On Jan 10, 9:05*am, DaleW > wrote:
> Oswaldo and Marcia were in town, and we arranged to meet them at Ten
> Bells on the Lower East Side. Betsy had a ziker to attend, so I
> dropped her, visited my favorite wine store (aka Chambers), did a
> couple of errands, picked her up and headed to Broome St. We saw
> Oswaldo and Marcia on the block, and eventually found correct door. It
> seemed a bit loud, but we ended up in the pleasant and quieter
> backroom.
>
> Food was pretty good for a winebar. Standout for me was the angulas
> (baby eels) over arugula, we also enjoyed white asparaugus, duck
> breast salad, pulled pork sandwich, ham. Betsy was taking Advil for
> back so just sipped, the rest of us got a glass of white each and
> split a bottle of red.
>
> My opener was a 2008 *"Movia "Quattro Mani." *Weird and funky nose
> (Oswaldo said this was Tocai). Citrus, musky floral tones (like
> walking into a greenhouse of tropical plants), anise, and something
> strange that I can't put my finger on. Surprisingly, a bit dilute and
> dull on palate. But as it warms palate fills out, and *the strange/
> chemical edge (dare I say it reminded me of urinal deodorizer!) faded.
> A wine way more interesting than pleasant at first, turned into a nice
> quaff (interesting but not weird). B
>
> The 2007 Puffeney Poulsard was a bit reticent at first, but I ended up
> quite liking. Pale color, a little funky on the nose at first, but
> with time in flask it seemed more mainstream. Sweet strawberries and
> cherry, some orange zest. Good but not extreme acidity, no percievable
> tannins, a little light for the duck but versatile and foodfriendly. B
> +
> *
> Of course, seeing Oswaldo and Marcia was the highlight, I'd have been
> happy to drink Marquis Phillips and eat Whoppers to see them (ok,
> maybe I wouldn't have been happy).
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.*

Whoppers and Marquis Phillips....they must be awesome people.