This was one of those old stately restaurants of a bygone era, where business men would go to have a great lunch or dinner in a very club-like atmosphere.  It was one of those places that had dark wood and white table cloths and very well trained waiters.  I was glad that I was a guest in this restaurant, because I was young and I really could not afford this caliber of a restaurant when I was still in college.  I was a guest of a gentleman that really enjoyed good meals and good wine.

At that point in my life, I had not much appreciation for fish, as we did not eat it that often at home.  We were raised more on shell fish, rather than on fish.  I was well acquainted with lobster, crab and shrimp.  The only fish I really knew was tuna from a can.  Now I was going to have a fish dinner and I was a very little fish in this big new ocean.  I just followed my host, and had the same dish he was having.  It was trout stuffed with seafood.  I remember being amazed at how rich tasting this dish was, and wondered why I had never had anything like this before.

My host for the evening also ordered a wonderful bottle of White Burgundy from France.  This was his favorite classification of wines, followed by the Red wines of Burgundy.  He was telling me and educating me at the same time, how unique the wines were in the Burgundy region, and that I must study them as well as taste them, to truly appreciate them.  He ordered a more generic wine from the region, but one that he himself enjoyed and said that it would be a good introduction to the region for me.  We had a bottle of Comtes de Chartogne 1975 from the negociants Jaboulet-Vercherre from Beaune.  It reads Appelation Bourgogne Controlee, which is the most generic of the district, but it was still a delightful wine with a lot of style and finesse, that I noticed even at that young age of mine.  I went on to discover other white wines of this area, much to my enjoyment, and I still enjoy them when I get the chance.