Le District NYC Wine-Dine

Le District NYC for an immersive classic French, NY culinary experience

Another one of the highlights of our NYC getaway weekend was a trip to Le District down in the financial district. Consider this the French equivalent of the immensely popular Eataly that provides an immersive experience of a Italian village market.

Le District strives to recreate a French village market experience. Le District is actually three districts in one; the Cafe District offers a range of coffee delights, pastries, crepes, chocolates and French treats to indulge one's sweet tooth, the Market District. a shopping and culinary

extravaganza with Boulangerie, Delices du chef, Cheese and Charcuterie, Rotisserie, Boucherie & Poissonnerie; and the Garden District for groceries, flowers, salad bar - all authentic French inspired, of course.

We went down to Le District for pre-dinner wine and small plates. We could've spent the entire weekend there shopping, dining, exploring, taking in the whole experience.

For pre-dinner we dined at Beaubourg Brasserie which they refer to being as much classic New York as classic French. Beubourg means literally “pretty village”, like the namesake a vibrant area in the heart of Paris. We dined at a table with a picturesque view overlooking sunset on the Hudson adjacent to 'Le Bar'.

We dined on Foie Gras Terrine, Steamed Mussels in saffron broth and shave fennel and a charcuterie selection of cheeses: Brie du Pommier (cow), Crottin de Chavignol (goat), Fourmé d’Ambert (cow), and Comte Elegancé, each better than the next. 

To accompany our small plates we ordered a bottle of J.L. Chave Sélection St. Joseph Offerus Syrah 2014. 

The vineyards used for Offerus are located in two distinct St. Joseph areas. The communities of Mauves, Tournon, and St. Jean de Muzols yield over 80% of the blend and are owned by Jean-Louis. The remaining vineyards are located in more northerly communities around Serrières, and even these are farmed mainly by Jean-Louis, though he doesn’t own the vineyards.

This cépage is composed of 100% Syrah, dark garnet colored, full bodied, concentrated, dense, complex brambly blackberry with notes of black raspberry and hints of blueberry, floral with tones of tapenade, leather and spice with hints of anise and tightly wound tannins on the firm finish. A bit much for the mussels but ideal for the hearty cheese and pate.

RM 89 points. 

Vinous gave this 91 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2319834

https://www.ledistrict.com/

Vincent Marie Antoinette Lacombes Margaux at Hemmingway's Bistro Oak Park

Vincent Marie Antoinette and Lacombes Margaux at Hemmingway's Bistro Oak Park

We dined at Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park with daughter Erin and Son-in-law Johnnie. We love Hemingway's with its authentic classic French dining experience, reminiscent of a small French village bistro.

Pre dinner, I ordered one of my favorite wine pairing dishes, the Foie Gras du jour, and we also had their Baked Imported Brie with apricot preserves and honey.  For our dinner entrees, I ordered the Five Spice Duck Breast with mango beurre blanc, Johnnie ordered the Bouillabaisse Royale, Linda ordered the Tuna, and Erin ordered the Softshell Crab (entrees pictured below).

For the wine course I brought BYOB Chateau Lascombes Grand Cru Classe Margaux 2006 and from the wine list we ordered Vincent Marie Antoinette Puilly Fusse 2014.

Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée Marie-Antoinette Vincent 2014 

To accompany the white fish, the baked brie and salad course we ordered this Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée white Burgundy from the wine list.

This was crisp clean with nice balance of citrus and acidity with notes of citrus and lemon peel, hints of green apple and spice.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2201818



Château Lascombes Grand Cru Classe Margaux 2006 

Dominique Befve, Lascombes GM
and fellow 'pour-boy' Bill C

We've enjoyed meeting Château Lascombes GM Dominique Befve (left) a regular participant at the annual UGC annual North American tour of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC) where the producers introduce their latest vintage release to the US market.  Lascombes was a highlight in some of the recent tour tastings. 

I brought this 2006 release to commemorate Eric and Johnnies' tenth wedding anniversary last year.

Lascombes is typically ready to drink after five to eight years yet can be held for several decades depending on the vintage. At ten years this is probably at its prime and will not improve further with ageing. This was a perfect accompaniment to the Foie Gras.

Dark blackish garnet colored, medium full bodied,  complex but nicely integrated bright vibrant black cherry, blackberry, and black currant fruits, smooth balanced nicely with tones of smoke, anise, leather, tobacco and black tea.

The composition of the Grand vin Chateau Lascombes '06 is a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon  and 5% Petit Verdot. 

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=358745

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/01/union-des-grands-crus-de-bordeaux-ugc.html

http://www.chateau-lascombes.com/

http://www.hemmingwaysbistro.com/

Softshell Crab

Bouillabaisse

Tuna Filet

Five Spice Duck Breast

Valentine's Day Dinner and Fantesca Chardonnay

Valentine's Day Dinner and Fantesca Chardonnay

For a gala Valentine's Evening Dinner we dined at trendy, cozy, quaint Chez Joel on Taylor Street in Chicago. From their price fixe holiday dinner we dined on lobster bisque, New York Strip Steak, Canard Confit, Scallops and for dessert, Mousse au Chocolate, Creme Brulee and a medley of sorbets - chocolate, raspberry and mango.

From home, I brought this BYOB special Chardonnay from Fantesca - the first and perhaps still only Heidi Barrett crafted Chardonnay. The Fantesca branding is theme was ideal for the Valentine's Day occasion.

Fantesca Vineyards and Winery Sonoma County Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2008

I've written often in these pages about Fantesca wines and visiting their spectacular Spring Mountain Estate, winery and vineyards. We visited there with Bill and Beth and tasted and sourced this wine upon release. 

Bill brought this to our dinner a few weeks ago from his cellar. His notes from Cellartracker - "Medium straw in color. A bit of perfume on the nose. Pear, peach, lemon zest and just a hint of buttery oak on the palate. When I selected this from the cellar to accompany friend Linda's broiled salmon with dill I was pleasantly surprised to find there was still plenty of freshness left. I don't think this will get any better but it is awfully good right now."

WCC - 90 points. 

The fruit was a bit more subdued than earlier tastings in 2010 and 2012 but this is still very tasty. Butter colored, light-medium bodied, nicely integrated, smooth, crisp and clean, flavors of tropical fruits, ripe melon, hints of lychee and under current of subtle citrus with a pleasant lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=872831


 Château Haut-Pontet St Emilion Grand Cru 2010

From the wine list we selected this St Emilion Grand Cru. This is the second wine from Chateau La Confession.

This was a perfect complement to my duck confit and the others' NY Strip Steaks.

Predominately Merlot fruit with but a touch of Cabernet Franc (5%) to firm up the structure and add depth and some dimension to the perfumed bouquet.

This is a nicely balanced well-made St. Émilion Grand Cru at a high QPR - Quality to Price Ratio.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, nicely balanced and textured, bright elegant fruit filled blackcurrants, blackberries and plum fruits with notes spice, hints of tobacco leaf, floral, earth and anise with round supple nicely integrated soft tannins.



RM 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1892649

 

Vintage St Julien trio highlight Hemmingway's Bistro Dinner

Vintage St Julien trio - Château Beychevelle and Gruaud Larose highlight Hemmingway's Bistro Dinner

For a Saturday night dinner at Hemmingway's Bistro in Oak Park, a French inspired cuisine, the site of several of our wine dinners including our gala wine dinner last fall.

I took BYOB three vintage left bank Bordeaux from the St Julien appellation. The combination of two bottles from one producer and two bottles from one vintage, provided the chance for a mini-horizontal and mini-vertical comparison tasting in one.

I pulled two bottles from the 1988 vintage since I feel its less age-worthy and starting to enter the latter stages of its drinking profile, while the 1986 is known for long life so I was less concerned about consuming those bottles soon. All three showed well this evening demonstrating the longevity of quality Bordeaux in a good vintage.

These and some other St Julien wines are some of our favorite holdings in our wine cellar collection. We hold more than a dozen vintages of the Château Gruaud Larose label going back to the eighties. We have enjoyed meeting David Launay, winemaker, during his visits to Chicago as part of the Union Grand Cru Producers of Bordeaux' (UGCB) North American release tour in 2013 and again in 2014. We had the privilege of pouring both of these wine at some of those events when their representatives were detained in New York by snowstorms last year and the year before.

With the UGCB tasting event coming up again in two weeks, we look forward to hosting the producers in Chicago again and tasting their 2013 release. Having had two grand-children in that year, I'll be paying special attention towards acquiring birth-year wines for the grandkids.

These wines were the perfect accompaniment to the Pan Seared Foie Gras with grilled onion and pear (shown left).

It is said that the French are masters at pairing wine with food. This would be a great benchmark as the complement between all these wines and this starter was spectacular.

The wines were also great when paired with the peppercorn crusted beef tenderloin au pouvre and the duck confit with sweet potato gnochi in a brown sauce (shown below) courses with the au gratin potatoes and the creamed spinach.

As would be expected, all there wines evolved over the course of the evening, especially during the first thirty, sixty and ninety minutes. None were opened prior to the meal nor decanted.

While they were basically pop and poured, tonight was a realistic evaluation of these wines' state and provided a meaningful comparison and enjoyable tasting experience.



Château Beychevelle 1986

Amazingly, at thirty years of age, this is probably at the apex of its drinking window - such was the longevity of the 1986 vintage. We still hold a couple cases of various Bordeaux from this vintage that we've been holding as we consume lesser (ageworthy) vintages, which is most.

Like the other two, the cork was slightly saturated and the bottom half crumbled on opening. This one was the most stable and consistent from opening through the course of the evening. 

Bright garnet colored, medium bodied, this was complex bright cherry, dark berry fruits with layers of cigar box, tobacco leaf, earthy forest floor and herbal tones, turning to tongue coating tannins on the lingering tangy finish.

RM 89 points.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=8369

Château Beychevelle 1988

I bought this case of this wine upon release back at the time. This is the fifth of the last remaining bottles. This blew me away as I was concerned it would be further diminished from age from the previous tasting when it was starting to show diminution ... it was still drinking well.

This was the showing its age more than the other two, but still holding showing consistency with my last published tasting note back in 11/2010.

"Medium bodied, slighly brickish color, nicely balanced soft earthy leather and tobacco tones predominating over the black cherry fruit on moderate, smooth tannin finish. Time to drink." Tonight this was showing a bit of barnyard funkiness on opening that burned off over the course of an hour, but still showing tangy tongue coating notes on the cherry fruit.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19132

http://www.beychevelle.com/

Château Gruaud Larose 1988

At close to thirty years of age, this is holding up the best of several other St Julien Bordeaux that I hold from this vintage.

Tonight, this cork was slightly partially saturated on the bottom third which separated from the top half on opening.

As written in this blog, tonight's tasting was consistent with my last tasting two years ago when I published this tasting note.

Medium - "full bodied, dark garnet colored, lively acidity with firm core of black berry fruits accented by tobacco, leather and hints of cassis with moderate tannins on the finish."

The bright cherry fruit and a layer of earthy black truffle and smoky meats were offset by the bright floral tones on the tangy lingering smooth tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3883

http://www.gruaud-larose.com/ 

With the dessert course of Mango Grand Marnier Souffles and Creme Brulee, Dan selected from the wine list the Taylor Fladgate Twenty Year Old Tawny Port.

Taylor Fladgate Twenty Year Old Tawny Port NV

This was great with the creme brulee as well as the souffle dessert course.

Essence of sweet Cognac accented by a layer of dried sweet figs, dates, tones of smoky nuts with raisiny fruits and a layer of carmelized nuts on the finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=6778








After dinner, back at our house with fresh fruits, select cheeses and dried fruits we opened this zesty tasty Tokaji (below). 

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszú Eszencia 2000

Great for a soothing nightcap.

Amber orange colored, thick chewy full bodied, zesty unctuous apricot and hint of tangerine fruits accented by and give way to smoky tobacco laced caramelized almond, walnut with hints of fig and toast on a slightly tangy acidic sweet citrus finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=247123

More to come.

 

Wright Now Tour culminates in Le Bouchon Dinner

Wright Now Tour culminates in Le Bouchon Chicago Dinner

This is starting to appear like the Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) wine site with this being our fifth FLW tour event capped by a wine-dine dinner outing in recent months.  Here is the posting on my FLW Prairie Architecture WebSite on our Wright Now Tour, which we finished with a dinner at Le Bouchon French Bistro in tony Bucktown in Chicago, walking distance from our kid's condo there. L and I have dined at their sister restaurant La Sardine, opposite the (former) Harpo Studio, several times but this was our first visit to Le Bouchon. Bill and Beth celebrated their anniversary there.

As part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial festivities, SC Johnson, the Johnson's Floorwax company, is offering Wright Now shuttle bus tours to Racine, Wisconsin, to explore the SC Johnson corporate headquarters designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Tours include the Administration Building (opened in 1939), the Research Tower (opened in 1950), and Wingspread, the iconic, Prairie-style home Wright designed for H. F. Johnson Jr. in the late 1930s.

This was a particularly special outing since our friend Bill C's grandfather was an executive with SC Johnson during the time the company was engaged with Mr Wright to develop the project. He had many opportunities to meet with the legendary Wright during that time. Bill holds a library of memorabilia from those encounters. What a wonderful surprise when we discovered during the tour of the SC Johnson HQ research tower, a display of a vintage Life Magazine article featuring the building. Featured in the displayed magazine is a picture of Bill's grandfather, W C Connolly, advertising executive of SC Johnson, standing in the Wright designed building with Herbert Fiske Johnson, then President of SC Johnson.

Our follow on tour of the spectacular Wingspread was punctuated by reminiscences of Bill recalling visiting there as a child. 

Bill and Beth took a BYOB wine to enjoy with our picnic lunch on the tour, and I took a couple BYOB selections for dinner afterwards. We dined at Le Bouchon Bisto, boisterous and crowded yet cozy and chic, as authentic as it could be, as if one were transported to Paris or a Provencal village.

While we found their $50 corkage fee prohibitive to open our carry-in, we enjoyed an authentic haute cuisine dinner with a couple selections from their French centric wine list, two diverse styles that each complimented the courses of our dinner perfectly. I normally might rail about such an exorbitant fee, but I won't. With their small venue and its limited seating, they don't have high volume to offer BYOB, thereby reducing their revenue per diner. Moreover, they offer an appropriate thoughtful selection of reasonably priced wines to compliment their extensive menu selections.

Bill selected the 2008 Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Dominique Mugneret which went well with the salad and starter courses - the Mousse of Duck & Rabbit Livers with Fig Jam on Sourdough, the apple salad, French Onion and seafood bisque soups.

I selected the 2010 Château Coutet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru which fit our hearty bone-in ribeye and pomme frittes entree.

Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Dominique Mugneret 2008

Opaque medium-light bodied, ruby colored, moderately tart cherry and cranberry fruits with hints of  pepper spice and some dusty earth. This was favored by Bill and the ladies. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=524878

 

Château Coutet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2010

We've enjoyed Château Coutet at the UGC vintage release tastings as well as an aged vintage of their dessert wine at our wine dinner tastings. This is a right bank wine with a left bank character and feel with its dark garnet color, medium body. smooth polished but rustic gripping mouthfeel, dark berry and cherry fruit with crushed rocks, graphite, dusty leather and pepper on the nose and palate finishing with smooth soft tannins. I prefer this bigger, more robust style, especially with our beef entree.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1532671

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

Our 'pour boys' wine group toured the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park, followed by the neighborhood walking tour featuring iconic Wright homes. As a docent/interpreter for the FLW Trust, I arranged and presided over our group tour. Our custom tour focused on Wright's nearby 'bootleg' homes, the classic prairie style Heurtley House, the Nathan Moore and adjacent Hills House, the Beachy House, FLW's first complete prairie style home, the Frank Thomas House, and the Laura Gale House.

Afterwards we dined at Hemingway's Bistro Restaurant in the quaint Wright Inn, a few blocks away, near Hemingway's boyhood home, across the street from the Hemingway Museum. Their semi-private room in the back overlooking the restaurant provided the perfect comfortable intimate setting for our dinner group assemblage.

The Hemingway's Bistro French inspired cuisine provided an ideal accompaniment and setting for our BYOB French centric wine flight. The staff, lead by our server Aron, did a spectacular job attending to our group of twenty, serving dinner and accommodating the preparation and service of our wines, making for a wonderful delightful dinner evening. They set an adjacent table for showcasing and preparing our wines and provided fine wine glassware for reds, whites and champagne.

Our group has no less than five current period weddings to celebrate and we'll have two grandchildren born this year so there was much to toast and commemorate with our wines. To that end, our wine flight selections featured several notable vintage years with wines from 1970, 1976, 1981,1982, 1988, 1989, 1991 and notable wine vintages such as 2000. We also got a first look at some recent releases. Recent posts in these pages have highlighted our wine tastings at Bill and Beth's, and Dan's recent wedding celebrations.

The wines:

For a starter, I brought a magnum of Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon Champagne, 1976. Regretably, the cork of this bottle had failed recently and this bottle was corked.

From our cellar I sourced a vertical flight of Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux for Eric & Cathy, Kay, and Linda and I to offer. George was amazed we were holding these wines this long. I stated that's the fun of special anniversary/birth year vintage bottles. Moreover, I explained how we learned over time that we drank many of our Bordeaux, especially from the eighties, too early! Look how these old Bordeaux held up and showed well, even those at ages supposedly past their drinking windows! Every one met or exceeded expectations.

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1981 - our daughter Erin's birth year who is expecting a child in the coming month. Deemed a modest vintage with moderate aging potential, this wine showed amazing resilience and showed well. Medium bodied, bright ruby colored, earthy leathery dark cherry and firm blackberry with hints of creosote on the tannic berry finish. Amazing life yet in this cellar selection. Recent tastings showing lot's of life left in the remaining 81's in large format. RM 89 points. https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=20282

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1988 - George and Leslie's daughter's birth year - whose wedding to Eric & Cathy's son Ross is next month. Last time I reviewed this wine I noted the disparity between the Parker (86) and WS (95) ratings. You decide! Once again, supposedly outside its drinking window, this showed well with little of no diminution from age. Medium bodied, bright ruby colored, classic Bordeaux floral perfume, blackberry, spice, tar, a moderate finish. Bigger and more firm than the others. RM 90 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1767

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1989 - Bill and Beth's son Matt's birth year who is engaged and will wed in the coming year.

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1991 - Kay's daughter Becka's birth year - who is getting married next weekend. Like the '81, another modest vintage overachieved and surpassed expectations. While lacking the structure and backbone of some of the 'bigger' vintages this showed surprisingly bright lively fruit and was very enjoyable. Full floral nose with flavors of dark berry, black cherry, layers of earthy tobacco, hints of cassis and spice. There was still life in this, very much in its drinking window. RM 89 points. https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=135897

We also had a vertical flight of Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux.

Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux 1970 - brought by Ryan, graduation year for many of us. Another amazing showing for a wine incredibly 45 years old ... testament to the stamina and aging potential of quality Bordeaux, still holding vibrant fruit, amazing floral tones and no signs of serious diminution.
Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux - 1982 - brought by Bill - commemorating son Will's and our son Ryan's birth year, and,
Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux 2000 - a legendary Bordeaux vintage, brought by son Ryan. Two classic showings from two classic vintages, the '82 appearing much lighter than expected.

Bill also brought another 2000 Bordeaux, Chateau Haut Batailly Pauillac 2000.
Both 2000's showed their breadth and depth of fruit accented by classic Bordeaux floral, earthiness and tobacco leaf with muscular but approachable sinewy polished tannins.

Dan, Ernie and George each brought a red and a white including -

Le Secret des Georges Sabon Chateauneuf-du-Pape - 2011 - One of the highlights of the tasting, showing its big bold forward complex fruits, almost overpowering the sophisticated but comparatively more delicate Bordeaux's.


Château Vignot St. Émilion Grand Cru - 2007
George brought:
Jacques Puffeney Arbois Pinot Noir 2009
Marcassin Marcassin Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2010 - Smooth, polished, rich, consensus accolades as one of the best Chardonnay tasting experience ever!

John brought:

In Florescense Blanc de Noir Brut Champagne and
Charles Smith Lawrence Vineyard Viognier 2011

Lyle brought two Napa Valley big reds that stood out with their bold expressiveness:
Schafer One Point Five Stag's Leap District Red Wine 2012
Nils Venge Senecleaux Napa Valley Red Wine 2013, just released and tasted for the first time. This was a huge hit. We're long time friends of Nils Venge and have much experience with his wines. We've collected several vintages of this label but this was our first tasting of such. A great showing with big forward berry fruits accented by sweet vanilla oak.


Apologies to anyone if I missed or mis-atributed any wine (s).

The food:

For starter courses when seated, Chef Ala prepared and served his Baked Brie in puffed pastry with almond and honey which was perfect with the starter champagne and white wines, and his chicken liver pate on toasted baguette. Several folks had the roasted beet salad while Dan and I feasted on the foie gras.

From the menu, many folks had Chef Ala's Saturday Night Special Beef Wellington. Dan had the Mixed Grill, I had the New York Strip au poivre with creamed spinach, George had the Prawns.  Many of the entree's featured Chef Ala's signature pommes au gratin.

After dinner several folks had the special Souffle, and others had the Creme Caramel, the Warm Apple Tart, and I had the decadent Mousse au Chocolate with raspberry coulis that was a chocoholic's delight.

French Dine and Wine in Hyde Park

French Dine and Wine in Hyde Park

We've been wanting to visit La Petit Folie in Hyde Park (Chicago) for a while and used the occasion to meet with friends Dr Dan and Linda since its about a mid-point between us. Hyde Park is the enclave on Chicago's South lakefront known for the Science and Industry Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright landmarks, and of course the University of Chicago. Soon we'll know if it is home to the Barak Obama Presidential Library, whom also happens to have his family residence nearby.

One of the neighborhood attractions to be found in a community full of culture and academia is the French Restaurant La Petit Folie. Even on a cold Chicago winter night it was a wonderful dining experience, meeting or exceeding our expectations in all respects - food, atmosphere, ambiance, value, ease of access and parking, and their hospitable BYOB wine policy.

All the starters, entrees and desserts were delicious, creative and thoughtfully prepared, presented well, and with large portions. Three of us ordered off the price fix offerings, but also supplemented our course with a additional first course from an list of enticing and delectable choices.

They have a carefully selected full wine list - all French appropriately, with 28 reds, nineteen whites and a half dozen sparkling wines and rose. They also offer a dozen and half wines by the glass to fit all categories and tastes. Their prices are reasonable with a bottle of authentic champagne available at slightly more than the four glass price at a total price of about 1.5 times retail price - the appropriate pricepoint, fair and at good value (many restaurants are at 2 or even 2.5x, sometimes more).

I called ahead to validate the BYOB corkage policy, then to accompany our dinner, I actually brought three different French selections from which to choose, for a proper pairing with our entree selections - A Right Bank and a Left Bank Bordeaux and a Chateauneuf du Pape - each bottle was twenty plus years of age.

Les Entrees

Dan and I both indulged in the pan-seared foie gras with  roasted pear, brioche toast and Belgian endive salad; Port shallot sauce. Linda (M) had the casolette of shellfish with lobster - shellfish and wild mushrooms with lobster medallions served warm over pasta al nero. Linda (A) had the goat's cheese tart with ratatouille; small salad of arugula and cherry tomatoes.

For the main course Linda A and I both had the Boeuf en Carbonnade a la Flamande - beef braised with onions, tomato and pale ale; red cabbage braised with apples, baby peas and parsley potatoes. I had preselected this from the web menu and it happened to be available from the price fixe offerings. Linda M had the Salmon Choucroute - salmon wrapped in brick pastry and served with Alsatian sauerkraut and Brussels sprouts; double mustard cream sauce.

Dr Dan had the Pork Chop Alsacienne - boneless center-cut pork chop with sauerkraut, roasted baby potatoes and warm salad of broccoli and broccoli rabi; double mustard sauce.

Desserts 

Our dessert course was the Apple Tart Tatin - the Tatin sisters' upside-down caramel apple French vanilla ice cream and three of us had the Chocolate Bombe - chocolate mousse on chocolate hazelnut torte draped in dark Belgian chocolate.

Phelan Segur Saint Estephe Bordeaux 1996 

I have enjoyed meeting the producer and tasting the recent releases of this Grand Cru at the UGC tastings in Chicago the last three years. This twenty year old is hitting its stride and may be at the peak of its drinking window, was a perfect accompaniment to the foie gras, the mushrooms and the beef flamande, not to mention the dark chocolate desert. 

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits accented by floral aromas of dusty rose and violets that increased over the course of the evening, with tones of spicy black tea, smoke, and hints of graphite, tobacco leaf and hints of leather on a dark red berry fruit and floral lingering moderate tannin finish.

RM 90 points.

http://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=7279

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1988 with Waterleaf Glenn Ellyn French inspired dinner

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1988 with French inspired dinner at Waterleaf in Glen Ellyn

We dined with son Ryan and D-in-law Michelle at the Waterleaf restaurant in the Culinary Arts Center at COD (College of DuPage) in Glen Ellyn. I took BYOB from the cellar this Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1988. The aged Bordeaux was a perfect accompaniment to the French inspired cuisine.

Waterleaf features a pric fixe selection of choice of starter, entree and dessert which two of us selected.

To pair with my BYOB wine, as a starter I had the Chicken Liver Mousse with Cherry Compote and Toast Points.

For entree selections, I had the Grand Marnier Coffee Glazed Duck Breast with Carrot Puree and Raspberry Reduction (left), and Ryan had the Filet Au Poivre with Potato Croquettes and Pea Puree (below).

Before dinner we had the Henry Mandois Brut Champagne, NV, and then with the girls' seafood entrees, we ordered Chappellet Napa Valley Chenin Blanc 2011 from the Wine Spectator award winning winelist.

For dinner entrees, Linda had the Sea Bass and Michelle had the Crusted Scallops (shown below).

Waterleaf's service was a bit lacking as it was a bit slow and inattentive. While the pairing of our vintage Bordeaux with the pate, steak and duck were highlights of the meal, the wine service was slow and a bit awkward. It took three requests for them to finally decant and serve our wine, which by the time it was in the glass we were almost finished with the pate starter. When the entrees were finally served, the duck entree was warm, not hot. Service aside, all the food selections were delicious with nice picturesque presentations, as shown. 

For desserts, we had the Sorbet Selection, the Maple (Creme) Brulee (which was void of Maple?) (below) and another.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1988

Before heading to the restaurant I opened and decanted the Ducru for three hours, then recorked it. The cork was perfect and the fill level of the bottle was 1/4 up the neck.

The color was bright ruby with no sign of diminution from age. Upon opening the room filled with huge aromas of violets, berry fruits, green pepper, leather and cigar box. The wine was medium bodied, with complex bright flavors of black berry, black cherry with earthy tobacco leaf, very modest tannins and a short finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=21784

http://www.cod.edu/waterleaf/index.aspx 

Waterleaf Sea Bass was superb

Waterleaf Crusted Scallops

Waterleaf Filet Au Poivre with Potato Croquettes
and Pea Puree

Waterleaf Maple Creme Brulee

Waterleaf Sorbet Selection - Chocolate, Berry, and Ginger

Chez Joel Bistro - Marsannay Burgundy with Authentic French Faire

Chez Joel Bistro - Marsannay Burgundy with Authentic French Faire

For the second time this summer, after a day in the city, we dined at our favorite French Bistro Chez Joël (that happens to be in the heart of Chicago's Little Italy Taylor street dining district), a family  restaurant operated by brothers, Joël and Ahmed Kazouini.

While we love the atmosphere of their elegantly quaint authentic bistro francais dining room, in the summer when weather permits we opt for their outdoor courtyard patio, a perfect setting since we had with us two of our grandkids, Lucy and Richie.

Courtyard dining at Chez Joel

For the wine selection we took advantage of their wine special offer, Domaine Silvaine Pataille Marsannay Bourgnone 2008 which proved to be a proper accompaniment to the Pâté starter and our Duck and Ahi Tuna entrees. I've already tried every Bordeaux on their thoughtfully selected wine list. For summer, and the lighter tuna and duck faire, the more delicate and approachable Pinot Noir based Burgundy is the way to go.


The Duck & Chicken Liver Pâté is always enjoyable. I had the pan seared Duck Breast & Duck Leg Confit, served with Wild Mushrooms Fricassée, Potato Galette and Cranberry Orange Sauce. It very tasty and creatively prepared. The potato galette is a signature dish however I especially like their mashed potatoes. Linda and Erin loved the Ahi tuna daily special entree served in a delicious berry sauce with pomme puree.

Sylvain Pataille makes wines exclusively from the terroirs of Marsannay-la-Côte. He runs the family owned domaine in Marsannay after studying in Bordeaux and working as a consulting oenologist since 1997. He  has been developing his own label since the 2001 vintage, dependent on rented parcels of vineyard around Marsannay, then started with one hectare and today has 10, producing 12 cuvées. His wines are found mainly in France and in the US particularly in restaurants.

Duck Breast and Leg Confit

Sylvain Pataille owns and runs the small domaine in the little known commune of Marsannay just south of Gevrey Chambertin in the Cotes de Nuits. He practices biodynamic farming, so popular in Burgundy like many of his illustrious neighbors – Domaine Leflaive, Domaine Leroy, Domaine de la Romanée Conti. This method of viticulture is thought to bring more minerality, vitality, intensity and most importantly, a sense of the individual terroir which is the essence of Burgundy wines.

Shared portion of the Ahi tuna

The property is on the road from Beaune, past Gevrey-Chambertin on the outskirts of Dijon. The region only received it’s Village AOC in 1987 – before this the wines were ‘regional’ and simply called Bourgogne or Bourgogne de Marsannay. There are no 1er Crus. Marsannay is also well known for its white and Rosé wines. While the AOC belongs to the Côte de Nuits it is not officially within the Côte de Nuits.

I regularly write in this blog about how difficult it is to find high QPR (quality to price ratio) value priced Pinot Noirs. This naturally also applies to French Burgundy wines, which of course are named for the region, whereas in the US, wines are named for the grape varietal. Chez Joël does a nice job offering a selection of moderately priced French based wines to pair with their menu.

This 2008 had a bright ruby red color, light to medium body, it presents cherry, ripe cranberry, hints of strawberry, dusty rose and leather and a whisper of vanilla, it is well balanced with soft acidity and has a nice mouth feel with a smooth lingering fine tannin finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1009374

http://chezjoelbistro.com/