New Orleans
I was in New Orleans last week and had a chance to check out some of the newer restaurants and 2 old standbys. I had not been to New Orleans in over 30 years. Not sure how much has changed downtown.I went to Peche http://www.pecherestaurant.com/ for dinner. It is in the trendy Warehouse district.I did not have a reservation but sat at the bar.The place was packed and it was Wednesday night. I ordered mussels with curry sauce $11 and smothered catfish $16. I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre “La Baronnes”
Henri Bourgeois ‘13 Loire for $9. The mussels were okay. The flavoring was good but the mussels were not very plump. The catfish was not to my liking. All in all a pretty place and it could be in any city USA. Food was so-so. Prices were reasonable and the wines by the glass were reasonable and good. The charge on the basis of 5 glasses to the bottle, which makes the price of a glass cheaper. Of course it all depends on how much they pour into a glass.
Curried Mussels
OK so I felt like I was missing the real New Orleans. So I walked to the French quarter and found Cafe du Monde. http://www.cafedumonde.com/beignets Real ambiance, kind of a dump but the beignets were really good. You get 3 fried pieces of dough for about $2.65 with tax. They sell beignets and coffee and other drinks. I took out the beignets and the gave me them in a paper bag while they were very hot. Amazingly they were not greasy. The bag showed no signs of grease. I ate 2 of them they were great, lots of powdered sugar.
The next day I figured I was on a roll so I discovered that K-Pauls Kitchen https://www.chefpaul.com/kpaul is open for a deli-styled lunch on Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays. So off I went with a few friends. You sit at the regular tables of the restaurant but you go up to a counter to order. They bring the food to you. We shared a shrimp po- boy $13, a jambalaya po- boy $13 and some sauce with green tomatoes. I had cole slaw with the po-boy and it was great. It had apple in it and was not creamy. Every thing was really good. The flavor of the Jambolaya was complex and spicy but overpoweringly hot. I had bread pudding $4 with hard sauce for dessert.The hard sauce was light and tasted of some sort of alcohol, but just enough without being overpowering.
I had a chance to walk down Bourbon Street. Lots of music and bars.New Orleans did not overly impress me. Not sure what one would do their for more than a couple of days. There is a big casino that was OK. They have an outlet mall on the river. It does have a branch of Cafe du Monde without the ambiance. There is another fancy mall and I guess they have the Superdome. The French Quarter was interesting to walk through but I did not find any cafes or pastry shops to hang-out a bit. Lots of bars.
Arlo Guthrie
We saw Arlo Guthrie in concert at a small venue last wee. He was very good. He is a link to the folk song past, having known Leadbelly, Peter Seeger and obviously, his father growing up. He is a great story teller and he made 2.5 hours go by magically. Next year he will be doing the 50th anniversary Alice's Restaurant tour. Listening to Alice's Restaurant is a Thanksgiving tradition. If you are not familiar with the song, it around 25 minutes, check it out. A classic song.
Wine Alert
Chateau Fleur la Mothe 2010. I recently purchased it a the Wine Library for $12.55. It is a Bordeaux from a great vintage. A 90 rating from the WA and the WS. It is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 60 Merlot. I have had 2 bottles of it and it is very good. If you can find it, stock up. It should develop for 5 to 10 years.
Recent Wines
2012 Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain
10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Nice cabernet. Not complex but good fruit with some tannin. A bit tart. Light to medium bodied. Enjoyed the wine with a steak. Might try again. Not a bad value.
2011 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Pinot Noir
10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points
Tasted at the WL. Great bouquet but the taste was not up to the Les Chaumes. OK fruit and nice balance. Not overly tannic. A good wine but at $65 probably not worth it. Would not buy.
2011 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes Pinot Noir
10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points
Tasted at the WL. Nice bouquet. medium bodied. good fruit and balance. Flavor was very nice. Finally at Burgundy that I could appreciate but the price around $64 is steep. Not sure that I would buy a bottle at that price. I might stick with Oregon.
2011 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Côte de Nuits Villages Le Vaucrain Pinot Noir
10/28/2014 - I don't like this wine: 84 points
No fruit; tasted at the WL. Lots of terroir but meh. Would not buy.
2012 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir
10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)
Good fruit but not complex. Tasted at the WL. One of the better reasonably priced Burgundies that I have tasted. Might buy a bottle at around $24.
2013 Domaine des Valanges Mâcon-Davaye Chardonnay
10/29/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Not bad. Medium bodied with some nice fruit and good acid. Finish is weak but an enjoyable wine. Drank with salmon. Would drink again.
2009 Viña Herminia Rioja Excelsus Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo
10/24/2014 - I wrote: 87 points
Interesting wine. Tasted balanced with nice fruit but it took a little time to get used to it. It is like 2 wines put together; the syrah and tempranillo. The tasted good but no characteristic that stood out. The wine is boring. Not sure about it being a WS top 100. WA much better description. Not sure I would drink again.
2011 Xavier et Nicolas Barbet Moulin-à-Vent Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Gamay
10/26/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points
Delicate complex wine. Terroir, nice fruit. Drank with ribs. A good value; an enjoyable wine. Will drink again. 12.5 alcohol.
2012 Domaine Cornu-Camus Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Pinot Noir
10/26/2014 - I wrote: 84 points
Good mouthfeel in this medium weight wine but little else. Cheap Burgundy is an oxymoron. Drink a top of the line Cru Beaujolais instead and enjoy.
2013 Domaine De Robert Morgon Côte du Py Gamay
10/22/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points
terroir and acid predominate. Some fruit; it began to open up after a while; not up to the 2011's; I have another bottle to try. Drank with roast chicken.
2013 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Cellar Selection Marlborough
10/20/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)
Typcial NZ sauvignon blanc. Nice bouquet, fruity but with good acid.
2012 Poggiobello Colli Orientali del Friuli Sauvignon
10/22/2014 - I wrote: 85 points
Interesting wine; decent fruit and acid with a different taste; not sure of the grape; would probably not drink again.
2001 Reignac Bordeaux Supérieur Red Bordeaux Blend
10/18/2014 - I like this wine: 94 points A great bottle. Great color, bouquet and tasted balanced with rich flavor. Amazing it was 13 years old and only 13% alcohol. Gee, and I thought you needed 15% to get flavor. The wine was great to the last drop in the bottle. Drank with steak and baked oysters. Would drink again if I can find it. Reignac is an interesting wine as they make another wine called Chateau de Reignac which gets confused in ratings by most wine publications.
2010 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
10/18/2014 - I wrote: 88 points
Tasted at the WL. Very tannic, very young, it may evolve but not in my lifetime. Decent fruit but tart and probably should try it again.
2010 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
10/18/2014 - I wrote: 86 points
Tasted a the WL.Very young but tasted unripe. Some fruit peeking through. Not my taste. Maybe I needed a bigger taste.
2010 Domaine Testut Chablis Rive Droite Chardonnay
10/12/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points
Good basic Chablis. Enjoyed with flounder. A little age has enhanced the wine. Dry but enough fruit to make it interesting.
2013 Tiburzi Montefalco Colle Scancellato Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese
9/19/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Solid, fresh with decent tannin; medium bodied, drinks like a big wine but does not have the alcohol; enjoyed; will drink again.
2011 Gérard Bertrand Syrah / Grenache Languedoc Roussillon Syrah Blend, Syrah
10/16/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points
Nice red. Started out grapey but quickly opened up. Very smooth, low tannin. Not that high in alcohol, which is good. Good value, under $10 at Costco. Not a wine for cellaring. Drink now.
2013 Corte Gardoni Bianco di Custoza White Blend
10/15/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points Fruity but with good acid. Enjoyed wine with salmon. Medium bodied would drink again. Not sure of the grape.
2013 Les Vignes de l'Aire Côtes du Roussillon Effet Pappilion Red Blend
10/9/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Nice light to medium bodied wine with good fruit and acid. Enjoyed with a steak. Good value. Would drink again.
2012 Pio Cesare Barbera d'Alba
10/10/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points
A nice fruity wine with some tannin. Not as light as one might expect. Drank with Italian appetizers at a restaurant in PHX for $40. Not a bad price. Group enjoyed the wine. Would drink again.
2007 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Sant' Antimo Fabius Syrah
10/10/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points
Drank at a restaurant in PHX for $60. Always good to try a wine with a little age on it. A big wine but just enough fruit. Some spiciness from the Syrah. I understand that this is a top producer and that this wine comes from a Brunello region. Drank with pork chop and Italian appetizers. Group enjoyed the bottle. Would drink again.
2010 Agricola San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il Gregio Chianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese
10/7/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points
Drank at a restaurant in PHX for $65, not a bad price. Complex wine that developed as we drank it. Good fruit and tannin with balance. Drank with grilled pork chop. Would drink again
2013 Domaine De Robert Morgon Côte du Py Gamay
10/2/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Nice bouquet; initial taste of lots of fruit with lots of flavors however the finish is a short and abrupt. Enjoyed the wine with a roast chicken; my first 2013 Cru Beaujolais. will drink again, decent value at $16.
2013 Henry Brochard Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire
9/29/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Nice bouquet with lots of fruit; taste is medium bodied, dry with a short finish; enjoyed the wine with flounder; good wine and a nice value; would drink again.
2012 Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune Villages Pinot Noir
9/28/2014 - I wrote: 85 points
Keep hoping to taste a Burgundy with flavor; light, tannic with some fruit peeking out; food helped a little, we drank it with duck breast; not what I had hoped for, no excuses, oh well.
2009 Guido Porro Barolo Vigna Lazzairasco Nebbiolo
9/27/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points
Tasted at the WL; nice medium bodied with some fruit and complexity; should develop nicely; may buy a bottle as I have the 04 and 05, which are very good.
2009 Giovanni Sordo Barolo Rocche di Castiglione Nebbiolo
9/27/2014 - I don't like this wine: 84 points
Not sure what was going on in the wine but disjointed and maybe needs lots of time. Tated at the WL.
2010 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo Nebbiolo
9/27/2014 - I wrote: OK somewhat fruity Barolo. 87 points
Thanksgiving is coming up and it is one of my favorite holidays and I love the meal. Turkey, chedstnut stuffing, spinach souffle, potatoes and cranberry relish. Pecan pie, apple tart, Italian pastries and maybe something new this year.Wines -drink whatever you like. Beaujolais works great. Nouveau Beaujolais is out for Thanksgiving but it is a gimmick wine. Check out a bottle or 2. Search out Cru Beaujolais for the real stuff. If you would like any recipes, let me know.
Enjoy.
