If you think this creation looks good, you should have tasted it. Sensational!
The Cellar Door kitchen knocked us out last week with an entree of whole roasted branzino, beautifully presented with panzanella and summer squashes (from Bonny Doon Vineyard‘s own biodynamic garden in San Juan Bautista) encircled by a chartreuse zucchini mousse.
It was a terrific entree for the three of us to share, especially paired with Randall Grahm’s never-better dolcetto and nebbiolo. However, the experience was almost ruined by a waiter who had been trained to utter meaningless, pretentious phrases — “it’s my pleasure,” and “the grenache blanc is showing well.” Perhaps there are visitors from some backwater podunk who find lavish condescension exciting, but for even reasonably savvy diners, it grates. This is a word to whomever is training the otherwise wonderful Cellar Door staff.
Also, for the record, the excellent but fruity grenache blanc was utterly wrong with the fish. The Vin Gris de Cigare would have been perfect.
Christina
I think you are a bit harsh here with that waiter. While the phrase “It’s my pleasure”, is a bit “out there” and almost certainly is not true in a personal sense, a variant of the phrase “the Grenache blanc is showing well” is often used on the wine trade. I use it, such as ” bla bla wine is showing well”. I use it to suggest that traditional varietal characteristics are present in a given wine when not expected or for a youthful wine, especially cabernet or Bordeaux that I expect to be closed, such as pronounced acid or tannin, fruit flavors or complexity aspects such as spice or terrior aspects are unexpectantly detected. More often, I will not use that phrase with novices unless I am willing to enlarge on what I mean by that phrase. I do use that phrase, often over the years, when tasting young wine with winemakers or tasting with wine geek collectors who want an opinion on the investment of Bordeaux or Burgundy they just made. I would love to have some wine with you that “shows wellâ€.
Bob
Bob – I get your point. But when you, a seasoned expert in the wine trade, talk details with a customer, you don’t use a tone dripping with condescension.
It was far more the phony smile, the phony hovering quality of the endless string of “It’s my pleasure” recitation that made us almost laugh out loud.
But I am glad for your feedback. It always shows well.
Christina