Getting drunk in Paris (1930)

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It's been a while since I was last at Paris 1930, and I had occasion to return tonight along with my Favorite Birdbrain Cousin and the Specialist.  It's been a while since I had a decent amount of wine in Taipei, and tonight we would be pulling up my average intake...

I dropped off the wines with Rolf last night, and learned that a new chef has come on board at the beginning of this month.  I wondered what Provençal touches Chef Christoph Buffille would be adding to the menus.  Rolf has arranged with the chef so that each dish would match a specific bottle of wine which we will be drinking.

Zucchini cream with pork meatball - we all thought it was broccoli... Not a very interesting amuse bouche.

Chaud-froid of veal tongue sauce ravigote - the very thin slices of veal tongue were pretty good.  For once I actually didn't mind the slightly acidic sauce, made with a little mustard.

1998 Krug - a little yeasty, a little ripe, nice and very ready to drink.  Good acidity balance.  Opened up a lot  more with time, with some marmalade and Chinese licorice (甘草). 

Pan fried foie gras with lentil and cream of nutmegs - the execution of the foie was perfect... beautiful to behold, wonderfully fluffy and creamy inside.  The use of lentils and nutmeg gives the feeling of winter, as least in my mind.  Very nice.

1990 Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses en demi-bouteille - meaty, slightly smoky, ripe and a little pruny.  A little sweet fruit, and perhaps a little burnt around the edges.  Nose was lovely but the body needed time to develop.  Still very youthful.  Picked up at an Acker auction last year.

Monk fish roti, risotto and sun dried tomatoes palet, pancetta dry and foam - FAIL.  The monk fish was actually passable, in terms of texture and flavor.  But the execution of the risotto failed miserably.  It's been a while since I tasted risotto that was this bad... probably the one I had at Les Deux Magots a few years ago.  I joked that as out of practice as I am, I could probably make one that is less soggy.  The fact that the ladies barely touched their portions is a testament to the quality...

1975 Trotanoy - smoky, tea leaves, dried herbs, a bit alcoholic at first.  A little animal, brett and coffee.  Very fragrant.  Nice and sweet, very smooth on the palate.    A delicious wine and a generous contribution from the Specialist.

Roasted aged striploin steak, yam mash, asparagus, truffle sauce - I must say that the beef was pretty tasty and done pretty well.  No, it was not cooked sous vide, but tasted delicious nonetheless.

1995 Gaja Costa Russi - smoky, minty, good amount of fruit.  Still pretty hard and took some time to open up.  

Seeing that we still had plenty of wine left, Rolf sent out a little bit of cheese for us.  Sadly, the cheese selection in Taipei just can't compare to what I'm used to seeing in Hong Kong...

Camembert - nice with some dried apricot.

Port Salut - slightly bitter as expected.

Fourme d'Ambert

Green tea and chocolate cake with jujube sorbet - actually not too bad, and the sorbet was unusual and interesting.

We adjourned back to my new apartment, and the drinking continued...  I opened a bottle of Egly-Ouriet Brut Rosé Grand Cru (disgorged November 2009), which showed nice nose of strawberries.  I was honestly too drunk and sleepy to get much more out of it...