i’ ve been going to park and orchard in east rutherford. for over 20 years didn’t realize until i started drinking wine what an incredible wine list they have meet you there any time

Hey Italian Stallion it all has to do with the water in NYC and the way the pizza is made. Ex NYorker.

Hey Gary since you suggest tasting a different bottle of wine every day why not put together packages of 12 different bottles of your most recommended wines so that those of us that live outside NJ and pay shipping can take advantage of it? Do something different like include some reds, whites, some ports, maybe a sake and maybe a champagne, just a thought. This would be a first since i am not aware of anyone else doing this. See ya.

Hey Gary. Commenting for the first time today, however I enjoy WineLibraryTV almost every day. I just bought some Twenty Rows Grappler and some Ridge Independence School.

Too bad your beloved Jets are destined to have a 5-win season. I know how it feels though – I’m a lifelong Bengals fan! You wanna talk about bad draft picks??? It’s nice to finally win some games now after losing throughout the 90s.

Restaurant: Camel City Cafe, Winston-Salem, NC, http://www.camelcitycafe.com/

But stay away from the NC wines – opt for one of their other great selections. Our server there a few years ago suggested the Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zin before it became popular and that is the wine that got me really interested in tasting and collecting. In fact I went home and ordered a case that night at $20/bottle… just had one of them last Saturday.

I have three favorite resturants. I come from a food and beverage background. I have been in marketing for the past 15 years and that has aloud me to enjoy many fine resturant around the country.

1. Burns Steakhouse Tampa Florida.
The food is good but can be duplicated at other resturants. The thing that make this resturant so special is it’s been around a long time and carries the largest [if not one of the largest 2-3] wine collection of wine in the entire country. That in itself does not make it special. Burns has purchased throughout the years the the right wines for for aging purposes and is extreemly fair in its pricing. There is no where I can go and get 15-100 year old wines at very fair prices. Their white and red burgandy selection is out of this world. How many times have you come across great small wineries or 2nd and 3rd growths from exceptional years that have been properly cellared. The irony is probably the best part of their collection is their dessert wines which they escort you to a whole other floor to enjoy. 5 million bottles…50,000 different sellections enough said.

2. California Grill Orlando Florida
This resuarant sits on top of the contempoary resort [the hotel that the monorail goes through the middle. Not only do you enjoy the views/entertaimant from all five theme parks but the food is fantasctic….some of the best susie I’ve ever had. The resurant uses their disney name and international press to procure some of the best our country makes in regards to wine. The best part is they offer all! [over 200] of their wines by the glass.

3. The Grill Room. Ritz Carlton Naples Florida
I’ll put their food and service up against any! restuarant I’ve been too including cities like New Orleans, New York, Chicago, and San Fran. [I consider those the best cities in our country for food.] Their are 87 master chefs in the world and this property has two. The downside is their wine prices are high.

I just had an emergancy come uop and i do not have time for spell check

Hey Gary,
Great information in this session. Thanks for answering our questions. The best restaurant for me recently is Peasant in NYC – NoLita. This is a cool very small old world Italian place where all dishes are served in rustic style and all regional wines. Would be a great place, check it out

Hey Gary…long time lurker finally posting….love WTV and enjoyed the WSJ write-up.

Favorite restaurant is easy. La Louisianne in Montreal Quebec. While Montreal has a lot of great restaurants covering every ethnicity in the world (after NYC, it could be the most cosmopolitan in North America), la Louâ??s French Cajun cuisine is a hidden gem. Relatively small (perhaps 20 tables) and an open kitchen with flames flying and a bourbon street feel keeps it fun yet intimate. Wonderful seafood, steaks, crab cakes, gumbo and desserts. Reasonably decent affordable wine list but the trick is to ask Kyle or Greg (the owners) what they have in the basement, off the menuâ?¦that is where the good stuff isâ?¦youâ??d love it. Montreal joie de vivre. Best time to go in my opinion? Middle of February when it is ridiculously coldâ?¦makes walking into the warmth of La Lou so much more enjoyableâ?¦let me know when you want to met upâ?¦wines on me.

Neal

One Jet Fan to another, my favorite restaurant is Ponticello in Astoria Queens. Their wine cellar dining room is fantastic and their Nortern Italian menu is world class.

J E T S!!!

Guess the website went down last night and ate my comment #9. Restaurant- Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. RTH, I live in Boone and will look for an opportunity to check out Carmel City next time I’m in W-S – thanks for the heads up.

First time poster… transplant from NY.
In the Seattle area – The Herbfarm (Woodinville, WA). Usually they do a 5-6 course set meal with matched wines. The first time I was there, they served a Malmesey Madeira from 1906 with dessert. Blew my socks off. Used to be really difficult to get a reservation but they’ve modernized and its much easier.
I agree with one of the earlier posters that Commander’s Palace is phenomenal!

but of course any NY pizza rules…

Hey Gary!

In LA I would say Sona is my favorite great food and wine tied with AOC. However I really enjoy La Toque is Napa.

Cheers!

Tim F – I’m sorry to inform you but the only place for the BEST pizza in the world (yes the world because even in Italy their pizza consists of tomato sauce baked on flat bread. no cheese)is NYC!!
2 spots that I’ve been too many many times & have consistently ranked in the top 3 in Zagats for many years is
Nicks in Forest Hills (Queens) NY
Patsies (formerly Grimaldi’s) in Brooklyn.

THey both serve brick oven pizza with an array of toppings. Nicks has an incredible canolli!!

Gary, my favorite restaurant, thats easy Burn Steak House in Tampa Fl. With over a half million bottles of wine in their cellars the food still shines through. I have been to almost every steak house in NY/Tampa/Orlando and nothing comes even close…PERIOD! Any time, just let me know my friend;) I would never turn down a dinner at Burns.

Liked the episode! Favorite restaurant? has to be Mexicali Rose in Montclair NJ. Small place, great great food! never disappointed! and it seems like no matter how long between visits the owner still recognizes you and treats you like one of his family.

Another great, but rather unknown place is Que Pasta in Saddle Brook. Small, casual, but everything is fresh and the pasta is made on site.

Gary:

Had the Ridge last night aster receiving the case I bought. It definitely reminded me of Lyttton Springs I have previously had and also a ’99 Freemark Abbey. You’re right, the fruit deinitely explodes but it doesn’t samck you. If it will help to hold it I will but it will be hard to put it away. I hope to make it to your store someday. Being from Philly, we root for the Iggles. Are those Jets still in the3 NFL? 🙂

How about a Midwestern steakhouse? St. Elmo’s in Indianapolis gets my vote.

I’ve worked in the retail wine business for 10 years now, and have sold a few bottles of the the Dal Forno Amarone. Although I’ve never tasted it, whenever I show a bottle to a knowledgeable customer, their eyes light up.

The best restaurant in Charlotte is…
Mama Ricotta’s
Fabulous Home Made Italian and great wines!
Home made garlic bread as much as you can eat!
Chicken Carciofo that is to die for!!

Hi Gary,

I’ve had many terrific meals at many fabulous restaurants around the world, but for a restaurant to be a favorite, I believe it has to be one you’ve eaten at many, many times … therefore a favorite because you consistently love the quality of the food, ambiance, etc.

To that end, most of my favorites are in New Jersey (where I live) or NYC (where we spend a lot of our free time … and money). I will name two restaurants that I absolutely love in NYC, because most readers will have the opportunity to visit NYC at least once and a while.

First, my favorite overall is Rene Pujol’s @ 321 West 51st Street in Manhattan. It is a marvelous French bistro right on the edge of the theatre district and has marvelous pre fixe dinner and lunch selections. The wine list is absolutely fabulous and relatively inexpensive … with some actual bargains available. Spacious, never try to cram to many tables in a small area, with delightful and refined service. I’ve never been disappointed here. Overall, this is my favorite restaurant due to the combination of exellent food, reasonable prices, wine, ambiance, service, etc.

Second, my wife and I love to go to “One if by Land, Two if by Sea” in the village. It is simply the most romantic restaurant in the city. They have a Chef’s sampler dinner (around $100 per person) and with a matched set of wines with the courses, it comes to about $160 per person. The food is always very good, but not necessarily “the best”, but the atmosphere is just overwhelmingly wonderful. Add to that the friendly and attentive service. Pricey … yes; but for the special occasion, it really makes the evening memorable. One thing we always to here is to bring our own wine (it has to be a truly wonderful bottle though, or else it is simply too tacky to do) and drop it off before the theatre and ask them to decant … then return to dinner with a wine that has been decanted for several hours and enjoy with the wonderful dinner. This place can be trusted to do a marvelous job with the decanting and they definitely can be trusted not to pull anything while in possession of your wine.

To My Fellow WLTV Viewers,

I’ve created a spreadsheet that lists ALL of the restaurant recommendations posted above (and below if any are added).

If you would like a copy of the spreadsheet, post a comment on this episode (I’ll continue to check it) and leave me your email address. thanks, Chris

Based on Gary’s review I bought this Ridge. I love Zins and had a few Ridge’s, some were very good some not. Also in the purchase was Arrocal, the Villacreces and some daily wines. I have been seriously drinking red wine for 15 years. Enjoy finding great wine (by my tastes) at a great price. With Wine Library, TV and Gary, this is easier than ever.

PS: I am no longer lurking.

Gary,

Great Show! Favorite Restaurant:
Sequoia in Placerville, CA. This restaurant is the perfect ending to a day of tasting wines in the Sierra foothills. This restaurant takes all the annoying things out of fine dining. First, the service is excellent and the staff is very warm. Second, the portions are huge! Not what you expect from an upscale place. Plus it tastes great, way better than Cetrella in Half Moon Bay. Finally, the wine list includes many of the best local wines. And I’m not the only one that loves it; I understand that some critics have rated it on par with the best restaurants in Napa/Sonoma.

Thanks for WLTV!

Gary, great meeting you today! You’re the real deal and a really cool, down to earth guy. Thanks for the your wine suggestions. Had to come back and watch the video again for this wine, I can’t say that I can taste ALL of the things that you pointed out, but I really like this wine. It is loaded. Thanks again, I’ll definately be back to buy more.

Stop asking us to comment. you become annoying when you do that. just check the site’s stats. Why do you so many pointless comments anyways?

GatorFan…how can you say Sequoia when everyone knows it’s Poor Reds?

B