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You would think that a 5 star Washington DC hotel - hosting a 6 star black tie dinner - for a group that had flown in from all over the country - might surmise that there would be a demand to be met - dollars to be made - by offering a full blown wine list - when requested -
Such was "almost" not the case -
At Ouest over the weekend - as our waitress cleared the table hidden behind the pillar - I asked what they had been drinking -
Caymus - Caberet Sauvignon - Special Selction - 2003 -
"Criminal" - was my knee jerk proclamation -
"How can you be so judgmental" - was the knee jerk response of my dining companion -
Simple tasting in the back room of Tribeca Grill - Ristow and Tiera - no Mr. DeNiro - neither as actor nor owner - he wasn't needed - the place was packed -
Treated to Tom Valenti's Oyster Corn Chowder - replacing his infamous take on Oyster Pan Roast -
Thick cream base - corn - chunks of poached oyster - chunks of bacon - touch of tomato - splash of lobster broth - in the middle - thick - toasted crouton - topped with a whole poached oyster -
Only regret - it wasn't the main course -
At Ouest -
First admission - big fan of Cesca - starting with supper the night it opened - though have not been there since ownership changed (6/2006) and Tom Valenti left as Chef/Owner -
Second admission - don't make a practice of posting the reviews of others - particularly not having a base to judge against -
But last week's Time Out NY review of one of my favorite Upper West Side restaurants - deserves posting - either as a flag that something is terribly wrong - or - the reviewer "has it in" for Cesca -
When I moved to the Upper West Side - 30 years ago - the best slice in New York was Vinnie's Pizza on Amsterdam between 73rd and 74th -
Passed over a chest high - chipped - Formica counter top - it was magic -
Always busy - you could squeeze into a table - or - inhale the slice as you walked up the sidewalk - or - order in - provided you lived within their rigidly enforced delivery zone -
They made a perfect linguine with tons of sauted garlic and just a touch of olive oil - i.e. - almost dry - or - my wife's favorite - linguine with white clam sauce -
Vinnie retired - a nephew remodeled - better furniture - a fancy oven - weird layout - a temporary fabric sign on the front of the restaurant for over two years -
About a week ago - the temporary sign was gone - butcher's paper appeared on the windows -
This morning - signage proclaiming - Space Available -
RIP - Vinnie's Pizza -
After being treated to the Great Western - Vidal - Ice Wine - 1985 - dropped a note to the vineyard seeking winemakers notes -
Michael J. Doyle - President of Pleasant Valley Wine Company/Great Western Winery - got right back - incredulous that we had gotten to drink the 1985 Vidal - outside the winery -
....Only 75 cases of 24 half-bottles ($9.99 at the winery) - containing a staggering 26 percent residual sugar - were made....
No direct winemakers notes - but an interesting NY Times article (1987) - specifically on the 1985 - well worth the read -
Given the choice of Long Island's Northern Blvd. steakhouses - bypassed the sameness of Mortons - choosing the wine list at Burton and Doyle - sibling of Chas. Rothmann's (Oyster Bay & Manhattan)
I went for the big - four page - over-sized menu -
The cover page - in big bold type - lists the usual suspects - Sirloin Steak - Lobster - Porterhouse Steak - Lamb Chops - Veal Chops - Filet Mignon - Bone-in Rib Steak - and of course - Creamed Spinach - Sauteed Spinach - Steamed Spinach - Fried Potatoes - Mashed Potatoes - Hashed Brown Potatoes - Fried Onions - and/or - Sliced Tomato & Onion -
Its after you turn the page - opening the menu - staring down at over 600 wines printed single spaced - in two columns - on three pages - grape - name - price - that's the part that I enjoy -
And just as you're about to make your selection - scanning pass Screaming Eagle ($1,700) and friends (above and beyond the $100 threshold) - the the Sommelier shows up and offers you perusal of the Reserve List -
I loved it -
Eleven months ago - expressed outrage at H&H Bagels pushing the price of their lonely bagel to $1.00 -
Numbing would express the feeling this morning when I went to H&H - discovering that the price of a single bagel had reached $1.10 -
The piece I cannot fathom is that they sell wholesale at a price that allows my local sandwich shop to sell the exact same bagel for 75 cents -
But who can argue with success - the line for an Everything - Sour Dough - Sesame - Onion - or just Plain - was out the door -
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