The Historic Holly Hotel

Posted on November 18, 2014 by thewineraconteur

When I was a college student, there was always a chance that meeting someone that was not from the immediate area. I remember that happening once and I ended up on date in Holly, Michigan. Which back then required a AAA map for the state of Michigan, back then it almost felt like I needed a visa and a travel permit. I was not then and I still am not a great distance driver, not that my driving is bad, I just am not crazy about being in a car for long periods of time, especially when I do not know where I am going to. This was the case, going to Holly. After I got there, it was fine. The destination was a delight, it was the oldest continous inn in the state, and the restaurant was acclaimed. The hotel itself was also famous as Carrie Nation once took her axe to the establishment for serving alcohol, and they even celebrated the event every year.

Medoc 05

The restaurant prided themselves on being Nouveau Cuisine back then, but I remember the food being more Continental, than trendy at least to this novice diner. I remember having sharing plates of escargot in a classic rendition, as well as shrimp stuffed mushrooms to start off the dinner. Since neither of us that evening was adventurous with food, I had Beef Wellington and my date had medallions of beef and both were prepared very well. I remember being surprised that the potatoes looked like waffles; it is amazing what I remember vividly about certain situations.

MI The Holly Hotel Logo

We shared a bottle of Chateau Loudenne 1973, which is a Medoc wine and a Cru Grand Bourgeois. A Medoc listing tends to be a better guidepost than just a Bordeaux appellation, because it is a much smaller parcel of the whole district. With it being a Medoc, I think it is safe to surmise that the wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and perhaps Carmenere. One of the pleasures of writing this blog is the ability to go a revisit some of the wines that got me started in my pursuit of wines. Chateau Loudenne is one of the oldest Cru Bourgeois properties of the area, and they are still winning awards and well regarded in their classification. The property is now owned by The Moutai Group of China, and was the first vineyard that they purchased outside of China. All this from a long car trip, for a date, and as an update, the Hotel is no longer an inn, they closed for awhile, but the restaurant has been reopened, and is cause for a return trip at some point.

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The Farm House in Hazel Park, Michigan

Posted on November 16, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I have mentioned several times that I belong to a dinner club and we meet at assorted restaurants around the Metro Detroit area. One of the requirements that we need is a room that will handle on the average of thirty-five members in a private room. The other needs are a choice of at least three different entrees and a bar. Three members of the club are the hosts for the evening and they have the right to select the venue and the menu. One time the club met in a historic building that became a restaurant in Hazel Park, Michigan called The Farm House. At one time, the building was actually a home on a farm, but it became a full fledged restaurant later in its life, and it was known for its baking and specialty dishes.

Beaujolais-Villages Parisol

We always start off with a cocktail hour, which is where I can try some wines and if not, I can always count on a couple of whiskey sours. Then we start with a house salad, which is the norm, and this restaurant had some of the best bread being served on the tables. We had a choice of trout, a strip steak or barbequed spareribs. This restaurant was known for their buttery fish plates, but I opted for the ribs, because when ever I can find ribs that fall off the bone, it is a done deal. I enjoy spareribs, I just do not like picking up a bone and gnawing on it, and I would rather use a knife and fork, and believe me there have been plenty of discussions about it, with people questioning my sanity.

MI The Farm House Logo

One of the reasons also that I went with the ribs that evening, was that they had a very nice bottle of Beaujolais-Villages wine by the negociant M.L.Parisol et Cie. Beaujolais-Villages are the second tier of wines for Beaujolais. There are thirty-nine villages or communes that comprise this rating, but these entities are unknowns in comparison to the Cru Beaujolais, which is the top ranking. When I can find a Beaujolais-Villages bottle of wine, I like to order it, as I find it to be quite nice and not as dear as some of the Cru wines, and certainly they have more finesse and charm than either a Beaujolais Nouveau of just a Beaujolais designation. The sad thing about this memory is that this restaurant is no longer there, because it has been replaced with yet another chain drug store, as if the world has a shortage of these stores.

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Carl’s Chop House

Posted on November 14, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Was there ever a grander place to meet in the old days of Detroit? Carl’s Chop House was not glamorous, maybe when it first opened, but that was way before my time. It was that iconic destination for a business man’s lunch or dinner without the trappings of an expense account joint. When I was a kid, it was still a bustling place, and alas I even remember it near the end when all the wind was out of its tattered sails. It had survived the period when Downtown Detroit was desolate, but I think the casinos ended this Grande Dame of the town. I had an Uncle that could have had a brass emblem mounted on his usual table and he was there at least a couple of times a week, I still smile when I think of him and his era at Carl’s.

Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux Hourticq 1972

It was one of those old time charmers, a steak house that was a roadhouse. They had the ribbons displayed of the prize winning steers from the State Fairs and 4-H auctions. The steaks were more then ample, since they were at least two inch thick, and the extra cut Prime Rib was enormous. You could always count on the relish tray with the chicken liver pate, the celery sticks, radishes and all the other odds and ends that you knew that you were just going to nibble on, while you were looking at the menu, even if you knew it by heart. Then there was the soup of the day and their salad with the creamy garlic dressing, yes I am sure there were other dressings, but not on my order. At lunch it was very egalitarian and you could even order from several different sandwiches, though I don’t remember anyone ever doing it, and I recall how people would swear they had the greatest burger, but I never saw that on a plate either. It was the steaks and the seafood that I recall. You could pick out your lobster if you wanted to, there was perch, frog lakes, trout, sturgeon and they would butterfly the shrimp, and then there was my Father’s favorite fish Red Snapper. The steaks were huge, not only did they do Chateaubriand for two, they had a Porterhouse Steak for two, and all of the meat back in the day was Prime. I could go on and on about the different dishes that I had over the years.

MI Carls Chop House Logo

Carl’s was really for drinkers, that is cocktails and a lot of Scotch whisky. I always remember glasses and glasses of Dewar’s or Chevas Regal, but the Canadian crowd was also widely accepted as there was always room for a couple of Crown Royal glasses as well. Of course back then I would get some catcalls and razzing, but I would like to have some wine as well, with a crowd that wasn’t really into wine at the time. Carl’s would accommodate, but I it was always a bottle of Bordeaux or a Cabernet Sauvignon. I am showing in fact a bottle of wine that was a Cabernet Sauvignon Appellation Bordeaux Controlee 1972. Now this was a negociant blended wine and the label covered both bases of the early wine trade quite well. I even tried looking up the shipper and the only reference on could find on Gaston Hourticq was his name on a bottle of Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 1946 from a Christy’s Auction, so I can surmise he was somewhat of a fixture in Bordeaux for years. Alas Carl’s Chop House is no longer even an empty structure on the streets of Detroit, but I know that there plenty of people besides myself that still have a fond memory of it.

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Chili and Chile

Posted on November 12, 2014 by thewineraconteur

It was just one of those days, when it felt a bit chilly in the house. Working around the house trying to get some last minute chores done, before the onset of the winter weather and if you are a home owner, you know what that can entail. While I was doing some of the “honey-do” requests, my Bride was upstairs already wrapping the gifts for the Christmas season; by Thanksgiving Day, we have Christmas wrapped up for the season. My Bride takes great pride in the fact that by Thanksgiving Day, all the Christmas/Hanukah cards are signed and addressed and stuffed with our yearly newsletter, all of the gifts have been purchased, wrapped and bundled by group and the best part is that everything should be paid off by New Years Day. She was mentioning that she felt a chill in the air, as she was getting her stuff done.

Santa Rita Carmenere 2013

She announced that she was going to make chili for dinner, as she felt that it was a good dinner for this weather. Now I am amazed at how quickly she can make a pot of chili, even though I good naturedly give her some grief, because she is always trying to make me eat healthy, but thankfully she no longer makes the dish just with ground turkey, as she now adds ground sirloin in for flavor. I think of the years when I made a pot of chili and it would take hours to make, but then I approached it differently, starting from the meat selection onward, but of course she is trying to keep me on this earth a little longer, so whenever she can, she tries to make meals that are more health-conscious whereas I never even think in terms of that when it comes to eating. I have to admit that she is probably the reason that I don’t have gout or look more like Falstaff.

Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

I also had the good fortune, through a friend to pick up a mixed case of wines from Chile the day before at the very reasonable price of five dollars a bottle. There are days when we just enjoy a glass of wine or two at home and it is not necessary to open up a forty or fifty dollar bottle of wine; even though it would be wonderful to drink wines of that nature on a daily basis, this Wine Blogger doesn’t. The wines were all from Vina Santa Rita of Santiago, Chile and were all from their “120 range.” This range of wines commemorates the 120 patriots that after a long, hard battle during the fight for Chile’s independence, reached the lands belonging to Santa Rita. On that fateful night in 1814, these forces of liberty found refuge in the estate cellars, the same cellars that produce this range of wines, as well as the other offerings from the winery. In my mixed case I had bought Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Carmenere 2013 and Merlot 2012. These wines all come from the Valle Central of Chile; the largest DO of the country. These wines in the collection are made for early consumption, but are not as fruit forward as some wines of this ilk can be. On that chilly day, to go with the chili, the Chilean wine I selected was the Carmenere, which had enough natural spice to pair with the chili, and yes I know that I used an ample amount of alliteration.

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La Rotisserie at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency

Posted on November 10, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I have mentioned the Hyatt Regency hotel that was in Dearborn, a couple of times in the past, and that is because it had such a presence in the Metropolitan Detroit area. When it opened up in 1976, it just took all the air out of all the other hotels in the area, because of its scope, size and its appearance. It was a landmark from the ground and from the air; it had that look to it, which was unmistakable. At one time, it was one of the hottest venues for dining, as well as for having drinks with friends. It is sad that it has already changed hands for the third time in less then a decade now.

Clos Vougeot Domaine Rene Engel

La Rotisserie was the restaurant to dine at, and it was difficult to secure reservations there, between all the Metro Detroiters that wanted to try it out, as well as all the guests at the hotel. It was like pulling teeth, to get a reservation back then. One of the draws for a lot of people was that they had a few “Chinese” dishes that were unique and drawn from other of their hotels, but as I have written in the past, this was not a major draw for me, maybe in another trip down Memory Lane I will write about this restaurant again. What was the major draw for me, was that they served duck in five different presentations, the ducks were aged, suspended, marinaded and roasted in copper rotisseries, hence the name. There was a duck of the day, as well as a classic roasted duckling, Duckling Montmorency, Duckling Madagascar and Duckling au Framboise. There were also some great pates for starters, and I remember trying a Lobster Mousse, while I know that it is not a pate, I thought it sounded very interesting, especially with the fancy name attributed to it. For my entrée, I had selected the Duckling Madagascar, because outside of the classic interpretation, it was the only other dish that was not on the “sweet” side, which is something I tend to avoid. This duckling was done in green peppercorns and then flamed with Cognac, and that pleased the pseudo-gourmand in me at the time. They also offered a choice of soufflés for dessert and as per the norm, you had to order the soufflé when you place your dining orders, and hoped that you had room, for dessert, of course back then, it was not a problem, as I usually had two hollow legs when I sat down for dinner.

MI La Rotisserie Logo

The wine selection the first couple of years that they were open, was quite impressive. What is a better wine to have with duck, than Pinot Noir and that meant a Burgundy wine, as the explosion and acceptance of wines from Napa Valley had just caused a sensation, and I think there was still hesitancy both for the restaurants and for the public at large. I am glad that I had a chance to drink some of these great wines, before the price eruption has since occurred, not only for French wines, but also in California. I had a bottle of Clos-Vougeot (the vintage is unknown, but I would venture 1973) from Domaine Rene Engel. Vougeot is a hamlet or village in the Cotes de Nuits district of the Cote d’Or. The village of Vougeot is also dominated by the one Grands Cru which is Clos de Vougeot, and there are so many owners in this area, and some of the vineyards are better situated than others. Then there is the quality and fame of the different producers, so the wines can vary in the same vintage because of these variables. I am happy to say that Domaine Rene Engel is considered one of the top ten producers with some of the vines being eighty to ninety years old. Vougeot is also famous because it is the home of the Chevaliers du Tastevin, an organization founded to promote the wines of Burgundy, and famous for some legendary dinners, but I can not claim any first hand knowledge of them.

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The Motor Bar at the Book Cadillac Hotel

Posted on November 8, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Years ago, and I mean years ago, when I was in high school, I belonged to the Armenian Youth Federation. I remember checking out the downtown hotels for a conference to get the best arrangement for the club and to keep the costs down as we were all teenagers. One of the hotels that I looked into was the Book Cadillac Hotel, which has reopened in Detroit in the last couple of years after being shuttered for a period of years. I had a couple of meetings with the sales department, and I guess between my suits and my moustache I appeared older, even though I was acting in a capacity for a youth group. On one of the trips to the sales department, the salesman took me out for dinner and drinks to “sell” the hotel, and who was I to say no? I mean, have you ever met a teenager that didn’t have a great appetite? The salesman must have known, but he ate as much as I did that time.

Romanee St Vivant Domaine Marey Monge 1967

I remember that I did not have to even make any decisions, as my contact person was doing all of the ordering. I started off with Clams Casino, followed by a bowl of Lobster Bisque with the lacing. It was the first time that I ever had a spinach salad with a hot bacon dressing and I did enjoy that salad. For the entrée, I cannot remember the name of the dish, but it was jumbo shrimp (prawns?) stuffed with crabmeat in a lobster sauce, and it must have been a double order, because the plate was laden with the shrimp (see the things that I can remember). After dinner we enjoyed a couple of Hummers, this is a drink that I believe was born in Detroit and is a cocktail in a milkshake, and I might add, rather lethal.

MI Motor Bar Book Cadillac Hotel Logo

I was being wined and dined in royal style that evening and we had a bottle of Romanee-St.-Vivant Domaine Marey-Monge 1967. This is a Pinot Noir wine from the Cotes d’Or of Burgundy. I have to say that this wine is a bit more than just a Burgundy wine; it is from the Cote de Nuits and the village of Vosne-Romanee. One of the most famous Grands Crus of this village is the four acre estate Romanee-Conti, which is owned entirely by the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (DRC), which also owns all of La Tache, and parts of Richebourg, Grands-Eschezeaux, Eschezeaux and Montrachet. The only reason that I mention the DRC is that they produce and market the wines of another vineyard in Vosne-Romanee owned by the widow of General Marey-Monge. This was a leasing arrangement and the DRC had first options on the property and they finally purchased the vineyard and this label no longer exists. I think that the salesman wanted to try this wine, and I got to be the lucky recipient of his expense account.

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La Marmite

Posted on November 6, 2014 by thewineraconteur

If you look up the name of this restaurant, you will find several around the world with the same name, and some are still in existence. The one that I have been to and remember was downtown, not far from the RenCen and the Plaza Hotel. It was a popular little bistro when that was still an uncommon word in the Detroit area. It was French without the trappings of what people expected of a French restaurant, especially back then. One of the unique aspects of La Marmite, back then, was that the menu changed weekly, which in hindsight is what a bistro should offer; the menu should reflect what was available that week at the market.

Santenay Joseph Drouhin

I recall it having a very short and sweet menu of choices, which is fine, especially when the offerings are fresh, made to order and properly executed. I remember having Beef Carpaccio there, and it may have been my first encounter, or one of the first, and a dish that I still enjoy to this day. I also remember having Escalope of Veal, a fancy way of saying basically a Veal Cutlet, but it was the sauce that I still remember the most. The sauce was a mix of lemon and green onions that had a different taste, then any other veal dish that I have had. I also remember wanting to have the roast duck that evening, but it was prepared with fruits and nuts, and I was too naive to ask if it could be prepared differently. What I have learned over the years about chefs, is that some are receptive to requests for a slightly different interpretation of a dish, but then some are not; but back then I did not know that.

MI La Marmite Logo

Since I was having a veal dish, I opted for a lighter wine, which for me back then when I was still teaching myself the different wines was a Burgundy. Nowadays with the price of so many Burgundy wines being so dear, I might say Pinot Noir. I had a bottle of Santenay from the famous negocient Maison Joseph Drouhin. Santenay is one of the villages in the Cote de Beaune that has a couple Premiers Crus, but this was not one of them. Santenay was famous back in the Roman times for the hot water springs and was known as Santinae Aquae or Health Giving Waters. While the wines of Santenay and Maison Joseph Drouhin are still going concerns, the restaurant La Marmite is no longer.

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Jim’s Garage

Posted on November 4, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Years ago before the trend of converting service stations into theme restaurants, there was a great place to go that had an excellent location kitty-corner from the original Cobo Hall. It was Jim’s Garage, and they capitalized on Detroit being the Motor City. There were antique signs and auto memorabilia that should have been in museums, not to mention a great collection of hood ornaments and radiator caps; and a lot them of them were in crystal. Even the table cloths instead of being linen were chamois (or that type of finish) to lend to the automotive theme. This was way before the likes of Planet Hollywood or the Hard Rock Cafes with their motifs and curious décor.

Pinot Chardonnay Macon Blanc Lichine 1975

The menu for this restaurant was not large and there were only a few fancy dishes, as it was a “business” man’s restaurant and that meant steaks and seafood and generous drinks. This is back in the days of the “three martini lunches” that sometimes morphed into a dinner. Oysters, clams and shrimp for appetizers, there were a few more, but I am sure the three that I listed did the lion’s share of requests. There were steaks, and steaks and lamb chops. There was trout, which if you are in Michigan you will serve and there were two sole dishes. There was Dover Sole and then there was a baked Sole that I tried because it was baked in parchment. I had heard of this dish from customers who I had learned to value their opinion. I remember liking this dish because it had a rich sauce, because for me Sole is rather bland, but that is just me.

MI Jims Garage Logo

The wine I chose that evening was by the importer Alexis Lichine, a unique individual in the wine industry. He was a buyer, a seller, a retailer, a negociant and an author. He was also famous for trying to have the Classification of the Medoc changed, but that did not work out for him. He was also one of the first in the industry to try marketing wines by the varietals instead of by the region, and for some regions this marketing ploy was more successful and is now utilized around the world. The wine I had was an Alexis Lichine Pinot Chardonnay 1975. If you look at the label you will see that it says Appellation Macon Blanc Controlee, but this was downplayed and the varietals were the star according to the labeling. I would surmise that he felt that the Maconnais appellation was not as important, or was not that well known. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are two of the major varietals of the Maconnais as well as Gamay. The funny thing is, that the more I go back and look at my old restaurants that I visited and the wines that I tried in my youth, the more surprised I am, at what I tried.

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The Rhinoceros

Posted on November 2, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The Rhinoceros is a restaurant that I only went to once, and it was a hot place for years, maybe I was too young to appreciate it and what they were doing. It was in Downtown Detroit, in what was called the warehouse district. It was on Riopelle Street and on the site of the original Riopelle farm, when Detroit was a series of “ribbon” farms that were long and narrow and every farm had direct access to the Detroit River. The building if I recall was originally a livery stable and the building eventually became one of Detroit’s earliest bars. The owners of The Rhinoceros attempted to give the establishment the feel of the Nineteenth Century with an eclectic collection of art, museum type pieces and some rather risqué artwork. The problem was, that when I went there, I felt uncomfortable as it was not the type of restaurant that I was familiar with, and I felt that it was too “frou-frou.”

Chateau de Pizay Morgon (1)

At that time in my life, I was still more meat and potatoes in my diet, though I did enjoy seafood. I think this was one of the first places that I encountered that offered a vinaigrette for my salad, and to begin with, I was not big on salads, and I basically only did Italian or Creamy Garlic dressing, so I was at a loss. I think that I had escargot instead of a salad, followed by tournedos of Prime beef with Béarnaise Sauce. I was not that adventurous back then, and sometimes I think that I am still not the most open to trying new dishes.

MI The Rhinoceros Logo

I remember having Chateau de Pizay with my dinner. This wine is from Morgon which is one of the ten Beaujolais Crus, and the wines from Morgon are much more elegant and have more body then a regular Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages. This wine is made from the Gamay varietal, which is the grape of note in the entire Beaujolais district, and in fact this grape excels when you find a great bottle of wine from the area. Morgon is not seen that often here, but this wine is from the Barton & Guestier (B & G) negociants and distributors; hence this wine gets more distribution than probably any other wine from Morgon. Even though I had a safe dinner from the menu, I remember this wine more than the restaurant, and I never went back, but the restaurant survived for years with out me, so I guess it was just me, and I should have ventured back there, years later, but I never did. It is funny, how one remembers certain things.

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The Lakes Bar & Grille and Déjà vu

Posted on October 31, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Sometimes happenstance brings good fortune and it can also be a cause for déjà vu. For some odd reason, most times the job of selecting a restaurant falls into my lap. Most of the time, it is rather easy, as I hear or read about so many different venues, that I can usually rattle off a few, off the top of my head; other times I may have to do some research, which is not all that bad. Our son and his family offered to take us out for dinner to celebrate my Bride’s birthday. My mission was to find a suitable restaurant between our house and their house, and the city of Commerce, Michigan was just about right. I did a search on the internet and found a couple of candidates, but one intrigued me more, because of the positive reviews and a mention of a well thought out wine list; I was sold and the decision was made.

Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2011

We were off to the Lakes Bar & Grille and I have to admit with the new roads, it was a much easier destination than it used to be. As we were watching for the address numbers, we ended up at the restaurant and upon entering, it was déjà vu. It was the Commerce Grille from years back, and the basic room structure was almost as I remembered it. We got a booth off in a corner that was perfect for five diners. When I told the hostess that I had been there, when it was the Commerce Grill, she looked at me in a surprised state, but I told her that I had fond memories of the old restaurant.

The menu while not large had some very good choices and reasonably priced, as we were guests, it was something we paid attention to without making it noticeable, and truthfully there were only a few entrees that were more expensive than the majority. My Bride had a seared Ahi Tuna salad that was not on the menu, but was suggested by our waitress. I decided on a Macaroni and Cheese dish that was beyond the norm. The five cheeses in the dish were all within my comfort level, as I have stated in the past, I have a problem with certain cheeses. Beyond the Macaroni and Cheese or should I say beneath it was a layer of tenderloin tips in a butter (Zip) sauce, and above the main part of the dish was chopped lobster; instead of mixed vegetables they brought me as a side Bourbon candied onions. It reminded me of a Lobster Newburg in a sense with steak. The dish was very rich and satisfying, and my Bride told me later, that I had the better of our two dishes. There was also freshly baked bread and whipped butter. For dessert we shared a Crème Brulee in a classic presentation. The food was just as good, as the old restaurant, and my Bride decided that we shall be going there again, because of the food and for the logistics.

MI The Lakes Bar & Grille BC

We had gotten there early, because the travel time compared to the old days was cut in half, and we also wanted to select a bottle of wine for dinner and pay for it separately, since only the two of us drank wine, so why should we burden our son with an added expense like that. There were several potential wines that I could have chosen, but I ended up with a bottle of Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2011. I thought a Pinot Noir would pair with the (I hoped) creaminess of the Macaroni and Cheese dish, as well as the seared Ahi Tuna. Flowers Vineyards & Winery produce five different Pinot Noir wines depending on the vineyard where the fruit came from. The wine we had, the Sonoma Coast was the basic wine of the group and it was delicious. If there basic wine is that good I shall have to look for some of the designated vineyards at another time. All in all, it was a delightful evening, great conversation, wonderful food and a charming new wine; all for my Bride and may she have many, many more birthdays.

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