soilpimp

@statebirdprovisions ❤️🤯❤️🤯❤️

All I needed to hear was that @chefdanielpatterson was cooking again and in LA! COI was influential in our dining journey during a period when I thought SF was giving NYC a run for its money. COI was central to that scene, the antitode to David Chang’s infamous “figs on a plate comment” Very, VERY important! LA is the most exciting restaurant City in the U.S. What I mean despite the struggles there are really innovative things that can’t happen in cities like NYC. Every level of dining from trucks to tasting menus…there is a reason Noma came to LA. Can LA revive the tasting menu format??? Enter @jacaranda.la a new restaurant by Chef @chefdanielpatterson and @ultragrrrl The tasting menu did give me pause. I read up and learned that their aim was to make it a less stuffy, more dinner party amongst friends vibe. We arrived and right on cue we ran into the affable @baxter and we quickly realized we knew others It does feel like a home, someone who has incredible taste that moved to LA from NYC! And it does feel like a party where we met interesting people and discussed everything from Geese to Amanaz. The experience is equally important to the absolutely stunningly executed meal. It must take a lot of courage to come back to fining dining after a 10 year break. This was an absolutely stunning meal and a case study in how to execute a tasting menu. Simple dishes that highlighted the seasonal ingredients like the mind-blowing asparagus. The tofu dish turned a chawanmushi like dish into something much more refined, and Californian. The bread was just one small serving but it was extraordinary. The duck! The duck was absolutely perfect and symbiotically paired with the glorious @wasenhaus Vulkan. The desserts were invigorating and the raw chocolate and roasted kelp dish was the perfect finale to a wonderfully California inspired meal. We said we could not wait to come back by our third couse, its that good, its that perfect for us - the desire to return only intensified as the meal continued!!!! @reneepatronik and I tried to articulate why we LOVED this restaurant so much and we settled on that it presents the best of LA and NYC.

This will be my second post in a series on Germany’s New Wave. Germany is the most exciting wine country in the world with a diversity of regions / styles. We now turn to the Rheinhessen to the one and only Carsten Saalwächter. We will never forget the day we met Carsten, just a few years ago, he was seemingly shot out of a canon to remind the world that Silvaner is one of the world’s greatest grapes and incredibly important to the history of German wine. His frenetic energy and passion are beyond infectious. His skill obvious. I wish I wrote down all of his one liners which are second-to-none in Germany. Carsten is a true original! And an extremely talented and driven one at that. Needless to say he made a lasting impression on @reneepatronik and me… It gave us great pleasure to hear a year later that somms in NYC were turning serious Burgheads on to his top Silvaners!!! Moreover we were even happier to see him so prominently featured in @ericasimov NY Times article on German Chardonnay. His 2018 Chardonnay R made a big impression on all who tasted it. Carsten’s calling is Silvaner! It He was sent from above to show the world the heights Silvaner can achieve. Silvaner was once one of the most important grapes in Germany. Silvaner is also a grape that has a wide range of styles and quality levels. Farmed poorly for high yields it can be a very boring wine that would fit perfectly in an airport lounge, farmed seriously in Grand Cru vineyards it can compete with the greatest white wines in the world, if you don’t believe me organize a tasting with a Saalwachter Grauer Stein, Keller Feuervogel and a Leipold Schilfsandstein, preferably with some asparagus and ramp based dishes! Step into the world of mad Silvaner Genius Carsten Saalwachter!

It has been a frenetic whirlwind of German wine events over the past two weeks. I am energized and more convinced than ever that Germany is the most exciting wine country in the world. The diversity of regions / styles combined with the passion and skill of the winemakers, and their unique terrior is unmatched. The New Wave of German producers are all roughly 10-15 years into their careers are now hitting their stride producing absolutey riveting wines. Allow me to work backwards and start with my last, one of the most incredible, visits that @reneepatronik and I have ever experienced. This visit brought us to Lake Constance or Bodensee a region that I have not heard much about despite being a longstanding avid connoisseur of German wines. There are approximately 60 wineries in this region. And at least one of them happens to be producing some of the most electrifying wines anywhere in the world - Johannes Aufrecht. Johannes produces the only Completer in Germany, stunning Chardonnay, sparkling wines, deep and soulful Pinots plus a wonderful Aligote!!! His wines will expand your perception of German wine!!!! His vineyards include one of the oldest (35 yr old) Chardonnay vineyards in Germany and it is planted with Montrachet and other French clones. He has high density pinot with 13,000 vines per hectare. All vineyards are close to the lake, overlookling Austria and the Swiss Alps, which presents a unique micro climate that is only going to improve with global warming. A truly magical and pulchritudinous setting surrounded by Gothic buildings. We tasted nearly every barrel in the winery and a few bottled wines - Johannes is DRIVEN to make great wine. He has a clear vision. Understands the great wines of the world. Knows the importance of the vineyards. He focuses on the small details and is cerebral and curious - two great traits for a winemaker. @reneepatronik is not the biggest fan of extended barrel tastings, I could she was engaged and enthralled with the experience and said afterwards it was her best barrel tasting ever!!! In the end the wines were not just excellent they were mesmerizing….

The greatest compliment to a restaurant in a city like NYC, one of the greatest culinary cities in world, is to return… Chef @dyl.stacks has taken the reigns from Chef @nickcurtola (no easy feat) and evolved the @fourhorsemenbk to a place that feels both familar and new. @williamchancepiper similarly is continuing to evolve the wine program. I felt so fortunate to be drinking a @moritz_kissbaehr Chardonnay less than 24 hours from being in the Rheinhessen❤️ The entire team from top to bottom is the best in the business! And we are lucky to call them friends🙏🏼 AND the Luther Vandross heavy soundtrack🤯 …as I said above the greatest compliment to a restaurant is to return and when it comes to the @fourhorsemenbk we do over and over and as the great Luther Vandross says…NEVER TOO MUCH❤️🙏🏻💥❤️🙏🏻💥

Le millésime 2024 a trouvé son écrin, se remet de ses émotions et le travail de cirage commence. Méditation patiente qui permet de contrôler chaque flacon dans ses moindres détails, assurant jusqu'au bout un Chardonnay et un Pinot noir du Baden irréprochable. Humble recherche du beau inspiré par les plus grands. #Bourgogne #Oregon Der Jahrgang 2024 hat seinen Platz gefunden, erholt sich von den Aufregungen, und die Arbeit am Polieren beginnt. Eine geduldige Prüfung, bei der jede Flasche bis ins kleinste Detail kontrolliert wird, um bis zum Schluss einen makellosen Chardonnay und Pinot Noir aus dem Baden zu gewährleisten. Bescheidenes Streben nach Schönheit, inspiriert von den Größten #Burgund #Oregon The 2024 vintage has found its home, is recovering from the bottling, and the waxing process begins. A patient, meticulous meditation that allows us to inspect every bottle down to the smallest detail, ensuring a flawless Baden Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the top. A humble pursuit of beauty inspired by the greatest #Burgundy Oregon

The Rheinhessen is an infectious region of dedication, hard work and flat out passion. The younger winemakers respect their elders. The elders are open to new ideas and champion the next generation. There is room for a diversity of styles and approaches. @weingutsaalwaechter is passionate about Silvaner. @schaetzel3000 is exploring the utilization of Flor. @tobiasknewitz is excited about Chardonnay but don’t think for a second he is not equally driven to make great riesling and he does his 2025s are 🤯 @lena_macht_sekt is focused on making world class sparkling wine and she does💥 @moritz_kissbaehr presents a diverse portfolio that includes one of my favorite Chards and has now expanded their lineup to include riveting traditional rieslings. @keller_felix is focused on the Burgundy grapes at Keller and sparkling and my guess is he also equally driven to make great riesling. When you tour the vineyards you immediately feel the energy present in the wines and understand why they are so oustanding! I honestly can’t remember a wine trip where I tasted such a deep array of truly exceptional wines! The quality level in the Rheinhessen is simply spellbinding. I can’t recommend a vist more highly you have great restaurants in the region like @gasthaus.kollektur and something I did not appreciate Mainz is so close so you have access to even more wonderful culinary options like @restaurantpankratz or @steinstraube I believe every great movement needs a leader, even if it just by example, it is clear to me that KP / @kellerdalsheim is an integral part of the Rheinhessen Renaissance❤️ He is who brought me here and keeps me coming back over and over and the reason I personally know, collect and drink many of these wonderful producers! I reminded a few of the current class of great winemakers that its their turn to mentor the next, next generation… Thank you magical Rheinhessen🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼

Tonight #rieslingstudy and Songkran at @eliza.bistro in Kingston NY💥 We are celebrating the New Year and the otherworldly wines of @kellerdalsheim @elmichelsaffair will be doing a live DJ set from his deep and extensive Thai vinyl collection🤯 Songkran spirit celebrates community, unity, freedom, equality and openess and the start of a new year! Just what we all need❤️🌈✌🏾🫶 The main event has long sold out. There might be a few tickets for the after-party❤️‍🔥

🇹🇭 SONGKRAN WEEKEND UPDATE 💦🔫 👉🏻 Tickets for Songkran x RieslingStudy are SOLD OUT, but we’ve just released a limited number of after dinner tickets if you’d like to come hang, drink some rare and exceptional German wines and dance to Thai Vinyl spun by @elmichelsaffair 🔥 👉🏻 A few reservations remain for the rest of Songkran weekend - as always dinner is ala carte and the specials from @needsmorebutter are NEXT LEVEL! 🍚 👉🏻 We just opened up PATIO reservations for next weekend (temps in the 70s!!) so go on and snag that dreamy table outside. ☀️🍽️🌸

As you know by now #rieslingstudy is an amalgamation of food, MUSIC and wine Our next #rieslingstudy on Thursday, April 16 at @eliza.bistro in Kingston will be a Songkran celebration featuring Thai music curated by none other than Leon Michels from from @elmichelsaffair and @bigcrownrecords Leon will be DJing live. YES live!!!! . To give you a flavor of what to expect musicwise I have linked a Thai playlist curated by Leon for Big Crown Radio. Crack open a bottle of Von der Fels, open your mind and blast this playlist!!!!! I could not be more excited!!!!! I will be bringing rare, old and large format bottles with a focus on the wines of @Kellerdalsheim and some of the Golden Generation from the Rheinhessen. I can't promise to not bring a German Chardonnay... @vomboden will be bringing a Keller Kiste and a hammer and crowbar I hope @colinwagner brings some Ulli Stein Students are traveling in from all over the U.S. and you will get to taste an amazing array of German wine There are only a few tickets remaining - link in bio And @reneepatronik and I have two free tickets for any artist, cook, musician, poet or wine professional that would like to attend. Send PM.

@konstantinbaum_mw does an excellent video on German Chardonnay. Wonderful to see one of the top sommeliers in Germany recognize the potential of German Chardonnay! Full link in my bio! I wonder if @konstantinbaum_mw has read the excellent @nytimes article by @ericasimov or the @noblerotmag article by @valkatnyc 🤔 German Chardonnay: The Next Frontier