Alcoholic Californians

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A couple of friend and I got together for a casual dinner so we could open some wines.  They had just returned from a trip to California and wanted to show me some of their purchases, and I promised to bring something interesting to match.  We couldn't figure out where to go, so the executive decision was made to stop by the Press Room.

My friends ordered some oysters and conch, but I wasn't in the mood for them.  Instead I dove into the French charcuterie platter, which was actually a lot of meat.  The chargrilled toulouse sausage was not bad, while the chargrilled merguez sausage was a little more flavorful.  The duck rillettes were nice, and the saucisson de Lyon was very yummy.  Smoked duck magret was not bad, the pâté de campagne decent, and the ox tongue was delicious but I could do without the salsa verde. 

I also ordered frisée aux lardons with smoked bacon, croutons and poached egg.  I guess I like this once in a while as an alternative to the Caesar salad.  Love those lardons...

We shared a grilled asparagus salad, which was not bad.  Need some greens to balance out all the meat we're chowing down.

We needed a meat dish to go with the big wines, and ended up getting the wagyu rump despite some initial hesitations.  I don't eat a lot of steak, and like with other foods I'm always looking for different (and interesting) cuts of meat.  We asked for medium rare, but what we got was definitely not medium rare... it was most certainly done, if not well-done. I think my friends had maybe 1 or 2 pieces in the middle that were still a little pink, but what I had was a little tough - and it's not because of the cut of meat.  The dish came with two big tomatoes, a bunch of haricots verts, and portobello mushrooms.  The fries were excellent, and was probably the most enjoyable part of this dish...

I was pretty stuffed so I gave away my portion of the crêpe Suzette.

We drank the three bottles pretty much simultaneously, although I didn't touch the reds until much later myself.  The 2008 Sans Liege Côtes-du-Coast was an interesting blend of the three principal Rhone white varietals - Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne.  The young wine was incredibly fresh and floral, with minerality, sweetness, tropical fruits that smelled like a piña colada.  It was very ripe and a little hot on the finish, as the back of my throat gets a little singed by the 15.4%.  A very nice wine to drink, and very affordable.

2008 George Vintage VI Pinot Noir Ceremonial Vineyard - this was my third time tasting wines from George, and I really love their wines.  Tons of strawberries, along with some candy, herbs, bacon fat and farmy notes... This was the lightweight of the evening, coming in at 14.1%.

2000 Clos Mimi Syrah Bunny Slope - I love the wines from Clos Mimi, coz they are so out there.  I double-decanted the wine in the office, and it was just opening up after 4 hours, so it wasn't as good as I had hoped.  It was typical of the Californian Syrahs that I tend to buy - really huge nose of iron, rust and minerals on top of the fruit, plus some herbs and pine needles.  This wine comes out swinging at 15%, and as with past experience may actually taste better the next day...

I was pretty drunk - and getting a slight headache - by now, even though I hadn't drunk that much.  Must have been the fact that I've been drinking a lot less lately...  Anyway I stumbled home, only to realize the next morning that I'd left my phone either at the restaurant or in the cab back home...