Arv Rao lured 4 thirsty and hungry oenofools to Phoenix Garden in
midtown for a CdP-fest. Chteauneuf and Cantonese? I confess I was
sceptical. The food was actually very very very good- we had honey pork
ribs, salt & pepper shrimp, scallops, shrimp dumplings, snow pea
leaves, peking duck, a braised duck with black mushrooms, and my
personal favorite, an oyster-tofu-pork casserole. Only the shrimp
dishes were actually a bad match with the red Rhones, but the dishes
themselves were tasty -I could come back for a Chablis/Savennieres
dinner with all shrimp or squid.

Because of my scepticism, I had also brought along a bottle of the 2001
Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Kabinett (Nahe). Closed at first.
Seems fairly dry for Dönnhoff, big apple and talc-y mineral notes,
some lime zest. Did well with the salt&pepper shrimp (with chive and
jalapeno). B+/A-

On to the Chteauneuf-du-Papes:

1989 Le Vieux Donjon
Round, mature, almost Burgundian. Medium-bodied, but with full flavors.
A little brett but in the "delicate pleasing accent" category rather
than the "horse with a poor diet" category for me (I'm moderately
brett-tolerant). Nice, I quite enjoyed. B+

2003 Le Vieux Donjon
This is probably my favorite 2003 CdP I've tasted to date.
This was probably my least favorite wine of the night.
Big, ripe, more Aussie than Rhone, but with less overcooked jam and
more acidic structure than some '03 CdPs. B

1999 Beaucastel
Brawny and earthy, big red fruit, a bit tannic. There's an herbiness
that adds a pleasant accent. Nice,needs time. B+

1995 Clos des Papes
Rather delicate after the Beau, nice red plum fruit with garrigue and
licorice. B+/A-

1998 Clos des Papes
Bigger and riper, but not overdone. I get a slight roasted note, others
argue that it's more raisiny. I think this is quite good, but in need
of more time. B+/B

A pretty good showing across the board. Not sure I would buy the 2003
Vieux Donjon, but I would happily drink it if served. All of the others
were wines I'd consider buying if I ran across at a good price. Thanks
to Arv for organizing.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

DaleW wrote:
> Arv Rao lured 4 thirsty and hungry oenofools to Phoenix Garden in
> midtown for a CdP-fest. Chteauneuf and Cantonese? I confess I was
> sceptical. The food was actually very very very good- we had honey pork
> ribs, salt & pepper shrimp, scallops, shrimp dumplings, snow pea
> leaves, peking duck, a braised duck with black mushrooms, and my
> personal favorite, an oyster-tofu-pork casserole. Only the shrimp
> dishes were actually a bad match with the red Rhones, but the dishes
> themselves were tasty -I could come back for a Chablis/Savennieres
> dinner with all shrimp or squid.

Peking Duck is Cantonese? Who knew? ;-) That is a very good sounding
menu, even to someone like myself who was raised on Cantonese cooking.
It's a shame that no one brought a white CNdP, which IMO may have gone
fabulously with the more delicate food, though there's nothing wrong
with that Dönnhoff. It's also good see the choices: Beaucastel, Clos
des Papes and Vieux Donjon are among my favorites, along with Vieux
Telegraphe, Marcoux and Pegau (and all among what I'd call the
traditionalists of the region, though Brettcastel is sui generis).

Mark Lipton

Actually because of the Peking Duck I titled this elsewhere as "CdPs,
Nahe, and Cantonese/Mandarin food." Lazy here. Sorry!
I pondered a '96 Cazin Renaissance, dry Riesling, offdry Riesling, or
white CdP as my white offering. I decided to go with the off-dry as our
friend Ian was bringing the '98 Beaucastel Blanc. But apparently Ian
(who shuttles between Greenwich & London on business) somehow ran afoul
of immigration, and is currently sans passport. I didn't know he wasn't
joining us till I got to restaurant.
This place is BYO, and bill was .....$35pp with us rolling out door.
That includes 30+% tip. Service was good,too. I'll be back.



Mark Lipton wrote:
> DaleW wrote:
> > Arv Rao lured 4 thirsty and hungry oenofools to Phoenix Garden in
> > midtown for a CdP-fest. Chteauneuf and Cantonese? I confess I was
> > sceptical. The food was actually very very very good- we had honey pork
> > ribs, salt & pepper shrimp, scallops, shrimp dumplings, snow pea
> > leaves, peking duck, a braised duck with black mushrooms, and my
> > personal favorite, an oyster-tofu-pork casserole. Only the shrimp
> > dishes were actually a bad match with the red Rhones, but the dishes
> > themselves were tasty -I could come back for a Chablis/Savennieres
> > dinner with all shrimp or squid.
>
> Peking Duck is Cantonese? Who knew? ;-) That is a very good sounding
> menu, even to someone like myself who was raised on Cantonese cooking.
> It's a shame that no one brought a white CNdP, which IMO may have gone
> fabulously with the more delicate food, though there's nothing wrong
> with that Dönnhoff. It's also good see the choices: Beaucastel, Clos
> des Papes and Vieux Donjon are among my favorites, along with Vieux
> Telegraphe, Marcoux and Pegau (and all among what I'd call the
> traditionalists of the region, though Brettcastel is sui generis).
>
> Mark Lipton

DaleW wrote:

> This place is BYO, and bill was .....$35pp with us rolling out door.
> That includes 30+% tip. Service was good,too. I'll be back.

Sounds like a great deal. I note that Zagat gives it a 24 for food, a 7
for decor and a 14 for service, but also notes the attraction of the BYO
policy.

Mark Lipton

Yeah, decor is not a strongpoint. Looks like any midtown tavern- down 2
stairs, long narrow space, no windows, no tablecloth.

The service? Ours was very efficient. Most of the waitstaff speak
virtually no English, but we're good pointers. The guy in charge
(owner?) has good English, and a lot of enthusiasm. He was one taking
orders. As always with real food people, I think he appreciated being
asked questions and advice. This was one of the comments on
menupages.com:

"One of my two favorite chinese restaurants in NY. The service can be
great or a problem. The owner is the Cantonese version of the "Soup
Nazi." If he likes you, the place is wonderful. "

If this was owner, he liked us.

PG is apparently a Chowhound favorite. I tend to go with word of mouth
among friends, but in general put more weight on Chowhound or eGullet
than Zagat. The only way to really settle this of course is for you
and Jean to travel to NYC and try it with us!




Mark Lipton wrote:
> DaleW wrote:
>
> > This place is BYO, and bill was .....$35pp with us rolling out door.
> > That includes 30+% tip. Service was good,too. I'll be back.
>
> Sounds like a great deal. I note that Zagat gives it a 24 for food, a 7
> for decor and a 14 for service, but also notes the attraction of the BYO
> policy.
>
> Mark Lipton