Jaimetown, the fearless organizer, dinwiddie, Corkage, JohnnyB and I descended upon Bistrot du Coin last night for what amounted to 'Guys Night Out'. We ate some food, we drank some wine and we all had a great time. FWIW, Bistrot du Coin was also the site of an micro offline between myself and Dr. Tannin in May.

I think the food was good, the service acceptable, the stemware a little lacking, but the company was excellent. We were there for about 3 and a half hours and we got to talk and joke and relax and drink some wine. Plus it was really fun to watch JohnnyB watch the steady stream of ladies making their way to the Ladies bathroom.

We took very few tasting notes, but I did jot a few down. After inspecting the feeble white stems they had, we asked for something better, and we got some nice white glasses which is also what we ended up drinking the reds out of too. Next time we’ll hit up a different restaurant around there. Dinwiddie kept commenting on how many other great restaurants (most allowing corkage, and if they didn’t let Corkage in, we’d have to boycott their establishment, heh heh) were nearby – Nora, Johnny’s Half Shell and a number of other ones.

It was funny, after we all poured some of the Kistler, corkage had an evil grin on his face and he dove right into the Les Chevrets and the other reds. Sneaky bahstahd! Ah but there was plenty of wine to go around.

2000 Kistler Chardonnay Dutton Ranch (brought by TJ)
That wonderful dough and yeasty lusciousness on the nose blew off to reveal some really nice minerality, macadamia nuts and faint lemons. Jaimetown commented on the use of some really excellent oak he could sense in this wine, too. I think I would rate it 92 TJ points.

1999 Boillot Volnay 1er Cru 'Les Chevrets' (brought by jaimetown)
All I really wrote down for this was that I was surprised at the great mouthfeel this wine had while at the same time having some nicely balancing acidity. It evoked a sense of blueberries and delicious red fruits to me. Nice and refined. My only regret with this wine was that the stems robbed this wine of any nose we might have gotten to smell. This had a really nice finish, too. I’d rate this at 90+ TJ points.

2000 Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (brought by dinwiddie)
Again, TNs were not really a priority last night, but I jotted a few things down. I wrote down cherry flesh, vanilla bread pudding, walnuts and some spice notes. This was a great wine, too. Supple rather than boisterous. I’d rate this at 91+ TJ points.

2001 Martinelli Moonshine Ranch Pinot Noir RRV (brought by JohnnyB)
I think we all later agreed that this wine was the collective WOTN. All the wines were excellent, but this was wild. I didn’t write much down, but the nose on this, even in those tiny glasses, was incredible. Cinnamon & tea coupled with macerated cherries and more darker red fruits. Upon tasting this was an expansive extracted wine. It was rather over the top, especially considering it was a Pinot. Wow. This sucker was worth about 93 TJ points, maybe 94. It was most excellent.

A bunch of stogies for future consumption (brought by Corkage)
We figured we didn’t need 5 bottles on a work night between the five of us (although dinwiddie was potentially prepared to pour another!), so Corkage brought some Cubans for our later enjoyment instead. Thanks, Vince!

The food was pretty good. Three kinds of mussels dishes, escargots and I think a salad were the first course around the table. This was followed by a couple orders of veal cheeks w/ratatouille, a couple of steak frites (hangar steak, right guys?) and a cassoulet. Dessert rounded things out with a couple of orders of the brioche/orange/crème anglaise thing that sounded better than it really was, some chocolate mousse, an apple tart of some sort and something else.

All in all an excellent evening. We need to do more of these, guys.

TJ...

Great notes. Almost felt like I was there!

Definitely a great evening. Good company, great wine, good food, and lots of fun.

First the complaints, just to get them out of the way. That kid who screamed that high pitched scream everytime he scored a goal on the fooseball table. Those were his parents with him and when someone went over to ask if they could get him to keep it down a little they got all huffy. I kinda wish I had a roll of duct tape. Well at least he finally quit it. But I didn't know if my eardrums were going to survive.

The stemware. Even after asking for better glasses, they did come up with some barely decent white wine stems, but only had one for each of us and said there were no more in the restaurant. How could that be? Next time, we may have to bring our own as well as the wine.

On the plus side, everything else. The food was very good. I didn't try the mussels, but they looked very good. The duck salad was tres bon. I had never had duck prucetto (sp) before, but it was great, kind of like duck bacon. The smoked duck was good too. Thought it was a great appetizer. The hanger steak I had was quite good, very rare, just like I ordered, and the frites were crisp and tasty. I had the citron dessert, and it was not bad. I've had better, but it was pretty good.

The company was fun. It was kinda funny to watch JohnnyB watch the women, and you guys make me feel so old (since I am from 12-22 years older than you all) but we had a great time.

The wines. Now I am in trouble, they were all great and I am going to go broke if you guys get me into buying high end Chards and Burgandys.

The Kistler was great, and I am not a big fan of chards at all. Not too much oak at all, excellent mouthfeel, minerally without being acidic. Notes of lemon and nuts. I really enjoyed it. I know Karen would love it so I may have to go out and buy some.

The Martinelli. Definitely my WOTN. I loved it. Fantastic nose, rich extracted fruits, wonderful mouthfeel, and a long finish. This is just another example to prove that Martinelli makes some, if not the, finest pinot noirs in CA. Well worth giving 92-94 points. I wish I had some in my cellar, and now I am going to have to go look for some. What a great bottle of juice.

Boillot Volnay 1er Cru “Les Chevrets”. Wow. I loved it. Now I know I am going to be in trouble if I start buying these. Well balanced, tastes of berrys and red fruits, with firm tannins. A complex wine that is best described as elegant. I think it is definitely a 90 point wine.

Argyle '00 Nuthouse Pinot Noir I was a little apprehensive about bringing this when I realized the company it would be in. But it held its own. Elegant and supple, it was a very nice wine. I'm glad I have a few more in the cellar.

And in defense of myself, TJ, I only commented on the great restaurants I passed on the way there once. That area is definitely a sea of places to eat. We'll have to try out some of them on a regular basis with wine in hand and friends in tow.

And I thought you mentioned it (all the other restaurants) only with an eye for the next get together. heh heh We'll go someplace new next time to mix it up and hopefully we can nail down the stemware issue ahead of time.

Thanks to everyone for coming out - it was a really fun dinner with good wines and good conversation. I am really enjoying the smaller offlines I've had this summer, where you get to know your fellow forumites in a great setting. All the wines were very tasty and a good time was had by all - we must do it again soon.

As to the poorly behaved kid you need only take one look at his father to see where he gets it from. I can't stand it when parents do not discipline their children to behave well.

it sounds like you boys had one hell of a time. by the way the ladies room is a great place to watch. they all gotta go eventually.

Hey JB...

I know where you can seat anthonyiez and the DC crew at the VC anniversary dinner!!!

I saw nussink! Nussink!

Seriously, JohnnyB, jaimtown and Corkage were the ones facing in that direction, not me!

i don't what you are talking about. i am a married man. i don't evrn look at other women when my wife is around....oops she isn't coming to nyc with me, guess i can ogle and drool all i want

AI...

Only near the ladies' room!

i thought that they would have seating in the room. nyc being a big city and all (in your beat small town jim neighbors voice)

go-o-o-o-lllyy

that's it tj

ok my short take on the evening....

great company
very good wine
good food
ok service
terrible stemware

so where/when is the next one? And as for the ladies go the bathroom....there was only this one blond...the rest were a running joke...but ask Corkage about the blond!

Oh and I found the Inn at liitle Washington snippet...From the September 2003 Travel & Leisure page 32
Q: What do you look for in a good hotel restaurant?
A: Alain Ducasse--"I am, above all, a curious and incorrigible gourmand. I seek out simple and flavorful cuisine. But service is also extremely important. The faulire to smile, an inhospitable reception, is unforgivable. Conveying the joie de vivre is essential. The best experience I've had was the Inn at Little Washignton in Virginia--their meals are exquisite, and so is their room service."

True, it was the blond that snapped your head around so fast I thought it would break your neck, but there was the one in the pig-tails too.

tj, Richie Havens, that is who I was trying to think of.

I think we should try for another one in mid October. The wife will be in England, so I might have to bring Jake with me, but he enjoys a good meal as much as the next guy.

I'm up for it again, but we should try someplace different next time. Plus, we need to ask/scout ahead about the stemware, too. I'd say November is good for me, but I might be able to swing earlier in October, too.

heh heh

wy make things difficult.....both October and November as long as TJ keeps bringing Kistler!

TJ...

If you're running low on Kistler, I know someone who has a bottle or two.

Hey! I resemble that remark I suppose on both counts!

But let's keep doing it. But we gotta remember next time to let williamsc and jabberva know about these things. the moo the merrier.

that is a great idea TJ and I have another.....Corkage is already "obligated" to bring a wine to the next dinner....if we "charge" Jabberva andWwilliamsc an "entrance" fee.....you get the picture.

oh wait, if we "charge" corkage then we will all have to bring cigars!