Below are the menu and wines tasted:

Appetizer:

Traditional beef tartare with cornichons, purple mustard and mache  -  with a Leoville Las cases 1996 – Saint Julien

Entree:

Sirloin of beef dry aged – with a Cos d’Estournel 2000 – Saint Estephe and a Leoville- Poyferre 2001 – Saint Julien

Desert:

Apple tarte tatin with cider syrup and maple pecan ice cream – with a Chateau Suduiraut 2005 – Sauternes – Bordeaux

Both food and wines were delicious but most importantly, all the guests had an excellent evening and really enjoyed it.

This is exactly why I created O Bon Vin: I work very hard to organize everything for you to ensure a flawless and memorable event.

Here are some pictures of the evening.

Florent for O Bon Vin

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I really think that the best white wines come from Burgundy. Montrachet are my favorite wines, especially with fish and sushis. Unfortunately, those are expensive. This article will guide you to find cheaper but still complex alternative wines. Here is a preview:

“For me, one of the great white Bordeaux is not even from Graves. It is Chateau Monbousquet, a St.-Emilion whose Grand Cru red brother has built a high reputation all its own since Parisian hypermarket magnate Gerard Perse bought and completely renovated the vineyards in 1993.

I tasted the Monbousquet blanc 2004 by chance recently when I asked Emilie Garvey, sommelier at New York’s SHO Shaun Hergatt restaurant, to choose a good white wine for our dinner.”It is a wine that is extremely allocated and difficult to get,” Garvey said. “It’s certainly not typical of Bordeaux whites, which have a lean, crisp, flinty flavor from the shells in the soil. Monbousquet has a fat, creamy, buttery taste and texture I think is the richest style in the market right now.”

 Follow this link for the complete article: http://bit.ly/6AJOxU

 Florent for O Bon Vin.

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Jojo is located in a lovely brownstone lit with candles at night. The tables are a bit close but the setting is elegant,  sophisticated and warm.

The food is wonderful and not pretentious as is the service.  They feature a $26 lunch including two plates and a dessert, as well as a $38 three-course dinner before 6 pm. I  had the Butternut squash soup with black trumpet mushrooms and the slowly cooked salmon  with a glass of  Sauvignon Blanc,  that was delicious !

Jojo has been rated 25 by Zagat and I think they totally deserve it.

Florent for O Bon Vin

Click here for the map.

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The Holidays are right around the corner, need some gift ideas? From budget friendly to more luxurious pieces, here are some great gifts that will make wine lovers really happy!

Wine from Grape to Glass – Recommended Price $34.20 – $45

A remarkable highly illustrated book that provides the reader with comprehensive knowledge of the wine making process, gives keys to the complex language of wine, explores the best wines around the world, country by country, and guides the reader to understand how to taste and appreciate wines.

Wine Bottle Vacuum Pump – Recommended Price $29.95

A useful tool in preserving open bottles of wine. Once the cork is removed the wine is exposed to oxygen which alter its taste and quality, the vacuum pump will remove most of the air from the bottle and allow a better preservation. This kit includes a nickel-plated aluminum pump and three reusable rubber stoppers.

Metrokane Rabbit 6-Piece Wine-Tool Kit  - Recommended price $49.99 – $60

A must have for any wine lover who likes entertaining. With a great design this elegant corkscrew, makes wine bottle opening an extremely easy 5 second process. Three smooth movements will allow you to open even the most difficult bottle and look like a pro!

Riedel “Tyrol” Decanter  - Recommended Price $192 – $240

This stunning crystal decanter will not only enhance your wine experience by allowing aeration, it will add a sophisticated centerpiece to your table.

Le Nez du Vin Ultimate Wine Aromas Master Kit 54-pc. – $399

A great gift for wine enthusiasts with thirst to discover wine aromas and learn how to detect them while tasting red and white wines including champagne. This master kit is a reference guide to educate your sense of smell and help you discover 54 typical wine aromas. Smaller versions from 6 to 24 aromas are also available for a more affordable version.

Florent for O Bon Vin

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This fancy Thai influenced restaurant has a beautiful and intimate décor that features colorful silk drapes and a beautiful pool with floating orchids and votive candles.

The hip atmosphere makes it a great place for dinner and dates. The food is inventive and well executed with stunning flavors and textures. Dishes are dressed to impress.

Service is attentive and quick.

I recommend the tuna tartar that comes with mini pie cups filled with peanuts and a ginger lime sweet sauce, the whole bite just melts in your mouth. The marinated baked Chilean sea bass is delicious as well as the banana spring rolls.

Here is their website: http://www.kittichairestaurant.com/

Florent for O Bon Vin

Have you been to Kittichai ? Did you agree with O Bon Vin’s review ? Please feel free to comment.

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Vai is an Italian neighborhood restaurant on the Upper West Side that opened a few months ago (may be a year).

It is a small but cozy restaurant, the decor is nice and romantic. The food is very tasty and not overcomplicated. I strongly recommend the sunchoke soup and the truffle pizzetta. Portions aren’t big but reasonable like the bill!

 Here is their website : http://www.vairestaurant.com/

I’d like to hear what you think about it. Fell free to comment.

Florent for O Bon Vin.

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Taste of Terroir

Chateau Cormeil-Figeac Grand Cru 2005 ($39) — solidly knit and
still evolving through its tannins, this has the good gravelly
taste of the terroir.

Chateau La Bonnelle Grand Cru 2005 ($30) — a great price for a
terrific Saint-Emilion, revealing a wave of black pepper beneath
a big splash of fruit and the smoothness of an 80 percent
merlot, 20 percent cab franc blend.

Christian Moueix Saint-Emilion 2005 ($27) — Moueix is famous
for one of Bordeaux’s greatest, most expensive wines, Chateau
Petrus in Pomerol, so it’s nice of him to provide us with a
first-rate, inexpensive basic Saint-Emilion in a snazzy label.
Lush, forward and ready to drink.

Chateau Fonplegade Grand Cru 2006 ($50) — A rich, full-bodied
example of how much power Saint-Emilion can muster, with 91
percent merlot, 7 percent cab franc, and a 2 percent dose of cab
sauvignon. It needs time to achieve equilibrium but it’s a
keeper.

Good Structure

Chateau Laforge Grand Cru 2006 ($45) — a fine example of the
2006 vintage, which is only a notch below the effusively praised
2005. It is simply a tasty red wine with good structure and will
be considerably better in a year or two.

Chateau Grand Destieu Grand Cru Classe 2006 ($40) — A hugeness
of fruit balanced with good acid makes this a wine to start
drinking this autumn with roast beef and venison.

Chateau Le Carre Grand Cru 2006 ($100) — This is pricey for a
Saint-Emilion in the Grand Cru Classe, but it is pretty gorgeous
and still youthful, and the tannins are still sleeping.

Present at the tasting was Olivier Nouet, president of Adams
French Vineyards, owned since 1995 by Stephen Adams, a former
U.S. banker. (Chateau Fonplegade, above, is his estate, among
six.) Nouet reported that the 2007 vintage, initially derided as
terrible, is showing some virtues in a few estates. The 2008
will be “a great vintage,” and he predicts 2009 will be
“absolutely beautiful,” owing to perfect weather.
It’s delightful to see that the hype over the 2005 that
promised high prices has been ameliorated by the global
recession, so that these wines are ideal for drinking right now,
or soon, at prices that get nearly into the bargain range. Let’s
hope that holds true of those 2009s when they’re released.

(John Mariani writes on wine for Bloomberg News. The
opinions expressed are his own.)

Click here for the original article

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Here is a tip : a Puligny Montrachet with sushi is just the perfect match

http://bit.ly/zTHRI

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Here is a selection of (French) Kosher wines that I tasted and recommend.

Chateaux  tour des Agasseaux     Lussac Saint Emilion  (01)

Chateau la faurie maison neuve  Lalande Pomerol (02)

Chateau D’arsac                                 Margaux (03)

Chateau Labegorce Zede               Margaux (03)

Chateau Lafon Rochet                    Saint Estephe (03)

Chana Tova

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Since I organize wine tasting events in New York, I’ll keep you posted on  my different tastings, my recommendations etc …

Stay tuned !

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