Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Most of the denizens of the Bay Area up north are pretty certain that the Los Angeles city limits begin around the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield and then rolls out to the Mexican border. Keeping that in mind, it seems fair to say that.....
I've gone 500 miles today. And never even left L.A.
Actually, it was Wednesday.
First off it was lunch with Leo, the Old Commie, at Crazy Water in Rancho Mirage, which, for those who live elsewhere is essentially Palm Springs. Panini with spicy yummy stuff and Leo's Caesar with anchovies. Simi Cabernet, which I swear was at the edge. Not past it, but right there. At [coughs] fourteen bucks a glass? More on that in another post.
90 street level degrees on the sidewalk in Palm Springs meant shorts and sandals but TWC needed jeans and a sweater for San Diego on a fall evening. Highway 111 back to the Casa and a quick change of clothes.
Zipped down to San Diego with Milton in that sweet little two-seater Beamer (Z-4?) of his for an evening at Syrah. The Good Book says thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, ass, manservant, or BMW. Workin' on that. Syrah is a wine bar just down the street from Croce's (yes, that guy) and just down the stairs at Fifth and E in the Gaslamp District.
Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV was in town doing a book signing and a little wine critique. Miltie was angling for an autographed book. TWC was there strictly for the wine and the company. Have to say the 181 Merlot and the Carmen Cabernet were both decent, although far from earth shattering. Big plus: the pours were generous. One can forgive a multitude of sins if the sommelier is generous. TWC ignored the gripes about the white wine because everyone knows that all wines would be red if given half a chance. I mean, WTH? Of course the Pinot Grigio was terrible.
About an hour in, the crowd began to get a little more raucous. Then, as word came of the Yanks 4-2 win this dark-haired chick gave TWC the finger. Guess she wasn't much of a Yankee fan.
The Carmen Cabernet is a Chilean Maipo Valley red. A little dusky, a little bit of Bordeaux styling. Not bad for an under-ten-dollar every day drinking wine.
The 181, so named for the clone that produced it, is a Kunde Estates Merlot. At fifteen bucks US, it's a little steep in the price/value ratio.
That's Miltie to the left, Gary in the middle. No, we're not helping him to a cab.....or to a couch.....or to Betty Ford.
As Ever,
TWC
I love the song but the video is terrible. Mike, you were a busy boy.
Posted by: Shelley Walker | November 09, 2009 at 07:25 PM