I was derelict in my cooking duties tonight.  I had thought that one of my older son’s classmates was coming over for a sleepover, so I had assumed that meant a night away from the stove and a call to a non-Domino’s delivery service (for the record, I have nothing against Domino’s–I worked for them during high school and I can toss a mean ‘za).  Communication was lacking, however, and thus, tomorrow is the night for the ‘joyous’ sleepover event.  As a result, we decided to go to our local byob, Hickory Lane.

Being that this was a Friday, I decided that we needed a bit of bubbly.  It could very well have been a Tuesday, or a Thursday, or even a Monday and I would have felt the same way.  I ran downstairs and grabbed a half bottle of Paillard rosé.  I also grabbed a bottle of Burgundy that I had been meaning to get to: 2000 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chappelle Domaine du Duc de Magenta.  A quick aside–Chassagne-Montrachet is beyond famous as a white wine village, sharing the most expensive white wine vineyards in the world with its neighbor to the north, Puligny-Montrachet.  This wine, however, was red and therefore pinot noir.  I was very excited….

We walked down to the restaurant and right away to our table.  Within seconds, my younger boy started his all too familiar chair dance.  I looked to my beautiful wife and she acknowledged that she would do the ‘honors’.  As she escorted our younger son to the restroom (and just moments after they returned they left almost immediately for a second time!) in our first three minutes at the table, I quickly popped and poured the Paillard rosé which had about 26 minutes in the freezer before the 3 minute walk in the rain to the restaurant.  Of course, I poured a little more for me, but that is de rigeur.  Normally, I get the burger at ‘the Lane’, which is phenomenal–the best burger I have ever had.  This time, I decided to branch out and get the pork tenderloin–I love the pork tenderloin, cooking it in a few different ways myself.  My beautiful wife did get the burger and we got an order of goat cheese risotto and an appetizer of mussels for the boys.

Tasting notes:

N.V. Bruno Paillard Champagne Rosé Brut Première Cuvée (375 ml: half bottle):  Chilled for 25 minutes in the freezer.  Got it to the restaurant and the cork took quite a bit of coaxing to get out.  When it finally ‘popped’, there was but an ever so slight sigh–even a whimper.  I was worried.  The color was a very pale salmon at best (a little more worried), and the nose had hints of age (full-on worried).  There was also fruit, however, mostly a touch of over-ripe strawberry and caramel.  A slight sparkle rose gently, teasing me a bit.  My wife was still in the back with the little one, so I took advantage: big pour, big gulp.  Wow and… Well.  I loved it, but this is not a champagne for the faint of heart–some fruit, but muted by the slightly oxidized sense of age.  I bought a few of these a couple years ago, but clearly they had already had a several years on them.  Admittedly, my wife was not much of a fan–she let me finish the bottle (bonus!)–but this was right in my wheelhouse.  An aged champagne with a bit of fruit and a ton of character–I could not ask for more.  92+ points.

2000 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle Domaine du Duc de Magenta Rouge:  Popped and poured.  The nose was fine, but unremarkable.  A hint of fruit, a touch of heat, and a bit of Burgundian funk.  On the palate on the first swig, it was quite austere and even a bit disjointed.  WIth each successive slug, though, it got better and better.  By the end, an excellent Burg.  89 points.

The risotto and the mussels came out first, followed quickly by the burger and the pork.  The kids dove straight in, and were up to their elbows right away.  I made a slice and had a quick bite of the pork which was served with “Sweet Potato Puree, Onion Braised Swiss Chard, Carmel & Ginger Pork Jus with Mint”.  Well, the pork was perfectly cooked and the sweet potato purée was sublime.  The problem: they did not mesh well together.  In my opinion, the pork was under seasoned to compete with the sweet potato purée (a little more salt and pepper would have made a fine balance).  The burger was fantastic, as always, however, and the mussels and risotto were both top notch.  We will be back, again and again.

Breaking News:  I found out from my buddy JH, that the ‘Wine Guy’ at Hickory Lane has left for seemingly greener pastures.  I approached my boy JH (who says he reads these posts) and suggested that he allow me to be the ‘Wine Guy’ for Hickory Lane as they move toward their liquor license.  He was non-committal (as I would be to), but I know I could do it and it would be great for all involved.

So the question: should I be the new ‘Wine Guy’ at Hickory Lane?

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment!