Mark Sommelier

pjs, You have to tell the other part of the story. Soulé moved after the Joe Kennedy incident. He rolled the old man in his wheel chair and threw him out on to 55th Street!!They were putting their cigarettes out on the carpet! Henri was enraged. One of the waiters in my restaurant worked there in the early 60's. He's told me the story. Kennedy opened La Caravelle to put him out of business. Cote Basque and Caravalle are still there.

No, no , no! The frying crazy foods fad has been a big thing in London for a few years. There's a place in Manhattan that fries Twinkies® now. I'd rather a Mars than a Snickers.

This thread is now officially dead.

Jim, Many '96 Bordeaux are drinking very well right now. Thanks for the notes on LB. My 2 current favorite '96s are Poujeaux and Ormes de Pez. These are very engaging and charming wines. I believe there is a fair amount of Poujeaux left around. Poujeaux and Roc de Cambes are always sleepers.

Ate there again tonight. General Tao's Shrimp was outstanding. We got an incredible, pristine selection of sushi, sashimi and nagiri. The seafood Pad Thai was super-delicious. I learned from Sheon that you have to toss the noodles at the table. I love this. P.S. There was much eye candy.

Darden Restaurants reported that sales were up at their Red Lobster and OLIVE GARDEN stores, recently. Those are 2 restaurants that I have never eaten in. I agree that OutBack gives you what you ask for. The suburban locations always seem to be full of babies. I never thought of Palm and Morton's as chains, but I guess they are. Both restaurants here are cool but really expensive. 2 big chains I eat at occasionally: Burger King and Subway. No comments, no regrets. For 5 or 7 bucks, what do you want? This is embarassing me now.

and others try to dine the best they can...and they don't read the Post for suggestions. Tommy, Steve Cuozzo is a much more entertaining writer than Mr. Grimes is, any day of the week. That guy can write a really mean funny review. The original Ducasse review and the last Russian Tea Room ones were priceless. Maybe the archives still have that. I have to say, I really laughed out loud today when I read his write-up. I can't wait for episode 5 when it becomes Rocco Remdemptio. This is what NBC and these anonymous employees are promising us. From what I've read, Bux will get his Kumbaya in episode 6, also.

Katie, Is Bec Fin participating?

Hello wineguy, Thanks for the post. I'm not a huge prosecco fan. I personally don't really care for sparkling wine. Please allow me to list random responses: Pinot Gris from Alsace is the answer. When the question is "do you have pinot grigio", the answer should be "NO". Pinot Gris is great. In Europe, the white wines from Galicia (pronounced Galithia) are called Rias Baxias (pronounced Riash Bakshash) in the local dialect. Albariño is for Americans. There are some Grand Cru Pinot Gris you should look for, they will blow you away. Weinbach and ZH are the 2 producers to look for. The great inexpensive wine the Perrins make is called "Les Sinards" Chateuaneuf-du-Pape. Good bang for the buck. Organic, or organique, is new in France. There are other designations people put on their boxes, also. Biologique, organique, biodynamique, are some of them. Keep drinking! Keep posting!!

Jim, Where the hell did you find this? I have never seen or heard of a PN from Sir Peter.

1. From where did this bottle come? 2. I hope so. VGS is the reserve designation that Jean-Noel gives to Chateau Potelle's best chardonnays, cabernets and zinfandels. If you ask him to his face, he tells you that's what it means. The first such designation came from Deloach Vineyards. Their OFS was supposed to mean "Out-f*cking-Standing".

Steve, I have eaten several times at the Arlington location and once at the Baltimore one he opened 6 months ago. I have enjoyed it each time. Perhaps being a friend of the owner influences things a little.

Yes to Arlington. He used to own the 19th Street cafe, but sold it last year.

My friend Yu Sheon opened this restaurant quietly last week. Great dramatic space. 3 levels of dining. Very clean looking minimalist lines. This is a much needed addition to this part of downtown. The sushi was first rate. My favorite dishes are the wok dishes, so think about noodles. We had authentic lo-mein tossed at the table and an incredible Pad-Thai served with an omelette on top! The menu covers all the pan-Asian bases. Large sushi selection. The prices are very moderate. Cool music, too.

Beautiful honey and white fruit nose. Medium weight on the palate. Sweet but not overly sweet; excellent balance with the acid. Pronounced spritz. I rather enjoyed this as an aperitif. Damn shame they have become collector's items and cost 4 times release price. Joh. Jos. Christofell triumphs again.

But Bruce, They used to have the most awesome fried seafood platter. One of my guilty pleasures. They no longer offer it at dinner.

I had lunch today with France Posner and the local boys to taste the new 2000 release of Opus One. We dined at Tosca in Washington, DC. Nice lunch. The wine has interesting Asian spice notes in the bouquet. Firm middle palate with generous fruit. Very ripe. The finish lingers nicely. We tasted it next to an Opus 1992 from France's cellar. The '92 would be a great ringer in a Bordeaux tasting. Very leathery and tarry. Fruit is still alive, dry finish. I actually preferred drinking the 2000, but this was undoubtedly a very good wine. For the third year in a row, they have not raised the price.

We all are. It is a trainwreck. How can you not watch? The third episode was painful for me. Someone predicted that all would turn out fine in the end. That would be a neat trick. Everyone who works there seems so either incompetent or despicable. The recent customer comments on the Manhattan websites have not been great. Do a google.com on Rocco's 22nd St. and see the pops that come up.

Rocks, The crab cakes are more than decent at Oceanaire. The desserts are absurdly large.

Just checking. Is everyone familiar with this website? http://www.bitterwaitress.com This site was started by dis-affected employees of another well known New York restaurateur.

Dear newbie, I'm the wine dude at Citronelle. The bar is fun. If the weather is ok you can sit outside on the terrace, also. Look in the restaurant before you decide. You might like it. Makoto is great fun. Completely different from any other DC Japanese restaurant. Make sure to get stools on the right side of the sushi bar so you can chat up Ito-san. Nectar has become a favorite of mine, too. The bar is really cosy and you can get food there. Maxi-eclectic, interesting wine list. Grab a booth at Oceanaire and order a grand seafood tower and a nice bottle of white wine. That's one of my favorite places. Check out Cafe 15 in the Sofitel at 15th & H. Chic place with some of Washington's best food. The Bar is also tres soigné.

That was the high point of the show. or the low point.

You mean like an extended Olive Garden commercial?

A bad show about a bad restaurant. My worry is that people will watch this and think all restaurants are run like this.

Tommy, The technique is to overpour the people who aren't drinking and short pour the quick drinkers in order to sell another bottle quickly. What I do is pour everyone a smaller than normal pour first, then identify who drinks quickly and re-fill them. I can serve a table of 8 from one bottle and still have wine left over. Killing the bottle on the first round is considered poor form.