Ordering wine in a Restaurant; Gently Down the Stream

A story about ordering wine.

I went to a restaurant the other day and ordered an Oregon Pinot Noir, Argyle $45 from the 2014 vintage. They brought out the wine from the 2015 vintage without mentioning the different vintage. This happens to me quite often. I asked the very nice waitress to see if there was any of the 2014 in stock as I like wines from that vintage. She checked and said that they did not so I accepted the 2015 wine, The wine was not very good but not flawed. The waitress came around and asked how we liked the wine. I said it was OK and the 2 others drinking it agreed. She pressed us and asked if we would like another bottle and we said no and reiterated that the wine was OK. We did not gush over it.

A few minutes later the manager came over and asked if we wanted a different wine. I said the wine was OK but he kept asking if were pleased with the wine so I said give us a different wine. I asked him for a recommendation and we began this dance as he would not commit to a recommendation and I was trying to please him with my new order. We finally ordered a California Cabernet, Foley Johnson 2012 that they had been pushing.

We received the new bottle and I tasted it and declared it wonderful and life went on.

Garden Time

Spring is here and it garden time. We have been prepping the garden and have already planted kale, spinach and lettuce. Sugar snap peas and broccoli are going in this weekend.

NYC

We are continuing to see plays in NYC. We just saw Gently Down The Stream with Harvey Fierstein at the Public Theater. The play is good but Harvey Fierstein is great. He has several monologues that are compelling. Small theater, not expensive, a great actor --go see it.

After the play take a walk down Mulberry Street to Grand Street. Stop at Ferrara Bakery and get rainbow cookies  and come back on Mott Street. The lower East Side is happening these days. Explore and have fun.

Wines of the moment

I found the Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc, $18.99 at Costco last week. Great bottle. Medium bodied, lots of fruit but good acid to balance, dry but fun to drink. The critics love it. See if you can find it although they did not make that much of it. Another Paso Robles wine that is outstanding. The winery is owned by the Chateau Beaucastel folks in France. Grapes are Rhone grapes--- Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne. Good stuff.

2015 Beaujolais'. Very good vintage with high quality wines coming in under $20. Look for Jean Marc Burgaud as he makes several wines. I had the 2015 Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais-Villages Les Vignes de Thulon. It is about $12 and it is very good. Fruity, light and earthy. A great wine for a summer meal on the deck. It can go with meat or fish.

2016 Domaine Drouhin Rose $25. It is a rose of Pinot Noir. This year it is exceptional, delicate and fruity with good acid. A fun but serious  wine to drink. Only available at the winery.

I did not like the 2015 Domaine Drouhin Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $40. I love their wines but this bottle tasted weird but not corked. It did not have that beautiful Pinot Noir flavor. I will try again as I have a few more bottles.

Enjoy.