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Robert Dentice

Went to Tori Shin last night and although good it was not what it once was and nowhere near at the same very high level as a meal last week at Secchu Yokota. I am not surprised they lost their star.

Robert Dentice

In all due respect this is so sad. Do you realize how low profit margins are in the restaurant business and what the average kitchen staff earns? I dont understand. What does that have to do with giving misinformation to customers? I agree the restaurant business is struggling. But won't a fair cor...

Robert Dentice

I noticed a lot of restaurants are not consistent with their fees. I started recording my calls when getting quoted for fees so I don't get screwed over later. In all due respect this is so sad. Do you realize how low profit margins are in the restaurant business and what the average kitchen staff ...

Robert Dentice

The Fat Radish. Was quoted $25/750 and $35/sparkling on the phone... no discount for halves... later learned were charged $40 per 750 I noticed a lot of restaurants are not consistent with their fees. I started recording my calls when getting quoted for fees so I don't get screwed over later. In al...

Robert Dentice

Lovely Japanese breakfast at Konbi:

And not to sound like a broken record but another great overall meal at Majordomo.

Robert Dentice

Also, in the Las Vegas thread, I learned that you can have wine delivered to your hotel? Is that also possible in LA? And you can take that to a BYOB (I am all new to this...)? Any input will be highly appreciated! Yes. I use Wine House for this but mostly because of their German selection. I am su...

Robert Dentice

Looks like Maison Sota is opening September 10th and now taking reservations.

Chef Sota was formerly the Chef of Clown Bar.

Can't wait to go.

Robert Dentice

I did take Robert's advice. Though State Bird was booked. I had to ask a few of my friends in the biz in Bay Area to request a reservation for me. So, we are there Friday night! Nopa on Saturday, which remains a favorite. Thanks for the tips Robert and for the seconding, Todd. Fantastic! Hope you e...

Robert Dentice

Looking to buy 2013 and older Schäfer-Fröhlich GGs. Also interested in 2008 and older GGs from other producers.

I know its a long shot....

Robert Dentice

My wife and I will be in New York for a semi-impromptu one night trip in two weeks. Too late to get reservations at the big name places but we're really not looking for a pricey multi-course extravaganza. We're really just looking for a good dinner and a nice night out. Any suggestions, preferably ...

Robert Dentice

Danny Meyers net worth is estimated to be $400mm. Chef Thomas Keller is estimated to be $30mm. I have no idea what happened but my guess is that Will wanted to follow the trend of what is working in the restaurant world today which is higher volume, lower cost and not fine dining. The reason why Da...

Robert Dentice

Danny Meyers net worth is estimated to be $400mm. Chef Thomas Keller is estimated to be $30mm. I have no idea what happened but my guess is that Will wanted to follow the trend of what is working in the restaurant world today which is higher volume, lower cost and not fine dining. The reason why Dan...

Robert Dentice

When Daniel first came to NY he barely spoke English. (The reason they named their company make it nice is that’s about all he knew to say in English when he arrived). Also he didn’t know American culture well. He was ambitious. To achieve his goals he needed someone who could help him speak and he...

Robert Dentice

Is State Bird still an online res at midnight thirty days before dining? Not sure about the reservation system. I do know they continue to hold a decent amount of seats for walk-ins and if you get there 15 minutes or so before they open you will most likely get seated. And if for some reason you do...

Robert Dentice

I did take Robert's advice. Though State Bird was booked. I had to ask a few of my friends in the biz in Bay Area to request a reservation for me. So, we are there Friday night! Nopa on Saturday, which remains a favorite. Thanks for the tips Robert and for the seconding, Todd. Fantastic! Hope you e...

Robert Dentice

Lars Carlberg wrote: ↑
July 28th, 2019, 4:55 am
Thanks for posting the photo.

I feel for all of you!! Such difficult decision to make all of the time...

Robert Dentice

I loaded up on Willi Schaefer. Did some damage on Selbach O. Lars, thanks for reminding me to look for some AJ Adam. Adam was by far the best wines at the Theise tasting. They picked much earlier than others and they nailed it. One thing many probably don't realize is that small estates like Andrea...

Robert Dentice

neener neener A quick follow-up to my previous post, we got some much-needed rain. It now stopped. I hope it rains some more but not too much at once. On Instagram, a grower with vines in Valwig posted a photo that shows significant damage to the young grape bunches from the recent heatwave. The dam...

Robert Dentice

Was there Thursday for the Smyth collaboration. Both chef's dishes were excellent. I thought the room was nothing special. Service was very good. Did you BYO the sake? I didn't see it on the list. George They were serving the Sake as part of the wine pairing with the Tofu dish. I asked about it and...

Robert Dentice

Another great meal at Contra

Robert Dentice

Went to Cagen to try the new format. They are essentially in a soft open mode and experimenting with many new dishes and the overall format. Chef looked so happy and was really enjoying the reaction and discussion of his new dishes. A few of the highlights were a fish prepared in a way that made it ...

Robert Dentice

And just my opinion (after tasting German vintages on release for 20+ years), but I think it needs until October (so a year post harvest) for a vintage to sort itself out. I normally taste a large number of wines in June (including Dönnhoff), and find them to almost invariably be more approachable ...

Robert Dentice

Also concerned to hear about Cagen. They turned me on to flying fish, and I appreciated that they served fish that were not commonly found in the states. I think there are too many high end Sushi restaurants. For what it is worth I thought Cagen was the best especially comparing it to ones that are...

Robert Dentice

Jeff Leve wrote: ↑
July 25th, 2019, 12:04 pm
Robert... Your pictures are amazing! Both places look great. It's just for 2 of us. I checked out the menu at Angler, and no prices were listed. What is the cost of an average meal?

Angler is very expensive. I personally love the The Progress and State Bird much more.

Robert Dentice

Todd... A lot of the posts are older and things change. So I was looking for up-to-date tips as I know zero about the city. State Bird and The Progress are both still outstanding and have very reasonable corkage. Reservations are required. The Progress is better for small to large groups because th...

Robert Dentice

I don't blame the organizers of these trips for not detailing what they mean by 'visit with Guillaume d Angertown' but then if one is going to fork over $5500 one would like to know. Taste a vertical of a vineyard...sign me up...taste current vintages...not so excited. The trip I went on was billed...

Robert Dentice

Madhu R wrote: ↑
July 24th, 2019, 4:10 pm
Thanks for all the replies. Ok, the trip is ON then. I've armed myself with the guide referenced above, and some older trip reports.

Please enjoy and report back!

Robert Dentice

Thank for the write up on Oxalis. Suzy and I in NYC this weekend. Any new places we should hit lower east side / east village on our walking tour? I wrote down all the Brooklyn spots you guys mentioned. Probably try to hit the bar at Momofuku Ko for late lunch at the least. Cagen has changed format...

Robert Dentice

I would highly recommend it. You can get a good sense for the region in just one day.

This should be all you need:

http://www.moselfinewines.com/mosel-vis ... e-2019.php

Robert Dentice

Vinous is by far the best for what you want.

Robert Dentice

I think for a relative novice to Burgandy this might be a great option if you can afford the tariff of $5,500. I certainly can and do arrange better for a lot less, but it may be a hassle free trip worth it for many. If they still do them I would rather do the Becky Wasserman seminar. Slightly more...

Robert Dentice

Oh yeah, lots of options! We may try Rigmarole or Shu, both look interesting. I also want to try Cezembre which is in our neighborhood, and may try to get in at Septime when reservation time comes around. Definitely Freddy's on our first night when an earlier to bed crash is probably inevitable. We...

Robert Dentice

Two of my favorite wines! I opened a Lake for Klaus-Peter Keller when he came to NYC for Rieslingfeier.

Robert Dentice

Oh yeah, lots of options! We may try Rigmarole or Shu, both look interesting. I also want to try Cezembre which is in our neighborhood, and may try to get in at Septime when reservation time comes around. Definitely Freddy's on our first night when an earlier to bed crash is probably inevitable. We...

Robert Dentice

I think for a relative novice to Burgandy this might be a great option if you can afford the tariff of $5,500. I certainly can and do arrange better for a lot less, but it may be a hassle free trip worth it for many. If they still do them I would rather do the Becky Wasserman seminar. Slightly more...

Robert Dentice

I did one of these Amex events and it was horrible. Amex outsources everything and it was a terrible experience and nothing like what was described.

Robert Dentice

Another great meal at State Bird:

Robert Dentice

I would like to bump this thread, as I was strongly considering Saturne for our trip to Paris/Burgundy in late September-early October. Their website states that they will be closing August 10th but will be reopening September 3rd. However, their online booking calendar only goes to August 9 and sh...

Robert Dentice

Quick weekend in LA Majordomo - Best meal out of approximately 10. A new Salmon Donburi dish is excellent. I rolled up at 8:30 on Saturday night with 7 people, several wines and no reservation. And they made it work. Food and service was excellent. They really appreciate regulars and people who are ...

Robert Dentice

FYI, a reliable source has told me that Michelin, which bought a minority interest in WA a couple of years ago, recently bought the controlling interest from the original Chinese investors who bought out Parker, and has a new plan for the future of WA. Here's what I found out - copy/pasted from the...

Robert Dentice

Russell Faulkner wrote: ↑
July 9th, 2019, 10:35 am
I don’t think a GG will go to auction at the Grosser Ring during at least the current presidency.

Don't tell me Trump is also against GGs!

Robert Dentice

Lets hope the wine does not ferment all the way to dryness

A dry GG will go for crazy prices at the auction. Not sure what a Egon Muller Feinherb would sell for but surely a lot less than a GG.

Robert Dentice

Back at home in NYC with my books. Brook quoted Mueller as saying that botrytis grapes went into the Kabi and spat in 89, 97 and 99 because it rained at the end of harvest and “the grapes had lost concentration and acidity by the time they were picked”. I’ve had the latter two of those wines. Reinh...

Robert Dentice

Hi heading down to LA for a few days- Have dinners lined up at Felix and majordomo These looks byo friendly But we love pastries and are a little spoiled by the SF bakery scene (arsicault [worship.gif] ) Best bakery in LA?!? Well probably not what you want to here coming from SF but Tartine is pret...

Robert Dentice

Honestly it seems you want the 3 star experience so just pick one that looks appealing. The 3 star experience is relatively the same in Paris. You have 9 to chose from. I personally like Pierre Gagnaire.

Robert Dentice

Some interesting comments regarding the Egon Müller Kabinett. I doubt very much they use declassified grapes with botrytis. I recall Mr. Müller talking on a panel discussion focused on classic Kabinetts saying the irony of this class is that it actually takes more work and expense to make a Kabinett...

Robert Dentice

My newsletter from 4/29/2010 is apropos: https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/newsletter/4-29-2010.htm During my personal wine evolution over the past decade, I have been a very active participant on a number of wine bulletin boards. In fact this is what led me to create CellarTracker as I saw oth...

Robert Dentice

Made a very last second decision to go to Paris this past Saturday. Arrived Sunday just as the weather cooled. Had no time to prepare and make reservations so went mostly to old haunts with a few new ones. Sunday Late Lunch - Clamato very good as always. Followed by Cave Septime and Yard Monday Lunc...

Robert Dentice

It has historically been near impossible to reserve. I had a friend who would have another friend who knew the Chef go to the restaurant to make a reservation. Has this changed? We're going to try to book L'Abri for late September. Unfortunately currently I have no idea how to do so as I've never b...

Robert Dentice

I've yet to go there myself but all my drinking buddies rave about this place: L'Abri in the 10th district. Diner menu is 60€. Food is apparently great. From what I've seen, the wine list ain't shabby either. They recently got their first Michelin star so be warned to book well ahead of time. Alain...

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