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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The Hill

Posted on August 16, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I have belonged to a men’s dinner club for about thirty years now.  Once a year three members pick up the restaurant and bar tab for all the members that show up for a meeting.  If you amortize it, it works about the same as if we all did Dutch Treat dinners, but not nearly as interesting.   When I first joined the group, there were many members from the Grosse Pointes of the Detroit area.  For years this was and still has some of the grandest homes that belonged to the early titans of industry.  I was always curious why with all the members from the Pointes we didn’t have any meetings in any restaurants from the Pointes.  I was informed that restaurants never did well there, because everyone belonged to one of the private clubs, so why go to a public restaurant.

 

That was then, this is now and there is a wonderful restaurant called The Hill.  “The Hill” was a section of the Pointes that the locals have just called the six or seven block strip of retail, and now restaurants.  The Hill does a stellar job feeding the locals as well as those who may travel an hour or so just to dine at their tables.

 

They have wonderful sea food dishes, but they also do not neglect the red meat carnivore.  It was the wine list that made go back and back for a dining pleasure.  They were featuring a lot of the wines that I had discovered on our trip to Napa Valley and they would trumpet their “finds” announcing when the winery was founded.  There was Grgich Hills, Duckhorn, Cakebread, Cain and Caymus; all great wineries and at the time newcomers to the shores of Detroit.  They also carried two of the second labels that I had discussed during another visit.  They featured Carruades de Lafite and Les Forts de Latour both from the Commune of Pauillac.

 

They may have been a late comer to the ranks of restaurants in the Detroit area, especially in the Pointes, but they did the proper homework for quality cuisine and a tight but well chosen wine carte.

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Excalibur

Posted on August 15, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Say Excalibur to a Detroit, especially a car guy and they think of a hot car.  Say Excalibur to the literate and they think of the sword.  Combine the two together and you get a restaurant that was one of the hot spots in the Detroit area.  They had lounge musicians to play music that their clientele wanted to dance to.  There was also the wink, wink sly undertone that it was a “connected” joint before Goodfellas and The Sopranos.

 

It was in an awkward location even being on the wrong side of traffic for most people going home.  That did not stop the regulars and the curious.  It was an old fashion steak house before the steakhouse rage.   They capitalized on a few dishes that were near and dear to the dining crowd, of dishes that were made famous by earlier restaurants that had succumbed to the malaise of downtown Detroit.

 

 

A typical dinner for us was a classic Caesar Salad (until my Bride discovered the ultimate dressing recipe and now I do not even think of ordering one out of the house).  Then you had to order the Shrimp Scampi Maison, Veal Oscar and Filet Mignons.   Some of the lobster and crab entrees were priced by the pound.  They offered all of the sides that are now standard at the modern chain steak houses.

 

It may have been the first restaurant that I tried Chateau Gazin one of the best wines of the Pomerol district.  A wine that is so rich and robust I would order when ever I had the chance, even to this day.   They also carried the good Mondavi wines, the good Beringer wines, a couple of good white and red Burgundy wines and they also offered some up and coming wines from Australia.  It also made sure that it had plenty of Ruffino “Ducale Gold” which was at the time the hottest Chianti wine, until the Super Tuscany wines entered the scene.

 

All that food and then you could dance the calories off through the evening if you were so inclined.  During their time of the street, there were enough that enjoyed the food, the wine and the dancing.  I still miss the places like that.

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Churchill Downs and Wine

Posted on August 14, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Churchill Downs has a very fleeting couple of minutes of fame every year.  In this land noted for Maker’s Mark Bourbon we went to the Twelfth Kentucky Derby Museum Gala “April in Paris” event.  I remember having to work that morning and catching a puddle-jumper to Louisville from Detroit.  My Bride picked me up at the airport in a van, and I changed into my tuxedo as she drove from the airport to the track.  When we go there, we followed the signs and drove through a tunnel and arrived at the infield of the track, parked and walked towards this huge “pavilion-tent.”  Toto, we weren’t in Kansas.

    

We were no longer walking on grass, but a finished floor inside the tent.  The ceiling of the tent was star-lit as we were out of doors.  A massive dance floor with a twenty-plus piece society orchestra was there.  There were fountains, foliage and sculptured topiary trees in abundance.  There appeared to be an army of waiters and waitresses serving Champagne and Hor’s d’oeurvres of Artichoke Puffs and Risotto Balls.

    

Of to one side was a gallery of huge original art works by LeRoy Neiman who had designed that years poster.  He was there signing his artwork, which is now hanging in our family room.  The size of the paintings that he does was amazing, no small easel painting for him.  He needs ladders and scaffolding to paint canvasses of the size, being shown.

I knew I was in the genuine Old South when I saw the quality of the service during dinner.  All the tables were arranged for seating of eight.  Each table had one personal waiter, and he had an assistant.  There was a side table, so what ever you wished to drink, a bottle of it was brought to the side table, so you wouldn’t have to wait for a refill.  We started with a Spring Salad of baby greens, haricots verts, celery root and roasted peppers with a lemon Caesar dressing.  The entrée was grilled beef tenderloin with a Plum Cumberland Sauce, a shrimp and leek tart with Sorrel Sauce and baby carrots and squash in a sun-dried tomato glaze.  Dessert consisted of chocolate truffles, a fresh fruit Napoleon with Sauce Melba.

There were two wines being served in this land of Mint Juleps besides the Champagne.  There was Bonterra Chardonnay and Fetzer Eagle Peak Merlot.  I beg my reader’s forgiveness, as I had to search the internet to find the labels, as I did not have them.  The wines were good selections for dinner, for an evening where Bourbon was the drink of choice.

Dancing began at ten o’clock.  They also brought out fruit and cheese offerings, assorted miniature desserts, tarts and chocolate dipped strawberries.  We danced until the orchestra stopped performing and slowly went to our cars to drive away.  The good news was we were coming back the next day, only then we were to be in the clubhouse.

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The 3 Tenors, Mario’s and Tiger Stadium

Posted on August 13, 2012 by thewineraconteur

The last time I had been to (Historic) Tiger Stadium, Rocky Colavito was playing for the Detroit Tigers.  Now we were going to see “The 3 Tenors,” Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.  They were going to perform classic opera arias, Broadway classics and even “My Way.”  We did not have “nose bleed” seats, but actually great seats for the concert; they were the front row of the second tier.  With the mega monitors and a great stereo system even my “Diva” Bride was in her glory.

 

We met some friends for dinner prior to the concert at Mario’s Restaurant, one of the venerable Old Italian eateries of Detroit.  Mario’s is also one of the many restaurants in the downtown area of Detroit that offers shuttle service to most of the venues of entertainment.   From the overheard conversations all around us, as the restaurant was packed, everyone had the same final destination as we did.  To say that the crowd was jovial and excited would have been an understatement.   We ordered the Caesar Salad, Dover Sole Almandine and Broiled White Fish, all prepared in the classic preparation.

 

    

The other couple that was joining us preferred sweeter white wine.  So I chose a wine Chateau Coutet, which is a First Growth Sauternes.  The wine was a very rich bottle of Sauternes, thankfully not overly sweet, and the type of white wine that used to be paired with seafood and fish.   Unless you are adventurous or very old school Anglophiles I might suggest a bottle of Chablis or a Chardonnay.   Dinner was great, the wine was great, and the show was magnificent.

    

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The 21 Club, The Best Man and Sardi’s

Posted on August 12, 2012 by thewineraconteur

While I am thinking of Manhattan, we made two days into theatrical events, which is appropriate when we have Broadway as a focal point.

 

One morning we started off with a trip to Ellis Island, which is a marvelous tourist destination, especially if your family is not entrenched for many generations in the United States.  We had theater ticket to see Gore Vidal’s Best Man, which was a revival with a limited run, because it was a presidential election year.  I had seen the movie production of this play starring Henry Fonda.   This revival had an all star cast, and there was one scene that I shall never forget (unscripted).   Chris Noth (of Law and Order and Sex in the City) was delivering his lines, when someone in the audience had their cell phone on and it rang.  He stopped in the middle of his delivery, stared out into the audience in the vicinity of the phone, and gave a “death stare” worthy of Darth Vader, then proceeded with the play.

 

We made reservations at the historic 21 Club for a special “pre show rush” dinner.  The 21 Club goes back into the deep history of New York during the Prohibition Era.  As you walk up to the restaurant, there are (I believe) 21 mannequins (statues) dressed in the bright “silks” of legendary jockeys.  It is quite a façade for a restaurant, and one that cannot be forgotten.  I do not have the menu for the dinner, but I do remember having champagne with dinner to go with the “Broadway” theme of the evening.

 

After the show we did an “afterglow” at another legendary Prohibition Era institution of Broadway.  We went to Sardi’s, which is a location that all performers wish to be enshrined at.   The walls are covered with framed caricatures of the famous that have dined at Sardi’s.  We were at the bar and enjoyed some more Champagne to finish off the night.  I even bought a book, that gave the history of the establishment and showed most (if not all at time of publication) of the drawings that adorned the walls.  It was most enjoyable just to walk around and look at the pictures.

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