Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris
Originally published May 25, 2006
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New Orleans Wine And Food Experience This Week
The first post-K Wine and Food Experience starts tomorrow, and everybody's watching and hoping.
I don't think there's anything to worry about. The program is only slightly attenuated from that of past years. And if fewer people attend the Grand Tastings and the Royal Street Stroll, that would be a good thing for the participants.
The Vintner Dinners are another matter. To have thirty-four wine dinners going on all at the same time stretches the gourmet population pretty thin every year. On the other hand, some restaurants sell out quickly, to large crowds in many instances. (Galatoire's, for example, will have two hundred people at its Vintner Dinner).
But that's always the case. My strategy over the years is to choose an offbeat restaurant for my Vintner Dinner. Right now I'm vacillating among Jackson, Fire!, and 7 on Fulton. (I hope they have seats left by the time I make up my mind.)
Among the few restaurants that did post their menus, one stood out. The dinner at the Bourbon House starts with Dom Perignon and oysters, moves to caviar, then to foie gras, and keeps on going, with great Champagnes all the way. It is astonishing to me that this dinner--at $85, the same price as all the rest--was not sold out as of this writing.
Once again, I must voice a complaint about the way NOWFE advertises the dinners. The participating restaurants would find their dinners much better attended if they would post their menus on NOWFE's web site. (I'm not just guessing at this. It is universally true that nobody will sign up for our Eat Club dinners until the menu is posted.) Many others have groused about this, and it's an issue the NOWFE guys should really fix next year.
Here's a list of all this year's Vintner Dinners, with the wineries that will be present. I've included the sold-out dinners to save you the trouble of calling those, as well as to illsutrate the kinds of places that do sell out. Based on what I know about the restaurants and thier menus, I've highlighted the best bets in red.
7 on Fulton
700 Fulton Street; 681-1034
Montecello & Osborne Winery
Andrea’s
3100 19th Street, Metairie; 834-8583
Banfi & Concha Y Toro
Arnaud’s
813 Bienville Street; 523-0611
Simi Valley & Brown Forman Wines
Bacco
310 Chartres; 522-2426
Trinchero
Bayona
430 Dauphine; 525-4455
Oregon Wine Group
SOLD OUT
Begue’s
300 Bourbon; 553-2278
Robert Keenan Winery & Century Oak Winery
The Besh Steakhouse
#4 Canal; 533-6000
Chateau Felice
Bistro at Maison de Ville
733 Toulouse; 528-9206
Deloach & Boisset
Bombay Club
830 Conti; 586-0972
Jordan Winery
Bourbon House
144 Bourbon; 521-8310
Moet Chandon & Clicquot
SOLD OUT
Broussard’s
819 Conti; 581-3866
Robert Mondavi & Frescobaldi
Café Adelaide
300 Poydras; 595-3305
Australian Premium Wine Collection & Champagne Duval Leroy
Café Giovanni
117 Decatur; 529-2154
Remy Cointreau USA
Court of Two Sisters
613 Royal; 522-7261
La Crema
SOLD OUT
Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse
716 Iberville; 521-8310
Matanzas Creek & Carmel Road
Drago's Seafood Restaurant
3232 North Arnoult; 888-9254
Markham Vineyards & Avalon
Fire!
1377 Annunciation; 566-1950
Hess Collection
G.W. Fins
808 Bienville; 581-3467
Edmeads & Cambria
Galatoire’s
209 Bourbon; 525-2841
J Vineyards
Sold Out
Jackson
1910 Magazine; 529-9599
Conquest Beverage
SOLD OUT
La Cote Brasserie
700 Tchoupitoulas; 613-2350
Alexander Valley
Lilette
3637 Magazine; 895-1636
Justin Vineyards & Scott Levy Selections
Louis XVI
730 Bienville; 581-7000
Cornerstone & Michael David Winery
Morton's the Steakhouse
365 Canal; 566-0221
Rodney Strong
Muriel’s Jackson Square
801 Chartres; 568-1885
Toad Hollow Vineyards & J Lohr
SOLD OUT
Nardo’s
6078 Laurel; 895-9441
Garetto & San Simone
NOLA
534 St Louis; 522-6652
Miner Wines
SOLD OUT
Palace Café
605 Canal; 521-8310
L’Ecole
Pelican Club
312 Exchange Place; 523-1504
Ferngrove & Sumaridge
Red Maple
1036 Lafayette Street, Gretna; 367-0935
Sterling & Beaulieu Vineyards
Restaurant August
301 Tchoupitoulas; 299-9777
Reynolds Family Winery & Lambert Bridge Winery
SOLD OUT
Stella!
1032 Chartres; 587-0091
Opolo Vineyards & Peachy Canyon
Windsor Court Grill Room
300 Gravier; 523-6000
Eberle & Kit Fox
Wolfe's in the Warehouse District
859 Convention Center Boulevard; 613-2882
Zaca Mesa & Blackstone
© 2006 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com