Dinner Suggestions near Park Hyatt

[sadistick]

Good to hear the price went down, still wouldnt sway me to ever go back there.

Interesting idea for the free corkage theme every last sunday of the month...too bad most of the good Californian wines I have are still too young to drink

[estufarian]

.... Did you ever post any TN's on Ebob on the burg? Would be curious on your thoughts.

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"Ebob on the burg" - sounds like a great name for a restaurant (in Shanghai?).

I rarely post on old wines as the storage conditions are the greatest variable (except for Madeira). But in simple terms, I panicked and drank it too soon!

The wine was 1923 Cotes de Nuits Villages from Dr Barolet, ullaged about 5cm (very good for age). No bottle stink - just a fragrant rose aroma but a bit lacy - we commented that it was like faded silk. Classic beet flavours, but not particularly complex. So we rushed the first 2/3 of the bottle in case it collapsed (Susur's backwards menu worked well in this regard). BUT we should have waited! As the meal progressed the wine developed all sorts of nuances and flavours, particularly of raspberries - but more like golden than red (I find the aromatics on gold more complex and the taste a bit softer). The last sips were ethereal with the experience more like inhaling truffles. My Burgundy guru (Woody to his many custmers) always advised decanting old Burgundy 6 hours ahead. In this case he would have been right.

[mkjr]

Mark Squires' forums or "ebob" at www.erobertparker.com

Always nice to hear when good years stand up for so long.

[estufarian]

Actually I'm a Winelovers group member.

Not a fan of the other two.

[GordonCooks]

.... Did you ever post any TN's on Ebob on the burg? Would be curious on your thoughts.

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"Ebob on the burg" - sounds like a great name for a restaurant (in Shanghai?).

I rarely post on old wines as the storage conditions are the greatest variable (except for Madeira). But in simple terms, I panicked and drank it too soon!

The wine was 1923 Cotes de Nuits Villages from Dr Barolet, ullaged about 5cm (very good for age). No bottle stink - just a fragrant rose aroma but a bit lacy - we commented that it was like faded silk. Classic beet flavours, but not particularly complex. So we rushed the first 2/3 of the bottle in case it collapsed (Susur's backwards menu worked well in this regard). BUT we should have waited! As the meal progressed the wine developed all sorts of nuances and flavours, particularly of raspberries - but more like golden than red (I find the aromatics on gold more complex and the taste a bit softer). The last sips were ethereal with the experience more like inhaling truffles. My Burgundy guru (Woody to his many custmers) always advised decanting old Burgundy 6 hours ahead. In this case he would have been right.

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6 hours? I've had quite a few oldies go dead within an hour after the cork is pulled. I always thought the rule of thumb (old burgs) was upright 24 hours before opening and never decant.

[estufarian]

Obviously I agree with the theory about drinking quickly as that's what I tried to do.

But a second example last month also suggests more time. I took a 1959 Musigny VV from de Vogue to the Splendido Burgundy BYOW event.

When opened it absolutely stank (Quote from Anthony Hanson - "Great Burgundy smells like shit!"). So it was double decanted hoping the smell would 'blow off'. But the taste was perfect if you held your nose! At Splendido we decanted again - same smell - but no doubt that the structure was otherwise sound. And then suddenly, a couple of hours later it just opened up and the stink totally disappeared. Another great Burgundy. (That's probably my quota for the year given the unreliability of many Burgs). So maybe the '6-hour' rule has some validity.

[jayt90]

Obviously I agree with the theory about drinking quickly as that's what I tried to do.

But a second example last month also suggests more time. I took a 1959 Musigny VV from de Vogue to the Splendido Burgundy BYOW event.

When opened it absolutely stank (Quote from Anthony Hanson - "Great Burgundy smells like shit!"). So it was double decanted hoping the smell would 'blow off'. But the taste was perfect if you held your nose! At Splendido we decanted again - same smell - but no doubt that the structure was otherwise sound. And then suddenly, a couple of hours later it just opened up and the stink totally disappeared. Another great Burgundy. (That's probably my quota for the year given the unreliability of many Burgs). So maybe the '6-hour' rule has some validity.

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I learned to forget the theory, decant old burgundy, and wait until it comes around, while I was a student in N.Y.

I had one bottle of a 1959 Chambolle-Musigny les Charmes (don't know who bottled it) purchased for $5. from a liquor store on 2nd Ave. and St Marks Pl.

Opened it 30 years after vintage. It was dead on opening, so I decanted it. It did not come forth for two hours, but it was spectacular, everything we expected, for about an hour, then it died for the last three half glassfuls. Ethereal, and truffled, and unlike any new world pinot noir.

Burgundy is a crapshoot, but when it pays off it is devine.

[estufarian]

If your timing is right I sugest that you DO look at Splendido http://www.splendido.ca/main.php?a=news&p=e1 as this will certainly fit your bill as the menu is entirely Canadian themed in June with the exception of the copper river Sockeye which runs in Alaska but close enough.

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With regard to the June menu at Splendido - it's magnificent! Underlines everything that is right about this restaurant. Every dish was perfect - range of tastes and textures. The Copper River Salmon lives up to the hype - excellent flavour, but the killer is the texture - just melts in the mouth. But the finest dish (IMO) was the Chilled Ontario Sweet Pea Soup with Nova Scotia Lobster and Niagara Pancetta. Just astounding! The pea flavour was the framework for the other tastes and textures. if there is "umami" - this dish has it - an extra layer of taste sensation. On this evidence, David Lee is now staking his claim as the top chef in Toronto too.

The wine matches were OK - I still think Niagara wines are overpriced for their value, so suggest that you consider upgrading to their champagne tasting accompaniment (which I didn't have on this occasion).

[mkjr]

If your timing is right I sugest that you DO look at Splendido http://www.splendido.ca/main.php?a=news&p=e1 as this will certainly fit your bill as the menu is entirely Canadian themed in June with the exception of the copper river Sockeye which runs in Alaska but close enough.

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With regard to the June menu at Splendido - it's magnificent! Underlines everything that is right about this restaurant. Every dish was perfect - range of tastes and textures. The Copper River Salmon lives up to the hype - excellent flavour, but the killer is the texture - just melts in the mouth. But the finest dish (IMO) was the Chilled Ontario Sweet Pea Soup with Nova Scotia Lobster and Niagara Pancetta. Just astounding! The pea flavour was the framework for the other tastes and textures. if there is "umami" - this dish has it - an extra layer of taste sensation. On this evidence, David Lee is now staking his claim as the top chef in Toronto too.

The wine matches were OK - I still think Niagara wines are overpriced for their value, so suggest that you consider upgrading to their champagne tasting accompaniment (which I didn't have on this occasion).

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Great to hear. Perhaps we should start a Splendido thread. I am still trying to get there although the outlook is not good.