Joe Riley

Equinox is open at 5:00 on Sundays, and parking is a snap, of course. Tallula is open - as a matter of fact, I'll be there Sunday evening!

Just tried some new South African wines today: Kumala In short, they were dreadful, all new oak from inner-staves, and the guy actually mentioned how many grams/liter of residual sugar they had, which was up to .9! They are inexpensive - probably retail under $9, but beware, they are not worth trying. It's sad, because South Africa has some of the coolest, hippest wines on the market, and the dollar is so favorable against the rand, that they tend to be excellent bargains. This company obviously puts profit above quality.

I'll never understand how Clos du Bois Sonoma Chardonnay continues to sell. It is characterless. I'd like to add, stay the hell away from any wine from Smoking Loon. They are terrible. I could fill this thread with wines that are foisted upon me week after week, but I'll try to stick to some of the most egregious offenders.

Equinox allows you to bring your own wine. One of the rules is, it must not be a wine that is currently on their own list. I don't know if they have a corkage fee, because I'm a friend, but Todd always asks that, should you bring your own bottles, please take good care of your servers with your tip (Equinox servers, split tips at the end of the evening, so if you are especially generous, everyone benefits) That policy seems more than fair. Whenever I brought wine (on my birthday, for instance) I brought it with full intent upon sharing with the chefs and management. After all, that's the fun of it, the sharing. I usually brought two of everything (in case I had a corked bottle *shudder*..) and I simply kept them in an insulated wine bag. The other thing to consider is this - bring something "special", an "event"-kind of wine, not something inexpensive that you'd have on any given evening at home anyway. In a nice restaurant which has excellent stemware and proper decanters, the experience is so greatly enhanced and it's just all the more worthwhile. This is a great thread.

Chris Pearmund, of Pearmund Cellars (the closest Virginia winery to D.C., by the way) is having success with his whites, but his reds have a little ways to go, I'm afraid. Nice guy that Chris, and his white wines are worth a look. Dennis Horton (Horton Cellars, Gordonsville, Orange County) has world-class Viognier, and his Cabernet Franc is tops. Dennis has long been a proponent of experimentation with different, unsung grape varietals to find what works best in Virginia's climate and soil. Mark is right - Petrus and the other Pomerol estates sit upon a lot of clay, which might be one reason why Merlot does better in Virginia than Cabernet Sauvignon. I've always been told that Virginia will NEVER make a classic Cabernet Sauvignon for several reasons - the soil and the p/h levels, and the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon vines don't like our humid summers and cold winters. Cabernet Franc, however, works beautifully (tougher skinned that the Cab Sauivignon) and is argueably the best red wine made by Barboursville and Horton, and never terribly expensive. I also have to agree with Jared - my customers very rarely inquire about Virginia wines, except for "theme" dinners. Their value vis a vis their West Coast counterparts is sorely lacking. Viognier seems to be the most sucessful white wine grape grown here, and Horton has been doing it longer than anyone else, so he has the oldest vines and the most expertise in the state. I'll never forget a Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine piece on Viognier a decade ago, and Horton got included in the reviews, and it got three "***" (highest rating) beating out Calera and anyone else at the time - the magazine commented, "Where in the hell is Orange, Virginia?" Ever since, Dennis has had success selling that wine in Napa Valley wine stores, and in San Francisco. Some other Virginia Viognier growers actually got their vine cuttings from Dennis Horton. For the Chardonnay lovers, Naked Mountain is usually among the very top in the state, and when I could buy it directly from the winery, it was worthwhile, but when they shifted to selling through a distributor for the District, the price went through the roof, and it was suddenly competing with a whole lot of better-known California Chardonnays and we stopped carrying it. I wish those growers nothing but the best, but they will always have an uphill battle in the more competative markets. Theirs is a Sysyphian task, a true labor of love.

Tony is quite talented and passionate about his cooking, and it was always fun to visit Equinox on Sunday evenings (when they first began doing that, and it was a little bit slower) when he or Brendan were in charge, and they got to play with their friends a bit and get creative or try something new on us. I didn't get to visit with him at Aria, but I'm excited about this new venture. I hope to get to visit with him there. By the way, I understand that this is the same restaurant group or ownership as Dish.

Tony is quite talented and passionate about his cooking, and it was always fun to visit Equinox on Sunday evenings (when they first began doing that, and it was a little bit slower) when he or Brendan were in charge, and they got to play with their friends a bit and get creative or try something new on us. I didn't get to visit with him at Aria, but I'm excited about this new venture. I hope to get to visit with him there. By the way, I understand that this is the same restaurant group or ownership as Dish.

Beware when buying this wine. Read the label carefully. Castle Rock doesn't own any vineyards, they buy juice from a multitude of sources, even within the same vintage, so you could have 2003 Pinot Noir from Russian River, Carneros, or wherever they choose to buy it. There are significant differences in flavors and styles. For the same money, you can buy Kimball or Martin Ray "Angeline" Pinot Noir (both from California) and they offer better value I think.

Matchbox is awesome - the vintage brick oven pizzas are fantastic. When they first opened, one of the owners (his name escapes me, sadly) told me that their brick ovens are heated to 800 degrees, or 200 degrees hotter than most pizza ovens, which accounts for the bubbling-effect of the cheese. The mini-burgers are really good because they are made with a terrific grade of beef. Some friends I know call these things "sliders". Matchbox has a terrific array of draught beers, with excellent microbrews (such as Dogfish Head) and imports, and their wine selection is better than decent if unremarkable. Try to avoid the place on an event-night at the MCI Center, as the place will be packed, and deservedly so. On-street parking is a bear, naturally, but there are some large garages right nearby. It is a fun place to go, and I've taken lots of friends from out of town there, especially if they like beer.

That is Chef Brendan Cox, former sous at Equinox and chef at Market Salamander in Middleburg, VA. (I know that Mark knows this - I mention it for the benefit of other readers ) Brendan is a huge fan of steak tartare - one late night a few years ago, I was with him and some other friends and we had closed out a bar but we were still hungry. It was probably around 1:00, and I suggested Bistro Français, which is usually open until at least 3:00. Brendan's reaction was, "Great! I could go for some steak tartare." Good to know that they are open Sundays, thanks!

Equinox is also open on Sunday nights, from 5:00-9:00. Chef Todd Gray usually lets his sous-chefs work every other Sunday, and it is a wonderful opportunity to allow them to be creative, since they usually aren't super-busy on Sunday nights. If you go early enough and ask for a set number of courses, a sort-of spontaneous chef's menu, then the kitchen crew can show off some dishes that they've wanted to try out and let their creativity loose. It can be really fun, since on a slow Sunday those guys can get a little bored. They love to cook for their friends and they really enjoy an opportunity to have fun with you. Work with them, and you will be richly rewarded. If you plan on a sizeable group, just talk to them later in the week and they can prepare for you. Try to talk with Ethan if you can.

So, it's basically right next to Makoto? What an odd contrast. Makoto, for those who haven't been there, is much more traditional than a lot of Japanese restaurants here. It is very small, and you must remove your shoes before entering. The food is excellent, and some professionals I've spoken about it with have declared Makoto the best Japanese restaurant in D.C. It was certainly good. I'm not a fan of the saké boxes, though.

If I'm not mistaken, Greg was the RAMW "Chef of the Year" back in, what, 2000 maybe? He was still at Gabrielle at the time. So glad to see that David Greggory is succeding. He's come a long way from New Heights. You're right, though - that sounds like a tasty dinner.

Well, you've obviously found their U.S. importers website: www.Montecastelli.com I'd give them a call or drop them an email: MONTECASTELLI SELECTIONS 41 Commerce Street New York, NY 10014 TEL: +1-212-414-4998 FAX: +1-212-243-7790 office@montecastelli.com They can tell you which markets they sell to, and if they sell to D.C./Maryland or Virginia then you're in luck. Barring that, I'd call Tom Hanna at Bassins - he's the dean of Italian wine merchants in Washington, and if anyone has it, he would.

I didn't know about Dino's pending arrival until I ran into my friend Chris Cunningham last month (he's formerly of Andale) who is the manager. He told me that their list is going to be substantial, especially a reserve list. Chris is a truly nice guy and worth getting to know.

2 Amy's only serves wines from southern Italy, and co-owner Peter Pastan has a great selection. I occasionally have need for the Hardy's Sparkling Shiraz, and I remember that Rupert's used to serve it by-the-glass. Right now, I think the only sparkling red that I have call for is the Banfi Brachetto d'Acqui, both in 375ml and 750ml, and the Ca' Del Solo "Freisa" (from Bonny Doon Vineyards). I'd definitely serve them chilled.

Ha! Don knows me as a wine merchant, and those are my current favorites, that are available to me at any rate. Kinda tough with the dollar as weak as it is against the Euro, but I try to keep a nice selection.

One of the things I like best is the sheer diversity of bottlings available to us in this market My current lineup of preferred wines (All U.S.A. unless indicated): Palama Albarosso Salice Salentino Rosato 2004 (Italy) Ca’ Del Solo “Big House Pink” Rosé 2003 Bonny Doon “Vin Gris de Cigare” 2003 Saintsbury “Vincent Vin Gris” Pinot Noir Rosé 2003 Domaine Guindon, Coteaux d’Ancenis Gamay Rosé 2004 (France) Joel Delaunay Touraine Rosé 2004 (France) Bryce “Pinky” Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2003 (the '04 is arriving soon) Ch. de Roquefort Provençe Rosé “Corail” 2003 (France) Pascal Lambert Chinon Rosé 2004 (France) Ch. Valcombe Côtes de Ventoux Rosé "Signature" 2004 (France) Mas de Gourgonnier, Les Baux De Provençe Rosé 2004 (France) Les Valentines “Le Caprice de Clementine” Côtes de Provençe Rosé 2004 (France) Edmund St John "Pinc Froid" (75% Counoise, 25% Grenache) Henry Pelle, Menetou-Salon Morogues Rosé 2004 (France) Domaine du Goure de Chaulé, Gigondas Rosé 2003 & 2004 (France) Ch. Pradeaux, Bandol Rosé 2004 (France) Lucien Crochet Sancerre Rosé 2004 (France) And let's not forget Rosé Champagne - if you like it and haven't tried the Aubry (Imported by Terry Theise) then you are missing a true delight.