Bagatelle's wine pairing dinner

[primo]

After a little " fashion show foreplay" We went to bagatelle for their advertised wine paring dinner ( A pri fix menu )
JC from la plage is now there and he told us we should give it a try . After giving him Amy's famous straw hat photo of him
He sat us in a great booth so we could sit side by side ( good for me!)
lia our waitress then asked us if we were there for the wine pairing dinner . We were told they we were supposed to mention this upon making the reservation ? Opps !
not a problem because the ala carte menu looked good to us
we had the roasted chicken for two with the foie gras sliders ( some say foie has the same effect as oysters ! Not needed after the fashion show)
Great food great service Lindap felt like a rock star with many locals saying hello to her!
the manager came over when we were finished with the entrees and apologized for the misunderstanding with the menus . We told him that the advertisement did not mention that the ala carte menu was available .
We also told him that maybe some potential patrons stay away on Tuesdays if they are not looking for a wine pairing meal . He thanked us for our insight and gave us a desert on the house

Sorry not more insight on the details of the culinary masterpieces we ate but we had fun ! View attachment 37075

 

[andynap]

You 2 are always fun.

 

[stbartshopper]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[cec1]

Lovely photo . . . and great "read" of your evening together -- a very nice time!

 

[wafiw]

After a little " fashion show foreplay" We went to bagatelle for their advertised wine paring dinner ( A pri fix menu )
JC from la plage is now there and he told us we should give it a try . After giving him Amy's famous straw hat photo of him
He sat us in a great booth so we could sit side by side ( good for me!)
lia our waitress then asked us if we were there for the wine pairing dinner . We were told they we were supposed to mention this upon making the reservation ? Opps !
not a problem because the ala carte menu looked good to us
we had the roasted chicken for two with the foie gras sliders ( some say foie has the same effect as oysters ! Not needed after the fashion show)
Great food great service Lindap felt like a rock star with many locals saying hello to her!
the manager came over when we were finished with the entrees and apologized for the misunderstanding with the menus . We told him that the advertisement did not mention that the ala carte menu was available .
We also told him that maybe some potential patrons stay away on Tuesdays if they are not looking for a wine pairing meal . He thanked us for our insight and gave us a desert on the house of Rotwein

Sorry not more insight on the details of the culinary masterpieces we ate but we had fun ! View attachment 37075

I tried a new beef stew recipe last night that called for two cups of dry red wine. Not being a wine drinker, I asked one of the neighbors what I should use. She said since I'm cooking with it, just buy the cheapest wine you can find. I'm not sure that was the best advice.

I chose a Merlot that was on sale for $3.49. Overall I thought it turned out pretty good, but it did have a mild vinegar taste to it. I think a better quality wine or maybe a different style would be more flavorful.
So what would you recommend for an inexpensive red wine to use next time?

 

[JEK]

For me a cheap dry red wine would be a $15-20 Pinot Noir. Total Wine has many.

 

[davesmom]

DD swears that you should not cook with any wine you would not want to drink. I can’t argue as he is a great chef, but I caught him cooking with “certain“ wines that were way over the top; he protested it was only just a cup....(Well, he doesn’t ask for jewelry or designer purses, so I guess it’s his “happiness” )..and I guess one way or the other, you are consuming it..

 

[amyb]

Life is too short to consume bad wine.