Jean and I decided to take Andrew on a train, so took him up to Chicago for the weekend. As it happened, we ended up staying in the Fairmont Hotel, conveniently placed at the N. end of Millenium Park in the S. Loop. One unanticipated benefit was the hotel restaurant, Aria, serving Asian-influenced cooking. Jean, Andrew and I had a fantastic lunch there, with Jean getting a bowl of wonderful Pho and a tasty shi'itake-bok choy salad while I had a "chow mein" of BBQ duck and lobster pan-fried with rice vermicelli in a delicious sauce (Andrew had a very tasty chicken finger with French fries and apple sauce). For dinner, Jean and I went out to Avec, a wine bar that serves small plates, for drinks:
NV Aneri Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut nose: stones, intense floral and tropical fruit notes palate: light body, crisp entry, fine mousse, bone dry, crisp finish
'02 St. Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux n: very muted p: mildy toasty, creamy mousse, crisp finish
Of the two sparkling wines, the Prosecco was the hands-down winner, with far more character and interest than the St. Hilaire.
For dinner, we went to 1492, a straight-ahead Spanish tapas bar. With a dinner of gambas al ajillo, chorizo a la plancha, calimare "1492" and artichokes sauteed in garlic and herbs, we had:
'04 Moristel de Alquézar (Somontano) c: ruby red n: berryish, grapey fruit when first opened, later turning more Beaujolais-like p: acidic entry, crisp, berryish fruit, taking on more of the strawberry-cherry flavor profile of Beaujolais
The food at 1492 was decent, a good imitation of what one would get in a typical tapas bar in Spain, but the wine list was severely deficient, with few choices of wine and a very sad list of Sherries. Still, a fun evening with a fun wine.
Mark Lipton