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Archive for February 2013

Hedonists at STK again!

Feb27

Restaurant: STK [1, 2, 3]

Location: 755 North La Cienega. Los Angeles, CA 90069. 310.659.3900

Date: February 25, 2013

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Gluttonous fun!

_

It’s been six months since we Hedonists last hit STK and so it was time for a return. Being a steakhouse, STK is a great place to pull out all those beefy reds!

The space is chic and modern. Above is the La Cienega entrance.

These look like Glazed Pop’ems, but they’re savory. And that sauce is pretty much a under-spiced chimichurri.

Arnaud Margaine’s NV Brut Premier Cru is gorgeous. White flowers, crushed rocks and green pears literally jump from the glass in this beautifully delineated, energetic Champagne. Vivid, crystalline and beautifully layered, the Premier Cru impresses for its balance and exceptional overall harmony. This is a great effort in its peer group. The Premier Cru is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, 50% vintage 2009 and the remainder reserve wines back to 2002. I would give the Premier Cru another 6-12 months to be fully expressive post-disgorgement.

“DIVER SCALLOPS.” coriander crust – young coconut – textures of corn.

Burghound 94, “2005 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White. A ripe and classic nose of distinctly discreet and reserved green fruit and floral aromas that are airy, pure and lightly spiced merge into intense, precise and penetrating medium full flavors blessed with terrific acid/fruit balance and huge length. This is really a lovely wine that is presently a tightly coiled spring and in need of extended bottle aging to really put on display the superb potential here. An understated stunner of a wine as well as ultra refined and one of the best examples of this appellation in 2005.”

“Seafood tower, medium.” While this was good, it wasn’t exactly towering.

Parker 93, “1996 Domaine Tollot-Beaut et Fils Corton Bressandes. This estate’s Corton-Bressandes is a wine I search out in vintages with good ripeness. It is never huge, muscular, or a blockbuster but can often be sultry, seductive, detailed, and simply lovely. A recently tasted 1990, while at least three years from maturity, was fabulous. The 1996 displays sweet red cherry and Asian spice aromatics as well as a gorgeously refined character filled with candied and delineated cherries. This elegant, sexy, and feminine offering is medium-to-full-bodied, silky-textured, and possesses a long and refreshing finish.”

“BLUE ICEBERG.” smoked bacon – blue cheese – pickled tomato.

Parker 86, “The 1997 VINHA BARROSA VINHA VELHA is a single vineyard wine (hence, says the winery, the “vinha velha” rather than plural for old vines, “vinhas velhas”) maturing, showing a little oxidation, and seems a bit older than it is. That said, and despite some astringency still on the finish, there are some things to like here, as the fruit has opened up. There is a distinctive touch of mint on the finish. The wine’s structure is outliving its fruit, so this seems to me to be a good time to drink it, although it has both the tannin and acidity to hold a good, long while. Drink now-2017.”

From the getgo, this wine had a barnyard funk, which at the beginning was actually pleasant, if rustic. As it sat in the glass the barn intensified in a very horse manure direction until it overwhelmed. Just smelling it made me smile — and called to mind visions of sweaty horses packed into the stables.

“HEARTS OF ROMAINE.” garlic crouton – parmesan lemon dressing.

 

92-94 points, “13.1% ALC, 96% Cabernet, 4% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc – Again this was much like the 1975 and 1979 on the nose with the pungent, sweaty, locker room nose. I knew again that this was the same producer and close in age. This had some notes of sweet fruit on the nose like boysenberry with good viscosity and good balance. The tannins were seamless but the finish brief keeping this my #2 of the night.”

There was a bit of funk, but it was still a very pleasant wine.

“TUNA TARTARE. soy emulsion – avocado – taro chips.”

Parker 95, “When I think back to the top California Cabernet Sauvignon wineries twenty-two years ago (1973), it is shocking to see how many of the finest wineries in 1973 have fallen behind today’s leading Cabernet producers. For example, Beaulieu, Heitz, Inglenook, Mayacamas, and Freemark Abby were undisputed leaders in the early seventies, but in 1995, they have been surpassed by thirty or forty other producers. I can think of only three wineries that were making fabulous Cabernet Sauvignons in 1973 that have continued to produce great wines, with no qualitative slumps through 1995 – Caymus Vineyard, Ridge, and Chateau Montelena. Because Chateau Montelena is “old” by California standards, it is easy to overlook the extraordinary wines produced by Jim Barrett and his son, Bo. Remarkably, there is not a bad vintage of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon to be found. While hitting the peaks in top years, this winery makes fine Cabernets in vintages where other producers flounder. A recent example of this is the 1989 Estate Cabernet, a superb wine that continues to languish on the shelves of retailers. For that reason, an invitation to a vertical tasting of Chateau Montelena’s estate Cabernet is one of the most exciting tickets in town.”

For a 20 year old Cab, this was very youthful!

“BEEF TARTAR. black truffle – sliced radish – soy caramel.”

Parker 93, “1999 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste—Medium red. As is usually the case, the Brunate/Le Coste takes things up a notch. It presents a deeply mentholated, balsamic nose along with layers of dark fruit, licorice and tar flavors that develop in the glass in a potent style that captures the essence of the vintage. The Brunate/Le Coste is the richer and bigger of the two Barolos here, yet it also shows more elegance in its finer tannins. Still reasonably priced, Rinaldi’s Brunate/Le Coste remains the best traditional Barolo most people have never tasted.”

“Shrimp cocktail.” Classic.

Fresh green tomatoes.

Some oysters on the halfshell.

Just a bit of the chaos.

Probably around 90 points, a pleasant mature shiraz.

Probably a porterhouse or ribeye.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

From my cellar, Parker 95, “The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. The single-vineyard 1994s were singing loudly when I saw them in July. All of them scored significantly higher than they did during the two previous years, which is not unusual as Guigal’s upbringing (elevage) of the wines results in better examples in the bottle than in cask. All three wines flirt with a perfect score. At this tasting, they reminded me of Guigal’s 1982s – opulent, sumptuously-textured, forward, rich, precocious, flattering wines that will drink well throughout their lives. The 1994 Cote Rotie La Mouline possesses extraordinary intensity. A dark ruby/purple color is followed by a penetrating nose of sweet black raspberry fruit intertwined with aromas of coconut and apricots. Jammy black fruits continue on the palate of this full-bodied, silky-textured, sumptuously-styled wine that is glorious to drink – even from barrel. It is an amazing La Mouline that offers all the elegance, suppleness, and sexiness this cru merits. It should drink well upon its release in 1998, and last for 15 more years. Guigal is one of the cellars where the wines always taste better after they are bottled than they do from cask, although as the scores in this segment indicate, some profound wines can be found in the 1994, 1995, and 1996 vintages Chez Guigal.”

A regular filet.

Parker 96, “More European in style than some of its siblings, the 2008 exhibits good acidity, more noticeable tannin (but it is extremely young), and plenty of crushed rock, espresso roast and licorice characteristics intermixed with a volcanic minerality. Full-bodied, ripe and opulent, with a closed, formidable personality.”

This was a pretty fabulous, albeit young, Cab.

A different looking filet.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

Parker 98, “From a single 9-acre parcel, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard exhibits extraordinary aromas of acacia flowers and violets along with an irrefutable minerality, an abundance of blueberry and blackberry fruit, outstanding texture, full-bodied richness, great depth, and ripe tannin. This Cabernet will benefit from 4-6 years of cellaring, and should evolve for 40 years.”

Powerful and delicious!

“Bone-in filet with lobster and bordelaise.” Certainly a great steak, and bordelaise makes EVERYTHING better.

“Bone-in filet” naked.

“New York strip with salt.”

Parker 93+, “A hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon (800 cases), this is still an outstanding wine, with classic graphite, creme de cassis, blueberry and floral notes all well-presented in the perfumed aromatics of this full-bodied, rich, concentrated wine. It has some noticeable tannins to be resolved and is not as seamless and flawless as the monumental 2007”

I thought this was better than a 93.

Just some of our sides!

“Creamed spinach.”

“Sweet corn pudding.” We took to calling this stuff “corn porn” it was so good. We ordered 5 of them too!

Mushrooms and brussel sprouts.

Some stellar mac & cheese.

“Parmesan truffle fries.”

This is my own personal stem collection!  I don’t like to be rushed. The more I do these wine diners the more I take things into my own hands, like:

1. Bringing my own stems (I didn’t need to here, but I often do).

2. Stealing stems off other tables or from behind the bar. Tonight I looted stems from half the tables in the room. 🙂

3. Opening my own bottles (I travel with several openers). In the bar, I asked for stems and then just opened a bottle and poured.

4. Pouring – of course!

Some very old Sauternes. This was very interesting stuff. A bit flawed perhaps, but entirely, totally, and extremely enjoyable. Like honey wine.

“Sticky bread pudding.” The sauce on this was to die for.

“Banana chocolate torte.”

“CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE. warm baked cookie – vanilla ice cream.” Also pretty spectacular.

The overall evening was spectacular. The place treated us really well with swift and friendly service you hardly noticed. Plus, there was the excellent company and all our amazing wines! As a steakhouse, I find it much like Mastro’s but about 5% worse on average — although there are some different starters and sides, many of which are excellent. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than Mastro’s, and lets us skip the corkage, which is huge! We were out of here for $110 a person, including tax and tip, which is pretty amazing for such an enormous feast at a high end steakhouse.

Our previous STK outing.

For more crazy Foodie Club meals, click.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists at STK
  2. Hedonists Boil Up Some Crab
  3. Hedonists at Dahab
  4. Hedonists Cook the Goose
  5. Hedonists climb the Peak
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Champagne, Corton-Charlemagne, Dessert, hedonists, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Pinot noir, Premier Cru, Seafood, Steak, Steak House, steak tartare, STK, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors

The Godling Chronicles: The Sword of Truth

Feb25

The_Godling_Chronicles cover3Title: The Godling Chronicles: Book One (The Sword of Truth)

Author: Brian D. Anderson

Genre: YA Epic Fantasy

Length: 344 pages

Read: February 2-15, 2013

Summary: Fun teen epic fantasy

 

Recently, I’ve noticed a lot of epic fantasy novels in the Kindle top sellers, and taking a look at the epic fantasy category list many are Indie publications. This being my favorite genre, I figured I’d give some a try.

The Godling Chronicles: The Sword of Truth (don’t confuse with Terry Goodkind’s series of that name) adheres to many of the classic tropes: a sort of Indie The Book of Three meets The Eye of the World. Plotwise, we have a kind of Dark Lord, and we have a young guy from the country with a destiny. He has a mentor, he goes on a journey. There are girls (but no sex – boo!). The (relatively) unique element is that he’s really a god — albeit a reduced in-human-form god who doesn’t know it.

I liked this book, and if I were 13-14 again, I’d have loved it. The plot is straightforward but fine and it’s actually a bit refreshing harkening back to those classic “Shanara type” fantasies of the 80s. With the exception of the brief prologue, the narrative sticks tightly to a single protagonist and that keeps the pace up. As an added bonus, the story was co-written by the author’s 9-10 year-old son, which is very cool.

It’s not a long novel, 344 pages, and represents an opening salvo, more of a “first part” than a traditional “giant chunk” like a Wheel of Time book. This is fine, as it’s inexpensive and you can just download part 2 when you get there. I actually like that changes in publishing are allowing for more flexibility of form.

But I do have a few problems with the mechanics. The sentence work itself is fine. Workman like, but never awkward. However, the novel is simultaneously both over and underwritten. Let’s start with the under part. The book is written in 3rd person omni with no strong narrative voice and a focus on a few of the characters. Fine. But, the author mainly uses two tricks from his narrative toolbox to advance the plot: dialog and inner dialog. There is some action, but it’s fairly thinly painted. There is almost no narrative description, or description at all for that matter. This keeps the story lean and moving, but leaves us with a very thin sense of place and world. We pass through several cities and various countryside, but I was left with no particular sense of any of them. Most of the words are devoted to conversation and almost all plot points are revealed (and re-revealed) this way.

Which comes to the overwriting part, which isn’t so much at the sentence or fragment level (this, as I said, was decent) but occurred as (often) characters felt the urge to repeat news and revelations to new parties. Of course this happens in real life, but as a reader, once we know something we don’t usually need to hear it again. This is a first novel, and probably not HEAVILY edited, so I expect this kind of thing has improved by book 2, but in general fictional dialog (in books, movies, TV, etc) is like a facsimile of real dialog. It gets the point across in an ideally witty way (probably with more arguing than in real life) and stripped of a lot of the glue that real conversations contain. Those mechanics like “hello” “how are you?” and “Meet me at the fountain.” “You mean the one past the statue around the corner from the butcher shop?” “No the other one, um, um, past the Inn with the greenish turtle sign and the tree that got hit by lightning the other year.” I.e. Stuff we don’t really care about.

The whitespace style in this book is very horizontal (i.e. few line feeds) and I think actually having more can make this sort of thing clearer to author and reader alike. Each line must strive to say something new — ideally even several new things. These things can be plot points, details about the world, revelations of character, or general nuance. If a line can’t defend its right to exist, several ways, well as Faulkner said, “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.”

But that being said, if you’re a young fantasy fan, The Sword of Truth is still a fun little romp. It’s straightforward, and unapologetic about the genre. That’s fine with me. I’ve got nothing against some good Dark Lord action.

For more book reviews, click here.

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By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Books
Tagged as: Book Review, High fantasy, Literature, reviews, Reviews and Criticism, Sword of Truth

Untimed starred in Publishers Weekly!

Feb22

The latest issue of Publishers Weekly just came out, and Untimed earned a starred review! I’m 2/2 on this, as The Darkening Dream also earned a star — and they are quite rare, usually only 1-2 books per issue. The review is good enough that I’ll quote it in entirety, although you can find it on the PW site too:

Gavin (The Darkening Dream), perhaps best known for his work in the video game industry as the creator of Crash Bandicoot, kicks off an exciting series with an intriguing take on time travel. Fifteen-year-old Charlie, so forgettable that his own mother can’t remember his name, is inadvertently thrown back in time when he enters a portal created by a strange clockwork man Stranded in 1725 London, Charlie joins a gang of urchins, meets lively fellow time traveler Yvaine, and accidentally gets Benjamin Franklin killed, totally wrecking the course of history. Charlie and Yvaine must brave the hazards of unfamiliar eras (and the sinister mechanical Tick-Tocks) to restore the proper course of events. Gavin doesn’t sugarcoat the perils of times past, instead exposing his heroes to all sorts of experiences, and Phillips’s dramatically lit spot illustrations amplify the mystery and menace of the setting. The sense of adventure, chemistry between Charlie and Yvaine, and roller coaster plot are sure to appeal to a wide range of readers, who may cry foul at the cliffhanger ending before demanding more.

You can also find all the Untimed reviews (which are pretty uniformly stellar) here.

PWLogo

Related posts:

  1. The Darkening Dream in Publishers Weekly
  2. Untimed nearly here!
  3. Untimed – Meet the Tocks
  4. Untimed Cover Reveal!
  5. Whelping Characters
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Untimed
Tagged as: Book Reviews, Publishers Weekly, starred review, Untimed, Untimed review

Valentino – 2005 White Burg part 2!

Feb22

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3]

Location: 3115 Pico Blvd  Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 829-4313

Date: February 20, 2013

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fabulous!

_

And so we arrive at Part 2 of the epic three night 2005 White Burgundy Dinner series (Part 1 can be found here). This series of dinners, hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell, explores in great detail the best wines of a particular vintage, in this case 2005.

Tonight features the hyphenated Montrachet wines of Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet, Criots Batard-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, and Chevalier-Montrachet .

This particular dinner is at Valentino, which has been a mainstay of the LA fine dining scene for decades. I first started coming here in about 1995 and it was a mind blowing change from the usual trattoria and red-sauce style Italians. Valentino is much closer to Michelin 2 star restaurant in Italy, although not as modernist as some of those are in recent years. If food in Italy turns you on, check out my Eating Italy segment.


Our private room. Notice the large table with a lot of space. This is important when you have nearly 30 glasses a person!


Notice the awesome array of glasses in the background. Only about half the bottles had arrived at the time of this photograph. Only a few restaurants can handle this sort of thing, as they need about 400 stems of the same type and a dedicated Sommelier with sufficient experience and skill. Ours tonight was Julian Zaragoza, wine director, who has been at Valentino for around twenty years! He handled the whole wine service himself with extreme professionalism and personality.


Tonight’s special menu.

Amuses


A magnum of 1985 Alain Robert Les Mesnil Reserve! “This is a quintessentially elegant, 100% Chardonnay, delicately-styled Champagne that is all finesse and charm. Its savory, ripe apple, white peach, wheat thin-like aromas and flavors are exceptionally delicate. Dry but fresh, this is a brilliant example of why French Champagne has no competition.”

Ron brought this and it was really drinking VERY nicely.


Fried parmesan crisps, a Valentino classic.


Panelle. A kind of chickpea crisp coated in olive oil and garlic.


Skewered grilled shrimp with olive oil and seasoning. These were fabulous and tasted a bit like a light Chinese shrimp stirfry (in a good way).


Crudo of tuna with pineapple. Absolutely delicious combo.

A little about Montrachet

All of the wines tonight are Grand Crus and they come from the orange vineyards in the center of Montrachet. Like most Burgundy regions, the best vineyards are those middle high on the slope with good drainage and exotic limestone soil. There are a fairly vast array of Premier Cru vineyards as well, but all the Grand Cru’s are together in a tiny little area.

In case you’re a Burgundy noob, all these white wines are made from the Chardonnay grape.

The reviews below come from a variety of publications, but were collected by Don Cornwell (and repurposed by moi).

The tastings were in four flights, each single blind. A few of the wines were oxidized or advanced (somewhat oxidized). This is a peril of White Burgundy. Top white Burg should last for decades, but sometimes the chemistry goes a little wrong and it ages in a few years, getting a kind of amber color and a sherry-like taste.

21puligny-montrachet

Flight 1: Bienvenues and Criots Batard Montrachet

Mikulski Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A subtly spicy and wonderfully seductive nose features notes of citrus, pear and green fruit that precede the racy, gorgeously intense and seriously pure flavors that are textured, sweet and mouth coating on the energetic and penetrating finish. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that really grabs your attention with its effortless grace. This bears more than a passing resemblance to the ’06 version except this is more concentrated and slightly more powerful. Either way, it’s most impressive as well. 93

This doesn’t really belong in the flight, but a wine dropped out and Don included it since the bottle we had at night 1 was terribly oxidized. This bottle was much better, but still slightly funky.

Leflaive Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Reticent but pure aromas of peach and white flowers. Juicy, intense and precise, with a tight core of stone fruit and floral flavors and terrific stony cut for this cuvee In a distinctly delicate style for the year; impressively intense but not at all aggressive. This extremely suave wine will need extended cellaring. 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: (from 45+ year old vines which are the oldest vines of the domaine) Aromatically this is quite similar to the Pucelles with its lovely blend of honeysuckle and exotic fruit hints save for a bit more depth that is found here followed by rich, pure, energetic and almost painfully intense flavors that explode on the wonderfully long and punchy finish that is pure class. Along with the superb 2004, this is the best example of Leflaive BBM since 1985. 94

Pernot Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Good pale color. Subdued but pure aromas of spring flowers, vanilla and white truffle. Brisk, penetrating and quite dry, with its mineral component currently dominating its underlying peachy fruit. A distinctly low-fat style of wine, closed today but built for aging. Finishes very long, with lovely orange blossom lift. I would not be at all surprised if this merited a higher score five or six years down the road. 92(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A background hint of toast that is already beginning to integrate and will be close to invisible shortly frames a similar nose of honeysuckle and fresh, cool and classy aromas of borderline exotic fruit and orange blossom that marries into the rich, full and sweet flavors supported by wonderful depth of material and an explosive, exceptionally long finish. Terrific. 94

Probably my favorite wine of the flight.

Ramonet Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Very pale yellow. Sexy aromas of crushed stone, ginger and iodine. Densely packed and spicy, with terrific energy and grip. This started out almost painful but gained in breadth and pliancy with air, with a spicy note emerging. In fact, this became downright accessible in my glass. 92

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A fantastic nose of spice, wood toast, brioche, white flower, honeysuckle and citrus hints lead to rich, full, big and sappy flavors that really coat the mouth on the broad and palate staining finish. This is a big Bienvenues and while perhaps not as graceful as the 2000 or 2002, this is certainly stylish and deep. Like many of the wines in the range, it is also relatively forward by the usual standards of this wine yet it will certainly reward mid-term cellaring. 93

H. Boillot Criots Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006: Pure but subdued aromas of peach, apricot, honey and clove. Hints at a silky texture but this is very unforthcoming and tight today, conveying a tactile saline quality and an impression of brooding power. Distinctly dry and uncompromising. But builds impressively on the back end. 91-93

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: This is distinctly riper with a complex and quite concentrated mélange of orchard and exotic fruit aromas that precede dense and textured full-bodied flavors that are almost creamy in the mouth yet there is absolutely no sense of heaviness or lack of detail on the delicious, intense and powerful finish that is the longest of any wine to this point. 94

Hubert Lamy Criots Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows: not reviewed

Citrus And Wild Fennel Marinated Salmon With Osetra Caviar And Chives Sour Cream.


Most of flight 1 (one glass is out of frame).

Flight 2: Batard Montrachet

H Boillot Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006:
and spices. Then wonderfully flavorful and gripping in the mouth, with a sweet orange marmalade flavor framed by lively acidity. At once superripe and precise, and fresh and very long on the aftertaste. This was picked at the beginning of the harvest, with potential alcohol of 13.8%. Boasts superb intensity and density of material. 92-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, April 16, 2011: An intensely floral and still exceptionally fresh nose is nuanced with hints of spice and citrus where the latter can also be found on the textured and borderline massive flavors that display absolutely no sense of heaviness on the exceptionally rich finish that drenches and stains the palate. This is a big wine yet there is a firm acid backbone that keeps everything in ideal balance and overall, it’s an extremely impressive effort. While the abundant dry extract enables this, like many ’05s, to drink

with pleasure now, in magnum format I personally would allow for at least another 4 to 5 years of bottle age. 95

Colin-Morey Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows: not reviewed

Leflaive Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: fruits, flowers and honey. Fatter, thicker and sweeter than the more elegant Bienvenues but less precise today. A classic round, rich, full and highly concentrated 2005 with strong extract and plenty of alcohol. This big boy will need a solid decade of cellaring to burn off some of its baby fat and achieve its adult shape. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, tasted July 29, 2011: This really hasn’t changed all that much from my intial review in 2008 with its highly complex mélange of very fresh orchard fruit and acacia blossom aromas that introduce broad-shouldered and concentrated flavors of serious power and weight that are carrying ample levels of dry extract that really coat the palate on the explosive and hugely long finish. While there is so much extract that it could be approached now with 30 minutes plus of aeration, I would be inclined to allow it at least another two years of cellar time first. 96

My favorite of the flight.

Le Moine Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: tasted from tank; very late malolactic fermentation) Reticent steely aromas of crushed stone, clove and honey. Offers a sweet impression on entry, then an explosively spicy, tangy, honeyed character and a texture just this side of viscous. A highly concentrated, powerful wine with a tactile, dusty texture giving it an almost solid impression. Finishes virile and very long, with a note of marzipan. More soil than primary fruit showing today. Saouma noted that most of his 2005s finished with between 2.5 and 3 grams of residual sugar. “Acid levels were high in 2005, and it was necessary to wait until the acids went down before harvesting,” he explained. “Today the richness of the ’05s is hiding their very strong acidity. People talk about the greatness of the 2005 reds, but we had the same conditions for the whites.” 93-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: This is completely backward and revealing almost nothing aromatically except a bit of wood and the barest hints of floral aromas. The rich, full and impressively scaled flavors though are very rich and concentrated with a beguiling mouth feel that is thick and opulent but not heavy and there is actually solid detail here on the massive finish. This is frankly a tough wine to read because it is so primary but everything appears to be in place to allow this to really blossom once in bottle. 93-95

This bottle was very oxidized and tasted like butterscotch and sherry.

Pernot Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Deep, brooding aromas of peach, menthol and vanilla. Large-scaled, rich and very ripe but classically dry, with complex, soil- inflected flavors of pineapple, minerals, white flowers and wet stone. The very long finish gives a palate-staining impression of extract. Both of these 2005 grand crus are superb. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, tasted July 29, 2012: The relatively generous wood that this displayed just after the bottling has largely been integrated though there remains a trace of toast on the otherwise attractively fresh, complex and expressive nose where the fruit is ripe but not excessively so. There is excellent richness, size, weight and mid-palate concentration to the solidly powerful big-bodied flavors that possess plenty of mouth coating sap, all wrapped in an utterly delicious, balanced and lingering finish. This satisfying effort has just arrived on the front end of its peak drinkability though it should hold here for another decade or so. Lovely juice. 93

Ramonet Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Deep, brooding aromas of peach, menthol and vanilla. Large-scaled, rich and very ripe but classically dry, with complex, soil- inflected flavors of pineapple, minerals, white flowers and wet stone. The very long finish gives a palate-staining impression of extract. Both of these 2005 grand crus are superb. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: An exotic, indeed even tropical fruit nose is trimmed in ample wood toast that introduces rich, full, forward and sweet flavors that possess excellent depth and density yet perhaps not quite the elegance and precision that I’m used to seeing with this wine. To be sure, it could just be an early stage and that this will tighten up with time in bottle but it’s unusually accessible at present. The benefit of the doubt is offered as the track record is too good not to do so. 91

I brought this bottle. It had something unusual going on, not advanced at all, but exotic fruits and coconuts.

Sauzet Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Very ripe, sweet nose combines citrus scents, marzipan and crushed stone. Suave, sweet and utterly mouthfilling, with an essence-of-orange fruit flavor complicated by a note of almond. This has compelling volume and density but the ripe acidity gives it shape and precision. More fruits than flowers today. Still a bit youthfully tight on the very long, almost painful finish. Offers great potential. I got the impression that this was Boudot’s favorite wine of the vintage. 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: The barest touch of bottling-induced reduction cannot hide the otherwise bright and expressive floral, peach and honeysuckle aromas set off against distinct lemon rind nuances give way to vibrant, pure and almost racy big-boned flavors that are unusually refined and blessed with buckets of dry extract on the stunningly long finish. Like the Chevalier, this is not a completely typical Bâtard but it’s a wonderfully seductive effort that should age beautifully. I feel compelled to note that fans of “power Bâtard’ may be underwhelmed but those who pine for a bit more elegance in theirs will be thrilled. 94


Pan Seared Scallops With Mushrooms And Mustard Dressing.


wines

Flight 3: Chevalier Montrachet

For whatever reason, this was the weakest flight. There were several bottles that were advanced to different degrees.

Boillot Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Nose dominated by wet stone. Penetrating, precise flavor of pure crushed and liquefied stone. Wonderfully rich, tactile wine, but today its sheer vibrating minerally high notes almost mask its texture. Still, this wine comes across as suppler than the Pucelles. This should be fascinating to follow over the next decade or two. 96(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: As is usually the case though in 2005 it seems even more striking, the Chevalier has the sleekly taut muscularity of a world class gymnast contrasted against the massive bulk of a world class weight lifter in the Bâtard. The airy, pure, refined and elegant nose of white flower, anise and clove aromas introduces rich, full and solidly powerful flavors that are even more tightly focused and delineated on the texture, intense and explosive finish that is positively crystalline in its transparency. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines and highly recommended. 96

A bit advanced.

Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Multidimensional aromas of lemon, lime, powdered stone and white flowers. Dense, silky and fat with fruit. There’s incredible depth, volume and extract to the pineapple, stone and floral flavors but a complete absence of rough edges and no sense of excess weight. The compellingly sweet finishing flavors of lime and flowers are unflagging. A big boy but still an infant-and a great wine in the making. 97(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A superbly elegant, stylish and high- toned orange blossom and spice-suffused nose nuanced by hints of wet stone and lime merges into slightly toasty and flavors that are built on a base of firm minerality and culminate in a rich, powerful and hugely long finish. This is always a very fine Chevalier but in ’05 it’s even better than usual and worth a look. 94

Don Cornwell, tasted on July 23, 2009 as the introductory wine (in 375ml) to a tasting of 2006 grand crus: Light yellow color; white flowers and citrus aromas; bright, very minerally wine which also has a lot of glycerine for a Chevalier—this only got better with air. 95

Very advanced, and by my taste, not so enjoyable.

Philippe Colin Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Good pale yellow. Musky aromas of lemon, crushed stones, menthol and white flowers. Concentrated and pure but quite closed, with a dominant flavor of liquid stone. But this very full, thick wine boasts terrific energy and grip without coming off as hard. Mounts impressively on the back end, staining the palate with spices and powdered stone. These 2005s are all wonderfully clean. (Incidentally, Colin did not show me the 2004 Chevalier-Montrachet last year but he did open it for me on my most recent visit. It showed superb finesse and penetrating minerality and rated a solid 94.) 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: More obvious wood frames refined, elegant and ripe floral, green fruit and spice hints that continue onto the rich, full and delicious flavors that are really quite forward and possess less underlying tension than normal though there is plenty of finishing punch and vibrancy. This is a powerful Chevalier as there is ample dry extract and the class is obvious. In sum, this is a very fine rather than great example and one that will be ready sooner than usual. 92

Strong advanced notes of butterscotch.

Colin-Deleger Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Pure but reticent nose hints at white flowers and minerals. Suave and youthful, with a lovely light touch to its flavors of lemon, lime, spring flowers and crushed stone. This backward wine shows more acid spine than Colin’s 2005 premier crus and will merit an even higher score if it blossoms with bottle aging. 92(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A restrained, pure and gorgeously airy and sophisticated nose of mostly white flower and acacia blossom notes merges into racy and intensely mineral medium-bodied flavors brimming with energy and punch on the textured, sweet and driving finish. This is relatively quite pretty and like the Demoiselles, perhaps a bit more accessible than usual but that’s no defect. 93

Warm (alcoholic) on the finish.

Colin-Morey Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed:

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, December 3, 2011: An elegant and now maturing nose evidences white flower, spice and beautifully complex aromas that merge seamlessly into strikingly beautiful and textured medium weight plus flavors trimmed in discreet wood on the intensely mineral finish that seems to go on and on. This is a really classy effort that glides like silk across the palate yet has the intensity and focus of a fine Chevalier. While this will certainly continue to age for years to come, it is already completely approachable and thus there is no reasonable to hold back any longer. 94

Nice one of my favorites of the flight.

Deux Montilles Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006: Reticent aromas of apple, allspice and nutmeg. Sweet and lush but bright and firm in the mouth, with compelling intensity and purity of flavor. The fruit tones of apple and pear are enlivened by spices and minerals. This conveys an impression of terrific intensity and dimension without any excess weight, which is the hallmark of the best examples from this great cru. Wonderfully sweet and long on the back. My style of Burgundy. 92-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A superbly elegant nose offers up the classic white flower and subtle spice notes as well as obvious mineral notes that continue onto the refined, detailed and explosive flavors that ooze class and style on the hugely long finish. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that almost takes your breath away. Impressive in every sense and it should age beautifully as the balance and harmony here are flawless. 93-96

One of my favorites of the flight. Tasted like lime-aid!


Lobster And Shrimp Risotto. Valentino has always made a great risotto and this was no exception, particularly being one of my favorite types of risotto. It was so good we had two portions!


The table is getting crowded!

Flight 4: Chevalier Montrachet

Girardin Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Highly complex aromas of apple, spices and wet stone. Opulent yet dry, with very ripe but backward flavors of wet stone, spices and earth. This is more austere than the Bienvenue despite its sheer size. Opens out impressively on the back half, showing outstanding volume. But this will need time. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: (from 50+ year old vines in Chassagne) A background touch of wood influence that is more toast than spice or vanilla highlights wonderfully fresh, elegant and high-toned white flower and exotic fruit aromas and this exotic aspect continues onto the succulent, round and full-bodied flavors that culminate in a punchy, intense and driving finish that is quite dry and contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the mid-palate. This is a classic Bâtard and is robust and seriously intense if not exactly a model of finesse but this is a nit and nothing more. 93

Perhaps a little advanced.

Jadot Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Reticent but complex nose opens slowly to reveal dried fruits, fresh almond, hazelnut, clove and minerals. Suave on entry, then ripe but vibrant in the middle palate, combining brisk lemony citricity, more showy pineapple and a powerful element of pure liquid stone. Finishes wonderfully aromatic, subtle and long, with superb energy to the mineral and hazelnut flavors. Classic soil-inflected Chevalier, among the stars of the vintage and built for long life. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, April 10, 2010: This hasn’t budged much from my initial review in early 2007 as there is still discreet wood framing a reserved yet ultra elegant white flower and intensely mineral nose that merges seamlessly into fine, precise and vividly stony flavors that culminate in a clean, crisp and bone dry finish that displays spectacular length. This has all of the superb intensity of a young Demoiselles and is clearly built to age and as such should provide at least 9 to 10 years of upside development. One thing that has become more apparent with a few years of bottle age is how concentrated this is as the amount of dry extract present is genuinely impressive and 2005 is in my view the most powerful vintage of this wine in some time. Note that I have also added two years to the expected maturity estimate as this is evolving quite slowly. 96

Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Bright, pale yellow. Knockout nose combines citrus and stone fruits, flint, acacia flower and a leesy nuance. Extraordinarily dense and tactile on the palate, with uncanny clarity and energy to the flavors of white peach, lemon, wet stone and flint. A great stony expression, with great thrust and persistence and an almost weightless impression. The palate-saturating finishing flavor of dusty stone is almost painful. I love this style. This was bottled just ten days ago and will almost certainly shut down in the bottle for a long time. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: The most elegant wine in the entire range (which is really saying something in this case) with an ultra pure if highly reserved nose of rose petal, anise, white peach and pear plus subtle hints of stone and smoke that dissolve seamlessly into unusually big and rich flavors that possess real size, weight and muscle, indeed this is almost Bâtard-like in its sheer volume, all wrapped in a deeply concentrated and wonderfully stony finish that is both impressively explosive and strikingly long. While it’s a much bigger and denser version, the flavors positively vibrate in the mouth and it is this sense of barely restrained energy that reminds me a lot of the 1996 at the same stage of development. An exceptionally promising Chevy that is presently like a block of stone so plenty of patience will be required. 97

Don Cornwell, from a tasting of Leflaive and Niellon on July 27, 2010: Light yellow gold color; some modest white flowers and citrus aromas; on the palate, very light sweet citrus and tropical fruit—much more diffuse than one would expect from Leflaive Chevy and one senses the “hole in the middle” some people refer to on the 2005 whites from Puligny and Batard; soft lemon-lime finish with okay acidity; for the first two and a half hours I wasn’t very impressed, but after about two and half hours of air it showed some real elegance and appeal mainly in the finish. By the end of the evening I preferred the 2005 to the 2004. (No votes) 92|94?

Niellon Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Musky nose hints at menthol, smoke and peppery spices. Fresh and mineral-driven; not particularly big or concentrated but with good richness and complexity to the flavors of pepper, minerals and white flowers. Finishes firm and classically dry. Niellon seemed to be puzzled by the wine’s peppery, spicy note, which he says he also found in the 2004 Chaumees. He has a theory that the source of this element is a new shrub that has appeared in recent years in the woods above the village. 91

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A very deft touch of wood frames the understated and backward nose of white flower and pear aromas that lead to mineral-infused and stunningly intense and precise medium full flavors that culminate in a hugely long yet focused and explosive finish. As one would expect, this scintillates with minerality and this liquid stone quality defines the character of this wine from start to finish. In a word, harmonious. Note that patience will be required. 94

Don Cornwell, tasted on March 24, 2009 at a Rouget tasting: Medium yellow gold color; some strong oak notes dominate the nose with a little green apple underneath; on the palate, light, sweet fruit, some elegance; but no minerality at all and not much apparent acidity; seems to have no resemblance to Chevalier Montrachet. Instead seems like a decent premier cru Chassagne. Everyone had the same view of this and was hugely disappointed 91

Jean-Marc Pillot Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Complex aromas of pear, white flowers, menthol, quinine and crushed stone; this could only be Chevalier-Montrachet. Big and rich but not particularly fruity and not at all exotic; this one too is on the starting block today. Hints of white flowers and menthol in the middle palate. Finishes chewy, rich, dry and very long. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A very ripe and densely fruited nose that is subtly exotic is trimmed in a discreet bit of pain grillé and introduces rich, powerful and wonderfully precise flavors that, like the Caillerets, are built on a firm base of minerality and the driving intensity of the finish both coats and stains the palate with seemingly endless reserves of dry extract. This too is a very impressive effort as it delivers the most length of any wine in the range. 92-94

Ramonet Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006: Captivating aromas of wet stone, nutmeg and ginger. Broad, lush and fine; not at all heavy but a distinctly solid and horizontal style of Chevalier. A flavor of wet stone lingers nicely on the broad back end. Impressive wine, but I never would have picked the vineyard. 90-93

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, April 10, 2010: This continues to show somewhat oddly because while it now appears to be much more backward than it did when I originally tasted it for review in 2007, there still isn’t the elegance or refinement that I’m used to seeing chez Ramonet with this wine. Ripe and airy white flower and citrus blossom aromas offer excellent complexity if less elegance than I’m used to seeing are followed by still tight full- bodied flavors that possess impressive volume and concentration, all wrapped in a nicely long finish that displays less depth than promised by the nose. One change that is evident though is that if this is going to come together, it will take longer than I initially imagined and thus I have extended my initial drinking window by several years. 93

My favorite of the flight, very balanced.


Veal Scallopine With Lemon And Capers. A classic, but extremely well done!


My full glass collection – just mine!

Dessert


Parker 99, “An extraordinary effort, Yquem’s 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine’s medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity.”


Apple Strudel With Vanilla Gelato.

This was another spectacular evening. The food was wonderful, relatively simple as it was designed to pair with the subtle whites, but executed perfectly. And again, it was interesting and a bit surprising to taste all of these wines in such proximity. 2005 also seems to be a rather peculiar vintage where a number of the vineyards aren’t expressing the utmost typical character. Chablis (dinner 1) was odd and muted, and a number of the normally showy Chevaliers were off or not as showy. The best flight tonight was the Batard flight, IMHO. Still, in the big picture, this is all relative, as there were so many spectacular Chardonnays here.

Part 1 (Chablis, Meursault, and Corton-Charlemagne) at Spago can be found here.

Next week we continue at Melisse for Montrachet proper!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.



Related posts:

  1. Spago – 2005 White Burg part 1!
  2. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Main Event
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2005 White Burgundy, Chardonnay, Italian cuisine, Piero Selvaggio, Valentino, Valentino Santa Monica, White Burgundy, Wine

BarAcuda Kaua’i

Feb20

Restaurant: BarAcuda

Location: Hanalei Town Center, Hanalei, Kaua’i. 808.826.7081

Date: January 16, 2013

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Best restaurant on Kaua’i?

_

Hawaii in general, and Kaua’i in particular, isn’t exactly a bastion of fine dining. But with such a bounty of produce and fish great things are certainly possible. Most restaurants aren’t really chef driven, but BarAcurda is far more like a big city place — and it’s located in quaint (and gorgeous) Hanalei on the remote (and wet) North Shore.

BarAcuda is helmed by Jim Moffat, a San Francisco area chef with a great track record. Hanalei is really a slice of paradise, so it isn’t too hard to understand why he might want to relocate there.


The drink menu.


Gin Blossom. Boodles gin, muddled fresh basil, fresh lemon juice, club soda, on the rocks.


El Sol. Belvedere vodka, fresh squeezed orange juice, splash of cranberry juice and lime juice, St Geramine float, on the rocks.


The menu.


Tasty bread.


Brunello goes with everything. From my cellar (flown across the Pacific), “The Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo is an earthy, herbaceous effort with a dark plum/ruby color as well as a sweet bouquet of cherries, compost, underbrush, and Asian spices. Medium-bodied, dry, and angular, with complex aromatics.”


Marcona almonds roasted and salted.


Medjool dates with celery salad, shaved parmesan, and aged balsamic.


Whole roasted tomato bruschetta with balsamic, scallions, and grilled crostini.


Belgian Endive salad with blue cheese dressing, candied walnuts, gorgonzola and apples.


Crock of roasted beets with goat cheese, balsamic reduction, and orange infused olive oil .


Seared Black Tiger Shrimp with sweet soy and coconut milk. This was one of my favorite dishes, with a Thai red coconut curry kind of vibe.


Slow Braised Short Rib with soft polenta and salsa seca. Rich and yummy.


Banderillas grilled flank steak skewers with honey and chipotle chili oil.


Bacalao. Portuguese salt cod with garlic, potatoes, cream, and crostini. I’ve had this dish a couple of times. In Portugal, in Italy, and at the home of a Portuguese friend. This was a nice version and not too salty. Not as good as my friends, but that’s hardly surprising as that one was amazing.


Pizzetta with sweet onion soffrito, prosciutto, roasted cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella.


Seared Mahi Mahi with Big Island mushrooms and marsala reduction.


Local North Shore honeycomb with Humboldt Fog goat cheese and crisp apple.


Peach and almond galette with honey mascarpone ice cream.


Chocolate Pot de Creme with coconut macaroon and whipped cream. Yum!

After so many “casual” placed on the island, BarAcuda (which was still casual, just not in the kitchen) was a breath of fresh sea air. You can be a food snob in paradise!

For more Hawaii (and other) dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bar Acuda, BarAcuda, Brunello di Montalcino, Dessert, Hanalei, Jim Moffat, Kauai, Restaurant Review, Salad, Wine tasting descriptors

The Man with the Iron Fists

Feb18

The-Man-with-the-Iron-Fists-2012-Movie-PosterTitle: The Man with the Iron Fists

Cast: Rick Yune (Actor), Russell Crowe (Actor), RZA (Director)

Genre: Kung Fu

Watched:  February 12, 2013

Summary: Cheese, but fairly fun cheese

_

I must preface by saying that I like Kung Fu movies — and I’ve seen my share of them. The Man with the Iron Fists has the body of a new style Chinese Martial Arts film like House of the Flying Daggers, the brains of Enter the Dragon, and the soul of Machete — although it’s not nearly as much fun as Robert Rodriquez’s similar riff on the Mexican Gangster film. Fists isn’t really a Chinese film at all, although plenty of the talent is from the Middle Kingdom, but instead is a re-envisioned fantasy of the Kung Fu genre through the eyes of Wu-Tang mastermind and rapper RZA. He wrote, directed, and starred.

There’s a lot to like in this film (as a Kung Fu fan). The characters are pretty memorable in a comic book, kung fu, video game kind of way. They each have their own weapons, powers, and gimmicks. A few of them are even well acted (or over acted) like Russell Crowe’s entertaining performance as Jack Knife or Lucy Liu as Black Widow. Many have bad hair.

RZA and his titular character forms the weakest link. He’s just flat. His voice over is hard to understand and the rapper voice narrating Kung Fu feels totally out of place. But his music’s good. And despite some nearly incoherent editing and minimal storytelling, the overall style is pretty decent.

The villains are pretty darn cheesy, particularly the heavy metal fright wig hair styles of the Lion Clan, but whatever, it’s a campy almost spoof of the Kung Fu genre. It’s gory as hell too, but despite numerous brothel scenes, strangely chaste (no nudity at all). Hmmm, there’s that weird violence is better than sex thing. What gives? A big chunk of backstory on RZA’s character shoved into the middle of the film is a total snooze-a-rama, but other than  that, the action scenes are exciting and the brothel scenes funny, so if you like the genre, go for it. Just remember, it’s just no Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and not even up to the standards of Kung Fu Hustle.

For more Film reviews, click here.

the-man-with-the-iron-fists-5a

By: agavin
Comments (6)
Posted in: Movies
Tagged as: Chinese Martial Arts, House of Flying Daggers, Kung Fu, Lucy Liu, Man With The Iron Fists, Rick Yune, Russell Crowe, RZA, The Man with the Iron Fists

Il Grano – Buon Anno

Feb15

Restaurant: Il Grano [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 11359 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. 310.477.7886

Date: December 28, 2012

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Modern Italian to die for

_

After my stellar birthday meal at Il Grano, and with the closing of Drago, Il Grano has become one of my favorite westside Italians. With my parents out for the holidays, my mom wanted to go.


The sleek interior space.


From my cellar, we start off big. Parker 94, “the stunning aromatics of the 1996 Barolo is full-bodied and muscular. It possesses high tannin as well as extract, and mouth-searing acidity that gives the wine both great precision as well as a frightfully backward character. A super-dense, extracted, and rich Barolo, it will not be ready to drink for a decade. Discipline in the form of cellaring is definitely required for this fabulous Barolo.”


The first amuse, some mussels.


And a bit of winter vegetable soup in a spoon. I think it was zucchini.


Tonight’s menu.


The bread.


As a third amuse, the chef/owner, Sal, brought out this gorgeous bianco pizza.


Then proceeded to shave an entire black Dorgone truffle over it. Yum! He comped it too.


The crudo of the day. I don’t remember all the fish, but there is halibut, tuna, scallop, and something else. The little balls are spherized flavors.


Insalata Barbabietole. Roasted beets, braeburn apple, mixed greens, goat cheese.


Bigoli al Nero. Squid ink pasta, Santa Barbara sea urchin sauce. I love this stuff. The sea urchin melts into the pasta like butter.


Ravioli di Pera. Bartlett pear and gorgonzola ravioli, brown butter.


Pappardelle Cingale. Pasta with a winter boar ragu. This was a favorite of mine in Tuscany.


With a bit of parmesan.


From my cellar, Parker 96, “The 2007 Gattinara Osso San Grato is a thrilling Gattinara. It is one of the very best Gattinaras I have ever come across. The 2007 combines the freshness and drive of the San Francesco with the inner perfume, guile and pliancy of the Castelle. Expressive red cherries, flowers, rosemary, mint and minerals wrap around the silky, totally satisfying finish. Fond memories of the 1990 linger on my mind.”


Monkfish, celery root puree, oxtail reduction, and winter wilted greens.


Salvatore comes out to filet the branzino baked in salt.


The fish is revealed.


And plated with some vegetables.


Anatra. Duck Breast, caramelized maui onions, brussel sprouts, pomegranate reduction.


Pernice. Wild Scottish partridge, Italian chestnut puree, crispy polenta, cavolo nero, partridge reduction.


And then a few desserts. Tart Tartin.


A pomegranate panna cotto.


Triple chocolate cake. Chocolate gelato, and three types of chocolate (milk, dark, white).


And because it was almost New Years, some Panettone, the traditional sweet cake eaten in Italy at the end of the year.

If you like higher end Italian cooking (and who doesn’t?) you should absolutely rush over here. Make sure you get a tasting menu. I don’t think appetizer and entree selected off the regular menu would do the place the justice it deserves. I’m sure the dishes would be great, but this cuisine is about more than just two notes. I’m not sure why Il Grano isn’t always mobbed, as folks flock to overpriced mid-quality trattorias. I guess people are just clueless.

And I’m headed by to Il Grano at the end of January with the Hedonists to roast up an entire wild boar that Yarom shot!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or experience my gluttonous month-long journey through Northern Italy.

Sal treats his tomatoes like family

The wine list is top notch, with a real depth in Burgundy

Related posts:

  1. Il Grano part 2
  2. Il Grano – Only 19 courses?
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  4. Tomato Night at Il Grano
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By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Barolo, Il Grano, Italian cuisine, Salvatore Marino, Santa Monica California

Crash Valentines

Feb14

In honor of Valentines, I share with you both a cute fan pic, courtesy of die hard fan Daisy Parker, and fan Aaron White’s latest masterpiece stop motion Crash Bandicoot fan video: Rise of the NeoBots.

And the best thing — which makes this oh so apropos — is that they’re a couple!

Enjoy!

Cortex Valentines

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By: agavin
Comments (25)
Posted in: Games
Tagged as: Crash Bandicoot, Doctor Neo Cortex, fan art, fan film, Rise of the NeoBots, valentines day

Tasty Dining – Wuhan Dry Hot Pot

Feb13

Restaurant: Tasty Dining

Location: 301 W Valley Blvd, Ste 101. San Gabriel, CA 91776

Date: February 10, 2013

Cuisine: Wuhan Chinese

Rating: One Note

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We Hedonists venture out again into the San Gabriel Valley for some more regional Chinese, this time to the heartland province of Wuhan. Like nearby Szechuan and Hunan this area of China is known for its chile-dominated heat. This particular place specializes in “dry pot” which is like a stir fry / hot pot hybrid that is sizzled table-side.

2012-12-29

The usual unassuming San Gabriel storefront.

This page shows the dry pots.

And the things here aren’t really sides, but are options you can add to the dry pots. There is very little on the menu that isn’t a dry pot.


This last page are the few non dry pot options.


A dry white went well with the sesame noodles below. This was the only dish before the heat set in.


Dry noodles in sesame sauce. These tasted as they look, like noodles in sesame sauce. They aren’t spicy, and are VERY sesame.


A very old (1962) Spatlese riesling that had actually been open for 3-4 days. Considering, it was impressive that it was still drinkable, if considerably oxidized.


Wuhan sui mai, stuffed with rice, meat, and with a bit of a vinegar tang.


1969 Coteaux du Layon illustrates the striking combination of mineral and nobly sweet characteristics that were possible, though its notoriously high acidity is scarcely noticeable thanks to the balance lent by high sugar and the harmony conveyed by time in bottle. Alkaline and wet stone aromas here approach the effect of sticking one’s head down a moss- and algae-covered cistern, accompanied by scents of lily, narcissus, quince preserves, stale bread, musk, and sweat. The rich quince character is carried and complimented by a juicy and not at all heavy palate impression, and this finishes with remarkable refreshment and pronouncedly alkaline and stony minerality, as well as snuffed candle wick smokiness and bitterness of quinine. Mature nobly sweet Chenin, although it had also been open for a couple days and was beginning to oxidize.


Our first Wuhan dry pot (this will soon look familiar). This one was chicken wings, yep, the central Chinese equivalent of hot wings. They’re in there with mountain potatoes (french fries), celery, hot peppers of several type, cauliflower, garlic, and lots of chili oil.


Displaying an expressive, candied green apple-scented nose, the profound 1992 Quarts de Chaume is intense and massively ripe. Citrus fruit and apricot-flavored, this wine is powerful, thick, and yet focused and delineated.


Dry pot number two, shrimp and we threw in some “lobster balls” (those vaguely round things).


Parker 94, “Quince preserves, baked apple, lily, gardenia, and hints of caramel and vanilla mark the nose of the Prum 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese. With richness yet delicacy and lift it saturates the palate with rich fruit, liquid flowers, vanilla cream, and savory, saline, shrimp shell reduction-like mineral essences. This intense, pure, subtly and truly nobly botrytized Auslese has umami with a capital “U.””


And number three, with squid. You’re starting to get the picture! The sauce/flavor is basically identical on all of these.


Schonleber’s 2002 Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling Kabinett smells alluringly of ripe red raspberries and strawberries. Quite honeyed and creamy for a Kabinett, yet both juicy and delicate, this is a bit superficially sweet in the finish, even though undeniably delicious.


Number four was duck, bone in. Lots of bone in. Meat was fairly tasty, if you didn’t break a tooth on it.


The Schonleber 2001 Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spatlese features honey-glazed nectarine and red berries in a seductively creamy, subtly caramelized and bitter-sweet melange. Rich nut oil and saline and wet stone mineral notes emerge in the long, refined finish. There is no significant sacrifice of clarity or purity to the wine’s evident botrytis.


And number five was mutton, also very bone (and gristle) in. The meat was fairly tasty, but there was very little of it. But this time were were pretty sick of potatoes and cauliflower.


Soft buns, like the white fluffy stuff surrounding bork buns, but without the pork. The sauce in the center is sweetened condensed milk. Nicely cooling after all that Wuhan heat.


And the exact same buns straight out of the deep frier!


For “dessert” we have some unique (but somehow typically Chinese) mild flavors like these pumpkin buns covered in sesame and pan fried.


And these fried bean paste buns.

Tasty Dining was interesting because I’ve never had Wuhan dry pot before (actually I think I have once, but I didn’t know it). And presumably, it’s well executed. However, this is very much a one trick pony restaurant. There isn’t much but dry pot and every dry pot essentially tastes the same, dominated as it is by pepper, garlic, and oil! The noodles were interesting too, but I’ve had better of this type. The Szechuan meal I had in November in Philly was about 100x better with much more variety.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Revenge of the Han Dynasty
  2. Hunan Chili Madness
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, hedonists, san Gabriel valley, Szechuan Chinese, Tasty Dining, Wuhan, Wuhan Chinese

Hinoki and the Bird

Feb11

Restaurant: Hinoki & the Bird

Location: 10 West Century Drive, Los Angeles, Ca, 90067

Date: January 26, 2013

Cuisine: Modern American Tapas

Rating: Excellent new cutting edge LA/Asian

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Hinoki & the Bird comes from the David Myers Group, which once included flagship Sona. On opening, I was blown away  by that restaurant, and it seems to have been LA’s last great hooray in the full on formal dining sector. Hinoki as much more casual, serving what is mostly modern California small plates with Asian influences. The chef here is Kuniko Yagi, one of Myer’s proteges and a Japanese native.


The menu.


From my cellar, Parker 93, “This estate’s Corton-Bressandes is a wine I search out in vintages with good ripeness. It is never huge, muscular, or a blockbuster but can often be sultry, seductive, detailed, and simply lovely. A recently tasted 1990, while at least three years from maturity, was fabulous. The 1996 displays sweet red cherry and Asian spice aromatics as well as a gorgeously refined character filled with candied and delineated cherries. This elegant, sexy, and feminine offering is medium-to-full-bodied, silky-textured, and possesses a long and refreshing finish.”


Kale, cripsy and raw, curried almonds, pecorino, red wine vinaigrette. Light and crispy, but certainly not the night’s most exciting dish.


Pumpkin toast, miso jam, goat cheese. Very yummy, with a sweet, crunchy, and tangy combo.


Scallops, grapefruit, lime leaf. A really nice treatment of scallop crudo.


Beef tartare, pickled jalapeno, parmigiano. I love me a good beef tartare, and this was in the Franco-Italian style I approve of.


Marinated tuna, lemongrass salad. Also very good, with interesting tang.


Lobster roll, green curry, thai basil. I adore the original New England version, and this was certainly a great Lobster Roll. Yum. Yum.


Hinoki scented black cod, sweet potato, pistachio.


Sambal skate wing. The sauce felt very Thai, and livened up the already tasty skate.


Drunken duck breast. This felt a tad tough.


Braised lamb, tiny potatoes, cumin seed.


Grilled winter mushrooms, sea salt, lime .


Organic grilled white rice. Simple, but delicious, with a great texture.


Steamed mustard green, soy.


Scottish salmon.


The dessert menu.


Matcha donuts, koji milk.


Chocolate-praline, malt sponge cake, milk chocolate jelly, cocoa nib. Tasty, and a lot like the Ink and Red Medicine equivalents.


Zephyr cake, namelaka, yuzu, arare. Light and citrusy.

Despite the peculiar name, Hinoki and the Bird is a very welcome addition to the West Side. This is a very modern restaurant, very much in the current LA Zeitgeist. It’s a little reminiscent of Ink. The traditional sort of fine dining, ala Sona or even Melisse seems to be on the outs. While I regret this, I don’t mind at all the trend toward small plates (tapas) as I adore tasting a lot of dishes in a meal. It’s actually gotten to the point where any “normal” appetizer/entree menu is inherently boring. Hinoki also adds to these very American trends a good dose of Asian flavor – which is in itself very LA. I hope this is a place that evolves its menu, and very much look forward to returning.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Peace in the Middle East? – Mezze
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Century City, David Myers, Hinoki & the Bird, Kuniko Yagi, Sona

Spago – 2005 White Burg part 1!

Feb08

Restaurant: Spago

Location: 176 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 385-0880

Date: February 5, 2013

Cuisine: American

Rating: Mind Blowing

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Faithful readers know that I love Burgundy. There is no wine area in the world, red or white, that is so focused. More, or less, this glacial valley in Eastern France only grows two grapes: red Pinot Noir and white Chardonnay. It does so in a minimalist manner that emphasizes the exact geographic and micro-climate conditions of small named parcels of land – and people here have been doing exactly this for well over a 1,000 years.

In the last year I’ve been trying to up my Burgundy game. I’m taking a Burgundy Master (Sommelier) class and really trying to become much more knowledgable about this challenging area. Most casual wine drinkers probably don’t realize how complex it is. You could invest decades of full time study in this one region and still not know all there is to know.

Which brings me to tonight, where I was lucky enough to attend the first of three dinners that explore the white wines of Burgundy in a manner so focused its worthy of the . I’m mostly a pinot guy (red) but this series focuses only on white 2005s (all Chardonnay) and this particular dinner on Chablis, Meursault, and Corton-Charlemagne. All of the wines here were provided by the participants and were in impeccable condition.

While tasting 30 Chardonnay’s from just three regions all together is a bit of a buttery blitzkrieg, there is no better way to get a sense of the specific flavor profiles of the different vineyards. By sampling across several great 2005 Chablis, you can get a real grasp on what IS Chablis and hence what is Corton-Charlemagne.


Tonight’s venue is the (new) original Spago in Beverly Hills.


And we were set up in a private room, which given the nature of this exacting tasting was essential.


Tonight’s wines and the menu. The four large flights are each paired with a course. The food was great, although personally, I would have matched perhaps three small courses to each flight, but I’ve become ridiculously spoiled and find anything less than 8-10 courses anemic :-). World’s smallest violin, I know.


This dinner was ALOT of work for the Sommelier. We tasted each flight blind, knowing the wines (5-8) in the flight but not which was which (they had numbers). The Somm had to organize a legion of glasses, label them, and pour and serve!

The whole blind/not-blind thing is a bit of a debate. I can understand why it’s very useful to try the wines stripped of their identity so as not to be colored, but at my stage in my own personal learning curve, I get more out of knowing what I’m tasting as I taste it. I’m still trying to build mental flavor profiles for specific vineyards and associate them analytically with descriptors and various qualities. I had printed out individual tasting sheets for each wine, but I had made the mistake of labeling them by the wine. Next dinner I’ll just put numbers on them and fill in the wine later.


The amuse section was accompanied by the 1996 Egry-Ouriet Brut Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes. A very nice dry  champagne that’s reached that stately level of maturity.


Steak Tartar. On a toast, with black truffle. I love good steak tartar!


Spago falafel. With creme fraiche.


1996 Bollinger Grande Annee.


Buttery pastry filled with bacon. Very yummy.


Puck’s Jewish Pizza. Creme fraiche, chives, dill, red onion and nova lox. This is always SO good. I make it myself at home too, pretty successfully.

Flight 1: Chablis

2005 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses

(from a 1 ha parcel planted in 1970)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Good pale yellow. Knockout nose combines peche de vigne and gingery spices, plus the same violety high note I found in the 2006. Rich, broad and tactile, with terrific energy and intensity to the slightly exotic flavors of orange, lemon peel, flowers and licorice. As silky as this is, it conveys an outstanding lightness of touch. Best today on the explosive, rocky, palate-staining finish, which offers a real whiplash of iodine, warm stone and citrus peel flavors. This vineyard was the least affected by botrytis in 2005, according to Dauvissat; the wine is the lowest in alcohol, but still a full 13.5%. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: Here the restrained nose is bright, elegant and classy, offering an unmistakable step up in distinction and refinement with very subtle background notes of botrytis that can also be found on the textured, supple and pure medium full flavors that are sweet, complex and utterly palate drenching on the hugely long and intense finish. Indeed, this is so intense that I had to stall for time to allow my palate to recover before moving on to the Les Clos. Trust me, this is a “wow” wine. 94

2005 Domaine Raveneau Chablis Les Clos

(from a .54 ha parcel dead center in the vineyard)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Pale yellow. Ineffable nose combines fresh pineapple, grapefruit, crushed stone and menthol. Pure, taut, extremely backward wine that’s like sucking on a mouthful of rocks today. Like a richer and even more austere version of the Montee de Tonnerre. With no obvious sweetness showing today, this is revealing more than it’s showing. Finishes very long and very dry, with a purity of mineral expression that’s rare for this vintage. Less likable today than the Valmur but even denser. This will require at least a decade of cellaring. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: An incredibly pure but also incredibly backward ultra high-toned ripe floral and white pear and peach nose nuanced by subtle spice and brioche notes complements perfectly the round, intense, delineated and stony flavors that are like drinking liquefied rock, all wrapped in a textured, palate staining, austere and almost painfully intense and chewy finish. This is a bit more reserved at present than the Valmur, which is interesting because normally it’s the other way around. Either way, this has flat out great potential. 95

This wine was unusual in the Chablis flight for being SO intensely mineral with a hint of sulfur. Now, Chablis is a very mineral wine, but this was the oddball of the group.

2005 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Les Clos

(from a 1.7 ha parcel of 47 year old vines)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Bright, pale yellow. Classic, soil- inflected aromas of citrus fruits, clove, wet stone and iodine. Suave on entry, then quite high- pitched in the middle, with superb purity to the flavors of grapefruit, lemon and minerals. At once fine-grained and taut, with captivating floral lift. Like the Preuses, this is most impressive today on the highly complex, uncommonly long finish, which throws off notes of sexy brown spices, juniper and white pepper, along with an intriguing saline quality. 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, tasted Nov 17. 2011: This terrific effort only seems to be getting better and better with each passing year with its spicy white flower aromas that introduce sophisticated, pure and gorgeously intense flavors that explode on the strikingly long and chewy finish. The depth here is just terrific and the hallmark minerality is present in spades. And, as is always the casee with this wine, the driving and penetrating finish just lasts and lasts and this is without question truly a stunner of a wine. I have upgraded my rating slightly as this is still on the way up but is drinking so well right now that it would not be complete infanticide to drink a bottle now. 95

2005 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Les Preuses

(from two parcels of vines that total 2.55 ha, or 22% of the entire appellation)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Good pale color with green highlights. Elegant nose hints at gunflinty silex, with pineapple emerging with aeration. Very rich and suave; in a rounder, fatter style than the Cote Bouguerots but with a bit less clarity and lift. Shows a more exotic peach quality in the middle palate. Finishes subtle, smooth and long. 92

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: This is the second year running where the Preuses really distinguishes itself with an incredibly complex nose of brioche, spice, green fruit, shell fish, algae and sea breeze notes that merge into wonderfully elegant yet generous, full, forward and strikingly classy flavors that are dense, balanced and unbelievably persistent plus they display more minerality than usual. The acid spine is firm and ripe but not aggressive and should easily see this through at least a decade of cellar time. I normally have a real weakness for the Valmur at this address but the Preuses is really something in 2005. A “wow” wine. 94

2005 Domaine Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnerre

(from a huge parcel of 2.5 ha though this figure includes the surface area in Chapelot which is bottled separately)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Bright, pale yellow. Pure but reticent aromas of citrus peel, hazelnut, clove and minerals; even more strict today than the Butteaux. Powerful but almost painfully closed, dominated today by citric and mineral cut and a flavor of wet stone. A very rich but austere wine that’s presently hard to taste. Finishes broad, layered and quite dry, with a ripe, honeyed quality. This will almost certainly be for drinking after the ’06. 92+

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: This is a mild step up in overall class and elegance with a gorgeously perfumed white flower fruit nose introducing linear, precise, intense and powerful medium full flavors that remain splendidly focused on the stunningly long finish that drenches the palate in dry extract. This is a striking 1er and one to buy as it easily delivers grand cru quality. 94

This was our only Premier Cru of the flight but was one of my favorite wines. It was a bit more expressive than many of the Grand Crus and had a wonderful complexity.

2005 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Les Clos

(from 4 separate parcels totaling 4.11 ha, 3 of which are all at the top of the slope)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Pale green color. Pure but subdued aromas of lemon-lime and crushed stone. Intensely flavored and youthfully tight, offering sharply delineated citrus fruit, white peach and crushed stone elements. In a cooler style for the vintage, with just the slightest exotic hint to show that it’s from a very warm year. The very long, rising finish displays uncommon precision for the vintage. But the young 2006 appears to be even longer and more minerally. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: In contrast to the relative expressiveness of most of this group, the Les Clos is backward, reserved and very tight, revealing only glimpses of white flower, oyster shell and an airy marine influence that can also be found on the intense, pure and astonishingly precise flavors that possess another dimension relative to all of the other ’05s with the exception of the Preuses. Class in a glass as they say and while presently tighter than a drum with an exceptionally dry finish, this has the material and balance to age for years. 94

2005 Domaine Raveneau Chablis Valmur

(from a .75 ha parcel)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Pale yellow. Brisk, pure aromas of citrus skin, powdered stone, quinine and iodine. Juicy and citric on entry, then supple and rich in the middle, but with superb energy giving shape and grip to the lemon-lime, citrus, stone and floral flavors. Conveys an impression of sucrosite but also comes across as wonderfully fresh and taut. Pure, palate-dusting, rising finish boasts terrific lift and aromatic perfume. Valmur is favored in hot years, notes Raveneau. “The vines here run north-south, which enables them to resist the mid-day sun and retain freshness.” 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: This is more expressive than usual, featuring a hint of wood spice and the usual gorgeously elegant cool green fruit, oyster shell and saline notes that introduce unusually big and powerful flavors that are naturally sweet, intense and like the majority of these ’05s, possesses buckets of dry extract. The finish just oozes with minerality and the intensity is almost painful as it really stains the palate. I noted last year that there was marvelous quality here and there was so much material that it could be even better than my range suggested. Well, I agree with my initial prediction as the Valmur is indeed better in bottle than it was from cask and a flat out magnificent wine. 95


The glass farm after round 1.

“Chirashi Sushi”. Blue Fin Tuna, Hamachi, Salmon Pearls, Sea Urchin. Very yummy, and unusual to get something so faithfully Japanese in a non-Japanese restaurant.


Various bread.

Flight 2: Meursault

Colin-Morey Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A completely different nose is present here with seductive, spicy and slightly exotic fruit aromas marry into intense, delineated and explosive medium plus weight flavors, all wrapped in a vibrant and terrifically long finish that is picture-perfect Meursault in character. There is also a touch of wood on the backend but it’s subtle and will be absorbed in time. 92

Mikulski Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A subtly spicy and wonderfully seductive nose features notes of citrus, pear and green fruit that precede the racy, gorgeously intense and seriously pure flavors that are textured, sweet and mouth coating on the energetic and penetrating finish. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that really grabs your attention with its effortless grace. This bears more than a passing resemblance to the ’06 version except this is more concentrated and slightly more powerful. Either way, it’s most impressive as well. 93

Henri Boillot Meursault Charmes

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Cool aromas of citrus fruits and stone. Dense, concentrated and sappy, with sweet citrus and mineral flavors firmed by surprisingly sound acidity. A classic Charmes with terrific inner-mouth energy. Finishes long and brisk, with excellent cut. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: An extremely subtle touch of pain grillé works well with the ripe peach, apricot, floral and lemon rind aromas that introduce rich, pure and generous flavors that coat the mouth with sappy extract and there is a lovely minerality that surfaces on the highly complex and impressively long finish. This combines most of the power of the Poruzots with most of the elegance of the Les Cras to create a more complete effort. Note that there was a bit of CO2 on the finish and I would suggest decanting this for 20 minutes first. In a word, gorgeous. 93

Lafon Meursault Charmes

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Aromas of peach and vanilla. Rich, fat and classically dry, with compelling purity to the lemon, crushed stone and mineral flavors. Perfectly integrated acidity extends the palate-staining, layered finish. With a blend of 15-, 45- and 75-year-old vines in his 1.7-hectares holding in Charmes, Lafon has the flexibility each year to make one of Burgundy’s top Meursault bottlings. 93-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: Here the reserved and tight nose is less spicy but no less complex with high-toned aromas of white peach and pear nuanced by subtle notes of hazelnut and orange blossom that give way to rich, full and mouth coating flavors that evidence a silky mouth feel and culminate in a focused, linear and intensely mineral finish that offers both class and finesse. This really expands on the borderline tannic and almost painfully intense finish and it seems like an even bigger wine than it is. As good an example of Lafon Charmes as I have seen in a while. 94

2005 Roulot Meursault Charmes

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Reticent, pure aromas of lemon and crushed stone, with a hint of vanillin oak; a more exotic mango note emerged with aeration. Rich, dense and young but with a distinct sweetness in the middle palate, in part a function of the wine’s vanillin oak component. This is fat and sweet but doesn’t quite come alive today. Roulot finds this a bit anonymous, “in the warm style of 2005.” 91

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A moderately exotic nose of honeysuckle, mango and apricot trimmed in discreet brioche notes leads to delicious, round and sweet flavors that are generous and nicely harmonious if not as intense and persistent as the best in the range. Still, this is really quite lovely as it has already found its center. 91

Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Aromas of soft citrus fruits, pear and crushed stone. Wonderfully dense and sweet but with great precision and juicy cut to the fruit and mineral flavors. Finishes impressively long and pure, with superb cut. An outstanding Genevrieres in the making. 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: The first wine to display any real wood influence, which in this case manifests itself with touches of pain grillé and vanilla that highlight the naturally spicy and equally seductive aromas where the spiciness continues onto the round, rich, concentrated and impressively powerful flavors blessed with huge dry extract levels that lend an almost chewy quality to the hugely long finish. This is not quite as elegant or racy as the Pucelles but it’s close. 93


The glasses keep coming!

“Uova da Raviolo”. Ricotta Cream, Parmesan, Black Truffle. This was yum, yum, yum as it’s filled with poached egg (complete with runny yolk). A great buttery rich dish that paired brilliantly with the Burgs.

Flight 3: Meursault Perrieres

Matrot Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Good pale color. Classic aromas of pineapple, citrus fruits and wet stone; this reminded me of a Riesling Schlossberg. Wonderfully dense and intense, with terrific cut and acidity giving sharp definition to the mineral and citrus flavors. Thick but uncompromisingly dry wine that finishes with great verve and a stony whiplash of flavor. This needs a decade of bottle aging. 92+

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A superbly elegant nose of green apple, spiced dried rose petal and orange and lemon citrus nuances merge into almost aggressively mineral suffused medium-bodied flavors that are classic Perrières in character, all wrapped in very tight, linear and gorgeously detailed finish. This is a seriously impressive effort but one that will need plenty of cellar time. Terrific. 94

Colin-Morey Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Classy aromas of superripe peach and crushed stone. Rich, broad and full, offering most of the Perrieres food groups: peach, apricot, oatmeal, minerals, hazelnut, vanilla. Finishes extremely broad and long, with the wine’s very ripe apricotty fruit not yet in harmony with its powerful minerality. A great wine in the making but this will need five or six years of cellaring. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A very deft touch of wood frames ripe and strikingly elegant white flower aromas that are somewhat higher-toned and airier than those of the Genevrières while introducing rich and full yet finely detailed medium-bodied flavors that also positively exude an almost pungent minerality on the gorgeously persistent finish. This is built on a base of minerality and it lends a completely different textural impact to the wine, particularly on the finale. 93

Le Moine Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: (sugar fermentation finished, malo almost complete) Nose dominated by crushed stone and lemon; precise and vineyard-typical for 2005. Dense and fat with fruit, showing the sweetness of the vintage in spades. Very promising but can’t quite match the 2004 for precision or length. 90-92

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A stunning nose of subtly spiced white flower and green apple is trimmed in background hints of pain grillé that merge into sophisticated, pure and strikingly textured medium-bodied flavors oozing with both minerality and dry extract that really coats and stains the palate on the wonderfully precise and moderately strict finish. This will require a few years to really unfold and blossom but the material to do so is here. 92-94

2005 Roulot Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Vibrant aromas of orange, minerals and crushed stone. Juicy, sexy, taut wine with terrific energy to its flavors of orange and stone. This has the clarity and breed that the Charmes is not showing today. Wonderfully minerally and long on the aftertaste. Almost deceptively accessible today, this is built for extended cellaring. 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A strikingly pure nose of white flower and spice aromas complements perfectly the delicious, intense and stony flavors that are wonderfully vibrant and gorgeously detailed on the transparent and equally pure finish that explodes with more minerality. This is beautifully balanced and understated with a Zen-like sense of calm. I very much like this and it’s very Perrières in character. In a word, brilliant. 94

Don Cornwell, from a dinner with Jean Marc Roulot on Feb 21, 2012: Medium yellow color; quite forward floral and pear aromas; this was bigger and clearly richer than the 2000. It had more body and more alcohol – but it lacked the minerality and grip of the 2000. This was a wine of greater weight and higher alcohol – a thicker style of MP. 93

Lafon Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Explosively ripe fruit aromas of apricot and pineapple currently dominate underlying minerality on the nose. Silky, rich and powerful, with the pineapple and peach flavors framed by harmonious ripe acidity. A wine with superb stuffing and back-end breadth, finishing with palate-saturating mineral and dusty stone flavors. This boasts impressive aging potential, but the Charmes is at least as impressive in the context of the year. Just 10 barrels of this wine were produced, compared to 18 in 2004. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: Once again the Perrières is the class of these 1ers with its cool and reserved nose of white flower and green apple that complements to perfection the textured, pure and stylish flavors that possess excellent volume but also wonderful detail and punch and the intensely mineral finish that is refined, pure and long with plenty of underlying tension. A ‘wow’ wine. 95

Flight 4: Corton-Charlemagne

Black Bass. Crispy Scale, Littleneck Clams, Herb Coulis, Garlic Purée. The sauce was wow tasty.

Jadot Corton Charlemagne

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A strikingly complex nose of green apple fruit, pear and a distinct floral note complements perfectly the hugely powerful flavors brimming with dry extract and built on a base of solid minerality. This is a borderline massive wine that is textured, concentrated and sleekly muscled yet it remains precise, pure and balanced with positively huge length. A very impressive wine that could actually surprise to the upside as the underlying material here is as good as any 2005 Corton-Charlemagne. 95

Bouchard Corton Charlemagne

(3.65 ha of east-facing vineyards in Ladoix-Serrigny-climats; vine age presently unknown)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Pungent stone fruits, cold steel, marzipan and charred oak on the nose. Large-scaled, tactile and quite powerful, with captivating, utterly pure flavors of pineapple, wet stone and minerals. Wonderfully sweet and smooth on the back end, with a lovely light touch, but the dusty, tactile aftertaste is stony and uncompromising. I’d forget about this extremely backward wine for a good decade. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: An expressive and highly interesting nose of cool and fresh green apple surrounded by freshly baked brioche aromas leads to big, rich and sleekly muscled flavors that are quite ripe yet there is a very firm acid backbone that maintains outstanding focus on the almost painfully intense mineral-infused finish. This is a ‘wow’ wine that cedes nothing to the Montrachet in terms of power and weight. 95

Don Cornwell, notes from a tasting on January 24, 2008: Very light yellow gold; pear, citrus and some S02 (though a bit less than the second wine); bright, sweet pear/green apple flavors with the best acidity of the flight; this demonstrates some power, some minerality, and some elegance and minerality in the finish. Some of the guys thought this was Chevalier. My clear favorite of the first flight. 94+

Girardin Corton Quintessence

(from 0.30 ha of 70+ year-old vineyards located in En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne, with southwest exposures)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Smoky aromas of flinty silex and chicken broth; in an awkward stage. Then sweeter than the basic Corton-Charlemagne bottling, at once more opulent and more closed. Can’t match the ’06 for grip or class but this boasts superb richness and smoky depth. Today I find this less pristine and less vibrant than the regular bottling, but it’s also extremely unevolved, and longer and more powerful on the back end. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: Here the wood is a background nuance if not invisible, highlighting spicy, pure and wonderfully expressive green fruit aromas that are really quite classy while merging into rich, round and stylish medium full flavors brimming with huge amounts of dry extract and an explosive, driving and persistent finish where the wood resurfaces. This is a serious effort but one that is generous and beautifully balanced, which will permit it to age well. 92-95

Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne

(9.5 ha contiguous plot of southwest-facing vineyards planted from 1950 to 1994 with an average age of 47 years; 4.52 ha is located in En Charlemagne and just under 5.0 ha in Le Charlemagne.)

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A ripe and classic nose of distinctly discreet and reserved green fruit and floral aromas that are airy, pure and lightly spiced merge into intense, precise and penetrating medium full flavors blessed with terrific acid/fruit balance and huge length. This is really a lovely wine that is presently a tightly coiled spring and in need of extended bottle aging to really put on display the superb potential here. An understated stunner of a wine as well as ultra refined and one of the best examples of this appellation in 2005. 95

Le Moine Corton Charlemagne

(Negociant wine; produced from two plots in En Charlemagne with a western exposure; the larger plot is 40 year old vines and the smaller one is 18 year old vines)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: (Bottled in March of ’07) Very fresh aromas of cold steel and menthol; distinctly medicinal in the context of the year. Then wonderfully full but with superb energy, combining flavors of lemon, lime, ginger and crushed rock. The minerality here is almost painful. A compellingly taut wine with great palate-staining length and cut. 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: As one would reasonably expect, this is much more elegant and refined with moderate wood highlighting the fresh and stony green fruit aromas that offer real depth and leads to precise, minerally and exceptionally powerful flavors that positively drench the palate in dry extract on the hugely long finish. This is still sorting itself out but the quality of the raw materials is impeccable and it possesses impressive potential. 92-94

Boillot Corton Charlemagne

(beginning with 2005, the Boillot Corton was sourced from a different vineyard located in Aloxe-Corton [I believe it is Le Corton] which has a “full south facing” exposure)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Wonderfully ripe, deep aromas of lime, minerals and crushed stone. An incredible mouthful of stones and minerals, with uncanny intensity, juiciness and lift. At this point in my marathon tasting with Boillot, my handwriting was degenerating and I was using exclamation marks rather than adjectives. Flat-out great white Burgundy. Incidentally, Boillot changed his supplier of Corton-Charlemagne as of this vintage; he now works with vines in Aloxe-Corton that face full south. 98(+?)?

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: Here the nose is completely different with pungent and almost aggressively intense green apple aromas infused with an underlying sense of wet stone that is in keeping with the character of the pure, chiseled and fantastically intense full-bodied and muscular flavors that possess serious punch and verve on the equally explosive and very fresh finish. This also has that ‘wow’ sensation because of the beautiful sense of tension that is like a tightly coiled spring. Terrific. 95

Montille Corton Charlemagne

(1.04 ha of south-facing vineyards located in Pougets; these were old Corton (rouge) vines grafted over to chardonnay beginning with 2004 vintage)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2006: Perfumed aromas of apple and nutmeg. Large-scaled, tactile and wonderfully ripe, with rich apple and peach flavors. Very sweet and broad for young Corton-Charlemagne, combining impressive volume and lovely finesse of texture. This was acidified, but one would never know it. Finishes rich, sweet and very long, without the austerity so often shown by this grand cru. There’s just a single barrel of this juice from the family’s new half-hectare holding on 25-year-old roots. (This is actually a south- facing parcel in Corton Pougets that was grafted over to chardonnay two years ago.) 90-93

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: While the entire parcel eligible to be declared as Corton-Charlemagne measures 1.05 ha, it was originally planted to pinot noir and was grafted over to chardonnay in 2004. As a result, the net production was only about 15% of what it will eventually be in 2010 and the vines produced a total of one barrel. An expressive nose of discreetly toasty oak, green apple and spicy pear aromas gives way to rich, full and impressively intense big-bodied flavors that possess excellent volume and a fresh, vibrant and pure finish that just goes on and on. If 2005 is indeed representative of what we can expect going forward, room will need to be made among the very best producers of this appellation to welcome a new member as this is extremely impressive. 93-95

Colin-Morey Corton Charlemagne

(Negociant wine; half comes from 25 year-old vines En Charlemagne vines with a southwest exposure and half comes from 45 year-old vines in Le Charlemagne with a south/southwest exposure; both parcels are usually picked the same day and vinified together)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2006: First cuvee, from Aloxe (fermentation finished): Aromas of apple, spices and liquid stone, with the metallic aspect often shown by young examples from this grand cru. Then wonderfully concentrated and precise, with uncanny sucrosite for a dry wine (this has just 1.3 grams of r.s.). Rock-solid yet supple and ripe, with captivating ginger apple flavor. Finishes with outstanding persistence. A great sample. Second cuvee, from Pernand: Ginger, apple and crushed stone on the nose; just a hint of malic acidity remaining. Then thoroughly ripe and sappy, with a dominant crushed stone character suggesting cool soil. Offers the combination of density, strong acidity and length that normally points to a very long evolution in bottle. These two lots, both from purchased grapes, will be assembled into a single wine, which is likely to be extraordinary. 93-97

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database. Tasted Dec 4. 2011: There are still noticeable toast elements coupled with overtly ripe and complex green fruit, white apple and pear aromas that merge into big, textured and notably big-boned flavors that feel almost opulent as the texture and mid-palate fat render the acidity almost invisible. This is a big and very rich wine that is impressive through its sheer size and weight and as such will most please those who enjoy power white burgundy as it’s here in spades. For my taste, this has arrived at its apogee and while it will certainly continue to hold for many years to come, I don’t foresee any additional upside development. 93

Don Cornwell, notes from a tasting on January 24, 2008: Light yellow-green color; brilliant citrus and green apple aromas; bright citrus and pear flavors yet fatter than virtually all 2004’s I’ve had; some minerality in the back half of the mid-palate; long fruit and effect finish. 92+


By round four the glass explosion was nearly overwhelming! This is even AFTER some had been cleared.

Trio of Veal Loin, Cheek, Tongue, Oven Roasted Maitake Mushrooms, Apple-Celery-Vanilla Purée, Confit Lemon. Very tasty reduction.

2001 Chateau de Fargues

Wine Advocate: Still in barrel, this Chateau d’Yquem look-alike exhibits powerful creme brulee characteristics along with some volatile acidity, huge, full-bodied, unctuously textured flavors, ample intensity as well as purity, and caramelized tropical fruits. This brawny heavyweight requires 5-6 years of bottle age, and should evolve for three decades. 94-96

Passion, Pineapple, Mango. Rum Baba Boules. Passion Fruit Frozen Kumo. Oven Roasted Pineapples. Paired brilliantly too.


All the wines in  a line. Wow!

This was a stunning dinner. The food was really spot on and Wolfgang himself popped in to say hi. He really gets around as I’ve seen him a large percentage of the time when I eat at ANY of his places. There was plenty of food too, although my food snob preferences would have been for more dishes, but each one was extremely well executed, some memorable even (like the Ravioli).

What can you say about the wines? Those of you who only know Chardonnay through its pathetic internationalized and manipulated variants are really missing something. White Burgundy, which I find many (less serious) wine drinkers aren’t really aware of, is in a rarefied class by itself and this was a hyper focused peak into a slice of the best of the best. Now, I still prefer great red Burgundy — nothing really matches the brilliance of an awesome Bonnes-Mares, Richebourg or the like — but it was great to really delve into a comparison of the different vineyards. One of my take aways was invest in more Meursault Perrieres because it’s a really sexy wine, and not quite as pricey as some of the grand crus.

I eagerly await night 2, which will focus on the “hyphenated” Montrachet’s like (Batard-Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet) and will be hosted at Valentinos. I’ve learned some things about how to taste at these events and will be better prepared to do it a different way. I would like to reach the point where I can write up a competent professional report myself, but I still have a way to go with whites (and to a lesser extent with reds).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists climb the Peak
  2. Never Boaring – Il Grano
  3. Hedonists at Dahab
  4. Hedonism at Esso
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2005 White Burgundy, Allen Meadows, Burgundy, Chablis wine, Chardonnay, Corton-Charlemagne, Foodie Club, Meursault, Spago, Stephen Tanzer, White Burgundy

The Last of Us – Zombie Time

Feb05

Yes I know, they’re “infected”, but name change or no, it’s still Zombie Time! Here is a recent video with some infected – enjoy!

and, even better, this Story Trailer:

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By: agavin
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Hedonism in the Desert – Azeen’s Afghani

Feb04

Restaurant: Azeen’s Afghani [1, 2, 3]

Location: 110 East Union Street, Pasadena, Ca, 911103. 626-683-3310

Date: January 31, 2013

Cuisine: Afghan

Rating: Awesome!

_

Another week and another Hedonist dinner. We braved traffic to take on Azeen’s Afghani in Pasadena, dominating the restaurant as usual with a giant table.


The elegant room is covered in murals.


We aren’t the only ones who love Azeen’s.


The menu. This place is amazing AND will not break the bank.


Billecart-Salmon Champagne to open.


Pakawra-e-badenjan. Batter dipped, sautéed slices of eggplant topped with yogurt and meat sauce.


This 25 year-old white Burgundy had a cork so dry that it popped down into the bottle at the slightest touch of the screw – still, it wasn’t in bad shape for it’s age. Perhaps it was a tad thin, although it opened up nicely in the 10-20 minute (after uncorking) time frame, then shut down again.


Aushak. Leek and scallion filled dumplings, topped with yogurt and meat sauce, sprinkled with mint.


From my cellar, Parker 93, “This estate’s Corton-Bressandes is a wine I search out in vintages with good ripeness. It is never huge, muscular, or a blockbuster but can often be sultry, seductive, detailed, and simply lovely. A recently tasted 1990, while at least three years from maturity, was fabulous. The 1996 displays sweet red cherry and Asian spice aromatics as well as a gorgeously refined character filled with candied and delineated cherries. This elegant, sexy, and feminine offering is medium-to-full-bodied, silky-textured, and possesses a long and refreshing finish.”


Mantu. Steamed dumplings filled with chopped beef, onions and herbs topped with yogurt and sautéed Mixed vegetables.


Parker 91-93, “The 2007 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast displays plenty of raspberry and floral notes, has a deep ruby/purple color, nicely integrated wood, medium to full body, and a spicy finish.”


Bulanee. Turnover filled with leek, scallions and herbs.


This other new world pinot gets about a 91 online.


Bulanee-e-katchalu. Turnover filled with potatoes, ground beef and herbs.


Parker 94-97, “The saturated ruby/purple-colored 2002 Pinot Noir Three Sisters-Lambing Barn Vineyard reveals a powerful, complex bouquet of blackberry and black cherry liqueur intertwined with notions of framboise, violets, and loamy soil. Plum, fig, and pure red and black fruit aromas soar from the glass of this full-bodied blockbuster.”

Parker sure loves these. It was still too oaked for my Burgundian taste, although smoother than the 2003 we had the previous week. All that oak is hiding some gorgeous fruit.


Aush. Vegetable, noodle and yogurt soup sprinkled with dill topped with meat sauce.


Aush has many of the same ingredients as some of the other dishes, but the soup factor really  works. Great stuff.


t

Parker 94, “Still one of the most backward wines of the vintage, Leoville-Barton’s 1982 is a wine of huge extract, high tannin, and a somewhat ancient style that recalls some of the Bordeaux of the late forties. The color is still a dense, even murky, opaque ruby/garnet. The wine offers up notes of licorice, cedar, black truffles, and sweet currant fruit. I had the wine twice in 2002, and my tasting note was almost identical to the last time I had it, in 1997, showing just how slowly this wine is evolving. The wine is enormous in the mouth, but still has some rather gritty, high tannins. It is a classic St.-Julien, with meat and black currants, great structure, and an amazingly youthful, vigorous feel.”

This wine was really drinking VERY nicely.


Smarooq challaw. Tender pieces of breast of chicken sautéed with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and green peppers.


From my cellar, Parker 92, “The 1996 Hermitage La Sizeranne exhibits a saturated dense purple color, a classic, smoky, cassis-scented nose, and fresh acidity nicely meshed with the wine’s rich, concentrated black fruit character and high tannin. This full-bodied, muscular, backward La Sizeranne requires patience. It is aged all in cask, of which 50% were new.”


Kabob-e-gousfand and kabob-e-tika. Tender cubes of lamb and beef respectively.


A very nice Syrah. Parker high 90s, “There are 400+ cases of Kongsgaard’s distinctive Syrah. Aged in 50% new French oak, it is fashioned from a special parcel of Hudson Vineyard vines planted in volcanic soils. The wine possesses striking blackberry, ground pepper, fried bacon fat, barbecue spice, and underbrush/composty characteristics that are also meaty and primordial. The volcanic soils may give this wine a more smoky, scorched, meaty character than other Northern California Syrahs. As the wine sits in the glass, notes of melted licorice also emerge. Extremely layered and long. This cuvee always benefits from 2-3 hours of decanting, and a young vintage might even be better if decanted 24 hours in advance. It is unquestionably the most singular expression of Syrah in Northern California.”


Kabob-e-murgh. Tender chunks of breast of chicken.


Parker 95, “The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, which comes from multiple fruit sources in Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville, Coombsville, Oak Knoll and Carneros, was aged in 100% new French oak. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it exhibits an opaque purple color, great intensity and a sweet nose of blue and black fruits intermixed with toasty oak, lead pencil shavings and forest floor. Rich, layered and full-bodied with silky tannins.”


Challaw. Seasoned rice.


Vegetarian dishes. In the back is some Katchalu. Potatoes cooked with onions, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic.


Sabsi. Sautéed spinach cooked with onions and garlic.


This cilantro chile sauce is awesome.


Parker was not a fan, 75 points! “One of the thinner, leaner, more malnourished Cabernet Sauvignons in my tasting, this primarily Cabernet Sauvignon blended with touches of Merlot and Cabernet Franc did not perform well. It is under-fruited and medium-bodied with a short finish.”


Kadu. Sautéed butternut squash topped with yogurt and meat sauce. Incredibly succulent.


The flat bread goes great dipped in the green sauce – or the Aush!


No space on the table.

I’m always a big fan of old Madeira’s and this didn’t disappoint. Parker has his “technical” opinion below, but this was an extremely enjoyable treat.

Parker 88, “The 1875 Malvasia is showing a little flabbiness on the nose, with smudged notes of brown sugar, nougat and coconut. The palate is sweet and a little saccharine on the entry. It shows good weight and substance, but it feels a little cloying towards the finish. There are better bottles out there and, indeed, returning to the same bottle after two weeks it had gained more composure.”


Baghlava. hin layers of pastry with walnuts and pistachios, syrup soaked.


Firnee. A light pudding with almonds and pistachios served chilled. Yum, yum! This was creamy and saturated with rose water, which I love.


Gelabee. Fried Pastry Dipped in Sugar Syrup.


Yarom, the owner Abdul, and I.


Annik didn’t get enough food (haha), so she popped next door for some ice cream!


The chaos.

This was another amazing Hedonist blow out. The food is so tasty here. Afghan is a really delectable cuisine. Middle eastern with a hint of China, Persia, and India. It’s not spicy but is packed with flavor. Growing up, we used to frequently enjoy this cuisine in the Washington suburbs. You can check that out here.

The service at Azeen’s is fantastic. Abdul really makes you feel welcome. And Azeen’s is probably the best kitchen execution I’ve experienced in an Afghan restaurant  I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s better than 99% of the places in Kabul.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.


Related posts:

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  5. Hedonists at Dahab
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Afghan Cuisine, aush, Azeen's Afghani, Foodie Club, hedonists, mantu, Pasadena, Yoghurt

Adventures in the Screen Trade

Feb01

adventures-in-the-screen-trade-william-goldman_mediumTitle: Adventures in the Screen Trade

Author: William Goldman

Genre: Memoir / Writing Guide

Read: January, 2013

Summary: Fascinating and Terrifying

 

Having recently begun adapting my novel Untimed into a screenplay, I’m doing my usual slog through the relevant homework. What more can we say  about William Goldman than: The Princess Bride (both the novel and the screenplay). If that doesn’t make you feel invincible, then take Marathon Man, All the Presidents Men, or Butch  Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And those are but a few of his produced films. Last year, I read the equally famous Save the Cat, which is a good book, but I marveled that the late author, while a hugely touted screenwriter, hadn’t written any good (produced) films. So not true of Goldman.

This work is fascinating, but it’s only about a third writing manual. It’s really three books: 1) a witty and insightful skewering of Hollywood, 2) personal stories from the trenches about each of Goldman’s pre 1982 films, 3) the Butch Cassidy screenplay, discussions of its strengths and weaknesses, and an adaption of a short story into a screenplay.

The skewering is caustic, hilarious, and even thirty years later, dead on. Goldman is famous for his “nobody knows anything” quote and how true it seems. His discussions of studio executives, agents, stars, and the intertwined nightmare of power is insightful bordering on clairvoyant. Most of the trends that he sees in motion in 1982 have continued and accelerated to bring us to the moderately dismal state of contemporary filmmaking (there are exceptions of course). Think both Entourage and the brilliant “The Day the Movies Died” GC article. Also, having worked with/for Universal, Sony, and Fox… well it was just all too funny and familiar.

The personal section terrified me. I hope to see Untimed make the leap to film, as it will make a great one, and it’s made vividly clear in Adventures that even a major screenwriter like Goldman is but a candle in the wind before the studio gale. This is made all the more peculiar by the fact that the screenplay is the single most important ingredient that goes into a movie. Film is a highly collaborative and commercial medium, but you really can’t make a good movie out of a bad script (unless you rewrite it to be a good script). You can however, make a lousy film out of a great script, or a hit film out of a bad one (Transformers anyone?).

Part three isn’t a good introduction to either writing screenplays or writing, but I sure did find it useful. Goldman hammers home many of the oft-repeated (but for a reason) messages of screenwriting, particularly his emphasis on structure. He’s a wonderful storyteller and his adaption example is so ridiculous, that it’s impressive to watch how he makes such a trite concept almost work.

If any of these topics fascinate you, give Adventures a read. Besides, Goldman’s such a good writer, he could make cereal-box copy a bestseller.

For more book reviews, click here.

Related posts:

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  5. Movie Review: Adventureland
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Books, Writing
Tagged as: Arts, Book Review, Reviews and Criticism, Screenplay, Screenwriting, William Goldman, Writing
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