A fellow foodie/wino of mine sent me an email saying he was in the city for business (he is one of those suburban types that I still allow to associate with me) and he wanted to go out to dinner and pull a couple of corks (that’s what us wine geeks say–at least the ‘hip’ ones–when we want to get our drink on). He had mentioned it to me days before, but of course I had forgotten, so I was a tad bit unprepared, but up for it of course. He said he was ‘bringing a red’ so I decided I would bring a white so as not to offend anyone.

I first suggested we go to our neighborhood gem, Hickory Lane (even though they now have a liquor license—they are allowing BYO for a while longer, I am certainly stressed out about this development), but since he had already been to the ‘Lane’ (another ‘hip’ term), he wanted me to chose another. I quickly checked Open Table and saw that both Russet (a place I have been meaning to try) and the Farm and the Fisherman (a place I have been meaning to revisit) both had tables available. He had already been to the F & F (not sure if that is the ‘hip’ term or not, so use it at your own risk), so we decided on Russet.

I had heard good things about the restaurant, so I was rather geeked (another term, not sure how ‘hip’). After considerable deliberation and consulting the online menu, I settled on an older Condrieu, and raced home after work to get the darn thing cold. The restaurant is located on Spruce here in the city, so thinking that parking would likely be a problem, I rode my bike (the whole ‘drunken cyclist’ thang). I was pleasantly surprised by the space–a 1877 brick townhouse with seating for about 50 people. I was not as excited when I looked over the menu at my seat. Even though the online version of the menu had at least five choices for both the entrée and the main dish (I know I am a French snob, but I have never understood why we call the main dish an ‘entrée’ in this country–it means ‘entering’ for chrissakes). The version I was given in the resto (‘hip’ term) only had three of each. There was also a tasting menu available, but it was just a listing of the six items on the regular menu. I was confused, so I asked our server what the deal was. She confirmed that the tasting menu was indeed the whole menu. I asked if the portions were a bit smaller, and she said “maybe a little bit, but if you get that, you will leave definitely thinking that you ate enough.”

I am still not sure if that was a selling point.

We both decided against the tasting menu–there was a time where I thought that eating everything on the menu would have been ideal (but I am no longer a post-pubescent teen). From my days as a tour guide in France, I like to think I have become rather good at ordering–I am rarely disappointed and usually order the better dish between my wife and me (but who says I am competitive?). Thus, with only three choices, it should have been easy, but it wasn’t. So, I asked the server and she suggested:

virginia littleneck clams–potato gnocchi, confit garlic, parsley, crispy guanciale

Fine. The Condrieu should do well with that. As for the main dish, there was only one that would go with the wine that my dining companion brought:

veal t-bone—roasted eggplant, tomato fondue, creamy polenta

Review: The clams had plenty of flavor, but they were very gritty and the gnocchi were at best overcooked and at worst, mushy. The Veal t-Bone was interesting, but quite tough and I felt as though it was clearly overdone. The flavors were great and the pairings were spot on, but….

Perhaps the chef was not there that night, perhaps since it was a Wednesday….

I really was non-plussed at best. It is unlikely that I will be back anytime soon–there are just too many options in the city.

2000 Laurent Betton Condrieu: Retail ~$35? An older Condrieu (100% Viognier) that I was really worried about, but it was fantastic–notes of pineapple and lemon on the nose with a great weight and focus. It certainly had some Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay characteristics, but had the roundness and softness that screams Viognier. This was not mind altering, but fabulous and memorable. Excellent. 90 Points.

2006 Saarloos & Sons 194Five The Union Santa Ynez Valley: Retail ~$40. This was fantastic–not a big fruity mess, but a restrained, elegant, food wine. This was clearly a blend, but I was not smart enough to determine the blend while I was there. Some nice restrained fruit and great balance. I would buy this if their website made any sense at all. Excellent. 91 points.