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jparrott

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Everything posted by jparrott

  1. jparrott
    Hey! A post from me! Osteria dell'Arco. Simple food, and the pricing is maybe a Euro more per plate than some places. But precise, precise cooking. Then there's the wine list. Plenty of stuff for our naturalista friends, plus a bunch of awesome classics. Pricing? Less than US retail. Casa Costa Piane Prosecco Col Fondo (which is Dressner in the USA)? 18 Euros. For the whole bottle. And you don't have to tack on 35% tax and tip, etc. Seriously, this list would make even DonRocks and Waitman whimper quietly in contentment. Alas, I dined alone, so for each dish, it was "tua scelta" to the marvelous sommeliere. And there was all kinds of lovely stuff. If you like oak, you may want to go elsewhere. I walked in on a Thursday night, but it's the day after Epiphany, so I imagine there were a few Roman hangovers this morning, for which an evening of excellent food and wine in a genteel atmosphere was not the remedy. Go.
  2. jparrott
    Note to readers--their Facebook page (linked from their website) does list their opening hours.
  3. jparrott
    I was there too! I was in school up there at that point in my life. I only went because the Head of the Charles was rained out that day. Was standing behind the goal when Pope scored the winner.
  4. jparrott
    Greatest Event? Final round of the Masters when Angel Cabrera won in a playoff. Greatest Performance? I watched Scott Barnsby throw a no-hitter for UMass at Fenway Park during the "Baseball Beanpot" in 1997. The 27th out was a screaming gapper by Carlos Pena (yeah, that one), which Doug Clark nabbed at full stretch. Greatest Game? USA 1, Argentina 0 in a friendly at a packed RFK in 1999. Tension just built, and built, and built (Argentina was playing pretty much their first-choice side), and Joe-Max Moore scored in the 88th minute. Most exciting? 2014 Indianapolis 500. All the tradition, and an aero package that meant a ton of passing and maneuvering throughout the race. And....I was at the Daytona 500 the year Montoya hit the jet dryer.
  5. jparrott
    Listen to PF. Oh, and for heaven's sake, if you're going to be in Paris for a week, get an apartment. Buy a pintade from Desnoyer. Roast it carefully. Rest it longer than you think. And enjoy one of the most incredible bites of bird you'll ever have.
  6. jparrott
    I see my statement as no different from when I called out Tom Sietsema's editor for allowing the publishing of reviews that didn't address wine or other beverages. In that case, whether he liked it or not, Mr. Sietsema (a little NYT style there) needed an editor.
  7. jparrott
    Does Todd own the presses on which Washingtonian is printed? No? Then he needs an editor. At least for anything printed under someone else's masthead. Should the kicker have been in there? No. Whose job was it to take it out? The editor's.
  8. jparrott
    Many countries have different labeling laws, so different labels for even fine wines are often required.
  9. jparrott
    And delicious #threadmerge
  10. jparrott
    This Saturday! 2-5pm at Weygandt Wines in Cleveland Park. All 4 Hayman's Gins--Old Tom, London Dry, Royal Dock (navy strength) and Sloe.
  11. jparrott
    A prominent brand ambassador (whose name and affiliations will be omitted for privacy) put it to me this way: "my job is to make sure <name of brand> is on the back bar at <names of prominent bars>, so that the sales reps can use that information for sales." Brand ambassadors are instructed by their bosses almost always to work solely with the on-trade. Much of their customer-facing work is at night, and includes a great deal of "marketing spend," i.e., buying their own brands for themselves and others to create buzz and (hopefully) make the bar feel more adept at serving the brand. My job (most of the time) is to ride in the passenger seat of a distributor rep's car during the day, going to retailers, restaurants, and bars, presenting subsets of our widely-varying book of more than 50 products (wines, aromatized wines, bitter things, cordials, and spirits) to widely-varying customers (from mom-and-pop wine shops to large restaurant groups), all the while helping the distributor rep get better at determining which products from our portfolio are best for each different kind of customer. I also do in-store tastings, where I present products in context, often with paired food or mixers. Almost all of my work is done during the day, and I am not required (nor am I even encouraged) to order my own products when I do go out in the evening. Which is good, because it would cut down on my ability to order the fantastic mezcals under the Mezcal Vago label.
  12. jparrott
    I am not a brand ambassador. I am a sales rep.
  13. jparrott
    This beer is yet another example of what Victory does so well--take an orthodox style of beer (sessionable or not), and make it more precisely, and less sweet, than everyone else. It's why Victory is my favorite American brewer.
  14. jparrott
    I'm never home anymore (full disclosure blah blah blah), but remember when we used to have big ol', sling-bottles-across-the-room wine happy hours at Corduroy in its old Four Points location? While I would still advocate doing that at the current Corduroy location, the list at Red Hen is more than worthy of the same treatment, and plenty edgy. I just wish I could join y'all.
  15. jparrott
    Bumping, only because I'd like to hear what the esteemed Mr. H. experienced in Kaiserstuhl.
  16. jparrott
    Make 'em with good tequila or high-proof gin (full disclosure blah blah blah--I sell Royal Dock Navy Strength Gin). Then worry about the garnishes.
  17. jparrott
    Friday March 21st - 4:30pm-6:30pm Unwined Belle View Location 1600A Belle View Blvd. Alexandria, VA Saturday March 22nd - 1:00pm-4:00pm Unwined Bradlee Location 3690 King St. Alexandria, VA Dolin dry vermouth Dolin blanc vermouth Cocchi Vermouth di Torino Cocchi Americano Bianco Cocchi Americano Rosa Cardamaro Vino Amaro Food pairing ideas! Oodles of context! Slicing! Dicing!
  18. jparrott
    Thread Merge!
  19. jparrott
    Allow me to endorse anything PF says about Paris. The PM he sent me before my trip in 2011 may be the best PM ever sent on DR.com.
  20. jparrott
    Dr. Heger has an excellent Silvaner (and a winemaker who speaks perfect English). Huber is known for their Pinot Noirs, but I found them overextracted and dull. Both Huber and Heger have excellent, dry grauburgunder (stark contrast to the sweet messes made of Pinot Gris on the other side of the Rhine) and very good weissburgunder (not muddled up with Auxerrois, as many are in Alsace).
  21. jparrott
    (Full disclosure, blah blah blah). In Piemonte, the traditional accompaniment to chocolate is Barolo Chinato, a digestivo made with Barolo wine, a little fortifying spirit, sugar, quinine, and other aromatics. The quinine bitterness acts as a more complete palate cleanser for the richness and intensity of dark chocolate. We import the Cocchi Barolo Chinato, which uses some softer aromatics like ginger, cardamom, and cocoa to balance the wine and quinine spice. Available at good retailers in Washington, DC. (Full disclosure, blah blah blah)
  22. jparrott
    Anybody that employs Greg Engert, Jeff Faile, and Brent Kroll is doing something right.
  23. jparrott
    Well, there's a HUGE devaluation of United miles for bookings made after January 31st, especially on other Star Alliance airlines. So if flying in First Class on any of the interesting Star Alliance partner airlines is still not checked off (particularly ANA, Thai, Asiana, Lufthansa), you might want to get a move on. F space on those airlines often only opens about a week out.
  24. jparrott
    Full Disclosure Blah Blah Blah Pearson's in Glover Park, 2-5:30PM this SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21st. With bonus bourbons!
  25. jparrott
    No one answer to that. Some botanicals are potent on the nose, mostly flowers and citrus. Some are potent on the palate, mostly spices and citrus. Vegetal stuff is potent on the finish.
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