Ripped Off and Disappointed with Blackberry Farms Tennessee

Accommodations and housekeeping

In a word they were were superb. Everyone raves about the grounds, the architecture, and the peaceful environment. I can confirm that the rooms were comfortable, clean, and well appointed. I've noticed over the years that the style and decor of most Relais and Chateau properties are pretty much the same with not a lot of difference in decor. For our stay housekeeping was very good and clearly the best service offered. They met our requests on the first request. We had no issues at all with housekeeping. Our room was right next to a community refrigerator with drinks, snacks and ice cream that we could help ourselves to on demand. Our room connected to a communal living space or living room with a wood burning fireplace that was very comfortable as well as a communal coffee service. You also had access to a very large game room and library that you could easily spend hours in close by.

Check-in service was chaotic.

When you arrive the arrival area and registration is very contracted. There was a service person in the driveway who stopped us. And when I rolled the window down a somewhat brusk individual stated, why are you here? I was somewhat taken aback. Obviously I was there because I had a reservation. And the signs directed me to that one spot. When I told the service person this I was told to wait while she went inside to find out what was going on. After a brief period I was invited into register. But it just seemed strange, the way it was handled. No welcome, just why are you here? Do they have strangers without a reservation just drive up all the time? Once I got to the registration, we went through the usual formalities, but the receptionists seem to be only interested in one thing which was advising me more than once to be aware that anything and everything, including the room charge while I was there would be subject to a 20% on top service charge. It really seemed like that was the main interest when we got checked in. It was somewhat depressing in that instead of being warmly welcomed, we were basically told, and it was our perception we want your money first. We were given a bell person to go to the room. However, the bell person assigned to us was actually the same age or older than my wife(we are both elderly). It was obvious they were physically incapable of carrying heavy luggage. My wife felt sorry for them and actually carried some of the heavier luggage into the room which I found completely unacceptable especially after being reminded multiple times of the service charge. At that point in time I expected royal service which was not provided. And the bell-person didn't say, no, don't do that, I'll do it they went ahead and let my wife carry heavy luggage in. Again simply unacceptable.

Dining

There are two dining venues, Dogwood, which is a more casual place providing three meals a day, and the Barn, which is more upscale and serving dinner only. In general the food was good but in our opinion did not match the price paid. There were some innovative dishes and flavors, and some of them worked, but then again some of them didn't work. To us most of the menu choices were what you would find elsewhere and nothing special or really different. I found it interesting that the dining venues have only received minor awards from one or two magazines but to be clear no Michelin star awards and no Mobile 4 or 5 diamond awards for either restaurant. You would think, based on their reputation and the prices they charged that that would be something you would anticipate but no, it didn't happen. Perhaps the main reason was the service again was completely unacceptable. It was extremely young untrained, and unprofessional servers. The servers were most interested in constant small talk every time they walked by your table as opposed to providing professional service. In fact we had to complain and request reducing the small talk every what seemed to be 5 minutes. It was the second time we have made that request and interestingly the first time was at another Realis and Chateau property. There were 2 or 3 professionals overseeing the operation, but they were seldom seen. They did have a world famous sommelier who was extremely helpful, but the whole dinner service taken as a whole, was simply not up to caliber to what you would expect. We were terribly disappointed overall, and we agreed with other reviewers who said they probably preferred the casual dining spot as opposed to the upscale Barn. The Barn seemed to us to be way overrated, and my wife made an interesting observation that the chefs and the sous chefs in the open kitchen seem to be depressed. They just sort of were walking around with sad faces. They weren't particularly excited about making dinner. It was just something you could feel, and you could see a lack of enthusiasm.

Wine

Allegedly Blackberry Farms wine list is the second best in the world compared to Bern’s steakhouse in Tampa. Having been to Bern's multiple times in my life as well as multiple trips into Bern’s wine cellars both on and off site, I can verify the truth of that statement. Especially French wines and more to the point Madam Leroy-Bize wines from Bourgogne. I was very excited about reviewing the wine list, understanding prices would be high but hoping the possibility of finding something not too expensive. No such luck. The problem is you cannot afford any of it unless you are Jeff Bezos or Warren Buffet. I was able to review the list before going and came to the conclusion I would need to take my own wines and pay the high corkage fee of $100 per bottle(++ that 20% service charge). The prices were simply unacceptable. The markup on the wines, by my estimation in some cases was close to 700%. I can assure you even Warren Buffet with all his Billions would most likely not buy most of those wines. 700% markup over retail is simply not right no matter how much money you have. I simply will not support any venue that does that. Years ago we stayed at the Delano, South Beach Miami and dined at the Blue Door restaurant. At that time I was always meeting with the Food & Beverage managers and they told me their markup was 1.5 retail and they were making money at that level, just not a killing and they wanted people to enjoy good wines with their meals. At another high end place in NYC the sommelier told me they charge those high prices because that is what they sell for in the Hong Kong wine auctions. Fine then, be honest, ship the wines to Hong Kong and sell them as money is the only thing you are interest in and could care less about the dining experience of your customers. The usual standard is 200% of retail and on rare occasion, 300% times retail, but 700% times retail is highway robbery and sends the wrong message. Contrary to popular belief I support reasonable corkage fees. Restaurants still provide glassware, service personnel, and must pay for insurance and must follow State alcohol laws when serving you your own wines so yes they should charge you a corkage fee for providing you those services in their place. Where the debate comes in is what is considered reasonable and for most of the world that is somewhere between $20 to maybe $50 dependent on the venue. Most of my wine friends consider $100 at the top end but examples like Thomas Keller’s places The French Laundry and Per Se it is his standard so for a high end place OK. But also don’t forget at Blackberry Farms on top of that is that ++ service charge. There are also unwritten rules regarding taking your own wine to a restaurant chief of which is you don’t take a wine they have on their list. So I made sure I took wines they did not have. Another unwritten rules is you take wines they would be proud to pour which I did, not Ripple or Blue Nun.

Activities

Their activity list is almost as long as their wine list. There's a ton to do at this place, and while I was in the hot tub, one afternoon a young couple was there and they expressed that they were over busy as they had actually signed up for more than they really should have, and as a result they had no downtime. That could be quite easy at BlackBerry farms so take it from us old folks with our new rule, one activity a day then a nap. We appreciated the pool space and hot tub very much. It was one of the highlights of our visit. It's small, but it was not crowded partly because it was sort of cool. But I will say that the pool was heated, and the hot tub had strong jets so you actually could get a pretty decent massage in the hot tub and then go for a swim comfortably. They also allow you to use the pool and hot tub 24/7which I found different from other places. I have always been told how extremely expensive it is to heat a pool so maybe that explains the high prices? Be aware there are very few included activities during your stay and even simple activities like a tour are to me expensive especially once you add that service charge.

Check out

Check out service was not much better than checking in. We had to call more than once to get checkout service. This time I insisted that they send someone who was strong enough to carry the luggage. I really shouldn't have to do that but based on our check in experience, I felt that it was clearly necessary to let the front desk know that they needed to have somebody younger and stronger to handle luggage and of course I was looking out for my wife also. Something interesting and positive occurred at check out. Turns out Blackberry Farms has some kind of relationship with Lexus Automobiles and one of the actual free activities you can do(and not pay a service charge) is drive around in a free demonstration ride in a Lexus SUV.   At check out there was a $100 credit off of our bill for driving up in and being a Lexus owner. What a nice surprise. Thinking about it our visit might have started out better had we been told on check in “Oh we see you have a Lexus car, you will receive a $100 credit off of your total bill at check out”. We probably would have remember nothing else. As it was we remembered “why are you here" and "don’t forget the 20% service charge”.

The Soapbox and Conclusions

We truly were looking forward to this trip and nothing short of an unforgettable experience at Blackberry Farms. We have been wishing for it for over 30 years. We have multiple friends, including friends who know the owners, who have come multiple times who gave it their highest reviews. We had nothing but the best intentions of having a great time enjoying the best in accommodations, cuisine, and service. With huge disappointment our experience was in fact forgettable. For what we paid we could have had a suite at a 100 better properties. We could have stayed at the Ritz in Paris. We could have been in the Penthouse on Regents Seven Seas. But we were stuck at Blackberry Farms with mediocre food, non existent service, and an added 20% service charge. I had already written my shorter review on Trip Advisor and while there I read about a dozen reviews over the past year or two that essentially agreed with what I have told you here. I noticed that up until a couple of years ago management responded to each review, positive or negative with a comment acknowledging the writers good or bad comments. From what I could tell for the recent past at least I saw no management comments regarding customers comments so I can only come to one conclusion, management really does not care what you think. And guess what, it shows. As we drove away in our Lexus my wife and I were commenting that we were actually happy to leave. We were going to another Relais and Chateau property, The Old Edwards Inn, in Highlands NC which it turns out was 20% the cost and 1000% better food and service and we could not wait to get there. Thinking about that was very sad. After waiting 30 years to go to Blackberry Farms we could not wait to leave because we felt ripped off and will not return. But it is sad we feel that way and sadder that Blackberry Farms could care less as long as they receive that 20% service charge.

Bainbridge Island and Traveling to Seattle(SEATAC)

Bainbridge Island and Traveling to Seattle(SEATAC)

Restaurants

​Miguelitos Cocina Mexicana

This restaurant is within walking distance to my sister-in-laws home. We had a very nice dinner here. I would call it Mexican New World Fusion cuisine. Many new and interesting dishes. Good cocktails but a limited wine list. Reasonable prices and the food was very tasty. I recommend it.

Cafe Hitchcock

Had lunch here on arrival. It is on the main shopping street and we had great service and a tasty lunch. I had pulled pork that was quite good, a surprise to me in this part of the world. Decent wine list with reasonable prices. Nice place for quick casual lunch.

One of the draws of Bainbridge Island is how lush it is. Beautiful trees, plants, bushes, and millions of colorful flowers everywhere. Frankly I do not remember seeing such a lush environment in my life with maybe the exception of the Butchart Gardens on Victoria island we visited last year. Admittedly Victoria Island is not that far from Bainbridge and would be expected to have similar weather and rain. The bottom line is both of these areas are a Northwest rain forest and get plenty of rain with a moderate climate and temperature for now. While we were there end of May it was cold and again I was not prepared and had to buy another sweatshirt or 2 to be warm. I am slowly collecting a sweatshirt collection from the cooler places on Earth. We were told it really does not get warmer until June. Makes me think of an old quote we use on Amelia Island where we have 11 months of summer and 1 month of winter. Bainbridge Island to me is the opposite. 11 months of winter followed by 1 month of summer. If you like lush green rain forests with millions of flowers Bainbridge Island is the place to go.

Transportation at SEATAC and Travel Challenges in general

Bob Dylan famously stated, "The times they are a-changin'" and he truly captured the essence of travel, particularly for individuals over the age of 65. It is widely recognized that travel is becoming increasingly challenging, and as we grow older, it often feels nearly impossible. We traveled to SEATAC (Seattle/Tacoma International Airport) and subsequently to Honolulu, Hawaii. Despite our efforts to ensure a comfortable and pain-free journey, we encountered numerous obstacles that ultimately exhausted us. Upon our arrival at SEATAC, we quickly discovered that public transportation options, including taxis, Ubers, and hotel shuttle buses, were not advisable. All these services are limited to drop-off and pick-up at the 3rd Floor Garage, and after making the lengthy trek there, we had to wait over an hour for the hotel shuttle bus, while we were unable to secure an Uber or taxi due to the thousands (not an exaggeration) of people queuing for the same. This situation unfolded at 11 PM, with street traffic congested for miles. The explanation provided was due to construction and the arrival and departure of cruise ships, but that does not account for the entirety of the chaos. We quickly recognized the necessity of booking a limousine service for any future trips to and from SEATAC. For long-distance journeys, we now reserve a hotel midway through our travels to allow for a restful overnight break before continuing. Thus far, Delta, our preferred airline, permits us to book multiple flight segments without imposing excessive charges, which was beneficial on this trip as we had four flights. However, we still endured four six-hour flights with varying levels of comfort. On our first night, we stayed at the Hilton Airport and Conference Center, a place we had previously enjoyed but can no longer endorse. Their airport shuttle service is exceedingly slow, and the hotel is understaffed, resulting in minimal service. The dining options are subpar, and the hot tub is not heated, which was a significant disappointment for me. Additionally, when I attempted to book other rooms throughout the week, as we were coming and going, I found that each time I booked for a different day, the rates increased. We eventually stayed the rest of the time at Residence Inn at the airport where the service was better, the rooms were bigger and more comfortable, and the Shuttle service was better.

I highly recommend having access to at least one airport lounge. Generally, we prefer the Delta lounges, as we find them to be the best option available. With the AMEX Platinum card, we also have access to Centurion Lounges; however, these are only located in a limited number of airports, and overall, we believe the food and atmosphere at Delta Sky Lounges are superior. Additionally, we possess a Priority Pass, which offers the main advantage of having the highest number of lounges in a significant number of airports worldwide, and while they may be smaller, they suffice in a pinch. Please note that at times, you may need to wait for entry due to crowding, or there may be restrictions on when you can enter, such as not being allowed in more than three hours before your next flight. Typically, lounges provide a satisfactory meal, and seating is usually spacious. Some lounges even offer shower facilities. For long-haul flights, we are currently able to afford first class, and it indeed makes a noticeable difference. For reasons unknown, the cost of First Class is significantly lower when departing from Orlando (MCO). I am presently disappointed with the new seating configuration of Delta's Airbus 321 aircraft, as there is a lack of legroom even in First Class, making it challenging to exit from the window seat during the flight to use the restroom. The food quality is also subpar, and the level of helpfulness and attention from the flight crew varies greatly. Delta has the potential to improve. As I recall with Delta at least the older First Class configuation with Boeing 737’s is better and you might want to select those flights over the Airbus 321.

In summary, choose your flights well and research the aircraft configuration(no more Boeing 777 business class, especially British Air) arrange for layovers, at airports that are crowded spend the money and pre-order a limo service, and pick hotels that are consistent in price and comfort and you will arrive at your destination less stressed out.

The Best Limo Service at SEATAC

I need to mention Seattle Exclusive Limo, 206-371-4755, seattleexclusivelimo.com, SeattleExclusive@gmail.com. Never have I had such a wonderful experience with a transportation company. I prearranged 4 trips from the hotel to the Bainbridge Ferry, to the hotels, and back to the airport and the trips were seamless. My trips completely removed all the problems I had originally arriving at SEATAC and my driver was on time every time. To me the cost was reasonable and well worth the cost to completely eliminate all barriers for a comfortable and painless ride. They also answered all phone calls immediately. I ended up tipping over the top because I want them there for my next trip to SEATAC. I highly, highly recommend them.

Travel Challenges in General

Bob Dylan famously stated, "The times they are a-changing'" and he truly captured the essence of travel, particularly for individuals over the age of 65. It is widely recognized that travel is becoming increasingly challenging, and as we grow older, it often feels nearly impossible. We traveled to SEATAC (Seattle/Tacoma International Airport) and subsequently to Honolulu, Hawaii. Despite our efforts to ensure a comfortable and pain-free journey, we encountered numerous obstacles that ultimately exhausted us. Upon our arrival at SEATAC, we quickly discovered that public transportation options, including taxis, Ubers, and hotel shuttle buses, were not advisable. All these services are limited to drop-off and pick-up at the 3rd Floor Garage, and after making the lengthy trek there, we had to wait over an hour for the hotel shuttle bus, while we were unable to secure an Uber or taxi due to the thousands (not an exaggeration) of people queuing for the same. This situation unfolded at 11 PM, with street traffic congested for miles. The explanation provided was due to construction and the arrival and departure of cruise ships, but that does not account for the entirety of the chaos. We quickly recognized the necessity of booking a limousine service for any future trips to and from SEATAC. For long-distance journeys, we now reserve a hotel midway through our travels to allow for a restful overnight break before continuing. Thus far, Delta, our preferred airline, permits us to book multiple flight segments without imposing excessive charges, which was beneficial on this trip as we had four flights. However, we still endured four six-hour flights with varying levels of comfort. On our first night, we stayed at the Hilton Airport and Conference Center, a place we had previously enjoyed but can no longer endorse. Their airport shuttle service is exceedingly slow, and the hotel is understaffed, resulting in minimal service. The dining options are subpar, and the hot tub is not heated, which was a significant disappointment for me. Additionally, when I attempted to book other rooms throughout the week, as we were coming and going, I found that each time I booked for a different day, the rates increased. We eventually stayed the rest of the time at Residence Inn at the airport where the service was better, the rooms were bigger and more comfortable, and the Shuttle service was better and the prices were stable.

I highly recommend having access to at least one airport lounge. Generally, we prefer the Delta lounges, as we find them to be the best option available. With the AMEX Platinum card, we also have access to Centurion Lounges; however, these are only located in a limited number of airports, and overall, we believe the food and atmosphere at Delta Sky Lounges are superior. Additionally, we possess a Priority Pass, which offers the main advantage of having the highest number of lounges in a significant number of airports worldwide, and while they may be smaller, they suffice in a pinch. Please note that at times, you may need to wait for entry due to crowding, or there may be restrictions on when you can enter, such as not being allowed in more than three hours before your next flight. Typically, lounges provide a satisfactory meal, and seating is usually spacious. Some lounges even offer shower facilities. 

For long-haul flights, we are currently able to afford first class, and it indeed makes a noticeable difference. For reasons unknown, the cost of First Class is significantly lower when departing from Orlando (MCO). I am presently disappointed with the new seating configuration of Delta's Airbus 321 aircraft, as there is a lack of legroom even in First Class, making it challenging to exit from the window seat during the flight to use the restroom. The food quality is also subpar, and the level of helpfulness and attention from the flight crew varies greatly. Delta has the potential to improve. As I recall with Delta at least the older First Class configuration with Boeing 737’s is better and you might want to select those flights over the Airbus 321.

In summary, choose your flights well and research the aircraft configuration(no more Boeing 777 business class, especially British Air) arrange for layovers, at airports that are crowded spend the money and pre-order a limo service, and pick hotels that are consistent in price and comfort and you will arrive at your destination less stressed out.

Get on the Next Plane Out to New Orleans, the New Food Capital of the World

Extra, Extra Read All About It!          Breaking News!          Hot Off The Wire!

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200!

We have just returned from a 5 night trip to New Orleans and we are extremely happy and cannot wait to share our experiences with you. Our faith in the hospitality industry has been restored. The entire trip was a joy and wonderful.

I would like to start by congratulating our favorite airline Delta for the professionalism of their crews. Getting to NOLA was difficult. There was horrible weather from Texas to the east coast and all flights were delayed or canceled. In the end it we had a 6 hour delay in flying to NOLA due to bad weather. I was impressed with how Delta handled the situation. For one thing I finally through experience learned why I need the Delta App on my phone. It worked flawlessly. As my flights changed, were delayed, or were canceled the App constantly updated. I called an agent to change flights but before the agent could do anything the operations center notified me throughout the App that re-bookings had already taken place and everything was very accurate. We got to NOLA 6 hours late but safe with only one brief episode of above average turbulence.

At the Jacksonville airport all of the lounges were full, so closed to us, so we went to Shulas Restaurant in Terminal A and had a great dinner with outstanding service. It was obvious despite being extremely busy that the manager and staff worked very well together. The food was well prepared and delicious. A great respite while waiting.

The Troubadour Hotel

We arrived late, tired but alive, and our 5 Star Accommodations could not have been better. The friendly helpful reception desk met all requests within 1 hour. Housekeeping met all requests and had supervisor check with us to make sure. Rooms and bathroom very large and comfortable. Few amenities in room and they could use more electric outlets but understandably it is an old hotel. No pool or spa but Roosevelt pool and spa are one block away and available at same fee charged to Roosevelt guests. We were just so impressed with how helpful and caring the staff were and able to assist us. I highly recommend this hotel and for us the price was extremely reasonable for what you received.

The Roosevelt Hotel

Our friends stayed here and it is a famous and old hotel also and is part of the Waldorf Astoria operation. It is very fancy and trust me you pay for it. Our friends rooms were nice but to us very small. The pool and hot tub area on the roof were OK and we had fun there but the hot tub did not have massage jets and was not that hot which I prefer. Both the Troubadour and Roosevelt are both Hiltons and have Hilton Honors perks and are 2 blocks from Canal Street and 4 or 5 blocks at the start of Bourbon and Royal Street.

Restaurants

The Gumbo Shop is one of our favorites. They have been in their current location for decades and our server had been there for 17 years. We fondly remember the excellent gumbo they serve along with a variety of gumbos. They also have a selection of Creole dishes you seen pretty much every block in NOLA. Everything was cooked to perfection and we were so impressed we purchased multiple copies of their cookbooks, hot sauces, and spice jars to take home and share with others. We will return and highly recommend it to you.

Galatories is another long term restaurant in NOLA that has been there for decades if not a century or more. We had a wonderful lunch and I had fresh line caught Pompano, my favorite fish, cooked beyond perfection. They have a great wine list and an extensive menu. It is another place we will return to again and again. Highly recommend for lunch or dinner

Antoines is the oldest continuous service restaurant in the USA since around 1840’s. Classic Creole and Cajun dishes with lots of taste and great preparation and presentation. Service was wonderful again and a highly recommended place. It would have been our #1 place but after Revolution dropped to #2 in a tie with Galatories.

Restaurant R’evolution
777 Bienville Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-553-2277
Highly recommend Server Travis

“Restaurant R’evolution is the epitome of diverse tastes and flavors, the Holy Grail of dining experiences, my magnum opus. Your overture begins” Chef John Folse

I can only verify and repeat what Chef Folse has said about his restaurant in New Orleans. I can confirm it is one of the greatest meals of my life up there with what must be similar the two Three Emperor Dinners in Paris in the past. It was an epic exploration of the highest achievement in the Culinary Arts. We started off with an assortment of appetizers and the two that stood out for me was a poached Lobster salad that was just divine followed by A5 Japanese Kobe carpaccio which I have never seen anywhere and it just melted in your mouth. For dinner many of us shared Chateaubriand that was prepared perfectly and again melt in your mount flavor and tender cut with a fork. It did not hurt that we accompanied our meal with four outstanding wines and thank you to Tom for the reds, all 100 point stars described below. Service by Travis was impeccable and the highest service possible. Nothing was left to chance. Dinner was a well conducted symphony and I cannot wait to return soon. Again the best meal ever in the past number of years. Definitely #1.  Notice the happy diners!!

2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

To me there was an excellent bouquet and flavors of chocolate and cinnamon that followed through on the taste. The wine was well balanced with a firm body and good acidity.

98 points Wine Advocate

One of the few wineries to make a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve that eclipsed its 2007 counterpart is Anderson’s Conn Valley. A spectacular effort that is as black as a moonless night, this full-bodied wine boasts abundant aromas of creme de cassis, camphor and subtle oak presented in a voluptuously textured, full-bodied style with terrific richness and depth. Great intensity and opulence as well as a layered mouthfeel make for a remarkable wine that should age for 20-30+ years. (RP)(12/2010)

94 points Vinous

Fresh ruby-red. Musky blackberry, cassis, tobacco leaf and dark chocolate on the nose. Like liquid silk in the mouth, conveying a lovely impression of sweetness and shamelessness to its currant, dark cherry and cigar box flavors. Not outsized but dense, concentrated, smooth and lightly floral, with a firm-edged finish featuring substantial fine-grained tannins that eventually dust the front teeth. Wonderful subtle savory depth and complexity of flavor. (ST)(5/2018)

2007 Dominus Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend

What an exceptional wine. The nose was exceptional and gorgeous with a floral presentation especially jasmine. I felt the body was a light body complex with berry flavors. There was a berry taste and it frankly remiinded me of some screaming eagles I have had. It also had a lingering long great finish. As Lee Iaccoca has said if you can find it buy it.

100 points The Wine Independent

A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2007 Dominus has a deep garnet color. After a swirl or two, it explodes from the glass with notes of crème de cassis, blueberry preserves, stewed plums, and rose oil, followed by touches of Sichuan pepper, cinnamon toast, and forest floor, with a hint of crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate reveals an incredibly firm, yet approachable, structure of ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the dense, multilayered, slowly evolving black and blue fruits, finishing with a whole firework display of spices, floral notes, and minerals.

99 points Wine Advocate

Deep garnet in color with a touch of purple, the 2007 Proprietary Red Wine flaunts wonderfully expressive, vibrant blackberries and black cherries scents to begin, giving way to black raspberries and redcurrants with touches of Indian spices, potpourri, chargrill, sage, espresso, unsmoked cigars and tilled soil plus a waft of cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the elegantly styled palate offers tantalizing restraint with a firm frame of very fine, pixelated tannins and compelling freshness, finishing very long with an invigorating lift. Although this wine will handsomely reward a further 5-7 years in cellar, it can offer a lot of pleasure now but will need a couple of hours of decanting. (LPB)(8/2018).

2013 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder Napa Valley

No question the darkest, blackest pitch black wine I have ever had. Highly concentrated and extracted with a balanced nose and taste. For me it had a ton of dark chocolate. Still full of fruit and to me mild acid. It will continue to age wonderfully and sent exceptionally well with our Chateaubriand.  I love most Mountain vineyards in Napa.

100 points Wine Advocate

A wine offering notes of grilled steak, steak tartare, beef blood, blueberries and blackberries galore...This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine is utterly profound, and while the scoring system ends at 100, if I had to pick a single wine that may have been my favorite of all the tastings I did in Napa, this could have been my pick. Full-bodied, rich, with incredible integration of its component parts of acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood, the wine is lavishly built, has compelling purity, richness and density, and a finish, again, that rivals that of the Howell Mountain, being close to one minute in length. This wine will be certainly approachable young, but last 30-40+ years. (RP)   (10/2015)

97 points Vinous

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is the most finessed of the Lokoya Cabernets. Powerful, incisive tannins provide the backdrop as this regal, towering Cabernet shows off its distinctive personality. Pine, menthol, wild flowers, sweet red berries, pomegranate and blood orange are laced together in a vivid, crystalline Cabernet with a very bright future. The 2013 gets better and better with time in the glass. Even today, though, it is simply magnificent. (AG) 97+(10/2015)

2022 Paul Pernot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Garenne

Yes, sometimes I exaggerate but not in this case. Clark and I did spend a half day with Paul Pernot at his home and did barrel tastings in his cellar under his home in 2012. He to me is one of Frances greatest wine makers. I love his wines and I have loved the Clos de la Garenne which is not a common one. So when I saw this on the menu I had to have it for dinner. The wine tonight was a fruit bomb. Lots of honeysuckle and pear on the nose and taste, very complex. There was moderate acid which is typical for this vineyard. The finish was medium but still there. To me the oak was slightly high and now days even France is lowering the oak print in their chardonnay’s. Paul Pernot has run the domaine since the 1950s and is easily in his 90s, but he's still spry. Speaking very little English, he is often assisted by his two sons who both are heavily involved in the running of the domaine.



93 points Jasper Morris

Pale colour with a light green tint. This has flesh and grip while the fruit style is not without elegance. The mineral acidity plays very nicely at the back. This wine has considerable potential. (12/2023)

K&L Notes

Bill Nanson Burgundy Report: "‘Always a little more power here’ – the clos shared with Magenta/Jadot. Planted in 1956…Lighter, extra floral component to this nose. Lighter but also wider and more mouth-watering. There’s finishing ‘pop’ of flavour that still has some oak – but what delicious wine”.

For a detailed review of many of Paul’s wines see this web site:

https://onethetrail.klwines.com/on-the-trail-blog/2024/1/19/paul-pernot

Available by the glass for dessert at Revolution

2008 The Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Essencia(only the second time I have seen on a wine list in my lifetime).  We had this specific wine last year on the Queen Mary and it was a spiritual experience.  I also gave a full bottle to my friend Tom for his 60th birthday that I found stuffed behind a shelf in the back of the room at Sam's Wine Warehouse(Now Binions) Southside Chicago.  A case of this original wine was given to Catherine the Great of Russia yearly in tribute so she would not invade Hungary.  It is the highest quality Tokaji wine in the world and many will say the greatest sweet wine in the world.

Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes in multiple years by the glass, always a treat!


New Orleans Creole Cookery was our choice for Mothers Day Brunch and again a wonderful dining experience, again with Creole and Cajun dishes. My favorite where was a the charbroiled oysters which to me were the best oysters we had during our trip. Excellent service and again highly recommended

Two Chicks Breakfast and Lunch

One block from The Roosevelt and The Troubadour no question the best breakfast place in town with outstanding attentive service and great well and properly prepared food and large portions of your classic American Breakfast. Almost too much food. Very friendly engaging staff.

MS RAU

Owned by Bill Rau and his family since early 1900’s a museum, art, furniture, jewelry store with some of the rarest finds on the planet that most of which are for sale. One example is Napoleon's desk from St. Helena. We had a personal tour by Bill that was great and everyone is welcome to visit. The things for sale will bankrupt most of us. One of his customers purchased a 2 million dollar painting while we were there. He had an original Degas I was interested in but I do not have enough stuff to mortgage to afford it. His jewelry is to die for, some of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen. Do your self a favor and visit. It takes about 2 or 3 hours just to catch the basic stuff.  You will see their ads daily in the New York Times.

Observations

Everyone we met, served us, spoke with us were 100% polite, kind, helpful and caring. It has been a long time since I felt this cared for. I guess they don’t call it the Big Easy for no reason. The city just had such a positive vibe that I have not seen as much around the world since COVID. Service everywhere was outstanding and attentive.

It was somewhat interesting but almost every creole and Cajun restaurants menus were to me identical with the same items, gumbo, shrimp creole, barbecue shrimp, etc. Frankly we tried a couple of them and the dishes and to me all of the food was outstanding but all the recipes to me were pretty close. I would say pick one or two and just stick to them and none of the others will be much different.

The roadways and pathways and sidewalks were all pretty much like Europe some worse than others. Uneven pavement, pot holes everywhere including the side walks, nothing repaired or modernized. It is obvious they have no funded improvements to infrastructure for some time. Wear good solid walking shoes and if gait challenged maybe carry a cane for balance.

NOLA should be visited late autumn to early spring. From mid May to end of October heat and humidity is brutal. Our last trip in September we could never get our hotel room cool enough and outside was like walking in a hot sauna. Our mid May trip was better and comfortable. In the South there is a thunderstorm with lightening somewhere daily. You need to be prepared that any flights in the South will be delayed significantly so plan accordingly. It helps a lot if you have lounge access to wait in a more comfortable environment. Pay attention to your airline app and monitor it constantly for gate and departure times. Our most recent trips both the Delta and United Apps worked perfectly and kept us well and accurately informed. We were able to stay home longer before leaving for the airport because of immediate updates on our flights through the apps.

Bourbon Street

Like all of us I was once young and adventurous and had no problem staying up all night drinking on Bourbon Street and dancing the night away. That ship sailed a long time ago. I no longer go and frankly I recommend you avoid Bourbon Street all together anymore. We were there at 6 PM and already it was full of sick, passed out, rough looking individuals with human liquids on the streets and police every 2 feet. Frankly today after 6 PM the place is dangerous. We could not get an Uber from Antiones as it is on a side street to Bourbon and the Uber app required us to walk out of the French quarter to catch an Uber. The Uber restricted area is about 10 square blocks around the Royal Sonesta Hotel. To confirm how dangerous a few years ago when we stayed at the Royal Sonesta as we enjoyed our breakfast we watched the streets being cleaned to wash off the blood where 10 people had been shot at 2 AM that morning from a bad drug deal. Our Uber driver told us they are not allowed to enter the area after 6 PM. That kind of entertainment no longer appeals to me and Clark is very happy. Royal Street parallels Bourbon street and is much more sedate and has some of the best shops in town, example MS Rau. So go to Royal Street in the morning and early afternoon and have lunch but leave the area in general before 6 PM. If you have reservations at some of the top restaurants in the area if you cannot walk get an Uber or Taxi who will drop you off but after 6 PM you will have to walk a couple of blocks to exit the French Quarter to catch a ride back.

 

 

 

Bad Review Ritz Carlton Bacara Santa Barbera California

First an apology. I have not published any new articles for some time now. It is because I have had no new travel or dining experiences worth writing about. It goes along with my basic philosophy which is to provide you with information on exceptional, spectacular, worth you time experiences in wine, travel and food at a reasonable cost, or rarely experiences you should avoid. So arriving in Santa Barbara, California I was provided with a wealth of information to share with you some good, and sadly some bad. We came to attend the Chaine des Rotisseurs Mondiale weekend at the Ritz Carlton Bacara for the Jeunes Sommeliers Final Competition to select the Sommelier of the USA will attend the World Sommelier Competition in Europe representing the USA. Sixteen years ago we attended the same event here at the Bacara and were overwhelmed as to the luxury and world class food and service we experienced. For the past 16 years we have considered the Bacara one of our top 5 destinations in the world so were highly excited to return now so any bias I may have had would be positive.

The Ritz Carlton Bacara

One of my favorite books is "You can't go home again" by Thomas Wolfe. A large part of my life was coming to peace with the fact that as much as I fantasized as to how wonderful places I had been and lived were so great I had to learn to accept that when I returned years later it simply was not the same place I remembered and too many times the reality of today was that those places had changed for the worst and were nothing like I wanted to remember. Very sadly we are highly disappointed on our return to the Bacara. It is not what it was 16 years ago. The good news is the physical plant, buildings and architecture, and grounds continue to be beautiful and compelling. Other than that the place has gone down hill.

To begin with there was a serious lack of dining venues. My understanding from discussions with some resort managers is the hospitality industry as a whole is doing away with room service, fine dining, and any kind of up scale food service and instead concentrating on banquet services and low end dining venues with very limited menu selections at fairly high prices for what you get. Example a $30 hamburger or a $26 Pina Colada or a $48 breakfast buffet and all of them ++ and I should say for parties of 8(think families with small children) a 26% service charge the highest I have ever seen. They say they lose money on food and beverage especially room service. How the Bacara loses money is beyond me at those prices. All the bean counters do is concentrate on the bottom line of every venue. Instead of looking at the bottom line at the end of the year for the venue as a whole and a list of happy complimentary customers who appreciate the good service and great dining options the company higher ups decide to only concentrate on the big ticket items like gala dinners for 200 people at a company function. We live on an Omni Resort that has publicly stated as far as they are concerned they would offer no dining options on property. To their credit on check in they provide you with a list of nearby restaurants to go to for meals. The evening we arrived at the Bacara there were no available dining options for dinner other than limited room service as they were involved with a large corporate event that for all intents shut down everything. When staff was asked what alternatives they might recommend they stated "We don't know please hold why we ask someone else? In addition we had breakfast one morning that for two people was over $100 and had to complain to the manager as my wife's meal was never delivered to the table. Excuse me? Coming from a high end Ritz resort. To me unacceptable.

There was a serious lack of attention to detail. Our first night after arrival we tried to turn on a lamp only to find out the bulb assembly area had broken loose and the bulb and wires were hanging down. We wanted to use the coffee machine only to find the water reservoir with a crack in it. We requested special bed linen procedure due to a medical condition and just prior to bed on returning from a walk they completely ignored our requests. But what was most alarming was every day we were there even after explaining the situation to the housekeeper in the room they just ignored us and refused to follow our requests, despite this being less of a comfort option and more of a medical need. Again too many small things which pointed to a lack of care and attention to detail. When were they going to replace a broken lamp, once someone got electrocuted? It seemed that no one communicated concerns or areas that needed attention and certainly did not reflect the kind of attention you should expected based on the price they were charging. It was clear communication that management is more interested in making money than taking care of their customers which is a 100% deal breaker for me and mine.

I am more than willing to pay high prices for outstanding products and service. My experience is you get what you pay for and I expect to receive the service paid for. But at some point prices become completely offensive and have no relation to what you are receiving. I believe today it is because today's managers are following what I have been told is the Harvard business model which is to charge whatever the market will bear and you will eventually learn how high you can go when people stop buying your product. This is in contrast to what I believe should the model which is what I call the Henry Ford model which is produce and make the best high quality product at the lowest price possible making a reasonable profit and make money by selling millions or billions of units of your product. It took a while but I finally reviewed their better wine list and the wine prices were the highest I have ever seen and to me offensive. In general you did not receive good value for the prices Bacara charged. In comparison today we love Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California whose prices are as high or higher than the Bacara but the food, beverage, and service, even at a higher price, provided us with great value and we can't wait to return to Pelican Hill and hopefully it is a place we can come home again without being disappointed.

It is my opinion that staff was unable to deliver service because their hands were tied by managements policy and procedures. It is obvious every staff person has been trained to say at the end of their conversation with you to say ":And if there is anything you need please do not hesitate to ask and we will take care of it immediately". It was very frustrating to speak with staff and have them tell you they could not help you and then tell you to go ahead and ask again for anything. It was maddening and obvious that management had no intention of the staff being authorized to do something different other than to tell you please ask for help over and over. We asked for housekeeping cleanup between 9 and 10 AM and vacated the room so they could do it. We returned at 11:30 AM and they had not been there and the rest of our stay showed up later in the day usually when we were trying to take a nap. Staff was friendly and available but in the end lacked any authority to actually help you. Here is an example of what we expect. We arrived at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa years ago late at night and worn out. We were going to get room service but nothing on the room service menu appealed to us. We called the front desk and explained the situation and they said let us bring all of our restaurant menus to your room and you can order anything from any menu and we will deliver it to your room. Forget the Bacara doing anything like that, they might lose $20. I can tell you to this day we have driven 100 miles out of our way to repeatedly return and stay at the Grand Hyatt Tampa which we highly recommend to you. The Grand Hyatt staff is empowered by management to care for their guests and make on the spot decisions to solve problems for their guests. Our experience is that the Bacara does not, but trains the staff to always say “Please call us anytime for anything and we will take care of it immediately”.

One small insult was when we checked in a hold was placed on my credit card at check in to guarantee payment. This is not unusual as most hotels today do this but it is usually a modest amount so far in my experience. What was insulting is the entire stay plus in my opinion an excessive additional amount was added to I assume cover 3 meals a day at inflated prices again to guarantee payment that of course would not be charged at check out if not used. But ask yourself what message does this send. I received the message we are primarily interested in full payment or guarantee of same at the start of your stay and we do not trust you and frankly don’t care because what is important to us is the money and not you. In the end we were terribly disappointed during our stay at the Bacara and have no intention of every going there again and recommend everyone else stay away. I have seen comments on Trip Advisor where I note multiple terrible and poor reviews echoing my comments. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Santa Barbara Wines

I am also sorry to report that I have no specific Santa Barbara wines to recommend to you which was one my intents for this trip. I will say in general the Samsara wines are ones to try. They are of course good and great wines. My primary problem with Santa Barbara wines is with style more than anything. As a general observation I found all of them somewhat higher in acid than what I like. It makes them food friendly of course but to me due to the higher acid presentation they tend to me to be less complex. I also am highly biased towards Burgundy Pinot’s and have yet to find a Pinot from elsewhere that I can recommend other than the Del Dotto Pinot’s from Napa that I have found compelling this past year.

Coming up soon!

Clark and I are off to New Orleans for a long weekend for food, wine, and fun. Right now we have reservations at Antoine's and Revolution. We will be staying at the 4 star Troubadour Hotel just down from the Roosevelt Hotel. So hopefully I will have some good recommendations for NOLA soon. Stay tuned

Napa Valley 2023, the Next Frontier

A Shout out to Dave Del Dotto and his Family and Team

I was honored to attend my first Del Dotto White Truffle Dinner and it was a once in a lifetime event. Nothing but the highest quality food and wine available. But what made the weekend most special was talking with Dave and meeting and talking with his family. The entire family, Dave, Yolanda, Desiree, and Giovanni are 100% passionate and committed to making the greatest wines available today. For decades Dave has led the way with innovation in wine making striving to find that secret sauce that will bring tears to your eyes when you drink his wines. I heard a story that when Dave first moved to Napa to make wine he ask around how people were making wine and often asked “why are you doing it that way, why not try this other way” and the answer was “we don’t know, it is just how it has been done around here for years and we never even considered any alternative methods”. Where Del Dotto’s wine greatness lies is Dave stepped up to the plate and did the unthinkable, something different. And what differences. His marquee Cab The Beast over the past 10 years has been rated 100 points by the most famous wine critics year after year. A bold, and yet well balanced Cab with massive body and fruit and nothing overwhelming. The jury may be still out, but Dave has developed different algorithms to carve various patterns inside his aging barrels. Obviously, what is being changed here is the amount of surface area in contact with the wine in varying amounts to determine is there an “ideal” surface area of wood that will give just the right and best wood flavor to the wine and not be overoaked, a common criticism of many California wines. Having tasting the wines you can distinguish differences many of which are a step above wines in common uncarved barrels. A year or two ago fires tainted many wines in Napa and many wine growers threw the grapes away. Dave kept and put into barrel his fire tainted wines to see what would happen. I tasted them last year and thought they were good, but I like smoke, many do not. What is interesting is that he decided with full transparency to bottle and sell the wines and the vineyard sold every bottle. People other than me felt those fire tainted wines must have been good enough to purchase and enjoy. Over the course of the weekend one wine stood out and that was the Del Dotto Family Reserve St. Helena Cabernet. It is no secret I prefer mountain Cabs. I tasted in barrel the 2021 and purchased them. At lunch Dave showed up drinking a 2012 he shared with us and it was spectacular. We then somewhere over the course of the weekend had I believe the 2014, 2017, and 2018. All were spectacular and consistent and one of the best Cabs I have ever had. So someone somewhere is telling me something, buy all you can get of the Reserve St. Helena Cab. Dave also shared with me from his library his 2005 Del Dotto Pinot Noir made with DRC La Tache clones. What a spectacular California Pinot! The nose was massive and surprising (from a Pinot that is now almost 20 years old). No question absolutely the best California Pinot I have tasted in years. I also high recommend their Del Dotto Sparkling Rose. I purchased more cases this trip and my largest purchase from Del Dotto historically is their Sparking Rose which is full of fruit and sparkle and very well balanced. I served it at the Holiday party for La Chaine de la Rotisseurs Amelia Island and everyone raved as to how great is was, and sadly, not that many knew about it but they know now. I am looking forward to returning to Del Dotto Vineyards in the future and recommend you put it on your bucket list and make it your first stop in Napa. I am also proud to say that when Dave joined us for lunch he immediately asked questions regarding our recent extensive travels. When I asked him how he knew about it he told me he reads my blog and likes it. So for all of you who read my blog it now has the Dave Del Dotto seal of approval and thank you Dave for your kind words and hospitality.

Carter Vineyards

We enjoyed a morning tasting with owner/vintner Mark Carter of Carter Vineyards. They have been making wines for decades and they have multiple leases on specific blocks of the famous Beckstoffer To Kalon which was one of the original Cab vineyards in Napa as well as vineyards surrounding said famous vineyard. To date they have produced nineteen (19) 100 point wines a clear outstanding achievement. Mark has also started making wine from more economical vineyards as the price to make wines from Beckstoffer To Kalon is going through the roof. In the end I found the wines to be bold, powerful, yet well balanced and juicy fruit making them hedonistic wines. We purchased some of the “Haze” for our cellar at home.

2021 Carter Cellars “The Haze” My number one choice from Carter and what I purchased. It is sourced from the Fortuna Vineyard in Oakville and has a very deep purple color and the nose and taste is super concentrated. There is a lot of tannin here so it will age well. I found it to be well balanced with a full-bodied finish. It drinks great now and will age well for years.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard” This wine and one after, the Three Kings, demonstrated how these wines although being very similar can be very different as they had very different flavor profiles. My first thought with the Missouri Hopper was chocolate and a very complex tannin backbone. Despite lots of tannin and complex flavors it had a very nice velvet mouth feel which is always a plus.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, The Three Kings” My first smell and taste here was of spicy cinnamon. Totally different from the Missouri Hopper. Again a great mouth feel and like the Missouri Hopper the winemaker noted complex spices in the wine which I agree. I also felt this was more feminine of his wines. Just a little more finesse and hidden secret softness.

2021 Carter Cellars “Carter” Not my favorite. I detected some bitterness at the back of the tongue which I’m not a fan of. This wine is 100% Cab so I suspect without blending in a little Merlot that might explain some bitterness. It is a blended wines from their different blocks but still 100% Cab.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, La Verdad” A very, and maybe over, powerful wine. The winemaker notes it is a low production wine from their original block of stressed wines on the Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard. The color was black ink. Fruit forward it still has massive tannin and body. The winemaker calls it muscular which I find to be an understatement. Think of this wine bench pressing 200 pounds everyday and you get a clue as to it powerful muscular nature. I would not doubt this wine to improve and age well for decades and could last 100 years easily.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, The OG” Coming from clone 337 from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard to me the nose was tight as was the taste but it did have dark seductive fruit both on the nose and taste. Mark calls it dense and ethereal. It sort of sucks you in. Again a very bold powerful wine yet very well balanced and very rich also. I found the fruit here more sweet detecting a minimal amount of residual sugar that only I seem to be able to pick up on in these massive Cabs. To me it demonstrates the fruit backbone and speaks to how sweetness, even undetectable, can improve Cab.

2021 Carter Cellars “GTO” One of Carter’s marquee, and most expensive wines we were honored to have a taste. There was not much on the nose but the wine is very young and tannic. Yet the mouth feel was very nice and the balance was perfect. I noted that it seemed to be a perfect wine. For the price, if you have the money, buy it,  but as I continue to age, despite drinking wine, I have no room to store this monster and enjoy it in 10 years at this price point($650). I just figured the “Haze” was pretty close and I could drink it now and have more bottles for the same price. The old QPR(Quality Price Ratio). I predict in 10 years the GTO will be an epic wine.

Bouchon by Thomas Keller In my opinion the best way to enjoy Thomas Keller's cooking without breaking the bank and going to sleep during one of his marathon 6 hours or more multiple tasting menus. I have now lost count how many times I have eaten here but the food is spectacular and the prices are reasonable and the wine list is good with some reasonably priced value wines. I had the mussels in a saffron sauce (to die for) and one in our party had fresh trout he raved about. Frankly, it is probably the best place to have a leisure lunch in the Napa area.

Press Napa Valley One of the hardest places to get a reservation in Napa and well worth the effort to eat there. The food is innovative, tasty, surprising, colorful, works of art and I could go on. The wine list is extensive and prices are beyond unreasonable in my opinion. I highly recommend you take your own better wines and just pay the corkage. You will end up better in the long run. Service and atmosphere were very good. Reservations are essential, you can go here to see the menu and make reservations if you are in town: pressnapavalley.com, exploretock.com. If it were not for the ridiculous wine pricing on the menu, it would rate a top 5 for me.

Morlet Vineyards Luc Molet is another Napa Valley wine genius. A very large portfolio of both white and red wines with a French flair. With multiple 100 point wines it always a pleasure to taste here. Luc stopped by and he is the consummate gentleman and warmly greets everyone. He is passionate about making wines, something he inherited from France I assume. I really like his late harvest sweet wine and have purchased it. This trip I purchased a few bottles of his lower priced Chardonnay and his Pinot Noir. It is unusual for me to purchase Pinot Noir outside of Burgundy as to me in California and Oregon winemakers are trying to make Pinot like Cab, big, powerful, and tannic. I am happy to report this trip I had more than one Pinot where that was not the case and Luc’s Pinot this year is a good example. To me it presented a taste profile honoring Luc’s French heritage, hence I purchased it. It is a great tasting to attend and if you buy wine the tasting fee can we waived.

Wine Soapbox Somewhere around 1990 plus or minus we did our first trip to Napa and Sonoma to taste and learn about wine. My first introduction to wine came from two places my brother-in-law, Bob Currie, a well know wine buyer and judge who was a contemporary with Robert Parker and had served on wine judge panels in France, and Kistler wines. I had read about Steve Kistler and was intrigued by what I read and assumed he must be making some exceptional great wines. So the first trip I thought maybe I will just drop by and have a visit. It took 12 hours to find him, with 3 kids in the car. His old production facility had been on top of the Oakville Mountain, not a fun drive, but after searching for hours he was no where to be found. We must have stopped at every wine shop and restaurant in the valley at the time asking how we could find him. Eventually someone sent us over to Sebastopol where he had moved and we drove up to his facility as it was closing and it was obvious he was still unpacking. I naively stated I was there to buy wine and the staff started laughing. As they explained Kistler wines were sold out before they ever got put into the bottle. But the staff was impressed with my effort, put me on their mailing list, and eventually I became one of their largest buyers. For what it is worth another example of my persistence is close to 20 years or more I tried to get on Kongsgaard wines mailing list only being placed on it this year.

So I was bitten by the wine bug and returned the next year leaving the kids at home. It is hard to imagine but back then Napa and Sonoma were not crowded. I would start on highway 29 driving north stopping at every vineyard and tasting their offered wines usually 2, maybe 3 different wines. I seem to recall doing 30 vineyards in a day and the next day we went to Sonoma doing the same thing, and the day after we went to Mendocino, another one of those fun trips driving across the mountains. The good news about Mendocino is there were only 5 or 6 vineyards at the time, Navarro, Wente, and Roederer as examples meaning no way was I going to do 30 vineyards that day. The bad news was I got car sick driving across that black snake mountain. I have never returned.

I called those tasting trips combat tastings. As Napa/Sonoma grew, and I got older the number of tastings per given day went down, I now follow rule number one when in wine country, or at least say that is what I am going to do, which is do only one(1) tasting a day. Awake to a leisure breakfast, go the vineyard around 10 AM, have a nice lunch say at Bouchon, and then take a nap. Dinner at a fancy place every 2 or 3 nights and burgers at our rental place the other evenings. Hot tub before and after dinner. Combat tastings are over, I cannot do it anymore. Plus one(1) tasting a day is not what it seems. Take Del Dotto for example. You enter his caves to taste and hours later you emerge completely worn out with palate fatigue. I can never remember how many wines we taste in those caves but it is probably close to 20 and sometimes more. Still a lot of wine to taste, I am just not driving up and down highway 29 anymore and did I mention the traffic on highway 29. No lie you can sit on the side of the road for 20 minutes trying to go into traffic waiting for a break because there is none.  The cars are constant all day and most of the night. Del Dotto is not the only vineyard who will let you taste almost all the wines they make. Morlet does the same thing, Carter we did 7 or 8 wines. All of this takes time, mental energy, and I know no one has any sympathy here but it is also physically challenging to taste that much wine. Another rule you really need to follow is to taste and spit. I have seen too many friends drink every drop in the glass(they abhor wasting good wine) in a tasting which is usually only an ounce or two and at the end of the tasting walk out drunk. It happens. Taste, spit, and pace yourself.

In the same vein at my age multi-course wine lunches and dinners now wear me out. As you age you eat less food. Restaurants in Napa do not have a senior blue plate special anywhere. It is full tilt dining or nothing. All that rich wonderful food starts to cause indigestion and discomfort, so again you have to pace yourself. I get it, so many wonderful places to enjoy and visit. It means more trips or moving out there. I have to cut back or get sick so I am at a point where there is no choice.

I have addressed this with my France trip this year but you need to discipline yourself when buying wine. First thing you know you have been there 3 days and you are shipping 20 cases of wine. What are you thinking. Where are you going to store it. When are you going to drink it. Again, I get it, so many great wonderful wines and so little time and money. I am trying to taper my wine buying addiction by instead of buying a case buying 3 bottles. It isn’t easy. Like I said I am trying. I was successful at Carter, I only bought 3 bottles.  Not so much at Del Dotto.

Talking with wine makers and owners I came to an understanding, maybe not accurate but just my opinion, but wine selections and inventory as well as prices are both going up rapidly. There is a huge push to do not only single vineyard wines, but single cluster wines. At the same time everyone wants to move to “organic” or “sustainable” or “biodynamic” wines. I am skeptical of the differences or whether or not the wines taste better but like it or not the industry is going in that direction. Because so many people move to Napa and think they can make the next 100 point wine, the demand for grapes is through the roof and in Napa the cost of harvested grapes to make one(1) bottle of better Cab is $100 just for the cost to buy the grapes. Lots of wine makers I know have trouble buying grapes from the growers and the growers now want a piece of the action so growers are now demanding prices that compare to what the wine maker plans to charge for the wine. Add marketing, delivery, transportation, fertilizer, etc. and you can see the future. At some point my capitalist friends need to understand this model is not sustainable.  At some point the price that people can afford or are willing to pay will plateau and they will quit buying. Or like me, us old folks will just fade away.

Ski Utah

A lot of people ask me why we only ski in Utah every year. For close to 20 years we skied all over the Country. Initially learning to ski at Mount Snow in Vermont we eventually joined a ski group that went west for spring skiing every year. During that time we skied most resorts in Colorado as well as Lake Tahoe. My family would return to Mount Snow during the President’s birthday weekend in February staying at the Hermitage. They say if you learn to ski in the East you can ski anywhere in the world and I believe that is true. In the East, you learn how to ski in narrow and ice-covered runs which hone your skill level. Skiing on packed groomed powder out West becomes an obsession. The very first time I ever spent overnight at a high altitude I had altitude sickness necessitating me to go to a lower altitude so I initially took a drug called Diamox out west to acclimatize to the altitude but over a course of years by following common sense rules like no alcohol the first day or two and drinking lots of water I found I could do OK without medication. But what I really learned was I needed to sleep under 7000 feet elevation. It’s the old mountaineering rule, sleep low, hike high. Utah offers accommodations for the most part under 7000 feet and lots of packed groomed powder runs that are relaxing and fun. We settled into Deer Valley years ago as they have no hotdog snowboarders and the best gourmet food at any ski resort. We had friends who owned a house on top of Powder Mountain which is above Eden, Utah that offers condos at 5500 feet elevation so over the years we do a week in Powder Mountain and a week in Deer Valley. Powder Mountain has been upgraded and developed over the years and is one if not the largest ski terrain in the world and I have skied there on wide open runs with almost no one else. It does not hurt that both resorts are close to the Salt Lake City Airport with short drives and mostly interstate roads. So we now only go to Utah for easy access, pristine comfortable skiing, and gourmet food at Deer Valley.

Weather this year

The weather this year was epic. When we arrived they had already had 200% of their normal annual snowfall and by the time we were there, there were days where snow was falling 1 foot an hour and at least 2 or 3 days they could not keep the roads clear due to the heavy snowfall. On the days I skied there was an abundance of snow and those who love powder skiing(I am not one of them) were ecstatic and skied fresh 2 feet deep or more of powder every morning. It was just announced that the California ski resorts will remain open until June due to the abundance of snow.

Transportation

Uber

Transportation Options from SLC to the resorts are readily available and plentiful. Because the Public Bus system in Park City/Deer Valley is so good dependent on our circumstances we just use Uber initially taking an Uber to where we are staying in the Park City area. We use the bus most of the time and occasionally use Uber to go to dinner at times. The only problem we ever had was waiting until the last minute to get an Uber back to the airport and almost did not make it so for a future visit we reserve and book an Uber back in advance for our day of departure. Be aware Uber costs are significantly higher since Covid and basically 2X what they used to be.

Bus

I say again the Public Bus System in Park City is the best in the world. It is easy to navigate, pretty much always on time, and you can get anywhere in the immediate area in 30 minutes or less. During this last trip, the main advantage was the buses are designed to operate in deep snow and bad conditions and while riding the bus we passed many stranded cars that could not drive in the conditions. The buses are safe, clean, and comfortable and we rarely stayed outside for more than 5 minutes waiting to get on a warm cozy bus and never missed a reservation.

Rental Car

There are times you want a rental car. But to be clear here you ALWAYS need to rent an AWD/4WD SUV or pickup truck with snow tires or a snow transmission system and the ability to downshift an automatic. At Powder Mountain it is MANDATORY. The road from Eden to Powder Mountain Resort has a 16% grade, one of the steepest in the world. You cannot get up or down the mountain without the proper vehicle. Even in Park City on this trip normal cars were stranded all over the place as a regular car could not get through the snow on the roads. Also if you choose to rent a car make sure you have underground parking or you will be shoveling off snow 3 and 4 feet deep around your vehicle. At Powder Mountain, there is a shuttle bus that goes from the Eden grocery store to Powder Mountain every 30 minutes but there is no Uber there so you really need to rent. We rented an SUV this trip and at Park City/Deer Valley it was parked underground but we needed it for Powder Mountain and we only spent 4 days this year at Deer Valley so we kept it for the convenience and ability to go to the airport when we wanted.

Restaurants

Grub Steak, Park City

As stated we go to Park City/Deer Valley to ski and for the food. We have been going to Grub Steak for over 10 years at least every year. We always gave it 5-star reviews and the owner always emailed me back thanking us for our good review and patronage. This year was no exception despite the owner selling to a corporation and retiring. The food and service were outstanding. The décor is a Western Steak House as opposed to an NYC steakhouse but don’t be fooled the food is 5-star. Our entire table had Prime Rib and it was one of the best any of us had had. The servers were excellent and fun to work with and the price was one of the lowest we paid in the area. We will continue to have dinner there every time we return to the area

Golden Hirsch, Deer Valley

One of the best Scandinavian restaurants in the world is Fireside Dining at Empire Mountain at Deer Valley. For the first time ever we could not get reservations and were told all reservations had been full since October which I find hard to believe. So to enjoy rachelete and Weinerschnizel the only other opportunity was the Golden Hirsch at Silver Lake. We have eaten there many times before and the food is usually close to Fireside Dining but sadly this year it wasn’t that good. The menu selections were a lot less, a victim of Covid I assume, but everything just seemed off and not as good as years before. It didn’t help that it took twice as long to get there due to a whiteout blizzard and I suspect they were short-staffed as a result. But the place was packed with patrons so plenty of folks went. Maybe it was just an off night.

Stein Erickson, Deer Valley

Continuing to be the 5-star restaurant in the world, certainly in our opinion one of the top 10 ever is at the Stein Erickson Lodge at Silver Lake. This is a bucket list place and you will never experience this high-quality food and service anywhere else. They have an opulent skiers buffet for lunch daily but the Sunday Brunch which we attended is decadent and over the top. You name it they have it. Prime Rib carved beef, caviar, mussels, shrimp, clams, multiple salads, breakfast food, fish, and poultry, just an immense display of food with the service and wine to go along with it. We had a white Burgundy by Madame Leroy who made DRC wines until 1978, which you rarely see anywhere outside of France except maybe Blackberry Farms in Tennessee who seem to have a monopoly of her wines. Brunch was almost a spiritual experience and even if you don’t ski it is worth the trip out there just to have Sunday Brunch.

Royal Cafe, Deer Valley

Operated by Deer Valley and located at the Silver Lake ski lodge this is the only sit-down, table service restaurant at Deer Valley for lunch. Everything else is a buffet. We had a delightful lunch here with great wild game chili, prime meat sandwiches, and the other usual lunch fare. Service was excellent and not rushed and they also have a good drink and wine menu. We have had lunch here, for the most part, every year for the past 10 years and will continue to return.

Fresh Market, Park City

Fresh Market is known to most of us, we have a couple in the Jacksonville area and they are known as an upscale grocery store with unique offerings and high-grade food such as prime steaks and precooked meals. On arrival, we stop here to stock up on basics and for those nights you want to stay in and cook they have an overwhelming number of choices you can take home. The store is one of the biggest I have seen and they have most other sundry items, cosmetics, etc. It is right on the main drag in Park City.

Riverhorse on Main, Park City

We have been almost every year except years when some billionaire rents out the entire place for a week. It is hard to get into this place and despite having a reservation this year for some reason they decided to give me a hard time and briefly held up our being seated so they could “check things out”. I guess when you are overbooked every night with a hundred on the wait list you can afford to be picky but it does not set well with me. Despite this the food was exceptional. Some of the best of the trip. Innovative tasty well prepared dishes cooked perfectly. Service was friendly and knowledgeable but at times slow but it was snowing a foot an hour outside and we had nowhere else to go so what’s the rush, we could have been somewhere much worse. It is also a bucket list kind of place but you must make reservations far in advance and you need to make them the day you know you are going to the Park City area.

Edge Steakhouse, The Canyons

Without a doubt probably one of the top 10 Steakhouses in the USA. We have now gone yearly for at least 6 or 7 years and it is one of the main reasons we go to the Park City area just to eat there. What has always drawn us is as best as I can tell they have the largest selection of genuine A5 Japanese Kobe meat in the US at least. A wide selection of cuts and sizes. I had a totally decadent “Surf and Turf” with Australian Lobster and an A5 filet, pure heaven. Plenty of other selections to satisfy any palate. They are known for A5 steak caps which to my knowledge I have seen nowhere else. They have an extensive wine list with most cult wines from France and California(think Screaming Eagle, Scarecrow) and of course with the prices to match. Sometimes you need to mortgage your house to eat here and there are much more economical places to get great food, but not A5. In the end to me, this is one of only 2 or 3 places where I feel I get my money's worth for what we pay and it is always a wonderful experience. A true bucket list place to go once in your life.

The Holidays in the Big(Grand) Apple, New York City

We just returned from a week in New York City celebrating the Holidays and it was our first trip back to NYC in decades. It turned out to be one of the best trips we have ever taken and from day one everything was wonderful. We could not have asked for anything more. What follows are some of my observations regarding NYC and restaurant recommendations.

1. The city is saturated with young people. 30 years ago when we came and were young we thought the city was saturated with old people and it probably was then, but today no matter where we went we were, in fact, the oldest people there and frankly, I did not see a lot of older people. This tells me that the young people are taking over and I'm happy to say I was fine with it.   Everywhere we went everybody was courteous, kind, and helpful. On the Subway people automatically got up to let us sit down so they had high respect for their elders. Unlike Socrates who 2000 years ago said that young people were ruining the country and had no respect for their elders, I would say I saw the exact opposite. It made me very hopeful optimistic and proud.  They were also obviously employed and making and spending money despite the current inflation.

2. Speaking of the Subway truly there is not a better way to get around in New York City. Don't get me wrong we love Uber and we took Uber on many occasions but Uber is now twice the price it was a year ago and more importantly, the traffic in New York City is pretty bad and it takes some time, 2 to 3 times the time to take an Uber anywhere. Of course there are times when you want to take an Uber, late at night, you're tired of walking and you can't walk another foot, so there is a place for Uber but again we were able to get anywhere in town pretty easily using the Subway. They now have a system where you just lay your credit card at the gate and it automatically takes it and In a week after 12 uses the rest of your trips are free until the next Monday. In most cases, there are elevators on the platforms and in many cases when we had to change trains we got off the train and stayed in place and got on the next train to get to where we wanted to go. We did not have to walk up more than 1 or 2 flights of stairs but again when we could we used the elevators.   We felt very safe on the Subway as everybody was courteous and helpful and It did not hurt that there was friendly New York City policeman at most every stop.  Overall we spent $34 a day on Uber and $10 a day average on subways.  With routine parking $80 to $100 a day Uber is a bargain.

3. We did not see much homelessness. There were a few but it was significantly less than in San Francisco. Of course if you're gonna be homeless why would you want to go North where it's cold when you can go South where it's warm. It's also possible we did not go to any of the areas where homelessness was a problem. Having said that there were plenty of newspaper articles where New York City is one of the more progressive places trying to solve their homeless problem and building affordable housing as much as they can. Though it was interesting one article we read said they were building a affordable housing project where each condo is gonna cost $800,000 a piece, not what I would call real affordable housing.

4. We stayed at the Mint house at 70 Pine Street one or two blocks from the New York stock exchange. It's hands down one of the best places we have ever stayed. We were completely comfortable and left totally relaxed and refreshed. The décor is very modern, the room had plenty of electronic hook ups and I really should not say room because it was a 700 or 800 ft² one bedroom apartment that could easily sleep 2 couples privately. You could easily have all of your meals as it had a complete full size kitchen. Everything was super convenient and within 1 or 2 blocks there were 3 Subway stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, high-end restaurants, pubs, and delis. You really could stay your entire trip in that one place and do fine. I could easily envision returning and staying a month here to really explore the city better.

5. Museums and comments on Broadway shows.  Another main reason folks go to NYC is to see a Broadway show and visit museums and art galleries.  We took advantage of the museums and art galleries and had a great time.  I cannot say the same for Broadway shows, however.  For any main Broadway show the price for most tickets in the orchestra area and not in the nose bleed section were around $500 a person, even for something as long standing as "The Lion King".   I was frankly shocked and cannot see paying that for a 2-hour show I can eventually watch on TV in my PJs.  I have never been a fan of live theater so it made no difference to me but I will go once in while to take Clark as she does like the shows.  But we just could not justify those prices for a basic ticket.  If you want to stand in line for hours to get discount tickets by all means do but at our age, today standing in line is not an option.  We were pleased and surprised that the galleries and museums either comped us or charged a significantly lower admission price with me being a veteran.  I always show my veteran card as you never know but at least in NYC over 90% of museums fully comped me and Clark being a veteran.

6. Plenty of people like ourselves go to New York with the primary goal of eating well. There is no question some of the best food in the world is served in NYC. One area of disappointment is the pricing for fine dining. There were more than one article in The Times that we read going over how ridiculous dinner for two had become price wise. One article mentioned 2 restaurants La Pavillion and Saga. We had dinner at La Pavillion and Saga was at the Mint house. At both of those places dinner for two with wine is around $1000. Saga interestingly requires payment in advance with no refund for their basic prefix dinner which works out to around $700 a couple with nothing else added. Our dinner at Le Pavilion was in fact $1000. It was wonderful and overall we felt it was worth the price but again you simply can't afford that on a regular basis unless you're a billionaire. Daniel Boulard's other place we went to Le Gratin is clearly a better and more economical choice. Outside of fine dining the other reason to go to New York City is for great ethnic food and we were able to have truly authentic Chinese, Greek, and Italian and you really shouldn't miss these opportunities in New York City. We enjoyed going to Wu's Wonton King. When you walk up the duck and pigs are hanging in the window which immediately tells you it's authentic. We had Greek food at Milo's at Hudson Yard that was out of this world and we went to Morini for Sunday brunch which is authentic Italian as you can get in Little Italy. Of course in every city block, there's an excellent deli where you can get great sandwiches. Most of them have a hot bar and pastries, you really can't go hungry in New York. At 70 Pine there is a hole in the wall deli called Taz which you can easily miss it doesn't look like much but when you go in at the back is in fact a great deli and hot bar with extremely friendly owner and servers that will take great care of you and you will get good food.

Classic Lyon French Cuisine at a reasonable price, Le Gratin

Le Gratin by Daniel Boulard is a classic restaurant and makes you feel that you are in the heart of Paris or Lyon. The décor reminded me of Mollard up by the opera in Paris. We enjoyed a wonderful dining experience. The food is classic French and very importantly it is very reasonably priced compared to other fine dining restaurants in New York City. We had a delightful dinner with the usual classics and I had Pike Quinells which were quite good and something you almost never see. It is not a Bouchon restaurant as many think and why Daniel uses that name is beyond me but it is clearly a classic Lyon French restaurant. I highly recommend it, the only deficit if there is one is the wine list is somewhat small but the prices are some of the most reasonable in town. As an added bonus next door there is a hopping happy bar in I believe what is called the Temple Court, it looks like The library at Trinity College in Dublin Ireland it was very well decorated and a lot of people just a happening place.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d24007645-r872196439-Le_Gratin-New_York_City_New_York.html#

Classic French Burgundy, Batard

Dinner at Batard in New York City is a classic experience. It is basically a French burgundy restaurant and for the most part 95% of the wine list is French burgundy which is one of the main reasons we went. Our 1st dishes were Russian caviar and Country pate both excellent and paired with a Chassange Montrachet from the Drouhin vineyards. We also had classic duck and Dover Sole that were perfectly prepared and further prepared at the table side. We were pretty full so passed on dessert though the dessert menu looked good. We were pleased with our meal understanding that it was very expensive. In general, you can't go to a top restaurant in New York and get a bottle of wine under $250, there are a few but truly most ones that you would want are gonna be about $250 regardless of where you go which adds to the bill. Batards prix fixe menu was reasonably priced the only reason we had a higher bill is that we pretty much ordered everything with a supplement. I recommend Batard and would go back.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d6663091-r871895999-Batard-New_York_City_New_York.html#

Spectacular Seafood Greek Style, Milos Hudson Yards

I have always loved Greek restaurants and Milos is one of the best. Located in the New Hudson yard complex in New York City the view is spectacular overlooking the Hudson river. The place was packed when we were there for lunch and based on current restaurant pricing in New York City I highly recommend you restrict your restaurant visits to these types of establishments at lunch. Even then the price for many is cost prohibitive. We had a perfectly prepared meal. I have always loved the way Greek restaurants prepare their fish using an almost perfect combination of Olive oil garlic and lemon. I started with a hummus platter that had 3 different types of hummus that were outstanding. Dessert was a joy. They have an extensive menu of fresh fish and shellfish in fact they had fresh stone crab which I would think is fairly rare in New York but again all fresh. We had a great bottle of wine and I was familiar with the vineyard and knew the owner it was a French white burgundy from Chateau Fuisse and it couldn't have been better. Service was 5 star and the meal was just memorable and spectacular. I highly recommend this restaurant.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d17327191-r871894844-Estiatorio_Milos-New_York_City_New_York.html#

Best Epoisse sauce ever, Le Pavillion

Le Pavilion is one of Daniel Boulards many restaurants in the New York area. It is located at One Vanderbilt which is directly next to Grand Central Station. Interestingly the main entrance is right across from the entrance to the Campbell Apartments which has an old art deco bar that we have been to many times , we visited last night and it is the same as it's been since the 1920s. We were warmly greeted on arrival and throughout the evening staff was professional accommodating friendly and helpful. Overall the food was excellent there were some exceptional dishes one of which I had probably the best Epoisse cheese sauce I've ever had in my life it could not have been made more perfectly and tasty. I could not refuse shaved white truffles on Dover Sole. The wine list was extensive with plenty of great wines including cult ones to experience but be aware the prices were 300% retail so very expensive though I was able to find a reasonable White Burgundy that satisfied our taste buds for the evening. Overall the dinner was elegant and expertly prepared the chef was able to accommodate special requests and in general we thought we received value for our dinner understanding of course that this restaurant is an expensive evening out but it is also in line with what you would expect in New York City from a top shelf restaurant.

 
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d23423222-r871605664-Le_Pavillon-New_York_City_New_York.html#

Excellent Italian Sunday Brunch, Osteria Morini, Little Italy

An excellent place for Sunday brunch with great Italian food. They have a very good Italian wine list that though smaller than usual packs a lot of good stuff. I ended up having 3 different glasses of Italian white wine that one usually never sees like a Pecorino wine. The food was so good we order dinner to go as it was our last night in town and we needed to stay in our room and pack to catch the next day's flight home. Pasta is made in-house and I had an exceptional ravioli stuffed with ricotta in a white truffle sauce that was to die for. I am still tasting the finish 2 days later. Service was attentive and helpful. We came for one reason the chef or owner is also associated somehow with Ai Fiori which used to be our favorite restaurant in NYC but our lunch there this week was disappointing. But I am happy to say brunch at Morini was wonderful and recommended.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d1995049-r872305798-Osteria_Morini-New_York_City_New_York.html#