georg lauer
georg lauer
Isn't a terrine pre-prepared by default?
And the hare takes hours, so is also only finished to order.
Or was everything sliced the day before and dried out?
Yo we're going to Paris again for a little while
- Thread starter BJ
- Start date
Isn't a terrine pre-prepared by default?
And the hare takes hours, so is also only finished to order.
Or was everything sliced the day before and dried out?
Ben Hunting
Ben Hunting
The hare was sliced to order. We had a view of the kitchen and saw that happen. I'm sure the terrine was sliced to order, too. But neither tasted fresh and we wondered how many days ahead they had been made.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
The joint was perfectly serviceable, but bordering on tired, when we last went a bit over a year ago. But I'll say this: it's a good place to repair your cartridge.
Josh Fontaine
Josh Fontaine
Do not eat there, just hit the bar for wine.
Places I have enjoyed recently:
Le Severo
L'Assiette (wine list uninspiring though)
L'Ami Jean
Vantre
Chez La Vieille
Abri Soba (not for wine)
Les Deserteurs
Brutos
Pacchio
Miznon (not for wine)
Places I have enjoyed recently:
Le Severo
L'Assiette (wine list uninspiring though)
L'Ami Jean
Vantre
Chez La Vieille
Abri Soba (not for wine)
Les Deserteurs
Brutos
Pacchio
Miznon (not for wine)
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
For this year’s family vacation, we spent a few days in Oslo and two weeks in Stockholm, visiting both for the first time. In Oslo we only went to one restaurant, but in Stockholm six, so this is a brief restaurant report, coupled some with bitching about volatile acidity.
To start by digressing, the first thing you notice when you arrive is how many Scandinavian-looking people there are. Yes, no matter how mentally prepared you might be for this blast of the obvious, anybody from a Latin country where platinum blondes stand out like polar bears in the jungle cannot fail to be amazed. Scandinavians tend to be taller, beautiful when younger, weather-beaten when older. Perhaps a structural collagen deficiency. Saw many dads with tots in strollers, their moms at work. Immigrants told me that they lead robotic work lives and that Swedes are cold and haughty, but the ones we encountered, all in the tourist industry, were naturally eager to please.
Oslo itself is attractive, kempt, orderly, and somewhat chilly, even in August. Weather aside, one could clearly live there in (anal-retentive) contentment. Our only Oslo restaurant was Bass Oslo, a recommendation of Kirk’s and Mark E’s) where we were engagingly joined by the Ellenbogens. We savored a series of delicious tapas-style dishes, so low-carb that we left feeling as light as when we arrived. The wine list was impressive, overloaded with Burgundies at reasonable prices, mostly too young. As in so many restaurants, but unexpectedly in a relatively fastidious country, the wine list was not up-to-date and the first two bubblies I ordered were sold out. But there were enough others to make us happy, so can’t complain.
Stockholm, a quilt of fourteen islands with rather distinct personalities, joined by bridges and ferries, is much bigger, less cute, less orderly, less prevalently Scandinavian in population, and has a surprising number of indigents. Some islands have Belle Époque buildings that combine with the waterways to create a quasi-Parisian effect. We stayed in grittier but trendier Södermalm, the birthplace of Greta Garbo, home to several of the restaurants we had booked.
Overall, we liked Oslo better.
While eateries and drinkeries in both countries are able to put together excellent wine lists, retail wine buyers are at the mercy of completely unjustifiable (imo) state monopolies (unlike less restrictive Denmark), so a few words about these for visitors who intend to spend some evenings in.
Both Norway and Sweden have hundreds of wine importers, some of them hip to natural wine, but they can only sell to either restaurants or the state monopoly. They can only sell to retail buyers through the gargoyle of the state monopoly. If you only drink part of a bottle at a restaurant, you can’t take the rest home, like you can in the US, but you can ask them to keep it for you and come back to finish it off some other day. Crazy.
The Norwegian monopoly Vinmonopolet stocks several dozen naturally-oriented wines, so one could live somewhat happily in Oslo, though only with current releases (which, in the unusual case of Viúva Gomes Colares, includes the 1969 vintage). Their site has a helpful feature: if you click on a link below any available wine, it tells you which stores have it in stock.
The Swedish monopoly Systembolaget is a disaster, carrying almost no naturlig wines. I found, at most, a dozen I’d buy among the different branches I visited, the best of which was the one at PH Huset. A Swedish restaurant owner I spoke to attributed the difference to the fact that Norwegians are wealthier, thanks to all the oil, etc. In other words, they can a-fjord the better stuff.
The solution for locals in either country is open an account at the nearest monopoly outlet and order from hipster importers for delivery to the store, but that can take up to two weeks, so not too handy if you’re just passing through. And some cuvées may be reserved for restaurants, so I imagine it pays to become chummy with the importers who bring in the stuff you like.
First Stockholm restaurant was Woodstockholm, a Raisin recommendation. Doubles as furniture store, with the usual Scandinavian wood-based taste. Norwegian Wood. Thoughtful wine list, superb service, crowded communal atmosphere. We had three starters and three appetizers, creating a tapas sequence. All delicious, including a reindeer tartar, so we repeated several. When I found the first bottle of a 2014 Jura Chardonnay (from FR Martin) too oxy for an ouillé, a fresher bottle was brought without hesitation, a sign of quality management. Later the owner Johan came by to chat, super nice guy. Even knew that Portugal and Brazil share the same language. Very cosmopolitan.
Second was lunch at Spritmuseum, a Kirk recommendation. Amazing wine list, especially the whites (all with prices below current auction levels, e.g., 2011 Overnoy for a hundred bucks). Very good lunch, though short of memorable. We went back for dinner to enjoy the “full” experience (below).
Third was Café Nizza, another Raisin suggestion, with a longer and also well-selected list. Service was terrific, food was good without being special; only negative was the space: dowdy décor, unappealing layout, small tables.
Next was dinner at 19 Glas, a veteran wine bar run by the colorful Peter Bennyson, who looks like an extra from the Icelandic Sagas. Recommended by Kirk and Raisin. The wine list is long and impressive, full of naturals and conventionals, and there were 35 wines btg! The food, alas, was not so memorable (except for a delicious hake) and the atmosphere is a bit insipid. But service is friendly, and Peter was warm once he figured that our preferences were similar to his.
Then came dinner at Spritmuseum, not a palpably better experience than lunch. Excellent service again, same superb wine list, very good food, but again short of memorable. Our bottle of 2013 Houillon-Bruyère Arbois Blanc 12.5% showed increasing v.a. as it warmed up, and the only two reds available btg, a Baptiste Cousin and a Jean-Yves Péron, also had enough v.a. to compromise the Spritmuseum experience.
Speaking of v.a., the Pierre Beauger we had at Spritmuseum a few days earlier also had v.a., as had some of the btg’s at 19 Glas. And several bottles bought from state monopolies for domestic consumption, including two Lucy Margauxs and one Patrick Sullivan (all from down under) and two Robinots also had way too much v.a. So, what’s with Scandinavians and v.a.? There’s a lot of stuff fermented in whey or fruit juice, lots of balsamic vinegar, and they drink a lot of apple cider, so perhaps the local palate, as mirrored by importer and sommelier selections, has a v.a.-friendly bias.
La Colline, another Kirk/Raisin recommendation, has one of the most exciting lists we encountered (available at lacolline.se), including 2012 Rougeard Poyeux for $120 (which I would have ordered if less quercophobic). I could keep coming back for months without exhausting the things I’m curious about, including many Jura domaines I’ve never tasted. l told the head sommelier that we were big natural wine fans, but had been encountering so much v.a. on this trip that we were hoping for a single v.a.-free night, if that was not too much to ask. Her reply, containing three elements, set up a perfect storm of explanation for all we’ve been encountering: without awkwardness she said that perhaps she wasn't the best person to help us because a) she seldom notices v.a. b) when she does, she likes it; c) the producers I seemed most interested in tasting were all on the radical end of the spectrum, so all were very likely to have v.a.
I began to protest against the deterministic nature of this but was stopped short by understanding that she could not help us. The worst part of it was that if she were v.a. sensitive, she could probably not be a sommelier in Scandinavia, because she has to represent her electorate. So, we relied on our own devices and were only partially successful. Food was good, not great (as predicted by Kirk), a bit too spicy, with a more conventional line-up of salads and main courses preventing us from setting up a sequence of tapas which is our favorite way of testing a restaurant’s mettle. Service was good, as was the ambiance, but nothing special.
Next was dinner at Vina, a Raisin recommendation. It’s quirky, cozy, friendly, like the *********** of someone’s country cottage, and we felt very much at home. The menu, in Swedish only, is limited, so we weren’t able to create any sequence, but what we had was tasty enough, though a bit too salty and peppery, as seems to be the local custom. Unlike the truly creative, naturally low-carb, finely calibrated NOMA-inspired cuisine we experienced in Denmark last year, and showcased by Faviken in Sweden, most of what we encountered in Stockholm seemed like a new version of the old. The all-natural wine list at Vina is not too long but pretty good, with many options btg. A pair of white burgs btg from Claire Naudin and Moureau-Naudet were squeaky clean; a bottle of 2009 Els Jelipins had some v.a., but not enough to efface the fruit and spoil the experience.
Since we couldn’t get a reservation at the universally praised Lilla Ego, after five restaurants in a row with food we didn’t love, we decided to make our grand finale at Gastrologik, the only starred restaurant of the trip. We had initially decided against starred restaurants because of our six-year-old, and also the sheer overload of tasting menus, but were persuaded by a Brazilian friend to try this one. It’s in the new Nordic tradition exemplified by NOMA and Faviken, only using locally sourced ingredients from small “partner” producers. The twenty small courses were inventive, often startling, generally delicious. The spare ambiance was comfortable and the service spotless. The wine list is not particularly natural, and had many of the usual suspects for big-spender label- drinkers, but within that universe we were able to find happiness in a pristinely sublime bottle of 2000 Rayas at less than auction price and without cork risk. Happiness ensued, contentment was reestablished. Time to go home.
To start by digressing, the first thing you notice when you arrive is how many Scandinavian-looking people there are. Yes, no matter how mentally prepared you might be for this blast of the obvious, anybody from a Latin country where platinum blondes stand out like polar bears in the jungle cannot fail to be amazed. Scandinavians tend to be taller, beautiful when younger, weather-beaten when older. Perhaps a structural collagen deficiency. Saw many dads with tots in strollers, their moms at work. Immigrants told me that they lead robotic work lives and that Swedes are cold and haughty, but the ones we encountered, all in the tourist industry, were naturally eager to please.
Oslo itself is attractive, kempt, orderly, and somewhat chilly, even in August. Weather aside, one could clearly live there in (anal-retentive) contentment. Our only Oslo restaurant was Bass Oslo, a recommendation of Kirk’s and Mark E’s) where we were engagingly joined by the Ellenbogens. We savored a series of delicious tapas-style dishes, so low-carb that we left feeling as light as when we arrived. The wine list was impressive, overloaded with Burgundies at reasonable prices, mostly too young. As in so many restaurants, but unexpectedly in a relatively fastidious country, the wine list was not up-to-date and the first two bubblies I ordered were sold out. But there were enough others to make us happy, so can’t complain.
Stockholm, a quilt of fourteen islands with rather distinct personalities, joined by bridges and ferries, is much bigger, less cute, less orderly, less prevalently Scandinavian in population, and has a surprising number of indigents. Some islands have Belle Époque buildings that combine with the waterways to create a quasi-Parisian effect. We stayed in grittier but trendier Södermalm, the birthplace of Greta Garbo, home to several of the restaurants we had booked.
Overall, we liked Oslo better.
While eateries and drinkeries in both countries are able to put together excellent wine lists, retail wine buyers are at the mercy of completely unjustifiable (imo) state monopolies (unlike less restrictive Denmark), so a few words about these for visitors who intend to spend some evenings in.
Both Norway and Sweden have hundreds of wine importers, some of them hip to natural wine, but they can only sell to either restaurants or the state monopoly. They can only sell to retail buyers through the gargoyle of the state monopoly. If you only drink part of a bottle at a restaurant, you can’t take the rest home, like you can in the US, but you can ask them to keep it for you and come back to finish it off some other day. Crazy.
The Norwegian monopoly Vinmonopolet stocks several dozen naturally-oriented wines, so one could live somewhat happily in Oslo, though only with current releases (which, in the unusual case of Viúva Gomes Colares, includes the 1969 vintage). Their site has a helpful feature: if you click on a link below any available wine, it tells you which stores have it in stock.
The Swedish monopoly Systembolaget is a disaster, carrying almost no naturlig wines. I found, at most, a dozen I’d buy among the different branches I visited, the best of which was the one at PH Huset. A Swedish restaurant owner I spoke to attributed the difference to the fact that Norwegians are wealthier, thanks to all the oil, etc. In other words, they can a-fjord the better stuff.
The solution for locals in either country is open an account at the nearest monopoly outlet and order from hipster importers for delivery to the store, but that can take up to two weeks, so not too handy if you’re just passing through. And some cuvées may be reserved for restaurants, so I imagine it pays to become chummy with the importers who bring in the stuff you like.
First Stockholm restaurant was Woodstockholm, a Raisin recommendation. Doubles as furniture store, with the usual Scandinavian wood-based taste. Norwegian Wood. Thoughtful wine list, superb service, crowded communal atmosphere. We had three starters and three appetizers, creating a tapas sequence. All delicious, including a reindeer tartar, so we repeated several. When I found the first bottle of a 2014 Jura Chardonnay (from FR Martin) too oxy for an ouillé, a fresher bottle was brought without hesitation, a sign of quality management. Later the owner Johan came by to chat, super nice guy. Even knew that Portugal and Brazil share the same language. Very cosmopolitan.
Second was lunch at Spritmuseum, a Kirk recommendation. Amazing wine list, especially the whites (all with prices below current auction levels, e.g., 2011 Overnoy for a hundred bucks). Very good lunch, though short of memorable. We went back for dinner to enjoy the “full” experience (below).
Third was Café Nizza, another Raisin suggestion, with a longer and also well-selected list. Service was terrific, food was good without being special; only negative was the space: dowdy décor, unappealing layout, small tables.
Next was dinner at 19 Glas, a veteran wine bar run by the colorful Peter Bennyson, who looks like an extra from the Icelandic Sagas. Recommended by Kirk and Raisin. The wine list is long and impressive, full of naturals and conventionals, and there were 35 wines btg! The food, alas, was not so memorable (except for a delicious hake) and the atmosphere is a bit insipid. But service is friendly, and Peter was warm once he figured that our preferences were similar to his.
Then came dinner at Spritmuseum, not a palpably better experience than lunch. Excellent service again, same superb wine list, very good food, but again short of memorable. Our bottle of 2013 Houillon-Bruyère Arbois Blanc 12.5% showed increasing v.a. as it warmed up, and the only two reds available btg, a Baptiste Cousin and a Jean-Yves Péron, also had enough v.a. to compromise the Spritmuseum experience.
Speaking of v.a., the Pierre Beauger we had at Spritmuseum a few days earlier also had v.a., as had some of the btg’s at 19 Glas. And several bottles bought from state monopolies for domestic consumption, including two Lucy Margauxs and one Patrick Sullivan (all from down under) and two Robinots also had way too much v.a. So, what’s with Scandinavians and v.a.? There’s a lot of stuff fermented in whey or fruit juice, lots of balsamic vinegar, and they drink a lot of apple cider, so perhaps the local palate, as mirrored by importer and sommelier selections, has a v.a.-friendly bias.
La Colline, another Kirk/Raisin recommendation, has one of the most exciting lists we encountered (available at lacolline.se), including 2012 Rougeard Poyeux for $120 (which I would have ordered if less quercophobic). I could keep coming back for months without exhausting the things I’m curious about, including many Jura domaines I’ve never tasted. l told the head sommelier that we were big natural wine fans, but had been encountering so much v.a. on this trip that we were hoping for a single v.a.-free night, if that was not too much to ask. Her reply, containing three elements, set up a perfect storm of explanation for all we’ve been encountering: without awkwardness she said that perhaps she wasn't the best person to help us because a) she seldom notices v.a. b) when she does, she likes it; c) the producers I seemed most interested in tasting were all on the radical end of the spectrum, so all were very likely to have v.a.
I began to protest against the deterministic nature of this but was stopped short by understanding that she could not help us. The worst part of it was that if she were v.a. sensitive, she could probably not be a sommelier in Scandinavia, because she has to represent her electorate. So, we relied on our own devices and were only partially successful. Food was good, not great (as predicted by Kirk), a bit too spicy, with a more conventional line-up of salads and main courses preventing us from setting up a sequence of tapas which is our favorite way of testing a restaurant’s mettle. Service was good, as was the ambiance, but nothing special.
Next was dinner at Vina, a Raisin recommendation. It’s quirky, cozy, friendly, like the *********** of someone’s country cottage, and we felt very much at home. The menu, in Swedish only, is limited, so we weren’t able to create any sequence, but what we had was tasty enough, though a bit too salty and peppery, as seems to be the local custom. Unlike the truly creative, naturally low-carb, finely calibrated NOMA-inspired cuisine we experienced in Denmark last year, and showcased by Faviken in Sweden, most of what we encountered in Stockholm seemed like a new version of the old. The all-natural wine list at Vina is not too long but pretty good, with many options btg. A pair of white burgs btg from Claire Naudin and Moureau-Naudet were squeaky clean; a bottle of 2009 Els Jelipins had some v.a., but not enough to efface the fruit and spoil the experience.
Since we couldn’t get a reservation at the universally praised Lilla Ego, after five restaurants in a row with food we didn’t love, we decided to make our grand finale at Gastrologik, the only starred restaurant of the trip. We had initially decided against starred restaurants because of our six-year-old, and also the sheer overload of tasting menus, but were persuaded by a Brazilian friend to try this one. It’s in the new Nordic tradition exemplified by NOMA and Faviken, only using locally sourced ingredients from small “partner” producers. The twenty small courses were inventive, often startling, generally delicious. The spare ambiance was comfortable and the service spotless. The wine list is not particularly natural, and had many of the usual suspects for big-spender label- drinkers, but within that universe we were able to find happiness in a pristinely sublime bottle of 2000 Rayas at less than auction price and without cork risk. Happiness ensued, contentment was reestablished. Time to go home.
Jayson Cohen
Jayson Cohen
No. I’ve always mixed long-term advanced planning and winging it, to this day at 48. The former probably because by the time I was 12, if I didn’t do some advanced planning for family vacations, no one did. It was my role.
Sorry again to have missed you last week. Next time.
Jayson Cohen
Jayson Cohen
Oswaldo, great report. Sorry there were some food misses. As a vacation destination, would you return to Stockholm and Oslo?
How was the Claire Naudin wine you had? (Which?) I have liked the three I’ve tried, but like most white Burgundy these days, they were relatively pricey as soon as they appeared in the States.
How was the Claire Naudin wine you had? (Which?) I have liked the three I’ve tried, but like most white Burgundy these days, they were relatively pricey as soon as they appeared in the States.
Bill Lundstrom
Bill Lundstrom
Thanks for the write up Oswaldo. i have long wanted to go to Scandinavia as my father's family is from Sweden. The va thing is troubling though but the wine pricing looks reasonable.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
We understayed in Oslo and overstayed in Stockholm, so I think we would only return to Oslo (and perhaps visit coastal fjord towns like Bergen).
The Claire Naudin was the 2015 Le Clou 34 Aligoté. It was balanced but simple, without any particularly attractive minerality or zippy acidity, yet it was pleasing enough because it showed no wood or v.a.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
I was kidding, but I wanted to make it sound like I wasn't, yet you might be surprised at how many people don't know that, which is why I thought I could make it look like I wasn't kidding, when I was.
Yes, Brazil seems to be getting worse and worse. Sometimes I feel guilty for having abandoned ship, but the escape appears increasingly justified.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
For anyone used to US restaurant prices, most European wine lists look like bargain bins, but I think that is especially true of the higher end wines in Scandinavia. Because of the whole monopoly thing, the market is super inefficient, cherry picking can only be done in person and in loco, so there are cost/benefit gems to be found in the v.a. minefield.
Pavel Tchichikov
Pavel Tchichikov
She makes a cool cremant that has some pinot noir in it. I brought a bottle back from the winery that we really enjoyed and wished we served with a meal.
Jayson Cohen
Jayson Cohen
The 2016 of that wine we had a few weeks ago was much better than what you are describing, but I haven’t had the 2015. (See Jeff G’s “cellar” report.) 2016 was fresh, zippy, some mineral. Don’t know what might account for that difference beyond vintage character and the extra year of age.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Yes, may be the effect of the plumper vintage. Also, altho btg, they had to open a bottle for us, so it was pop'n pour, with no time to open up.
kirk wallace
kirk wallace
great write up, O. Im sorry to hear about your cafe Nizza experience. we had a really lovely dinner there, although the weather (mostly) cooperated so we could eat outside on the street under their canopies, which seems to be a huge draw for the place. And isn't it odd re La Colline. That amazing list and such indifferent food. It falls into the category SFJoe coined for Tribecca Grill : BYOF.
We enjoy the simple food (especially the sausages) at Spritsmuseum more than you all did; we tend to eat there 3 lunches out fo 5. I do hope that list and the setting made up for it.
If you are thinking of an Oslo re-visit, let us know. We'd love to see Mark & Molly again, and even more fun if you all were there too!
(I wonder what you would make of Helsinki; it might be a bit too subdued, but Otto is a great guide and dinner companion.)
We enjoy the simple food (especially the sausages) at Spritsmuseum more than you all did; we tend to eat there 3 lunches out fo 5. I do hope that list and the setting made up for it.
If you are thinking of an Oslo re-visit, let us know. We'd love to see Mark & Molly again, and even more fun if you all were there too!
(I wonder what you would make of Helsinki; it might be a bit too subdued, but Otto is a great guide and dinner companion.)
Would be great to see all of you and we will be in our new apartment by this winter, so there will be plenty of Molly's beloved Northern Rhônes (which have been in a warehouse in Oslo since this summer) to share; we'd happily have everyone over (my Biodynamic vegetable sourcing is up yet another notch as of this fall, too).
kirk wallace
kirk wallace
*swoon*