Although I will be in Philadelphia over 3 days, the Thursday night is likely the only night I can get together (though happy to meet with others for lunch on Friday 7th) as Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur will take me out of commission for those two nights. Hope we can put something fun together. I do already have a provisional list of wines to bring with me on tour and may pick up some others in NYC.
kwa heri,
Mike
JoAnn and I should be available.
I might be available.
Ted, what about doing Bibou? Just checked OpenTable and there’s a reservation for 4 available (not sure if that’s all that’s available, or the limit you can reserve by OpenTable). Might be able to get more if we called (not sure when Pierre and Charlotte are back from France).
October 6th looks doable for me as of now…
Bibou has a limit of 4 for OpenTable… but bigger tables can be tough to come by anyways…
October 6 works for me (and possibly my wife as well). Bibou is open again I believe. We have a reservation in mid-September so they are definitely open on October 6.
Sounds like fun, haven’t been there, but my preference will always be to be able to sit together if we can. What kind of food is served? I’m not a theme-freak, but already have a brace of potential wines to bring down and would like to suss out possibilities.
Looking forward to it!
OK, I grabbed the 6PM res for 4 on OpenTable just to be safe (9PM was the other choice). I tried to call Charlotte just now, but she’s off tonight, so I’ll call her tomorrow and see if we can get more, hopefully a table for 8 (looks like we already have 7 interested). Keep your fingers crossed (I’ve done dinners as big as 10, but the place only seats about 30). Is 6PM too early for people?
Mike you’ll love Bibou. Alsatian bistro that Robert Parker called “the best bistro outside of France.”
Oct 6 @ 6 should be fine for JoAnn and me.
Should I wear my “vintage” Mike on Tour shirt??
You can show all the others what they can strive for, Ted! Kevin, if I can get 'em printed, you will be the proud recipient of the vintage T-Shirt that often accompanies the various Tours.
6 p.m. sounds fine with me, menu looks lovely.
I remain open to any theme, however I do plan to bring the following on this 10-day trip:
2002 Tom Eddy Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Trapiche Tributo Felipe Villafane Malbec
1999 Bouchard Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens
2005 Domaine D’Ardhuy Savigny-Les-Beaunes Aux Clous
2009 Sonkin Cellars Persona Syrah (yes, this is the inaugural release of Loren Sonkin’s wine)
2008 Tawse Estates Quarry Road Chardonnay (Ontario)
2006 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne Montrachet Les Boudriottes
2001 Hugel Gewurtztraminer Vendages Tardives
2005 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes
2008 Francois Villard Les Terrasses du Palat Condrieu
Provisionally also bringing a 2009 Paul Pernot Bienvenue-Batard Montrachet, but that may be spoken for.
Working on the res, stay tuned…
Mike, probably best to bring something French for Bibou. A few months ago I brought an Italian orange wine and an Aussie sticky to Bibou, and of course I offered tastes to Charlotte. She seemed to enjoy them, right up until the moment I let slip where they were from.
Whereupon she mentioned the corkage fee she’s thinking about introducing for non-French wines!
I’m not sure if she was joking or not… ![[oops.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/1/1f129ddad071ffe5db6c99817c3cab666035a70a.gif "oops"){kind=small}
OK, we’ve got a reservation for 8 people at 6PM on Thursday October 6th at Bibou in South Philly (Charlotte said it was only because we have such good taste in wines! Hmmm…maybe we really had better bring only French?) I did ask about pushing it a bit later, but 6PM works best for her.
A few details for anyone who hasn’t been to Bibou before:
–BYOB, no corkage
–Cash only
–3 hr free parking at the open-air lot next door; I’ve never had a problem getting a space. (Mike, let us know if you want a ride.)
–You can’t bring your own glasses, but Bibou’s are decent.
–We can order a la carte, or if there is interest I can inquire about their doing a set tasting menu for us (if you’ve never had their entire “triumvirate of cholesterol” in one sitting, bone marrow, foie gras and sweatbread, you don’t know what you are missing).
Shall we do a theme, or just have everyone bring what you want to share?
Looking through the posts, here’s what I have as far as people who’ve expressed an interest so far. If we don’t make up 8 on this board, I’ll send out an e-mail to those who don’t read WB.
Attending (max of 8):
Mike G–confirmed
Kevin F–confirmed
Ted E + JoAnn–confirmed
Erich S–confirmed
Joshua R +1–confirmed
1 open spot
Waiting list:
Please post now to confirm that this works for you, and we can reconfirm closer to Oct 6th and declare wines. (Note, if you have to cancel, please let me know as soon as possible. Bibou is a tiny and very popular restaurant, that treats us really really well. It is NOT acceptable to cancel out on them at the last minute.)
I’m ready for some “Rabelaisien Nirvana”!!! Does anyone remember that hilarious tirade against somms pushing natural wines that Bibou apparently inspired Parker to write?
I am confirmed for 10/6.
Excellent, thanks Kevin for taking the lead on organizing. The Bienvenue-Batard has now been freed up, perhaps I need to bring that? 
I look forward to seeing you and Jo-Ann again, Ted, and to meeting everyone else. As the 8th person at table, I may have one guest. I need to check with her and will get back to you ASAP.
How about doing a 5-course tasting menu for $70?
I don’t eat most of the stuff on the tasting menu - if that is what you listed above.
If I may correct Kevin, we refer to those three dishes as the “Holy Trinity of cholesterol”, not the triumvirate.
Just sayin’
Confirmed plus 1.
I"m Catholic and like ancient Roman history, so it’s the Triumvirate of Cholesterol for me!
What? You don’t like cholesterol??? Sacrilege!
I suppose we could do a la carte, but that’s more complicated with so many people. Or, I’m sure we can ask for certain things to be excluded from a tasting menu. And having all 3 of those in one 5-course meal would be too much of a good thing (I’ve only done it for a 7/8-course). Which ones don’t you like?
The last 8 course dinner we did there (Bob, I think you were there) we had:
Served with '89/90 Bordeaux.
7/8 course tasting menus are sensational, but I think they are special request only. And they are a bit over the top, Pierre’s cooking is a bit on the rich side (especially if you include the Triumvirate/Holy Trinity!).