SF X 4

In SF for business - right off the plane - lunch at The Waterfront - realtime demo of a restaurant POS - beautiful view of the bay - nice food - no drinks - no wine - have to work the afternoon -

Freshen up at the ultra boutique - Harbor Court Hotel - big lobby - small rooms -

Attempted dinner at One Market Restaurant - menu was over-inspired - nothing of interest - two bottles of wine did not deter us from moving down the block to Boulevard - go with your instincts - it was the right move -

Overall - 3 businessmen in search of full bodied Pinot - we succeeded - 4 times - (3 Pinot - 1 Cab)

First up - Patz and Hall - Alder Spring Vineyards - a shade off the Pisoni - solid - wonderful starter - my drinking partner from down under is duly impressed - he rates it a 4.75 on a 1-5 scale - partner #2 gives a 92 - imagine WS would grade it a 90 - which is about where I would put it - rich - would have liked more fruit - but that's me - one of my favorite vintners - they don't seem to do anything wrong -

Next move was - Hanzell - Pinot Noir - 2001 - it was partner #1's pick - he was really pushing it - later found out this vineyard has a preferred placement in his personal space - sort of "our song" - the wine was a bit more Burgundian than the Patz and Hall - but still big - earthy - not perfect for my palate - but solid - we were definitely off to a great start -

From One Market - one app - Foie Gras Fritter with glazed apple something - we moved to Boulevard - reason noted above - plus - the waiter was either un-informed - or un-interested in selling us the bottle of Ridge Monte Bello in the wine cellar display window - management should be shot for allowing us to leave - all they had to do was raise an eyebrow - after all - we were not exactly buying Two Buck Chuck - we asked for - we needed a wine knowledgeable person - but the wine person "was off" - so were we -

Boulevard was perfect - the Sommelier - Robert Perkins - was right with us - cruised the list - listened to what he recommended - settled on his suggestion - Bonaccorsi - Fiddlestock Vineyard - 2003 - just wonderful - full Pinot - even though the vineyard website says "medium bodied" - perfect - my friend from down under was still harping on how BIG the Australian wines were - it was definitely shaping up as an international battle - two days later I arranged for him to receive Coturri Pinot Noir - taking BIG Pinot to a whole other level - can't wait for the feedback -

Final bottle of the night - the Sommelier returned - we debated a few things - maybe - wonderful - not a good year - until I settled on  - Robert Foley - Claret - 2003 -

A long long time ago - in Internet time - before anyone knew how to spell BLOG - i corresponded with several California wine nutz - to one I asked my traditional question - if you could drink any wine - tonight - with any dinner - forget cost - forget availability - what wine would you select - he picked - without hesitation - Robert Foley -

I in turn had sought out Mr. Foley's wines - making sure to differentiate between Robert Foley and Foley Estate - searches without much success - in fact - Robert Foley had suffered a warehouse fire - so it was going to be a long time "sitting on your hands" before they came back on the market - let alone the eastern market - and - when it finally did show - the prices were beyond my normal reach -

So with an evening  that had become a celebration of big tastes - we topped it off with Robert Foley Claret - big - bigger - biggest - from Pinot to a King of Cabs -

Cabernet Sauvignon by another traditional name, Robert Foley Vineyards Claret combines deeply extracted mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon character with carefully selected French oak. Small proportions of Merlot and Petit Verdot may be occasionally blended for complexity and completion of the tannin spectrum.

Awesome - rich - big - everything that I had expected - no edges - even though it was "young" - the downside - after four bottles and dinner - winemaker/wine-taster notes were not on the tabletop - but the experience - Foley was a crescendo - that massive cloudburst that tops off a summer day - when you look up and smile and say - this is what its all about -

As for the food at Boulevard -

Ahi Tuna - Sliced: Cashew, Chiles, Mango & Curry Tartare: Red Onion, Sesame & Mint Cubes: In Spiced Oil with Toasted Coconut

Grilled Florida Butterfish - (Escolar) - Spring Leek Puree, White Asparagus & Wild Ramps Fresh Morel Mushrooms & Shellfish Nage

It was only after returning to the Big Apple that I learned how high the critics put Boulevard's vittals - we could not agree more - wonderful eats - just the right amount of service - great wine list - no one "pushing"  to pour - a restaurant experience in perfect balance - can't wait to go back -

So that was may day/night in SF - time to bed down - take a shower - pick up a car in the morning - head for Healdsburg -

Enjoy -

HBH

Comments

[John Olk]

As a participant to the evening, I am glad Buff has put into words an eventful and educational evening for me, the lone wine neophyte at the table. After sitting down at One Market, I knew I should leave the wine ordering to Buff and David, the Aussie wine expert. To my delight, each bottle presented a new taste to my pallette and upped the ante for the CA vs Australia wine tasting extravaganza. I'm not sure how you remembered each and every bottle, but I thank you for recanting our evening for others to enjoy as well.