London calling

Greetings from Richmond, VA. I'm making my first trip to London next week and although I'll only have two days to explore, I'd like to maximize my wine experience. I'm looking for two places to visit: 1. An historic retailer who's been there since the beginning of all creation; 2. An essential wine bar with dusty oddities, gorgeous glassware, and tons of atmosphere. Recommendations??

Also, what they say about food in the UK...it can't really be true, right? Oh, I'll be staying at The Goring (Beeston Place, Grosvenor Gardens)...anyone got a review?

= Tesauro

Reply to
Jason Tesauro
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I'm always looking for just the types of places that you are seeking. Unfortunately, I haven't found them yet.

The Grill @ Claridges is nice, if you like Italian wines, and the Ritz has a good selection of wines. Most of the "trendy" wine bars, seem to have changed over to martini, or whatever is hot.

As to the food, it is NOT true. I'd recommend the Ritz dining room, La Gavroshe, and Le Boudin Blanc (all in the Mayfair district) as good wine/ dining venues. Be prepared for upper strata prices, especially as the $ falls. I just pretend that those little "L's" are $'s, and don't worry about the exchange rate - until I pay my AMEX bill!!!!!! ;-(

I also recommend Tamrind (2 Michelin stars), OXO (not the bistro), and Scotts Mayfair (which has been closed for refurbishment). I hope to add Alistair Greig's, but won't dine there for a week. Also, the Savoy House is very nice and staid, but with great food and excellent wine (I like my dining on the quiet side, so I fit in there).

If you have a moment, you might want to do the tour of Vinopolis, a bit down the Thames, near Millenium Bridge -

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Their coverage of the US/CA wines is very weak (special Mondavi tasting [Woodbridge] 40BPS/person for four lesser wines), and expensive as an add-on to the admission, but it is a fun experience. There are several other attractions in the area.

If you find what you are looking for, PLEASE post details!!! Or e-mail me @ the_bulldog@THE newsguy.com - remove "THE" as I am always looking for more in the way of wine in London.

Hunt

Reply to
Hunt

I think the reference is to British food. If you stick to non-British foods like Indian and French then you will be fine! :)

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

Get Rick Stein's guide to the British Isles.

Restaurants, markets, farmers, wonderful. It is difficult to eat well in the British Isles, but with some research you can eat some of the best food in Europe. And the research is in that book.

Try to catch his series on the BBC. Enough to convince you the British Isles are the gourmet capital of the world.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

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Reply to
Mike Tommasi

Got to Barry Bros.This wine store probably has been around as long as any, and has been good enough to supply many members of the royal family over several generatons.

Read a copy of the March Rosengarten Report, if you can find it . There is a report on a recent trip to London. Some suggestions from this report are:

Go to the Rib Room and Oyster Bar at the Carlton Tower hotel on Cadogan Place in Knightsbridge. They are supposed to have some of the best prime rib and Yorkshire Pudding to be found.

A very trendy fine restaurant is at the Connaught Hotel. A Gordon Ramsey protege, Angela Hartnett, is the new chef, and has a modified French cooking style with many other influences.

Go to the Caramel Room of the Berkeley Hotel for afternoon tea. They have some very creative pastry as well as the usual tea foods.

If you can get a very difficult reservation, try the bistro La Poule au Pot on Orange Square in Pimlico.

I have not been to any of these places, but Rosengarten usually is fairly accurate concerning food.

Reply to snipped-for-privacy@cwdjr.net .

Reply to
Cwdjrx _

Also find a copy of the March 2005 issue of Gourmet. This special issue is subtitled "All About London" There are sections on bars, pubs, and wine bars. Detailed information is given about hotels, cafes, restaurants, and shopping.

Reply to snipped-for-privacy@cwdjr.net .

Reply to
Cwdjrx _

^^^^^^^^

Is that pronounced almost like Barklee ?

;-)

Reply to
Dana H. Myers

Went there just after Valentines, nice place although I found the wine list a little limited at the lower end.

re food in the UK, it might be true that the British traditionally have a rather "unsophisticated" view of food, but London stands with the best of the world for breadth and depth of gourmet experience. Best guide is the Hardens guide imo, which you can pick up in most book stores in London of any size.

Dan

Reply to
Dan Gravell

looking for

Berry Bros and Rudd in St. James, just round the corner from Green Street tube station is the best fit to that. Established in about 1700 and very traditional atomsphere (they only recently started showing bottles in the shop). Not a place for bargains though.

Try The Wine Library near the Tower of London (searching the web should give more exact details). It was a favourite of my parents when working in the area, I haven't been able to visit despite continual urging. Shop with small bar attached where you can drink wines from the shop with a buffet. Don't know about the dusty oddities I'm afraid (though if you want those you could try and convince Berry's to give you a tour when you visit - 18th Century Tokaji, a 1928 Magnum of Petrus where some of the bottles when I was shown round).

Goring is meant to be very good (I live in Cambridge meaning I rarely need a hotel in London so lack personal experience), and if I remember right has one of the lowest wine mark ups in the London.

British food is not that bad - I eat it every day :-).

The page gives more pointers

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Hope that helps

Ian

Reply to
ian.glover

I'm sure they are. As long as you stay away from the British recipes. :)

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

Hello again. Just found a list I had compiled last year from recommendations on "wine bars/restaurants." The numbers to the left are NOT any form of rating, only to highlight each establishment.

1) Cipriani in Mayfair 25 Davies St London, W1K, 3DQ, 020-7399-0500 2) Locanda Locatelli at Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Hotel 30 Portman Sq London, W1A, 4ZX, +44 20-7486-5800 3) Al Hamra in Mafair 31-33 Shepherd Market London 020-7493-1954 4) Alistair Greig's Grill 26 Bruton Place (off Berkeley Sq) Mayfair, 020-7629-5613 5) Fifteen Restaurant Westland Place London N1 7LP, 0871-330-1515 6) Gordon Ramsay Brook St London, W1A, 2JQ, 020-7499-0099 Gordon Ramsey in Chelsea 7) The Capital The Capital Hotel 22 Basil St London, SW3, 1AT, +44 020-7589-5171 8) Le Gavroche 43 Upper Brook St London, W1K, 7QR, +44 020-7499-1826 9) The Dorchester Bar The Dorchester Hotel 53 Park Ln London, W1A, 2HJ 20-7629-8888 10) Met Bar The Metropolitan London, W1L, 1LB 20-7447-1000 11) Claridge's Bar Claridge's Hotel 49 Brook St London, W1, 20-7629-8860 12) Kemia Bar Momo Restaurant 25 Heddon St London W1B, 4BH, 20-7434-4040 13) Avenue Bar 7-9 St James's St London, SW1A, 1EE 20-7321-2111

I've only done about 1/3, and hope to do more this week. I also added those mentioned by others in this thread - thanks to those posters. Now, all I need is about a month in the UK!

Hunt

Hunt

Reply to
Hunt

I thought this was going to be an OT post about one of my favourite ever albums...

No matter, this is a good, lively place:

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This is real quality "fast food", the reasonably-priced pre-theatre menu being particularly recommended. Not a bad wine list, and Charles Heidsieck champagne. If you're a beer drinker, get a pint or two (any more and you will fall over) of Fullers ESB at The Ship in nearby Wardour Street.

Enjoy your visit.

Ian

Reply to
Ian Hayward

Can't be of much use personally, but I'd ask here:

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Hope you have a good ttime!

Reply to
Steve Slatcher

In message , Cwdjrx _ writes

Try Berry Bros if you're going to Google, though.

Reply to
congokid

In message , Jason Tesauro writes

1 - not so historic but well respected - Roberson on Kensington High Street: 2 - Gordon's wine bar on Villiers Street (within staggering distance of Embankment tube station)

Not sure what 'they' say, but you can eat very well in London.

Reply to
congokid

Fantastic thread. Thanks to all for the insight. I've already contacted Edward Bates of Berry Bros. & Rudd to arrange a tour and tasting at his shop. As for the resplendent dining scene, I'm pleased that my palate shall know no gourmand respite.

I'll report back after I've sniffed out a few gems. = Tesauro

Reply to
Jason Tesauro

Salut/Hi D. Gerasimatos,

le/on Thu, 7 Apr 2005 15:14:44 +0000 (UTC), tu disais/you said:-

No, sorry Dimitri. That's nonsense. Had it not been you, and a regular I'd have killfiled you for posting inflammatory crap.

I get royally fed up with Americans criticising British food. If ever there was a case of the pot calling the kettle black, that would be it. Just as you get crap food in the UK, so you do in the USA. Just as you get good food in the USA so you do in the UK.

Surely you're not going to claim that even such magnificent dishes as Clam Chowder and A Texas BBQ brisket are representative of what is to be found in typical american diners.

Reply to
Ian Hoare

Salut/Hi Cwdjrx _,

le/on Thu, 7 Apr 2005 01:28:07 -0500, tu disais/you said:-

Berry Bros & Rudd

St James'

Excellent.

I think she's a touch over-rated, and her influences are largely Italian IMO. Good, but not as good as Chez Bruce or La Trompette IMO.

Reply to
Ian Hoare

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