Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
The first in a series of special events for the restaurant's supporters. The idea is to serve family style, with a bit less fuss and bother, and more room for Chef Humm to experiment.
At our table: Carl Klapper, Larry Goldhirsch, Joel Baumwoll, Suzanne Camhi & Kenny Shusterman, Chet (Kern?), Marty (?), and me.
Chef Humm starts us off with gougeres and big plates of salads and charcuterie. The salads are dressed very lightly (which is good). The meats are spectacular and mostly not too salty (also good). The selction includes prosciutto, duck breast, coppa, soppressata, jamon iberico, and, most notably, one tranche each of Mother Humm's pate en croute (which contains truffles and foie gras). We end the whites with an escargot vol au vent, tender snails swirling in spinach, parsley, butter and garlic inside more pastry.
Coche-Dury 2001 Meursault 1er "Les Caillerets" - ripe, a bit hot, very fine oak flavor, the wine is the very definition of 'unctuous', there is also something a wee bit animal in the nose, lots of style (perhaps less substance)
Leroy 2006 Aligote - solid acidity, tastes rather like a good GV
De Villaine 2006 Bouzeron - more earthy and minerally than the Leroy, which means I should like it more but
Bouchard 1996 Chevalier-Montrachet GC - very intense, makes the Coche look like a lanky kid with slicked-back hair who thinks he's all grown up, with air this becomes noticeably corked
Leflaive 2000 Puligny-Montrachet 1er "Clavoillon" - best wine so far: richest in texture and complexity, a little less ripe, Chet says "A touch diffuse"
Girardin 1996 Puligny-Montrachet 1er "Les Pucelles" - best acidity of all the white burgs, not so plump, not deeply-layered but still attractive, Chet says "Flowery"
With the reds, Chef Humm serves boeuf bourguignon with numerous vegetable sides: a gooey pommes dauphinoises, tiny marble-sized brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage, smashed parsnips. Later, he uses marc de bourgogne to flambe an epoisses for each table. (It would appear that he had not practiced this particular dish before because he seemed surprised when the round wooden boxes caught fire, too....)
Jadot 1990 Pommard 1er "Les Grands Epenots" - a touch of blackberry, a bit of 'old wine' smell, rustic and brambly, a little over the hill but I like 'em like that
Chandon de Briaille 2001 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er "Ile des Vergelesses" - delicate and feminine, a bit of red cherry and face powder, alas that it is whispering in a room full of shouting wines
Moet & Chandon 1969 Dom Perignon - a taste from another table: just a wee bit sherried but vivid acidity is still holding it together
Clair-Dau 1983 Bonne-Mares - a taste from another table: cherries and earth, absolutely hypnotic, the fragrance fills the glass and lingers over the entire place-setting, my WOTN
Gouges 2000 Nuits-St-Georges 1er "Les Saint-Georges" - youthful, tangy, it feels furry on my tongue, it would be so good if it weren't following the Clair-Dau
Dom. des Lambrays 1995 Clos des Lambrays GC - Marty has a picture on his iphone of Chet standing in front of the domaine (yay for technology), very ripe and rich, showing GC class
Ponsot 2001 Clos-St-Denis GC "Cuvee VV" - also showing GC class but a bit more high-toned, maybe some VA?
Dujac 1998 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Aux Combottes" - deeply-pitched, cherry pie and perfume
Ponsot 2000 Griottes-Chambertin GC - much fuller than the Dujac but also duller, I am beginning to see a pattern: for my tastes, the Ponsot wines both seem very tired (perhaps from heavy oaking when young?)
Perrot-Minot 2001 Mazoyeres-Chambertin GC - nice but not outstanding
Ramonet 1996 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Les Grandes Ruchottes" - whoops! found another white... too oxidized for me, Chet says that he is simply resigned to the fate of opening three bottles to get two good ones
Ch. d'Yquem 1994 Sauternes - apricot orange dirt, wow, so long in the finish
Discussion
I have unmitigated praise for all the food except the vol au vent. I did not find its bitterness well suited to the wines. Others at the table snickered at the boeuf because Chef clearly used very tender meat while the old recipes used a long wet cooking method precisely because the meat was not so good.
Re the wines, I think I've been clear which whites (Leflaive, Girardin) and which reds (Clair-Dau, Lambrays, Dujac) pleased me most. I was most amazed at the devotion to white burgundy shown by many at the event. It is not a category of wine that thrills me but, clearly, there are plenty folks who give it careful and minute attention. I think I've also learned that Ponsot is not for me.
All in all, a lovely event. (The next one is "Rustic Piedmont" but I have to miss it.)
At our table: Carl Klapper, Larry Goldhirsch, Joel Baumwoll, Suzanne Camhi & Kenny Shusterman, Chet (Kern?), Marty (?), and me.
Chef Humm starts us off with gougeres and big plates of salads and charcuterie. The salads are dressed very lightly (which is good). The meats are spectacular and mostly not too salty (also good). The selction includes prosciutto, duck breast, coppa, soppressata, jamon iberico, and, most notably, one tranche each of Mother Humm's pate en croute (which contains truffles and foie gras). We end the whites with an escargot vol au vent, tender snails swirling in spinach, parsley, butter and garlic inside more pastry.
Coche-Dury 2001 Meursault 1er "Les Caillerets" - ripe, a bit hot, very fine oak flavor, the wine is the very definition of 'unctuous', there is also something a wee bit animal in the nose, lots of style (perhaps less substance)
Leroy 2006 Aligote - solid acidity, tastes rather like a good GV
De Villaine 2006 Bouzeron - more earthy and minerally than the Leroy, which means I should like it more but
Bouchard 1996 Chevalier-Montrachet GC - very intense, makes the Coche look like a lanky kid with slicked-back hair who thinks he's all grown up, with air this becomes noticeably corked
Leflaive 2000 Puligny-Montrachet 1er "Clavoillon" - best wine so far: richest in texture and complexity, a little less ripe, Chet says "A touch diffuse"
Girardin 1996 Puligny-Montrachet 1er "Les Pucelles" - best acidity of all the white burgs, not so plump, not deeply-layered but still attractive, Chet says "Flowery"
With the reds, Chef Humm serves boeuf bourguignon with numerous vegetable sides: a gooey pommes dauphinoises, tiny marble-sized brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage, smashed parsnips. Later, he uses marc de bourgogne to flambe an epoisses for each table. (It would appear that he had not practiced this particular dish before because he seemed surprised when the round wooden boxes caught fire, too....)
Jadot 1990 Pommard 1er "Les Grands Epenots" - a touch of blackberry, a bit of 'old wine' smell, rustic and brambly, a little over the hill but I like 'em like that
Chandon de Briaille 2001 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er "Ile des Vergelesses" - delicate and feminine, a bit of red cherry and face powder, alas that it is whispering in a room full of shouting wines
Moet & Chandon 1969 Dom Perignon - a taste from another table: just a wee bit sherried but vivid acidity is still holding it together
Clair-Dau 1983 Bonne-Mares - a taste from another table: cherries and earth, absolutely hypnotic, the fragrance fills the glass and lingers over the entire place-setting, my WOTN
Gouges 2000 Nuits-St-Georges 1er "Les Saint-Georges" - youthful, tangy, it feels furry on my tongue, it would be so good if it weren't following the Clair-Dau
Dom. des Lambrays 1995 Clos des Lambrays GC - Marty has a picture on his iphone of Chet standing in front of the domaine (yay for technology), very ripe and rich, showing GC class
Ponsot 2001 Clos-St-Denis GC "Cuvee VV" - also showing GC class but a bit more high-toned, maybe some VA?
Dujac 1998 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Aux Combottes" - deeply-pitched, cherry pie and perfume
Ponsot 2000 Griottes-Chambertin GC - much fuller than the Dujac but also duller, I am beginning to see a pattern: for my tastes, the Ponsot wines both seem very tired (perhaps from heavy oaking when young?)
Perrot-Minot 2001 Mazoyeres-Chambertin GC - nice but not outstanding
Ramonet 1996 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Les Grandes Ruchottes" - whoops! found another white... too oxidized for me, Chet says that he is simply resigned to the fate of opening three bottles to get two good ones
Ch. d'Yquem 1994 Sauternes - apricot orange dirt, wow, so long in the finish
Discussion
I have unmitigated praise for all the food except the vol au vent. I did not find its bitterness well suited to the wines. Others at the table snickered at the boeuf because Chef clearly used very tender meat while the old recipes used a long wet cooking method precisely because the meat was not so good.
Re the wines, I think I've been clear which whites (Leflaive, Girardin) and which reds (Clair-Dau, Lambrays, Dujac) pleased me most. I was most amazed at the devotion to white burgundy shown by many at the event. It is not a category of wine that thrills me but, clearly, there are plenty folks who give it careful and minute attention. I think I've also learned that Ponsot is not for me.
All in all, a lovely event. (The next one is "Rustic Piedmont" but I have to miss it.)