Grande Passione - a blog by wine & food lovers in hong kong, china, italy

michelin launches in hong kong with controversy - but...of course!

2008-12-04T04:40:21Z

somehow, i would not be surprised that the michelin people were expecting controversy with the launch of their new hong kong & macau restaurants guide. that some people are not happy and/or disagree with their ranking seems to be "business as usual" for them and i can only guess that they were well prepared with talking points and statistics well ahead of the press conference.

what disappoints me however, is the lame reactions of some publicity-seeking food critics and other food-related people in hong kong. not one comment i read showed any kind of pride and/or even satisfaction that there would even be a michelin guide dedicated to hong kong. instead, we hear the same old cliché comments that "westerners (french inspectors) can not possibly understand chinese food, therefore the guide must be of no value". dismissing the guide as irrelevant and simply being a "dialogue between idiots" is pushing it.

this, from the very same people who each day, no doubt, drink bordeaux and/or other french wines and will go on and on "authoritatively" about the fact that this wine is poor but that one is "definitely superior". as they are not french, how can they possibly understand how to evaluate the quality of french wines? unless they are relying on robert parker, an american, to tell them what to drink?

now, can someone please explain to me what is so mysterious about chinese cuisine so that i can understand why a food critic who is not chinese could not know the difference between something that is cooked properly and something that is not cooked properly? or that the texture for the particular ingredient is or is not what it could/should be? or that the food eaten today is not consistent with the food eaten yesterday and/or last week? what makes chinese food so special that a food lover who is not chinese could not possibly appreciate the cuisine in all of its glory?

this is a pity. because i have always thought hong kong should be an accessible and sought after food destination of the world because of it's diversity and because of the passion hong kong people have for food. with this kind of condescending attitude, i am not sure westerners will feel encouraged (or perhaps "able to understand") to explore the foods of china and the many wonders it offers.

the fact that high profile and internationally respected michelin finally launches a guide in hong kong should be celebrated as a first step in the right direction to firmly establish hong kong as a gastronomic hub, not just a shallow, cynical and commercially-driven wine hub but a proper food & wine lovers destination worthy of a true "world city".

hong kong deserves to be a gastronomic hub and those cliché hong kong food critic would do well to take this as signal that it is time to grow up and for hong kong restaurateurs to become serious about the business of restaurants and give us consistent, well cooked, and well prepared food using quality ingredients, and to be creative and wholesome in their approach.

no, now is not the time for moaning about westerners evaluating hong kong's food, it is time to celebrate the first step in this journey of a thousand miles: triple cheers to lung king heen at the four season and double cheers to bo innovation in wanchai who will lead the way to make hong kong the gastronomic hub it deserves to be!

the glamour bar - shanghai

2008-11-27T15:15:54Z

m on the bund is the kind of place that makes you think shanghai is cool. It's glam, it's stylish & sophisticated, it's cosmocrat. and the food is fab, tasty, and the pavlova is absolutely to die for. the people watching beautiful, and the atmosphere so luxurious, it makes me feel I am hot.it's what shanghai is in my mind. i never fail to come here each time i visit the city and i am always delighted.

this time around though, i decided to focus on chinese food and so will not eat here for dinner. nevertheless, faithful to my chickens, I made sure to come to the glamour bar, their sister operation one floor below, for happy hour.

with basically the same breathtaking view over the bund and pudong, albeit without the stupendous balcony of the 7t floor restaurant, the bar is as cool, if not more. the decor is semi shanghai-of-the decant-20s with a touch of kitsch-meets-glam-meets-modern-art. it's definitely cool, it makes me feel cool, and it reminds me that i am a lucky guy to have the chance to travel as much and have the chance to visit places like that.

the happy hour has a nice little antipasto offering (italian style) and the bar is opened until the wee hours. i am told the people watching here is something else and all of the cool cats and the beautiful people of shanghai stop by at different hours.

decadent, lush, glamorous, hip, stylish, and cool, that's the glamour bar.

not to be missed on your (my) next trip to shanghai.

the glamour bar - 6/f, no 5 the bund (corner guangdong lu), shanghai tel. +86 21 63 50 99 88

hong kong's very first winery - the 8th estate winery

2008-11-25T15:42:20Z

now, we can truly say that the wine fever has reached hong kong in a big way with the opening tonight of its very 1st urban winery.

yes, you read me right. it's now official, hong kong has its very own winery, making and barrel maturing it's very own wine in it's very own cellars. in the 8th estate winery that is.

how, you will ask, can hong kong, a tropical climate where jungle and concrete dominates, make it's own wines? ' well, it seems that we are more connected than ever before.

from various parts of the world, de-stemmed high quality grapes are brought-in frozen right here in an industrial estate more famous for its antique furniture and home decoration shops. they are then processed in a traditional manner under the expert hands of wine master gianni seminary and matured in oak barrels for a period of many months before bottling and release.

the cellars now contain enough wine to fill 85,000 bottles of various varieties including chardonnay, gewurztraminer, sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, and ice wine.

their idea is to monitor the progress of the maturation and blend hong kong's very own "meritage" within a few months. they also want to offer guests and clients, the opportunity to create their own blends, under the guidance of gianni, and preserve their own barrel in the estate until they are satisfied that the wine has reached maturity for bottling under the client's personal label.

tonight, we barrel tasted several of the wines made last february including a merlot, a cabernet sauvignon, a shiraz, and a cabernet franc and some were showing quite a bit of promise for a 1st attempt. no doubt the next "vintage"will be much better coming and, as we speak, there are tons of frozen grapes on the way to hong kong including some from chianti and piedmont that were picked this last fall by the team in charge of the 8th estate.

besides, the facilities are interesting in themselves as they offer those who are passionate about wine an incredible venue for wine tasting, dinners, and other wine related activities. before the 8th estate, we had to ride a plane for 10 hours before we could reach the winery. now, within a 10 minutes cab ride from central, we are as close as the real thing.

something else, i tell you.

the 8th estate winery: unit 302, harbour industrial center, 10 lee hing st., ap lei chau, hong kong tel: +852 2518 0922

another wine event of a lifetime - acker merrall pre-auction wine tasting...

2008-11-17T09:26:23Z

this blog sometimes reads like a kind of list of exploits. either for my own records or for some showmanship, i will leave that up to you. but this one is worth telling and, i promise, i will start writing more about my wset diploma in the coming days and month so that i can share the secrets i am learning about from deep inside the moutains of books i have been poring over in the last few weeks.

in the meantime however, let me tell you about this magnificient wine tasting i attended last friday. offered by the good people of acker merrall & condit as a preview of their next day auction, the list was in itself amazing, pretty amazing. i will spare you the details of my tasting notes but will nonetheless list the wines so that you can understand that the world of fine wine is very special indeed...

bordeaux:

chateau ausone 2004

chateau cheval blanc 1983, 1995

chateau haut brion 1979

chateau la conseillante 1989

chateau lafite 1976, 1988, 1990

chateau lafleur 1986, 2001

chateau latour 1995, 1996

chateau lynch bages 1982

chateau margaux 1986, 1990, 1996

chateau montrose 2003

chateau mouton rothschild 1983

chateau pichon lalande 1986, 2003

chateau pavie 2003

burgundy:

comte de vogue bonnes mares 2004

j.roty charmes chambertin tvv 2004

domaine de lambrays clos de lambrays 2005

j.grivot clos de vougeot 2005

drc echezeaux 2004 (amazing!!), 2004

a. rousseau g.c. clos st-jacques 2005

leroy gevrey chambertin les combottes 1996

a.gros richebourg 2005

bouchard volnay les caillerets acc 2005

rhône:

chateau de baucastel cdp homm. a j. perrin 1999

e.guigal cote rôtie la mouline 1998 (stunning!!!)

j.l. chave hermitage 2005

p.jaboulet hermitage la chappelle 1983

united states:

abreu cabernet sauvignon madrona ranch 2001

harlan estate red 1998

sine qua non syrah atlantis fe 203 1a

vega sicilia unico 1995

as for the auction the next day, i am told the atmosphere was not as electric as the one they held in may (in which they sold in excess of usd 10 million at prices that many later said they were crazy). still, considering the economic climate, i found that the wines were moving quite well. they sold 90% of the lots available reaching sales in excess of usd 6 million.

one of the most impressive sale of the day (this one in terms of total amount spent on 1 lot) was the "superman lot" which was an incredible collection of 10 consecutive vintages of romanée conti from 1990 to 2001 (144 bottles in total) and sold for usd 226,221.00 (that is usd 1,570 per bottle or usd 261 per glass). then, there was the 12 bottle lot of screaming eagle cabernet sauvignon 1992 (impossible to find and an incredible opportunity for a serious collector) which sold for usd 92,544 (usd 7,712 per bottle and usd 1,285 per glass).

our wine travel bag in gambero rosso & winestate

2008-11-10T12:04:43Z

we are super happy that our wine travel bag featured in gambero rosso, the super influencial italian monthly on food and wine as well as winestate, australia's premier wine buying guide. you can see a pdf of their feature right here.

this project started in venice on new years eve 2007 when i had a long talk with a wine shop owner and i asked him what he was doing to help clients like myself to bring back wine bottles in their suitcase. basically, the poor guy had nothing to offer and he bitterly complained that this crazy liquid restriction was indeed killing his "tourist" business.

and so, it got me thinking. i wanted to design something at an affordable price - read cheap - that was 100% hermetic, and totally shock proof. so, i thought, it must be inflatable, it must be zippable, and it must be compact to carry and easy to use.

a few months later, i met a factory in china and i came up with our travel bag.

100% hermetic, inflatable, re-usable, compact, and user friendly.

since, i have used it extensively, even bringing back 8 bottles inside a suitaces all the way from italy via chicago and los angeles - yes, i have a lot of miles on my record.

the bag is now available by internet at a "sister" website that we have designed to make it easy to buy. check it out at: www.grandepassionecollection.com

perfect for your next trip to wine country!

disappointing italian wine selection in hong kong

2008-10-31T11:49:09Z

italian wine selection is becoming more and more appalling all over town. yesterday at threesixty, a speciality food store in central, i was seriously disappointed that italian wines represented the smallest selection. in fact, i have been noticing in the last 6-7 months that italian wines in hong kong are more and more ordinary and take less and less space on the shelves of food & wine shops around town.

i find this trend disturbing and, quite frankly, i only have the italian wine makers and italian trade bodies to blame for this.

yes, how many italian wine dinners have i heard of in the last 2-3 months? none. yet, the french and bordeaux in particular are all over town. there is not 1 week that goes by without a presentation of some kind from a french wine makers, australians, new zealanders, and americans. education is the most important marketing tool at this point time in this very immature market. yet, no efforts seem to be spent by the italians.

are they taking the chinese market for granted? do they think that brand "italia" will have enough power and strength so that consumers will simply flock to them in troves when the market will be mature enough ? i do not think so. italians wines are too complicated to pronounce for chinese people and the diversity of grapes, regions, and taste is just so much that there is really a lot of work to do. the french are doing such a good job at this and, in doing so, shaping the taste of consumers that they are really locking in the market. the work will just be harder to do later.

in fact, looking at sales figures in hong kong over the last few years, italian wines have seen a steady decline while just about every other wine regions of the world have seen increases with australia, chile, and of course france each with steep improvements.

why is it so?

i think italy is making a mistake by not investing (or investing too little) in the chinese market. they need to come here, organise wine dinners, tastings, and sponsor educational activities. this is critical otherwise, they will certainly miss the wave of the future.

a pity and a shame.

surprising dinner at cococabana

2008-10-30T05:18:32Z

a big treat in hong kong is the beautiful hiking we can do not only in the new territories where there are fantastic beaches and you can believe to be in the absolute middle of nowhere, but also right here on hong kong island, not even 10 minutes from my flat.

and so, very often on a a sunday, we go for a 2-3 hours walk and end up for a long and lazy lunch at cococabana in deep water bay. we usually, we go for the set lunch of tasty mediteranean dishes washed down with the house rosé.

i always thought coco to be the perfect sunday after-noon lazy lunch kind of place. the music is mellow, the service a bit disorganised, the food super tasty, the view over the beach fantastic and usualy, as the sun becomes increasingly mellow in the after-noon, a perfect place to let time pass and recharge.

and so, i never thought of it as a dinner place until mario suggested we go there last sunday. wow.

the service was as disorganised as during the day, but the whole atmosphere was even more mellow and relax. the moon replaced the sun over the bay and the night time menu was more sophisticated than the ones we normally have for lunch. as a starter, i had the oven roasted goat cheeze wrapped in pancetta: the first bite made me stop and mark my appreciation. delicious. for my main, i had the lamb rumpsteak grilled with rosemary and in its "jus", together with summer vegs and butter-mashed potatoes. delicious, perfectly grilled and super tasty. i closed my eyes and reopened them and i thought i was back in a nice little village on the coast south of france.

the first bottle of rosé we had was disappointing (the only pinot grigio rosé on the list - dont'take it) but, thankfully, the bandol we had after that made up for it.

a very nice place for a nice dinner. romantic, but also mellow with a small group of friends.

cococabana: deepwater bay, tel: +852 2812 2226

the sense of smell in wine tasting

2008-10-25T03:39:51Z

on several occasions on my journey to learn about wine and food, i have been amazed at how our crazy fast-paced life today has made us lose some of our senses.

take the sense of smell for example. it is said that more than 1000 aromas have been identified in wine. now, that's a lot of aromas... of course, not all can be perceived as some are traces hardly detectable by the human nose, but quite a few can be and yet, we have a super hard time to pinpoint exactly what they are when the wines are served blind.

smell very much affect our sense of taste. in fact, it seems that smell is key to tasting anything at all. try this: pinch your nose, close your eyes, ask your wife/husband/boyfriend/girl-friend to serve you a purée of apple and a purée of peach (separately of course...). my guess is that you will not taste the difference. yet, when you "un-pinch" that nose of yours, miraculously, you will find the choice obvious.

try this other exercise. at the dinner table tonight, blindfold your wife/husband/boy-friend/girl-friend and (no, this is not rerun of the movie 9 1/2 weeks...), ask them to smell various ingredients on their plate. chances are that words to describe them will be hard to come by.

and so, to practice my wine tasting (and smelling) skills, i just bought an aroma kit from le nez du vin. the master kit consists of 54 various vials each containing essential oils with the various aromas that are typically found in whites or reds. the kit comes together with a book and cue cards that explain each of those aromas.

maria and i were surprised, at first, how few aromas we were able to identify blindfolded. mainly because words do not come naturally when it comes to describing aromas. but, when we started to concentrate and carefully focus, words were flowing more easily and pictures of those aromas started to form in our mind.

the starting kit below has 6 essential aromas to get you going. a great gift for those food lovers around you. it also a fascinating discovery of how our sense of smell, all important it is to our enjoying wine and food, is so underused in these days and age of speed and instant gratification.

is dining-in the new dining-out?

2008-10-22T04:46:20Z

not long ago, hk magazine had a leader with the same title and the whole issue was devoted to this new hk fad of dinning at home instead of going out.

with this crazy panic on wall-street and on other markets around the world, the article now seem more prescient than we could have imagined just a few weeks ago. will the current economic crisis makes us discover the inner jaimie oliver or the julia child that lie within us all??

with food prices going up all over and with wine prices that are not going down even if the import tax was abolished 7 months ago you can bet your next dinner that i will be fitting up my kitchen, dust those cobwebs off my cook books, and get down and dirty in front of my own stove.

in fact, hong kong is becoming friendlier and friendlier to foodies of this world. i remember 15 years ago when i first arrived here, the only place to buy "gweilo" food was in the tiny basement of seibu, now an excellent, if somewhat pricey, food-hall called "great". watson's wine cellars, now with 13 locations around hong kong, did not even exist and the selection of wines available at those few shops that did sell wine was very tiny.

now, we have a great many choices and i list my favourites:

food:

il bel paese: the finest and most authentic italian food selection in hong kong. they have an excellent offering of salumis of all kinds as well as great cheezes, and olive oils. here, it is very much try-before-you-buy and they care very much about their clients - italian style! g/f, no, 25 queen's road east, wanchai, h.k. tel: + 852 28042992

mr. chatté: an excellent selection of cheezes, fois-gras (the "demi-cuit" is to die for...), wines and other foods from the south-west france. friendly service and a neat little shop. g/f, 121 bonham strand, sheung wan, h.k., tel: + 852 3105 8077

oliver's delicatessen: perfect one-stop shop where you can buy pretty much everything you need for a nice dinner. the staples here can be pricier than buying them at park'n shop, but their meats, international cheezes, and salumis are excellent. their wine section is actually pretty good with wines from all over the world and free tastings on most saturdays. the store is small so that it is easy to navigate and service friendly and attentive. shop 233, prince's bldg., 10 chater rd., central, h.k. tel: +852 2810 7710

le salon de thé de joël robuchon: where you can buy absolutely the best bread in hong kong, especially to eat with the crazy delicious demi-cuit from mr. chatté. the desserts are a sin just to look at, and the croissant a super nice treat for breakfast the morning after. definitely a must for any dinner at home on a saturday night. shop 315, 3/f, the landmark, central, tel +852 2166-9000 wine:as you know how i feel about wine prices, i will look for diversity and quirky wines from grapes or regions i have not tried yet so that at least, if i will be paying paying extr, i will justify it as the premium to pay for my wine education. never again i will buy mainstream wines in hong kong until their prices go down by at least 30-40%.

and so, i will look for those quirky wines at il bel paese, mr chatté, and berry bros & rudd, the british wine merchant, which has an excellent selection of fine wines from bordeaux: 307-308, 3/f, the lee gardens, 33 hysan avenue, causeway bay h.k., tel: +852 2907 2112tools:

for those tools i need in the kitchen, my favourite place to buy them is definitely the "the pan handler" in the prince's building with their offering of many professional tools. there is also pantry magic which has a good selection and ikea always amazes me on how cheap the items are and how wide their range of products is.

a peacock's tail at pierre gagnaire's in hong kong

2008-10-17T16:51:03Z

call me a groupie if you will, i do not mind. i love pierre gagnaire's food and there is no denying i am start-struck each time i meet him.

and so, last night was his last evening in hong kong (for this time around that is) and i decided to surprise maria to a date and book a table at "pierre" for a break to my october diet (yes mom, a diet...).

not surprisingly, i was completely transported by the food... and the wines selected by pierre legrandois, the excellent sommelier at the mandarin oriental hotel in hong kong.

firstly, i must confess that i was totally enchanted by the table they reserved for us. a fantastic view over the harbour and a intimacy of the surroundings that i could only hope for in my best of dreams. what a way to impress maria on the first "date" we have had in a long long time!

then, the extremley attentive and super kind care from everyone in the restaurant. many people claim that french restaurant's service is cool, distant, and intimidating. not here at pierre. they were respectful, mindful, caring, and only enhanced the experience we had the whole evening.

and then, the food...

many people asked me today how i compared the experience with the one i had at the french laundry last month. how can i compare, i asked, it is like asking me to compare picasso with rembrandt...

the food was certainly exotic, using asian ingredients that are not so uncommon in hong kong's fresh food markets. the combination of those ingredients was definitely surprising and unusual. combinations of ingredients that you would absolutely not believe they can pair together.

and that is, i am starting to believe (or, dare i say, to understand, as i am still new to this wonderful world of fine dining), the genius of pierre gagnaire. he mixes and matches ingredients that defy conventional wisdom and food logic. he creates a "third way" with food that is almost, i dare venture, "child-like", in the sense that his combinations can only come from the creativity of young, fresh, and widely imaginative minds that us, "grown-ups" would only frown upon.

and yet...

yet, a mouthful of his creations carries us to another world altogether. an intellectual challenge and a pleasure of the senses that i have only imagined in my most torrid dreams. a gastronomic "orgasm" in all sense of the word.

all of this stimulation paired with the other pierre's wine selections. a challenge that only a very sensitive palates must be able to accomplish. legrandois' choices of wine have always opened new and wonderful vinous horizons for me. each time i taste wines selected by pierre legrandois, i have learned something new and wonderful and i have discovered a higher plane of pleasure that wine could bring to my epicurist adventures.

one in particular last night give me a new sensorial sensation that i only knew existed from the books that i had read previously. the sensation of the "peacock tail" so described about a wine that has a very long lasting after-taste that it so good in quality that it actually opens up like a peacock's tail long after you have swallowed the divine nectar.

the saint-joseph cuilleron st-pierre 2005. to me an absolutely new and wonderful experience. the body, the intensity, the length, the peacock tail... what else can i say??? for me a new standard has been established in my short wine tasting career. an experience not unlike "my very first time"....

what a night...

a research trip to new york city - zagat's top 10 wine shops

2008-10-16T04:42:04Z

as you know, traveling for me is a good opportunity to ressource and to learn something new. and so, on my last trip to new york city, i decided to take a day and visit as many wine shops on the zagat top 10 list as i could.

i found some pretty interesting things in each of those that i visited but because time did not permit, i did not go to brooklyn.

here is some notes i gathered when i visited them and some of those are supplemented by the comments in zagat, which by the way was an excellent book to have on hand.

according to the zagat new york city gourmet shopping + entertaining 2009, the top 10 wine shops were as follow:

1- moore brothers:

33 east 20th street, tel 212 375 1575

a great source of french and italian wines from small producers. the people at moore are very concerned about keeping the integrity of the wines during transportation and once in their shop. such is their beleifs that the shop is kept at 12 degree celcius and offer customers some sweaters t keep warm while shopping. they have a 2nd floor where they hold tastings + events.

2- bottle rocket wine + spirit:

5 west 19th street, tel. 212-929-2323

funky little store where wines from international sources are grouped together by theme, mainly related to food pairing. there are selections for chicken, beef, fish dishes, and also for spicy, asian, and other types of exotic food. they also group the wines by gifts suggestions, best for the unitiated, and other "educational" themes. there is also a good spirit section in the store.

3- vino:

121 east 27th street, tel 212-725-6516

as you might have guessed, they focus on italian wines. all regions of italy are well represented and 70% are served in their sister restaurant "I trulli". here, they care about quality and authenticity with prices to match. they also carry quite a few liqueurs for before and after the meals.

4- le dû's wines:

600 washington street, tel. 212-924-6999

a little pricey and managed by a former french sommelier, this place has a great reputation for great sources and quality line-up. they have weekly wine tastings on premise.

5- sherry-lehmann:

505 park avenue, tel. 212-838-7500

i did not have time to visit because 1, i was exhausted, and 2, i had to go back to my hotel and get ready to meet santo for dinner. it's a pity because he told me the place is gigantic with and amazing range with excellent prices. in fact, it is, according to the zagat guide, "the mecca for wine enthusiasts". the mother of all wine shops. even more of a pity for me, they apparently have the best range of wine accessories in town.

6- leNell's:

in brooklyn

7- burgundy wine:

143 west 26th street, tel. 212-691-9092

they apparently have tastings each day but when i went to visit, they were in the middle of renovating their cellars so the shop was completely up-side down. i imagine they are finished by now and i was told they have an excellent collection of rhones, burgundies, and wines from oregons made with shiraz and pinot. a popular place for all levels of wine buyers.

8- italian wine merchants:

108 east 16th street, tel. 212-473-2323

my absolute dream wine store. the selection is not necessarily super extensive but the quality and rarity is definitely there. the decor is very much italian and very welcoming. inside you feel much more as you would in a wine shop in florence or sienna than you would in new york city. they have a gigantic tasting room in the back where food and wine pairings can be easily held, thanks to this huge show kitchen that, no doubt, one of the partner mario batali use from time to time. the shop also comes with an excellent book section, it's own salumeria, and the largest collection of antique (real ones) cork-screws that i have ever seen. definitely a place i would spend a lot of time would i be living in nyc.

9- crush wine:

153 east 57th street, tel. 212-980-9463

i am told the selection is wide, varied, and extensive so that anyone looking for anything can find something to make themselves super happy. if i loved the italian wine merchants, i apparently was going to look for an apartment close to the place so much it is oozing for passion for wine. i will certainly check it out next time i visit nyc.

10- red, white + bubbly:

brooklyn

mustilli vs mastroberardino

2008-10-11T01:53:50Z

the comparison will not be completely accurate here as we are tasting a falanghina and a greco di tufo, two grapes that are something of a speciality down in italy's campania (the region around naples).

falanghina is a very ancient grape that was probably brought by the greeks in the olden days. some say its name come from the latin "phalanga", the word to describe wooden poles the greeks used for wine training. it almost came to extinction in campania until leonardo mustilli decided in 1979 to seriously consider how to make fine wines out of the grape. since, several producers have caught on and planted the grapes in various terroir around the region producing some very interesting and rewarding whites.

the white grape greco was brought by the greeks to the region some 2,500 years ago and has found its home in the tufo soils of campania, especially around the small town of tufo near avellino where it earned the appellation greco di tufo docg. it is the mastroberardino family that is generally recognized for bringing back the grape to life and make a push for it to become a fine wine.

as usual, i follow the wset systematic approach to tasting for my notes:

mustilli - vigna segreta 2005 - falanghina - sant'agata dei goti doc

a clear bright white wine with a deep intensity lemon yellow color at the core and a bright watery rim and some viscosity at the bowl.

a clean nose of medium + intensity and developing aromas of apricot, white flowers, touch of citrus & lime, dried almonds, cream and vanilla.

dry on the palate, with a crisp and refreshing acidity but gentle and pleasant and in balance with its medium + alcohol and body. a medium intensity flavours of fresh white flowers, younger apricot and lime than its nose, complex with hints of spices, cloves, and cinnamon. oily, silky on the palate with a long pleasant length of the after-taste.

a good balance, complex and intense. long. savoury. a good and rewarding example of a very well made falanghina.

mastroberardino - novaserra greco di tufo docg 2006

a clear bright white wine with medium intensity lemon flesh with hints of green hues and a clear water rim. some viscosity at the bowl

a clean nose of medium intensity and fresh and zesty aromas of peach, orange blossom, apple, lemon, almonds.

dry on the palate with a firm, zesty acidity and medium alcohol and body. a medium intensity of flavours recalling its nose, but more zesty, crisp, and minerally. light, almost airy, easy on the palate and fresh. a medium length with a spicy, if not bitter, and pleasant after-taste.

a good balance. simple, fresh, rewarding, and easy to drink. a good wine but slightly simpler and less rewarding than the mustilli falanghina.

a question of perspective...

2008-10-09T14:49:12Z

i love to travel. i still can not exactly pinpoint why. it must be the change of air or simply the fact that i learn so much when i travel.

many things came about during my last trip that made me think of "perspective" and how sometimes, we (read "i") seem to think so highly of our own that we forget that others have their own as well - and that theirs might be just as valid as ours.

take this photo as exhibit numero uno. i took it smack in the middle of one of the prettiest medieval village i had a chance to visit in italy: sant'agata dei goti, not far from napoli. it is a bar. pretty much like any other bar in italy: modern, ultra-cool, slick design, american style.

what is so special about this bar? nothing actually. i took it to remind myself of perspective. because on that day, i must have snapped 500 photos just in that village. at one point, i was aiming at something, adjusting my zoom like some kind of japanese tourist. i don't recall what. the point is that guy came close to me, looked at what i was aiming at and then, he turned to me with the look of someone who had some kind of freak in front of him. where i saw beauty and a kodak moment, he saw banality and old.

yes, in case you did not notice last time you went, italy is mainly old. the main reason we go there as tourists (or "voyageurs") actually. to see old things, old buildings, marvel at how old rocks carved in some way or another can be something beautiful to look at and worthy of snapping away.

yet, from most of the advertising i saw in magazines and tv, and billboards, and everywhere, it seemed to me that italians long for a a modern "american" lifestyle, the efficiency of a german kitchen, the several charms and assets of monica belluci, and the wide open space of canada.

things that i take for granted. things that does make me want to snap a picture of.

which brings me to my point. when i am at a restaurant, taking notes (like some kind of freak) about what i am eating and drinking, the ambiance, and the menu, and the music and whether the carrots are cooked al dented or whether they are mushy, am i losing perspective sometimes? or, am i covering as many perspectives as i should be covering about the the experience i am having (if taking notes in a restaurant can be called having an experience)?

and what about reviewing wines? does it matter if the acidity is like that or like this? that this fruit or that fruit is intense or not?

when i give my final opinion. am i fair to the chef? the waiter? to the wine maker? do i genuinely and honestly respect all the efforts that were put into creating what i am supposed to be enjoying at that moment instead of evaluating it?

do i keep things in perspective?

dinner at the french laundry

2008-10-04T08:06:00Z

the first time I heard there was a restaurant in napa valley called the french laundry, I had a bit of a laugh. after all, I had never associated fine dining with dirty linens…

but then, my friend told me that it was considered the best restaurant in the usa, if not the world and that it strictly accepted reservations 2 months ahead (and took a mere 15 minutes to become fully booked). not surprisingly, right then and there i made it a personal priority to go as soon as I possibly could… in the end, thankfully a bit wiser, it took 4 years… and even then, it was jason who secured the reservations by some extraordinary stroke of fortune…

the french laundry is in a small, very humble-and-easy-to-miss 2-storey building in the now foodie capital of yountville, napa valley.

in an excellent book by michael ruhlman, “the soul of a chef”, I learned that it was once a brothel like the ones you see in old western movies but that it did house a steam laundry maintained by french people. in 1976, the building which had been vacant for years was purchased by a couple who decided to turn it into a restaurant and keep its nickname “the french laundry” and in 1992, thomas keller, unemployed and cash-strapped, found out it was for sale. he was able to convince the owners to keep it for him until he was able to secure the funds and turn it into his dream restaurant. ruhlman devotes 1/3 of the book on thomas keller and his philosophy and it was well worth the read before going.

the french laundry is, unfortunately, for many people a thick mark on a list of things they want to do before they die. thankfully for others though, it is the ultimate temple of food pilgrimage where food is elevated to a god-like status. the whole dining experience is focused on the food, giving it full priority and deference. in fact, keller’s philosophy is all about purity of and respect for the food. nothing goes to waste and each ingredients are used to their pure and absolute maximum effect on combination and flavours all the while obsessively striving for perfection in order to, ultimately, make people happy. simple enough?

two chef’s tasting menus were on offer: the meat menu and the vegetable menu. of course, foodie as I now am, I had to have the fois gras (yes mom, foie gras..) and the pigeon. and the lamb. and the oysters… for the wine, I let the somelier decide on pairings to each of my courses.

here is our menu – my mouth is watering as a write this:

oyster and pearls (a classic) - sabayon of pearl tapioca with island creek oysters and white surgeon caviar paired with 2001 scramsberg vineyards, j. schram, napa valley

moulard duck foie gras au torchon – belgian endive, green grapes, toasted oats and mustard-verjus emulsion paired with 2005 becker gewürztraminer estate auslese, pfalz

cuisses de grenouilles croquantes à l’aigre-doux – cauliflower fleurettes, crispy capers, red chili, cilantro shoots and marcona almonds paired with 2004 toni jost riesling bacharacher hahn, mittelrhein

sweet butter-poached maine lobster mitts – yukon gold potato purée, sugar snap peas, baby corn and black truffle sauce paired with 2004 patrick javillier les tillets meursault burgundy

scottish wood pigeon rôti en cocotte – k&j orchard chestnut purée, sunchokes, watercress and pomegranate jus paired with 2000 auguste clape cornas, rhône valley

ribeye of elysian fields farm lamb en persillade – petit salé, cassoulet of jacobsen’s farm beans, garlic chips and sauce d’agneau paired with 1998 azelia bricco fiasco barolo, piedmont

tomme brulée – fennel bulb, sweet peppers, niçoise olives and arugula paired with 2004 martinelli zinfandel jackass vineyard russian river valley, california

diane st-claire buttermilk sherbet – pain perdu and huckleberries

domori sambriano chocolate mille-feuille – tahini ganache, sesame seed cake and shiso sorbet paired with 1968 d’oliveira bual madeira, portugal

an amazing food and wine experience. supplemented by a superlative service and attention to details…

in fact, I had a buzz the whole night not unlike the buzz I get each time i see a cirque du soleil representation. in those, acrobatics, colors, and sounds defies my imagination and awes me that the human body can achieve such feats. at the french laundy, every bites, every sips awed me that human beings can create, from ingredients provided by mother nature, such sensations, such pleasure, and such feeling of well being.

bliss.

enoteca san marco - las vegas

2008-09-26T05:26:37Z

a much better experience this time around at a mario batali's restaurant in las vegas.

last year at around the same time, some of you will remember that i was less than impressed with our visit to b&b ristorante in the venetian hotel. even though, i decided to take the risk and invite bill, mike, and chris to another of batali's & bastianich restaurant in the venetian and i am glad i did.

the enoteca san marco is located right there in the "san marco" square of the hotel, in front of gondolas, opera singers, and the whole shebang. the menu (food and wine) is a simpler version of b&b and the theme is enoteca - simple and earthy dishes.

the evening started a bit weird when the hostess did not want to sit us at our table "until all members of our party had arrived". which was a bit annoying as we were all a bit tired after a whole day walking around the trade show we are now attending.

but the wait was well worth it. once they brought the wine and the antipasti, the delights could be heard and felt all around the table. delicious, mouth watering and tongue melting prosciuto & salami and beautifully fresh cheezes which merited their own separate service of "cheeze condiments". these were super delicious black truffle honey (great with the gorgonzola and the pecorino), maraschino cherry in its sauce (beautiful with the goat cheeze) , and surprising candied apricot with a slight sparkle of chillis which was super tasty with the goat cheeze and the gorgonzola.

my main dish, veal and ricotta meat balls served on a bed of polenta were to die for. it seems that my 3 other guests had the same delight at their dishes: duck confit with grape & arugula, marinated chicken, and one pasta dish: bucatini all'amatriciana which was as good as the one i had in frascati just 4 days ago.

seriously. this was beyond my expectations and, after our meal at another of batali's restaurant last night (carnovino in the palazzo), i have completely changed my mind about mario batali's food.

too bad the obnoxious music is still playing in the background though...