Dinner at Vertical

Posted on June 7, 2021 by thewineraconteur

As I am writing about a wonderful dinner at the restaurant Vertical, it was rather a harbinger of better times in Michigan.  It seems that our harridan was caught in yet another “do as I say moment” and it was so flagrant that it was carried not only by the local media (surprise), but also by AP, USA Today and all of the internet news channels.  Who would have thought that a “contrite human” actually was going to loosen up the lockdown, but she didn’t have time to announce it, until after her dinner party was revealed in Social Media.  I really don’t care, as I have always gone out to get fresh air without a mask, but I did abide by the rules and got my vaccinations, so that we could go originally to see the children and grandchildren.  Oh, well, I am glad to know that the restaurant industry will be picking up. 

My Bride had a wonderful entrée of Alaskan Shad with crispy skin on a bed of Mushroom Risotto and it was delicious, she even let me try some of it, neither of us had tried it, and when our waiter asked for a preference, my Bride responded that she will leave it to the Chef.  As for me, I was having a hard time, but I went with a favorite choice.  I had Soy-glazed Beef Short Ribs with Charred Broccolini and an Herbed Salad on a bed of Robuchon Potatoes that I had substituted for Sticky Rice (I know that I am a pain, where ever we go).  We both had excellent choices, her dish was more exotic and mine was more comfort. 

I wanted to get something a little different for my Bride and I found a wine that sounded very interesting.  Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard Caroline Lestime Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune “Sous Eguisons” 2016.  Here was a Chardonnay with a little different terroir, from an appellation where only twenty percent of the wine is white.  The wine is named for the “cliff above the vineyard” and a very enjoyable bottle of wine from a well-respected house and there were only three-hundred cases made of this wine. Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard managed the estate from 1960 to 1989 when his daughter Caroline Lestime took over, with planting new clones and abandoning fertilizers and herbicides.  Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune is an appellation that was created in 1961 for red, white and rosé wines from the high slopes of the southern part of the Cote d’Or, the terroir is even different from the lower-level vineyards and this appellation takes longer for the fruit to ripen.  It paired very well with the Alaskan Shad.  I went to the same region of France and had the Domaine Lignier-Michelot Bourgogne Rouge 2018, and the Domaine has been managed by Virgile Lignier since 2000.  Domaine Lignier-Michelot is a Burgundy producer based in Morey-Saint-Denis and the Lignier family has been there since the early 20th Century.  Originally, they sold their grapes to negociants each vintage, until 1992 when they began bottling some of their own wines. They own about eight hectares and some of the plots have vines that are fifty years or older, and one of the plots is so small that it only produces one barrel of wine.  The winery uses no pesticides or herbicides and they are vigilant in green pruning to maintain low yields.  They destem all the fruit and it undergoes five days of cold maceration, and depending on the wine, it may age from twelve to sixteen months in oak. The Bourgogne appellation was created in 1937 and covers wines made from vineyards in the Burgundy region that are not from more location specific, or from plots that may have been declassified due to their youth, or for other reasons determined by the vigneron.  There are about three-hundred communes that this appellation can be used for.  With my dish of Short Ribs, I could have almost gone with any big red, but I thought that the more feminine qualities of Pinot Noir might be interesting.  This wine was very floral in the nose and delivered a very fine quality Pinot Noir belying the modest appellation.     

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Going Out in Style

Posted on June 5, 2021 by thewineraconteur

We were over due for a real date night and a fabulous dinner, so we went to Vertical in Downtown Detroit.  Vertical is located in the Harmony Park district of Downtown Detroit in a residential hotel, behind the Music Hall.  I live in a state where our harridan basically tried to destroy all the restaurants based on “science” that was never revealed.  While the healthy were quarantined for fifteen days that morphed into over a year, restaurants were shuttered for at least ninety days.  Then they were allowed to open for carry-out only, and then they were also allowed to serve food outdoors in the winter, I guess that was considered healthy.  Then finally, they started loosening up a bit, I am not sure if it was the “science” or the recall signatures and indoor restaurants were allowed to open at twenty-five percent capacity.  Still the majority of restaurants remained closed, because they could not make a profit.  Finally, it loosened up a bit more and we are up to fifty percent capacity and the finer establishments started opening, those that had deep enough fiscal responsibility to be able to weather the storm.  So, we were off for some pampering.

We took an early reservation, because we really wanted them to be able to at least have two turns on the table.  It is still nice to go out and see women dressed up and men in sport coats, instead of looking like they just arrived from the Northwest Territory or the Yukon.  The restaurant Vertical is owned by the people that own our local wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  One can also get Vertical flights of some wines which is an excellent feature.  We started off with what has become a signature appetizer of the restaurant: Jumbo table grapes hand rolled in Brie and then coated with crushed pistachio nuts and drizzled with a gastriche.  It was pure bliss and somehow, my Bride even shared some with me (as a side note, she has bought the ingredients, but hasn’t attempted them yet). We followed that with a dish of Smoked Trout Toast with pickled onions, radishes, dill and trout roe: it was pure decadence and I think that my Bride would have almost ordered a couple more dishes of this and called it a night.  With all of the smoked fish dishes that we have had, and remember this is Michigan, this was the finest creation we have ever had.  

We started with some bubbles, just to make the evening more festive.  My Bride went with the Isaac Fernandez Seleccion Biutiful Cava Brut Rosé NV. The Biutiful Cavas are produced at a winery created in 2007 with state-of-the-art technology. The vineyards are based in Requena, a region that has been growing grapes since the 7th Century.  The vineyards grow Macabeo, Chardonnay and Garnacha (Grenache).  This particular wine is pure Grenache and was aged on the lees for about fifteen months. There were five-thousand cases produced.  The wine was very easy to drink, though if I had to guess, I would not have guessed that it was made from Grenache, and I would have flunked at this wine in a blind tasting.  I started off with Champagne Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV, Brut Premier is their designation for non-vintage, because otherwise the wine would read Brut and the Year.  This wine is a blend of forty percent Pinot Noir, forty percent Chardonnay and twenty percent Pinot Meunier and the juice comes from forty different plots.  There are no shortcuts in making Champagne, as they use assorted casks and the juice used in the Premier has a minimum aging period of three years on the lees, and then the wine is rested for six months after the disgorgement to perfect and maintain the maturity.  The wine offers the classic taste of brioche and vanilla.  Louis Roederer is a Champagne house located in Reims one of the two main cities of Champagne.  The house was founded in 1776, and while it has always been family owned in 1833, Louis Roederer took over the business from his uncle and renamed the company after himself.  One of the most unique business concepts at the time was when in 1845 he began acquiring some Grand Cru vineyards and got into the cultivation as well as the winemaking, because at that time, the houses just bought the grapes from the vineyards.  The house now owns two-hundred-forty hectares of their own vineyards.  They are also integrating the concept of biodynamic farming into their vineyards.  My Bride decided that I had the better of the two sparkling wines.

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Casa Raconteur

Posted on June 3, 2021 by thewineraconteur

Every now and then we open the doors, for family in for a quick trip.  Of course, it has been a while, since we could do that, since we had a harridan that wanted everyone to be a Gladys Kravitz and report such evil going-ons. We actually have a four-bedroom home, but we are now down to the Master Suite, and a guest bedroom.  One bedroom became an office for the two of us, and another became a dedicated gift room, Christmas and birthday shopping is a year long endeavor, as well as all of the requirements for wrapping and bundling gifts.  It really is quite efficient.  We also have a “hide-a-bed” sofa in the family room that unfolds to a Queen size bed. 

I mention this, because we actually had company stay and it was fun.  My Bride was all excited to have someone else to cook for.  She made Chicken in Molé Sauce, and there are probably at least twice as many versions of the sauce as there are states in Mexico where the sauce hails from.  Most people that are not from Mexico, if they know it, call it the “Chocolate Sauce” and that can be true, for certain varieties of it.  The dark sauces like Molé Negro, Poblano or Colorado all have some Mexican chocolate, but it is not sweet like candy or even like baking chocolate.  I prefer the hot and spicier versions that have chili peppers, black peppers and cumin.  I first had it as a teenager with friends in Little Mexico when it was a city block in size and I was introduced to “Ribs in Molé” where the ribs were cooked all day in the sauce, and the meat would just fall off of the bone.  Nowadays, I mostly encounter it as a marinade and sauce usually with a pounded chicken breast.  My Bride earlier during the lockdown period, experimented and made it with Spare Ribs and they were so delicious, that she now is making the dinners with chicken and pork tenderloins.  We had it with the pork tenderloin the night I am mentioning and the meat was so tender, one only needed a fork to cut the meat.  We actually sat around the table just chatting and nibbling until everything was gone.

We started off with a wine, that might make you question my pairing ability, but it worked, and it happens to be the varietal that our guest prefers.  The bottle of Tudor Hook Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands 2010 really caught our attention. Tudor Winery has become one of my favorite wineries from the area, as their Pinot Noir wines have all been outstanding and I hope this wine will continue to be counted among them. The Hook Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands runs along the west side of the Salinas Valley. The suggested aging potential for this wine is five to six years, and there was only six barrels of this wine produced.  For an eleven-year-old, this wine was totally mannered and very mellow and a true pleasure for us to enjoy.  Since this wine evaporated almost after uncorking it, I had to disappear to the cellar for another selection.  I went for a bottle that I thought might be a stretch for our guest, but one that would make my Bride happy.  We had as our second bottle Celani Family Vineyards Robusto Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley 2018.  We have gone to Celani Family Vineyards wine tastings and we have some wines resting in our cellar from those events.  Tom Celani is lauded in the Detroit area for his largesse for charitable organizations that he helps in a grand manner.  He and his father ended up creating one of the largest Miller distribution companies in the United States along with other beers and wines.  Tom Celani fell in love with wines, first as a drinker and a collector and finally acquiring a Tuscan-style estate with seventeen acres of grapes and one-hundred-twenty olive trees in the foot hills of the Vaca Mountain range in Napa Valley.  As the proprietor of the Celani Family Vineyards he has chosen to bottle wine without costs becoming a consideration, to him wine is about quality and not quantity.  This is truly a Proprietary Red Blend, as there is no information even on the trade notes, but the winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and they are partial to new French Oak.  This wine has been made to be enjoyed young and it truly is, with a fruit forward taste, but not a jammy Napa Cab, and softer tannins.  We were literally chewing this wine to get all the flavor and the finish was excellent, and a perfect wine to have while we chatted into the wee hours.

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May 2021 Wine Club Selection

Posted on June 1, 2021 by thewineraconteur

Getting back in the swing of things after a vacation and I had jumped the gun, so I had to go back to visit The Fine Wine Source twice in one week. Certainly, one of the better places to visit, especially twice in a week.  It is always a pleasure to pick up the monthly wine selections, and I don’t even look at the wines, until I get home. When I am there, we talk of other wines and subjects.  Somedays and sometimes, they are just so busy, that as a retired merchant, I just smile and appreciate their situation.

When I unpacked my wine bag, I looked at the Old-World selection first, and, it was in one of those impressive heavier bottles, that one doesn’t normally find in popular price wines. The wine was Enrico Marcato “La Giareta” Cabernet Franc Colli Berici 2016, the wine was formerly produced by Marcato Winery, which Enrico’s family still owns.  Enrico Marcato after working with his family in the Veneto region went and studied wine making at the University of Milan.  This was followed with work at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, California and also at Wynns Winery in Coonawarra, Australia.   In 2003 he became the chief wine maker at Marcato Winery, and he also expanded his knowledge working for three years with a winery in Kazakhstan.  In 2014, he began Enrico Marcato Family of Wine.  The wine is pure Cabernet Franc, which is known as the third grape of Bordeaux, and this varietal is planted around the world and has its own legion of fans.  Colli Berici DOC is located in the center of the Veneto region, between Padova and Verona, while south of Vicenza.  The designation allows for red, white and rosé wines, both in still or Spumante.  The juice for this wine does the initial fermentation in Stainless Steel for ten days, and then is aged in oak for twelve months.  There was a production of eight-thousand bottles. The tasting notes for this wine suggest red berries and herbs with soft tannins and a long finish.  This wine won’t stay in the cellar long.

The New-World selection for the month is Classified Vineyards Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2018 from American Vintners.  American Vintners was long in creation mode, but finally came to fruition.  The production end is in Monterey, California while the offices and sales are located in Rochester, Michigan.  Today, they now have over forty-five wines, not only in California, but world-wide, and some of their brands have developed their own ideas and concepts.  “Classified Wines” are small batch wines from small vineyards that they have found and kept classified, which makes sense as I have discovered two different Pinot Noir wines produced by them from Sonoma, one from the Russian River and this wine from the Sonoma Coast. The Sonoma Coast AVA is one of the largest regions by area in the Sonoma region, but only a small portion is used for grape production.  Most of the AVAs were created using geological and climatological data, whereas Sonoma Coast was created in 1987 for political and commercial reasons. The problem was the term “estate bottled” was more clearly defined, as being wine from grown and vinified from one AVA, and this new AVA was over-arching of areas to work around the ruling.  The tasting notes for this wine offer a dark-cherry color with a floral nose; black cherry and strawberry notes on the palate with undertones of white pepper and nutmeg.  I am sure that this wine will not stay in the cellar long either.

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Going Home from Vegas

Posted on May 30, 2021 by thewineraconteur

The last time we were in Las Vegas was in January 2019 and I have photos of snow on the palm trees and on the mountains, and when we flew back, we had a blizzard that didn’t look bad, until we got to our subdivision and got stuck, a half block away from our house.  We carried all the luggage to the house, and finally got the car unstuck and drove it a mile away to leave at a hospital parking lot, because it was the only area clear.  We were going to hold off our following trip to Vegas for May or June 2020 to see our old grandson graduate, well you know what happened that year.  We were all packed to fly home, and they were talking about snow in Detroit at the end of April, another example of Global Warming and should someone give back his money and award?

We were at the airport and made it through Checkpoint Charley, except that my Bride had forgotten that she had a bottle of water in her carry-on luggage, and she had also forgotten to pull her laptop out of her under seat bag.  The good news is that she didn’t get a colorectum examination on the spot. We had a couple of hours to waste at the airport, and there are only two places one could take off the mask for a respite, even though we had both shots; one was in the airport casino smoking lounge and we don’t smoke or at a restaurant that had a bar.  Since, we knew that there would be no real beverages or food for the next several hours of travel, we had to make the most of it.  We went to a PGA Tour Grill, even though we are neither golfers or really interested in the game.  I also might add, that they have not taken a tip from The Masters and kept food and beverages at ridiculously low prices, but it is an airport and a pack of LifeSavers is three bucks.  My Bride, true to form had a Caesar Salad with Chicken, and I had a Chipotle Chicken sandwich.

The best part of the meal was the nine-ounce pours of wine.  I guess everyone at the airport had the same idea and it was a zoo, so it was one of the few times that I could not take an actual photo of the wine and the bottle and I have to resort to stock images found on the web.  My Bride stayed loyal to herself and had a glass of Del Vento Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC (-), bottled by GI SPA, Trento, Italy. The rooster is a symbol of good luck, and Del Vento translates to “of the wind.”   The Venezie in the name, most people think is for Venice, the historic and romantic city of canals, island, bridges and gondolas, but it is actually for Tre Venezie, Triveneto or “Three Venices.”  These three are Venezia Euganea, Venezia Giulia and Venezia Tridentina and they were three Italian administrative regions which existed from 1866 to 1919 and now correspond to Veneto, Friuli-Venezie Gulia and Trentino-Alto Adige; Delle Venezie covers the entire area with the exception of Alto-Adige or Sudtirol. The DOC laws allow that the wine must be at least eighty-five percent Pinot Grigio and then there is a long list of local grapes that may be used to blend in.   This wine is produced using Stainless Steel and the maturing time is not long, so as to keep the freshness of the fruit. This was a nice crisp Pinot Grigio that was just easy to drink and refreshing.  I went with a glass of Charles & Charles Rose Blend Columbia Valley (-) from a collaboration founded in 2008 between Charles Bieler and Charles Smith, under the umbrella of Trinchero Family Estates. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre.  Another easy drinking wine and between the chilling and the slightly sweet finish it was a nice pairing with the spices of my sandwich.  By the way, when we got to our parked car, there was several inches of snow on the car, and thankfully the snow brush was still in the car, but it seems that unlike the last return drive, most of the snow was at the airport and almost none at our subdivision.  

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Our Last Night in Vegas

Posted on May 28, 2021 by thewineraconteur

I am sure that anyone else that was writing an article with a title like that, would give you a spectacular night of revelry, drinking, gambling, dining and other hedonistic pursuits.  Sorry, we were out there to visit the children and grandchildren and with Las Vegas being almost run into the ground like here in Michigan, the odds of getting all of my children together was a long shot, as they had to work to maintain their employment and their families.  We were going to meet my son and his wife at a new Fusion-style restaurant called JING in Downtown Summerlin.  What a joke, the music was so loud, that a gang-banger in his car with the volume and the bass turned all the way up, would complain that he couldn’t hear the “music” in his car, because of the restaurant.  We had a reservation, the first hostess couldn’t hear and took us to another party’s table and dumped us, then we went back and they gave us a big booth, and the manager had a fit, and moved us to a patio table, so that we could be right next to the speakers, because I am sure that he had someone that would tip him big for that booth, at least that was the attitude he impressed me with; and I have been going to Vegas way before he was even born.  Our table was so loud, that I left our waitress a couple of dollars for her effort of bringing water and we left. 

We made a phone call and secured a table for dinner at Grape Street, where my Bride and I had lunch a couple of days earlier.  Thankfully our eardrums had not been damaged and we could have a nice dinner and conversation, I think my son, was embarrassed, because he said that the last time that he had been there with his wife, it was just an upscale restaurant, and then he went with his wife there again after we had left and he told me it was fine again, it was just our night that they were trying to make everyone deaf.  It was all good, because we started out with Baked Brie in a puff pastry with toasted hazelnuts, caramelized onions, and apricot preserve.  We also had a platter of Crab Stuffed Shrimp, Snow Crab stuffing, Scampi Sauce with Cheese and Charcuterie.  Our Daughter-in-Law had a classic interpretation of Chicken Piccata with free-range breast cutlets, leek mashed potatoes, asparagus, and lemon, caper butter sauce.  My Bride had the Blackened Salmon with hearts of Romaine, pineapple, mandarin oranges, garlic croutons and Caesar dressing.  My Son and I both had the special of the evening and the first time I ever had a dish like it; we had Spicy Scallops, and were they ever, with a Seafood Risotto and asparagus.  We were stuffed after dinner, with no room for dessert.

The wine selection was kind of easy, as I knew that a white wine was the way to go, but with the Blackened spices and the Spicy Scallops, I thought I needed a white with a bit more body and character.  I went with a bottle of Domaine Champalou Vouvray La Cuvee les Fondraux 2018.  Catherine and Didier Champalou both came from vignerons families.  They started their Domaine in 1983 in Vouvray in the Loire Valley.  Vouvray is the home of Chenin Blanc and is known locally as Pineau de la Loire.  The Pineau de la Loire can be made as Petillant (Sparkling), Sec (dry and crisp), Demi-Sec (off-dry) or in a botrytized wine called Moelleux, and the Domaine Champalou makes all four versions.  They own a total of twenty-one hectares of vineyards on clay and limestone soils; and they have embraced sustainable farming.  La Cuvee les Fondraux is their Demi-Sec offering from a four-hectare plot with vines averaging about forty-five years in age.   The grapes are immediately pressed and goes directly to oak barrels for slow fermentation, and they keep tasting the juice, until they find the proper balance of sugar and then the juice is chilled to stop the fermentation.  The wine is then aged in the same barrels on its lees for eleven months before bottling. It was a perfect way to end our trip, especially because we could have a nice conversation.     

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Everything, but the Kitchen Sink

Posted on May 26, 2021 by thewineraconteur

For years, one of the most famous restaurant chains across America, never had a location in Michigan, so we got used to the idea of at least having a fast lunch at least once a trip to Las Vegas, especially since we could walk over there from our hotel/casino.  I am talking about The Cheesecake Factory.  The Cheesecake Factory actually had its roots in Detroit, Evelyn Overton found a recipe for a cheesecake in one of the local papers.  Her take on the recipe was a hit, and she once had plans to open a shop, but the reality of raising a family took precedence.  Though she did continue making cheesecakes and had converted her basement into a baking kitchen.  In 1972, after being empty nesters, Evelyn and her husband Oscar decided to move to Los Angeles, California and see if she could fulfill her dream.  With hard work and diligence, she was up to twenty different cheesecakes and some other desserts that she was selling to other restaurants.  Her son David, decided to open a restaurant to feature the large selection of cheesecakes and desserts.  In 1978, the original restaurant opened in Beverly Hills, California and now they have over two-hundred locations, both locally and abroad. 

In my past life, I had always heard about the restaurant and how they had a certain animosity towards potential investors in Detroit, and that is why they never opened in their home town, and when they did, they opened not where everyone expected them to open.  Memories are long.  If you have never been to The Cheesecake Factory and if you have, you know that you are given a book and not a menu to decipher.  I have never been in the restaurant industry, but I had always heard that one should keep the menu, short and sweet; not only do they not follow that advice, but they offer their take on international dishes, and everything is fresh and made in house. Also, I would recommend that you go hungry, as they don’t skimp on the portions, the concept of nouveau-cuisine is not part of their vocabulary.  They don’t get flustered with requests or changes, and they even understand the concept of sharing. My Bride had a half-sandwich of chicken-almond salad and a side Caesar salad (which was about the size of a Caesar salad as an entrée in some restaurants).  I had their Bacon-Bacon Cheeseburger covered with Cheddar and American Cheese, Crispy Bacon and Thick-Cut Slow Roasted Smoked Bacon and their “Secret Sauce” with a side of Sweet Potato Fries for my Bride.  We split our choices and were very happy.  We never have a problem getting a table there, because our late lunch is considered a very early lunch on the West Coast. 

Part of the book that they call a menu, also contains some cocktails, beer and a wine list.  Just like their food menu, they have a wine carte that is better than some dinner restaurants we have been to.  With all of the choices I chose a couple of glasses of their “house wines” for us to have with lunch.  I know it sounds rather daring, as there is no mention in the wine carte of the actual winery used for each wine, we had The Cheesecake Factory Pinot Grigio Columbia Valley 2018 and The Cheesecake Factory Merlot California 2017.  The Cheesecake Factory Pinot Grigio Columbia Valley 2018 was made for them by Columbia Crest Winery of Paterson, Washington.  Columbia Crest Winery was established in 1983 and their first wine release was in 1984. Columbia Crest is one of the largest wineries in Washington, along with their parent company Chateau Ste. Michelle.  The winery has a several tiers of wines, but the bulk of their business is in the popular price range and I never have a problem selecting a wine from this winery, if it is one of my choices.  This was a nice crisp, very easy drinking Pinot Grigio and it made my Bride happy with her lunch.   The Cheesecake Factory Merlot California 2017 is made by Beringer Vineyards of Sonoma, California.  Beringer has the honor of being the longest continuously operating winery in California.  They have a range of offerings from affordable generic table wines to single-vineyard cuvées and a private reserve label. Brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer had their first harvest in 1976 in what is now St. Helena AVA.  Frederick built his Rhine House, a Victorian mansion in 1883 which is now the main visitor building at the winery.  This home was added to the US National Register for Historic Places.  They even survived Prohibition, the first dismal nanny-state disaster, by getting a Federal License and producing sacramental altar wine.  After Prohibition, they were the first winery to offer public tours which was the start of making Napa Valley a tourist destination. In the 70’s Beringer was bought by Nestlé, and then it changed hands a couple of more times and is now owned by Treasury Wine Estates, which also owns among other labels Penfolds and Stags’ Leap.  In 2015, Mark Beringer became the Chief Winemaker and he is the great-great-grandson of Jacob Beringer.  While Beringer owns vineyards in Napa and Sonoma as well as their leased vineyards are all certified sustainable.  Since, I have always been partial to Merlot wines, a well-made popular priced wine, especially with a burger is fine with me, and there are often times when I want a burger and a glass of wine.  The walk back to the hotel, may have been a bit slower, than the walk there.   

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Our Favorite Place for Brunch

Posted on May 24, 2021 by thewineraconteur

After booking the flight and the hotel, we booked this brunch, and it was mentioned often as we talked about the trip.  We were making a return trip to Echo & Rig Butcher and Steakhouse.  Echo & Rig was the first establishment that we had been to, that besides being a restaurant, was also a butcher shop.  Not the butcher shop of my youth, where you had to take a number and then  get all of your meats wrapped in paper after he cut or sliced or ground your request.  Here is a butcher shop that not only cuts the meat, they age the meats, and they make their own charcuterie.  The butcher shop is on the main floor, opposite the bar, and the restaurant is upstairs that takes full advantage of their butcher shop. It was all the more enticing, because every morning, including the morning of our brunch there, that we would walk past the restaurant in the Tivoli Village complex as part of our daily 6K walk. I am also not the best photographer, so in case you can’t decipher the message that is emblazoned on their window, it is “A hot dog at the ballpark is better than steak at the Ritz.” – Humphrey Bogart 

At least once a month since our last brunch at Echo & Rig, I was reminded how my Bride was looking forward to her Lemon, Ricotta and Blueberry pancakes.  I had requested to be out on the verandah overlooking the fountain and the entrance to Tivoli Village. We were of course the first in line to get into the restaurant, as I guess we were rather anxious.  We were taken upstairs and outside and we met our waiter, a little while later, another employee that was over the years our waitress and at a times the manager came over to greet us by name.  Talk about getting a swelled head and feeling special.  I had the Short Rib Hash, made of Prime Short Ribs, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Bell Peppers, Shallots with two poached eggs and Smoked Paprika Hollandaise Sauce.  My Bride was crestfallen, because she even mentioned to our waiter that her favorite dish was not on the menu, so she had the Smoked Wild Salmon plate with Cream Cheese, sliced Tomatoes, Capers, Red Onions and a toasted Bagel.  We also got a side order of the house made bacon, and we had both forgotten how great bacon could be, when it isn’t from a commercial package.  I was later talking to the Manager while my Bride was away and lamented that her favorite dish was no longer on the menu. The manager was aghast and told me that the dish was on the menu, just written up differently and that our waiter should have realized it, especially after my Bride described it, so thoroughly.  It hurt me to tell my Bride what I had discovered, but by then we were stuffed.

 Our waiter also had a problem understanding what we meant, when we referred to their older way of touting their Mimosas as bottomless, as now their menu only lists Bottomless Handcrafted Bloody Mary.  He told me that they usually just put a bottle of sparkling in an icer and bring over a carafe of fresh-squeezed orange juice, as he got flustered thinking that we may need additional Mimosas and he wasn’t prepared for that.  The first time that we were there we had this wine, I had never heard of the wine that was being poured, but since then I have noticed other restaurants back home touting the same wine for their Mimosas. Wycliff Brut California Champagne is by the William Wycliff Winery which is under the umbrella of the Gallo Winery group. This screwcap bottle of sparkling wine is geared strictly to restaurants and catering companies, so that the consumer cannot check the retail price of the wine or buy it on their own. Since it is part of Gallo, I am sure that they have made sure that they were grandfathered in with the term “California Champagne.” This wine is made by the Charmat Method, which is a more economical way of producing a sparkling wine and since it was being mixed with orange juice, it was more than adequate. Traditionally the wine would be made with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier and I will presume that all or part of those grapes are being used. All I can say is that it was a great way to start the day off.  The only thing lacking was the screw cap, instead of the classic pop of a cork, but it was still a great way to start the day.

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From Clark Street to Sammy’s

Posted on May 22, 2021 by thewineraconteur

As soon as I wrote the title to this article, if you are from my generation and from Delray or Southwest Detroit, it sounds like I am going to talk about the old neighborhood.  Alas, I am not going to talk about the Cadillac Motor Car plant or the famed park that has an outstanding ice arena that has seen some of the Red Wings play on.  The Clark Street that I am going to mention was the site of an infamous gangland massacre in Old Chicago and the bricks made a circuitous trip to Vancouver and finally now reside at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.  My grandchildren didn’t recall going there, the last time we took them, so it was brand new to them again I was really looking forward to recreating an older photo that we have of myself with three of the grandchildren as we were lined up for our mug photo.  The last time that we were there, my Bride took the photo, this time I guess the mug photo line-up is such a big tourist attraction that you have to have their photographer take your photo, so that you could buy it later at the gift shop.  I would have opted for that, but even though we were the only people in the room, the photographer would not take the photo unless we had our masks on, and to me that negated the whole photograph of a before and after type of photo.  I guarantee that no one was ever photographed or lined up at a real line-up with a mask on. 

After touring the museum and I think the kids may have enjoyed it more, since they were older, they really wanted to “take” us to Sammy’s Woodfire Pizza & Grill at Sammy’s.  When one thinks of Vegas, they think of The Strip and then the Downtown district and both sections are very glittery.  There are plenty of small local, almost neighborhood casinos interspersed along the main and secondary streets of the city.  It was the first time that we ever ventured into one of these venues, though in the past, we have been in drug stores, grocery stores and even gas stations that have maybe a half dozen machines waiting to take your spare change. The kids love this place, and they knew that I had to go there for the Duck Tacos, because they all know that I love duck dinners,  There was a ton of food ordered and to give you an idea here is the list: five orders of Lobster Bisque with Sherry, a platter of Truffle Fries, two orders of Braised Short Rib tacos, shrimp tacos, four orders of Duck tacos, Mini-burgers, Margherita Pizza, Mozzarella Pizza, two orders of Chicken Wings, Pork Dumplings a “Messy Sundae” and an “Apple Pie Pizza” and the two desserts still were only partially consumed by the crowd that we had at two tables. 

We may have started off with Margaritas, but we eventually ended up with wine (of course we did).  First, we had Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio Trentino DOC 2019.  Mezzacorona is a group of co-operative wineries and brands, established in 1904 in Trentino.  The winery is known as the “Citadella del Vino” and they recently built a state-of-the-art facility to better serve their fifteen-hundred growers.  Mezzacorona claims to produce more Pino Grigio and Chardonnay than any other Italian winery.  With the wine being produced by so many small vineyards, the fruit is hand harvested to this day.  There is no production information, but I sure that I may surmise that the fruit is aged in Stainless Steel for a short period.  I say this, because the wine is green and flinty, crisp with a light floral nose and a soft finish.  A perfect wine for food and lots of talking and merriment.  Next was Daou Vineyards & Winery Pessimist Red Blend Paso Robles 2018.  Daou Vineyards is located in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles and was established in 2007 by George and Daniel Daou who had originally built a successful IT business.  They bought part of the Hoffman Mountain Ranch and in 2012 bought the rest of the property and now have two-hundred-twelve acres.  The Hoffman Mountain Ranch had been the first modern commercial winery in Paso Robles after Prohibition and created by Stanley Hoffman with assistance by Andre Tchelistcheff. All the estate fruit is hand harvested and has been certified as sustainable farming practices. The Pessimist Red Blend 2018 is a blend of sixty-two percent Petite Sirah, twenty percent Zinfandel, sixteen percent Syrah and two percent Lagrein.  There are no production notes, but I well venture to say that the wine saw some barrel time, as Daou is big on Bordeaux varieties and also Rhone varieties.  The wine was a deep purple with floral notes, big dark and red fruit, with some butter and vanilla (oak) and a nice smoky finish.  A couple of nice popular price wines with an interest spread of food for dinner and a repeat of a museum that at least my Bride and I remembered, and I can guarantee you that we were not in Southwest Detroit, even if it sounded like we were.  

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Honoring Our Grandson

Posted on May 20, 2021 by thewineraconteur

One of the main reasons that we were in a hurry to go to Las Vegas, was to do something for our eldest grandson, who graduated from high school last year.  We were going to throw him a graduation party, but I think most people realize that last year was kind of chaotic.  It was a rather open invitation we gave him, when we told him that we wanted to take him out for dinner, along with his girlfriend, because we told him to pick a restaurant, and there are few restaurants to choose from in Vegas.  He never chose, and never got back to us, so we made the decision for them. 

That afternoon My Favorite Daughter was all excited because she wanted to take everyone to her latest discovery.  We went to T.K. House of Bread & Armenian Restaurant.  When we walked in, I got a chance to practice my all, but forgotten Armenian language skills, and of course the Armenian that my family spoke was totally different compared to the Armenian that is spoken by the later immigrants, years after the Genocide. Some of the dishes were different both in spelling, and presentation, but My Favorite Daughter was excited.  She insisted, before we got there, that she was treating and she was ordering plates of food like it was going out of style.  It was all good, especially knowing that he had the market locked up, and it was a chance for my grandchildren to try some foods that they would not get at home. Of course, my Bride and I nibbled and noshed, and I even had pop (no liquor license and I survived) because we had a big night ahead of us. 

We took our grandson and his girlfriend to Marche Bacchus French Bistro & Wine Shop, where my Bride and I have gone several times before.  It is in the middle of an older residential area build around three man-made lakes that only Howard Hughes could have envisaged and created.  From the front, it looks like a small wine shop and wine bar in a small neighborhood strip center, but appearances are deceiving.  The wine shop is quite large, not like one of the chain discount operations, but very impressive with the selection well thought out.  Behind the wineshop is this terraced restaurant built out on the lake and during the day, we have seen black swans enjoying the water. Our grandson and his date were both rather adventuresome as we started off with Seared Foie Gras with Lingonberry Jam, Brioche, Aged Balsamic Reduction and Frisee Salad.  This was followed by Escargot “Persillade” a classic interpretation with Garlic Herbed Butter and Parmigiano Bread Crumbs.  His date ordered a dish that required extra time, so we filled the extra time with an order of Beef Tartare with Quail Egg along with Pine Nuts, Capers and Pain de Mie Toast Points.  The kids actually tried all three appetizers, though I am not sure if they would have them again.  My grandson had the Steak “Frites” a Wagyu Flat Iron Steak with Sauce Bearnaise, Frites and Herbed Butter, while his date had the Bistro Chicken, an organic Roasted Half Chicken with Asparagus, Roasted Tomatoes, Fingerling Potatoes and Lemon Crème.  My Bride had Seared Scallops with Lemon and Mascarpone Barley, Snap Peas, Radishes and Citrus Jus.  I had the King Cole Duck Breast with Mushroom Risotto with a Brandy Fig Sauce. The four of us split two desserts, one was a Crème Brulee and the other a Limoncello Souffle. 

With the Seared Foie Gras, we went with Chateau Lapinesse Sauternes 2017 from the Siozard family.  The Siozard family settled in the 19th Century on the banks of Dordogne opposite Saint-Emilion and they now operate about sixty hectares in Bordeaux, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac. They are now in the sixth generation of the family. The wine is pure Semillon and manually harvested over many passes to only pick the botrytised (Noble Rot) grapes, the musts are obtained by direct pressing and settled, while vinified at low temperature.  The wine is aged for twelve months in Stainless Steel to achieve a golden yellow color, with a floral nose, and notes of melon, dried apricots and candied fruit, with a long finish of apricots and some terroir.  A very nice House choice to accommodate the dish. My main job was after ascertaining what my Bride was having was to go and select a wine from their retail shop and they charge ten dollars for a corkage fee. I was getting a bit frantic, as I was sure that a Pinot Noir may be a bit over the top for the scallops, but I knew that she would be a trouper, but then I saw something that would make me a hero to her, and have her forgive me about having a red wine.  I selected a bottle of Domaine Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvee Terroir 2016 from the Loire Valley and made from Cabernet Franc.   In fact, they have been growing that grape for years and locally it is called Breton, after the Abbot that nurtured the grape, and one of the famous sons of Chinon, Rabelais also wrote about the wines when he had a moment of free time.  The vineyard dates back to 1830 and was planted entirely with Cabernet Franc; and some of their other vineyards go back to at least 1789.  In 1957 after artistic studies of painting and sculpture in Pare, Charles Joguet took over the family business and the initials JMV that adorn the tin capsules stand for his mother, Madame Veuve Joguet-Malecault.  The juice spends four weeks in cold maceration and then is aged for about fifteen months in a mix of French Oak from new to up to fourth year usage, then the juices are mixed and stored for another six months prior to bottling.  This was just a lovely wine, layered and complex and offering a true Cabernet Franc experience. Our waitress was going to get glasses for our two guests, my Bride said no, I would have probably let them have a taste.  It was a wonderful evening, not the graduation party that we wanted to throw for him, but it worked and since he is now attending courses in Engineering, it may be a while before he can have Wagyu beef again, maybe when he graduates again.   

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