tjaehnigen

From a Vinocellar Offline at Tre Vigne on 6/28/03 Wolf Blass LHR 91 points – Not very complex, but a nice set of flavors including apricot, apple and peach blossoms. Good acidity for balance too.

From a VinoCellar Offline at Tre Vigne on 6/28/03 Buller Fine Muscat NV 94 points – I agree with Dr. tannins notes on this. “I like this stuff. Caramel and marmalade.”

From a VinoCellar Offline at Tre Vigne on 6/28/03 2001 Mitolo Shiraz GAM 93 points – A big fruit bomb with hints of faint sweetness, this was a plush and supple majorly food-friendly wine (had this with the duck confit). I got sense of delicious must with loads of fruit with enough acidity and structure to make this wine work extremely well. I am very glad I bought some of this.

From a VinoCellar Offline at Tre Vigne on 6/28/03 1998 Cape d’Estaing Shiraz Kangaroo Island 94 points – This wine was wonderful. Everyone kept joking at my TN descriptors I was coming up with for this one. On the nose and in my mouth I got incredible senses of bacon fat, wax, licorice, steel as a sword being pulled from its scabbard and notes of pepper and cassis. Super finish as well. I got up out of my chair to see if MudPuppy could get me some of this (sadly no).

This probably doesn't count as a 'real' TN, but I fiigured I should at least go to the trouble of giving the impression I started over in the What Are You Drinking thread... I really enjoyed it. I did not get any petrol/kerosene out of it. It may not be quite what I would describe as racy, but it had really good melony flavors that I thought were quite good. I would not rate it 94, like WS did, but maybe more of a 90. That about sums it up. It actually went really well with the summer rolls Mrs. TJ came up with as a starter with some peanut sauce (somewhat hot).

This was an extra white that a friend brought to a small dinner party about a week ago. Without a course to pair this with, we all had a glass between the appetizer and the main course. My friend explained that Malvasia is a blending varietal of Madieras (?? I have no idea this is true or not). Anyay, he'd lugged this back from his last trip to CA and we got to partake of it. This was different than almost any other white I have had. Since it was a first experience for me of this kind of wine, I am not sure I can really rate it well. But it had this really wild tangerine-like quality to it mixed with sort of a dense texture that reminded me almost of a dessert wine, but it was much lighter that that on the finish -- not overpowering at all. Still, I am not sure what to make of this, and I think I'd rate it an 88 or so (optimistically). A delicious wine that I am just not sure how to properly judge....

Had with a new risotto recipe Mrs. TJ and I gave a test run on. Onion & bacon risotto -- who could go wrong with that? Not us! This wine was even better than the 97. Medium dark color, with decent, but not ultra-thick legs. A nose of spiced plum, following into the glass went that flavor along with some brambly fruits of a darker sort with decent tannins offset by a proper amount of acidity. A terrific food wine, this matched really well with the risotto (which was one that called for a red wine). I'd give this 90 TJ points. I expected a mid to upper 80's pointer when we popped this, but I was very happy to have such a nice wine for so cheap.

I purchased the SPiegelau stems from Amazon.com and am very happy with them. I already had white Riedel Chardonnay glasses. I do recommend upgrading to one of these two lines to enjoy the wine you drink more...

The awards are indeed a mixed bag. At best, the awards can at least point you in the direction of a restaurant with basic and possibly acceptable wine service. I trust recommendations from friends and forum posters for great restaurants and restaurants with great wine lists...

I use a quick chill methodology -- I have one of those wine 'cooler collars' that I keep in the freezer. I pop th collar over the bottle for x minutes until the wine has chilled down as far as I'd like it to go and then I remove it. Gives me a lot of control and it works quickly. I do enjoy having my whites only slightly chilled since they show their best at higher teperatures, especially the likes of a Kistler...

My wife and I are planning on going there in a few weeks and I'd like to get some recent opinions on the place. We opted to go to Palena since we've never been and we'll head to Tosca at some other date (this time to sample the full menu, we've previously eaten there twice during restaurant weeks). TIA

I have been to Tosca twice, both during restaurant weeks. I enjoyed myself quite a bit at both outings. I also appreciate the BYOW with corkage policy. I plan on going here again soon.

1789...a brief write-up It was pretty good. We ended up opening that 2001 Darioush Viognier that Debbie found at that little off the wall shop near her work. Complimentary valet parking was nice. The restaurant is split up into six dining areas on different levels. Tables are nicely spaced and the food, at $35 for 3 courses ($45 if you choose the lamb) is extremely well priced. It would normally cost you about $40 to $55 for the same without this promo. Corkage was $20. With 10% tax and coffee, it came to $104 plus tip. Not bad. I started with a spinach salad with a warm pancetta dressing, onions, raisins, goat cheese and more. Mrs. TJ started with a salmon & asparagus soup with lots of other greens in it along with a tiny radish butter toast that she said was the highlight of the dish. I moved on to the veal loin served on a bed of I think lemon risotto, dried tomatoes, scattered asparagus tips and a sauce. Nice. Debbie had a roasted chicken with fennel, mushrooms and some bitter greens. The chicken was I think herb crusted. Quite tasty. I ended up with the blueberry cobbler topped with brown sugar ice cream that was delicious. Debbie has the ricotta cheesecake, which was served as it's own little cake -- surounded by fresh berries. All in all a great value. I think I would go back again, especially during the promo. Otherwsie, I'd probably still go back every now and again. Scratch one more of the list of places to go check out.

This is a write-up from back in January 2003. Zaytinya means 'olive oil' in Turkish, right? This restaurant makes mezzes (aka tapas) from Greece, Turkey and Lebanon and more. It is a huge two level place that is tastefully appointed and evokes the spirit of the Aegean. Service is top notch and we were never left to want for anything. This wine list is almost exclusively Greek with a handful of other things thrown in, even from funkier places (Lebanese wine?). Picking a wine was a bit of a crapshoot, but the list has some cribs notes bits to explain what the different varietals are, so that helps. Mrs. TJ and I definitely stayed below our New Year's Resolution imposed $50 limit ( we only hit the $30 mark and were pleasantly surprised --- 1999 Paranga Fiorina -- TNs are HERE ). The food is mostly wonderful. We had the following tastes--- Shrimp ouzo cheese thing (super yum!) Beef wheat currant 'meatballs' with a yogurt sauce (funky, but a little dry) Cod deepfried resting on a tasty puree (good) Roasted red peppers and feta melange (yum) Salad thing (man I can't even explain this one that had tomatoes, bits of lettuce, radishes, pita croutons, onions and more) -- DELISH! Mullet with tomatoes and capers, very interesting and flavorful Carrot apricot pine nut fritters with pistachio sauce -- I think this had lots of spices in it, especially cardamom) YUM Sausage with beans (peppery) -- Mrs. TJ didn't like this one much, but I thought the sausage part was delicious. All in all, a great experience. I would go back here again. Heck, it's been 6 months. I need to go back, now.

Mrs. TJ and I had our traditional 'Let's get dressed up (a bit) and have a nice dinner just the two of us' Christmas Eve dinner (2002). After the past two years at Tersiguels' in Ellicott City, MD, we decided to try a restaurant we'd never tried before -- Equinox, in Washington DC. Equinox ( Equinox website ) is located in dowtown Washington DC, near the Haye Adams Hotel, The Oval Room and te White House. It is a small-ish restaurant, seating about 80-100. It is the home of Todd Gray (chef/owner) and Lisa Scruggs (pastry chef). They do allow BYOW for a corkage fee (I think it is $20/bottle). Equinox has a small bar area, an ample waiting area (unnecessary for our first experience there) and a small 'original' restaurant area and a larger 'outside' area which is essentially a somehwat built in glassed in area to allow for about 50-70 additional seatings. It is nicely appointed and the tables are spaced apart enough so you don't have to feel claustrophobic or listen in on other folks' conversations. On to the meal... We opted to NOT go for the tasting menu, so that we could sample more of the menu instead. We ordered a bottle of the 2000 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ( TNs here ) which was served to us in OK stemware -- not Riedels or Spiegelaus -- just a standard, but adequate red wine glass with a decent-sized bowl. First courses were Tuna Tartare and Open Ravioli of Sweetbreads & Woodland Mushrooms. The Tuna Tartare was diced tuna with equally sized diced cubes of (HAWAIIAN!!!) pineapple. There was a frisee of some greens served on top of this along with some peppery crackers. I am sure there were a number of spices mixed in with the Tuna & Hawaiian Pineapple, too. It was delicious. The Ravioli was superb. It was essentially one very large ravioli (think of a two by two 'normal' sized ravioli) with the mushrooms and sweetbreads laid atop of followed by another slightly offset ravioli 'sheet' and drizzled with a brown and spiced sauce of a sort, It was my first experience with sweetbreads. I'd read how certain posters here have waxed poetic about the stuff, that I just had to try it once. It didn't have the texture I expected (I expected a runny mess) -- it was more like a meat (a game bird most aptly describes what type of meat) mixed with marbled fat of a sort and, um, stuffing -- at least from a consistency perspective. It was a very, very good first experience, plus it paired really well with the wine. Our second courses were an Onion Soup and an Endive Salad. The Onion Soup was not overly salty at all, as many French Onion Soups can be. It was distincly sweet around the edges (I think it was actually called a Carmelized Onion soup, now that I think about it) and it had some shredded bits of shees floating on the surface, too. It was served with two small triangles of grilled cheese sandwiches -- the cheese must have been Gruyere -- were a cute and decidedly delicious plus. Great course. The Endive Salad was a bit more classic -- with walnuts and Stilton and more. The endive was not served in whole 'boat' form, but rather chopped up a bit. It was nothing new, but this dish was well executed and prepared with very fresh ingredients. Yum! We split the next course as it was a dish for two -- Rack of lamb with a Garlic Jous and some mashed potatoes and haricot vertes. This had to be the best lamb, or almost the best lamb, I have ever tasted. In a simple preparation like this, the ingredients and execution are key. It was wonderful. the only thing that detracted from this course was that the wait between the course before this and this main course was pronouncedly long. I am not sure if the kitchen got backed up (most of the larger and other tables were well into their main courses...), or if they goofed the first attempt at making our main course, or if the waiter messed up on when he put the order in or what, but it just took too long. Another table of two ordered the same thing about 30-45 minutes after we arrived and they were served at the same time as we were (although they only had one starter course, not two). Anyway, it was a bit of a bummer about that. For dessert, I indulged in a wonderful 'Egg Nog Creme Brulee' which was wonderful Mrs. TJ got something which is escaping my memory right now. But I remember her really enjoyying it. The coffee was top notch, which is unusual for most restaurants. The only other detractor to the evening was that we were a bit stresed out by the drive in (it was snowing/sleeting/freezing raining/etc) and that we couldn't seem to shake the feeling enough to truly enjoy our meal. I certainly enjoyed our experience, and I would go there again. BTW, the TNs for the wine are here. I did actually go there again in March 2003, and I will try to add my notes on that experience too.

Mrs. TJ and I enjoyed lunch here in our 'Lost Food Weekend' in November 2002 while visiting NYC. After enjoying an exhibit at the NY Public Library titled 'Dining Out' (detailing the dining scene in NYC from 1900 to present) -- where we bumped into Keith Scott (formerly of Wine Spectator), we headed over to the Oyster Bar for some lunch. We had oysters on the mind and we wanted to try a bunch of them, so off we went. Just a few blacks walk, we headed into Grand Central Station, which is pretty cavernous (and architecturally interesting in spots). We found our lunchtime target and were seated at a table. There was a miscommunication, as we'd wanted to sit at 'the bar', but we figured the food would be the same and we'd enjoy ourselves nontheless, which we did. We ordered two dozen oysters of seven different varieties. Along with this we shared a bottle of the St. Innocent Pinot Gris (2000 or 2001 -- I can't remember, but I think it was a 2000 --- TNs here ). It paired well enough and was rather refreshing. We'd actually hoped to bump into Keith Scott here (yes, he and his lady friend were also eating there!), but it didn't work out. We shared the following oysters -- Bluepoint -- classic Chincoteague -- sweet, small and very flavorful Judd somethingorother -- ocean breeze, briny mouth of seawater with sweet grassiness on the finish Kamumato -- sweet bomb really small -- DELICIOUS Cutty hunk-- ocean air Westcott bay - sweet and slightly briny Sheepscot -- slight brininess My favorites were the Kamumato, the Chincoteague and the Cutty Hunk. The Oyster Bar itself is just like this huge place. There is nothing here really to note other than you feel like you are in a large hall/cave. the tables are very close together and it is pretty noisy. The service is acceptable, if a bit brusque. The waiter was able to halp narrow our chosen list down by making some recommendations, most notably the Kamumato. We got to keep a copy of the daily menu as a keepsake (and an easy way to remember the meal in our dinining diary. I'd go there again, certainly (for the oysters). The oysters were very fresh (if served just a little bit too cold) and delicious. I can't speak for the rest of the voluminous menu, though. It's not exactly a place you expect to get great service or ambiance, but the food we had was pretty good. BTW, link to the wine TN is here.

We ate here at Cafe Boloud in NYC during Mrs. TJ and my's 'Lost Food Weekend' in NYC in November 2002. We were staying at the Stanhope Park Hyatt, just a few blocks north of Cafe Boloud, so it was a nice quick stroll (albeit in the chill of the rainy night) down there for our 8PM reservations. The service was nice upon our arrival but we had to wait a few moments for our table to be readied. It was failrly busy for a Sunday evening, I would think. Our wait at the bar was very short and we were quickly shown to our table. We noticed that the clientele here was decidedly older than say at Babbo or db Bistro Moderne. It also was a rather ritzy set, possibly due to the Upper East Side locale. It seemed more like a neighborhood place that those with the means would come to eat there as regularly as you'd eat at a local favorite (but decidedly cheaper) restaurant yourself. It was fun for people watching, but it was a bit off-putting. I am not sure, but the waitstaff must have become acustomed to their 'usual' clientele, and we were not it. Slowly, though, as the meal transpired, the wait staff seemed to notice how much we were enjoying our meal (the Dining Diary was a dead giveaway I guess) and the wine ( 1998 Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir ), that their attention to us got better and better. Plus, the regulars started to slowly filter out. We ended up being one of the last few tables there that night, but oh look at me, I'm getting ahead of myself! We did not have a tasting/chef's menu here, also instead opting for a sampling opf the regular menu. We opened with an amuse bouchee of Tuna Confit served on little dainty spoons. Yum! Along with this we sampled some of the breads, Mrs. TJ sampling the pumpkin seed bread while I sampled the sourdough (mm). Mrs. TJ had a Frisee Salad that sat atop of warm chicken livers, bacon and a soft-poached quail egg. It was rather an unbelievably good flavor combination. Savory loveliness that was superb and unbelievable. It is amazing Mrs. TJ even alowed my two (small) bites of this. Incredible. I opted for an Endive Salad that included endive, watercress, a bit of red leaf lettuce, walnuts, pears and stilton that was finished with a drizzle of balsamic. A classic combination that was very well prepared. The chunks of Stilton were divine with the wine (yes, I saved up a few bits of the cheese so I could indulge in that flavor combination after I'd finished my salad). Quite delicious. For her second course, Mrs. TJ chose a Wild Mushroom Risotto that was, as expected, very, very filling. BUT it was incredibly good. So good that she finished this course, knowing how stuffing it was. My taste of it confirmed it. I selected a Chicken Consumme. This had little chunks of delicate chicken, hen of the woods, chicken 'pate' and chicken 'tortellini' floating about in it. It was not overly salty. The consumme itself was delicious and all of the lovely things floating about were quite tasty. But the combination of more than one of the floaters along with some of the broth was sublime. The 'main' course followed. I picked A Duck Breast entree that was sort of 'Duck Breast a la Orange. It was expertly prepared and just as I ordered it. It sat on a bed of kale with onions (and likely bacon fat) and root vegetables (parsnips>). This was seriously good. I even liked the kale, something I had horror stories over based on my parents preparations in the past) as it had a nice earthiness to it with some bite. Mrs. TJ opted for something called Bouef a la Mode. It ended up being basically, uh, Pot Roast. It was good, but not what she (or I) expected. It was NOT over the top like the Duck Breast. BUT, after careful review of the plate and the accoutrements, well, the opinion changed. The accoutrements, sea salt, chiles, horseradish cream, cracked black peppercorn, mustard and other things, really made the dish. They were presented in a very decorative and festive way and they really allowed you to create and sample many flavor combinations. Nice. For dessert, we agonized. At there were so many tempting offerings that we were having trouble selecting. At this point, the wait staff was feeding off our enjoyment, I think (well, probably when we got the main courses, actually). We asked about a few, asked which ones they liked and we were still stuck. We ended up making a few selections and then the waiter brought out not only both of our selections, but also a third one (!) the one we were having difficulty dropping. So, we ended up having a Chocolate Souffle with pistachio ice cream, a Carmelized Quince Napolean (hands down the best!) and a Chocolate Coffee Bomb. After these delectables and some pretty good coffee, they brought out some Citrus Madelines Petit Fours. They should have wheelbarrowed us back to the hotel. Seriously, we had some fun, got a recommendation for a sushi place the next time we're in town from the Maitre d. We were chatting with him after the head waiter guy discovered we'd 'settled' for Cafe Boloud when we'd really wanted to try 'Daniel' but didn't even try since we thought it'd be too hard. We now have an 'in' at the Daniel empire... Heh heh heh. So, I would definitely go again, but, given the choice, I'd probably go to db Bistro Moderne before I'd go here. Better atmosphere. So, if you go, ENJOY! By the way, here is a link to the TNs.

Veritas in NYC -- Recommended On Wednesday night, a vendor I deal with pretty regularly treated me to dinner at Veritas in NYC. Veritas is a great restaurant. Somewhat small (40-50 seats and a small bar), modern decor and tastefully appointed. The staff is very accommadating without being smothering. I hadn't yet checked into my hotel, and they took care of my bags for me without me even thinking about it. Veritas offers only a prix fixe 3 course menu, which really is five if you count the amuse bouchee (large for this) and a course between the main course and the dessert. Nice menu choices and I could have eaten them all. More on that later. I had fun with the very extensive and wee organized wine list. I'd scanned the list on line, but they had already updated the list a few times since the one published on the site, o some things were gone and other new things were there.... I ended up selecting the 1999 Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa and the 2000 Kislter Cuvee Elizabeth Occidental Vineyard Pinot Noir as the wines of the evening. Both of these wines were excellent and paired well with the food we ordered. I can't remember what the other guy had, but here's what I went with-- Course 1 This was the amuse bouchee, but I considered it big enough to call it a first course. It was marinated calimari with pimentos, olives and chive oil. Nice, light and with many layers of deliciousness in it. Course 2 For me this was seared foie gras with rhubarb compote (I am quickly becoming a fan of rhubarb), hazelnuts (I think lightly roasted) and a black pepper gastrique. This dish was great. I might have chosen the sweetbreads for this course, but it has an artichoke mash or something with it and I knew it'd ruin whatever wine I was having so I avoded it. Course 3 Duck breast over melted shallots & some potato, sprinkled with foie gras cubes and embellished with capers and a nice reduction sauce (I forgot to write it down, but it was so good I asked for some more of the tuscan bread (one of three varities they offered, the other two being a rosemary and something bread (which I did not try) and a fennel and raisin bread which was wonderful) to sop it all up with. This course was perfect with the Kistler. As in omigod good. Course 4 This I expected to be a cheese course, but it was really a pre-dessert course. It was Almond Panna Cotta sandwiching a raspberry compote swirl in the vertical glass topped with candied lemon zest and a citrus sauce. Yum Course 5 This was the 'official' dessert course. I was sorely tempted to get the Orange Cake with orange-buttermilk panna cotta, but it also included some chocolate where the panna cotta was inserted in to. So I decided to go with what my gut was telling me all along and I ordered the one special dessert of the day, which was a flight, a trio of creme brulees -- caramel (good), vanilla (even better) and cinnamon (omigod that was amazing). Finished this off with some pretty good coffee. This was a great dinner, my only regret is that Mrs. TJ was not with me to experience it. I would definitely recommend going to Veritas while in NYC, on somebody else's nickel or your own. You will be pleased with the atmosphere (it never got noisy, even as the dining room got full), the service is great, the food is wonderful and the winelist is very extensive (it should also be noted that they have a very good 'Market' wine list (ie cheaper generally) in the front part of the main wine list). If anyone is interested, follow the following link to VinoCellar, where you can see the original post where I had embedded TN links on the wines.

I warn you now, this post is really very long and full of some unimportant details. But, it all good faith, I could not post anything less than this to do my experience at Babbo justice. Enjoy!! It was a rainy, cold night in Gotham City. We worried that we would not find a taxi after many passed us by, with full loads. “This was supposed to be easy – it was last night!” I muttered. But our intrepid doorman spied us and began to cast his spell. After a few short moments, he managed to conjure up a luxurious car for us while we shivered under the awning, even though it was heated. As I approached the car, our trusty magician of a doorman shooshed me away saying “No, I talk to the driver.” With a nice, low fixed price negotiated for us, we were now on our way. Comfortable in our plush seats, we tried to focus on the destination, attempting to avoid distraction of the bight lights in the big city. We bantered between ourselves and then with the driver trying to decide if it was on the NW or NE part of Washington Square, finally deciding on NW. We hopped out of the cab, when, blocked by fire trucks and emergency vehicles. We were close, but not yet there. “Where the hell IS Waverly Place?!” we said to each other. You see, we had scouted out the locale the night before, while dining at Taka (review will be forthcoming!), a sushi place with a female sushi chef no less, nearby. Were we lost? “Where is it!? It’s almost 6:00 PM!!!” Finally, the virtual compass of Mrs. TJ’s brain found the North Star. “This way!” she shouted as we dashed down the street doing everything possible not to miss our reservation. We popped in the doors just as it struck 6. The place was hopping. It was very crowded – people at tables near the bar, people eating at the bar, people trying to get a drink from the bar while waiting, wait staff running to and fro trying their best to not bump into the hapless waiting patrons. We made our way to the maitre d’s podium and managed to toss off our coats and umbrellas into the waiting hands of the wonderful coat check woman. Casting off that outer layer allowed us to relax a bit, but we still had work to do. Upon indicating who we were, we were magically recognized as '‘people of the moment' (as in, time seemed to stop for us and it seemed as though the focus of the maitre d’ was on us and us alone) and immediately shown up the cascading staircase (actually I think it was three) upstairs, much to our delight. The din of the masses soon ebbed as we entered the heaven that we know as Babbo, or Babbo’s upstairs, anyway. Somehow, dining at the early hour of 6:00 PM did not seem so bad after all. We were seated immediately behind the dual final staircase, ensuring our commanding view of the room, and also making certain we were not in the flow of traffic. Noise seemed to fall away. Conversation was not only possible, but also easy. We reveled in this fact. But soon, we were beset upon by the trusty wait staff of the land of Babbo. What was disarmingly wonderful about this was that they seemed to flitter and flutter about as if walking on air. They did things and engaged you with a knowing look, a smile, a wink. Things appeared on your table that you knew not how. Just as you were about to think of something, or have a desire, one of these faeries (and I mean that in the Tolkein way, not some other m0is0understood way) would appear or be within arms reach. It seemed all that was needed was but a glance. We were placed in the gifted hands of Fred, the waiter, and Jeremy, the sommelier. (Editorial Note: I call him ‘Fred’ since I neglected to get his name before we left. Trust me, I am trying to get his name now, so you all might partake of his abilities.) A Random Encounter “You MUST try the Beef Cheek Ravioli,” he’d said to us, standing in the Library in the ‘Dining Out’ exhibit. Just thinking about this dish made us salivate and we hadn’t even had lunch yet (which was at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station, another review of that forthcoming from me I am sure). What were we to do? Beef Cheek or no Beef Cheek? What about the Tasting Menus? Pasta Tasting Menu or ‘Regular’ Tasting Menu? Argh! In the end, it was all too easy. We opted for the Pasta Tasting menu, but I am getting ahead of myself! Let me get back to the right timeline here… Fred had already been in touch with Jeremy after discovering our passion for wine. Jeremy ambled on over and we had a great little introductory conversation. All about how we love wine, how it complements the meal, often transporting it to levels unknown. But we also spoke of our abject lack of understanding of that which is ‘Italian Wine’. He assured us about the varieties of wine available, the fact that he would be happy to pair us with selections from the many regions of Italy. We’d also be tasting lesser known bottlings, no Super Tuscans here (though they do have them). ‘More esoteric samplings’ from ‘lesser known, but incredible producers’. We had a good feeling about this. He’d be selecting our wines from the reserve list as we wanted to enjoy the best possible wine matched as good as possible to the delicious food we were dreaming about. Jeremy whisked away, and Mrs. TJ and I had a bit of apprehension. We did not want to miss out on the Beef Cheek Ravioli that Keith spoke so highly of. We managed to catch Fred with a free moment and he assured us that they could work the eighth course in where it best fit the flow of the meal. “Whew!” We relaxed even more, the decisions having been made. Luscious still bottled water from Italy soon adorned our table along with incredible crusty, dense and hearty bread. “This bread is like it is from Bonaparte’s,” Mrs. TJ commented (making a reference to our favorite DC-area bakery). Well, in some ways it was even better. Not long after, we had what is usually called an Amuse Bouche, but this was simply a “Chef’s Pleasure”. It was a Chick Pea Bruschetta, made with balsamic vinegar & other goodies. Delicious. A sign of good things to come. A mini-menu of our tasting menu to come appeared upon our table in the intervening minutes and we perused this map of gastronomic pleasure as we gobbled this pre-course down. Just prior to our getting the first ‘official’ course, which was “Black Tagliatelle with Parsnips and Pancetta”, Jeremy arrived at our table to explain the wine pairing he’d selected for this course. Honestly, I cannot remember everything he said, not much at all really, but it was great. As a side note, I must say that Jeremy was very knowledgeable and he definitely fed off of the energy we gave him and our enthusiasm. I should make a mental note to write him at Babbo to get him to jot some notes down for inclusion here…. Ah, well. In any event, he selected the following wine -- “Capo Martino” Jermann 1999 (Friuli). The Tagliatelle was black through the use of squid ink. The pasta was perfect and the sweetness of the parsnips paired very well with the saltiness of the pancetta. A great pairing that. The wine was delicious and made a great pair with the food ( 'Capo Martino' TNs ). Soon came the next course, “Fennel and Potato Ravioli with Opal Basil and Brown Butter”, which Jeremy paired with “Marea” Bisson 2000 (Liguria). There is something to be said about simple, but expertly prepared food. This course was simply delicious. The flavor combinations encapsulated in this course are excellent. (The wine TNs can be found at 'Marea' TNs ). Fred and his band of helpers kept our water flowing, our bread (oh the bread!) available and all of our needs met. He was never unavailable to us, always within reach and ever so accommodating. A true pro. Somewhere along the way, Jeremy had appeared again with a little map of Italy traced out on the back of the card stock that they use for printing the little menus they give to theirs guests. He had also traced out all of the major regions and then numbered them, in order to correspond with the wine, so that we would know where each wine had come from, what part of the country. I just wish I had his little stories/explanations in written form, too, to make the education complete. What fun! Next came the “Garganelli with Funghi Trifolati” – basically groovy pasta – almost looking like gnocchi – with mushrooms and butter. This was a mind blowing course as the wine that was selected to pair with is – the Barbaresco “Nervo” Elivio Pertinace 1996 (Piemonte) – was the best pairing of the night ( 'Nervo' TNs ). Jeremy outdid himself. In fact, I am not quite sure, but somewhere along the way, he reprinted our little menu of food and wine, because he changed his mind about a course. Perhaps it was this one. The pasta picked up the earthy flavor of the various mushrooms and the butter as well. It was a delight to consume this course. Later came the “Alejandro’s Pyramids with Butter and Thyme”, another very simple but artisanly crafted dish. This is a classic flavor combination put together by very knowledgeable hands. To think that something so simple can be such a stunning course is mildly incomprehensible. Pair this dish with Valpolicella Classico Superiore, G. Quintarelli 1995 (Veneto), and you too will be a happy camper. ( G. Quintarelli TNs ). We had, as you recall, chosen to add another course to the tasting menu – the much heralded (by Keith Scott – thanks Keith!!) Beef Cheek Ravioli. Jeremy paired this course, which was served with a liver based/enriched brown ‘sauce’ of a sort, with Teroldego Rotaliano “Granato” Foradori 1998 (Trentino) ( 'Granato' TNs ), and, may I just say that this was my WOTN? Not the best exact match to the food, but the best wine for sure. This dish was sublime. Who knew beef cheeks could be sooooooooo good? The sauce was rich and decadent, but fortunately there was not a large amount of it or surely I would have been stuffed. I could have eaten much, much more of this. Soon after we completed that course, we were presented with our most anticipated dish – the Pappardelle Bolognese. Even more so, this pasta, the pappardelle, is wider than even tagiatelle. Wider is better! The Bolognese gripped the pasta superbly and was a nice decadent concoction. It was not the epiphany I had hoped it would be, but it was masterfully crafted and absolutely delicious. This was paired with Rosse del Sebino “Maurizio Zanella” Ca’del Bosco 1997 Lombardia) ( 'Maurizio Zanella' TNs ). The wine matched well enough and certainly stood up to the power of this dish. Yum. And so the ‘main’ courses had finally come to an end. We had a brief respite as we continued to oooh and aaaah our fellow diners’ food and the like. People watching and watching the dance of the wait staff was fun as we delighted in fun conversation. A great meal does this – it allows you to relax to such an extent that you truly and utterly enjoy yourself for the mere sake of enjoying yourself. This is what I think all dining experiences should be like. What came next was what we jokingly called a ‘cheese course’ – the Apricot and Carrot “Marmellata” with Goat Milk Curd. Essentially, this creation is a dab, an orb really, of goat milk curd (borderline cheese) with a reduction and weaving of apricots and carrots arranged as a semicircle at the feet of the orb of goat milk curd. The sweetness of the apricots worked really well with the texture of the carrots. This was a surprisingly incredible course. In fact, this was so, so good, that it was our ‘Course of the Night’. Especially when you consider that this was paired with a great wine, the Muffato della Sala, Castello della Sala (Antinori) 1998 (Umbria) ( Antinori TNs ), it made this part of the dining experience absolutely amazing. We were now faced with the final official course, the “Saffron Panna Cotta with Pears and Cardamom” paired with the Moscadello di Montalcino, Col d’Orcia 1998 (Toscana) ( Moscadello TNs ). This was delicious as well, but it did not hold a candle to the previous course. The wine was actually better than this dessert, but do not get me wrong it was very enjoyable. We, basking in our gastronomic glow, moved on to coffee and the next and last foodstuffs – Petit Fours. “They’re wafer thin…” I said as I egged on Mrs. TJ. And so we tried one of everything and called it quits. What an experience. At this point, we realized that it was almost 10:30. We’d noticed other tables, both those seated before us and after us, had all flipped to new diners. At the table next to us, the diners had chosen the pasta tasting menu as well, and they were already at the Bolognese course! We settled up and made our way down the multiple staircases to get to the throng below. We made our way to the coat check woman, and she said, upon reading our ticket number, ”Gosh you all have been here a LONG time! I have to go to the other room to get your stuff.” A knowing look, a wink of the eye and a chuckle was shared by Mrs. TJ and I. We slipped out of the restaurant into the cold/crisp night air, walked a half block where a magical taxi materialized as if it was waiting for us. And in what seemed like only moments, we were back uptown at our hotel – the memories of the night etched in our minds, but already fading. Thankfully, with the help of our ‘Dining Out Diary’, the memories didn’t disappear and thus I am able to make this post. This dining experience at Babbo is among the best experiences I have had. I would actually rank it in my top three, alongside Citronelle in DC and The Inn At Little Washington in Virginia. And, I know that Babbo is a restaurant of many opinions, but for me, Babbo lives up to all the hype and then some. For your reading pleasure, here is a link to another conversation about Babbo on the ‘other’ board -- Babbo discussion thread . I hope you have enjoyed this Magnum Opus. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Please be on the look out for other reviews coming soon. These will include Café Bolud, The Oyster Bar at Grand Central and Taka. Enjoy!!! For those of you interested in reading TNs on the wines, I have not yet posted them here on eGullet, but here is a link to the original post on VinoCellar that has the embedded links to TNs on that site.

That's a toughie as both were excellent and close to perfection. They are very similar in that they use the best ingredients, they keep their combinations, at a basic level anyway, simple, they do little to interfere or disguise the food's true flavor and satisfaction abilities and they plate a great presentation with great service. I'd say, from the one experience I have had with both places, that Babbo is a little more adventurous in ingredients and is a bit better and rendering the concept into reality. Don't get me wrong, Laboratorio is amazing. Laboratorio is just a teensy bit more conservative in the ingredients department and Donna tends to mix it up a bit more and tends to combine more things together than Batali does. But honestly, both places and both chefs are truly excellent. I would not hesitate to go to either place again (hopefully sooner than later).

I posted this a while ago over on VinoCellar (dined there in late May 2003), but I figured it would be a good idea to post this here as well. This was my first experience at the Laboratorio... Enjoy! A Meal Ten Years In The Making… Well, not really, but it was a special evening that Mrs. TJ and I were celebrating – our tenth wedding anniversary. After deciding to discard plans of possibly going to NYC to dine at the likes of Daniel and spending a romantic weekend away (perhaps seeing a show or maybe a performance by one of our favorite soloists (Gil Shaham)) or even staying reasonably local and dining/staying at The Inn At Little Washington (site of our seventh anniversary), we opted for the stay at home approach to save our pennies for Italy (where will travel to in the Fall). So, where to go in Our Nation’s Capital? So many choices in the city, so many more on the fringes. We’ve been to a number of the finer establishments, but we wanted this meal to be special – something we’d remember. I was my usual ‘can’t make a decision’ self, and the day was drawing close. When I told Mrs. TJ what I’d set up, the look on her face was priceless (imagine a jaw dropping). So, what bubbled to the top was…. The Laboratorio del Galileo! Roberto Donna’s pride & joy. This is where one of the finest chefs in the USA gets to ‘play’ every night. I think he had more fun cooking, kibitzing, and joking with all of the diners than all the diners had eating his wonderful food and watching this mater practice his craft. This was going to be fun, fun, fun. But I am getting ahead of myself, now, aren’t I? Bracing for our expected TWELVE COURSE meal, Mrs. TJ and I tried our best to not eat much that day. With 7:30 turned 8:30 reservations ( a mix-up I discovered just a few days before since the hostess had forgotten a class was being held that evening, too), we soon showed up with stomachs growling. The inevitable delays of a class (hey, Roberto was autographing aprons for that evenings’ students) caused the Laboratorio diners to be delayed by about 15-20 minutes. Our stomachs growled a bit more loudly, but were calmed a bit when served what at first I thought was champagne, but later realized was prosecco. Seeing food wander by to diners within the ‘regular’ Galileo restaurant made our stomachs find new strength, but, a few moments later, we were shown in. Practically starving at this point, we flowed into the Laboratorio and were greeted by Roberto himself, “Buena Sera!” We sat at our specially selected Table #7 (as advised by folks over on chowhound.com) and we now had up front and in wide screen stereo seats to watch the show. (Only one minor problem with this table was there was a door right behind this table where some worker-traffic flowed.) As we got acquainted with the view and the surroundings, some wonderful salty fried dough appeared at our table and paired perfectly with what remained of our prosecco. We had a full and unadultered view of the kitchen, the plating area, everything. Roberto & his assistants (one of them is Michel Richards’ son, Denes (I think)) were already busily working away, but made time to make us feel welcome. A wonderful assortment of breads also appeared (including this great pumpernickel-like mini-bun with dill and, I think some bacon fat (?!) baked in it (wow). As we soaked in the whole atmosphere, one of the wait staff popped over to check out our wine that we brought. We gladly partook of the very reasonable $15 corkage fee and decided to bring a stunning 2000 Kistler Durrell Vineyard Chardonnay and a delicious Saffredi 1998 Maremma Toscanna (Fattoria le Pupille). . He quickly got the Kistler over to the chilling bin at the edge of the plating area and placed the Saffredi at the center table. This was a little disconcerting for me, since my seat was faced away from both of these places, but in the end there was nothing to fear. After we suggested he and Roberto each have a taste of both wines, I think he knew we were wine-os and he took care of us and our wine impeccably for the rest of the evening. At this point, all of the other diners had been seated and the hum of conversation was going and there was excitement in the air. There palpable suspense about what gastronomic delights were headed our way. All the while we got to hear the banter of the staff and Roberto, lots of Italian but plenty of English too. I am not sure who could NOT love listening to the spoken Italian word – it’s like a song to me. Ah, but I am keeping you in suspense myself at this point! On to the meal! Course #1 -- Peekytoe Crab Salad with Orange Dressing Formed into a circle, the crab salad was topped with watercress and drizzled with a citrus (I could have sworn it was more lemony, but who knows!), er, drizzle. Very refreshing, very subtly layered flavors. Delicious. We finished of the last swallow of the Prosecco with this as the Kistler chilled away. Nice match again. Course #2 -- Duck Liver Custard Brulee topped with Rhubarb Marmalade This was very artfully displayed in mini crème brulee type dishes. The consistency of the custard was perfection. The rhubarb concoction proved to be a perfect foil to the richness of the custard. And I thought I wouldn’t dig the rhubarb (nothing like using the freshest stuff of the moment). This dish was superb. If I wasn’t dining with others in the room, I’d have picked up the dish and licked it clean. It was lipsmacking good, it was. The Kistler matched well here (even though the first glass was not quite chilled enough) as well. Course #3 -- Morel Mushroom Soup with Fonduta Timbale, Pancetta, Crispy Onions and Shallot Blossoms I have to borrow Mrs. TJ’s descriptor here… “This course was transcendent. The absolute best of the evening.” Adding to this, the layers of flavor of this dish were many and they all worked so well with each other. The delicious earthiness of the morels, the creaminess of the cheese timbale, the chewiness of the pancetta, the slight crunch of the onions and the otherworldly flavor of the shallot blossoms – wow. One of the best dishes ever – period. The Kistler really started to sing herethrowing a nuttiness into my tastebuds to add yet another layer. It would have been interesting to see how a pinot would have paired here, too. Course #4 -- Tortelloni of Ricotta and Peas with Parmesan Sauce “This course and the previous one began my downfall.” is how Mrs. TJ described this dish due to the absolute REQUIREMENT of plate cleanings with bread. The peas perfomed their function of freshening up the perfect hand made tortelloni. The sauce was that of the Gods. What is really funny is that the waiters started ribbing us about how clean our plates were. It was fun watching them whisk, whisk, whisk this sauce for what seemed like an eternity, too. I was reveling in the tastes of this course and I was ‘doing a little in my chair dance and tossed my head about slightly – a fact that did not go unnoticed by Roberto who said ‘No, you don’t a like this too much, no.’ with a big fat grin on his face. Course #5 -- Eliche with Lamb Ragout Mrs. TJ described this as ‘…a type of pasta that looked like DNA strands…’, I prefer the word ‘chromosomal’. This was a really good dish, but it’d been outclassed by the prior courses. Still, it was quite delicious and the layers of flavor were there. We had our first sips of the Saffredi with this course as we paused from soaking up our Kistler – paired really nicely. Course #6 -- Risotto with Langostino and Fava Beans Perfect risotto with plenty of fava beans and lots of fresh black pepper – the pepper made this course difficult to work with any wine, so I mostly enjoyed this with water. I really enjoyed this dish, too. I had almost forgotten, but Mrs. TJ pointed out, over in her post on chowhound.com, that ‘…(the waiters) started teasing us again -- “Look, they are no cleaning their plates anymore!”’ Too funny! Course #7 -- Steamed Diver Scallop with Zolfini White Beans and Black Truffle Sauce This was another splendiferous course. After popping over to ask the assistants what the heck they were doing with this smoky spray they sprayed on the dishes and then promptly wiped off prior to plating (apparently to make the dishes look as shiny perfect as possible believe it or not), we soon saw the fruits of their creativity. With bits of pancetta in with the beans, the scallop had a tremendous carmelization from being seared that added to the flavor joy ride of this course. With the waning bits of the Kistler (not really – I kept a teensy bit almost til the end a la how jb would do), I was in heaven. Course #8 -- Roasted Breast of Squab over Sicilian Couscous & Asparagus Couscous has this bizarre texture, in my opinion, but it’s always been an interesting ride. This dish was made all the more better by the sauce concoction that Robert had come up with – a mixture of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, a bit of vinegar, three or four more spices and an aptly named ‘squab juice’ coined by Donna himself. The squab was nicely dense, and countered by the deliciously fresh asparagus. Mmmmm. Course #9 -- Cheese from the Cheese Trolley I have not had much experience with the Cheese Course, but this was an interesting and educational one. The Cheese Cart was huge – easily 30+ cheeses seemed to be available. But we unfortunately did not get to pick what we got – instead, we got a ‘flight’ of four cheeses. This flight consisted of Ricotta Infornata Di Bari (made with sheep’s milk and similar in texture to a swiss or gruyere – very mild), Asagio Pressato (faint sweetness with a little bite – and delicious), English Stilton (very decadent and rich – some nice graininess, too – love that), and this crazy weird stuff called Bruss, which was fermented cow, goat and something else cheese made with a hint of grappa – very loose and mushy. This stuff was FUNKED OIUT and had a way to cling (flavor-wise anyway) to the bottm sides of your tongue. Very strange. With a quick chew of some fine mini-bread with what, a whole nut, baked in to it and it was cleansed out of our mouths. Course #10 -- Frappe Bicerin This was a ‘liquid’ course made up of espresso, rum, and chocolate. For anyone who loves chocolate & coffee together, you will be in Nirvana. This was a perfect prelude to the next two and final courses. Nice. Course #11 -- Roasted Apricot Tart with Apricot Sauce, Dried Apricots, and Apricot Ice Cream Sweet & tart and deliciously yummy. You could not go wrong with this course. Course #12 – Bombolini All good things must end, and so our meal did here with these precious little nuggets of dough peppered with sugar and WARM. Nice finish. It is hard to express how much fun an evening this was. The banter with the chef and assistants, and the wait staff, the hum of the room, the looks that only old lovers who are also the best of friends can give one another, the charting of our history together (when Mrs. TJ asked what I remembered most fondly of our life together, I whipped out my four page list I’d been adding to for the past few weeks (as an aside, I did this same thing to her on our wedding day during the ceremony as a surprise)), the wine, suspending the disbelief of your taste buds, the food itself and so much more. It was a fantabulous evening that was also one that was at the same time very personal and one I will cherish for a long, long, long time. This rates up there in my Top Four. I have a difficult time figuring out which of the Top Four I enjoyed more – our 7th anniversary at The Inn At Little Washington, our 9th anniversary at Citronelle, our Babbo Experience last fall and now this. A great, great evening in a relaxed, casual environment with the woman I love – man o man I am one lucky, lucky guy. I would highly recommend dining here. You will not be disappointed in the slightest. In fact, we’re going back there, this time, later this year, to take a hands on class with Roberto Donna and LUNCH (my gift to Mrs. TJ (aside from Italy of course). Mrs. TJ’s gift to me, you ask? Only the most amazing sounding individually guided wine and medieval town tour – very cool.