Joe H

Thank you mdt, I've spent the last 15 minutes researching Navelli which looks like a fascinating adventure: http://www.deliciousitaly.com/guide/central-italy-regions/abruzzo-guide/abruzzo-itineraries/item/1062-navelli-plain.html Saffron and a medieval town! The Brioni outlet is in Pescara. I once drove from Rome there believing that I could buy the suit or sportcoat of my lifetime and wear it at high school reunions, retirement parties and anywhere else that I wanted to look like James Bond after an eating binge! I bought a bathrobe. A Brioni bathrobe. I couldn't find anything else in my size. But i still wear the bathrobe although it's not quite what I would wear to a high school reunion or a retirement party. But it is what I would wear the next morning and if James Bond gained 50 pounds he would still be comfortable in it, too. I must add that the coastline which borders the Adriatic, from Rimini through Ancona and to Pescara, is an adventure. A close friend of mine who was born in Italy and has probably travelled every mile of Autostrada spent his honeymoon in Sicily. I have never been there but one day I will. And i will wear my Brioni bathrobe in the hotel room...

I sincerely believe it will literally be a life's memory to visit you and the Shields at Riverstead. Neal, for us, an experience to talk about in the nursing home! An incredible, dream partnership that I hope someone reading this will appreciate, understand and consider bringing to D. C. There is nowhere else on earth than I would like to be except in Chilhowie this spring or summer.

Bologna. Soave. (a 1,000+ year old walled city which is the headquarters of the wine consortium of the Veneto; and one turn off of the Autostrada, a km away). Bologna to Mantova. Bologna to Rimini. Bologa to San Marino. Bologna to Panzano. Bologna to Deruta. Soave to Lake Garda and Bellagio. Soave to Cortina. (The Dolomites!) Soave to Bassano en Grappa. Soave to Bolzano (The Dolomites!). All of these are driving. Of course Bologna could be the base for a train, too, but Soave is halfway between Verona and Vicenza, almost a gateway to the Dolomites and very close to the lakes. Venice is an easy 45 minutes or so east with one turn. I love Bologna. It is unknown by most Americans. They go to Rome, Venice and Florence. Never visit Bologna or Rimini or the Dolomites. 70, 80 km to the north of Bologna is one of the greatest places on earth to eat. Well, to dine, too. But you are ground zero for Reggiano, Balsamic and Parma. A good friend of mine would strongly encourage you to visit Torino, too and the mountains north of it. I would also seriously suggest this as a destination for a meal. You could do this and San Marino together. Don is going to have an opinion on this, too with Cinque Terre. There would be a lot to be said for spending time there, too. I would give serious consideration to time in Bologna and time based in Soave. This is the Soave hotel and the photos will tell you everything. I must note that almost nobody in Soave speaks English except the Roxy Plaza. For me that is a huge plus. Yes, you have to go to Rome and to Florence and to Venice (which we absolutely love but NOT in the summer). But then you should visit places where there is a very small chance of meeting another American. We've been to Italy nine or ten times in December and January. (because of my business I could not take a summer vacation.) I've never actually been there on Christmas Day but we've been there the week before and the week (s) after. I remember one of the most crowded streets I have ever seen in Florence the day before. One of the most romantic nights we have ever had was in Venice when they were erecting the Christmas tree on San Marco square. I've mentioned this before but riding in the front of Vaporetto (outside of the cabin, on one of the seats in front) is one of the great experiences on earth. Just riding. Getting lost wherever it takes you. I believe that Venice in December is night and day different from the spring/summer/fall. The relative absence of crowds makes a huge difference. I passionately believe you should rent a car and get lost. I also understand riding trains for day trips. But for me nothing takes the place of pointing a car and the adventure of finding whatever is in front of us. Italy is one of the best places on earth to do this.

I cannot tell you how much we loved the Ashby Inn. Because of Neal. Just an incredible loss: this was a Great restaurant and a Great Inn. And, for me, he was the primary reason. He drove it, he made it, he made our nights when we visited. He was also a huge champion of the Virginia countryside and Virginia wine. He directed the Ashby Inn into becoming one of the best restaurants in the mid Atlantic. And, he was managing partner. Their note says they "regret not having the opportunity to say goodbye in person." Neal, please let us know wherever you are going. I will toast you tomorrow night with a bottle of Granite Heights Humility '10. If you read this I have two bottles left and would love to share one with you. I even know where.... I'd also throw in a bottle of something from Walla Walla.

From their Facebook page:

Here is a post of mine on Chowhound. I believe that I was the first to write about the 10 seat Il Ridotto in English and it has now received a Michelin star. The chef/owner takes your order personally and then goes into the kitchen, prepares it, and then serves it. An extraordinary experience that is among the most personal, the most romantic in all of Italy. Along with Alle Testiere (24 seats and now included in every guidebook about Venice) you must reserve several weeks or more in advance. My wife and I go back to Italy in early May and these will be our last two meals (also Verona, Bolzano and Cortina). We already have our reservations. I must also add that I am honored that Il Ridotto cites me on their webpage along with Michelin and Gambero Rosso (!!!): Click on the "Chowhound" link. I should add here that my friends are tired of hearing me milk this for all I am worth!!! I envy you for your first trip to Italy: wow! I still remember my first trip and it was the most impressionable, the best. I've been everywhere you are going (don't drive in Portofino) and you will return with memories for a lifetime. I would also add that if you and/or your friend are adventurous and independent I would seriously suggest renting a car and driving from Florence to Venice via Bologna which receives far too little press on American message boards. I also wouldn't discount just getting lost-wherever-you go and the adventure of finding your way.

A wet hand when returning from the bathroom speaks volumes to others at the table.

A quick comment about rental cars and turning them in: in 30+ years of heavy travel I ALWAYS personally checked my rental car in and left with a receipt. Over the years there were four or five times that whoever was checking me in would note that there was some kind of ding in the car that shouldn't have been there. In person, with confirmation from when I picked the car up, this was resolved so it was not an issue. I cannot imagine what kind of bs that I might have experienced otherwise. I don't believe I ever left a rental car checkin lane at an airport without a receipt.

I've had a Platinum card since they were first released. Over time the cost has dramatically risen to where it is now $500 or $550 a year. There are a host of reasons that I prefer it and feel that it is worth the investment. These include airport lounges (I no longer use miles or pay for United's Red Carpet Club), guaranteed transportation at AMEX's cost back to the U. S. if I am sick or injured overseas, compensating me for several hundred dollars of airline charges (i.e. ticket change fees, baggage, cancellation fees, etc.)(these themselves lower the cost to $350 or so), reservations in some better restaurants overseas that would not otherwise be available (note I averaged six trips per year to Europe on business for over 20 years), better discounts on rental cars than, say, AAA, outstanding supporting travel and concierge service that is free and a significant credit line is also available that would not be with a green or gold. I have never used this credit line but appreciate it being there. Also, when purchasing something overseas there are no foreign transaction fees-I get the actual rate of exchange. I will also make the argument that the AMEX Platinum card sometimes gives a kind of credibility at hotel registration that, I swear, occasionally helps secure an upgraded room which otherwise would not be available. But that's my perception. To be honest I also view it as a reward, as a measure of success for a successful career. I would not replace American Express' Membership Miles with any other travel reward program. I typically transfer my points into Starwood at a rate of 3 to 1. Because I charge everything possible on AMEX from cable and phone to gas, groceries and almost every travel expense as well as even house repairs-everything that I can-I will end up with two free nights per year at most Starwood properties around the world. If, say, the Willard Intercontinental or the Westin St. Francis or the Le Meridien in Munich are each 10,000 points, for me, that is a savings of approximately $400 or more per night that the card allows. In combination with the airline compensation this now means the American Express Platinum Card is then paying me to have it. I do not know how much you have to spend before you can qualify; it used to be $10,000 but it may be more now. I have one VISA card and typically use it once every several years when I have no alternative. When American Express is not accepted I use a Debit card. American Express Platinum has been very, very good to me.

Oops.... ...a bit of a difference. When i screw up I do it memorably!

2010 Royal City is an unbelievable wine of which only two barrels were made, a total of about 50 cases. Sold out in two or three hours. I have six bottles of the '10 and literally, opened a bottle of the '09 last night. Left it alone for two hours in a decanter and then shared with a friend over the next two hours. Tight, closed-pick a few words but essentially it was five or more years away. Having said this, I loved it. LOVED IT. I hope I live five years longer to taste it at its best!!! Big, deep, complex, layered wine that changed every 15 or so minutes as we tasted it. Whatever you have, cherish! I just can't rave enough about Royal City. I have a lot of Rasa. PB syrah, Kiona Red Mountain, Occam's Razor and Creative Impulse (all from Northwest Wines in OR). I probably have a total of two or more cases and love them. Both the PB and Red Mountain are real bargains-I think I paid in the low 20's or so and they drink like twice as much. I haven't opened either the Occam's Razor or Creative Impulse. I think I have three bottles of each. Reynvaan is entirely different from the Royal City. Night and day. I've opened bottles of both Reynvaan Stonessence '09 and Royal City '09 with JIm and Betsy Dolphin who own Delaplane Cellars. Even after a couple of hours the Royal City was still closed. Stonessence (my favorite of their syrahs) opened up dramatically after an hour or so. Sumptuously delicious and balanced (I'm searching for adjectives...) it was a Great wine that I should also have left alone for a few more years. I only have two more bottles and I am guarding them. Worth the 98 points that the Wine Spectator gave them which is the single highest rating that any WA state wine has ever received from them. Bottom line: I would and do buy both. I am a huge fan of Wa state wine. I would also find a way to visit King Family Vineyards in Charlottesville and talk your way into a couple of bottles of their '10 Meritage which is $100 a bottle and worth every penny. They released it last spring and will re-release it in 2016. I would suggest this has the potential that both Reynvaan and Royal City do. Opened an '09 Octagon tonight (I've been sitting home and drinking good wine on the weekends lately!) and gave it two hours. Won the Governnor's Cup last year and the '10 King Meritage was reviewed as a level below in the "Governor's Case." FWIW I believe the King Family Meritage is a more complex, layered wine that is a couple of steps ABOVE the Octagon. '08 RDV is drinking fantastic right now. '09 is at least a year or more away for both wines. I made a serious investment in '09 and '10 VA wine last year. Probably half of everything I spent went into VA. Much of the rest in WA! One more thought: '10 Linden Boisseau. @$40 a bottle ($36 with a case discount) this is the "sleeper" of all VA wines. I also have a lot of Glen Manor, Linden, Veritas petit verdot believing this is a rising star in VA. '09 Glen Manor petit verdot is otherworldly. He has a tasting in a few weeks of his petit verdot that I am really looking forward to. Last: we had a really good cab from Pollak last weekend: 2009 Pollak Cabernet Reserve. $32 a bottle with a case discount. For all the world it drank like a CA cab that cost twice as much. Their winemaker left in 2010 or 11 and went to Grace Estates. I have not had any of Grace Estates wines...yet.

Thanks, Jake. Much appreciated. I will toast you!

Reynvaan, today, started accepting orders for their 2012 cabernet. Note that Reynvaan's 2010 Stonessence is the HIGHEST RATED WASHINGTON STATE WINE EVER BY THE WINE SPECTATOR at 98 points. This is only the second year they have ever released a cabernet and their 2011, sold a year ago, is only now being shipped. Unrated, not tasted by anyone. Now, their 2012 was released today for orders which will be shipped in the spring of 2015. $75 a bottle. An incredible bargain? The 98 point syrah was a similar bargain. Literally, no bs, this is the Screaming Eagle of Washington state and this is the ground floor for anyone reading this who wants to speculate. Here is their website. I am not sure if it is only available to those on their mailing list but it is worth a try. Their syrah is other worldly. The cabernet may be too. First come first served. Good luck to all. 200 cases made.

Don, all that I am saying is that Michael should have found a way to stay there. It was a landmark, a nationally known destination for steak, for hamburgers. And a one of a kind that won't be replaced. I watched the Bill Cosby interview today and felt queasy. Michael, where are you?

I go next weekend as part of a business trip (I "unretired...sort of"). With an afternoon to myself and staying near Freiburg this seems like it would be a fascinating place to visit. Franz Keller is the hotel/restaurant/winery that I am focusing on. Their "S" spatburgunder (pinot noir) seems to be one of the better ones in Germany especially from 2009. Does anyone reading this have any experience with this area? Colmar, France is across the Rhein, not too far away. But the seven villages of Vogtsburg, on literal volcanic soil seem to have all of the character, all of the history of anywhere I could hope to visit. Mark? Banco?

For everything that was posted on this board for the last 8 or 9 years i can't help but think that Michael landrum really blew it giving up this location. I don't care about the reason. Obama ate there twice. Once with Putin. Just don't believe he walked out on this place.

Great story!!! Thanks for sharing.

About the time that your dad was frugal in the Depression my mom took a job at the original Hot Shoppes at 14th and Park road. She worked there until the mid '60's when she remarried and moved back to Bealeton where she grew up. Ben and Mary's was her last job before retirement and she loved it. I never lived in that area-when my mom remarried I stayed in Silver Spring where I grew up. It would be incredible if the Shields' would open where my mom had once worked.

Small world: my mother was a waitress at Ben and Mary's for a couple of years in the mid '60's. Serious.

That's a bombshell. Also a bombshell to have the new experience,especially bringing one's own wine.

I want to add an addendum to the above. In my industry there are a number of European manufacturers who meet every year during our annual tradeshow. Each will bring a magnum of a wine that he or she is "proud of." For the Italian manufacturers from the Veneto this includes Quintarelli and Dal Forno. For the French there will be several mature first growths, the Germans will include not only auslese and spatlese reisling but also TBA and even a red or two. That they are proud of. I visit Germany in two weeks and will have dinner with several of them. I am bringing several bottles of wine that I "am proud of." Virginia wine. I have a lot of Virginia wine. '09 and '10 were good years. Really good years. I am debating what I am going to take: '08 RDV, '09 Octagon, '09 Hodder Hill or Petit Verdot, '09 Hardscrabble Red or '10 Boisseau, '10 Williams Gap, '10 Veritas Petit Verdot or even the far too young but exceptional '10 King Family Meritage. Whatever I decide it's going to include wine from Northern Virginia. Some of them have never even heard of Richmond. But they know Washington. I've done this before and I know the reaction: "there is wine like this one hour from Washington? Amazing." Spoken with a French accent. I once shared a bottle of Washington state wine (Leonetti Reserve) with Santi Santimaria at his three Michelin star restaurant, El Raco de Can Fabes outside of Barcelona. With a fishbowl sized wineglass in his hand he came into the dining room late in our evening there and, with the waiter translating, told me that he "didn't know they made wine in Washington. Are there vineyards in the city?" Santimaria thought the Washington state wine was Washington, D. C. wine. The road runs through D. C. Not through Richmond.

I now understand there are a significant number of wineries which did not enter this. I would suggest that it is at a crossroads and unless the vast majority of the 251 wineries in Virginia believe it is beneficial to them it will lose even more future participants. I would further suggest that Richmond needs to accept that there are now more wineries in the state in Northern Virginia than there are in the greater Charlottesville area. This is a far more interesting topic than the attention it is receiving on this board. Simply, if Virginia wine is going to be accepted on the national stage it needs the 6.4 million people in the Washington, D. C. area. And the credibility of acceptance there. It needs both the Loudoun AND the Fauquier county wineries. It can't lose Front Royal. Charlottesville wine country is gorgeous. For a number of wineries it is also successful with a number of 5,000+ case wineries. I would even suggest that King Family 2010 Meritage has the potential to be the best wine ever produced in this state. Pollak, mentioned above, has an '09 reserve cabnernet that, at $32 a bottle, is one of the great values anywhere. Veritas' $50 '10 peitit verdot is worth every penny of its cost. And, Afton Mountain is one of the most beautiful wineries anywhere. I haven't overlooked Keswick, Barboursville or Michael Shaps. But I believe the growth of Virginia wine, the national acceptance of Virginia wine is directly dependent on the success of Jim Law and his desciples Rutger de Vink at RDV, Jeff White at Glen Manor and Jim and Betsy Dolphin at Delaplane. And there are more: Chester Gap, the just opened Maggie Malick and several others about to open their own wineries after "tutelage" at Linden. We had a great time this weekend and believe Charlottesville and the surrounding area is one of the Great destinations in the U. S. There is also wine for the national stage. But it's not going to receive attention and acceptance until Washington, D. C. embraces it. The $100 dollar King Family 2010 Meritage is worthy of any dining room in America, worthy of being carried and presented to a Michelin starred chef in Europe. But that trip goes through Washington, not through Richmond. It's going to include northern Va, Fauquier county and the wineries noted above. It's going to succeed because some of the absolute best wine in the state is less than an hour from the Washington Beltway. Not the Richmond bypass. I don't think enough people really understand this.

It is very late as I type this, we've just returned from visiting six wineries in the greater Charlottesville area which included a number of interesting conversations along with one of the best VA wines I've ever tasted and what must certainly be the most spectacular, breathtaking setting of all. If a winery wins the Governors Cup it has to sell ten cases of the winning wine for $200. Some of the best VA wines (i.e. Linden Boisseau, Glen Manor Petit Verdot) only represented two barrels or about fifty cases. Then, factor in another fifty cases which have to be available when the results are announced and literally, for some wine, there is not enough to enter them. For some wineries (i.e. RDV) anything less than actually winning is a loss. For a winery such as Linden with a long established, loyal clientel the competition has little value. Then we have some interesting political issues: Fauquier County was not home to a single gold medal winning wine. Northern Virginia now has more wineries than Central Virginia and some may be asking if they are receiving as much recognition and support as those closer to Richmond? We tasted an incredible wine today that has not yet been released: King Family Vineyards 2010 Meritage. One hundred dollars a bottle and I had to talk my way into buying it. Their 2011 was included in the Governor's Case and is being sold by the winery for $60. I did not taste it; rather a conversation led me to their '10 which I was told was at least a year away from being released. (Their '09 has not been released yet, either.) But the '10, opened for a small glass, and then 11 hours later at home, is a sensational bottle of wine that changes every few minutes in the glass. This may be five or more years away from even being approached. Layers and layers of flavor, remarkable complexity-a real lucious mouthful that has as much potential, perhaps more potential than any VA wine I have had. I would love to taste this side by side with '09 RDV Lost Mountain and a year or so from now I will. Honestly, each wine IS worth its price. I truly believe that Virginia has successfully realized that level. We had an excellent '09 cabernet reserve from Pollack which was officially "sold out" but I was able to coerce them into selling me. $32 a bottle and a remarkable value at this price point. Veritas has one of the best and most "refined" petit verdots in the state ('10) which is also one of the most expensive at $50 a bottle. Their multi year port like blend, 500 ml Othello Reserve, at $40 was worth every penny. The nearby Afton Mountain is a gorgeous winery although excepting a library $75 '10 petit verdot I didn't taste anything I really liked. I met the owner of Afton Mountain and he and I had an interesting discussion about picturesque winery settings. Given the incredible beauty of his own winery I thought he would have an interesting opinion. And he did. Stone Mountain is legendary for the partially eroded, narrow dirt and gravel road that you climb for two miles to get up to the top of the mountain it sits on. "Tony" at Afton Mountain told me that it may not be the best view that he has seen. He described the year old Moss Vineyards as having perhaps the most beautiful view of any winery that he has been to in Virginia. He noted that its road was better, still dirt, but with fewer ruts and not a road that was so bad that you'd only go if someone else drove their car. He gave us directions and we went. In my wife's new Lexus. Moss Vineyards is literally on the top of a mountain, one thousand + feet above the expansive valley and four distant mountain ranges which unfold in front of it. From their website which also has a number of photographs: " The mountaintop vineyard and winery were designed and built to offer our guests and visitors what is simply one of the most beautiful vineyard and winery experiences to be had in Virginia." http://www.mossvineyards.net/ The fourth photo that flashes on this screen is the real showstopper. For myself Moss is not about wine; rather, it is an adventure to find, a heartstopping narrow, steep dirt road to climb. And much of the near vertical ascent caused me to curse it because of my wife's new car yet, a mile or more at the top it was, simply, worth it. Breathtaking setting. From D. C.: route 29 to route 33 (which is the Barboursville turn-but you are going to go in the opposite direction, a right on route 33). Follow 33 for six or seven miles to 810. Left on 810 and pay attention. The route number will stay the same but there are going to be a number of times that the road actually makes turns. And narrows. At some point you'll come to the turnoff for Moss Vineyards and that is when it will really get interesting. Four or so miles away is Glass House which is one of Virginia's most unique wineries. Five or so miles away-in another direction-is Stone Mountain Vineyards which for all the world will feel like climbing a one lane, two mile long dirt and mud road in a third world country. The area around the base of the mountain actually feels and looks like this, too. (Remarkable neighborhood which feels like the complete antithesis of Charlottesville.) Similar to Moss Vineyards, for me Stone Mountain is not about extraordinary wine. Rather, another remarkable heartstopping setting that will make your friends jealous because they won't have the courage or stupidity to drive to it themselves. But when you go, ideally in a rented car or with someone else driving, you will talk about both wineries for years to come. We've now been to over 100 Virginia wineries and I would suggest there is nothing else that even approaches either Moss Vineyards or Stone Mountain which claims to have the highest elevation-1700 feet-of any wine in the state. http://www.stonemountainvineyards.com/ You'll feel comfortable that both claims are true because you'll never see another road like the horsetrails these wineries use to get to them. Both Moss Vineyards and Stone Mountain Vineyards opened for the season Saturday. For all of my humor they are both sincerely worth the effort and the adventure to get to them.

Virginia announced the winner of their 2014 Governor's Cup today: 2010 Williamsburg Adagio which lists for $72.00 I believe that RDV, Glen Manor, Linden and Delaplane Cellars didn't enter.

I had a long post that, somehow, I found a way to accidentally erase before posting it. Bottom line: Carroll and its 55 game winning streak with John Thompson, George Leftwich and Monk Milloy (the President of Notre Dame): http://ghostsofdc.org/2013/03/07/hoover-thompson-leftwich-and-malloy/ James Brown and Washingtonian's article about him, the first team high school All America: http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/james-brown-making-mama-proud/ Everything following should probably have been erased: for all of the bbq, fried chicken and apple pie that I've eaten around America, on Friday night and a few weekend days when I was out of town I saw a lot of hs ball. Basketball and football. I went miles and miles out of my way to Anderson, IN (who once played DM at the MCI center and brought more than 5,000 people with them....and won beating Keith Bogans and Joe Forte), Odessa, TX (the only Yankee in a stadium of 19,000), Massillon, OH, Valdosta, GA (where I bought a scalped ticket to get into the 12,000 seat stadium that was sold out for every home game)-I've seen a lot of ball. For more than 15 years I've posted on several national boards as "big drop" but, again, all of this should have been erased. Certainly deleted. I love high school basketball and high school football. DC is the best in America for the first and on the rise for the second.