I get up super early to venture out to lavinia and check out wine while lea is still asleep.
La Lavinia is considered to be one of the best wine shops, if not the world. It doesn’t disappoint. This place is fucking cool. Sooo may wines, it’s like the goddam david jones of wine, the harrods of wine, the coles of wine. They have every country, every region, verticals, horizontals (diagonals probably but I couldn’t find them).
Downstairs, they have a locked room at the back containing all the awesome old stuff, the rare and top marques.
THEN at the back of this is a cave, like an actual cave, with a cast iron frame gate and a massive padlock….there are boxes inside…covered in dust….its like fucking Aladdin. I can see fun words like “yquem” and “lafite” peeking through the dust.
So I wander across all 3 floors for over an hour, scope the wines I want, pick out a dozen, torture the staff with questions in broken French, then eventually resort to English to sort out the details of sending it home to Sydney.
“je suis desolee monsieur, I ahm sorry buht we cannot send vine to oz-traylia for yew.”
BALLS.
Plans in tatters, I stumble home, following instructions and looking for a cheese shop that is seemingly not there anymore.
Once home lea tells me Le Chateaubriand, the restaurant we planned to have lunch at, is closed for lunch this week only.
The day gets better. Little did I know what was in store.
We spend a pleasant afternoon in the south of paris, having Vietnamese at a place called Pho14, then checking out some bookshops and cheese shops near Trocadero. We visit a mosque (?don’t ask me leas idea?), and have some sweet mint tea in the sun.
From here to la tour Eiffel – breathtaking everytime I see it. Apparently it was entered in a fair or exhibition, and then was planned to be taken down!?! They changed their mind and the world thanks them. We walk down the champs de mars.
We visit palais de Tokyo and explore the flights of the Apollo missions and see never before released fotos of the lunar landing in the “a man on the moon” exhibition.
Dinner is at Il Vino by enrico bernado. A concept restaurant, owned and run by “Le Meilleurs Sommelier du Monde 2004”, it offers a menu of only wines. You select a glass and a dish is presented to accompany it. It is considerably swankier than I had imagined – double cloths the texture of silk, glasses with flowers on each table, richly padded white leather chairs etc.
The wines are intruiging and we go to town.
To start 2 glasses of champagne that isn’t – blanc de blanc by Pierre Something-or-Other (I can’t remember everything…), from in the geographic region of Champagne, but outside the viticultural boundaries.
Lea has a “blind tasting menu” – 4 wines served in reidel black stems, unknown, with dishes to match.
To wit
2007 Franz Haas Spatlese with terrine de foie gras with apricot and peach chutney, fresh endive (we share this, bringing my foie gras count up to 4 ☺)
2006 Lurton Torrontes with squid stuffed with farce des legumes on a bed of confit tomato with a slightly paprika/white pepper sauce thing. The least appetsing (and the only wine I didn’t pick – I pegged it as new world viognier)
2006 David Dugat (spelling?) Vosne-Romanee with veal, spinach studded gnocci and artichokes, Excellent, the veal soft and tender, the burgundy (biodynamique) young and effervescent and vital, the tannins not fully integrated.
2008 Moscato d’Asti, I ignored the producer, too caught up in my own dessert (more on this later). It was grapey and fresh, like all bloody moscato. I love it but c’mon, everyone’s doing it.
For me –
With Lea’s foie gras I have a glass of 1997 Schwartsberger Reischgraff von Kesselstadt – perfumed, soft, delicate yet profound.
Then 2004 Weinbach Grand Cru St Catherine Riesling with tartare of tuna topped with a quenelle of what we are haughtily told is “Alberta” caviar. Hmmmm.
The tuna is dressed in mirin and almond oil and surrounded by a smooth avocado and shiso puree. Nice but a tad bland. This is becoming a common theme in Parisian food….
Next 2004 Clape Cornas. Peppery and olive scented, it is full and rough and ready and excellent. The accompanying dish is not so – 2 full legs and breasts of pigeon served so rare I struggle to cut it. I fucking eat my beef rare but this is insane. It bleeds everywhere – not rested obviously, it is tough and chewy, the slightly crisped skin offering the only real excitement. The selection of spring vegetables that accompany it are perfectly fresh and well and good and you know what’s coming – nice but bland. I feel the word “nice” encompasses bland well enough actually. So it is just nice.
Dessert is a redeemer – 1992 Puffeny Arbois “Vin Jaune” in all its salty, hazelnutty, lemony glory, is served with a 3yr old Comte from affineur Madame Quatrehomme. Stunning. I also curiously receive a little garden salad. Innocuous enough and yet superfluous I feel. Oh well it is fresh I suppose.
It is at this point that those with sensitive eyes should divert them elsewhere because I’m about to get very angry.
We are content and happy enjoying this dinner very much, Lea and I. I am taking a few discreet fotos around the dining room when Lea suggests I turn the beeping noise off on the camera (triggered upon every touch of a button). It is a new camera and I am as yet unaware of how to do this. Lea offers to help. She disengages the beep. Somehow however, in all of her technological wisdom, she manages also TO DELETE EVERY SINGLE PHOTO I HAVE AS YET TAKEN ON MY ENTIRE TRIP.
SANCERRE – GONE
PARIS’ GARDENS – GONE
SACRE COEUR - GONE
L’ARPEGE – GONE
EIFFEL TOWER – GONE
ALL 4 MUSEUMS VISITED _ GONE
EVERY SINGLE OTHER FOOD AND WINE SHOT – GONE
ALL TONIGHT’S DINNER – GONE
FUCK
I estimate 200 photos. From the trip of my lifetime. As previously mentioned I have been unable to upload any shots to my computer yet…so they were all on the memory card. This is why I've had no photos up till now...
bitch.
The colours fade to grey. I am no longer hungry. I am tired, angry and alone in a city that can’t understand my accent.
We have however already ordered extra dessert because we are greedy.
Pour elle – salted caramel tiramisu with vanilla oil, accompanied by Donnafugata ‘Ben Rye’ Passito
Pour moi – baked apple with fromage blanc ice cream on a bed of almond sponge, accompanied by Weinbach Vendange Tardive Gewurtz.
(Hooray for 1st photo)
As you can see I’ve stopped paying attention.
Enrico stops and chats, Lea tells him I work with wine, we get more free stuff (that makes 3, chalk it up) – this time an insanely fragrant eau de vie – Alsatian, Mettier I think, Framboise Sauvage to be sure. It is very good. He also advises a company that will send my wine home. Sweet.
We depart sated and me a little grumpy. Sleep is needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment