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Recently, a brutal assassination attempt upon a King has taken place - Forget Louis XV and Damiens, Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Vlado, Elvis Presley and maple bacon - This attempt was made against the holiest of holy BYO Kings of Boston: The King Fung.
King Fung began as a humble noodle joint on Kneeland Street in Bostons Chinatown. Its BYO discovery has been debated, though I believe David Seidner is the most commonly believed founder in 1999. King Fung was my second ever jeebus nearly a decade ago, and the proof that I was once a wide-eyed skinny youth is captured on the photo wall inside the restaurant.
An Internet search on this restaurant result in dozens of posts starting from the old WLDG and continues through Therapy, eBob, WCW, Spectator, multiple WLDG reincarnations, and Wine Disorder (to name a few).
Recently, the King Fung Garden expanded to King Fung Garden II in nearby Brookline MA. The new joint was far roomier, appealing to wine geeks who had outgrown the old restaurant in the same way as last years jeans.
With this brief history explained, jump forward to a jeebus that was planned at King Fung II last Thursday. Just a few short days before this jeebus, a police cruiser plowed through the front window, wiping out a large part of the restaurant. This accident was the result of a low-speed car chase between the Apple Dumpling Gang and Officer Quincy Magoo.
Hidden rooftop security cameras installed for *cough* the publics safety captured the following video:
Security Film
In addition to the above, is this never-before-seen footage from the cruiser camera that I have uncovered:
Cruiser Cam
It was nothing short of a Baby Jessica Down-the-Well miracle that Doris of King Fung was able to board up the front of the restaurant, clean the Chow Foon from the streets, and still get things in order for our jeebus.
Trung + 2 Swiss Guests (who will never travel again after dining with us), Mike Lawton, Dan McQ, PMAC, Albert Bass and I were in attendance for this victory from the jaws of defeat dinner at King Fung II.
Two distinctly different Champagne kicked off the night, starting with 1996 Billiot Brut. This was the first time that I had tasted a vintage Billiot. Bigger than the many NV bottles, this is a rich, classically styled Champage that struck me as being in the same mold as Bollinger. Lots of weight and impact, but without too much yeast.
Following the Billiot was a NV Moncuit. These two were the Janus of Champage - both excellent Champagne - but the Moncuit was mineral and floral while the Billiot was juicy and powerful. Educational, but not the best transition; each deserved a break from the other.
2002 Huet Le Mont Demi-Sec: This was soul food in a bottle. It showed well in every aspect and was sooo easy to drink. I imagine cases upon cases would not be enough.
2005 Karthauserhof Eitelsbacher Sptlese: Upon pouring this bottle I announced to the jeebus participants that I learned about the elder Karthauserhof wine scandal. The German wine nerds at the table responded, Oh, youve got to that part, have you?
.
.
.
German wine geeks are the worst kind of wine geeks.
1999 Nigl Riesling Privat: Praise Allah Riesling as it should be! Oh, wait, its cooked. Fudge.
2002 Weinbach Cuve St. Catherine: Was distinctly un-St. Catherine as I have come to know her. This was restrained and showing more fruit tannin than I remember.
2006 Weinbach Cuvee Theo: A touch of tropic fruit, plus a gripping note of spearmint was a nice counterpoint to the tart finish.
2002 Trimbach CFE: Damn, this is powerfully coiled wine. The best still white wine of the night in potential alone, but too austere for drinking now.
1996 Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny: The ultimate blue ball of the night! Corked.
2005 Truchot Borgogne: This is Borgogne? Really? Borgogne? What is all that mediocre shit that I regret buying from high-profile producers? I have never encountered more integrity in a young Burgundy - such balance on the palate and expansiveness on the nose. Near perfect immediate drinking wine. Yes, when I say immediate I do think that the best window is now, but what a fantastic swan song. If only I had some of Truchots premier wines in my cellar, I would be a lucky man.
2006 Donatiello Maddies Vineyard Pinot Noir: I would rather contract swine flu in the middle of Mexico than taste this wine again.
1999 Allemand Cornas Chaillot: This is no garlicky, tangy chili sauce you squirt with abandon on most food. Allemand has authenticity and singular uniqueness. Allemand is not a stranger at our get-togethers, this particular bottle was excellent, though not quite as big as I expected for the vintage.
1996 Altare Barolo Normale: Feminine and welcoming, this semi-sweet (reasonable) representation of modern Barolo was hard not to like. To my taste, the major sin of modernistas is the abuse of grapes, but in this case Altare teased, not tortured, grapes.
1996 Sottimano Cotta Vigna Brichet Barbaresco: This was a bit more untamed and rugged than the Altare. The nose was not as expansive, and there was tugging and pulling on the palate. Good, not great.
1993 Staglin Family Cabernet Savignon (I have no idea if there was a vineyard that I needed to scribe): Despite the hoots and hollers of my dinnermates, there was nothing wrong in class of this wine. As with the early days of my wine drinking, I dislike Cab, but I can identify quality. The price sticker on this bottle was less than $30: I can understand that. If Staglin will fly me over their vineyards in a helicopter, Ill praise it even more.
1997 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese: Holy crap! A delicious Prum! J.J. Prum for me is that bastard popular kid that you cant help but like. I think that if Prum made a gawd awful wine once in a while, I would appreciate them more, but the track record is: tasty wines regardless of vintage or designation. ~Get stuffed, Prum.
2006 Fitz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese GKA #9: The crazy thing was, I ordered a number 9 off the King Fung menu and it was a better wine than the Haag.
As we collectively saluted Doris and her determination to reopen King Fung II despite a plywood storefront, I covertly slid the rest of Mikes bottle of Truchot into my cooler and thought to myself: Its hard to keep a good Peking Duck down.
King Fung began as a humble noodle joint on Kneeland Street in Bostons Chinatown. Its BYO discovery has been debated, though I believe David Seidner is the most commonly believed founder in 1999. King Fung was my second ever jeebus nearly a decade ago, and the proof that I was once a wide-eyed skinny youth is captured on the photo wall inside the restaurant.
An Internet search on this restaurant result in dozens of posts starting from the old WLDG and continues through Therapy, eBob, WCW, Spectator, multiple WLDG reincarnations, and Wine Disorder (to name a few).
Recently, the King Fung Garden expanded to King Fung Garden II in nearby Brookline MA. The new joint was far roomier, appealing to wine geeks who had outgrown the old restaurant in the same way as last years jeans.
With this brief history explained, jump forward to a jeebus that was planned at King Fung II last Thursday. Just a few short days before this jeebus, a police cruiser plowed through the front window, wiping out a large part of the restaurant. This accident was the result of a low-speed car chase between the Apple Dumpling Gang and Officer Quincy Magoo.
Hidden rooftop security cameras installed for *cough* the publics safety captured the following video:
Security Film
In addition to the above, is this never-before-seen footage from the cruiser camera that I have uncovered:
Cruiser Cam
It was nothing short of a Baby Jessica Down-the-Well miracle that Doris of King Fung was able to board up the front of the restaurant, clean the Chow Foon from the streets, and still get things in order for our jeebus.
Trung + 2 Swiss Guests (who will never travel again after dining with us), Mike Lawton, Dan McQ, PMAC, Albert Bass and I were in attendance for this victory from the jaws of defeat dinner at King Fung II.
Two distinctly different Champagne kicked off the night, starting with 1996 Billiot Brut. This was the first time that I had tasted a vintage Billiot. Bigger than the many NV bottles, this is a rich, classically styled Champage that struck me as being in the same mold as Bollinger. Lots of weight and impact, but without too much yeast.
Following the Billiot was a NV Moncuit. These two were the Janus of Champage - both excellent Champagne - but the Moncuit was mineral and floral while the Billiot was juicy and powerful. Educational, but not the best transition; each deserved a break from the other.
2002 Huet Le Mont Demi-Sec: This was soul food in a bottle. It showed well in every aspect and was sooo easy to drink. I imagine cases upon cases would not be enough.
2005 Karthauserhof Eitelsbacher Sptlese: Upon pouring this bottle I announced to the jeebus participants that I learned about the elder Karthauserhof wine scandal. The German wine nerds at the table responded, Oh, youve got to that part, have you?
.
.
.
German wine geeks are the worst kind of wine geeks.
1999 Nigl Riesling Privat: Praise Allah Riesling as it should be! Oh, wait, its cooked. Fudge.
2002 Weinbach Cuve St. Catherine: Was distinctly un-St. Catherine as I have come to know her. This was restrained and showing more fruit tannin than I remember.
2006 Weinbach Cuvee Theo: A touch of tropic fruit, plus a gripping note of spearmint was a nice counterpoint to the tart finish.
2002 Trimbach CFE: Damn, this is powerfully coiled wine. The best still white wine of the night in potential alone, but too austere for drinking now.
1996 Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny: The ultimate blue ball of the night! Corked.
2005 Truchot Borgogne: This is Borgogne? Really? Borgogne? What is all that mediocre shit that I regret buying from high-profile producers? I have never encountered more integrity in a young Burgundy - such balance on the palate and expansiveness on the nose. Near perfect immediate drinking wine. Yes, when I say immediate I do think that the best window is now, but what a fantastic swan song. If only I had some of Truchots premier wines in my cellar, I would be a lucky man.
2006 Donatiello Maddies Vineyard Pinot Noir: I would rather contract swine flu in the middle of Mexico than taste this wine again.
1999 Allemand Cornas Chaillot: This is no garlicky, tangy chili sauce you squirt with abandon on most food. Allemand has authenticity and singular uniqueness. Allemand is not a stranger at our get-togethers, this particular bottle was excellent, though not quite as big as I expected for the vintage.
1996 Altare Barolo Normale: Feminine and welcoming, this semi-sweet (reasonable) representation of modern Barolo was hard not to like. To my taste, the major sin of modernistas is the abuse of grapes, but in this case Altare teased, not tortured, grapes.
1996 Sottimano Cotta Vigna Brichet Barbaresco: This was a bit more untamed and rugged than the Altare. The nose was not as expansive, and there was tugging and pulling on the palate. Good, not great.
1993 Staglin Family Cabernet Savignon (I have no idea if there was a vineyard that I needed to scribe): Despite the hoots and hollers of my dinnermates, there was nothing wrong in class of this wine. As with the early days of my wine drinking, I dislike Cab, but I can identify quality. The price sticker on this bottle was less than $30: I can understand that. If Staglin will fly me over their vineyards in a helicopter, Ill praise it even more.
1997 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese: Holy crap! A delicious Prum! J.J. Prum for me is that bastard popular kid that you cant help but like. I think that if Prum made a gawd awful wine once in a while, I would appreciate them more, but the track record is: tasty wines regardless of vintage or designation. ~Get stuffed, Prum.
2006 Fitz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese GKA #9: The crazy thing was, I ordered a number 9 off the King Fung menu and it was a better wine than the Haag.
As we collectively saluted Doris and her determination to reopen King Fung II despite a plywood storefront, I covertly slid the rest of Mikes bottle of Truchot into my cooler and thought to myself: Its hard to keep a good Peking Duck down.