Coming up the first week of June is anniversary number 50. Some years
back, we were gifted with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 by our very
generous nephew in Hawaii.

I had planned to go to our favorite restaurant in town that night, after
bringing the bottle there a few days early to settle down any sediment.
That night, the chef usually makes a lamb dish, which sounded ideal.

Then, today I was browsing and went to that restaurant's web site and
discovered something that made me recoil in revulsion. On the deck
immediately above the nice restful locale with a 270 degree view of the
Guadalupe River, they have added an outdoor eatery with a focus on much
heavy drinking and light menu plus ENTERTAINMENT. Going to their schedule
of upcoming ENTERTAINMENT I see that on that night of all nights there
will be a Rock electric guitar and "singing" (if one can be so generous
as to utilize that terminology)into a PA system. There is no way that the
unbearable noise from above would not permeate the dining room below.

That leaves me with a massive quandary. I can not risk wasting the
absolutely priceless bottle that I could never afford plus the sanctity
of the occasion to just sit there and be aggravated by the type of noise
that I absolutely cannot stomach, and pay for the privilege.

What seems to be the only viable solution is to stay home that night
after gathering some deluxe ingredients, don my Toque Blanche and put
forth my ultimate effort in kitchen duty.

If all of this seems like venting frustration rather than discussing
wine, then it is. Only some members of this newsgroup could understand
what I am ranting about.

Godzilla

"Godzilla Lizard" > wrote in message
...
| Coming up the first week of June is anniversary number 50. Some years
| back, we were gifted with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 by our very
| generous nephew in Hawaii.
|
| I had planned to go to our favorite restaurant in town that night, after
| bringing the bottle there a few days early to settle down any sediment.
| That night, the chef usually makes a lamb dish, which sounded ideal.
|
| Then, today I was browsing and went to that restaurant's web site and
| discovered something that made me recoil in revulsion. On the deck
| immediately above the nice restful locale with a 270 degree view of the
| Guadalupe River, they have added an outdoor eatery with a focus on much
| heavy drinking and light menu plus ENTERTAINMENT. Going to their schedule
| of upcoming ENTERTAINMENT I see that on that night of all nights there
| will be a Rock electric guitar and "singing" (if one can be so generous
| as to utilize that terminology)into a PA system. There is no way that the
| unbearable noise from above would not permeate the dining room below.
|
| That leaves me with a massive quandary. I can not risk wasting the
| absolutely priceless bottle that I could never afford plus the sanctity
| of the occasion to just sit there and be aggravated by the type of noise
| that I absolutely cannot stomach, and pay for the privilege.
|
| What seems to be the only viable solution is to stay home that night
| after gathering some deluxe ingredients, don my Toque Blanche and put
| forth my ultimate effort in kitchen duty.
|
| If all of this seems like venting frustration rather than discussing
| wine, then it is. Only some members of this newsgroup could understand
| what I am ranting about.

Pleasure delayed is not pleasure denied. Find something wonderful to do
at home on the night, caviar and Champagne suggest themselves, then
go to the restaurant on the next (or prior) night that it would be quiet.

Or find another restaurant. Do Not throw out the bathwater with the
baby. One can always get another baby; well-aged bathwater is a
horse of a different color entirely. And remember that you will not
enjoy the wine or the evening if you have to orchestrate it and then
work for it.

pavane

On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:35:40 -0400, pavane wrote:

> "Godzilla Lizard" > wrote in message
> ... | Coming up the first
> week of June is anniversary number 50. Some years | back, we were gifted
> with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 by our very | generous nephew in
> Hawaii.
> |
> | I had planned to go to our favorite restaurant in town that night,
> after | bringing the bottle there a few days early to settle down any
> sediment. | That night, the chef usually makes a lamb dish, which
> sounded ideal. |
> | Then, today I was browsing and went to that restaurant's web site and
> | discovered something that made me recoil in revulsion. On the deck |
> immediately above the nice restful locale with a 270 degree view of the
> | Guadalupe River, they have added an outdoor eatery with a focus on
> much | heavy drinking and light menu plus ENTERTAINMENT. Going to their
> schedule | of upcoming ENTERTAINMENT I see that on that night of all
> nights there | will be a Rock electric guitar and "singing" (if one can
> be so generous | as to utilize that terminology)into a PA system. There
> is no way that the | unbearable noise from above would not permeate the
> dining room below. |
> | That leaves me with a massive quandary. I can not risk wasting the |
> absolutely priceless bottle that I could never afford plus the sanctity
> | of the occasion to just sit there and be aggravated by the type of
> noise | that I absolutely cannot stomach, and pay for the privilege. |
> | What seems to be the only viable solution is to stay home that night |
> after gathering some deluxe ingredients, don my Toque Blanche and put |
> forth my ultimate effort in kitchen duty. |
> | If all of this seems like venting frustration rather than discussing |
> wine, then it is. Only some members of this newsgroup could understand |
> what I am ranting about.
>
> Pleasure delayed is not pleasure denied. Find something wonderful to do
> at home on the night, caviar and Champagne suggest themselves, then go
> to the restaurant on the next (or prior) night that it would be quiet.
>
> Or find another restaurant. Do Not throw out the bathwater with the
> baby. One can always get another baby; well-aged bathwater is a horse
> of a different color entirely. And remember that you will not enjoy the
> wine or the evening if you have to orchestrate it and then work for it.
>
> pavane

Darn good advice across the board from you. My original ambition as a
young man was to become a chef, and I am quite skilled at it. However,
the thought of cutting, chopping, sautéing, plating and especially
scrubbing pots and pans on that night is what I was not looking forward
to. There are times in this world when one feels that they are entitled
to be waited upon in a grand manner.

Thanks again,

Godzilla

Godzilla Lizard > wrote in news:6d663$4bca6544
:
>
> Darn good advice across the board from you. My original ambition as a
> young man was to become a chef, and I am quite skilled at it. However,
> the thought of cutting, chopping, sautéing, plating and especially
> scrubbing pots and pans on that night is what I was not looking forward
> to. There are times in this world when one feels that they are entitled
> to be waited upon in a grand manner.

I am a bit younger than you are, I also love wine, love to cook (and am
reasonably good at it) and have decided that there is no better place for
great wine than home.

I understand what you mean with cleaning afterwards. May I suggest that you
work in advance so that you do not have to do much cleaning?

When I want to open a good bottle of wine, I always do a low temperature
slow roasted roast beef and a gratin daphinois. There is not much to clean
afterwards, and for sure nothing to scrub.

Both dishes are so easy to make that anybody with an oven and an Ikea
cooking thermomether could do it without needing any difficult technique.

However, I understand your desire to feel like a King at a restaurant. I
wish you a very happy 50th anniversary and my best wishes for your second
50 years period! Let's talk about it in 50 years!

s.

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:33:12 +0200, santiago wrote:

> Godzilla Lizard > wrote in news:6d663$4bca6544
> :
>>
>> Darn good advice across the board from you. My original ambition as a
>> young man was to become a chef, and I am quite skilled at it. However,
>> the thought of cutting, chopping, sautéing, plating and especially
>> scrubbing pots and pans on that night is what I was not looking forward
>> to. There are times in this world when one feels that they are entitled
>> to be waited upon in a grand manner.
>
> I am a bit younger than you are, I also love wine, love to cook (and am
> reasonably good at it) and have decided that there is no better place
> for great wine than home.
>
> I understand what you mean with cleaning afterwards. May I suggest that
> you work in advance so that you do not have to do much cleaning?
>
> When I want to open a good bottle of wine, I always do a low temperature
> slow roasted roast beef and a gratin daphinois. There is not much to
> clean afterwards, and for sure nothing to scrub.
>
> Both dishes are so easy to make that anybody with an oven and an Ikea
> cooking thermomether could do it without needing any difficult
> technique.
>
> However, I understand your desire to feel like a King at a restaurant. I
> wish you a very happy 50th anniversary and my best wishes for your
> second 50 years period! Let's talk about it in 50 years!
>
> s.

Thanks for the kind wishes

Godzilla

On Apr 17, 5:38�pm, Godzilla Lizard > wrote:
> Coming up the first week of June is anniversary number 50. Some years
> back, we were gifted with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 by our very
> generous nephew in Hawaii.
>
> I had planned to go to our favorite restaurant in town that night, after
> bringing the bottle there a few days early to settle down any sediment.
> That night, the chef usually makes a lamb dish, which sounded ideal.
>
> Then, today I was browsing and went to that restaurant's web site and
> discovered something that made me recoil in revulsion. On the deck
> immediately above the nice restful locale with a 270 degree view of the
> Guadalupe River, they have added an outdoor eatery with a focus on much
> heavy drinking and light menu plus ENTERTAINMENT. Going to their schedule
> of upcoming ENTERTAINMENT I see that on that night of all nights there
> will be a Rock electric guitar and "singing" (if one can be so generous
> as to utilize that terminology)into a PA system. There is no way that the
> unbearable noise from above would not permeate the dining room below.
>
> That leaves me with a massive quandary. I can not risk wasting the �
> absolutely priceless bottle that I could never afford plus the sanctity
> of the occasion to just sit there and be aggravated by the type of noise
> that I absolutely cannot stomach, and pay for the privilege.
>
> What seems to be the only viable solution is to stay home that night
> after gathering some deluxe ingredients, don my Toque Blanche and put
> forth my ultimate effort in kitchen duty.
>
> If all of this seems like venting frustration rather than discussing
> wine, then it is. Only some members of this newsgroup could understand
> what I am ranting about.
>
> Godzilla

I usually have a local chef cook at our home. Sometimes I help and
act as "sous chef" but it allows me to spend time with guests, etc and
the chef takes care of clean-up chores. I think a 50 year anniversary
deserves a bit of pomp. Congrats and enjoy!

On Apr 18, 4:20*pm, Godzilla Lizard > wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:33:12 +0200, santiago wrote:
> > Godzilla Lizard > wrote in news:6d663$4bca6544
> > :
>
> >> Darn good advice across the board from you. My original ambition as a
> >> young man was to become a chef, and I am quite skilled at it. However,
> >> the thought of cutting, chopping, sautéing, plating and especially
> >> scrubbing pots and pans on that night is what I was not looking forward
> >> to. There are times in this world when one feels that they are entitled
> >> to be waited upon in a grand manner.
>
> > I am a bit younger than you are, I also love wine, love to cook (and am
> > reasonably good at it) and have decided that there is no better place
> > for great wine than home.
>
> > I understand what you mean with cleaning afterwards. May I suggest that
> > you work in advance so that you do not have to do much cleaning?
>
> > When I want to open a good bottle of wine, I always do a low temperature
> > slow roasted roast beef and a gratin daphinois. There is not much to
> > clean afterwards, and for sure nothing to scrub.
>
> > Both dishes are so easy to make that anybody with an oven and an Ikea
> > cooking thermomether could do it without needing any difficult
> > technique.
>
> > However, I understand your desire to feel like a King at a restaurant. I
> > wish you a very happy 50th anniversary and my best wishes for your
> > second 50 years period! Let's talk about it in 50 years!
>
> > s.
>
> Thanks for the kind wishes
>
> Godzilla

First of all, happy anniversary. It speaks volumes that despite some
hard times you are planning such a special event (and you must be a
pretty good uncle!)

I see the advantages of hiring a chef (but $$$) or doing yourself, but
I think the idea of a familiar favorite place might be the best. As
Pavane suggests, maybe the night before or night after.

I'm a fan of rock (and jazz and classical and bluegrass and ,,,,) but
don't generally like live music with my food. If the artist is good, I
wish to pay attention- and that detracts from meal and company. If
artist isn't good, I don't want to hear them.

Whenever and wherever you have the meal, I hope it is great, and the
Mouton is as good as I remember it.

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:53:12 -0700, DaleW wrote:

> On Apr 18, 4:20Â*pm, Godzilla Lizard > wrote:
>> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:33:12 +0200, santiago wrote:
>> > Godzilla Lizard > wrote in news:6d663$4bca6544
>> > :
>>
>> >> Darn good advice across the board from you. My original ambition as
>> >> a young man was to become a chef, and I am quite skilled at it.
>> >> However, the thought of cutting, chopping, sautéing, plating and
>> >> especially scrubbing pots and pans on that night is what I was not
>> >> looking forward to. There are times in this world when one feels
>> >> that they are entitled to be waited upon in a grand manner.
>>
>> > I am a bit younger than you are, I also love wine, love to cook (and
>> > am reasonably good at it) and have decided that there is no better
>> > place for great wine than home.
>>
>> > I understand what you mean with cleaning afterwards. May I suggest
>> > that you work in advance so that you do not have to do much cleaning?
>>
>> > When I want to open a good bottle of wine, I always do a low
>> > temperature slow roasted roast beef and a gratin daphinois. There is
>> > not much to clean afterwards, and for sure nothing to scrub.
>>
>> > Both dishes are so easy to make that anybody with an oven and an Ikea
>> > cooking thermomether could do it without needing any difficult
>> > technique.
>>
>> > However, I understand your desire to feel like a King at a
>> > restaurant. I wish you a very happy 50th anniversary and my best
>> > wishes for your second 50 years period! Let's talk about it in 50
>> > years!
>>
>> > s.
>>
>> Thanks for the kind wishes
>>
>> Godzilla
>
> First of all, happy anniversary. It speaks volumes that despite some
> hard times you are planning such a special event (and you must be a
> pretty good uncle!)
>
> I see the advantages of hiring a chef (but $$$) or doing yourself, but I
> think the idea of a familiar favorite place might be the best. As Pavane
> suggests, maybe the night before or night after.
>
> I'm a fan of rock (and jazz and classical and bluegrass and ,,,,) but
> don't generally like live music with my food. If the artist is good, I
> wish to pay attention- and that detracts from meal and company. If
> artist isn't good, I don't want to hear them.
>
> Whenever and wherever you have the meal, I hope it is great, and the
> Mouton is as good as I remember it.

Thanks to all who comprehend my attitude, strange as that may be. :-)

Godzilla

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:20:35 -0700, Bi!! wrote:

> On Apr 17, 5:38�pm, Godzilla Lizard > wrote:
>> Coming up the first week of June is anniversary number 50. Some years
>> back, we were gifted with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 by our
>> very generous nephew in Hawaii.
>>
>> I had planned to go to our favorite restaurant in town that night,
>> after bringing the bottle there a few days early to settle down any
>> sediment. That night, the chef usually makes a lamb dish, which sounded
>> ideal.
>>
>> Then, today I was browsing and went to that restaurant's web site and
>> discovered something that made me recoil in revulsion. On the deck
>> immediately above the nice restful locale with a 270 degree view of the
>> Guadalupe River, they have added an outdoor eatery with a focus on much
>> heavy drinking and light menu plus ENTERTAINMENT. Going to their
>> schedule of upcoming ENTERTAINMENT I see that on that night of all
>> nights there will be a Rock electric guitar and "singing" (if one can
>> be so generous as to utilize that terminology)into a PA system. There
>> is no way that the unbearable noise from above would not permeate the
>> dining room below.
>>
>> That leaves me with a massive quandary. I can not risk wasting the �
>> absolutely priceless bottle that I could never afford plus the sanctity
>> of the occasion to just sit there and be aggravated by the type of
>> noise that I absolutely cannot stomach, and pay for the privilege.
>>
>> What seems to be the only viable solution is to stay home that night
>> after gathering some deluxe ingredients, don my Toque Blanche and put
>> forth my ultimate effort in kitchen duty.
>>
>> If all of this seems like venting frustration rather than discussing
>> wine, then it is. Only some members of this newsgroup could understand
>> what I am ranting about.
>>
>> Godzilla
>
> I usually have a local chef cook at our home. Sometimes I help and act
> as "sous chef" but it allows me to spend time with guests, etc and the
> chef takes care of clean-up chores. I think a 50 year anniversary
> deserves a bit of pomp. Congrats and enjoy!

Yours is also a good scenario. However, this is a "no guest" type of
event, at least in my humble opinion. This morning, we breakfasted out
for a change (only because I had a 2 for 1 coupon at McD's.)
That would not be my ultimate chۻoice for the June 4th dinner locale.
Then again, I did forget to ask what their charge for corkage would be,
compared to the other place that I had selected. ;-)

Godzilla

Godzilla Lizard wrote:
> Coming up the first week of June is anniversary number 50. Some years
> back, we were gifted with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 by our very
> generous nephew in Hawaii.
>
> I had planned to go to our favorite restaurant in town that night, after
> bringing the bottle there a few days early to settle down any sediment.
> That night, the chef usually makes a lamb dish, which sounded ideal.
>
> Then, today I was browsing and went to that restaurant's web site and
> discovered something that made me recoil in revulsion. On the deck
> immediately above the nice restful locale with a 270 degree view of the
> Guadalupe River, they have added an outdoor eatery with a focus on much
> heavy drinking and light menu plus ENTERTAINMENT. Going to their schedule
> of upcoming ENTERTAINMENT I see that on that night of all nights there
> will be a Rock electric guitar and "singing" (if one can be so generous
> as to utilize that terminology)into a PA system. There is no way that the
> unbearable noise from above would not permeate the dining room below.
>
> That leaves me with a massive quandary. I can not risk wasting the
> absolutely priceless bottle that I could never afford plus the sanctity
> of the occasion to just sit there and be aggravated by the type of noise
> that I absolutely cannot stomach, and pay for the privilege.
>
> What seems to be the only viable solution is to stay home that night
> after gathering some deluxe ingredients, don my Toque Blanche and put
> forth my ultimate effort in kitchen duty.
>
> If all of this seems like venting frustration rather than discussing
> wine, then it is. Only some members of this newsgroup could understand
> what I am ranting about.

Major Bummer, O Scaly One. Is there no other venue for a celebratory
dinner out? If not, how about some high quality takeout food to
minimize the cleanup at home? Since you live more or less in Whole
Foods country, how about a dinner foraged there? With a wine like the
'82 Mouton, a simple dinner of roast chicken would be a fine choice. Or
roast the chicken a day ahead of time and reheat on the night of the
dinner. You can problably concoct more elaborate meals that could be
prepared ahead of time and reheated at need.

Best wishes for your celebration!
Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:20:15 -0400, Mark Lipton wrote:

> Godzilla Lizard wrote:
>> Coming up the first week of June is anniversary number 50. Some years
>> back, we were gifted with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 by our
>> very generous nephew in Hawaii.
>>
>> I had planned to go to our favorite restaurant in town that night,
>> after bringing the bottle there a few days early to settle down any
>> sediment. That night, the chef usually makes a lamb dish, which sounded
>> ideal.
>>
>> Then, today I was browsing and went to that restaurant's web site and
>> discovered something that made me recoil in revulsion. On the deck
>> immediately above the nice restful locale with a 270 degree view of the
>> Guadalupe River, they have added an outdoor eatery with a focus on much
>> heavy drinking and light menu plus ENTERTAINMENT. Going to their
>> schedule of upcoming ENTERTAINMENT I see that on that night of all
>> nights there will be a Rock electric guitar and "singing" (if one can
>> be so generous as to utilize that terminology)into a PA system. There
>> is no way that the unbearable noise from above would not permeate the
>> dining room below.
>>
>> That leaves me with a massive quandary. I can not risk wasting the
>> absolutely priceless bottle that I could never afford plus the sanctity
>> of the occasion to just sit there and be aggravated by the type of
>> noise that I absolutely cannot stomach, and pay for the privilege.
>>
>> What seems to be the only viable solution is to stay home that night
>> after gathering some deluxe ingredients, don my Toque Blanche and put
>> forth my ultimate effort in kitchen duty.
>>
>> If all of this seems like venting frustration rather than discussing
>> wine, then it is. Only some members of this newsgroup could understand
>> what I am ranting about.
>
> Major Bummer, O Scaly One. Is there no other venue for a celebratory
> dinner out? If not, how about some high quality takeout food to
> minimize the cleanup at home? Since you live more or less in Whole
> Foods country, how about a dinner foraged there? With a wine like the
> '82 Mouton, a simple dinner of roast chicken would be a fine choice. Or
> roast the chicken a day ahead of time and reheat on the night of the
> dinner. You can problably concoct more elaborate meals that could be
> prepared ahead of time and reheated at need.
>
> Best wishes for your celebration!
> Mark Lipton

Thanks for yet more good wishes from my wine enthusiast colleagues.
Living in a small town (pop. 30,000 or so) does limit the choices for
dining venues. There are no shortage of fast food and franchise eateries
in this area, but I don't believe any of them would fit the bill. :-(
My latest thought revolves around picking up a rack of lamb at Costco
when I go in this week to replenish the larder. Then, I shall make a
"trial run" dinner using it with a lesser wine from my small cellar.
With that under my belt (noting any problems or improvements along the
way) I may consider that for a viable alternative choice for June 4th.
Time is on my side, even though locale is not. ;-)

Godzilla (who may finally learn to use the dishwasher at last)