I promised some time back a more in depth tasting of the 15 y.o. from Coopers Choice. This is a Bowmore, distlled in 1990 and bottled in 2006. I bought it at Milroy's of Soho in London back in July and I find now that I am almost at the bottom of the bottle. Time to finish it off and move on to new things!
First, the Coopers choice is much lighter in color than other Bowmores, certainly a good deal lighter than even the 12 yo from the distillery. I would say it is a light hay color. I'm not sure what to put this down to, given that it has spent 15 years in oak casks. It is not chill filtrated, for those keeping track, but I have not noticed any haziness in the drink at all because of it. It has a pleasant, iodine smell, some peatiness, but not overly strong. I can't detect much fruit at all in the drink, and it hits the tongue much more strongly than you would expect, even for a 46% ABV scotch. There is a distinct oiliness to it, very pleasant burn and a long finish. As I recall, this cost me about 40 pounds, or nearly $80 for a 70cl bottle. At times it seems well worth the money, others I'm not so sure, but I find it one of the more satisfying of the Bowmores. If offered a chance, take a taste!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
So what's up next?
Oh, just you wait. There's a lot yet to come, including a Valentine's dinner at Blue Duck Tavern, a trip to Las Vegas in March, and some more scotch!!!
Stay tuned (I promise I won't let it go longer this time)...
Stay tuned (I promise I won't let it go longer this time)...
Chicago
Chicago has much to recommend it, chief among them its welcoming demeanor. Some might say it possesses New York's attractions (food, sport, shopping) without the dirt. And I say that as a native New Yorker (okay, Long Islander, which makes us better --- when I was a kid, the Islanders ruled the NHL --- how times have changed).
But, I digress. I went to visit my mother this past weekend in Chicago and discovered a few things:
1) Sam's liquor not only has some fantastic wines one offer, but also has an enviable scotch collection. I was hard pressed to figure out what to buy. I did pick up a bottle of Louis Martini Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Chicago prices are a few dollars more a bottle, but at $15, this is still a great buy) and Joseph Drouhin Cote du Beune Burgundy for about $24 (a steal given that it competes well with other Burgundies that sell for twice that price). I was fascinated by the scotch collection. I did ponder the 23 yo Highland Park from Mackillop's Choice for a while. In fact, I went back the next day thinking I would buy it, until I spied with my little eye the Port Ellens.
Some of you may know about Port Ellen -- an Islay malt that has not been produced for more than 20 years since the distillery was shuttered in 1983 (despite a royal visit in 1980). It is considered by some the quintissential Islay malt. The distillery was dormant from the 1920s (or 1930s) until 1967, and is unlikely to see more production since a large chunk of the buildings have been torn down. Sams had three Port Ellens on offer, two for about $200 a bottle, which I am still not quite in a position to justify. But they did have the 1979 vintage Signatory Port Ellen (bottled in 2002). It listed for $130, but was on sale for $110. I bought it in a snap. I've never tried Port Ellen, and have subsequently read that this is not the best bottling out there, but I figured the price was very right. As I told my mother after I bought it, this is a scotch to be save for a special occasion ---- like Thursday.
2) The second thing I discovered is that my mom's recipe for Chicken Paprikash is VERY good and surprisingly easy to make. And, no, I will not share it with you.
3) Finally, we went to Spiaggia for dinner on Sunday. I had read and heard about this restaurant. My mother had eaten at the cafe a few times and loved it. We had great expectations for the restaurant. And they were borne out... sort of. We decided to go a la carte, rather than brave the seven course menu (who can eat that much!!??). The pasta course was divine. I had a veal stuffed agnolotti that was rich, succulent, and deeply satisfying. Joe had the tortiloni and seemed to enjoy it, while mom had the ravioli with black truffles. We all agreed that the dinner was off to a great start (despite indifferent breads, including one introducted to us as "plain white bread"). The next course was disappointing, though. Joe and I both had the lamb. I found the lamb loin too garlicky, and the new lamb dry. The cheeks were good, but didn't make up for the lackluster other parts. My mom had turbot that she described as "forgettable". So it was 1-1 for Spiaggia with dessert to decide it. Thankfully, dessert came through big time. My semi-freddo was divine, with a rich, bittersweet chocolate taste. Mom had the panna cotta -- also fantastic. I guess Joe liked the gelati -- they lasted about two minutes!!!
But, I digress. I went to visit my mother this past weekend in Chicago and discovered a few things:
1) Sam's liquor not only has some fantastic wines one offer, but also has an enviable scotch collection. I was hard pressed to figure out what to buy. I did pick up a bottle of Louis Martini Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Chicago prices are a few dollars more a bottle, but at $15, this is still a great buy) and Joseph Drouhin Cote du Beune Burgundy for about $24 (a steal given that it competes well with other Burgundies that sell for twice that price). I was fascinated by the scotch collection. I did ponder the 23 yo Highland Park from Mackillop's Choice for a while. In fact, I went back the next day thinking I would buy it, until I spied with my little eye the Port Ellens.
Some of you may know about Port Ellen -- an Islay malt that has not been produced for more than 20 years since the distillery was shuttered in 1983 (despite a royal visit in 1980). It is considered by some the quintissential Islay malt. The distillery was dormant from the 1920s (or 1930s) until 1967, and is unlikely to see more production since a large chunk of the buildings have been torn down. Sams had three Port Ellens on offer, two for about $200 a bottle, which I am still not quite in a position to justify. But they did have the 1979 vintage Signatory Port Ellen (bottled in 2002). It listed for $130, but was on sale for $110. I bought it in a snap. I've never tried Port Ellen, and have subsequently read that this is not the best bottling out there, but I figured the price was very right. As I told my mother after I bought it, this is a scotch to be save for a special occasion ---- like Thursday.
2) The second thing I discovered is that my mom's recipe for Chicken Paprikash is VERY good and surprisingly easy to make. And, no, I will not share it with you.
3) Finally, we went to Spiaggia for dinner on Sunday. I had read and heard about this restaurant. My mother had eaten at the cafe a few times and loved it. We had great expectations for the restaurant. And they were borne out... sort of. We decided to go a la carte, rather than brave the seven course menu (who can eat that much!!??). The pasta course was divine. I had a veal stuffed agnolotti that was rich, succulent, and deeply satisfying. Joe had the tortiloni and seemed to enjoy it, while mom had the ravioli with black truffles. We all agreed that the dinner was off to a great start (despite indifferent breads, including one introducted to us as "plain white bread"). The next course was disappointing, though. Joe and I both had the lamb. I found the lamb loin too garlicky, and the new lamb dry. The cheeks were good, but didn't make up for the lackluster other parts. My mom had turbot that she described as "forgettable". So it was 1-1 for Spiaggia with dessert to decide it. Thankfully, dessert came through big time. My semi-freddo was divine, with a rich, bittersweet chocolate taste. Mom had the panna cotta -- also fantastic. I guess Joe liked the gelati -- they lasted about two minutes!!!
The New Year
Earlier today I was reading on Scotch Blog about all the defunct websites and blogs about scotch and whisky that promised so much and then petered out after only a few posts. God forbid such a thing should happen to me, but then I see it has been over two months since I last posted. A lot has happened since then, so I wanted to share with you some of what has happened in the mean time. (This posting is brought to you by three drams of Talisker 10 yo and 1 of Cooper's Choice 1990 Bowmore, so please forgive any rambling or misspellings).
First, I have to tell you about the single best restaurant in Washington DC. You may have seen Michelle Richard's book in Borders or Barns & Nobles, Happy in the Kitchen. Well, count me happy in the dining room. Leslie and I celebrated our second anniversary at Citronelle at the Latham Hotel in Georgetown. I was bowled away by his cuisine. Tom Siemtsa (food critic for the Washington Post) described Chef Richard's creations as playful interpretations of traditional foods, including (as I recall) making something look like a sunny-side up egg that was very different. (His review is here.) While the chef at Maestro experiments with different flavors (for which I have great respect), Michelle Richard makes beautiful creations that taste wonderful. I can't remember everything I had, but the rabbit tasting (loin, leg, sausage, etc) was divine, and certainly better than Gordon Ramsay's rabbit at the Claridge in London (which I found a bit salty). I can't even remember what Leslie had at this point, but I still remember the apple done four ways for dessert, including a wonderful apple ice cream, a cider, and a dessert terrine. On top of that, the sommelier Mark Slater suggested a wonderful wine (Chateqeuneuf-du-Pape 2004 La Bastide Saint Dominique Secrets de Pignan "Vieilles Vignes") that went with it all perfectly (unfortunately it is not a widely distributed wine and I have not found it anywhere in stores).
So, we have now eaten at three of the four four star restaurants in the DC area (Maestro, Citronelle and Cityzen) and found two of them fantastic, and one very well executed, but not to our liking wholely (Maestro). The one we have not been to is the Inn and little Washington, but that we will save for a while (both in terms of time and money!).
After Christmas, we headed up to New York to enjoy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, some opera at the Met (die Zauberfloete) and dinner at a new restaurant (for us): Compass in the upper West Side. The restaurant has a beat-up sign out front that reminds you of a diner, but the inside is all class. It is quiet and modern (granted we were the first table seated at 5:45pm, so no one else was there yet) and the service is excellent. They have a limited, but delicious, prixe-fix menu for $35 that is well worth it. A la carte has some great dishes as well. If you find yourself in New York and looking for a restaurant before the Opera, symphony or ballet, you can do far worse than Compass.
First, I have to tell you about the single best restaurant in Washington DC. You may have seen Michelle Richard's book in Borders or Barns & Nobles, Happy in the Kitchen. Well, count me happy in the dining room. Leslie and I celebrated our second anniversary at Citronelle at the Latham Hotel in Georgetown. I was bowled away by his cuisine. Tom Siemtsa (food critic for the Washington Post) described Chef Richard's creations as playful interpretations of traditional foods, including (as I recall) making something look like a sunny-side up egg that was very different. (His review is here.) While the chef at Maestro experiments with different flavors (for which I have great respect), Michelle Richard makes beautiful creations that taste wonderful. I can't remember everything I had, but the rabbit tasting (loin, leg, sausage, etc) was divine, and certainly better than Gordon Ramsay's rabbit at the Claridge in London (which I found a bit salty). I can't even remember what Leslie had at this point, but I still remember the apple done four ways for dessert, including a wonderful apple ice cream, a cider, and a dessert terrine. On top of that, the sommelier Mark Slater suggested a wonderful wine (Chateqeuneuf-du-Pape 2004 La Bastide Saint Dominique Secrets de Pignan "Vieilles Vignes") that went with it all perfectly (unfortunately it is not a widely distributed wine and I have not found it anywhere in stores).
So, we have now eaten at three of the four four star restaurants in the DC area (Maestro, Citronelle and Cityzen) and found two of them fantastic, and one very well executed, but not to our liking wholely (Maestro). The one we have not been to is the Inn and little Washington, but that we will save for a while (both in terms of time and money!).
After Christmas, we headed up to New York to enjoy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, some opera at the Met (die Zauberfloete) and dinner at a new restaurant (for us): Compass in the upper West Side. The restaurant has a beat-up sign out front that reminds you of a diner, but the inside is all class. It is quiet and modern (granted we were the first table seated at 5:45pm, so no one else was there yet) and the service is excellent. They have a limited, but delicious, prixe-fix menu for $35 that is well worth it. A la carte has some great dishes as well. If you find yourself in New York and looking for a restaurant before the Opera, symphony or ballet, you can do far worse than Compass.
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