Archive for the ‘Restaurants & Bars’ Category
Old Wine and Restaurant Overreach
September 9th, 2011 by Tom Johnson
The Wine Curmudgeon posts on what is, to me, the scariest aspect of restaurant wine: When the wine did arrive, it was oxidized; obviously, the bottle had been open for a considerable period of time, and the wine had started to turn. It no longer tasted especially like chardonnay, but like bad sherry, with burnt [...]
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Freudian Alcohol Consumption
August 2nd, 2011 by Tom Johnson
A fondue restaurant in Paris, in an effort to lower the tax burden on wine by the glass, now serves wine in baby bottles, complete with nipples. Dinner is served at long wood tables, and customers sit side by side on adjoining wood benches. At first you might be reluctant to pick up your drink, [...]
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Smartness Follows
July 20th, 2011 by Tom Johnson
I interviewed Mary Melton, the wine buyer — excuse me: Director of Beverage — for PF Chang’s. The interview is for an article I wrote for Vineyard & Winery Management. (The article, which I think runs in August, is really interesting; everyone should subscribe to the magazine and patronize its advertisers.) One thing that came [...]
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Where to Drink Wine When You Come to the Kentucky Derby
April 26th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
Somewhere out there someone is packing for a trip to the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is, of course, a mint julep event. Locals craft their own mint julep recipes, handing them down over generations. Every restaurant has its own variation on the theme. Churchill Downs, the home of the Derby, is widely acknowledged to have [...]
Tags: Kentucky Derby, wine
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Wineblog Round-Up: Tipping on Corkage
December 16th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
More and more, people are bringing their own wine into restaurants. This article estimates that 30% of people do it to save money, and that 70% bring their own bottle so they can drink something “really cool” that’s not on the restaurant’s list. Restaurants that allow this charge “corkage” for the privilege, a fee of [...]
Tags: Restaurants, Tipping, wine
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Use This When Someone at Work Suggests That Everyone Should Go Out For a Beer
October 15th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
Every Thursday. bottles of wine are half price at Limestone. Technorati Tags: deals. restaurants, Restaurants, wine
Tags: deals. restaurants, Restaurants, wine
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The Last Friday of Summer
September 4th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
Louisville has some wonderful patios for drinking wine in the summer. Here are my three favorites: North End Cafe. An interesting little list, a good cheese plate and inventive menu, and it’s usually busy enough to be interesting without being crowded. The Bristol in Prospect. The Bristol on Bardstown Road has a nice outdoor area, [...]
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Bartender Challenge: In Which I Have Fun Putting Someone Else On the Spot
July 29th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
L&N Winebar & Bistro sells flights of wine from their roughly 50 bottle selection of nitrogen-preserved wines-by-the-glass. The bar is comfortable and the staff, top to bottom, is among the most knowledgeable in town. So, just for fun, tonight I walked in and challenged Rick, the bartender on duty: set me up a memorable three-wine [...]
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Partial Listing of Magazine’s List of Award Winning Wine Lists
July 15th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
Wine Spectator‘s Annual Restaurant Awards issue (August) is out. Twenty-six Kentucky restaurants (17 in Louisville) made the list, 24 as Award of Excellence winners and two Best of Award of Excellence. This is up from 23 and one, respectively, last year. There are no restaurants in Kentucky that qualify for the Grand Award — none [...]
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Is It the Wine? Is It the Context?
July 10th, 2009 by Tom Johnson
2007 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier blend, eight bucks a glass, sitting on the patio at North End Café. This is what Friday in the Summer is all about.
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