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January 2007
The Problem With Jet-Set, Superstar Chefs
Posted: 12:13 PM ET, January 30, 2007
I read David Myers’ blog on his wonderful experience at Pierre Gagnaire’s restaurant in Paris, and how the French chef is genius. And I agree with him wholeheartedly. The guy is genius. The problem is that his brilliance isn't always manifested on the plates that arrive at your table, especially in his other restaurants around the world. Read more
LA's Hottest New Italian Restaurant
Posted: 10:52 AM ET, January 29, 2007
It’s amazing how excited people get about pizza in Los Angeles. I went to Pizzeria Mozza over the weekend and the 60-seat restaurant was heaving with people. We could barely get into the door! In fact, it takes a month to reserve a table for dinner. Read more
The Mystery of Fake Bottles
Posted: 04:38 PM ET, January 26, 2007
I have seen and had my share of fake wines. I was having dinner the other night with Geddy Lee of Rush and he reminded me of the time we opened a bottle of 1961 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle that was bogus. I don’t remember exactly what the bottle actually was, but it wasn’t the 1961 La Chapelle, which is a 100-point legend. Read more
Rock 'n' Roll, Burgundy and Barolo
Posted: 06:29 PM ET, January 25, 2007
I had a fun dinner last night at the restaurant Campanile with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush. They are in Los Angeles finishing a new album that should be out very soon. Alex says it will be a new sound for Rush, “heavier and more powerful than before. Read more
The Sizzle of a Great Steak
Posted: 03:16 PM ET, January 24, 2007
Only a few things are better than a great steak and a fabulous glass of red. I have been to many of the best restaurants in the world, but some of the most satisfying gastronomic experiences have been a simple grilled piece of meat and a glass of red. Read more
Gentlemen: Port and Cigars
Posted: 12:54 PM ET, January 23, 2007
Last weekend I was asked to retire with the men to partake in fine cigars and Vintage Port while the ladies chatted in the sitting room, and I was pinching myself a little bit. I couldn’t believe that my old high school buddy, Tom Unvert from Newport Harbor High School (I was known there as Jim Reordan), had finally conformed in Newport Beach to some of the civilized pleasures that I had learned while living in London. Read more
They Are What They Are
Posted: 02:27 AM ET, January 22, 2007
James Laube shared some high-octane reds from his cellar over the weekend. And they were outstanding. They included 2004 Turley Petite Sirah Napa Valley Hayne Vineyard, 2004 Pride Syrah Sonoma County and 2002 Lewis Alec's Blend Napa Valley. They all shared flamboyant fruit and luscious velvety tannins and long finishes. Read more
Wanted in the Napa Valley Hills: A Glass of Red
Posted: 01:19 PM ET, January 19, 2007
I may have considered killing someone for a glass of good red last night, and James Laube would have been my accomplice. The two of us went up to St. Helena to celebrate the 60th birthday of none other than Mr. Harvey Steiman. The high priest of food and wine invited a few friends to a house up in the hills loaded with freshly cooked crab and chilled white wine. Read more
Napa, Beaune and California Pinot Noir
Posted: 05:49 PM ET, January 18, 2007
I have been in Napa for a couple of days now, visiting the magazine’s office, and I have a strange déjà vu sort of feeling when I walk the streets of downtown, which is a rare enough activity for car-crazed Californians who seem to drive everywhere. Read more
Corky Wines Are Not Always Due to the Cork
Posted: 03:24 PM ET, January 17, 2007
I tasted a couple dozen California reds yesterday with James Laube and Tim Fish in Wine Spectator's Napa office, and I was struck by how many of the reds seemed slightly off or tainted. Most of the wines were Napa Valley Cabernets, but we also tasted Cabs from Sonoma. Read more
For the Love of Sake
Posted: 03:20 PM ET, January 15, 2007
Sake: Are you as frustrated as I am with the stuff? I absolutely love sake, especially with great sashimi and sushi. I was at a supercool Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles this weekend that is completely off the radar. It’s in a chic part of Melrose, but the tiny restaurant doesn’t even have a sign outside. Read more
Pigs, Dom Pérignon and Nicaragua
Posted: 09:10 PM ET, January 11, 2007
I bought the last two bottles of 1996 Dom Pérignon at the border of Honduras and Nicaragua. Doesn't that seem a little excessive? I got them at a bargain $120 a bottle. And 1996 is one of the best vintages ever. It is at the same quality level as the 1982. Read more
Volnay and Rum in Nicaragua
Posted: 11:43 PM ET, January 08, 2007
I arrived from Miami in Managua in good shape and was swiftly transported to lunch at a friend’s house. He used to live in France for a long time. He laid on an incredible lunch of crab soup. (Crab soup is something the locals eat to help hangovers … but we hadn’t even drunk anything yet!). Read more
La Rioja Bajo
Posted: 09:17 AM ET, January 08, 2007
My children and I went to our last meal on Saturday before they had to return to England for school. I chose Carlito’s Gardel, the Argentine restaurant I like on Melrose in Los Angeles. I win all around here. Good wine from Argentina. Good steaks for me and Jack, and pasta with tomato sauce for my 8-year-old daughter, Isabel. Read more
By the Glass Makes A Better World
Posted: 10:22 AM ET, January 05, 2007
It was like we were at my home in Tuscany. My son, Jack, was speaking Italian to our waiter and joking with him that he should support the Florence soccer team instead of Torino’s Juventus, while my daughter Isabel was eating a pizza Margherita that looked thin, crunchy and delicious, like it had been made at our local pizzeria in San Giustino Valdarno. Read more
Small World in California
Posted: 12:00 PM ET, January 03, 2007
I arrived at my father’s house in San Diego the other evening and there was an open magnum of wine sitting on the kitchen counter, with “Zin ’05” marked on the side of the Burgundy-shaped bottle.
“I wanted you to try this wine and let me know what you think,” he said. Read more
New Year’s Eve in the Desert
Posted: 01:53 PM ET, January 01, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR. Where did 2006 go? I hope 2007 is a good year for everyone.
I spent my New Year’s Eve at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Rancho Mirage and then at a movie with my 12-year-old son, Jack. My 8-year-old daughter, Isabel, was still jet-lagged from the trip from Manchester to Los Angeles, so she went home with my mom in a taxi. Read more
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