Back on the Bmore Dining scene: Two meals at Petit Louis and Woodberry Kitchen

Woodberry Kitchen owner Spike Gjerde


Tony Foreman, co-owner of Petit Louis and several other top restaurants in Baltimore

Baltimore's restaurant scene has certainly evolved considerably in the past decade. Growing up, a nice meal out usually meant either a trip to one of the formulaic, play it safe establishments in Little Italy, or perhaps another similarly Americanized 'ethnic' restaurant, or a splurge at one of the venerable steak houses. Then things became more high concept. Some Italian restaurants aspired towards greater authenticity, serving the likes of whole roasted branzini; one Greek restaurant in particular focused on similarly unadorned, fresh fish preparations, and then, of course, the tapas and small plates craze hit. More recently, it looks as though the local food phenomenon, spurred on by 'locivore' diners, restaurateurs, and the assorted farmers who provide these establishments with their produce, poultry, meat and dairy, has begun to take hold in the community. Two long-time Baltimore restaurateurs, Tony Foreman and Spike Gjerde, have worked through Baltimore's transformation into a more interesting dining town, and by chance I visited one of each of their restaurants this past week.

Let's begin with the larger ego first. Tony Foreman is Baltimore's undisputed Big Shot when it comes to restaurant empires. Along with his wife, chef Cindy Wolf, he owns Cinghiale, an Italian style osteria and wine bar, Pazo, a mediterranean themed small plates oriented restaurant an lounge, Charleston, the French influenced, southern tinged grand dame of the group, and Petit Louis, the classic French bistro in the heart of the tony enclave of Roland Park (if you only associate Baltimore with 'The Wire,' then Roland Park is the polar opposite of your image of the city). Anyway, I'm going to get right down to it and say that my lunch was a complete and utter disappointment. Frites were a little browner than usual (as per my mom's request, for them to be 'extra crispy') but still not hot and crisp. No sort of interesting aioli or other house made condiment served on the side, just a basic dijon mustard. I had ordered a classic frisse salad, with poached egg and lardons. The frissee was not fresh and swimming in an overly acidic, vinegary dressing which left a pool of liquid on the plate. Such a poor execution of a dish so simple does not make me optimistic as to the execution of other dishes on that particular afternoon. Bistro kitchens can and will have off days,though execution this lousy is truly tough to explain. The wine list provided the sole bright spot of the day. I had a glass of the characteristically tasty 2006 Francois Pinon Vouvray, and had I been in the mood for red I could have ordered the 2006 Chateau d'Oupia Minervois rouge. The bottle list is also excellent and far better than many a list in similar bistros in more cosmopolitan cities.

My experience at Spike Gjerde's Woodberry Kitchen was a more positive one. The space, with its high ceilings, worn brick walls, stencils on blackboard menu and stylish casual ambience, suggested a buzzing, successful, quietly confident young restaurant. Local farms which provide Woodberry Kitchen their products are mentioned on the menu, an endearing, easy to read menu at that, with clever, witty flourishes throughout. One example is the 'filtered Baltimore wooder,' a play on how we Baltimoreans pronounce water (and Philadelphians as well, I think, want to weigh in DMcD?) As my parents don't eat oysters but my grandma and I do, we split half a dozen which were a perfect start made even more perfect with a bottle of 2007 Domaine de la Louvetrie Muscadet. I'm not sure if it's a separate bottling from their Hermine d'or - it certainly seemed a little less weighty and mineral than how I remembered it. Maybe Jo Landron bottles a separate Muscadet for certain importers. Next I had a salad of various local radishes and savory bread pudding. On paper, it seemed like the contrasting flavors and textures would make for an interesting dish, but instead what I got were two things that should probably not be eaten together. For a main course I ordered a roasted chicken with a cider pan glaze, kale and a really tasty side of spaghetti squashed with melted cheese - a terrific combo of subtly sweet squash and rich melted cheese. We drank a bottle of '05 Domaine Ostertag Pinot Blanc Barriques, which was richly textured, not really overoaked but definitely lacking a bit of chi. It went ok with the food, complementing the richness of the squash and not enhancing or detracting from the flavor of the chicken. Portions here are more than ample - I arrived fairly hungry and left very full. Judging by the strong Thursday night crowd and the overall strength of the restaurant, it looks like Spike has got a winner on his hands here.

Despite my not so great meal at Petit Louis, I can certainly vouch for Tony Foreman's other restaurants, which are all based on creative concepts, well executed by talented kitchens and enhanced by what is consistently some of the sharpest service around. He along with Spike Gjerde and others have undoubtedly raised the bar considerably for Baltimore restaurants.

Further explorations in New York City; dinner at Tia Pol

New York City is one of those rare places on this earth that I will never tire of visiting. While I have never lived there, outside of a few months one summer while in college, I have come to take a certain ownership and pride in this most American of cities. My visits there have taken me from the brunch spots on the good old upper west side (them's my people, after all), to the foodie and hipster strongholds of the east village and Williamsburg, back up to mid-town during the uber consumerist holiday shopping season, further uptown to the contrasting botanical gardens and cement in the Bronx. Down to neighborhoods in various states of gentrification in Brooklyn. From Fort Greene to Greenpoint, Queensbridge to Jamaica, Queens, all the way east to Sir Coxsone Dodd's record shop in East New York, Brooklyn. I've seen a lot, and still feel like I haven't even scratched the surface of the diversity the city has to offer.

This time around, the trip was short, sweet, and centered on the island of Manhattan. A few hours viewing early near eastern and Chinese art at the Met, followed by a stroll down 5th Ave to my mid-town hotel, and another walk over to Chelsea to meet my friend Cam for drinks and tapas at Tia Pol. Co-Owners Heather Belz and Mani Dawes (daughter of noted Spanish wine and food expert Gerry Dawes, as well as owner of the all Spanish wine boutique Tinto Fino) have put together quite an authentic and convincing list of tapas, complemented by a solid all Spanish wine list, with highlights including older 80's vintages of La Rioja Alta's reservas and gran reservas. As it was not to be a splurge type of night, I chose to start off with another highlight of Tia Pol: their sherry list. If you like sherry, or are just curious about tasting a variety of some of the best examples, then you need to head to Tia Pol. Three finos, two manzanilla pasadas (longer aged, richer manzanilla), two manzanillas, amontillados, three (yes, 3!) types of palo cortado. I started with the Maestro Sierra fino, which I have heard a lot about and had not yet tasted. I immediately noticed the extra richness and texture from the older solera the bodega boasts. Probably amongst the best fino sherries I have tasted, full of extra broad mid-palate fruit, complexity and savor, though a bit lacking in the salty tang you might expect. With the tapas, we ordered a bottle of '97 LdH Vina Tondonia Rosado. It's in a great place right now, very bright and red fruited, showing the subtle american oak spice tones which define the best Rioja. While I have gotten used to the taste of wines with an extended aging in older oak, Cam commented on the 'sherry like' flavors she tasted. She loved the wine, but noted the oxidation more than I did. The wine paired well enough with everything, though it seems to have more of an affinity for foods of land rather than those of the sea, at least of the types we were eating. Some of the standout tapas included txipirones en su tinta (meaty, savory squid cooked in their own ink) montaditos de crema de habitas con beyos(little open-faced sandwiches with a spread of fava bean puree and beyos cheese) and navajas y almejas(cockles and razor clams, simmered in a white wine, fish stock and garlic flavored broth).

It was a short, but fun and rewarding trip. I encourage anyone spending time in New York to visit Tia Pol (again, they're in Chelsea, on 205 10th ave betw 22nd + 23rd), as well as to explore part of the city you have not yet visited. In The City, that's the only way to roll.

Postcard from DC: Composing and recording roots reggae music, drinking much Yuengling

Greetings, everyone.

I'm very pleased to say that the weekend recording session went very well. We recorded drafts of three songs, which may not seem like much, but considering that it was our first go at recording a full band on our own, and that we had to give structure to and discuss the tunes, we are very pleased. Personally I am really happy with how my portable Hammond B3, consisting of Voce V5, Hughes & Kettner rotosphere and Yamaha DX7 IIFD as a midi controller, sounded. I look forward to recording some more and hopefully releasing a great record within a year.

Recording with a band, for those who have not yet experienced it, can navigate a tenous path, at times exhilarating or exasperating, dramatic or boring. If you've seen either the Metallica or Wilco documentary, then you know what I'm talking about. Fortunately, though, this weekend remained relatively free of drama, and still had the exciting feel of creating a new body of work. We are in no rush this time, which is a good thing, especially considering that our main songwriter, guitarist, webmaster, and booker of gigs has an 11 month old daughter (Phoenix, pictured below)



Yesterday I had a wonderful time in chilly, rainy, DC - accordingly much of it was indoors. Breakfast with a former co-worker, pizza at Matchbox with Phoenix, the aforementioned 11 month year old, and her parents, followed by a few pints of Yuengling at the good old DC standby, Clyde's. Now I'm in Bmore and looking forward to heading up to New York City tomorrow. That should be fun since, if all goes according to plan, I will be linking up with Mr. Schist himself, and possibly he of the rockss and the fruits as well.

Surely this will make for some very entertaining, fresh blog material - sorely needed on this oft-unfocused, purportedly wine geek oriented blog. Check back early and check back often, I'm back on the saddle and ready to go. Giddyup.

Off to the great east coast

Vacation time is here! This time I'm off to see a tiny portion of the exotic eastern seaboard of the United States of America.

The rough itinerary:

THURSDAY 10/23
Arrive at BWI in the evening

FRIDAY-SUNDAY 10/24 - 10/26
Record music with JohnStone

MONDAY 10/27
Hang out in DC, try to catch up with a few folks
Head up to Baltimore during evening

TUESDAY 10/28
Baltimore

WEDNESDAY 10/29
Head up to New York City

THURSDAY
Back to Baltimore around mid-day

FRIDAY-SATURDAY
Hang with family and friends in Baltimore

SUNDAY 11/2
Fly back to SF

I'll try to blog somewhat regularly, though it might be slow, especially for the next few days as I'll be holed up recording.

Drink well and be well until then.

Joe

And the band played new material from chemical chords: Stereolab live at The Fillmore

I have a real soft spot for Stereolab a band who, at the height of their powers, could hypnotize with their steady, mid-tempo drone (or later, their funky 60's pop inspired tunes) and catchy, tasteful French and English harmonies sung by lead singer/ co-band leader Laetita Sadier alongside keyboardist/vocalist Mary Hansen. Tragically, Hansen was killed by a truck while riding her bike six years ago, and the band has since undergone various personnel changes over the years. It would be interesting to see how the band's performance would rate since the first time I saw them ten years ago.

Armed with the usual combination of guitar, bass, drums, vibes, fender rhodes, moogs, vox organ and hohner clavinet, Stereolab hit the ground running with 'Percolator,' a tune from 1996's Emperor Tomato Ketchup LP. Really fast, rushed actually, and not a great way to begin the show. Afterwards, following a bit of confusion in between songs, Laetitia jokingly commented, 'after 18 years, we're still pros.' Smoothed over for the time-being, but pauses in between songs would be an on-going issue which negatively impacted the show. Some more new material followed, which at its best sounded like re-hashed material from the Neu! inspired Transient Random Noise Bursts era 'lab, and at its not so best sounded very repetitive in a way that, even for Stereolab, just didn't work. Mid-way through the set, the band launched into 'Ping-pong,' a familiar single which appeared to show the crowd (and band) at their most energetic and emotive. There were a few other highlights, but they tended to involve older material, such as 'French Disko' and 'Cybile's Reverie.' One notable exception would be their last encore, which captured the steady kraut rock feel of their earlier work, threw in some more loud soft dynamics, and seemed to work surprisingly well as an extended, experimental, improvisational piece. Maybe Stereolab does have some new sounds to explore after all.

Lovely French dinner, with French wine and new French friends

Last night, my special lady and I were invited over to our friend Josh's place for dinner with him and his French girlfriend, who is still settling into San Francisco. We all had a great time, and, true to form for Josh and I, it was only our yawning with increasing frequency around 1am which finally broke up the party.

We started with a delicious glass of 2007 Chaussard 'You are So Nice' Cot-Gamay. So much nicer than the last time I drank this! Apparently a customer of Josh's returned the wine earlier in the day and said it was not good. Well, the customer was right, as the wine was not merely good, but really fucking good! Lively dark berry and that delicious iron like minerality that cot seems to deliver in the Loire. The wine was delicious, impeccably balanced, and really persistent. I only wish Josh had received two returned bottles instead of just one.

I brought a bottle of 2005 Jo Landron 'Fiefs du Brueils' muscadet which was so ungiving on the nose, so compact and tight on the palate, that I suggested Josh keep it in his fridge and check in on it throughout the week. It would not have been too pleasurable a drink with dinner. Instead, Josh pulled out a wonderful bottle of 2006 Gramenon Cotes du Rhone 'La Sagesse.' Another natural wine, made with minimal sulphur added prior to bottling, it was richer and warmer than the Chaussard, with a touch of a baked character, but still showing pure grenache dark cherry fruit, balanced acidity and an accesible character. It should improve for up to 7-8 years (I think, there is the whole fragile low sulphur wine thing to worry about if you're not storing these carefully, though). We ate pork chops, sauteed with mustard, creme fraiche, rosemary and mushrooms, with sides of mini buttered elbow pasta and pan fried kale (cooked with a controversial, but unexpectedly tasty, dash of lemon zest thrown in). I love kale, and this version was good for a change of pace.

Pungent Valdeon (spanish blue cheese), really good, earthy/funky Brie and Pierce Point (from Cowgirl Creamery) followed dinner, which was then proceeded by a tasty Pippin apple crumble and then a wee dram of Caol Ila 10 year for me, some bourbon for Natalie and Josh and sparkling wine for Catherine. A really fun evening - thanks to our gracious hosts Josh and Catherine for cooking great food and entertaining us in their new apartment.

There is now one less car in San Francisco

After several months of on again off again effort, I finally found a buyer for my car and sold it tonight. For the first time in ten years, I am without a car. It may not seem like much for people who live in cities like New York where the car truly is a luxury, as opposed to a comforting mode of convenient, and often necessary, transportation. Nonetheless, I am stoked (if I were still living back east I would be 'psyched.') Zero money spent on insurance, gas and maintenance from now on. Not to mention the money gained from the sale. And then there is the drastically reduced carbon footprint, which is awesome and a point of pride.

Sure, I will miss my car. I bought my silver Mazda 3 hatchback in March of 2005, just when the popularity of the zoom zoom was beginning to take off. I worked out of my car as a wine distributor rep in Washington, DC for three and a half years. I parked legally and illegally, enjoyed banging my live Aswad CD in the summer, listened to WPFW, the local Pacifica affiliate, during the day, and on weekends loaded the back with band gear for scores of gigs. When I decided the time was ripe for a re-location, I drove cross country, stopping in Chicago, Marfa, Texas, and Santa Monica along the way. More recently, I enjoyed driving south to the Santa Cruz mountains to visit Ridge and Mt Eden Vineyards, or heading up north to tour Storybook Mountain Vineyards in Napa and Unti Vineyards in Sonoma.

To part company is bittersweet, but I must admit that I am well pleased to be car free. Some of the money from the sale will go towards a new bike. Ideally one made of steel, with the ability to place a rack on the front and back. Something strong enough for light touring, but able to ride somewhat fast if I choose. Any ideas?