Congratulations, Katie!

[Curlz]

Kudos, Wine Goddess! Great news.

[Ted Task]

Oh, my goodness! The Sansome St. "Joint" that I used to frequent when working

in Philly has an honest to gracious WINE PERSON!

Whoopee!

Next time I'm up that way, I'll be sure to stop in. Maybe there will be a recent

vintage of good old fashioned Muscadet (sur lie of course).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with a wine that seems to have lost it's way,

this comes from a part of France that is JUST like the Jersey/Del./Md shore.

LOTS of the same seafood (called something else in French, naturally) which we'd

probably pair with Sauvignon Blanc. Try it you'll like it.

Best of everything, professionals don't need luck ,we work to achieve.

Ted Task

[rlibkind]

Maybe there will be a recent

vintage of good old fashioned Muscadet (sur lie of course).

←

Yeah, Muscadet! Off topic, but this brought back a specific memory:

About 30 years ago about a dozen friends got together for a mussel fest: we bought a burlap bushel bag full of the mollusks, scrubbed them clean (what work -- this was before you could get nice clean farmed mussels in North America), then cooked them three ways (marinere, with red gravy, and some other way I can't recall). Went through a lot of Muscadet. But after that all-day (and night) marathon, I didn't want to see another mussel for about a dozen years. I've since recovered.

Definitely get a muscadet on the list, Katie, if it isn't there already.

[jackal10]

Muscadet

A decent Chablis

Maybe an Alsace Pinot Gris

A halbtrocken Riesling

[Blondie]

Congratulations, Aphrodite!!

As soon as the show wraps and I get some leisure time back, I'm heading down to Philly for sure!

[ruthcooks]

Congratulations, Katie...best of luck in your new job.

[lancastermike]

Way to go Katie!!! Good gig. Have not been there in a while, but our next trip to town will include a visit. I know the wine will be great!

[herbacidal]

Hey come on now, let's stop the lovefest!

As someone who has semi-regular drinks with Miss Aphrodite herself,

the last thing I need her to have is a swelled head.

But Katie, glad you finally made it out of the treacherous depths of what lies beneath.

Edited January 13, 2005 by herbacidal (log)

[Fresser]

Hey come on now, let's stop the lovefest!

As someone who has semi-regular drinks with Miss Aprhodite herself,

the last thing I need her to have is a swelled head.

←

I'm hearing rumours about this wanton Lady of Libations...

Since I can't drink alcohol, matching Katie drink-for-drink is out of the question. But I'd be happy to share a few roasted heads of garlic with Katie & the Philly crew.

You too, Herb!!!

[mrbigjas]

how you feel about shellfish, fresser?

[Fresser]

how you feel about shellfish, fresser?

←

I like all kinds o' fish, especially if they're served with hush puppies.

I can't wait to meet the Philly crew!

[KatieLoeb]

To everyone:

Thanks for the votes of confidence and the effusive good wishes. It really means the world to me. I'm so excited to have so many potential visitors lined up from so many different places! How cool is that? I didn't realize I came with a following...

Herb:

No swelled head, I promise. I still have a lot of work to do, believe me.

Fresser:

You have an open invitation. We'll even call a special session of Pizza Club if you make it. I'm certain the Philly crew would be delighted to entertain you.

Today's small bits of progress include ordering the first new wines of my own choosing on the list. So far I have a lovely Bordeaux Blanc, a Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc/ Riesling blend called "Cool Fish", and a western Loire sparkler made from biodynamically grown Folle Blanche, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vinified by true methode Champenoise that's gonna really sing with the oysters! I have appointments with wine salespeople every single day for the next week, so the hunt is on! I'll keep you all posted.

[SG-]

I shall definitely be in tomorrow evening. Please ask for me and say hello!

←

Couldn't get out of my appointment til 10 this evening. I will definitely ask for you when I'm there, this thread has got me seriously craving for oysters. Since everyone is giving ideas here my 2 cents.

How bout throwing in some Pouilly Fume and Sancerre to the mix of white offerings.

Also what would be terrific is offering an Americanized version of a plateau de fruit de mer. How bout one that includes say northern pink shrimps, geoduck, sea urchin, gooseneck barnacles, peekytoe crabs, periwinkles, razor clams, limpets or whatever other shellfish we can get from these parts. Not sure what kind of demand and supply issues for these more obscure but delicious items though.

[KatieLoeb]

I shall definitely be in tomorrow evening. Please ask for me and say hello!

←

Couldn't get out of my appointment til 10 this evening. I will definitely ask for you when I'm there, this thread has got me seriously craving for oysters. Since everyone is giving ideas here my 2 cents.

How bout throwing in some Pouilly Fume and Sancerre to the mix of white offerings.

Also what would be terrific is offering an Americanized version of a plateau de fruit de mer. How bout one that includes say northern pink shrimps, geoduck, sea urchin, gooseneck barnacles, peekytoe crabs, periwinkles, razor clams, limpets or whatever other shellfish we can get from these parts. Not sure what kind of demand and supply issues for these more obscure but delicious items though.

←

That's cool. Just glad I didn't miss you or anything.

Word is out to all those wine salespeople that I am seeking their best and most affordable examples of Sancerre, Muscadet and Bourgogne Blanc. I'm also looking at some Oregon Pinot Blanc, some Alsace whites and perhaps some good Albarino if I can find it. I want wines from places where they eat a lot of fish and shellfish. When all else fails, drink what the locals do and you can't go wrong. Hence, my choice of the obscure, but utterly perfect Loire sparkler.

I will definitely discuss your idea for the Plat Fruits du Mer Americaine with the Chef/Owner. I think he'd find that intriguing.

[marinade]

Aw shucks, another great oyster match.

Additional congrats Katie!!! Samson Street, both the street and the restaurant,packs legacy as far back as the Restaurant Renaissance. You're going to add to it.

I'm just pandering to my own shellfish interests here, but an oyster sampling with a matching flight of wines could be awesome! I'd flash some plastic for a dozen oysters and 4 or more small pours. Especially Sancerres. My cronies and I need another Saturday lunch crawl.

Nice press today in the Inky, BTW.

(edited for addendum)

Edited January 13, 2005 by marinade (log)

[TarteTatin]

Sorry we're so late in our Congratulations, Katie!

We were in France the past two weeks.

Had three private wine appointments in the Loire.

Poniatowski in Vouvray (Baudoin)

Chinon, and in Poitiers.

Spent time in Saumur and also Paris (which we'll eventually post on the France site).

ANYWAY!

We come back to this GREAT news! Congratulations!!!!!!

We've always loved Sansom St. Oyster House, specifically because it is so "old-fashioned"....

Love the plateau idea, they are everywhere in France, as you know, and the oysters over New Year's were fantastic! Had some Bretagnes (sp?) that were outrageous....

How about some old fashioned quenelles? Not too rich, very light. Had some at Chez Jenny last week that were served over a risotto with lobster sauce and bits of crayfish, but again, not half as rich as it sounds...

I'd agree and say Alsace wines, and DEFINITELY champagne with oysters and plateau!

Not just Veuve Cliquot, the BEST, but maybe even Cremant de Alsace?

[KatieLoeb]

Ohmigosh! All these great suggestions! I have to sell off some of the wines that are already here in inventory, and of course I don't want to overwhelm the waitstaff with too many new products at once, so a few new things per week and this should take care of itself.

TarteTatin you're trip sounds fabulous! And the wine tours <heavy sigh>. You'll have to tell me all about your tour of the Poniatowski cellars. The Prince is such a true gentleman of the sort that rarely exist anymore.

[rlibkind]

How about some old fashioned quenelles?

←

Quenelles! At the Sansom Street Oyster Houe? I think not.

The beauty of SSOH, as Katie made clear early in this string, is that it's an Old School Philadelphia restaurant, doing what the historic oyster houses always did: serving very fresh and high quality shellfish and finfish prepared in a straightforward manner. That doesn't mean it's immune to change -- SSOH was serving branzino four or five years ago, before anyone else in town even heard of it -- but it does mean sticking to basics. The kitchen at SSOH does an incredible job with fish (especially whoever handles the deep frying), but trying to expand its repertoire to quenelles would be, IMHO, a mistake. If you want quenelles, ask George Perriers to put it on his menus.

That expanded plateau de fruits de mer sounds intriguing, but to my mind highly improbable. As SG noted in suggesting it, supply/demand issues would be difficult; to my mind, insurmountable. When's the last time you saw a razor clam in an East Coast restaurant? I figure one gooeyduck would be enough to meet demand for at least two or three months; that would hardly be fresh fish.

Tweaking and expanding the by-the-glass offerings as Katie plans is most welcome, and she's concentrating on the right wines (no surprise there, one would expect no less from Our Girl Katie). As for bringing in some Alsace Whites, that brings back the memory of when I first started to understand the joy of matching food and wine: it was 1971, my first trip to Europe, visiting friends from NJ who were on assignment in Brussels, where I consumed mussels and an inexpensive and hardly remarkable Alsatian white, whose name was "Alsace Marie" (a cheap blend, I suspect). But it was real wine, made to be enjoyed with food, and opened my eyes and tastebuds to many possibilities.

Beer and ale, of course, work just as well with oysters on the halfshell as wine. The current selecton of draught beers offered by SSOH do quite nicely, and I believe there's already a bit of rotation. Still, I'm confident in going over the beverage offerings Katie will not forget to pay homage to the brewer's art.

[Jaymes]

I want to add my congratulations to Katie. And also, a thank you to eGullet, for being the kind of place where I can 'meet' good folks like Katie. And even consider her a friend.

Edited January 13, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[johnnyd]

Katie, your posts reveal that you are thrilled to be in your new post, congratulations!

I had to weigh in here, never mind that I am three or so states away, to say I support the Fruits de mer idea.

At this time of year, Maine has superlative seafood and they are not expensive. Whole, Fresh Maine shrimp are auctioning for around a dollar or less. Rope-grown mussels are run through a clever thingie that de-beards them before shipping and run about a buck and change per pound. Scallops are in season now and... well, you know, they just absolutely rock!

I'm sure you could adda few of the oysters too. Anyway, have fun at SSOH and if we're in the area, we'll stop in for a few cold ones.

johnnyd

[sabg]

congrats to you!!!!5.00 1/2 doz oysters.....this is too good to be true!!!! if not next week definately the following

[mike volker]

Katie,

Congrats,

I hope this leads to even bigger and better things for you. I don't like oysters, but I'm still coming down to share that glass of wine you promised long ago.

Best,

Mike

[OPJK]

Congratulations!

It's a classic restaurant that I visit whenever I'm back in my home town.

I hope you find great success there.

[cdh]

Congrats indeed, Katie!

Now another excellent reason to stop into the Oyster House when I'm in town... which must be arranged soon.

Good luck in your projects there... can't wait to see the new wine list.

[gbredben]

Woo-hoo!! Congratulations Katie!! A great place for happy hour. Great place to let off steam, eat oysters and clams on the half shell, followed by pint after pint of Yards Philly Pale Ale. A great place just got better.