I first visited Burgundy wine country in 1985, with friends, casually.
Spontaneously (from Paris), not very focused, with rudimentary knowledge of
the producers. Included a 4.5-hour (the French would say "complete")
country lunch near Corton, auspicious with local wines including extravagant
half-bottle 1969 Musigny that killed any uncertainties of faith in the
potential of the region's wines. (All humanity should experience such
wines!)

We poked around Gevrey-Chambertin. It was a quiet day, few other wine
tourists about, some of the producers' facilities in the old village open
for tastings. Indeed there was competition for our attention, some of it
underhanded. "Of course you may visit -----, d'opinion Monarchiste: his
wines are as old-fashioned as his ideas." "Ah, you've come from -------.
An adequate winemaker, for a pig of a Socialiste." (This last is said with
feeling, and careful removal of the cheroot to spit on the ground for
punctuation.) Welcome to Burgundy.

We settled at the firm of Philippe LeClerc. I knew their wines, was keeping
some in the US; we bought a few to take with us (for about half US retail,
at the time). We unexpected visitors were welcomed warmly by Madame the
matriarch, especially after my smooth friend Bill (a US expat living in
Paris, doing Marketing work) introduced me with some nonsense about how I
could be good for her business. (My French, always très limité, was then
extrêmement limité, and Bill was happy to step in and make trouble.)

I returned later but am no regular. I'm now considering a visit to Burgundy
for an unusual food-wine opportunity this year. Good company, rare
privileges. (If any of you is heavily involved in food or wine there and
wishes to correspond by email, I'd welcome it.) On the other hand, it
would be vacation time. Part of me hungers for fresh air and exercise
instead of wine and the good but heavy foods of Burgundy I've come to know,
and respect! Cheeses, ducks and their livers, snails and garlic stacked in
melted marrow fat in a hollow bone in Beaune, the outrageous
ham-cheese-feuilletage and Salade-au-Lard served at La Bouzerotte in
Bouze -- enough to cause hangovers from just food. (It happens.)

"Max Hauser" > wrote in message >...
> I first visited Burgundy wine country in 1985, with friends, casually.
> Spontaneously (from Paris), not very focused, with rudimentary knowledge of
> the producers. Included a 4.5-hour (the French would say "complete")
> country lunch near Corton, auspicious with local wines including extravagant
> half-bottle 1969 Musigny that killed any uncertainties of faith in the
> potential of the region's wines. (All humanity should experience such
> wines!)
>
> We poked around Gevrey-Chambertin. It was a quiet day, few other wine
> tourists about, some of the producers' facilities in the old village open
> for tastings. Indeed there was competition for our attention, some of it
> underhanded. "Of course you may visit -----, d'opinion Monarchiste: his
> wines are as old-fashioned as his ideas." "Ah, you've come from -------.
> An adequate winemaker, for a pig of a Socialiste." (This last is said with
> feeling, and careful removal of the cheroot to spit on the ground for
> punctuation.) Welcome to Burgundy.
>
> We settled at the firm of Philippe LeClerc. I knew their wines, was keeping
> some in the US; we bought a few to take with us (for about half US retail,
> at the time). We unexpected visitors were welcomed warmly by Madame the
> matriarch, especially after my smooth friend Bill (a US expat living in
> Paris, doing Marketing work) introduced me with some nonsense about how I
> could be good for her business. (My French, always très limité, was then
> extrêmement limité, and Bill was happy to step in and make trouble.)
>
> I returned later but am no regular. I'm now considering a visit to Burgundy
> for an unusual food-wine opportunity this year. Good company, rare
> privileges. (If any of you is heavily involved in food or wine there and
> wishes to correspond by email, I'd welcome it.) On the other hand, it
> would be vacation time. Part of me hungers for fresh air and exercise
> instead of wine and the good but heavy foods of Burgundy I've come to know,
> and respect! Cheeses, ducks and their livers, snails and garlic stacked in
> melted marrow fat in a hollow bone in Beaune, the outrageous
> ham-cheese-feuilletage and Salade-au-Lard served at La Bouzerotte in
> Bouze -- enough to cause hangovers from just food. (It happens.)

Uh oh. That was a wonderful posting, and I hate to zero in solely on
the "lard" aspect, but this leads me to a personal question. I LOVE
good food and wine, but being a relatively healthy eater and quite
conscious of it, I began to stress out just READING the last sentence
of your posting. I've only recently begun to accept the fact that I
will not be able to work out for the week I am on my Southern
France/Provence river cruise (no facilities). I thought I read that
Southern France cuisine was more like Italy--olive oil, sun-drenched
vegetables, garlic, seafood... Or is that just along the coast? Or
am I just dreaming. Before and after the cruise, I will have 3 nights
in Paris and 3 nights in Cannes. I'm not into butter, cream, cheese,
and fatty meats. Am I doomed?

-Cherie

On 26 Feb 2004 10:04:00 -0800, (cherie) said:

[snip]
] vegetables, garlic, seafood... Or is that just along the coast? Or
] am I just dreaming. Before and after the cruise, I will have 3 nights
] in Paris and 3 nights in Cannes. I'm not into butter, cream, cheese,
] and fatty meats. Am I doomed?
]
]

Cherie, you'll be fine. Here in Normandy you'd be less happy, perhaps.
(Although I could promise that the butter, cream and cheese are different
than you've had elsewhere, and the meat isn't necessarily fatty). "Lard"
by the way just means back bacon.

Nice to meet you too, actually! And try a St Nicolas de Bourgueil from
Nau Freres with that surf and turf, just thought of it. The Loire cabernet
franc reds go as well with delicate fish and shellfish as any reds I know.

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

"Emery Davis" in . ..
> Cherie, you'll be fine. Here in Normandy you'd be less happy, perhaps.
> (Although I could promise that the butter, cream and cheese are different
> than you've had elsewhere, and the meat isn't necessarily fatty).

Moreover -- though Emery is too moderate to mention it -- if you eat too
much in Normandy then customarily you call for "Le Trou Normand," a small
glass of Calvados; this burns a hole (le trou) in the food and opens up
space for you to again eat too much.

By coincidence the Las Vegas annex of New York's _Le Cirque,_ in the
Bellagio complex, is, or has been, managed by a Norman expat, M. Fabrice
Bals (just as its wine service is, or has been, managed by a Burgundian
expat). On one occasion an intrepid diner, having requested whatever the
kitchen was good at, demanded "time out" after the first eight courses, and
hinted at recourse to "Roman methods" should the courses fail to slow down.
"If you want to do that," quipped a waiter -- another French expat -- "go to
Caesar's Palace, next door!" (I am not making this up.) A better
alternative all around, countered the diner, would be Le Trou Normand. This
perked the resonance, conceivably also homesickness, of M. Bals, who
graciously conjured a couple of types of Calvados, indicating that few in
Vegas employed such a good old proven remedy. At length the diner declared
"j'ai la fortitude!" and the meal resumed for some time.

M.

One person I know spent around $600 there on a fairly lavish dinner for two;
they then stepped outside the restaurant to a Roulette wheel where he
promptly won the price of the dinner, betting on zeroes. This technique
however does not always work.

"Max Hauser" > wrote in message
...
> One person I know spent around $600 there on a fairly lavish dinner for
two;
> they then stepped outside the restaurant to a Roulette wheel where he
> promptly won the price of the dinner, betting on zeroes. This technique
> however does not always work.
>
I did it the other way around, gambling at the casino of Rhodes in Greece,
first losing money, then playing the number 22 that my wife suggested.
24 came up - she said go on, 23 came up, she urged me on, 21 came up but she
told me to continue and I peppered the table with chevals, carrées and
transversales on the number in addition to 22 itself which did come up...
That made for a very nice dinner at the Kon-Tiki floating restaurant in the
city port for the two of us
:-) Anders