Saturday Aboard the “Titanic”at the Grand Hotel

Posted on May 11, 2013 by thewineraconteur

We woke up Saturday morning with the anticipation of a lot to do aboard the “Titanic.”  After dressing up in period attire we went to the Salle a Manger for our breakfast.  We were offered a choice of either the Breakfast Buffet or by the menu, and we opted for the food off of the carte.  We tend to prefer our eggs made to order, rather than in a big chafing dish, but that is minor to most people.  We also started the day off with Mimosas, and I must say they were the largest Mimosas that we have ever been served.  The Mimosa were also made from the Grand Hotel Blanc de Noir Brut Sparkling Wine that we enjoyed the night before that was produced by L. Mawby Vineyards of Suttons Bay, Michigan.  What a grand way to start off the day, that and some fresh brewed coffee.

 Grand Hotel Blanc de Noir Brut NV on ice

There were two lectures in the morning about the Titanic, one from a gentleman that was part of the dive team that entered the remains of this famed ship and he gave his observations and notes on the newest concepts of what caused the ship to sink, and he also explained why the ice berg was actually difficult to see at sea.  The other lecture was on the actual building and designs of the ship with period photographs of the many stages required to build this ship and its sister ship.  Both of the lectures were very informative for the lay person and easy to understand.  There were also some fun pictures showing the Titanic at Mackinac Island and comparing the ship to the Grand Hotel in physical size.

 GH Titanic Replicas

There was a pause in the day to allow the guests to have lunch, if they so desired.  We were still well sated from our breakfast that we wandered around and explored the hotel, admiring the art work and exhibits that are part of the lore of the Grand Hotel.

 GH Second Day at Mail Box

The afternoon consisted of another couple of “lectures.”  The first was performed by one of the cast members of the touring group on etiquette from the time period.  My Bride found it to be in good jest, and I found it rather demeaning and condescending.  I was very uncomfortable with the session, and had no desire to volunteer to be the foil for this pompous woman.  Afterwards there was a dance lesson, taught by two of the “dancers” we observed the night before.  I had said that they were professionals and I guess I was vindicated by their appearance as teachers.  They taught two beginner steps of the “Fox Trot” which was a popular dance at the time.

 GH Some people at a lecture

The Grand Hotel also had prepared for those interested to watch the Kentucky Derby, by having the race shown in three different rooms, but it was during the beginning of the evening program, but the Audubon Wine Bar, was thankfully right around the corner from the reception room before our evening dinner.

MI Audubon Bar MB

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The First Dinner of the “Titanic” Weekend

Posted on May 9, 2013 by thewineraconteur

When the initial reception was over and it was time for dinner, rather than all preceding to a private dining room, we all went to the main dining room at the Grand Hotel, Salle a Manger.  We had met two young couples at the reception and enjoyed their company, and they asked if we could all have dinner together, which we accepted.  I felt that the Salle a Manger was the perfect setting for the first evening’s dinner, as it reminded me of the main dining room on a large ocean liner.  The Salle a Manger requires proper attire for dinner, but this was not a problem, as all of the attendees at the reception were dressed, and a lot in period clothing or formal apparel.

 Ch de Pez Saint-Estephe 2006

As we studied the menu and the wine list for dinner, we formulated our choices.  My Bride started off with a Maine Lobster-Diver Scallop Terrine with a Red Onion Confit and Saffron Aioli.  I ordered a classic Escargot en Croute with a Garlic-Herb Butter.  For our second course my Bride had a Roasted Butternut-Ginger Bisque with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and I had the Michigan Beef Broth with Gruyere Cheese Celestine.  As a side note, one of the other diners had the Chilled Pear and Rhubarb soup with Candied Fruit and raved about the dish, and proclaimed that it should have been a dessert.  The Salad Course was a Caprese Salad for my Bride, while I just request a House Salad, as I am not a fan of Buffalo Mozzarella.  The selection for our Entrée Course was also quite easy and we both knew what the other one would select.  My Bride had the Maple Barbecue Glazed Salmon Filet with Hazelnut Polenta Cake and a White Bean Puree.  I dined on an entree of Sautéed Veal Medallions with Sweetbread Crepinette, Hazelnut Polenta Cake and Brandied Shiitake Cream.  We sampled each other’s dishes and enjoyed each other’s selections.  For dessert, my Bride showed ample restraint and requested Lemon Sorbet, while I went for the gusto and had a Milk Chocolate-Cherry Bread Pudding with Chambord Cream.

 GH First Dinner

When I studied the wine list, I was relieved to discover that there would be more than just the house wines offered, even though I knew that they would have all been fine.  I began by ordering a minor chateau wine from Pomerol, but they did not have the wine, and I would presume that because they had just opened for the season, that the wine had not arrived yet, but was on order, I was offered another wine, an Haute-Medoc, but I asked to see the wine list again.  I chose Chateau de Pez 2006 from Saint-Estephe, which is a commune in the Haute-Medoc, but I thought this would be a better wine than what was offered.  The wine was wonderful, perhaps a bit over powering for the salmon, but with the barbeque glaze, it worked and my Bride had no complaints, and neither did I.

 MI Grand Hotel Menu Face

We had such a wonderful time at dinner with our guests, that we missed seeing the film for the evening “A Night to Remember,” and as we all agreed, that we knew how the film concluded, we enjoyed our company more.  Afterwards, my Bride and I went dancing.  My only complaint was that there was a group of “Ball Room” dancers, as well as two dance instructors that were attending the weekend as well, and they rather commandeered the dance floor, doing their choreography, while my Bride and I attempted to dance.

TWR Toasting

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“Somewhere In Time,” This Time for Keeps” and the Titanic

Posted on May 7, 2013 by thewineraconteur

“Somewhere In Time” is a romance movie that starred Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer, while “This Time for Keeps” is a musical that starred Esther Williams and Jimmy Durante; and what they both have in common is that they were filmed in part at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan.  In fact “Somewhere in Time” is still so popular among its die-hard fans that they have conventions at the hotel and they dress in clothes of the film’s periods, whereas the hotel has the “Esther Williams’s Pool.  Which leads us to the Titanic, which is a name of a film, as well as a fabled ocean liner that sunk on her maiden voyage; and this is what brought us to the island.  The Grand Hotel was having a “Titanic Weekend” which included a themed interactive dinner theater and lectures, and they even requested that the guests would enjoy themselves more if they dressed for the theme of the weekend.  Now as a side bar, I should mention that dressing is de rigueur for the Grand Hotel as proper dress is required for all guests after six, including that gentlemen must wear coats and ties, and ladies must refrain from trousers.  Now if you know my Bride and me, then you know that this is not a problem as we always dress like this when we are on our holidays.

 MI GH Titanic Registration

Getting to the hotel was a nail biter, not only for the travel time of four plus hours, but then one had to factor in the ferry ride to the hotel, and then the additional time waiting for our luggage to arrive by horse drawn-wagons.  We just made it to the ferry with only minutes to spare, and then we waited what seemed ages to get our luggage to change into the theme of the weekend.

 MI Grand Hotel Sign Post

We arrived at the “Boarding Party” just in time and received our Boarding Passes.  My Bride discovered that she was the wife of the President of the Grand Trunk Railway and she was traveling with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, that she lived in Montreal and had First Class accommodations.  While I found out I was a married stock-broker from New York City returning from a business and pleasure trip to England also traveling with First Class accommodations. Thankfully we had both selected our boarding passes from two different piles, depending on one’s gender, and we both had First Class tickets, as we were dressed for that style of travel.

 MI Boarding Pass

As we went up the stairs to the Boarding Party, we were first stopped by two employees of the ship, one to check our tickets and the other a nurse who flagged us through, because we were First Class, but she was checking other grades for lice before they could board the ship.  When we walked in to the room, we met the Captain of the Titanic and we were announced by one of his key staff.  The majority of the people were dressed for the occasion, which did make it feel more special.  I was surprised at the quality of some of the period clothing and accessories that one saw, later on, I found out that some of the guests were part of the Theatrical Cast, but there were some guests that had done this for the third time at the Hotel and by that time had really gotten into the theme of the party.

 MI Personal Cast

At this party, there were a couple of tables arranged with cheese and crackers, fresh fruit and vegetables.  There was also a bar set up with liquor, beer and wine.  All of the wines that evening had the Grand Hotel label.  The offerings were Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Moscato; these were all private labeled, but produced by M. Trinchero of California.  We decided to try the non-vintage Grand Hotel Blanc de Noir Brut Sparkling Wine and it was wonderful, in fact we did enjoy several glasses of it, and later I discovered when I took an empty bottle up to our room for the label that it was produced by L. Mawby Vineyards of Suttons Bay, Michigan.  This happens to be a winery that we have visited a couple of times, and my Bride has visited a few times more.  All of this was a prelude to our dinner and then a filming of “A Night to Remember.”

Grand Hotel Blanc de Noir Brut NV MI

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My First Year Anniversary of Writing

Posted on May 5, 2013 by thewineraconteur

I call myself “The Wine Raconteur” because I like the sound of the word, which is just an old fashioned word for a “story teller” and that is what I am, sometimes to the chagrin of others around me.  This is my first year anniversary of writing a daily article about wine.  Some may question my ability or my knowledge, but my initial premise was that I would talk about how wine became part of a memory.  I am not really into the minutiae of production notes that some of the wineries now publish, and I do not go on and on about the phantom traces of exotic tinges of taste, as that is not my style.  I enjoy wine and the good times that it brings and evokes.  I also enjoy the blessings of my Bride on this endeavor, and she puts up with my sometimes manic writing episodes.

 KY Churchill Downs Club House 01

The concept of a blog was almost alien to me when I started out, and I am still learning as I go.  I start my essays by finding my notes or a memento to jar my memory.  A matchbook, a wine label, maybe even talking to someone makes me think of a story.  I marvel at the technical expertise, some of my fellow Bloggers have for making hyper-links almost appear invisible.  I also think of some these fellow Bloggers that have become friends in the cyber world, and one I have actually met, and that was a most enjoyable evening.  Not only do I show some of the ugliest torn and shriveled labels, but I have already burned out one scanner this year from constant use.

I have tried to keep a balance to my writings; I do not want it all to be about very expensive and esoteric wines that no one will ever try, because they are too dear; so I also write about popular priced wines that have struck a chord with me.  There are plenty of stories that I will never write about, because the labels are totally hidden behind racks and bottles of wine, that I will never be able to photograph properly.  Some memories will have to lurk in the recesses of my mind, until something makes me remember the story, because I am lacking an initial visual reminder.

It took a while to get used to the demands of doing a daily blog, and posting according to Greenwich Mean Time.  I do enjoy reading the reports that my publisher furnishes me daily regarding readership, where in the world the readers come from, and what search words bring readers from different search engines.  In the world of blogs, my numbers are not awesome, but I have averaged about a thousand views each month, which does please me.

 KY Derby Museum Gala 01

I just want to thank everyone that reads my writing, because I do enjoy doing it.  Though due to increased demands on my time, I may only offer my musing every other day.

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A Successful Day

Posted on May 4, 2013 by thewineraconteur

The other day, where I work, we were slammed with business, and ended up with a great day.  Of course the place looked like a hurricane had hit it and I thought we should almost get Hazmat suits to clean up.  Everybody was pitching in, to get it back in order.  You know the old saying “A place for everything, and everything in its place.”

I would say that we were happy, worn out and ready for some down time, after we closed the doors.  We opened up a bottle of wine to celebrate and to relax.  I think we had opened up four assorted bottles of wine for our customer’s enjoyment that day as well. Now it was our turn.

 Santa Julia Malbec 2010

We opened up a bottle of Santa Julia Malbec 2010 from Mendoza, Argentina.  The blurb on the front and the back of the bottle is “Sustainable by Nature –represents our strong commitment to the people and the land.”  Not only did they not use a sustainable cork, it was a screw cap, but I do not hold that against any of the wineries, since Chateau d’Yquem started using screw caps on part of their production.  The wine poured a deep color and had a lot of fruit to the nose.  The first sip was very fruit forward, but I was surprised at how quickly the wine aerated naturally and mellowed out very smoothly.  I am sure that this is a popular priced wine and I was very happy with the product.  I shall look forward to opening another bottle of it, after another successful day.

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Amantea Restaurant in Garden City, Michigan

Posted on May 3, 2013 by thewineraconteur

I have stated before, that somehow I became the chairman for an all year’s reunion party for my Junior High School in Detroit.  We have monthly planning meetings and we hold the meetings at different locations around the Metropolitan Detroit area, so that no one area monopolizes the meetings.  We also have the meetings at restaurants, so that we can eat and drink, while we are doing the business meeting.  These planning meetings have become a social event of their own, with an average of twenty-five people attending each session.  My criteria for these meetings, is that the restaurant should be popular priced, so as not to create a financial burden on anyone that wishes to attend, as the reunion will require as many volunteers as possible.

Our last meeting was held at Amantea Restaurant in Garden City and it is predominately an Italian in its food offerings.  There were two large rooms and I requested tables to be placed in a remote corner if possible, because of the business meeting discussions.  We usually meet at four o’clock on a Saturday afternoon.  Imagine my surprise when I walked in and the restaurant was mobbed with people and all of the tables were in full use.  Our waitress was a bit sullen that we requested separate tabs, but I guess she got over it, with that many people eating and drinking, I am sure that she did quite well.

 Tosti Asti

There was a large range of different dishes that were ordered and most of the people were drinking either beer or cocktails, save one individual that ordered wine.  I was going to order an Italian dish, but then I saw as a featured item Barbeque Ribs, which is one of my favorites as we do not make this at home.  When I found out that the meat falls off of the bone, my decision was settled.  I must say that I was very happy with the quality of the food.  I wish I could say the same for the wine list, as I felt that they went out of the way to have a very undistinguished selection.  I did not make the waitress happy questioning the brands of the generic listing of wines.  After several false starts I ended up ordering a bottle of Tosti Asti wine.  The lackluster attempt by the bubbles told me that this was not the best Sparkling Wine, but since is was the lesser of all evils; it was my choice for the evening.  I was surprised when the stemware that was brought out was the old style sorbet glass, instead of a flute, so I requested to have just a generic wine glass.  I am sure that the waitress thought I was a major pain in the derriere.  The wine is made from the Moscato Bianco varietal, thankfully it was not as sweet as it could have been, and that may be from the Sparkling Wine process that was used.  All in all, the wine was fine, not what I expected, but it was drinkable and I was at the restaurant for a business meeting and not to critique the dinner, even though I have.

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Kentucky Derby Museum Gala 2002

Posted on May 2, 2013 by thewineraconteur

The Saturday a week before the Derby is the site of a grand party supporting the Kentucky Derby Museum on the grounds of Churchill Downs.  If you ever get a chance to go to Churchill Downs, allow yourself some early time to go to the Museum.  It is a wonderful experience and it makes the track even more historic than it is.  The exhibits and the artifacts found there would even make Damon Runyon characters drool.

 KY Derby Museum Gala 02 Before Dinner

The year before when we went to the Gala, we actually drove through a special gate, and then through a tunnel to the center of the tract, where the pavilion had been erected for the party.  That was pre 911, and security was changed and much more strict and controlled.  We still drove through a special gate, but then we had to park and a special bus came by, verified our tickets and then drove us to the pavilion for the party.  The title of the party was “An Ascot Gavotte” or “An Ascot Dance.” The guest artist for that year’s poster was also known for another career; Tony Bennett was there and he was autographing his poster at a table.  He was there as an artist and not as a performer.

 KY Churchill Downs MB

At our assigned table, each place setting included a silver frame with the evening’s menu set into the frame.  When we looked at the menu everything looked wonderful.  The First Course was a Prince of Wales Salad comprised of Mixed Greens and Watercress in a Radicchio Cup with a Stilton Blue Cheese Crouton and Grilled Shrimp in a Port Wine Vinaigrette.   The Entrée for the evening was a Queen’s Cut of Prime Rib with Warm Horseradish Sauce.  This was accompanied with Bubble and Squeak Potatoes (don’t ask, as I cannot remember what they were) and Herb Roasted Vegetables.  For Dessert we were served Princess Charlotte Russe Trifle, which I also cannot remember the details of, as we were just having so much fun.  The people watching and the celebrity watching caused the memory lapse, I am sorry to say.

 KY Derby Museum Gala Menu

We were greeted with California Champagne as we entered the pavilion, and then one could go to any one of the numerous bars that were stationed around, and I can assure you that Maker’s Mark Bourbon was the drink of choice that evening.  For dinner there was a choice of two wines to have with our dinner.  The first was Bonterra Chardonnay from Mendocino County in California which we had before dinner started and with the First Course as well.  The second wine which we had that evening was also from Mendocino County Fetzer Eagle Peak Merlot.  Due to the heightened security I refrained from asking for two empty bottles to take home for the labels, so I cannot show you the actual labels, which is my usual display.  Both of the wines are popular priced wines, but paired well with the dinner and I am sure that one of the wine distributors for Kentucky may have even donated the wines for the occasion.

 KY Derby Museum Gala 02 The Party's Over

After dinner, it was more people watching, more drinks of your choice and the chance to do some dancing to the sounds of a great society orchestra.  Suffice it to say that my Bride and I as well as her Sister and Brother-in-Law were some of the last to leave.  When it comes to dancing my Bride never wants to leave the dance floor, even for another libation.  We had a wonderful evening and then we went to Churchill Downs the next day to donate more money via the Para Mutual Windows and enjoyed the buffet up in the club house.

KY Churchill Downs Club House 02

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Azalea in Louisville, Kentucky

Posted on May 1, 2013 by thewineraconteur

This was a wonderful restaurant that had the charm of the South, located in a building that once housed a Blacksmith Shop.  It was a restaurant that was the darling of the area, winning awards with an upscale casual atmosphere.  Their motto was “Black Tie food at blue jean prices.”

 Santenay Bouchard Pere & Fils 1999

We followed the lead of people that had dined there before and partook of their suggestions for dinner.  The restaurant’s menu was rather eclectic as they offered dishes that had Asian and Italian influences for a new American Cuisine.  We started off with two diverse appetizers that evening.  My Bride had Coconut Shrimp with Asian dipping sauces, while I went more Italian with the Calamari, which is not one of my usual go to dishes, but I was informed that we had to try it.  It was much better, than a lot of Calamari dishes that I have had, even up to today.  For our entrée selections my Bride went with Stuffed Chicken Breast with Saffron Dumplings which had a very unique twist to a more prosaic dish.  While I went with a Five Spice Pork Tenderloin with a Fig Balsamic reduction sauce that offered some tang and a mild sweetness to this dish.  For dessert we shared a slice of Derby Pie with ice cream and caramel sauce.  If you have never had a Derby Pie, think of a great walnut tart and chocolate in a pastry pie shell with Kentucky Bourbon.  It is a wonderful pie that is so popular that one can actually buy it at the market frozen, waiting to baked a home.

 KY Azalea MB

Our wine selection to go with this hodgepodge collection of dishes was a Pinot Noir wine from the Burgundy region of France.  The wine is from one of the districts of the Cote de Beaune, namely Santenay.  Santenay is a district that one does not encounter as often from the Cote de Beaune, because some of the other districts are much more famous such as Aloxe-Corton, Savigny-les-Beaune, Beaune, Pommard and Volnay.  The wine was a Santenay Bouchard Pere & Fils 1999.  This was a very charming and agreeable wine that did not over power the dishes, but had that wonderful appeal of a French Burgundy wine.

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Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky

Posted on April 30, 2013 by thewineraconteur

This is a very different restaurant in Louisville, as it does not have the charm of the old South, as it feels much more like you should be in Manhattan.  It is one of the few places that I know where you have to make sure that you use the restrooms as they are a piece of art in themselves, and one may actually linger in that area, because you cannot believe what you are experiencing and will check it out, on both sides of the mirrors.  Not erotic, but one feels as if they are part of the art on display, and you have to see it, to totally understand what I am talking about.  It is the restaurant for the 21c Museum Hotel and it offers all three meals a day, as well as a wonderful collection of cocktails and of course a great collection of Bourbons.  From what I gathered the art on exhibit in the restaurant is constantly changing, as well as the galleries that you can wander in from the hotel itself.  It is very chi-chi, as the saying goes.

 Saint-Aubin 1erCru En Remilly 1994

We started off with my Bride enjoying some chilled asparagus soup, while I tried the Kentucky Bison Tartare, as a side note one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant is their Kentucky Bison Burger, but we were going there more a dinner that a quick bite in the bar.  They had a different salad, while I am not a salad fan per se; I enjoyed which was Braised Farm Greens with Country Bacon and Bourbon Miso.  My Bride had an entrée of Striped Bass with Spoonfish Caviar while I tried the entrée of Angus Short Ribs with Foie Gras Butter.  After dinner we shared an assortment of house made Sorbet.

 KY Proof MB

We had a wonderful bottle of Burgundy from a lesser known area Saint-Aubin, which is west of the Montrachet vineyards in the Cote de Beaune district.  There are both red and white wines produced from this area utilizing mainly Pinot Noir or Chardonnay varietals.  In the Commune of Saint-Aubin there are twenty climates that are listed as Premier Cru vineyards.  We had a bottle of Saint-Aubin “En Remilly” 1994; “En Remilly” is one of the twenty.  This was a very seductive red with a 13% alcohol rating, when the legal requirement for a Premier Cru is 11%.

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Club Grotto in Louisville, Kentucky

Posted on April 29, 2013 by thewineraconteur

This was a very eclectic restaurant in the Greater Louisville area on Bardstown Road.  The room seemed like one big cave, perhaps which is how they came up with the name.  There was a huge frog, gargoyles peering at you and a couple of aquariums of fish on the back walls.  The framed artwork was unique in an unsettling type of way, but it added to the fun of the evening, and it the menu had some Fusion dishes, but we did not go that way for dinner.

 Chateauneuf Du Pape Moreau

My Bride had a Bibb Salad with Brie which was a little different, while I enjoyed Bacon wrapped Scallops to start off our meal.  She then enjoyed a Grilled Rack of Lamb that came with Corn Pudding, which I thought was a different side dish.  While I enjoyed a classic entrée of Short Ribs, which I can never pass up, as it is a dish we have never tried making at home.  We also ordered a Chocolate Soufflé for our dessert which we shared.

 KY Club Grotto MB

Our wine that evening was a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a fable wine from the Rhone.  The name comes from an ancient castle that was the summer home of the Pope, during the period when there was a series of French Popes and they resided near Avignone. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a unique wine, because according to the wine laws there can be as many as thirteen different grape varietals blended to make the wine.  Even though most of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is red, there is also a white wine, but that evening we were enjoying a Negociants blended red.  The three main varietals that are blended for this wine are Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, but as I stated there can be up to thirteen allowed, so each house or domaine has a different taste and finish that they are going for, and some of the varietals that are blended include some white grapes as well.  The wine can be found anywhere from a rustic taste to a high powered over the top full bodied red, some of the houses are now making it to be drank young like a Beaujolais and others make it to be laid down for additional cellaring.  With this area of France being so hot in climate, even the minimum alcohol content is higher than in other regions.  I find this to be an inducement to try these wines whenever I get a chance, though they are not as readily found anymore as they once were.

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