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Saturday July 29, 2000 "No man also having drunk old wine straightaway desireth new; for he saith, The old is better.." St. Luke, 5:39
South Austin burial ground? with Xi'an warriors and penguins
South Austin real estate
which is the '66 Cheval Blanc and which is the '70 Ausone?
After 34 years, Chateau D'Yquem looks like this.
foie gras! |
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Al's Big Night My early morning dog walk was in the South Congress area. We discovered Little Stacy Park which looks very nice and neighborly and even has tennis courts. The wading pool is closed, of course. Water restrictions. Except for some tennis players, we didn't see anyone walking around much except for dog owners. We munched something at Jo's where the dogs spoke to a few other dogs. I sorted china and silverware and washed up Riedel glassware for a couple of hours, waiting for the other participants in Al's Big Night to come by. It's fun handling my good china and my fun dessert and salad plates. I handle the Riedel glasses like babies with both hands. They are beautiful and shapely and they will more than serve their purpose this night. It's not my birthday yet. But I wish it were so FFP lets me buy a spare rechargeable battery for my Canon PowerShot S20 plus a 340 megabyte micro drive. Can you say hundreds of shots? You can get over 150 maximum resolution, minimum compression shots on one. Imagine that! At lesser resolutions or with compression, many hundreds! We spent the afternoon getting everything lined up for the coolest dinner we have ever done at home. A chef, two waiters, seven courses and some truly fine wines. And just four other people. Six people and a chef and two servers. If wine means anything to you, then this would be an event you would have enjoyed. We call the event "Al's Big Night" because the oldest and best wines are his. We engaged Praire Rock Catering and executive chef Deborah DeWitt for this event. Look, we just figured that if we can spend tons of money entertaining a bunch of people for charity then we can spend the money on adding fine food to fine wine for ourselves once in a while. Sometimes things live up to your expectations. I printed up a menu and checked it with Deborah when she arrived and correct it. It sounds too good to be true. I've also printed the wines we think we will drink and the possible subs. The guests arrived in a cab. Yellow Cab is the designated driver. Yeah. We tackled two Vintage 1990 Primo Champagnes, comparing them head-to-head. Great appetizers accompanied. The tension built as we opened an old Montrachet only to find it gone. In the end we opened a 1993 Montrachet to replace it and it was fine. Oh, and I think we drank the back-up Pouilly-Fusè, too. With the soup and with the fish. The foie gras with a Maidera glaze really shined. I must say that the 1966 Chateau D'Yquem looked and tasted grand. And we saved some for dessert. There was quite a performance in decanting the old Bordeauxs. Let's just say that we scrambled for deanters at the last minute, ending up choosing an expensive Waterford and a old $1.98 number purchased years ago at Pier One. That we used a votice candle, a Screwpull, a chopstick and an Ah So pull and a gold coffee filter. And the result? Paradise! The beef dish Deborah prepared rocked. In spite of the prior sipping, much of what passed for intelligent wine talk was spoken over these fine St. Emillion bretheren. We were basket cases when the chocolate pecan tartlets arrived. And the cheese course was over the top. There were some doggy bag requests (granted). Al had a good cigar which he smoked in the garden. Several people tried out the massage chair or took a little nap. We poured down a bit more chilled Evian (each guest consumed about a liter). When the guests left, I looked at all the Riedel and china. I had told the servers not to bother with the delicate handwashing. I decide to save it for a sober tomorrow. If you have a fantasy of food and wine in mind...I suggest Prairie Rock catering. And it helps if you know Al.
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