minetta???

scottreiner

scottreiner

scott reiner
ok, the room looks good. service is great. lots of important people, at least people who act like they should be important... but, the food ain't that good. the cote de boeuf is above average at times, just average most of the time. yes, it was cooked as we asked. but, there is much better steak to be had in nyc. french fries tasted like macdonalds, only slightly more firm.

the average motif continued with our first wine, 07 alain graillot crozes. while technically correct -- good acidity, fruit, some earth -- there was no spark. merely good, nothing more.

we rectified this situation with an off the list 95 clape cornas. right now this wine for me is all about the tannins being exactly where you want them to be. barnyard, muted fruit playing backup. but wonderful tannin that just became one with the steak and bone marrow.

fyi - just about everything you want to drink is not on the published list... and there are some nice options.
 
originally posted by scottreiner:
minetta???ok, the room looks good. service is great. lots of important people, at least people who act like they should be important... but, the food ain't that good. the cote de boeuf is above average at times, just average most of the time. yes, it was cooked as we asked. but, there is much better steak to be had in nyc. french fries tasted like macdonalds, only slightly more firm.
Click to expand...

Interesting. My wife and I have been there less than a month ago, and given the glowing reviews for their steak (best in NYC?!) I was expecting an otherworldly experience. Alas, it was not to be. The burger was great, but the NY strip was all charred and the bitterness took away from the meat flavors. I though there is something wrong with me and I don't know what a good steak is supposed to taste like (might still be the case) but it seems that I might not be the only one.

The wine list looked decent, so if you are willing to spend $130 there were some good options. In the end 1664 Kronenbourg was good enough.

Do they really have wines not listed on their menu?
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Does this mean I've had my nose pressed to the glass of the window in the wrong restaurant?
Click to expand...

go to the strip house, order the bone-in ribeye, duck fat potatoes, creamed corn w pancetta, creamed spinach w black truffles, bring your own wine and suck up the corkage.

or, go to diner, order whatever large steak they have that night with the french fries, drink beaujolais.
 
I can't speak for Minetta (thankfully), but when I've encountered it elsewhere, you may select from the reasons below:

1) They haven't rewritten the list yet.

2) There's not enough of certain wines to justify rewriting the list.

3) They like some wines to be available for the regulars who are in the know.

4) They aren't entirely convinced they want to sell the wines.

5) They want to judge whether or not your level of interest justifies the offer of off-list wines (the corollary: they don't want to sell through the wines servicing people who are choosing via the dartboard method).

Reason 5 is my favorite.
 
There is a 3-star I'm forgetting the name of that has an adjunct to their regular winelist which features especially old and rare bottlings. It is prefaced with the remark that "these wines are not for sale, they are listed simply to show the depth and continuity of our cellar."
 
originally posted by Thor:
I can't speak for Minetta (thankfully), but when I've encountered it elsewhere, you may select from the reasons below:

1) They haven't rewritten the list yet.

2) There's not enough of certain wines to justify rewriting the list.

3) They like some wines to be available for the regulars who are in the know.

4) They aren't entirely convinced they want to sell the wines.

5) They want to judge whether or not your level of interest justifies the offer of off-list wines (the corollary: they don't want to sell through the wines servicing people who are choosing via the dartboard method).

Reason 5 is my favorite.
Click to expand...
Interesting theories, but let's not forget who owns this place, and who the clientele turns out to be.

IME, they are not geeks as their primary attribute.
 
Chris Goodheart runs the tables for Keith McNally's places wine -wise, and that dude is pretty real. It wouldn't shock me if he had some serious geek wines around. He likes the Jura, for instance, as Mr. Asimov has noted. And I could see workloads being busy over at a hot venue like Minetta, where what has come in might not be on the list at a given moment. It takes time to put wine on.

There are plenty of reasons why something in house might not be on a list. Thor got at a few of them.

Right now I have some Fiorano '94 Rosso in the cellar at the workplace. It's not on the list, though. That's because if I put a wine like that on the list for the price that it would end up being, and I wrote "Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot" next to it, the few bottles I have would instantly be snapped up - and possibly returned as faulty - by Cab-hunters who are not familiar with Fiorano. It is part of the responsibility of a sommelier to make sure that the bottles you are selling are reaching the right home. Everyone is happier (the accountant, the boss, the staff, the customer, and the winery) when that is what happens. Thus you will not find that Fiorano Rosso on the list.
 
also, i believe that the 'secret' wine list may be part of a more subtle marketing. lots of 'powerful' people are going to the minetta now, people for whom just getting in is nothing special. if you then let them know that there is a list from which they can order that is not universally available, well then they are special again...
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Chris Goodheart runs the tables for Keith McNally's places wine -wise, and that dude is pretty real. It wouldn't shock me if he had some serious geek wines around. He likes the Jura, for instance, as Mr. Asimov has noted. And I could see workloads being busy over at a hot venue like Minetta, where what has come in might not be on the list at a given moment. It takes time to put wine on.

There are plenty of reasons why something in house might not be on a list. Thor got at a few of them.

Right now I have some Fiorano '94 Rosso in the cellar at the workplace. It's not on the list, though. That's because if I put a wine like that on the list for the price that it would end up being, and I wrote "Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot" next to it, the few bottles I have would instantly be snapped up - and possibly returned as faulty - by Cab-hunters who are not familiar with Fiorano. It is part of the responsibility of a sommelier to make sure that the bottles you are selling are reaching the right home. Everyone is happier (the accountant, the boss, the staff, the customer, and the winery) when that is what happens. Thus you will not find that Fiorano Rosso on the list.
Click to expand...

Have you tried the Fiorano? I have had other vintages that were stunning but have not tried the 94.
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:

Have you tried the Fiorano? I have had other vintages that were stunning but have not tried the 94.
Click to expand...

Clos Rougeard 1996 Poyeux would come to mind as something similar, taste-wise. Less Chambolle-like than the '92 Fiorano Rosso I had back in January. Also a more "troubled". Lots of sommersaults and aromatic acrobatics. I think the '94 is for drinking, rather than holding. Older Soldera would also come to mind, but in a lighter weight key.
 
Levi has a point about Chris Goodheart--he buys some good wine, though it's unevenly distributed around the empire.

And that is an interesting perspective about what you might not put on the list.

But I think Scott may also be on to something.
 
Actually, McDonalds Fries are, historically, top-notch and what initially made McDonalds what it is. They were distinctive for special reasons, and served to distinguish McD's from other burger joints, setting up their whole branding campaign. Interesting business story.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Levi has a point about Chris Goodheart--he buys some good wine, though it's unevenly distributed around the empire.

And that is an interesting perspective about what you might not put on the list.

But I think Scott may also be on to something.
Click to expand...

yes, the cache of the private stash would seem to be favorable for a lot of perky reasons, at least.

i'd add that, if I were in Levi's position, aside from finding wines their appropriate "homes"/palates, I might want to road test new wines before listing them.......and in any case, a lag time would be to the benefit of most people. knowing this arms the geek client with an extra ace in the hole...perhaps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top