Sunday night in Montreal

Au Pied de Cochon has no availability and Chasse et Peche is closed -- any suggestions for a late-ish Sunday dinner in Montreal? Ideally with a decent wine list and away from the bachelor parties. Thanks in advance for any help!

waferthin in Quebec (including Montreal)

iPhone Wine apps

I'm sure this is not really what you're looking for but the Liberty School Wine DJ can be a lot of fun. You choose the wine (of course the app is only for LS wines but I use the varietals), mood and setting and the app uses Grooveshark to generate a playlist. Again it's a total novelty and not much use for shopping or cataloguing but I really enjoy it :)

waferthin in Wine

Fresh rabbit

Does anyone know of a source for fresh rabbit in LA? Someone suggested the poultry vendors in the Farmer's Market but I don't love their chicken so was looking for other options -- or if you've procured rabbit from there and were satisfied with it, that would be helpful to know too. I can call ahead if neccesary so it doesn't have to be something the vendor has available all the time. Thanks!

waferthin in Los Angeles Area

Where can I find some Frozen Custard?

I had an amazing frozen creme brulee (basically a custard) at Local in Silverlake this weekend. It was a special that night so I guess you should call ahead to see if they're still serving it. Out of curiousity, why/how is frozen custard different from ice cream? I've made ice cream before and the base seems to be essentially the same as a custard, but the frozen custards I've had do seem distinct from regular ice cream. Is it frozen in a different way, i.e. not in an ice cream maker?

waferthin in Los Angeles Area

Any Peppermint Paddock Fans Out There?

Also in stock at Old Bridge Cellars in Napa:

https://www.oldbridgecellars.com/

waferthin in Wine

Any Peppermint Paddock Fans Out There?

I'm definitely part of the 40ish cohort whose only experience with sparkling red was the occasional lambrusco but I was intrigued by this thread so bought a case (from Zachy's, they were great to deal with). I'm drinking my first glass now and it's a knockout, thanks for the recommendation! (I don't think I chilled it enough so I put the bottle back in the fridge but it's still pretty great as is.) I disagree that it's "not really a quaffer" since I'm enjoying it on its own and yet somehow I was suddenly compelled to order a pepperoni pizza with crushed red pepper. Thanks!

waferthin in Wine

How About A New What Are You Drinking ?

Domaine Tempier Bandol Blanc, I think 2007. Run, don't walk!

waferthin in Wine

What to pair with pinot noir

Thanks for all the suggestions -- I am planning to err on the lighter side of PN so initially was thinking grilled tuna or pork but then I decided to see how it would be with a robust roast chicken with bread salad (sort of Zuniesque but not religously so). I'll report back, thanks.

waferthin in Wine

I hate vin jaune. I mean, the wax

As an aside, what else could one pair with vin jaune?

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

Well actually no -- the first three wines I had that were organic, I only found out about after the fact (this was at Comme Ca, Hungry Cat and Bar Jules in SF) when, after finding it unpalatable, I asked for something different and the servers said ruefully something like "Yeah, it's organic."

I do like the taste test idea -- maybe something you should do at Lou? -- but I want to just nitpick this one point: My beef is with wines that are CERTIFIED organic, not those which are made from organically farmed grapes -- I may be drinking those all day long and not even know it.

I guess I can accept that I may just not like the style of organic or organicish wines, in the same way I don't like fruit-bomb CA pinot noirs or any pinot grigio or cremant style sparklers. However I wouldn't say that those were inherently bad wines, and in fact in certain contexts I would drink them happily. I'm sorry to say I still can't say that for any of the (once again, LABELLED) organics I've tried. But I have your list above and if I encounter any I'll try them and report back, thanks.

waferthin in Wine

What to pair with pinot noir

I'm inspired by the recent NYT article on the new trend in California Pinot Noirs ( http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/11pour.html?em ) to seek out a few of these "finesse" wines and serve them at dinner. Any suggestions on what kind of food might go well with this style of wine? Thanks.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

I totally agree. As I've said elsewhere in this thread, my issue has been with wines that are labelled organic and biodynamic. I know how great organic ingredients are for food, so it only made sense that organic fruit could and should be great for wine so I was very curious as to why organic wines should be so uniformly bad. I think we've said this before but it seems like it's partially an issue with sulfies and partially the quality of a winery that's more interested in dogma and marketing than producing a great wine. i completely accept that there are plenty of wines that I may have enjoyed that are produced from organic fruit but don't advertise it, either because they don't care or because it's not legal if they add sulfites.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

The thread lives! Sorry not to have replied earlier but I thought it had tapered off.

I admit I didn't even think it was a controversial thing to say, since everyone I know in real life feels the same way I do, but given the number of people who've responded with dissenting opinions (including some pretty unjust flames, which I see have since been deleted) I have really really been trying to a) make a point of choosing organic wines in restaurants and b) finding something to like about them. I've done pretty well with former and struck out completely with the latter. I wish I could say I'll keep trying but after a month of experimenting, I'm looking forward to drinking something enjoyable for a change. What can I say, I love sulfites!

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

Thanks! That makes a lot of sense. Really it seems like wine lobbyists should put some money into either getting the regulations changed, or maybe the industry could implement some kind of labelling system so even if the wine wasn't legally 'organic' buyers would know the fruit was.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

I tried the pineau d'aunis last time I was in! Actually I think you were doing a flight of them that night, but I can't remember which one I tried -- I realize if I'm going to keep posting I need to do a better job of recording what I'm drinking. :)

It's funny you should bring up the pineau d'aunis because while I found it too challenging to finish the glass I have to admit I've thought about it a lot since then. It was definitely evocative -- I had a flash of a medieval court with rushes on the floor and wolfhounds lying around while people ate off trenchers with knives -- but more of a curiousity than something I would seek out again. But it did lead me
to reconsider -- not so much what I think about organic wines but about whether or not you should call yourself a wine bar because every time I come in I understand more and more what you're going for.

I think the thing with your wine list is that it has such a strong point of view that you almost have to be in an academic frame of mind to get the most out of the experience. I feel like I should be spitting into a bucket with some of the wines I've tasted -- not because they're bad :) but because you need to be in that space where you're thinking and not drinking. It's commendable, but it also tends to limit my desire to come in because mostly I want to enjoy wine, not appreciate it -- if that makes sense. On the other hand I really do applaud the fact that you're serious about natural wines, unlike places like Comme Ca or Hungry Cat who turned me off them in the first place with their token selections which they seem to serve without any real understanding or appreciation. And obviously you've already broadened my understanding of wine so even if I'm never going to love organic wines at least I no longer dispute your right to call yourself a wine bar. And regardless as long as you're serving that savory tart and frisee salad I'm a happy customer. :)

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

I would agree if it was just Bar Jules, but it seems to be the trend with every wine I've had that was specifically labelled organic -- I think the reasons have been pretty well hashed out, at least to my satisfaction, i.e. that plenty of organic fruit is going into non-organic-labelled wine which may add sulfites later, organic wines are less stable and I may just not like low sulfite wines.

But I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that Bar Jules is confused about its identity. Thanks for the tip on the real wine list, I'll have to check it out next time I'm in SF.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

I may be repeating an earlier post, but just to clarify, the wines I tried at Lou WERE organic, or at least marked as such on the menu. I think more than half the wines they pour are legally organic and/or biodynamic. I have had other wine there that was NOT organic that I liked - a red made from a grape I hadn't heard of before, magliocco (sp?). I haven't had anything non-organic there that I didn't like, but I've only been a few times so this isn't really scientific reporting. And I really don't want to single out Lou which is an excellent restaurant that you should run to try if you're in LA.

But anyway I agree that it seems like the issue is not organic fruit but the regulations that restrict what winemakers are allowed to call organic, which wouldn't contain added sulfites.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

I toured Benziger maybe 4 or 5 years ago and they were doing biodynamic even back then -- one thing I will say is that it makes for a beautiful vineyard!

I've also had plenty of bad non-organic wines but I find that 100% of the wines LABELED 'organic' have been bad in a really specific way which leads me to believe that it may have to do with added sulfites. Either I don't like low-sulfite wines or, as someone else here suggested, they may just be less stable and harder to store well. In fact, I just went through my recycling (so gross) and found that one of the wines I recently had and loved was in fact made with organic grapes but is not labelled organic: Robert Sinskey Los Carneros Pinot Noir -- I threw it back in the bin so I don't know the year.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

Are you in Montreal? I just visited there this past fall and had some of the best food of my life there. And in fact a great Chablis at L'Express, but I'm bad at remembering producers.

To try and answer your question, I definitely do not like CA Chardonnays but I do like Chablis. I drink a lot of Italian whites, mainly Piedmont and Liguria but some Sicilian as well, like falanghina, greco di tufo and recently discovered the fantastic erbaluce. I don't know enough about how they're produced to know how manipulated they might be. I have a case of greco di tufo from Benito Ferrara (I think it's 2007) and another case of Erbaluce from Le Chiusure, and have found La Rustia to also be great for erbaluce. I also drink a lot of Sancerre, and I love roses as well - my faves are La Poussie, Petale de rose and the ever present domaine tempier. i don't drink as much red, but when I do it's pinot or again some italians -- i recently had a nero d'avalo (sp?) that I can't wait to go back for, and also a spanish tinto that was great. I'm also perfectly happy with what my friend calls 'cocktail' wines, like NZ sauvignon blancs or South African chenin blanc which are just fun and easy to drink. The only thing I don't really have a taste for is super big reds but I can't honestly say about the organic wines I've tried that I didn't like them because they had too much body.

It does sound like from a lot of the comments that the issue is not so much organic but organic-labelled. It's seems like it's parallel to the organic food situation when a lot of products are organic (or free range) in name but not in spirit. I find that a small kosher chicken (that may or may not be organic) or Mary's chicken that I can buy at Gelson's tastes way better than a 5 lb supposedly free-range Rocky or Rosie from Whole Foods.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

Thanks for the specific recommendations, I'll keep an eye out for them. Do you happen to know if they're actually labelled organic for sale in the US, i.e. do they not add any sulfites? I've also noted some wines that are labelled 'post-organic' but I have no idea what that means.

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

I’m afraid that asking me what wines I like is like asking me what fingers and toes I like – I’m kind of attached to all of them. It may be that I’m not accustomed to the organic ‘style’ but I’ve learned to enjoy a number of challenging characteristics in wine over the years from ‘barnyard’ to ‘burnt rubber’ and my sense is that if, after tasting more than a dozen, I still find organic wines made of many different varieties of grape to be of inferior quality there may be a good reason. And I’m not alone. This article appeared in Salon a little over a year ago, I’ll quote the relevant part of it:
"Generally the taste of organic wines isn't very good," says Andy Waterhouse, interim chairman of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC-Davis. "People who want to buy organic wine should refrigerate it after buying. Personally, I'm not seeking out organic wines."
http://www.salon.com/mwt/good_life/2007/12/01/organic_wine/
So my question is not IF organic wines are bad, but why most of them are bad. I appreciate that there may be decent producers out there but it seems to be the exception and not the rule. I’m really just curious as to what makes the difference. The Salon article makes it sound like it’s really all about sulfites, but if people have found great organic wines maybe there’s some winemaking technique that can compensate for the lack of sulfites?

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

I wish I had kept track but the best I can do is to say that they've all been in fairly nice restaurants in LA and one in SF. The first half dozen or so were oddities on the wine list, i.e. not at restaurants that were dogmatic about being organic, and the rest were at the two places I mentioned above --between them I've tried 7 different wines, both white and red. I'm by no means an expert by the way but part of the reason I'm even asking this question is that it seems like every time I really dislike a wine lately it's been because it's organic. I'm going to Lou again soon and will try the Chidaine and report back but I have been curious for months why organic should be bad for wines. Thanks!

waferthin in Wine

Why are organic wines so bad?

Thanks for the tip, I'll do that if I can figure out how :)

waferthin in Wine

Italian restaurant in the Hollywood/WeHo adjacent area

Angelini Osteria is usually pretty good, and I also like Terroni. Many many people like La Buca too although I think it's pretty pedestrian. Delancey is sort of hit or miss, but if you want to travel a little further east I've only every had a good time at Little Dom's.

waferthin in Los Angeles Area

Why are organic wines so bad?

I’ve noticed a trend – if two restaurants can be called a trend - both here in LA and in San Francisco towards establishments devoted to serving organic fare but which insist on billing themselves as wine bars. My experience with organic wines is that they’re uniformly horrible and nothing I’ve been served, red or white, either at Bar Jules in SF, but more specifically here at Lou (Melrose and Vine) has proven any different. (At Lou, even the one or two selections that were not organic or biodynamic were unpalatable.) Not surprisingly the food at both places is fantastically good, but if I can’t enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner it absolutely diminishes the experience. But what really gets me is that both places think they’re wine bars! I called Lou today to ask what they charge for corkage and was told that it was ‘bringing coals to Newcastle’ – they’re all so nice there I didn’t have the heart to tell them they’re a million miles from Newcastle.

So I guess my question is, why is it that organic wines are so bad? Apparently organic beer is terrific (I don’t drink beer) and obviously organic food is too, but I don’t get why grapes grown organically shouldn’t produce great wines. Is it that the wineries are so focused on agriculture that they pay less attention to the winemaking? Or do sulfites make that big a difference?

Just curious, and I’m not knocking Lou by the way, it’s definitely worth suffering through the wine list to experience the food.

waferthin in Wine

Fresh sardines

Thanks, I did search before i posted but somehow missed that thread. I guess a better question would be, given that they're so hard to find, what other small fresh fish make for good grilling.

waferthin in Los Angeles Area

Fresh sardines

Hi - Where can I buy FRESH sardines in the LA area? None of the usual vendors (LA Fish, SM Seafood, etc.) carry them. Thanks.

waferthin in Los Angeles Area

Ramos Fizz at brunch

Hi - Where in LA can I get a good Ramos Fizz at brunch? Apparently The Ivy, but anywhere else? Thanks!

waferthin in Los Angeles Area

Wine shops in Siena

Thanks for the tip!

waferthin in Italy