IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS . . .
NOTE - our neighbors across the side street will be in Korea visiting the wife’s parents so they cannot come and have told us to go ahead and use their driveway, which will fit at least 4 cars.
I have moved my ramblings to Post # 59 to focus on what’s important. So consider this the FAQs. BUT MOST IMPORANT, Please post below: Are you are coming and what you are bringing. We need that info to plan food and wine and I will create a master attendance and food list at the bottom of this post.
What – A Reverse Berserkerfest – which means we provide all the wine and guests get to eat, drink and talk to each other for hours .The only thing you are forbidden to bring is wine.
Who - An open invitation to all Berserkers and others we want to invite.
When – August 17, from 3 pm to close
Where – 52 Sammis Lane, White Plains, NY
What do I bring – You have a choice. [A] If you fashion yourself as a Foodie, cook something that you are proud of and bring it to share with others. [B] If you are travelling too far, can’t boil water, are afraid that you will poison someone or are just too busy, bring a check in an amount you can determine is appropriate, payable to the South Brooklyn Auxiliary of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital (fka Coney Island Hospital) and give it to Svetlana Lipyanskaya, the hospital’s executive director, as a donation to the hospital’s program for improved pre-natal and women’s health care in South Brooklyn. Some of you know her as the wife of Mikhail Lipyansky, nom de guerre Count Lermontov, and she will attend.
Why? I own too much wine and I need to put it to good use.
Other important facts. We have lots of wine glasses but if you can bring a glass or two for yourself, just in case we run out. Please bring a wine glass charm if you have one so that you can keep track of which glass has your covid germs on it. We have some, but not nearly enough.
I can’t eat {whatever}. Will I be OK? So far, one friend is using this as an excuse to buy a spit rotisserie roaster that we will use to roast a whole lamb. A well-known Berserker is bringing a roast pulled pork. Someone else is going to grill a whole bunch of cherrystone clams. And that is just for starters. Take a look at what others are going to bring.
I do not drink wine. We have a swimming pool that you are welcome to use, OR you can just eat. OR maybe my friend the Tennessee Moonshiner, will bring some of his moonshine as a food contribution. Or you can talk to The Queen of Pennsylvania knitting, Joanne Erfer, who I think will be coming.
Transportation If you are not already in Westchester, your best shot is a train from Grand Central Terminal. There are lots of trains to White Plains. There are some trains to Harrison White Plains has more cabs waiting at the station. If you want to drive, park on the side street but watch out for the lamb that we will probably be roasting on street AND NOTE that I am very serious about designated drivers, so if you drive, make sure that you have one. I have taken keys away from people at prior Berserkerfests.
But you are known to only drink Saxum, SQN and other Cali rocket fuel and I hate that stuff. Will there be anything that I like? I have been collecting wine since the 1970s and some will keep even the most picky Francophile happy. Although we are still designing the lineup, we expect to have bottles based upon the following themes. Wines are approximate and provided as examples only. If you have something listed below that you really, really want to taste, speak now and we will make a special effort to find it.
- Mature Bordeaux – will include some or all of the following, wc a re hiding in the cellar. 1975 Brane Cantenac, 1975 Cos d’Estournel, 1975 Gruaud Larose, 1982 Pape Clement, 1985 Haut Bage Liberal, 1989 Meyney, 2005 Meyney, 2000 Lascombes, 2005 Monbousquet, 2000 Cantemerle.
- Red Burgundy – assorted 2005 and 2006 Hospices de Beaune and Hospices de Nuits auction wines. Including 2005 Mazis Chambertin Madeline Collignon and 2006 Corton Dr. Peste, plus assorted premier crus from both vintages, like 2005 Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Didiers Cuvée Jacques Duret and 2005 Volnay 1er Cru Santenots Cuvée Jéhan de Massol (Bouchard). And for the baby killers among you, 2015 Drouhin Clos des Mouches Rouges
- The Loire. 2007 Raffault Les Picasses (from Magnum), 2008 Breton Bourgueil Les Galichets (autographed for me by M. Breton), 2015 Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords (yes, I know it’s white).
- Italy – Piedmonte. 2004 Paolo Scavino Bricco Ambrogio, 2012 Viberti Barolo Serralunga, 2015 Vajra Barolo Able, 2001 Vietti Barolo Brunate AND MAYBE, if I am in a good mood, my birth year Barolo, 1951 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo, 2009 Produttori Barbaresco from magnum.
- European Whites – Assorted this, that and the other thing, but I promise an Egon Muller that you have ever had - 2012 Château Belá (Egon Müller) Dry Riesling (from Slovakia), and a Donhoff or two, and some surprises that the cat drags in.
- The Saxum Red Collection -James Berry, Bone Rock, Heartstone, Broken Stones, Paderewski.
- Carlisle, Black Sears, Turley and Outpost Zinfandel.
- The SQN and Friends Red Collection. Assorted Grenache, Syrah, NOK Nebbiolo, from 2010 forward.
- The West Coast Cabernets. 2007 Quilceda Creek, 1988 Dunn Napa, 1998 Araujo, 2013 Myriad Dr. Crane, 2007 EMH, 2013 IDS.
- West Coast Whites – Aubert Ritchie, Aubert Lauren. Aubert Reuling, SQN Distenta, Saxum James Berry White.
- The Jean Edwards Wine Sampler – She said she would come, so she gets her own special section.
- Berserkerday Wines – More stuff you’ve perhaps never heard of, from DV8, Loring, Sandler, Dilecta, Tercero, Lagier Meredith, Hatori Hanzo, who knows what we find.
ATTENDANCE AND FOOD LIST AS OF 8-8-24 2 pm:
Sean Leary + 1 Wiener Schnitzel and Chicken Schnitzel
John Ehrling +2 Dumplings
Dan A +1 Spanish Rice
Noel Brizuela +1 Food TBD
Brent Clayton Pork Butts and/or cheese
Svetlana Lipyanskaya +2 She gets a free pass because she will be collecting checks. The other two – TBD
Karen Troisi +1 Sfogliatelli and Cannoli
Gil Bauer Gravlax
Hugh S Linzer Tortes
MH Green +1 Smoked Chicken Wings with Peruvian dipping sauce AND the world’s best salad.
Jay Miller and Arnold + Arnold’s mom. Jay will make Gougeres. Arnold will grill ribs
Joseph Grassa and Julie Grassa Slow cooked brisket and Russian Salad
T Gigante +1 Contribution to the hospital auxiliary
Jan and Harry Katz TBD
Robin and Steve Silverberg TBD but probably a fancy salad
Marcia and Jeff Lange TBD, I will push for some loaves of her homemade bread. She wants to bring a chocolate cake. She also wants to do something silly, like grill a whole octopus.
Juan and NaNa Soto Spit Roast a whole lamb in our back yard on the rotisserie he had delivered to my house yesterday.
Michael from Bed and Vyne in Brooklyn Fresh grilled cherrystone clams
Rebecca and Me LOTS of wine and no food.
Claudia Ossa Paradise + 1 - TBD
Dan and Janice Hammer - Fruit Platter
Sam Kwak + maybe three more - Ratatouille + maybe Bulgogi.
Neal and Lorraine Dublet TBD.
Janine Labusch - Green Olive Za’Atar Stick baguettes with salami and cheese.
SUBTOTAL – 48 people including the maybes
