Historic Feast of Seven Fishes, La Vigilia

I would like to start by saying Happy Holiday's and Happy New Year to all my readers and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year with lots and lots of gourmet meals and loving meals with family and friends

Imagine me being on death row and ordering the last meal.  I'll have a poached Maine lobster with shaved white truffles with 2010 Chateau Domaine Romanee Conti Montrachet followed by escargot marinated in XO cognac overnight in a puff pastry with garlic butter, with 2010 Chateau Domaine Romanee Richborg then a sorbet intermezzo followed by chateaubriand cooked medium rare with shaved black truffles with 1945 Mouton Rothschild Bordeaux, and for dessert my all time favorites Italian Zabaglione, 150-year-old Grand Marnier soufflé, creme brulee and baked Alaska served with 1990 Chateau D'Yquem.  I can see the warden's face now, what did he say?  No way, give him a hot dog.  So in that vein last week for my birthday and 2 days before heart surgery/stent I had to have done, and all went well, I am fine,  I decided if I was going to die my last meal had to be at Picasso's at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with Julian Serrano.  Great chefs are artists and orchestral conductors.  Three of the greatest are Julian Serrano, Joel Robuchon, and Brian Grimley.  They paint a culinary picture in their kitchen using food as their paint and spoons, knives, and forks as their paintbrush.  They deliver a meal that presents exquisite tastes and flavors in a hedonistic combination that soothes the soul and excites the taste buds.  At Picasso's Julian produces food works of art on equal with priceless and rare artwork by the master Picasso himself on equal footing.  The dinner was fabulous and I enjoyed outstanding rare wines including the 1990 Chateau D'Yquem which is a spiritual experience for me, especially with Foie Gras that we had.  So all of that is a build-up to my family's Christmas Eve dinner at Lagniappe on Amelia Island prepared and served by the chef and owners Brian and Melanie Grimley.  Brian prepared a Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner that was spectacular!  To me it was historic.  I think of Babette's Feast and the 3 emperor's dinner and Brian replicated them in spirit and food and frankly knocked the ball out of the ballpark.

It turns out Brian is a disciple of the great Joel Robuchon and The Feast of Seven Fishes was inspired by Chef Robuchon.  We started with "The Scallop" perfectly seared with peach, chile, and microgreens.  Next was a classic Tuna tartare, "The Tuna" served with wakame and noodles.  My favorite dish was "The Escargot" was served in a puff pastry with a garlic truffle aioli.  The escargot was tender and flavorful in the wonderful sauce.  Brian mentioned that all Feast of Seven Fishes mush have salt cod so the next dish was "The Brandade" which was a salt cod with sherry cream and scallions.  Next was "The Swordfish" delicately prepared in a saffron broth, with sofrito and peasant bread.  Next to last was "The Prawn" flown in specially from Madagascar and served with polenta that was excellent with agrodolce.  The final course was "The Octopus" which was an over the top spectacular dish made even better by the most tender octopus ever prepared.  Turns out Brian sous vied the octopus all day so when served you could cut it with a fork it was so tender.  It was accompanied with a spicy tomato, clams and fresh basil.  What a spectacular and special feast.  It did honor to the late Joel Robuchon and I am sure he was looking down with much pride and approval.

Our dinner Christmas Eve at Lagniappe was one of the best meals I have had on Amelia Island.  Lagniappe is producing Michelin 3 star meals and Mobile 5 diamond meals and Chef Brian is a genius and is perfect in implementing many of Joel Robuchon's recipes and ideas.  You need to see for yourself.  The food is outstanding, the chef's skill is second to none, and the service is excellent.  I promise you will not be disappointed and I can't wait for Chef Brian's next culinary triumph. 

The Escargot

The Brandade

The Swordfish

The Prawn

It's Vegas Baby!

Due to some medical appointments, I was unable to get a week or two of blogs out but I am back in the saddle so to speak and can report on a recent Las Vegas culinary and wine trip with recommendations on places to go in Vegas. I have been going to Las Vegas for years, my last trip was in 2016. In each and every trip the amount of building and expansion of Las Vegas has been epic and nonstop. I remember going a few years ago and the hype then was wow Aria is getting ready to open and it is the first billion-dollar casino, shopping, dining destination every built. Well, surprise last week I saw two or three more "new" billion" dollar complexes being built. It is just an orgy of building going on right now. Every celebrity chef in the world has multiple restaurant venues to visit now. The possibilities seem endless. I was only there for 4 nights so I really did not get to see much new as the main purpose of the trip was to eat at Picasso's at the Bellagio. In my opinion, Picasso's should be on your bucket list. If you don't order expensive wine and stick to the basic Prie fixe menu's the cost is more than reasonable, less than $150 a person. Surrounded by millions of dollars of original Picasso artwork you simply cannot beat the atmosphere. Julian Serrano, a great friend, has been the head chef since opening. He was recruited out of Masa's in San Francisco where he started as the sous chef then being promoted to head chef of Masa's after the original chef, Masa was killed. I met Julian and his Maitre D' Ryan Worell at Masa's in the late 1980s. Julian has always had an original unique cuisine with a Spanish flair. In 30 years of having dinner at both places, Julian has been in the kitchen cooking and supervising each and every time. I often ask him when does he take time off. This trip he came out to greet us before dinner, still in the kitchen. Julian is passionate about gourmet cuisine and you will not find a better meal in the world. We had many of his specialties which include lobster, Foie Gras, scallops, and fallow deer. All meals are prepared to perfection and the presentation is a work of art. For our dinner this trip Julian had fresh shaved White Truffles we added to a dish or two. We brought our own wine and the wine highlight of the evening was 1990 Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes served with the Foie Gras as well as dessert. Do yourself a favor and get to Picasso's once in your lifetime. He also has a second-place at Bellagio Lago's that our friends highly recommend and he has a tapas place at Aria called "Julian Seranno's" that I have eaten at and can recommend highly. 

We also got to have dinner at Jose Andre's new place "Bazaar Meats" at the Sahara Casino on the strip. It was ok, and the concept is interesting but it was not a great meal that maybe we had expected. The restaurant is large and in the center is a huge fire pit where they cook the meats on a grill. Meats and seafood are displayed very nicely and will wet your whistle so to speak. The menu is extensive and sort of reminded me of Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa's menu. There are many choices of meats to choose from including Japanese Kobe. The appetizer list is also extensive and you can get lost in it. We never figured it out but our server was a little beyond "pushy" trying to get us to order multiple appetizers before the entree's which we did not want to do. He must get a commission on appetizers. He was also sort of rude. He told us well if you just order entrees you are going to have to wait at least 45 minutes for your food as we take a long time getting entrees out? What does that have to do with anything? In any event, we ordered one appetizer then our entree and then dessert and the entree's came out in about 25 minutes, not 45. The food was prepared as ordered and the meats were very tender, you could cut them with a fork. I would go back at least one more time. It was a fun place and it is definitely a place for meat lovers but service could probably be improved. 

My next recommendation is the Bacchanalia Buffet at Caesar's Palace. I can hear it now, you are kidding me? right? yanking my chain? a buffet???? Well, yes I am recommending a buffet. Years ago we had breakfast at the buffet at Caesars and were impressed. Years ago we had fresh prepared eggs Benedict and thought what great food. So travelzoo.com had a coupon for both breakfast and dinner there so we bought a couple of coupons and went. All I can tell you is WOW. Number one there are somewhere in the vicinity of 500 items on Caesar's buffet. Most regions of the world are represented, Japan, Mexico, France, etc. My major surprise was they had fresh stone crab for breakfast! I would never consider having a stone crab for breakfast. Multiple egg courses and preparations, the same eggs Benedict as before all prepared fresh and wonderful. There was only one problem, we had so much wonderful food for breakfast we did not need to eat the rest of the day. We ended up giving away our dinner coupons as we just were not hungry. I suspect if you were to go a little later and just have lunch it would fill you up all day. I must emphasize the food was freshly prepared and cooked in my opinion perfectly, another reason to recommend it. We didn't go anywhere else this trip but on past trips, we have also enjoyed the buffet at Paris Casino. 

It is important to be clear that Las Vegas is a fantasy and adult playground and cannot be duplicated elsewhere. One reason there are so many superior places and chefs to visit is the restaurants and kitchens can only be replicated in Vegas. Year ago Herbert Keller gave us a kitchen tour at Mandalay Bay and told us the casino paid close to $20 million to build just the kitchen. Think of what chefs can do with a $20 million kitchen. But outside of Vegas no one can afford that kind of kitchen and turn a profit and stay in business. So you go to Vegas to take advantage of the outstanding food there as you won't get it back home. The truth is the gamblers subsidize the restaurants and pay for your meals.

We stayed at the Platinum Hotel & Spa that we also highly recommend directly behind Bally's.  We had a one-bedroom condo around 900 square feet lots of room, clean and comfortable and had breakfast one morning in their restaurant on the 5th floor that was wonderful and well prepared with great service.  It is a 15-minute walk to the strip or a 5 minute Uber ride.

Happy Holiday Wines

Tonight we are having our annual Holiday Dinner for our food and wine society, La Chaine des Rotisseurs and the following are the wines we will be serving.  These are all value wines for the most part under $30 a bottle.  You will notice a good representation for 2015 and 2010 which were great vintage years in most of the world.  Always remember one of the things that separate the great vs. mediocre winemakers is in good or great years everyone makes great wines as a rule but only the best winemakers make great or good wines in bad years.  Both 2010 and 2015 were great years to buy wine from the lesser-known winemakers as most were outstanding well made wines.  To my knowledge, these wines are available today on wine-searcher.com and 1000corks.com at value prices.  Clark and I also want to wish for all of you a Happy and safe Holiday and a great Happy New Year.

Baron-Fuente Grand Cru Champagne NV

This super well-balanced bottle of Champagne gets an astoundingly luxurious seven years of aging on the lees. It is very rare to find something so reasonably priced that is aged for so long. Composed of even parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier, it is fermented in stainless steel. Baron Fuente is a négociant that owns almost 90 acres of vines and purchases another 90 acres "sur pied," meaning that they pick the grapes. The Esprit has a very high-quality sourdough toastiness arrived at honestly from the long aging on the lees. It is round and easy to drink, with flavors of hazelnuts contrasting its nice citrus zip. The perfect thing to serve as an elegant aperitif at an important dinner party!

92 points Wine Spectator

"Creamy in texture, with mouthwatering acidity enlivening rich notes of bread dough, black currant, lemon curd, pastry cream, and blanched almonds. Shows fine balance and length. (AN)  (12/2012)

91 points Wine Enthusiast

"As with other Champagnes in the producer's range, this blends three vintages, giving it extra richness and depth of fruit flavor. Its toasty edge suggests it has also been aged in bottle. Attractive and ripe, it's ready to drink. (RV)  (6/2017)

Iron Horse Vineyards Estate Chardonnay Green Valley of Russian River Valley 2015

Winemaker Notes WE 92

By the nose, great complexity with touches of pineapple, melon, green apple, kiwi, and yeast. By mouth, minerality, pineapple, lime and a gentle mouthfeel (a result of extensive batonnage). This Estate Chardonnay is a classic food wine. Try it with roasted cauliflower and cannellini bean salad, thyme roasted chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes and a salad of baby greens, smoky ham and corn chowder. Salmon rillettes on buttered brioche would be a perfect hors d'oeuvre.

Chateau de Ribebon Reserve Bordeaux Superieur 2015

The Aubert family has lived in Saint-Émilion since 1750 and has a long and successful history as producers of some of Bordeaux's finest wines. They own over 600 acres of vineyard property, making them one of the largest family producers on the Right Bank. Their estate centers around the old family home of Château de Ribebon, a magnificent 18th-century building that was once a hunting lodge for King Louis XIV, beautifully preserved, on a terrace overlooking the Dordogne River. Chateau de Ribebon is a blend of 70% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.

91 pts Wine Enthusiast

The wine, from one of the five Aubert Familly properties, is rich and full of great fruit. With ripe tannins and blackberry generosity over the wood aging, this is still structured yet ready to drink.

Chateau Guiraud 2010 Sauternes

96 points James Suckling

pure fruit and firm tannins from the oak that still needs time to soften. This Sauternes shows wonderful fruit and excellent potential but needs time. Try in 2018.  (2/2013)

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Tasted as part of a vertical held at the chateau. The 2010 is more Zen-like on the nose compared to the 2009 - more minerality coming through, tense and citric. The palate offers surprising viscosity on the entry with a fine bead of acidity. There are plenty of apricots and dried honey. It has a lovely caressing texture, although there is still some new oak to absorb.