A Perfect Moment

I've long held the belief that our memories are the most precious things we have in our lives. As I get older I try to live consciously in the moment, and this allows me to recognize the moments that future memories are being forged. The cognizance of living-in-the-moment applies to both good and bad times, happy and stressful times, moments of great fortune and of terrible luck -- indeed, my point is that my effort to live-in-the-moment applies all of the time!

On very rare occasions, I encounter what I like to call "a perfect moment." These perfect moments can be triggered by different things. Sometimes it's a defining moment in my life. Sometimes it's an epiphany of self-awareness that leads to a better understanding of myself and my life. And sometimes, it's just one of those moments of perfect happiness when it all comes together.

My birthday was this past Wednesday, and for dinner, Taylor took me to La Toque. The great service and exceptional food and wine makes La Toque one of our favorite places for our dinner dates. But equally important is the quiet and subdued experience that allows us to create a private and romantic cocoon for a few hours.

I had brought a bottle of 1996 Dom Perignon Rose as a back-up bottle of Champagne, but luckily there was Krug "Grande Cuvee" available on the wine list. Grande Cuvee is the Champagne that, in many ways, is a symbol of my relationship with Taylor -- and when I put my nose to this wine, it reminds me of her. Luxuriously, we took our time, and we finished most of the bottle of Champagne before we eventually ordered three courses each.

And then, while enjoying my second course... it happened. A perfect moment.

Yes, I was sitting at La Toque on my birthday, eating seared foie gras, drinking Krug "Grande Cuvee," and holding hands with Taylor -- but it was more than that. It was a moment in the shadow of the fact that I had overworked myself for six-weeks, helping to open a restaurant. It was the luxury and ritual of fine-dining that contrasted working at Brick and Bottle. It was the fact that I had previously worked at La Toque and felt comfortable and at home. It was the dim lighting that helped form that romantic cocoon. It was the soothing sound of Miles Davis in the background. It was the softness of Taylor's skin, the sound of her voice, and the smell of her hair. And it was the love that I felt for this woman.

Perfect, indeed.

When the First Sip Is the Sommelier’s, Not Yours

A recent article in the New York Times discusses the practice of sommeliers tasting the bottle of wine that the guest has ordered before the guest tastes it.

Inevitably, it's reposted on Facebook and everyone registers their hate for the practice. But based on the comments and the discussion, it's obvious that no one actually reads the article. Everyone has the reactionary stance that somms are pretentious and are trying to steal some of their wine. Here's what I posted in response:

"I'm coming to the conversation a little late, but I'd like to weigh in and agree with Steve. The somm tasting the wine is a QUALITY CHECK of the wine and the specific bottle. It's not much different from cooks/chefs tasting the food before it's plated and sent to the guest.

"For whatever reason, there seems to be a distrust of sommeliers and an assumption that the tasting is done for selfish reasons. Just like the chef is tasting the food as a quality check and not because he's hungry, the somm is just looking out for the best interest of the guest and not trying to steal some of your wine. (More often than not, the last thing he wants to do is have to taste yet another bottle of $12 Sonoma Cutrer chardonnay.)

"It really doesn't have anything to do with "already knowing the wine" -- that is already assumed if it's on their wine list. Indeed, if it's a rare, very old, or an expensive bottle of wine, the somm is better qualified (ie experienced) to judge if the bottle is off or flawed. There can be a lot of bottle variation within the same wine/vintage, and there are a host of flaws that may exist in the bottle -- and this becomes more important to judge if the bottle is rare or very expensive.

"Some people might feel that it's presumptuous for the somm to feel that he's more qualified to judge the wine than the guest. But he IS, and that's why he's the somm. Just as the properly trained chef is more qualified when it comes to food, and your properly trained doctor is more qualified when it comes to your health and your body, the properly trained somm is more knowledgeable about wine and has more experience detecting flaws/variation in bottles of wine.

"When it comes to educating the public about the job and role of the sommelier, I know that there's still a lot of work to be done. I read the article a few days ago, and I really wish that it would have explained the reasons for the practice, and not just raised an inflammatory question."