Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Jay, Bruce, Jeff
Bruce is in town and he has never seen the cellar before. So, we descend into the relative warmth of the cave (it's a good 20 degrees F warmer than outside), tour a little and slurp a little.
Fontodi 1995 Chianti Classico Riserva "Vigna del Sorbo" - A delightful bottle full of "serious" cherries, still a little tannic rasp, and just one dot of sweetness to complement the whole. Bravo.
Ravines 2011 Keuka Village Red - 60% noiret and 40% cab franc, Finger Lakes region; despite the pedigree of the owner (chief winemaker for Konstantin Frank) this is a troublesome wine: the nose is stinky-lactic (MILK, not popcorn, jeez, folks, get with it), I kinda like the simple duet singing of the tenor cab franc and the baritone noiret but Jay dumps it right out.
Time's up. We walk over to Recette, a vaguely French/New American small plates place. It was last known to me as Jarnac, but Bruce has been here twice already and chats with the owner, Jesse, as soon as we arrive.
We decide on a 7-course menu. The waiter collects ideas for must-have and nice-to-have plates from us, and the service begins:
*- amuse of hamachi with spicy foam
1- beef carpaccio with burrata, tomato jam, porcini purée, basil, watercress
2- roasted cauliflower raviolo with sepia, guanciale, mascarpone, bisque (for Jay)
2- shaved fresh white truffle over egg pasta (for Bruce and me)
3- roasted scallop with baby beets, parsnip, caviar, beurre blanc
4- red snapper with pumpkin purée, root vegetable “napoleon”, chimichurri
5- fregola with braised rabbit, leek fondue, wild mushroom, parmesan
6- berkshire pork belly with rock shrimp, turnips, romesco, sherry caramel
*- palate cleanser of sage gelato
7- dessert: the deconstructed smores
*- and an extra dessert: pumpkin semi-freddo
The rabbit was the only must-have. We paid extra for the truffles.
For us, the best plates were the carpaccio and the rabbit, far and away. (The truffles, naturally, are hors concours.)
And, oh yes, we brought a couple wines with us. Medium-body beverages to go with the varied and variegated plates:
P. Amiot 1985 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Les Combottes" - is in similar condition to the MSD from two weeks ago: the sour mash note at first, developing more flavor and vitality as it sits open, pleasant wine but not distinctively Gevrey to me.
Overnoy 2011 Arbois Pupillon - The famed poulsard. Palest radioactive pink, pomegranate-fruity, tannic, jangly, juicy, distant and dusty roses, very tightly wound. I finished it the next day and it had relaxed only a little, showing more fruit and a slightly simpler package.
Bruce is in town and he has never seen the cellar before. So, we descend into the relative warmth of the cave (it's a good 20 degrees F warmer than outside), tour a little and slurp a little.
Fontodi 1995 Chianti Classico Riserva "Vigna del Sorbo" - A delightful bottle full of "serious" cherries, still a little tannic rasp, and just one dot of sweetness to complement the whole. Bravo.
Ravines 2011 Keuka Village Red - 60% noiret and 40% cab franc, Finger Lakes region; despite the pedigree of the owner (chief winemaker for Konstantin Frank) this is a troublesome wine: the nose is stinky-lactic (MILK, not popcorn, jeez, folks, get with it), I kinda like the simple duet singing of the tenor cab franc and the baritone noiret but Jay dumps it right out.
Time's up. We walk over to Recette, a vaguely French/New American small plates place. It was last known to me as Jarnac, but Bruce has been here twice already and chats with the owner, Jesse, as soon as we arrive.
We decide on a 7-course menu. The waiter collects ideas for must-have and nice-to-have plates from us, and the service begins:
*- amuse of hamachi with spicy foam
1- beef carpaccio with burrata, tomato jam, porcini purée, basil, watercress
2- roasted cauliflower raviolo with sepia, guanciale, mascarpone, bisque (for Jay)
2- shaved fresh white truffle over egg pasta (for Bruce and me)
3- roasted scallop with baby beets, parsnip, caviar, beurre blanc
4- red snapper with pumpkin purée, root vegetable “napoleon”, chimichurri
5- fregola with braised rabbit, leek fondue, wild mushroom, parmesan
6- berkshire pork belly with rock shrimp, turnips, romesco, sherry caramel
*- palate cleanser of sage gelato
7- dessert: the deconstructed smores
*- and an extra dessert: pumpkin semi-freddo
The rabbit was the only must-have. We paid extra for the truffles.
For us, the best plates were the carpaccio and the rabbit, far and away. (The truffles, naturally, are hors concours.)
And, oh yes, we brought a couple wines with us. Medium-body beverages to go with the varied and variegated plates:
P. Amiot 1985 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Les Combottes" - is in similar condition to the MSD from two weeks ago: the sour mash note at first, developing more flavor and vitality as it sits open, pleasant wine but not distinctively Gevrey to me.
Overnoy 2011 Arbois Pupillon - The famed poulsard. Palest radioactive pink, pomegranate-fruity, tannic, jangly, juicy, distant and dusty roses, very tightly wound. I finished it the next day and it had relaxed only a little, showing more fruit and a slightly simpler package.
