skwid 
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5452
 | | 02-02-2005 07:02 PM |
| Today the San Francisco Chronicle published their annual "Rising Chefs" picks. This is their choices of young chefs who are up and comers in the bay area. JW1's favorite restaurant (A16) chef is listed as one of the Rising Stars. The article is in todays SF Chronicle for those in the Bay Area. | | |
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David Walker
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2284
| | 12-25-2004 05:39 PM |
| Popped my last one of these last night. A very good bottle of wine. If I had another, I might hold it for another year or so, but I doubt it's going to get much better than it is now. | | | |
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KillerB
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
| | 12-31-2004 03:14 PM |
| Just Champagne - two sitting in the fridge: Thierry Lesne and Boursault.
Tomorrow will have a big dinner with a beef joint and all the trimmings and will sort out relevant wines for that. | | | |
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Bob Bressler
Napa Valley
Wine Lover
Posts: 4930
| | 02-02-2005 07:19 PM |
| they also say nice things about Ron Boyd at Domaine Chandon | | | |
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DJ Hombre
Napa Valley, California
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1367
| | 02-03-2005 07:09 AM |
| I'm gonna have to meet Ron Boyd. Apparently, he's also has family from Guam. Gonna see if he does anythin fun w/ finadeni or keleguin.  | | | |
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GATC
Wine Lover
Posts: 4740
| | 02-08-2005 09:13 PM |
| They also had some nice things about the team at Rubicon. We were there recently and really enjoyed it. | | | |
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Winegeek
San Francisco
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
| | 02-08-2005 11:11 PM |
| Quote:
They also had some nice things about the team at Rubicon. We were there recently and really enjoyed it.
Rubicon.(Sigh.) If it weren't for Larry Stone this would be one of my favorite restaurants in the city.
Richard | | | |
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winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Wine Lover
Posts: 4569
| | 02-08-2005 11:35 PM |
| Quote:
(Sigh.) If it weren't for Larry Stone this would be one of my favorite restaurants in the city.
Richard
What do you have against Stone, if you don't mind me asking. | | | "Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
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Winegeek
San Francisco
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
| | 02-09-2005 05:41 PM |
| Quote:
Quote:
(Sigh.) If it weren't for Larry Stone this would be one of my favorite restaurants in the city.
What do you have against Stone, if you don't mind me asking.
There's no question that he knows a great deal about wine - much more than I ever will and I've been in the business for 30+ years. Nonetheless, I've had two really, really bad experiences at Rubicon.
A friend (he used to frequent a couple of wine boards and was known as Dr. J) had Stone arrange a dinner for a group of 10. We all brought some killer wines which Stone insisted upon keeping at a side table, saying he'd open/decant/pour for us as part of the service. The food started coming and he was nowhere to be found and we had no wine on the table. We had a server track him down but when he returned and began pouring, he paused after virtually every pour to pontificate about this or that, meaning that about half the people at the table finished their food before they ever got any wine. As we were leaving at the end of the evening he asked my friend whether we'd had a nice time. My friend mentioned the wine service glitch and - in a very polite tone of voice - said that most of the diners thought that the food was good but the portions were a bit small. Larry Stone started yelling at my friend saying we obviously didn't know anything about good food or service and that we should get out of his restaurant right now.
I had to renege on my vow to never go back to Rubicon when I was invited to take part in a La Mission Haut Brion dinner there about three years ago. There were about 25 people at the event, some of whom had flown in from the east coast. Our host had made all the arrangements in advance and told us that the cost for the food and service - the wines were all donated by attendees - would be about $100-$125 per person. Larry Stone supervised the whole event and, frankly, did an excellent job. The rub came when the bill arrived - it was $300 per head! It turns out that the host had asked Stone to pick a white wine from the list to start the evening and he'd picked a $400/bottle and just kept it coming.
Now you know.
Richard | | | |
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winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Wine Lover
Posts: 4569
| | 02-11-2005 08:53 PM |
| Quote:
The rub came when the bill arrived - it was $300 per head! It turns out that the host had asked Stone to pick a white wine from the list to start the evening and he'd picked a $400/bottle and just kept it coming.
Now you know.
Richard
I can't speak to the first sour event (As that is a side of Larry I have never seen or heard about) but I will put my .02 in on the second story. You were drinking LMHB and unless the host specifically set a limit to bottle cost and bottle count to be brought to guests, what would you expect Larry to pair with such caliber wines? R.H. Phillips 'Toasted Head' Chardonnay. All I can say is that at these events expect this unless you put limits on the host especially if the host has deeper pockets and a different spending habbit.
I have had nothing but great experiences there to this point. | | | "Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts: 8568
| | 02-11-2005 08:57 PM |
| I hear what you are saying winebrat and basically I agree except that we are talking $400 a bottle. $400 a bottle is way too much without clearing it with the host. Less than $200 the host can't complain (he didn't specify a price after all) but $400 per bottle is out of bounds imo.
At least he didn't pull the bottled water trick on a private event like Town Hall did to me. | | | |
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winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Wine Lover
Posts: 4569
| | 02-11-2005 09:01 PM |
| Quote:
I hear what you are saying winebrat and basically I agree except that we are talking $400 a bottle. $400 a bottle is way too much without clearing it with the host. Less than $200 the host can't complain (he didn't specify a price after all) but $400 per bottle is out of bounds imo.
I agree, but it sounds that he left it up to Larry without limits. That is dangerous with a cellar like Rubicons.
At least he didn't pull the bottled water trick on a private event like Town Hall did to me.
Do tell | | | "Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts: 8568
| | 02-11-2005 09:11 PM |
| Still $400 is too much to just freely pour unless its a venture capitalist dinner or the like.
***
The bottled water trick has gotten very tiresome everywhere imo.
At the Vinocellar Second Anniversary Party I did not request bottled water but they served it anyway. At the time I should have realized they were pouring bottled water and that bottled water was going to cost more money and then put a stop to it. I did not. As a result, I ate over 500 bucks (may have been more but I have been trying not to think about this) in charges for the bottled water.
Moral of the story is A) won't be going back to Town Hall again and B) always specify contractually in writing that it will be tap water only (Reason being is that if individual waiters at a table during a private function pull the water trick then the bottled water can start to multiply even if the host orally told the restaurant no bottled water). | | | |
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Winegeek
San Francisco
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1533
| | 02-11-2005 09:17 PM |
| Quote:
You were drinking LMHB and unless the host specifically set a limit to bottle cost and bottle count to be brought to guests, what would you expect Larry to pair with such caliber wines? R.H. Phillips 'Toasted Head' Chardonnay. All I can say is that at these events expect this unless you put limits on the host especially if the host has deeper pockets and a different spending habbit.
When the host asked for a white wine to start, I would expect a good sommelier to say something like: "There are two or three things that come to mind. You could start with xxxxx, which is $150 a bottle, or maybe xxxxxx which is $225 per bottle. Or if you really wanted to go all out there's always the xxxxxxx at $400 per bottle". The host can then make an informed decision, rather than be embarrassed later.
Richard | | | |
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winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Wine Lover
Posts: 4569
| | 02-11-2005 09:23 PM |
| Quote:
Still $400 is too much to just freely pour unless its a venture capitalist dinner or the like.
***
Agreed.
WOW! The bottled water thing is blowing my mind. Is this common in S.F. or major cities. I have never run into such a thing. When dining I always do still bottled water, but I would never do so for a group unless it was requested. Did you call them on this. I know you want to put this behind you, but over the years I have known you (In a v E-based world) I have never known you to back down from something like this. I would be F'n pissed. You were a HUGE advocate for this restaurant early on. If it wasn't for your rec. I would have never visted this place twice, although I was never impressed because it was so packed both times all we got was turn and burn food as well as turn and burn service. I am floored!! | | | "Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
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winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Wine Lover
Posts: 4569
| | 02-11-2005 09:25 PM |
| Quote:
When the host asked for a white wine to start, I would expect a good sommelier to say something like: "There are two or three things that come to mind. You could start with xxxxx, which is $150 a bottle, or maybe xxxxxx which is $225 per bottle. Or if you really wanted to go all out there's always the xxxxxxx at $400 per bottle". The host can then make an informed decision, rather than be embarrassed later.
Richard
Are you witness that this conversation did not happen? | | | "Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
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winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Wine Lover
Posts: 4569
| | 02-11-2005 09:29 PM |
| Quote:
I ate over 500 bucks (may have been more but I have been trying not to think about this) in charges for the bottled water.
Was it special 400 year anniversary Fiji water that was poured down the front of naked Fiji women straight into your mouths? Fiji Water body shots. Could be a new concept at alchohol free strip clubs. | | | "Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts: 8568
| | 02-11-2005 09:37 PM |
| The bottled water trick is very popular in the City (even Chapeau which is usually a relatively cheap place to dine popped a table of 10 of us for $150 in water). Its a huge win for the restaurant and servers because every bottle they open up means more money for them both (especially with automatic gratuity on groups). There is a reason why your glass is always filled to the rim and constantly replenished when bottled water is being consumed.
I probably should have - I put the receipt in my always piling higher stack to deal with (another moral of the story is always have the restaurant bring you a bill at the end of the evening. Never have them just charge your card and send you a bill in the mail. That practically gives them a license to steal) where it got buried with more paper. Now that it has been awhile it is too late to hassle with it. Also, 1) I pulled a lot of strings to get them to do a favor for the event intially - corkage allowed and capped in cost with unlimited bottles and 2) a very good friend is their restaurant consultant and I just did not want to get into World War III with them and cause problems for her. | | | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts: 8568
| | 02-11-2005 09:45 PM |
| LOL
I don't remember what water it was but think about it. If you put 42 winegeeks in a room who are drinking a lot of wine many if not most of the winegeeks will guzzle water in an attempt to ameliorate the next day's hangover as much as possible. The incentive to use the water trick is huge in that case. | | | |
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winebrat
Sacramento, Ca.
Wine Lover
Posts: 4569
| | 02-11-2005 09:54 PM |
| Still shocked. Well better go so I can teach my guys how to do the water trick. Mo money... mo money...mo money. J/K  | | | "Everyday is worthy of a glass of sparkling wine" - Andrea Immer MS | |
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