The Official Wine Thread

The study guides on the Sommelier Guild's website are fascinating.

Just took the novice level test of Alsace, the Jura and Savoie. 90%

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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The study guides on the Sommelier Guild's website are fascinating.

Just took the novice level test of Alsace, the Jura and Savoie. 90%

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

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You'll be jealous when I have that nifty lapel pin, showing the world, I am a certified sommelier!

Originally Posted by audiophilia

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Bray is lovely and very close to my hometown. My aunt lives down the street from The Waterside Inn, another fabulous place, making tiny Bray the cuisine 'capital' of the world!
Roit...

I know that the mock turtle soup is a silly gimmick but I love the way it looks anyway.

Damn, that looks like it was fun.

I am going to Manresa in Los Gatos next week, which will be very good, but not quite that epictacular.

Originally Posted by Manton

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I know that the mock turtle soup is a silly gimmick but I love the way it looks anyway.

Damn, that looks like it was fun.

it tasted wonderful, too. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it was a tiny dish - that egg was no wider than a nickel.

You look 1/3 taller than the door.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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The study guides on the Sommelier Guild's website are fascinating.

Just took the novice level test of Alsace, the Jura and Savoie. 90%

Can you link the study guides? Looked earlier and couldnt find anything.

<3 John

Originally Posted by Manton

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You look 1/3 taller than the door.

again, that is just an illusion from the nitro. It's a little showy, but a great experience none the less.

The River Cafe

This restaurant came recommended by a good number of people i know in NY (and one person who seemed very excited about it here on SF). So I figured I'd give it a go. This place is famous for being owned by Richard Rogers' wife (RR is a very famous architect). Accordingly, he did the magnificent interior. I couldn't get a photo without looking more awkward that I naturally am, but the kitchen is pretty much all exposed. And it's not a normal kitchen either, rather it shapes around the dining area like an L. I've never seen anything quite like it and it seems perfectly suitable for the restaurant:



The wine was a very good Gavi from La Giustiniana. The brightness, acidity, and richness would be an ideal compliment to all of the dishes from the pasta, to the beef, to the pigeon.

The menu changes twice daily and (of course) adjust for seasons.

We started off with Carpaccio di Manzo - finely sliced beef fillet crusted with thyme & black pepper with summer beetroots, ridged tomatoes, parsley & grated horseradish. This was absolutely sensational and it totally wiped the smug "i'll eat a carpaccio if i have to" look from my brother's face. This dish is a testament to how a few simple but perfect ingredients can make something brilliant.

Next was Linguine con Granchio - with fresh Devon crab, chilli, fennel, parsley & lemon. Another winner, but it was also little simple for a lack of a better word. It was very enjoyable, but I couldn't stop thinking about that first dish.

God damn that carpaccio, we ordered another one. And cleaned the plate again.

For the entree I got Piccione al forno - whole Anjou pigeon stuffed with summer savoury wood-roasted in le Fonti Chianti Classico with potatoes & zucchini 'al forno'. Wonderful and savory:


My brother got Coscia d'Agnello ai ferri - chargrilled marinated leg of lamb with salsa rossa cruda, roasted Violetta aubergines & fresh cannellini bean. Awesome.

Desert was a perfect pannacotta drenched in Grappa:


And plum gelati:


All in all, the River Cafe was certainly my favorite London restaurant and I'd recommend it to anybody. And I will be sure to return on my next trip.

after that it was back to the hotel to relax a bit, figure out details for the next day, and to drink this basic Gru Vee:

ok, i'm not above cheap self-promotion, but honest, i think this is an interesting story by one of my writers.

gomey, interesting combination ... fat duck and river cafe. kind of the polar opposite french laundry/chez panisse thing. personally, every picture from river cafe made me hungry; the fat duck looked fascinating.

i use wine-searcher all the time, it's a great resource.

(ps - when will that Didier article be published?)

Originally Posted by foodguy

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gomey, interesting combination ... fat duck and river cafe. kind of the polar opposite french laundry/chez panisse thing. personally, every picture from river cafe made me hungry; the fat duck looked fascinating.

polar opposites for sure, but I would be thrilled to eat at any of them at any time again (and very likely will). I suppose one would call the Fat Duck the superior restaurant, but I wouldn't agree at all. they're two restaurants with two completely different goals and styles, and each executes it all marvelously.

The River Cafe is certainly much more accessible reservations wise, location wine, and financially. When I'm starving, I start to think about that carpaccio. The Fat Duck was a rare and splendid treat.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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You'll be jealous when I have that nifty lapel pin, showing the world, I am a certified sommelier!

You better pass the first two tests then brutha.