2003 Pontet-Canet

My sister-in-law brought home a bottle of Pontet-Canet 2003 yesterday. She asked if it was a good bottle. Yes, I responded. Pontet-Canet is a good producer. And that's what I thought. Classified growth Left Bank Bordeaux. Probably Michel Rollanded and over-made, I anticipated. Forgettable and over-priced, I assumed.

No.

There was a glass left, so I decided to have a glass with lunch as I'm working from home today. And what I found has re-opened my eyes to Classified Growth Bordeaux. Parker writes this is a definition of cassis. I completely disagree. Scorched earth and dark chocolate- yes. But more important, the wine delivers depth and power without a huge overly made alcoholic mouthfull. In short- it's balanced. There's structure here and even acidity which I can't believe for this vintage!?

Is it over priced? Yes. Even now, I'm seeing sticker prices at around $70bt. I think it drinks that and I think that's a fair price to pay for this quality. But, I would wait as ties they days demand patience. There are 2004s on the shelf, and the glorious 2005s (greatest ever vintage) are languishing.

So, be patient and when this wine dips below $40bt...buy it all.

The Lesson of Sous Vide

There's my boy doing his rendition of tuna, sous vide, complete with plastic orange letter "w" in the preparation.

I thought it was so cool that he started playing around with this thin slice of tuna and then he noticed that if he submerged it into hot water it changed color- it was cooking.

Sous vide is some what controversial, but any great chef I've talked to has said it's THE way to perfectly cook food. It concentrates better. It cooks perfectly uniformly. It allows for so much more control in the professional kitchen. Will it eventually make its way to the household kitchen? Well, it would guarantee that your chicken is properly cooked- your whole chicken.

But, I (and many of my chef friends as well) wonder if sous vide takes away some of the soul of cooking. It brings into play the 'perfection' question and whether being slightly imperfect is actually a better thing.

I guess it's summed up like this: is it better to be consistent or to have character?

Funny, that the business mind of me says consistency, but the humanity of me wants character- in food, wine, and at the table.

Malliouhana

One of THE super great, under the radar resort destinations based in Anguilla. I recommend it because I'm desperately feeling the need for a vacation, but with a baby girl coming this Fall...well, I'm not going anywhere. Probably the best high caliber food and wine destination I've been to in all of the Caribbean.


If you do ever make it here, make sure to have the lobster omelet with a bottle of Raveneau (multiple wines for amazingly only around $60+bt)!?

The Brilliance of Dried Oregano

I worked hard yesterday. Fully cleared out a third of my backyard. Laid seed and organic fertilizer. And where's the rain I was supposed to get? Ah well, the weather is funny. I was tired and I was very happy when after getting out of the shower my wife had takeout pizza ready to go for me.

As a traveling salesperson I eat a lot of pizza. In fact, I would go to say that the finest pizza connoisseurs in the world simply have to be traveling salespeople. It just makes sense. So, as a pizza connoisseur you become highly sensitive to the subtle taste of the sauce, the texture of the crust, the integration of the cheese, sauce, and crust. And salt- you can literally measure the salt of each component of the slice.

Last night's pizza? Pretty forgettable. But, as a sales person I also succumb to a lot of very forgettable pizza. My trick is to dress it up with dried oregano. It's amazing how a teaspoon of dried oregano can freshen up a pretty bad slice of pizza. Fresh oregano would have been even better. Ah, the incredibleness of fresh herbs.

I downed a couple glasses of white lambrusco. Dry. Very saline. Was excellent and pretty cool considering you never see this wine in the States. And all was right in the world...

Pain Grille

Go get a big 'ole hunk of Tuscan peasant bread. Slice into 1/2 inch slices. Open your outside grill and prep to high heat. Before putting each slice of bread down use a brush and lather thoroughly with olive oil- both sides!

Cook like you were cooking a piece of tuna fish. Watch for the lovely grill marks, and don't burn the sides too much. Immediatley after you pull the slices of bread from grill spirnkle with kosher salt and cracked pepper.

Serve along side salad and grilled meat.

Arguably one of the best accompaniments to any Summer dinner.

Shopping for Arabella

I'm very fortunate with my son, Charlie. Born in 2006. Think of all of the treasures that must be put away for him:

2006 Tuscany
2006 Burgundy
2006 Northern Rhones
2006 Barolo
actually pretty much 2006 anything Italian...

And now Arabella will come. Born in 2009. I still have to do my research but I'm hoping for a great Champagne year. And of course, as always, a great year in Burgundy...

Duryea's

It is arguably one of my top 5 restaurants on the planet. I've visited France extensively, Italy a couple of times, Ireland, Britain, the Virgin Islands, California a couple of times, Spain, and Japan...but this little seaside restaurant blows most of 'em out of the water.

It is an old (and still operational) lobster and seafood wholesaler- not a middle man mind you, but a direct from sea to market. The wholesale building actually sits on this North/Northwest facing bay and if you dine between 5pm and 7pm you catch a magnificent sunset right in the face. Plastic tables and chairs and a wood deck that is the beginnings of an old abandoned dock from the times when the boast would actually pull up to the wholesaler with their catch of the day (times have changed now and Duryea's has a number of vans to go purchase from the ships at their slips).

The menu is simple- clam chowder, steamed mussels with butter, salad, boiled lobster with baked potato and coleslaw, grilled fish with lemon. It sounds pretty boring written, but the freshness combined with the perfect setting for eating this seafood done in a no frills way makes these dishes to die for.

Duryea's is BYOB- and you know this speaks to me. Technically, you are not supposed to bring wine/beer as the SLA shut them down for not having some form of a BYOB permit(????) But, they turn a blind eye as you walk the 20 feet out to your car for some "adult apple juice" or "adult grape juice." In a fun way it makes you feel like you're 18 again.

And that's it. No waiters. Plastic forks/knives/paper napkins. Basically, it's all about the lobster, that setting, and a feeling that for an hour or so you're back deck overlooks this picturesque bay while you watch the sun drop in front of you while drinking adult apple juice.

Duryeas' is up off this semi-dirt road just North of Montauk town. I don't know the street name. It was discovered quite sometime ago so I assume google searches will be pretty fruitful. What hasn't been discovered is lunch at Duryea's which is still the deal of the century as far getting in and getting out quickly while eating fantastically. They take no reservations, so dinner can sometimes be a long wait if you hit them wrong.

Oh, prices...$34 I belive for the lobster and trimmings...$10 for some mussels to start with. Not super cheap...But, you factor in the beverage cost and it's a very good deal.

So, if in Montauk. Ask a local, "How do I get to Duryea's?" Get a chilled bottle of wine and an opener- they'll give you a cup. And make sure you're there to eat at 5pm for the sun.