Domaine Rostaing - Update

I have said before that Cincinnati is a bit of a village. I love it as it is home with friends and family and has one major league team (sorry Bengal fans), but it is a smaller Midwestern town.

Having said that, there are some benefits to living here. It's all about connections. We now have Cote - Rotie in the cellar. And it wasn't 184 euros ($250). And if I wanted I could have taken down more than 6 bottles.

Speaking of value, and it may seem that $250 is over the top, but you can't compare this to an everyday $40 Napa Cab. This is on the same level as First Growth, allocated Napa cult wines, the best of the best. The value in wine today is Northern Rhone. Top-line Bordeaux and Burgundies have been priced to absurd levels due to Far Eastern demand. It will only get worse. And in my opinion the Northern Rhone (and of course the Southern Rhone) are the best food wines. The tourists drink Bordeaux and uber-expensive Burgundies (although if you want to lay a DRC on me, I'm not going to object); the locals drink Rhone, and then order another bottle.

OK, enough talk, I've got to find my corkscrew.

Le Villaret - Paris in the 11th

Thought I would start off the restaurant reviews with Le Villaret. These are not intended to be critical pieces but more impressions. Generally if I write it up I like it overall. Your experience could be vastly different as usually the company that I keep and my general lack of shyness makes it hard to have a bad meal. With some of my friends I have never had a bad meal. I have been to places where I wouldn't return but I tend to bring out the best of the situation. Life is short so enjoy it.

Le Villaret has no web-site, is hard to find but I cannot remember a better meal. Food and service were excellent and the wine list was monumental with 6 pages of Burgundy, 1 page just for DRC, 4 pages Cotes du Rhone and then a few more pages for things like Champagne and Alsace, and 1 page for Vins Estrangers which was mostly Sassicaia. Those are the Red wines. There are 10 more pages for the Whites. You get the point.

A good rule of thumb in exploring a new restaurant is to go where the locals go. I was the only American there in this 50 seater which was packed at 2pm for lunch. Tip number two is to focus on lunch as the main meal. There is value in lunch, it is easier to get a reservation and Hell you're on vacation. Go home, take a nap and then have a small dinner which if you have an apartment in Paris you can do quite easily.

Will I go back there. Absolutely. Between Christmas and New Years. Le Villaret goes on the short list of restaurants I will visit every time I visit Paris. Next up, L' Avant Comptoir, another repeat visit. I only went there 5 times in 2 weeks.

Thank God It Was Blacked Out

I am so glad I didn't get to watch the game given how it ended. I can't afford to buy a new TV and no doubt something would have been hurled at the offending instrument.

And now I get to read in the New York Times how incompetent we are, but of course I don't need to read the Times to figure that out.

Nice coverage (no, not the photo):

[Who would fall for it?

The Bengals.

Brees did a solid acting job, moving around the backfield like he was orchestrating a play, then going under center to start his cadence as if he were going to take a snap. Lineman Pat Sims fell for it, jumping offside.

Stunning.

"In my 10 years (in the NFL), this is the first time that play has ever worked," fullback Heath Evans said. "It doesn't work too often."]

So the only reason to ever go back into the Stadium would be the off chance to see if this fan returns as I always have my camera with me.

Paris is Calling

Paris is a new place for me to hang my hat but for a few thousand years people have called it home. It is an amazing city and draws more than 40 million visitors every year. I don't need to sell the place but if you haven't been recently stop in. The water is fine. French is not necessary. Manners are. When you walk into a shop you greet the people there with a Bonjour or Bonsoir after 5pm. (I have seen a street vendor chide a local for asking a question before saying hello. She grovelled and profusely apologized. Think you would see that on Times Square? She was wrong and knew it. Called out. By a street vendor.) Imagine, a city of more than 2 million people (12 million including the 'burbs) where manners matter. It's part of the appeal. And the Parisians are not rude to strangers, no worse than New Yorkers. They just don't interact on the street. In the neighborhoods, in the apartment lobbies and in stores, you must say hello and greet each other.

The Metro system is a dream. $2 gets you all over town in 20 minutes in a clean, well-run system. And no charge for the street musicians but tipping is encouraged. I have been known to drop 4 euros on some of the better acts. The guy with the accordion and boom box blaring in my face gets nothing as I don't want to encourage him. How do you say in French, "Don't give up your day job!"?

There are also thousands of Bistros that offer great food and wine. But when you get seated you might wait for 10 minutes before being offered a drink. Remember your manners. Finger snapping is very counter-productive. Chill and talk with the people you are with. Dining is not all about food here but about sharing time together over a relaxed meal which always includes wine. There are high-end, 3 star venues but my preference is the everyday Bistro with a wine list that is only long enough to fill up a chalk board. End it with a glass of Calvados and a cafe noisette and then head out back to the Metro station wrapped in the warmth of good food and lively companionship.

There are hot restaurants and spots to go but it changes weekly so check with a local. Get away from the tourist spots and hang out in the neighborhoods. But do make it to the museums. They are wonderful as are the grand churches. Even the cemeteries are amazing. Try to find Jim Morrison's grave without a map (Hint: Follow the crowds.) Get ready to walk a few miles though every day so bring comfortable walking shoes, a bag and an umbrella. You will get lost a few times but enjoy the detours. And always bring a camera. For God's sake bring a camera.

There is more but it takes time to cover it all. It's a big city. It's been there two thousand years. I think it will take a lifetime to even begin to scratch the surface. But the lessons you learn there will enrich your life. To be continued....

2004 Wildhurst Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake County

Soft blueberry dark fruit aromas with longish finish. Tannins are settled but offer solid structure. Drink now. Very good. Nice find out of the dregs of the old shop inventory. This one goes into the cellar and not the Boy's stash.

2007 Domaine Rostaing Cote Rotie, Cote Blonde

I have two tips for knowing whether a wine is great. First, the aroma hits your nose about one foot out before you bring the glass to your nose. Second, the last glass in the bottle is the best.

The 2007 does both. Had this at Le Villaret in the 11th in Paris for lunch. Stunning with notes of violet, lavender, dried mushroom and a very long finish. Not cheap at 184 euros. The server smiled as we ordered and said it is one of her favorites and they only got 6 bottles on allocation.

If you are not heading to Paris in the near future, head down to La Poste, we have two bottles of Rostaing Cote Rotie and I am not allowed to order as they are saved for the guests. The price is less than 184 euros or dollars.

It's About Time

Now that this is going to get straightened out and justice is served, they can turn their attention to finding Jimmy Hoffa.

Best damn steak knives

I love the steak knives at La Poste and have ordered some for the house (Bryant has the inventory system dialed in pretty tight so if 12 "went missing", he would know), but overall Laguiole is the best. You see imitations all over town but get the real ones. Bone handle go for about $60. I like the folding ones as you can take them to your favorite restaurant in case they're still using the chop house kind.

New name -- same game

I have decided to crank the blog up again to cover my travels in wine country and a few international food hotspots. With an occasional irreverent opinion from left field and a digital camera, we got it covered.

I'm on Facebook too but it doesn't offer enough features and sometimes I like to ramble for more than 420 words and one picture can't tell the whole story.

So stay tuned for more frequent posts and I have a lot of catching up to do. Got to take advantage of my Silver Elite status at Delta.

Time to gas up the car!

In the 19th century, there were three oyster capitals in the world: Paris, London and New York. Although fabulous oysters are still served in London and New York, these two grand cities have since lost their prestigious titles as oyster capitals of the world. Paris has not. To this day, this city offers countless opportunities to enjoy oysters, be it in restaurants or from a side walk vendors. Some kind of dry white wine or Champagne is generally suggested as an accompaniment. The classics in Paris are oysters from legendary French oyster cultivation areas such as Cancale, Marennes-Oléron, and Arcachon. The coast of France also offers fantastic oyster experiences.

It's a small world

People all the time in Cincinnati will say it's a "small world" when they bump into someone in town, but people we live in a village. I love the place but it's a small town.

It's a small world when you pop into an oil shop (not Jiffy Lube) on Rue Commerce in the 15th in Paris and bump into another Midwesterner (it's the accent or lack thereof) who is Christmas shopping.

"Where you from?"
"Kentucky"
"That's NOT a Kentucky accent."
"Well Cincinnati actually just south of the river"
"I'm from Cincinnati too! I'm heading home tomorrow."
"On the 10:30am direct flight?"
"Yea!"
"See you tomorrow, I'll be your flight attendant."

That's a small world.

So we shopped for oil and then I helped her pick out some wines next door. She tried to get me upgraded to First Class, but it filled up last minute, and all the attendants knew the story. But the wine from First Class flowed for the entire flight and stemware smokes plastic any day. And thanks for the real headphones and dopp kit. See you at La Poste. First glass is on me.