TN: Hurry Jeeb at Cafe Loup (Sep 3, 2012)

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Jay, Arnold, Jeff

Going to Cafe Loup is comforting. Little has changed in the 10+ years we've known it - perhaps a table or two have moved but the menu is the same, the table-tents are the same ("Tu n'est pas beau mais t'es passable"), the quiet ambience, the laissez-faire management.

Corkage ($12/btl) is a little higher than The Old Days but what hasn't gone up?

We order Salade Lyonnaise, oysters, vichyssoise, duck, soft-shell crab, creme renverse, cookies. Yes, those are the same cookies from 10 years ago.

The Old Grape Gods made a fine outing of it, too.

Selbach-Oster 2011 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - good (though not outstanding) acidity, long peachy finish, refreshing; Jay thinks the house is under-rated (this is certainly a good bottle of riesling)

Sella 2001 Lessona - Audouzed for an hour about 4 hours before serving; beautiful, citrus peel, cracked black pepper, roses, bright cherries, maybe there's some damp earth in it but not much, texture is lightweight, beautiful performance by my last bottle (I nod my tastevin towards Greg D P, who suggested the wine)

Ch. La Dominique 1982 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe - gorgeous, tobacco, slightly fermenty and slightly leafy, red currants and black cherries, intense and compelling

(And, yes, Jay, I do have notes stretching way back about you/me drinking '82 La Dominique, but I have no clear notes on any auction lots we may have shared.)
 
Holy crow, what a funny coincidence. I was back at Café Loup a couple of weeks ago for the first time since 1996! A friend wanted to have a drink at the bar. I feared for the life of me, but we managed to find a perfectly copacetic Jo Landron Muscadet. (They also have "regular" Dashe Zin on the reds list.)

But what a creaky old joint it is....
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Holy crow, what a funny coincidence. I was back at Café Loup a couple of weeks ago for the first time since 1996! A friend wanted to have a drink at the bar. I feared for the life of me, but we managed to find a perfectly copacetic Jo Landron Muscadet. (They also have "regular" Dashe Zin on the reds list.)

But what a creaky old joint it is....

The analogy I used was that of a well worn shoe. Maybe it's not the latest fashion and maybe it has cracks in the leather here and there but it's really comfortable and you know just what to expect when you put it on. But really, it's the exact same restaurant it was in 1998.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
But what a creaky old joint it is....
Go have the soft-shell crab "Vietnamaine", then come back here and complain.

And the standards are the standards. Does it require Gaston Lenotre to make bavette?
 
Sorry I couldn't join you guys. I agree with Jay re. Selbach-Oster - they're great value, and some of their en bloc/single parcel bottlings and Auslese have been outstanding in the last few years.
 
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