The Pump Room

Posted on August 26, 2012 by thewineraconteur

In the history of fine dining and fine wines, there are a few restaurants that are instantly known.  The Pump Room achieved that notoriety.  In the Ambassador East Hotel sat one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country.  As you walked around and looked at the collection of framed photographs, you would smile to yourself and feel like you had arrived.  Bogart and Bacall, Sinatra, Judy Garland with her children and the list would go on and on. Here was a restaurant for Presidents, Governors, Senators, Heads of States, Titans of Industries and me (as I laugh to myself).  I pride myself on being able to recognize most movie stars from the late twenties and on, but some were too esoteric for me, but I was in awe.  I think everyone had to be in awe the first time they entered The Pump Room.

 

The service was excellent; the food was perfect, not fussy, but divine.  Requests from diners were honored.  I remember the first time I had the pleasure to dine there.  I felt like I was a rube from the farm coming to the city for the first time.  The staff made me feel at home, and what a feeling that was, especially for a young kid (and I was the first time there).  I remember that they had a venison dinner, but it was offered with a courant sauce, and at that time I was too “macho” (read immature) to go out of my comfort zone with food.  I asked if there was a way to have the venison prepared with garlic or similar spices.  The waiter returned after a trip to the kitchen and told me that the chef had replied to the fact, which is how he preferred his own venison.  When my entrée was served it was accompanied by a large tureen of garlic sauce, I felt like I was a king.

 

It was also the first time I enjoyed a bottle of wine from the Societe Civile du Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.  A legendary Grand Cru from the village of Flagey-Eschezeaux known as Grands-Eschezeaux.  This village has two wines attributed to it, and both have Grand Cru status.  This may have been one of the first Burgundy wines I ever had, and I am sorry to say I have never had another Grands-Eschezeaux.  In fact I would venture to say that there are many people who enjoy wines that may not have had this wine. This many years later, I can not describe the taste of this wine, but I do know that between the dinner and wine, I was in heaven or as close to it, as I wanted to be and still be alive.

 

Since that time we had a couple more dinners there, and then there were plenty of times when we would have dinner elsewhere, walk to the hotel and have dessert, coffee and port wine.  We also looked forward to having a few dances there as we listened to the musicians entertain.  Alas, it was of another time and era and it is now gone, and I understand more and more these days the feeling Ashley Wilkes had for a plantation that will never be again.

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Purple Angel by Montes 2006

Posted on August 25, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Please bear with me on this article as I am writing from a third party point of view, and I am thinking about this wine before I rearrange part of the cellar to accommodate it and another case of wine.  I tend to procrastinate about placing new wine in the cellar, because invariably I have to start from one end to the other, for it to make any sense, as I try to keep the wines grouped by category.

 

 

My Bride went to visit her sister and family down in Louisville and she took our son and his two children for a vacation.   As is our custom, when going there for a visit we take wines that we think everyone will enjoy and they do the same from their cellar.   I could tell that my Bride really likes her sister as she took some of the new Canadian wines from our last trip, including some of the Peller Cabernet Franc.

 

 

With all of the cousins together, dinners were basically barbeques each night and the sisters would take turns on the preparations.  From fancy hamburgers to lamb and to steaks; all barbequed to perfection and of course a chance to sample new wines with the dinners.  One night, while they were having steaks, my Bride calls me to tell me of this great wine she just had.  She asked me if I had heard of it, called Purple Angel.  I told her that I did not know it and I asked some questions about the wine.   She was still raving about the fullness of the wine and its big robust taste.  She was trying to pronounce Carmenere (the grape varietal), which I repeated back to her and said that they were having a Chilean wine.  She agreed and continued to tell me how great the wine was, and it was a shame that I did not have any.  You can imagine how elated I felt and later on that evening as her wont, she called me again, still going on about the Purple Angel.

At the end of the week, when she finally came home, she was unpacking her suitcases and she came into our office and said here is your souvenir from the trip.  She said that they were eating and drinking so much, that when she went out to buy some more groceries, she stopped at the wine shop that her sister frequents to buy them another bottle of the wine, and she bought one for me as well.  So now I am waiting for the right evening and the right friends to open this bottle, so that my Bride may relive the pleasure of this wine, and I can enjoy the wine as well.

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Hockey and Wine

Posted on August 24, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Sporting events and venues do not immediately evoke the thought of wine; beer is the first beverage to come to mind.  When I first met my Bride she worked for a company where the principals were sports enthusiasts.  Back in the early days of hockey in Detroit when the games were played at Olympia, they were proud to say that they had the first “box” at the arena.  At that time a box had folding chairs in a cordoned section and an ice chest to hold beverages.  When the Detroit Red Wings moved to the Joe Louis Arena her company not only had center ice seats at the glass, but they had a suite that was center ice as well.

 

Before the games, there were times when we would meet at the Olympia Club for dinner and drinks and then on to the suite to watch the game.  Other times it was straight to the suite and an array of food and drinks were set up for the clientele and employees as well as family and friends.   The wines that were ordered were good popular wines that most people recognized and felt comfortable.  Nothing exotic in name, but dependable choices of wines, as everyone was really there for the game and not for fine dining.

 

    

As most people that enjoy wines, as an adjunct to our wine collection, we have acquired many wine bottle stoppers, from very prosaic to very elaborate.  Included in this collection is a beautiful crystal wine stopper with an etched emblem of the Detroit Red Wings.

 

As wine has progressed in popularity, so have the players embraced this beverage.   We have an empty bottle that was autographed by Dominik Hasek of the Detroit Red Wings from a charity event.   Another famous hockey player from Brantford, Ontario, Canada; Wayne Gretzky has the Wayne Gretzky Estates with the proceeds going to his foundation to help children.  So hockey and wine do go together.

    

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MK (Michael Kornick) Chicago

Posted on August 23, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Through the course of years I attended trade shows at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.  I finally started staying at the Hotel Nikko just off the river and a couple block walk to the Mart.  I found this hotel to be advantageous because I could fly into Midway Airport, which was always less hectic, and take the El to the loop and walk the two blocks to the hotel.  It made life simple, because it was easy in and easy out.  The hotel was built originally to cater to the influx of Japanese business men, and was later acquired and known as the Westin River North.

 

Most of the time I would arrive the night before the show would begin, and that way I could enjoy two quality meals while in Chicago.   Through my vendors I heard of a new restaurant that was getting rave reviews called MK.  The initials stood for the chef and owner Michael Kornick and one must be very proud and sure of one’s work to let everyone know who the top dog was.  I made a reservation, knowing that it was Market time, plus it is in Chicago and the urbanites enjoy dining out.   After a short walk from the hotel we arrived and had a cocktail, as the restaurant was just preparing to open for dinner.   I already saw a group of vendors and mid-west merchants that I knew, so the fame of this new restaurant was already in-vogue.

 

We started with an appetizer of scallops and a plate of yellow fin tuna Tartare.  My Bride was delighted to order a salmon dish with an Oriental Fusion influence.  I was amazed to see on this menu side by side with some exotic dishes liver and onions.  I opined that the dish must be great to be featured in a restaurant of this quality, and that is what I ordered.  All the dishes were excellent, but I must admit that it was the finest presentation and the finest dish of liver and onions that I had ever had, and possibly ever will.  The texture was superb and perfectly prepared, even my Bride was surprised by the quality, as she was surprised that I would order a dish like this.

 

The wine list was large, but manageable and very well presented.  On the first page of “Cabernet Sauvignon, Proprietary Wines, Merlot & Cabernet Franc” was a wine that I had heard of, but had not had the pleasure of meeting.  There were three different vintages of Far Niente from Napa Valley (1992, 1994, and 1997) and I chose the 1997 vintage.   I really was sorry when we finished the last sip of that wine; it was so enjoyable from the first taste.   I could understand why I had heard so many recommendations from customers and friends that I must try the wine.

 

 

Needless to say that what the first of many visits to MK, and we have enjoyed to fruits of Far Niente as well.

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Emily’s

Posted on August 22, 2012 by thewineraconteur

There was a wonderful restaurant just outside of downtown Northville (a suburb of Detroit) that was in a home that had been converted into a white table clothed restaurant.  As I look back over the menu, I realize that this may have been the first restaurant that gave “credits” to different “farms” for the source of some of the meats offered; which is something that is seen more often on menus.  There were several plates designed for vegetarians, which was also a new touch at the time.   It may also have been the first non-smoking restaurant that I had ever been to, because at that time people smoked especially after a fine meal.  Hence there were no matchbooks to retrieve as a souvenir.

 

We started with Prosciutto Wrapped Prawns on white beans and olive oil; and a French “Rougie” Foie Gras sautéed and served with red and white wine poached quince, quince butter and the poaching syrup with toasted fig brioche.  For the salad course my Bride enjoyed an Arugula salad, and opted for a Torchon of Foie Gras chilled with balsamic roasted pear, red endive, Bibb lettuce and pear-vanilla vinaigrette.  For dinner my Bride had Chilean Sea Bass served with lobster ravioli, sweet corn, chanterelle mushrooms and steamed shucked mussels; while I somehow declined the Balsamic Roasted Duck and chose the New Zealand venison, crusted with with hazelnuts with chevre-potato puree and red wine poached quince.

 

 

After a little soul-searching and discussion because of my Bride’s Chilean Sea Bass and my venison dish I chose a wine not often seen.  I was a little concerned that the “terroir” of the wine might be overpowering, but my Bride prefers a red white especially with firmer, flavorful fish.  The wine I selected a Cote-Rotie “Brune et Blonde” de Guigal 1996 is known for a strong taste where the soil permeates the flavor (I feel that Cote-Rotie wines have the most pronounced taste of soil that one will encounter).  I might add that it was a great choice with the venison, but the Sea Bass held its own with the wine, as I did sample some, just to make sure that my Bride was not being stoic.

 

For dessert we had a chocolate tasting of a Marjolaine torte with pistachio meringue and Balsamic butter cream, a white chocolate-fig terrine and the house “s’mores.”  Coffee and I must confess to also having a Gould Campbell Port Vintage 1985.  A wonderful meal and wine to satisfy all that dined there.   I am sorry to say, that the restaurant is now shuttered, perhaps waiting for someone to resurrect it into another memorable dining experience.

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Too Chez

Posted on August 21, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I remember that I was engaged at the time, and my “Bride to be” was at a ladies party.  I met one of her friend’s friends for dinner, because he was a bachelor that evening from the same party.   We decided to meet at Too Chez, a restaurant that had the feel of “up north” in the metro area, and had a great reputation for food and a tight but quality wine list.  The restaurant was run by a noted chef who came from another high caliber restaurant in the Detroit Area.

 

The gentleman that I was having dinner with, must have told me several times how he was a steak aficionado and had dined at most of the great steak houses across the country.  I asked what he used as the yard stick for this list, and he told me that he used the ads in the “in-flight” magazines that the airlines furnished while you were traveling.  I remember asking him if there might be a slight bias on the list, and I was informed that I was wrong.  I left it at that.   Suffice it to say, we both had beef dishes, as I did wish to get into a discussion of why I did not order a steak.  I also figured that it would make the wine selection much easier.

 

 

That evening was the first time I had ever had a bottle of Cain Five.  At that point I had just heard about the wine from one of my customers and he had it out west.  Well I was all intent upon ordering this bottle of wine, that was made like a Bordeaux blend.  The other gentleman responded with the query, of why should we order a fake Bordeaux when we could have the real thing.   I told him that I had heard of the craftsmanship and dedication of this winemaker; and I was sure that we would not be disappointed.  I was so sure that the wine would be great; I almost said if you don’t like it, I will pay for the wine, but I hesitated (thinking that he might stick me with the full price, just because).

 

When the wine came, I refrained from drinking any (after the initial taste) until the salad was completed.  I also kept my new friend from drinking it.  I told him that the vinegar in the salad would spoil the taste, and he had to think about that for a few minutes, and finally agreed that wine never tasted as well with salads as it did with an entrée.  I cleared my palate with some bread and suggested he do the same to try the wine before dinner.

 

 

I was amazed with the wine, it had blown me away.  I compared it to some of the great Bordeaux wines from color, to nose and from a full taste of the wine, with a wonderful after taste.  I knew that I had found a wine that was a winner and perhaps a new “go-to” wine, if and when I could find it.   My friend hesitantly but finally agreed that this was an excellent bottle of wine.  Years later, when we were in Napa, he started to tell the people at Cain how he had discovered the wine in Detroit, and then his memory corrected itself, before I had to interject.  I just graciously smiled as he gave me the proper credit to the people at Cain.

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Tapawingo

Posted on August 20, 2012 by thewineraconteur

We were on one of our trips to the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan.  Out in the middle of no where was an extraordinary restaurant called Tapawingo.  It was a five star restaurant before there was ever that honor in the metro Detroit area.  That was a testament to the owner of the restaurant Harlan “Pete” Peterson.  He was an automotive executive who went up north and did an internship with this restaurant and then bought it.

We had the earliest reservation for dinner, in hopes that there would still be some light when we left so we could get back to our hotel (this is pre GPS time).  At that time there were few traffic lights and street lights were non-existent out in this rural area.  The restaurant was very laid back with a resort feel to it.  There was a garden in the back and very harmonious with the setting.

We were seated and began studying a wonderful menu and wine list in this home of serenity.  We started off with Peekytoe Crab Mousse with egg, onions and capers as well as a Terrine of Veal and Foie Gras with white asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke and a beet salad.  Our second course was a Potato-Fennel Bourride with grilled calamari and rouille as well as Crispy Rock Shrimp Cakes with cucumber and Vidalia onion vinaigrette.   The main entrees were equally impressive as well as proving difficult to settle on just two dishes.  We decided on Sautéed Sea Scallops “Grenobloise” with leek potatoes, chanterelle mushrooms, salsify and brown butter-caper sauce and also Pan Roasted Duck Breast with Rillettes served with caramelized parsnips, snap peas, honey roasted figs and Israeli couscous.  For dessert we shared the Tapawingo Peanut Butter Cup, which was a chocolate shell filled with peanut butter mousse, topped with candied crispy rice and peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter crème Anglaise.

Our wine for the evening was an estate bottled wine from the village of Gevrey-Chambertin.  Gevrey-Chambertin is known for their many Grand Crus and Premiers Crus.  This wine exhibited the classic traits that are to be expected and paired very well even with the sea food dishes, as we both shared each other’s dishes to savor the meals even more.

On a side note, just after we had placed our requests for dinner, an older distinguished appearing couple was seated at the next table.  All of a sudden there was a rush of employees coming by to greet this couple, the chefs, Sous-chefs and as far as I was concerned maybe even the dish washers.  I figured that these people must really be regulars.  When they brought his bottle of Lafite-Rothschild and began the uncorking ceremony at the table, he lamented loudly enough that he just hated this aspect of the dining experience.  After the wine steward had left, I leaned over and remarked that perhaps in the future it would be different.  I had stated that I just read that half of the latest vintage of Chateau d’Yquem was bottled using a “screw-cap closure.”  He laughed and said that would be something he would expect from them.  He then went on to say, that they lived in Connecticut, he runs a business in Manhattan and summers in the Charlevoix area in his family home.  In between courses we related short little stories of wines that we have had.  They even improved, if that was possible, the wonderful evening that we had.

As I look back at my notes and souvenirs of this dinner, I notice a quote by Oscar Wilde that was printed on the dessert menu “I couldn’t help it.  I can resist everything except temptation”  which summed up all the choices we had that evening.

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Tribute Restaurant

Posted on August 19, 2012 by thewineraconteur

For a brief period in metro Detroit we had a bona fide five star restaurant and it was called Tribute.  It was in a very awkward location, and could easily be missed while one was driving.  It was very elegant and posh, and it was a restaurant that one of my old bosses would call a “clip-joint,” as they were geared to the expense account crowd.  Regardless, it was on everyone’s bucket list of places to dine at, if only once.

The big talk was about a having a dinner party in the lower level, just off of the kitchen for a special chef’s menu.  That was the premier event at the Tribute; we went there to have dinner and to enjoy the evening.

Our main entrees for the evening were “Grilled Honey Chamomile Glazed Duck Breast” done Confit style with a Morel Wonton and root vegetables; and “Domestic Kobe Beef Tenderloin in the Style “Rossini” which had Seared Foie Gras, Black Summer Truffles, Mirepoix, Morel Mushrooms and a red wine reduction sauce.  A glorious dinner had been chosen.

For the wine, I went to the Cote d’Or, the Gold Coast of France and we had a wine from the Cotes de Nuits from the village of Vosne-Romanee.  My deductive reasoning was that a rich red Burgundy would be supple enough to enhance the duck and would still be able to go with the steak.  Some people like to pick the wine first, and then make the dinner work around the wine; I like to pick out the food first, as a mental challenge and also to decide if it will be affordable.  My next life I am coming back wealthy, so that I am not hindered by such pesky nuisances.

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How My Bride became “My Bride” and a Great Cup of Coffee

Posted on August 18, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I have mentioned that I grew up in a colorful section of Detroit in my youth, surrounded by Damon Runyon and “Goodfellas” type characters.  As is the wont of the era of the men that I had grown up with the term “the old lady” was used in a form of endearment when speaking of one’s wife.  I used that term one day in front of one of my “uncles.”  In my nationality I have more “uncles, aunts and cousins” then I would ever have in the real world.  It is more a statement of respect and honor, especially when referring to an elder.  Well my “uncle” took umbrage at the term I used and stressed that I should never use that term again.  He said that it is a “Highway” vulgarity and it showed disrespect for one’s spouse and that I was informed that I was wrong to think it made me sound cool.  I took that lesson to heart.  Years later I found myself divorced.

I was devastated and was under the assumption that if my ex-wife divorced me, how was I ever to find a soul mate.  This was a black cloud that hung over my head like the one character from “Lil Abner.”  I had been single for about three months and very melancholy, when I was cajoled to attend a “Bond, James Bond” singles dance at one of the clubs in Dearborn.  Up until the few minutes as I drove my car into the parking lot of the club, I was still unsure if I was doing the proper thing.

I walked into the room, bought a mixed drink and went to look for a suitable table to orient myself to this new environment.  I met two other men that look equally ill at ease, when just at that moment the disc-jockey announced that it was a “Sadie Hawkins” moment and the ladies should go and find a dance partner.  All of a sudden this attractive blonde in a gold lame blouse approaches to table that I was at and said “would you like to dance?”  The other two men, both said yes immediately, but she held out for my answer and I responded in the positive, but said that I must find someplace to put my hat.  She later told me she was sure that she had picked an “old fuddy-duddy.”    We went onto the dance floor, then ended up getting another drink and started to talk, before I knew it the evening had come to a close and I wanted to prolong the evening.

I started to panic, as this was the first real encounter with a woman that I had since my divorce was finalized.  I realized that I was so removed from the night life that I couldn’t think of a place that was nice to go have a cup of coffee, after she responded that a cup of coffee did sound like a good idea.  My brain was a whirling-dervish at the moment trying to come up with a nice place, and then it dawned on me that across the street was the Ritz-Carlton.  I surmised that it was a hotel, and all hotels should have a coffee shop (and even though I was a pauper in my current situation I figured that I could afford two coffees, even at the Ritz).  I had chose right, and we enjoyed a couple of delightful cups of coffee and were even presented with a complimentary pastry while we in the lobby of the hotel.   The rest is history as they say, and for years we would return for a cup of coffee in the lobby to relive that night.  We are still together; alas the Ritz is no longer in Dearborn or any where else in Michigan.

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Kiernan’s Steak House or the Night I Thought My Bride Lost Her Mind

Posted on August 17, 2012 by thewineraconteur

This is a remembrance of a great dinner that started off, with me questioning the sanity of my Bride.  As I believe I have stated before I have belonged to a dinner group and I had planned on attending my club meeting that evening.  I got this strange cryptic phone call from my Bride, who insisted that we go to Kiernan’s for dinner that evening.  She told me that she had the taste of a certain dish and she wanted it to have it.   I reminded her that I had my dinner group and I would be pleased to go to Kiernan’s another evening.   That was not in my future, she was emphatic that we go that evening.  So I had to make calls and drive around to drop off part of the business portion of the club at another member’s home after I had ascertained that he was going to attend the meeting.  When he asked me, I told him that I had no idea why I had to go that evening, but for the sanctity of all that is holy I was going to go.  I was sure that my Bride had lost “it.”

 

 

Kiernan’s Steak House is one of the old guard restaurants that has survived the whims and changes of corporate methods of doing business.  The old days of great business lunches with the three martinis or manhattans and a great steak (or dinner for that matter) was a way to get business accomplished.  When I first started to go to Kiernan’s it was a long and narrow bar with some tables and booths and a great steak.  The patriarch of the Kiernan family slowly but surely acquired all of the neighboring business, until he had the entire corner.  With the able assistance of his sons they transformed the original Kiernan’s into a beautiful old bastion of a business eatery.  Part of it is now called Silky Sullivan’s and they still do a grand job of serving quality food, well made drinks and a short but fine wine list.

 

As we were getting ready to go to Kiernan’s I was also informed that we had to be there at an exact time and luckily I did not endanger any other motorists or pedestrians and I did not acquire any speeding tickets.  I was not a happy camper, as the saying goes.  We arrived at the restaurant and we were led to a big corner booth, and my Bride insisted that I sit next to the draped back of the booth, with my back to the restaurant.  I was reluctant, as I had so many customers and friends from Dearborn that I wanted to see if I could see some old faces, especially since I was upset by the events of the evening.

 

I had just ordered out dinner choices to the waitress.  My Bride was having her “Salmon” salad that she had to have and I was going to have a platter of ribs.   As my Bride enjoys a red wine with salmon, I ordered a Pinot Noir (you have to forgive me for not remembering the wine or securing the empty bottle as we left as a reminder, this will all make sense soon enough).

 

The bottle of wine was presented at the table, and I had just tasted it to make sure it was fine, and the glasses were poured and the waitress departed.  We were making small talk at the table, and I was still questioning my Bride’s sanity and faculties when all of a sudden I am getting kissed on the side of my face.  I was startled and jumped, thinking who would do that before introducing themselves at the table.  I turned to look at the perpetrator of such an indelicacy.  It was my daughter, who had made an emergency trip back to Dearborn by herself.  Now the situation made total sense to me, as my daughter does not feel that a trip to Dearborn is not complete without a dinner at Kiernan’s.  So we hastily ordered a dinner for my daughter and we all had a grand meal with a lot of catching up on her home front.  With all of the excitement of the evening I had forgotten to get the empty bottle to soak off the label as is my custom.

 

We skipped dessert at Kiernan’s to go and have coffee and dessert at Shatila’s Bakery in East Dearborn.  Another of my daughter’s mandatory stops (she must be mine as food and beverage is an integral part of her plans).  Shatila offers some of the best baklava made and they make it both in the Armenian style and in the Arabic style, plus a wonderful selection of fine French pastries.

 

All in all, I am pleased to report that my Bride has not lost it, but I am still monitoring the situation.

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