Winesday and a Drink Special

"Hey, listen I realize you are busy but I have to go taste some Robert Kacher wines. Going to go to Herbsaint, you in?" asked Bloggle.

I'll let you guess how I answered. Buying wine from foreigners can be very tricky what with all the funny names and dates. One of the most effective ways of buying wines that require a passport is to familiarize yourself with a few reputable importers. On the back of any bottle of wine from outside of America will be a seal of an importer. Some good ones to look for are Robert Kacher, Rosenthal Merchants, and Kermit Lynch.

Robert Kacher's portfolio has a stunning array of breadth and depth. Everything from a quaffable white Bordeaux to stunning Argentinian reds is in his list. Bloggle, who is a good friend to have, has a huge crush on Robert Kacher (pronounced like Carlton Fisk's position) and Cork & Bottle is full of them.

So into the backroom at Herbsaint went twelve of us, including Dread Pirate Robert and Ian McNulty. The latter welcome, the former not. Thirteen wines awaited and a whole mess of food. Foodwise here is a quick recap: guinea hen croquettes (eagle), frog legs (birdie), mushroom ravioli (birdie), spaghetti with fried poached egg and guanciale (what do you think?), veal stuffed with fontina cheese and ham with fried sage (par), cheese plate (killer epoisses), and a bite of McNulty's peanut butter mousse with salted whipped cream (eagle).

I loved the first white with its austerity, citrus notes, and a hint of melon. The culprit: a Joel Delaunay, Le Bois Martin made up of 100% Sauvignon Blanc. My notes say it was silver tinged, but this wine has gold medal written all over it. Drink it with pate or boiled shrimp on a hot summer day. Price? $13.99.

Other whites I particuliarly enjoyed were the Domaine du Tariquet from Bordeaux and the Quinto do Alqueve. The Bordeaux is fitty-fitty Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc that smells of fresh hay. A truly delicious, rustic white wine, I would love to drink this with a white bean soup on a cold evening after a long day.

There was also an incredibly clean and acidic white from Quinto do Alqueve which had underlying notes of star anise, dried flowers, and guava. The wine is made from 92% Fernao Pires, an ancient Mediterranean grape, and 8 % Chardonnay. At around $10 a bottle I could afford to drink this while watching the Charm School 3 Marathon.

Going darker to the world of reds, we find a 2008 Cote Jardin Rouge from Vignobles Boudinaud made up 55% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 15 % Mourvedre taken from vines older than me, but younger than Bloggle. This wine had a very focused nose offering hints of fruit preserves with a little inflection of sawdust. My notes say "This wine is such a killer it needs three names." Lucky for you, that was the high water mark of my cleverness that night.

A 2007 Syrah/Grenache blend from Mas des Bressades presented with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cedar, and violets. Would love to drink this with a braised lamb shank in early spring. At less than $12 a bottle, if you give this to me as a gift, I would not be offended at your cheap ass.

Finally, there was a 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape from Les Cailloux. Such a great wine, to bad the only thing I could write down next to it was "A little rooster from Islamabad called he has your pocketbook."

Anyone know what that means?

Finally, I ran into Tom Wolfe, the chef, not the author recently. He told me they are running a special every Wednesday evening with mojitos and margaritas for $4 from 4:30 til along with other specials like fish tacos. Well made cocktails, good bar food, and no snootiness. Sounds like a good way to get over the hump to me.

Wolfe's on Rampart
1041 Dumaine Street
593-9535

Need a Place for Easter Brunch?

Wolfe's, a place both Peter and I are quite fond of, is having a $35 three course Easter Lunch. The dining room at Wolfe's with its airy ceilings would be a fantastic place for a Sunday Brunch. And what is more, you can let your annoying relatives play in the traffic on Rampart St.

Here is the menu:

Sunday Brunch

Prix Fixe Menu $35

Starters

Fried Louisiana Oysters

In a crabmeat brie cream with a touch of pastis and shaved chives

Wolfe’s Chop Greek-Style Salad

With Kalamata olives, red onions, tomatoes and feta cheese, tossed with fresh herb vinaigrette

Fresh Fruit Plate

With pineapple, berries and melon, finished with Chambord crème chantilly

Pan Perdu (French toast)

Topped with Vermont maple syrup butter

Shrimp Bisque au Sherry

With shaved green onions and Creole boiled shrimp and corn relish

Entrees

Eggs Pontchartrain

Poached eggs on top of Creole crab cakes with lemon chive hollandaise

Petite Filet

With pommes frites, grilled asparagus and sauce béarnaise

Grits and Grillades

Tender veal braised in a rich veal gravy with stone ground grits

Shrimp and Polenta

Creole spiced shrimp atop creamy pepper jack cheese polenta and

spicy barbeque butter sauce

Today’s Fresh Catch

Ask your server for Chef’s daily preparations

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Desserts

Ellie’s White Chocolate Butter Bars

Sorbet Fruit Plate

Gelato

Side Dishes

Corned Beef Hash

Sliced Appledwood Smoked Bacon

Rosemary Roasted New Potatoes

Homemade Biscuits

Please call 504.593.9535 for reservations
www.wolfesrestaurant.com
1041 Rue Dumaine New Orleans, LA 70116

Wolfe's

Friday night, long week. Vietnamese, Pizza, or ___? We could not figure out what we wanted. You know the feeling. Then, how about Wolfe's on Dumaine and Rampart. Imposing yet welcoming space, gorgeous bar. Tall columns and impressive windows, banquette running the length of one wall. Begin meal with an absinthe and vodka tonic at the bar and some chitter chatter with Chef Wolfe, settled in.

The menu is divided into appetizers, medium plates, and entrees. Since we were two and only two, we decided to just bounce around the menu and sample. But first let's discuss Chef Wolfe. Tom Wolfe grew up working as Emeril's sous chef for almost a decade. The man knows food and restaurants. The original Wolfe's was on the lakefront. Other restaurants followed and now he has renamed Peristyle, Wolfe's got it? An honest, hardworking man, Chef Wolfe makes each guest feel welcome. He loves talking food, drinking, and hearing stories about the Pope. Naturally we hit it off.

I am not a big fish fan, the food not the band. So the amuse bouche of strawberry cured salmon, creme fraiche and caviar tested my nerves. However, I found myself really enjoying it. The oily density of the salmon was muted by the delightful citrus cure of the strawberry. The creme fraiche, caviar, and Maras Farms sprouts salad added some textural and palate cleansing properties. All photos by Lindsay.

Next up was probably our favorite dish of the night, Sweetbreads. Big chunks of tender glands, cooked perfectly with cubes of potatoes and demi glace. More often then not you find small sweetbreads with more breading than sweetbreading. Not here.

Seared Grade "A" Foie Gras with a berry compote and toast points. Delicious. Now I would have liked to maybe see the berries pureed into more of a sauce, Lindsay liked it the way it was. In talking to Chef Wolfe abou it, I brought this up. His response, "it said compote on the menu, not sauce." Touche. Notice the artistry of restraint in this photo.
Duck rillette salad with radishes and balsalmic glaze. Beautiful plate, the rillette was a little salty, but then again it is rillette. The little rounds of french bread were topped with just scared by the heat brie.
Crabmeat, horseradish mayo, and beet salad with drizzles of olive oil. Classic flavors right there. And it gave me an idea for a dish to try at home once summer comes. Always a good thing to have happen. The salad on top is fennel fronds, some chervil, and parsley.

Ohh and they paired each course with a glass of wine. Which was pretty bad ass. I think they knew I knew Peter. We got drunk. Last course was steak tartare with a fried quail egg, capers, hard boiled egg, parsley, and red onion. I love steak tartare. And what we did not finish, I had them wrap up to put in an omelet the next morning. But of course I forgot it.
The tartare was paired with a complex, earthy Burgundy. We ended up drinking a whole bottle.
Dessert was a cheese course and a green apple and taragon sorbet. The former was served at the proper temperature and the later used herbs deftly to cut through the sweetness of the green apple. After dinner, we sat at the bar drank some Grand Marnier and Nocello and swapped stories with Chef Wolfe and his staff till almost two in the morning, which is one reason why my writing sucks today. The bill for us came to about $80 a person with tax and tip. The night, however, was priceless.

So next time you are wondering where to eat, give Wolfe's a try. Peter and I agree that Chef Wolfe is the most underrated chef in New Orleans. Chef Wolfe will be there cooking your food and giving you the same service given to us, I promise you that.