keep it tender, a sauce made of creamed sea urchin, garnished with sea urchin and caviar. When the waiter tried to explain the dish, the guy cut him off with "I know what cuttlefish is". Needless to say, the dish came out and the man pronounced it "dreadful" (no pasta!) and had it taken away. I laughed, but the waiter was stressed the whole rest of the night. The check was $1400 including the $950 of wine.

Asking for ketchup for the pommes pontneuf

Al Dandy. Whaddya think?

Had a brilliant lunch there today with Mr. Rising Star and a wine guy. All the dishes were beautifully focused. The service was great, too. I find it easy to order too much in this restaurant because everything sounds good. The fritters were marvelous, the chicharones very, very good, the queso fundido was delicious, as always. Tasted some great wines, the Germans being the standouts. 2 Eisweins at incredibly low price points ( under $25 a half bottle!!).

Headline of the Washington Post screams: DENTE DOES DANDY, DISAPPOINTED!!

Thanks for the reference, Mark. For some strange reason there weren't any eGullet quotes. I imagine it's not their highest priority, but has there been any word from your Berkeley friend or Lawrence Livermore? Yes, Berkeley friend reported positive results similar to those we found. No word from the lab yet.

The quote from Mr. Blue is on the Wine Clip website under testimonials.

Kim, If you are already hooked on the '96, your mission in life is to now taste the incredible '90 or the extraordinary '67. Yquem is best enjoyed with COLD foie gras d'oie en gelée, or sliced pears, apples, ripe Stilton and walnuts. The most delicious sweet wine that I have tasted this year was a 2001 Braunberger Juffur Trockenbeerenauslese from Max Ferdinand Richter in the Mosel. These wines have amazing intensity and sharp acidity, making them more versatile for dessert pairings. The Spanish dessert wine to look for is called Dulce Monastrel. It pairs nicely with chocolate, which Sauternes won't do.

Rocks, You don't have a dog and you don't have a La-Z-Boy.

I don't have a choice. I will be working

sammy, This is why many of us hate these stupid lists. No one can tell you what tastes good to you unless you taste it yourself.

Paris. November 16, 2003. Hotel Bristol "Restaurant" on Rue Faubourg St. Honoré. Impeccable from beginning to end. A 2 Star Michelin, this is clearly striving for the 3rd star. I was overwhelmed by the extra touches. The room has perfect elegant ambience, the service was seamless throughout the entire brigade. The food was most memorable, especially my Homard Bleu en Cocotte (85 Euros) and main course, Pot au Feu of Squab and Foie Gras. The bread presentation was breath-taking. The cheeses amazing. The entire dinner memorable. This topped many other memorable dinners in my life.

"Mark, What did you write at nearly 4:00 a.m. on November 30 and then edit later that day around lunch time?" Hee Hee Hee. Wouldn't you like to know.

The #1 French chateau that is routinely slaughtered: Chateau Trotanoy ( hint: it is not "trot-annoy")

Between Rocks and Tom, one would think that Washington is a tiny, tiny village and Palena its only restaurant.

"Fish roadkill" - That's HILARIOUS.

Everyone keeps forgetting to mention that absolutely DELICIOUS caramel popcorn that is served with the check. I love this place. To tastedc: they have a cane sugar extruder in the kitchen to make the syrup for the cocktails. That makes a huge difference.

To quote Mike: "Yikes".

So when does Yannick open downtown?

Or is it time for another series of experiments?!?!?! Don't waste your time with more experiments. There are people here who have formed immutable opinions in advance.

Hi, Since the restaurant is busy every night, Valentine's Day is just another busy night. There will be a special tasting menu that night, plus the regular menus.

Bill, The thing you should be looking for is your personal taste. Can you already say what kinds of wine you like and what kinds you don't? The thing with these kinds of lists that many of us detest is that so many of them seem to have some kind of market force behind them. Does anyone really think that St. Jean Cinq Cepages is a better wine than Chateau Margaux? The "ratings" made it look that way one year. The first time you are able to buy the number one wine on a list and when you open it you HATE it, you'll understand better.