The Restaurant Guys

White Rock Wine Dinner - November 5

It's officially Autumn. The equinox has passed, there's an occasional crispness in the air and we've put up a few thousand pounds of local tomatoes to keep Catherine Lombardi in sauce until next summer. The sidewalk cafe is still going strong most nights. We'll see how long that lasts. Our fall wine tasting is going to be a blast on October 9 - A blast and a bargain!

We would like to announce THE Wine Dinner of The Season. White Rock Vineyards has produced some of the most well-balanced, age-worthy, delicious Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in the Napa Valley since the 1970s. Their story is pretty special, but first, here's the menu. Note: We have had White Rock on our wine list, every single vintage since 1993. There are very few wineries that hold that distinction. We look forward to the new vintage every year, and we have aged many vintages in our personal cellars.

White Rock Wine Dinner
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Walk Around Tasting 6:15 - 7 PM
Dinner at 7 PM

Hors d'Oeuvres & Tasting
Chardonnay 2013
Claret (Bordeaux-style blend) 2012
Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Scallops with Saffron, Bacon, Mussels
Chardonnay 2012

Shibumi Farm Roasted Mushrooms Five Ways and Roasted Lamb
Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Claret (Bordeaux-style blend) 2011

Venison with Smoked Apples, Cipollini Onions, Thyme & Sage
(If game is not your thing, we will offer a substitute of tenderloin of beef for venison)
Cabernet Sauvignon "Laureate" 2010
Cabernet Sauvignon "Laureate" 2007  Library Selection

Walnut Semolina Cake with Fernet Branca Ice Cream and Chocolate
Coffee

$129
Reservations@StageLeft.com or call 732-828-4444

White Rock is a 35-acre naturally farmed vineyard, boasting a unique terroir of white volcanic ash, nestled in a small valley at the base of the Stag’s Leap Range. It has never been farmed any other way. The estate has never been subjected to herbicides, pesticides, or fumigants.

The original parcel was purchased by one Dr. Pettingill in 1870. Dr. Pettingill planted the property to Riesling and Zinfandel, one of the earliest plantings in Napa. In 1871, using only a hand saw to cut the white rock he quarried from the property, he constructed a winery in which he would process 7,000 gallons of wine per year. It was renowned to be of high quality.

Henri & Claire Reclaimed the Vineyards in the 1970s

One hundred years later, the property was reclaimed by Henri and Claire Vandendriessche. He came to America from France to study at UC Berkley in 1967. He met Claire, they fell in love, started a family and then set about restoring the White Rock Estate to its former glory. They moved into the old winery and made it their home.

They replanted as much of the original vineyard as they could, and dug a cave system where they would make and cellar the wine. Always a family business, Henri oversaw all aspects of the enterprise, including the vineyard management, while Claire marketed and sold the wines. They have always farmed organically.

Christopher Vandendriessche will Be At Stage Left November 5

After graduating UCSC with a degree in Physics, Christopher Vandendriessche achieved a degree in enology from The University of Bordeaux. He went on to work at Chateau Pape Clement, then harvests in Burgundy, Spain (Remelluri in Rioja), and Argentina (Catena in Mendoza). He returned to Napa as Assistant Winemaker under John Kongsgaard at Luna. In 1999 Christopher took over as wine maker of White Rock. Today, Christopher and his brother Michael have taken over the business, working together to craft thoughtful and balanced wines showcasing the unique terroir of White Rock.

Mark and Francis Have Poured White Rock Since 1993

Mark, Lou and I first visited White Rock waaay back in 1996. This was a time when California wine makers were pursuing ever more powerful wines, and ever bigger scores and throwing balance out the window. Henri was different. He brought a European sensibility to this extraordinary California terroir. He was right of course, and we've followed him through many vintages and now we buy wine from his sons. For twenty vintages, we have seen firsthand that they are great for dinner tonight, and they age gracefully for years.

Do come and enjoy an evening with Christopher, a comprehensive selection of his wines and an extraordinary dinner at one of your favorite restaurants. Reservations@StageLeft.com or 732-828-4444.

Autumn

I absolutely love the autumn. It has always been my favorite season. I have always loved the weather, the foods, even going back to school. To me fall has always brought with it a sense of renewal, of a new beginning. Perhaps it's conditioning from school days, but I have always felt that fall is the true beginning of a new year, moreso than January.

While most wineries begin releasing their next vintage in the spring, that process continues right through to the fall. Think about the cycles of agriculture. Wineries need to have their finished wines released and shipped before the intensity of harvesting the new vintage. Wine making is pretty intense stuff and it requires a winerey's total focus. If you want to be ignored on a winery visit, go during harvest.

New York and NJ and Philadelphia are awash in great juice right now. I've been feverishly running from tasting to tasting and organizing tasting meetings in the restaurant for other wines that aren't available to taste otherwise. Corinne, our trusty wine steward is collating the notes from all these tastings so that some time next week we can make our final selections for the wine list 2015. In case you're wondering, I do love my job. I love most aspects of my job and this is a pretty cool one.

By the end of September, Mark and I will have tasted thousands of wines. From those wines, probably a little more than a hundred will wind up on the consider list, with relevant notes. From those compiled notes, we will choose a few dozen to bring in. Some have gotten the golden buzzer treatment and have already arrived in our cellar. Though the season is not over (by the time you get this I will already be at one of the three tastings scheduled for today), I can honestly say that this is a banner year, full of exciting new stuff and great new vintages from some old friends.

Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve

We will be open for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve as always. If we're your family's tradition, we look forward to welcoming you back. If it's not yet your family's tradition, we can make it so. Of course there is nowhere you should be but in New Brunswick on New Year's Eve. Fireworks will again explode off the roof of The Heldrich Hotel at the stroke of midnight for the Seventh Annual New Brunswick New Year's Fireworks Display. Of course, we will present a new series of wine dinners and tastings and wonderful events through the rest of the year and beyond.

Welcome to another autumn my friends. I've got a good feeling about this one.

Fall Wine Tasting - October 9

Our annual fall wine tasting will occur on Friday October 9th. We're going to present you with a rigorous selection of 25 of our best new wines. We will also have a few interesting food products and I might even have a few bargain mixed case 'sawdust' lots from our cellar. The cost will be $25 per person, applied to the purchase of your first case of wine. This is perfect timing for you to stock up on all the wine you need for the holidays, yourself and gift-giving season.

Friday, October 9
This Walk-Around tasting Is Open From 5 PM to 8:30 PM
We've extended the hours from last year to give you more flexibility.
Please do let us know if you would like to attend.

If you're coming to the tasting and having dinner at either Stage Left or Catherine Lombardi and would like to attend the tasting before or after dinner, Just make a reservation for Stage Left here or Catherine Lombardi here and put in the "Note to Restaurant" that you will be attending the tasting either before or after dinner.

If you're coming to the tasting but not dining with us that night, just let us know you're coming by emailing Reservations@StageLeft.com or by calling us at 732-828-4444.

The Spirits Project: Armagnac Castarede 1980

Making the experience of super-luxury spirits crazily affordable and accessible!
Read more about the Spirits project.

• Suggested retail price: $139
  
• Thursday, September 3 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring a one-ounce pour for $5

Regular readers of this newsletter will recognize that we have been offering multiple vintages of Castarède Armagnac. This is no accident. I think these folks represent an extremely classic style and make consistently excellent brandy year on year. I have had the great good fortune to taste dozens of older vintage Armagnac from them and I am a consistent cheerleader. Some of the older vintages are not cheap but I am consistently amazed at the price-to-value relationship. This is a 25-year, family-made, classic Armagnac for $139 retail. I would suggest, if you are inclined to have some great brandy in your home around the holidays, to inquire with me about the older vintages they have available. We do still have that liquor store license and will gladly procure a bottle for you at package price.

The Castarède family began making brandy in Armagnac more than 175 years ago. Their deep roots in the region result in the ability to select the best possible Bas Armagnac products then distill to perfection and mature the resulting brandy. Armagnac is still a region where small estates grow grapes and various others distill these grapes into the signature brandy of the region. It's a place where history and family ties often matter as much as the hard work in the vineyard and at the still.

Castarede possesses two cellars, each more than one hundred years old. One is located on the banks of the Baïse River at Pont de Bordes, the historical center of wine trading when waterway was the primary means of transport. It is exceptional for aging Armagnac, as the proximity of river creates unique isothermic conditions. This is the cellar of choice for the oldest vintages. The other cellar, in Mauléon d'Armagnac, is situated in the Grand Bas Armagnac region. We've drunk many vintages from Castarede and have been uniformly impressed.

Tonight, September 17, at precisely 6:30, we will open just one bottle. When it's gone, it's gone. I do hope you can join us.

Next Week in The Spirits Project
The STUNNING: Caol Illa 32 Year (1983) Scotch Whisky, Islay

Welcome to The Fall Season

I have no bullet points for you this week, no great schedule of events that demand your urgent attention. Though the traditional Memorial Day to Labor Day summer paradigm has come to a close, though schools have opened and many of us have started back into our fall routines, I would like to remind you that tomatoes and corn right now are the best they have been in years. We've been busily putting up thousands of pounds of local tomatoes for Catherine Lombardi's red sauces and we're loving the quality. I don't have to point out how warm the weather still is of course and we're expecting the season will be extended due to it's late start in the spring and our fair weather currently. So do come in for menus featuring the foods of summer. Any minute, it will be time for pears and apples, but why not make some time to revel in corn and tomatoes before they're gone.

Considering the way tempus does fugit, I would like to put a thought in the back of your heads. Please do think of us for any upcoming private parties you may be planning or involved in. Whether for business or pleasure, I think we're uniquely suited to private dinners, parties. We will open for lunch meetings and we're open for lunch, on weekdays in December. Catherine Lombardi's secret room is the perfect place for a intimate dinner for up to nine people, with complete privacy. The wine library is our most popular private room, but we have many different configurations. Alex Hall is our private party coordinator and he will walk you through the process quickly and easily and in a very customized way. Nothing about us is cookie cutter, ever. Much of Catherine Lombardi food is ideal for catering a party in your home or office. Alex can help you with that as well. You can pick up or we can drop off or even staff and maintain an off-site event.

We will be open for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve as always, If we're your family's tradition, we look forward to welcoming you back. If it's not yet your family's tradition, we can make it so. Of course there is nowhere you should be but in New Brunswick on New Year's Eve. Fireworks will again explode off the roof of The Heldrich Hotel at the stroke of midnight for the Seventh Annual New Brunswick New Year's Fireworks Display. Of course, we will present a new series of wine dinners and tastings and wonderful events through the rest of the year and beyond.

Welcome to another autumn my friends. I've got a good feeling about this one.

The Stage Left Butcher Shop Is Open for Labor Day Weekend

 

Fish
Wild King Salmon Filet (approx 8 oz); Possibly Taku River Wild Salmon - will know on Friday	$19	each
Steak
45 Day Dry Aged Prime Tomahawk Steak (approx 36 oz)	$89	each
21-28 Dry Aged Prime Angus Porterhouse (3 lb)	$85	each
Dry Aged Bone-In Filet Mignon (Amazing) (1 lb)	$45	each
Whole Tenderloin of Beef: Cleaned - Ready-to-Cook (~3 lb)	$125	each
Wagyu Flatiron (7-8 oz)	$25	each
Nature Veal Porterhouse Chops (approx 16 oz.)	$20	each
Berkshire Pork Porterhouse Chops (14 ounce)	$12	each
Burger
Stage Left Burger 11oz (w/ 3-yr cheddar, roll, chipotle)	$10	each
More
Amish Bacon (Sliced or Slab)	$8	lb
Pulled Pork	$15	lb

*All weights are approximate. Orders must be submitted by Thursday, September for guaranteed availability. Feel free to call us last-minute, and if we've got what you're looking for, we'll be happy to provide it. To order call 732-828-4444 or JAlex@stageleft.com.

The Spirits Project: Armagnac Castarede 1965

Making the experience of super-luxury spirits crazily affordable and accessible!
Read more about the Spirits project.

• Suggested retail price: $329
  
• Thursday, September 3 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring a one-ounce pour for $10

The Castarède family began making brandy in Armagnac more than 175 years ago. Their deep roots in the region result in the ability to select the best possible Bas Armagnac products then distill to perfection and mature the resulting brandy. Armagnac is still a region where small estates grow grapes and various others distill these grapes into the signature brandy of the region. It's a place where history and family ties often matter as much as the hard work in the vineyard and at the still.

Castarede possesses two cellars, each more than one hundred years old. One is located on the banks of the Baïse River at Pont de Bordes, the historical center of wine trading when waterway was the primary means of transport. It is exceptional for aging Armagnac, as the proximity of river creates unique isothermic conditions. This is the cellar of choice for the oldest vintages. The other cellar, in Mauléon d'Armagnac, is situated in the Grand Bas Armagnac region. We've drunk many vintages from Castarede and have been uniformly impressed. The 1965 is a special vintage for Mark and me. The brandy and we are both 50 years old. Rumor has it, the brandy has aged better than we. Let's find out this week.

If you are turning 50 this year and want an anniversary bottle, this is one of your few options as 1965 was a uniformly terrible vintage world-wide.

Next Week in The Spirits Project
Milton Duff Distillery 20 Year (1995) Scotch Whisky, Speyside