RicRios's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
2007 Gamay Rouge by V Sattui
Sorry. Heading to Umbria right now, my single neuron unable to multitask.
On the return trip I promise to discuss with somm at L'Arpège.
Chowhound Post
2007 Gamay Rouge by V Sattui
Tant mieux pour toi, mon vieux! ( I say neither ).
Chowhound Post
Armand de Brignac best champagne in the world? Says FINE Champagne magazine? Jay-Z videos? Please tell me this is just marketing BS!
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11889848/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_d...
I love this:
"Origin
The original "de Brignac" name was registered by the Cattier family in "the late 1940s or early 50s", according to Jean-Jacques Cattier. It was chosen at that time by his mother, who had been reading a novel featuring a character named de Brignac.In naming the new Champagne, Cattier states those involved "came up with Armand, it sounded kind of noble".
Chowhound Post
2007 Gamay Rouge by V Sattui
Who says gamay says beaujolais.
Who says beaujolais says beaujolais nouveau.
Who says beaujolais nouveau says November.
Hey! It's November right now.
You're at the right wine at the right time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaujola...
Chowhound Post
Holiday Champagne/Sparkling Wine Scene -- 2009
For a change, and an excellent QPR, try franciacorta from Lombardy (Italy).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciac...
NOTE: You need to add a final ) to the URL above , or just google "wikipedia franciacorta wine"
I see you're in CT.
Lots of hits in wine-searcher.com under "Franciacorta" & "CT"
E.g.: http://www.amitywines.com
Chowhound Post
Champagne at around $10
NV Billecart Salmon Brut Regular Price: $45.99
75 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212 462 4244
http://www.chelseawinevault.com
Not counting "Holiday Specials", like:
Zachy's offer Charles Ellner Cuvee de Reserve Brut NV (90WS) {#135585}, Regular Price: $49.99 per bottle, $150/Six Pack, free shipping, yara yara.
Prices good until 11:59pm EST 11/06/09 , but tell Andrew I sent you.
Chowhound Post
the bazaar, by jose andres - the good and the disappointing, a review
Rather than to Andres, you should have probably addressed your letter to Sam Nazarian ( a.k.a. SBE): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Naza...
Bazaar is just one more example of a tired and true business concept : pick a well known name ( Andres, Mina, ...), wrap it in a sexy and hollow concept, spend a bundle in PR, and voilà. BTW, training personnel is not a priority, mind you.
Anyways, one thing is sure: SN has definitely done the correct first step it takes to end up with a small fortune in the food business. That is, he started with a large one.
Chowhound Post
Champagne at around $10
Crash course: go open a fast food joint called McDonnald's.
Chowhound Post
Wine Pairing for Shrimp in Pesto Cream Sauce?
Shrimp w/pesto is a panzer division marching in.
I'd only confront it with the peace & love approach.
Say pinot grigio, even prosecco on the white front, leave the reds out of the picture.
Chowhound Post
Champagne at around $10
What a difference 5 years make!
Back in 2004, in response to OP's request for suggestions re. champagne around $10 a poster said
"Not to be too pedantic, but what you will be getting around $10 is not Champagne but sparkling wine. "
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/2995...
Fast forward Nov 2009:
"We are going to offer champagne for fewer than 10 euros (15 dollars) a bottle for the holiday season," said Christophe Blaise, Carrefour manager in Reims, the Champagne region's capital.
http://www.navegalo.com/index.php?opt...
French link:
http://www.liberation.fr/economie/010...
Chowhound Post
PLEASE POST YOUR VOTES HERE: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2009
>25
Spago
Church & State
Fraiche
Il Pastaio
Carlitos Gardel
<25
Umami Burger
El Parian
Father's Office
Langer's
Dino's Chicken
Chowhound Post
Bottles w/o government warning label
I buy frequently at auction, mostly Spanish, Italian or French stuff.
To avoid import hassles, I choose US auctions, either NY or LA.
It happens quite often that some of the lots don't have neither government warning labels nor name of importer. In fact, no English labels at all.They are sold the way they left the winery overseas.
Tricky question: is this legal?
More specifically: you can always import bottles (if you have the right license) saying they are NOT FOR SALE. Actually, I've done it. In that case, no TTB label approval is required, therefore no government warning label. However, selling at auction is ... well ... selling, right? Therefore, it seems to me you can't sell at auction bottles that have been imported as not for sale.
Anybody in the know?
Chowhound Post
Why are organic wines so bad?
Not only in organic agriculture: sulfur is also acceptable in biodynamics as well.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6141...
My personal rule: any technology that is 100+ years old is OK with me.
Chowhound Post
Why do so many corkscrews suck?
My tools of the trade :
1) a common waiter's two-step corkscrew ( $10, if you want to splurge )
2) an ah-so, also called "key" wine opener ( picture attached ).
This one is invaluable with rotten and/or very old corks.
($4.75 for the plastic version, which is the one I use )
3) Drip-stopper foils.
Infinitely reusable, I take them everywhere.
It's amazing how many waiters see it for the first time when I pull one of those little discs.
The prices in the link below are inflated, they usually cost about $1 a pc. in any wine store.
http://wine-wall.com/products.php?id=53
4) Foil cutter? What's that? I just pull the damned thing out, it plays absolutely no role.
Chowhound Post
Anything new In Buenos Aires?
I just got this special event menu from Thymus.
Not their regular menu, but probably helps.
Chowhound Post
Parq in the Beverly Hills Montage: who said hotel restaurants are boring???
Yeah, quite a few times.
Back in Dec 2008 I was delusional.
Sorry.
Chowhound Post
Anything new In Buenos Aires?
I'd just skip Puerto Madero.
Too artificial / touristy, at least for my taste.
To consider:
( Balvanera? Monserrat? ) Centro Vasco Francés http://www.rvascofrances.com.ar/
Belgrano: Pura Tierra http://www.puratierra.com.ar
Chowhound Post
Restaurant in someone's Home in Los Angeles area?
Used to be called Zanzabelle in Silverlake area, now they moved to Pasadena.
Matthew and Jacqueline Roberts
626-243-3686
Their email is info@freightfoods.com
Haven't tried their food, others might be able to help with comments.
Chowhound Post
My Saint Amour review...
Here's Will's review:
LUNCH AT SAINT AMOUR - BEYOND SUPERB
We had a free day yesterday, and Mrs. O being a hopeless Hello Kitty freak wanted to see the HK exhibit at Royal/T in Culver City. I agreed, IF we could have lunch at Le Saint Amour. As she still dreams about her charcuterie plate at Angelique several years ago it was not a hard sell.
Those folks have clearly come up in the world since their Angelique days, though they still seem to like oddly-shaped spaces. This is a very nice and bright one, though, and with a fine big fenced-in space outdoors beneath the trees. We had a small table at the outer edge of that, so mostly got served from the sidewalk. A glass of Muscadet for her, St. Amour for me, a basket of bread and plenty of butter arrived very quickly. The bread is rather disappointing, being a sort of semi-whole-wheat baked item sliced from a loaf, and not really interesting. Nor French, for that matter. It was however the only remotely disappointing thing we had there.
Mrs. O of course had to have her Asiette de Charcuterie, and ordered the half-size cheese plate to go with it. I'd been ogling the grilled onglet with frites on the website menu, but it was not on this one, so I thought I'd give their duck confit a whirl; that's what I'd had at Angelique, for one thing, and for another I saw that it came with both frites and a salad. After a decent interval the cheese plate arrived, along with TWO salads. Mrs. O was pleasantly surprised - "I get one too?" "Oui, Madame." Well, that was about the nicest little salad I've had in these parts, all fresh wild or tame greens in a whisper of simple, light dressing. The cheese plate had four wedges, really enough to share, with grapes, a strawberry, and what I could swear were deep-fried walnuts. There was no indication as to what the cheeses were; I suppose we could have asked, but eating them was more fun.
The main plates showed up fairly soon, both quite bountiful. Of the charcuterie slices there was one of of a pate en croute with pistachios, another of more coarsely chopped meats with some jelly in there, some rillettes, a few slices of saucisson sec and some paper-thin prosciutto, and cornichons on the side. My plate was wall-to-wall with a mound of perfectly crisp, perfectly greaseless matchstick frites, and two big duck legs laid with the ends of the thighs kissing and ankles crossed. A poke of the fork revealed that our host had been working on his confit since last we met: the one at Angelique had been chewy but good, whereas this was both fall-apart tender and bursting with rich flavor. The first leg I painstakingly cut meat off the bone; the second I just pushed on the meat with my fork and pulled the bones right out, and never bothered with my knife after that, except to clip the little gristly doodad off the thigh meat. My taste of crisp skin was so divine I passed the second one over; she rolled her eyes and murmured, "Heavenly." The French love fat, and certainly know how to treat it...
After hunger had been well satisfied we settled back and nibbled at the meats and cheeses, some wiped straight onto the bread (which for all its faults stood up sturdily to this) and some laid over a shaving of butter. The frites showed their class by remaining crisp and tender no matter how cold they got; I guess we showed ours by not just spending the rest of the day there, although I certainly could have. It came to about $50 all told, before tax and tip. This is not our usual level of lunch tab, but it was more than matched by the level of lunch. We are saving our spare change for next time.
9725 Culver Blvd. (entrance also on Washington)
Culver City, 90232
310-842-8155
Chowhound Post
Anything new In Buenos Aires?
This is a fairly recent link on BA's coolest & hipest & newest :
http://www.jaunted.com/maps/Best-Rest...
Chowhound Post
poppy & louuuu [BYOB policies - moved from Tristate board]
It seems this thread landed in the wrong board.
Lots of discussions on BYOB policies in the WINE board.
Chowhound Post
Spending The Day At Ocean Star--Dim Sum Lunch and Dinner Too
As far as I know, ANY change whatsoever implies a new license. Carter?
Chowhound Post
Gault Millau wine guides, Yay or Nay?
Doing some research before embarking in the purchase of still another wine guide, I stumbled upon this article:
"German winemakers declare war on Gault Millau"
http://www.winerambler.net/blog/germa...
Any board opinions on the Gault Millau wine guides, German or otherwise?
Chowhound Post
Spending The Day At Ocean Star--Dim Sum Lunch and Dinner Too
Very Interesting, to say the least.
Chowhound Post
white truffles
"ship direct" ?
As in ... first you pay, then they ship, then you go face the FDA inspector at the nearest port of entry??? Then pay the 100% duty on Italian fresh truffles????
Chowhound Post
TN: 2000 Opus One
Wow! your TN differ wildly from the Guru's done in 2003 ( who btw gave it an 84 rating ):
"The 2000 Opus One marks the third straight vintage where this winery has produced a surprisingly feeble offering. Similar to several previous vintages, the 2000 reveals tremendously intense, horsy, sweaty saddle leather/locker room aromas, and lacks concentration. Neophytes might find some charm in this medium-bodied red’s softness, sweet tannin, and easy-going red and black currant fruit. However, there is little depth or finish in this 2000. The cheesy aromas are not expected in a wine that costs $150. To date, this is the biggest disappointment of the vintage.
I tasted this wine twice, once at someone else’s expense, and once from a bottle I purchased in Napa. Both tastings were consistent. This wine gets my vote as one of Napa Valley’s most over-priced offering."
My religion forbids OO, therefore I'll never find out who's right. Oh well!
Chowhound Post
Best brand of everyday use olive oil?
The current Kirkland Signature is 2008 harvest.
Absolutely the best.
I tasted it for the first time shortly after returning from my prior trip to Italy (Nov 2008), where I tasted quite a few right-off-the press oils. It is definitely the real thing.
BUT keep in mind: freshly pressed EVOO only lasts for about 6 months. After that window, it becomes a more regular EVOO ( not bad, but not special ).
I wouldn't recommend any other olive oil from Costco.
Chowhound Post
A question about 1959 Moulin Touchais Anjou
So here's an abstract of my phone interview of a few hours ago with Mme. ... from Vins Touchais.
Q: When did you stat using the appelation "Coteaux-du-Layon" on your labels?
A: About 30 years ago.
Q: The AOC Coteaux-du-Layon was created in 1950. Why the delay?
A: "Anjou" is a lot easier to pronounce for the aglophone public.
Q: Back to my 1959 Anjou Réserve du Fondateur bottle, is it an Anjou or a CdL?
A: Both.
Q: Should it still be drinkable?
A: Mais absolument, Monsieur!
Q: Is it true that you keep bottles 10 years in the caves prior to release?
A: Yes.
Q: Is it true you give 100 year warranty on any bottle you sell?
A: < Mme. ... was very amused, both by the claim, and my asking about it >
Chowhound Post
$25 prix-fixe at Chaya Downtown
"lagniappe" : lovely word. Thanks for the reminder!
"The word entered English from Louisiana French, in turn derived from the American Spanish phrase la ñapa ('something that is added' ). The term has been traced back to the Quechua word yapay ('to increase; to add'). In Andean markets it is still customary to ask for a yapa when making a purchase. The seller usually responds by throwing in a little extra. Although this is an old custom, it is still widely practiced today in Louisiana."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagniappe
