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Bradley Molzen
Bayonne, NJ
Wine Lover
Posts:4990
 | | 03/12/2004 3:22 AM |
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It was just a little over two years ago that I first got into wine... and in all that time I had the pleasure of going to some great restaurants I never would have if I never found WS, and then made Vinocellar.
In all this time though, I had never gone to what's considered one of the finest restaurants in NYC. Tonight's adventure took me toBabbo in NYC.
How did I get a reservation? Well I didn't. Turns out, armar_one frequents Babbo, along with his good pal and long time friend ojeffso. After begging a pleading with armar for awhile he finally gave in and invited me along, if only to shut me up! (ok, just kidding, I never shut up)
So off we go.. got there an hour early (don't be late!) so I pounded two Bass beers at a local bar..
Arrive in front of Babbo and ojeffso, armar_one, Veritas (new member of VC!!) and one other fine gentlemen who has yet to sign up! (We'll wait)
We got to sit "upstairs" which was cool, at a very very good table. We all decided to go with the tasting menu which was five different pasta dishes, a cheese dish, and a dessert. Absolutely incredible. I forgot to take home a menu with me.... but without further delay... the wines.
Thanks to ojeffso for picking out some real winners!!!
The Reds..... (in order)
1985 Luigi Bianco Barbaresco "Vigneto Ronchi" (Piemonte)
1978 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Toscana)
1985 Paolo Scavino Barolo "Cannubi" (Piemonte)
The dessert wine.....
1999 Marco DeBartoli Mosccato Passito di Pantelleria "Bukkuram" (Sicilia)
All the wines were still youthful given their age, even the '78 BdM. The nose on the '85 Scavino was out of this world!!! What an incredible wine... still needed half an hour to breath before really coming around. Just absolutely terrific. The "Bukkuram" was really neat.. reminded ojeffso of a madiera a bit and since madiera is made right up the street from this producer that's not surprising.
I learned that tidbit of information from Jeremy, the Babbo sommelier. He's one of those super sommeliers you hope you get every place you go. Wealth of knowledge, will lead you in the right direction for what you want, price wise, age wise, etc. and will even tell you when he thinks a wine is over the hill and just not something you'd want to drink that night. Wonderful young guy who certainly knows his Italian wines extremely well and made the experience that much more pleasurable.
I wish I could stay awake and write more specific notes about the wines, but I'm fading fast... I'm coming off that carb high from those terrific pasta dishes!!!
Anyhow, thanks armar_one, ojeffso, and great to meet your two pals and share some laughs with you all. What a great place... definitely a must if you want some great Italian food and wine. | |
If you drink wine, you get smarter.... | |
| wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12265
| | 03/12/2004 5:01 AM |
| Sounds like a great time. Congrats on a fantastic evening.  | |
Joe
-----
Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
| whiner
Second star to the right, and straight on till morning
Wine Thief
Posts:2875
| | 03/12/2004 10:03 AM |
| Sounds like a great time!
Revlis, if you've been to Esca, one of Mario Batali's other restaurants, how would you compare it to Babbo? (Other than that Esca is all seafood.)
a | |
I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland.
-- Woody Allen | |
| Budman
Master of Wine
Posts:11877
| | 03/12/2004 10:04 AM |
| | Rev... I gained 3 pounds just reading your writeup!! | | | |
| Joseph Bembry
Wine Lover
Posts:4875
| | 03/12/2004 12:45 PM |
| Sounds like a great time. I guess my invite got lost in the mail. Damn, Post Office!
So anyway, I just changed the wines I'm pouring for Poker night. Instead of Dalle Valle, Beaux Freres, SQN and Margaux, I'll be pouring Borsao, Pepperwood Grove and the ever so-popular Mondavi Coastal. 
jb | | | |
| Bradley Molzen
Bayonne, NJ
Wine Lover
Posts:4990
| | 03/12/2004 2:22 PM |
| jb, suddenly something just came up... I can't go to poker and pinot anymore....
Hehe. See the thing is, you didn't beg and plead like I did...
Anyhow, yes it was terrific. I think I still am digesting everything... There was this oreo tasting cream thing covered in chocolate for dessert... whoah.. that was damn good. and this gelato thing... when they put my plate down, they took the time to shake the plate to show me how it wiggles on the plate. Was quite funny really. Then there was this inverted lemon pie thing which was great, some sorbet, and other assorted things on the table.
And again, more props to Jeremy the sommelier. He was absolutely tops. He actually took the time to go down to his computer and print out the wines we had that night for us on a small Babbo menu card. Really really cool. He did that before we got the dessert wine, so when we started writing down what that was on our cards, he said not to do that since he'll just print out another set of cards for everyone. WOW, that's service!
I wish I brought the menu back with me.. ... ah well. | |
If you drink wine, you get smarter.... | |
| Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts:13711
| | 03/12/2004 2:39 PM |
| Glad to hear Jeremy is still there at Babbo.
Babbo is one of my all-time favorite places to dine. Glad you had a super experience.  | |
www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
| skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 03/12/2004 4:11 PM |
| | JB, where's the DRC/Leroy/Lafon/Coche Dury? Or are you going to pull a "Nixon" and hide them under the table for yourself while the rest of the poker folks have to drink the swill? | | | |
| love_cab_chard
Master of Wine
Posts:12497
| | 03/12/2004 5:47 PM |
| Quote:
Sounds like a great time. I guess my invite got lost in the mail. Damn, Post Office
Hmmm! And, considering the fact that I have been unable to get in there when I called a couple of times.   | | | |
| JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5112
| | 03/12/2004 6:05 PM |
| | Jeremy is truly one of the best sommeliers in the country. | |
Beta testing a new signature. | |
| Joseph Bembry
Wine Lover
Posts:4875
| | 03/12/2004 10:27 PM |
| Actually, skwid, we are having no Pinots Sun night. Probably should change the name of the thread. But if I did have some of those wines, I would certainly share it with my homies. Why else buy them?
jb | | | |
| JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts:8568
| | 03/12/2004 10:46 PM |
| | Nixon stole the practice from Voltaire. | | | |
| skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 03/12/2004 11:45 PM |
| Quote:
Actually, skwid, we are having no Pinots Sun night. Probably should change the name of the thread. But if I did have some of those wines, I would certainly share it with my homies. Why else buy them?
jb
So you can bogart them, like JW1 does with the Albino
Quote:
Nixon stole the practice from Voltaire.
Voltaire is a bit before my time | | | |
| Joseph Bembry
Wine Lover
Posts:4875
| | 03/12/2004 11:55 PM |
| Well, lets just say that I like to pour.
jb | | | |
| skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 03/13/2004 12:42 AM |
| I'll remember that if you are holding a bottle of DRC/Leroy/Lafon/... in your hand and I'm around | | | |
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