Random Wines w/dinner (menu)

P

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
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. . . . . . . Pete
 
Well, they certainly didn’t spare any expense.

You know, I have dreamed about one day doing something akin to this. Simpler food and certainly simpler/less expensive wines. But 6-7 courses over an entire evening, each with it own wine or wines. Maybe 8 people so it’s not out of hand and so everyone gets a decent pour.
While I’m sure I could get 7 other people to show, I’d have a hard time getting 7 that would fully appreciate the experience.
And if I could get 7 that would fully enjoy the experience, I know they’d bring wine, etc. - which is when it all becomes an entirely different event.
Ah well . . .

I hope you enjoy it, Pete.
Best, Jim
 
Jim, well said. The Seventh of April Club has always been special to each and every member, especially me perhaps, since I managed it for 10+ years. It was formed in 1963 with 12 members being the desired size so that visiting around the table was easy and enjoyable. We are careful to have a diverse membership of guys who, as you say, fully appreciate fine wines and cuisine. We maintain a website and a nice-sized wine inventory.

As time went on, we came to realize the venues wanted a few more people than 12 so they could afford to be as accommodating as they wanted to be at a reasonable price. Over time, we gradually increased our number to be capped now at 20 members. This pleases the venues, fits in the private rooms (which we insist on), and is manageable wine-wise.

12 members is still the ideal; however, 20 is what it needs to be these days. Guests are allowed so occasionally we have over 20 people present.

. . . . . . Pete
 
Pete, I have a question about the wine/food pairing here. Were all of the wines available with all of the courses, or were they brought out sequentially? I ask because I'm having a hard time seeing what wine would be paired with the truffle risotto. Was the Ravenau or the Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet at all a good match for it?

Mark Lipton
 
Mark, the wine paired with the course appears on the menu directly to the left of the dish. The two selections at the end went with the spruce cremeux.

Believe me, the Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte Grand Cru En Jeroboam '08 was so fine it would have gone with anything. I actually made this comment to the group at the time. Someone jokingly followed up and said it would be good with a hamburger. It worked very well with the risotto course...



. . . . . . . Pete
 
The one time I had Gaja Sperss (maybe the 1988 or 89, I forget) it was so thick and dark and roasted and chocolate and thick and gooey that it did not really resemble wine or Barolo (which I believe it used to be) of any sort. But that was maybe 15 years ago and I am curious to know what it's like now, though not curious enough to risk any money trying it again.
 
originally posted by Cole Kendall: I am curious to know what it's like now, though not curious enough to risk any money trying it again.
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Cole, your position has merit. The Gaja family and their wines have a lot about them to admire.

My recollection -- this Sperss '89 sampling was impenetrable. Dark red, no edge fade, penetrating bouquet with lots of forward flavors, resilient on palate, muscle, some charm, a joy to try from an excellent vintage but not what I expected. I mentioned that I wish there were some way I could try this wine in 50 years and folks nodded their heads and suggested reincarnation (mine, not the wine's).

I had the Sperss 2007 out of 750 not long ago and don't remember it being so ungiving; in fact, I bought some. I asked last night what I might expect of my 2007 given what this '89 out of jeroboam was signaling and received encouragement.

. . . . . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Nathan Odem:
What will the Seventh of April Club be doing, say, tomorrow?
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That would be the 9th of April Club. They'll be at the 7-11. Menu follows.

Bud Lite with...Taquitos

Dark Horse Pinot Grigiot (sic) from Can with...Hot Honey Boneless Wings

Hard Slurpee with...Something that's been on the roller all day, we're not sure what

Orange Mocha Latte (yes, it's real) with...Tums
 
if the wines were actually random you'd think there'd be something like a gallo hearty burgundy or friend tucked in there somewhere.

ascribing the term random to this, as a sample set of wines in general, means that you don't know the definition of random.

as in, i have a random collection of cars--you know, an aston martin db7, a bugatti royale, a gull wing mercedes 300, a ferrari berlinetto lusso, and a stutz bearcat. no pintos, no impalas, no mustangs, no chevys, no volkswagens. just random stuff i stumbled across.

hint: make the dictionary your friend, or at least acquaintance.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Ch9 and octopus? This seems... inauspicious. Was it?
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Grilled octopus is pretty meaty and intense, depending on any marinade or sauce I could see this working well, although not my first choice. I'm more curious about the Calabrian Tonnato - how is that prepared?

Tangentially related P.S. - even though it's delicious, I can't bring myself to order octopus anymore, after all these documentaries on how clever, perceptive and characterful octopi are. Anyone else feel the same way?
 
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
Tangentially related P.S. - even though it's delicious, I can't bring myself to order octopus anymore, after all these documentaries on how clever, perceptive and characterful octopi are. Anyone else feel the same way?
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I've had a couple of divine octopus dishes in recent weeks, and was thinking I should eat more. So now you give me this buzzkill!

More seriously, I didn't know that 'clever, perceptive and characterful' were criteria for whether someone/something deserved to live. Those would be some interesting standards to try and uphold in court!

Personally, I eat mostly vegetarian, with fish/seafood about 2 or 3 times per week maximum. But I think it's clear that humans have been designed to be omnivores, and 'reasonable' omnivore diets would be sustainable for the planet.

Not that we're likely to be 'reasonable' anytime soon!
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Ch9 and octopus? This seems... inauspicious. Was it?
Click to expand...
Sounds wrong. But since I have no clue what Calabrian Tonnato is; I hope it is not the classic sauce for vitello with hot chiles added. Then the pairing would be truly awful, well, unless you enjoy the blowtorch effect when the heat in food gets together with higher alcohol wines.
 
After just having the Raveneau Chablis Vaillons and the Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte, and then getting a second pour of the Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte, there was little incentive to focus on how the Janasse VV CNdP worked with the octopus. It was neither a problem nor an inspired pairing.

I set aside and saved the Janasse for a bit later and enjoyed the Bouchard with the octopus...



. . . . . . . Pete
 
If you won't eat whales or dolphins because of their intelligence, you need to consider your position on octopus. I have eaten octopus and probably will again, but my guilt is catching up with me. It took some years before I gave up foie gras.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Well, they certainly didn’t spare any expense.

You know, I have dreamed about one day doing something akin to this. Simpler food and certainly simpler/less expensive wines. But 6-7 courses over an entire evening, each with it own wine or wines. Maybe 8 people so it’s not out of hand and so everyone gets a decent pour.
While I’m sure I could get 7 other people to show, I’d have a hard time getting 7 that would fully appreciate the experience.
And if I could get 7 that would fully enjoy the experience, I know they’d bring wine, etc. - which is when it all becomes an entirely different event.
Ah well . . .

I hope you enjoy it, Pete.
Best, Jim
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Jim,

This is my favorite way to have a long meal with friends, but has perhaps come about only a few dozen times. And not coincidentally a large number of them have been at the fondly remembered Bibou. The last such dinner concluded with Pierre's astonishingly subtle soufflé au violette paired with an '02 Cuvée Constance. Thanks for evoking the memory.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
Tangentially related P.S. - even though it's delicious, I can't bring myself to order octopus anymore, after all these documentaries on how clever, perceptive and characterful octopi are. Anyone else feel the same way?
Click to expand...

I've had a couple of divine octopus dishes in recent weeks, and was thinking I should eat more. So now you give me this buzzkill!

More seriously, I didn't know that 'clever, perceptive and characterful' were criteria for whether someone/something deserved to live. Those would be some interesting standards to try and uphold in court!

Personally, I eat mostly vegetarian, with fish/seafood about 2 or 3 times per week maximum. But I think it's clear that humans have been designed to be omnivores, and 'reasonable' omnivore diets would be sustainable for the planet.

Not that we're likely to be 'reasonable' anytime soon!
Click to expand...
I claim no philosophical insight or consistency on this. Just a gut reaction from my feeling that they are smart and cute, and recent impressive exposure to examples. I suppose I could reconcile occasionally eating octopi with my occasional noshing on other meats/poultry that are humanely raised, if I was convinced that commercialized octopi were raised/caught and dispatched humanely. Which I strongly doubt. Their difference from fish stems from my perception that octopi are more aware and sensitive to their environment. I've probably just opened and poured a can of worms down a rabbit hole, given the philosophical expertise and intelligence on this board.
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Ch9 and octopus? This seems... inauspicious. Was it?
Click to expand...
Sounds wrong. But since I have no clue what Calabrian Tonnato is; I hope it is not the classic sauce for vitello with hot chiles added. Then the pairing would be truly awful, well, unless you enjoy the blowtorch effect when the heat in food gets together with higher alcohol wines.
Click to expand...

I'm often flexible or agnostic on food pairings, but I'm totally aligned with you on this. The combination of capsicum heat and high (or even sometimes medium) alcohol wines not only ruins the wine for me, but often the dish. However, there is at least circumstantial evidence that it doesn't innately bother, or even enhances pleasure, for some people. Go figure.

I've always wondered why this doesn't apply to the mustard/horseradish/wasabi family, at least for me. I don't mind and often enjoy wine with strong versions of those.
 
originally posted by robert ames:
if the wines were actually random you'd think there'd be something like a gallo hearty burgundy or friend tucked in there somewhere.

ascribing the term random to this, as a sample set of wines in general, means that you don't know the definition of random.

as in, i have a random collection of cars--you know, an aston martin db7, a bugatti royale, a gull wing mercedes 300, a ferrari berlinetto lusso, and a stutz bearcat. no pintos, no impalas, no mustangs, no chevys, no volkswagens. just random stuff i stumbled across.

hint: make the dictionary your friend, or at least acquaintance.
Click to expand...
Getting a bit nitpicky there, aren't we. I imagine Peter was probably using the term in the sense of Merriam-Webster's definition 1(a), "lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern," as opposed to definition 2(b) which you have in mind, "being or relating to a set or to an element of a set each of whose elements has equal probability of occurrence." His usage was correct and likely not uncommon even on this very board, and the grammar police ought to understand by now that being friends with the dictionary does not license them to make false arrests.
 
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