hey gary–hotel episodes are guerrilla warfare hardcore! i really appreciate you dishing out the cash at hotels so we dont have to!

Root One … Wow have been selling it for a good 3 years in Colorado…Those damn Distributors are not up on the product sheets on the East Coast G.V…..oh well good show.

Your life is an Occasion…Rise to it !!!

Excellent, love the hotel room episodes. Lovely touch from the hotel with the choice of wine, real glasses and a corkscrew. This episode was a lot quieter than the previous two, in terms of background noise 😉 Good job GV

QOTD : Fried Egg sandwich in a hotel in West of Ireland at 1am. Had not eaten all day due to meetings and travel and the night porter made it himself. Hunger is a great sauce !

Gary –
I’m the bean counter that cringes when you’ve probably spent over $50 for sub-par wine knowing that will get expensed through the company which ultimately dumps down to the store’s wine pricing, which the consumer (I) buy. So the consumer ultimately pays for these research and development experiments, which I could live without and would rather save up for decent wine episodes.

However, it’s something different for the viewers. I just don’t think there is greatness with hotel room wines, no matter how hard you try. That Root 1 might be the pinnacle you ever acheive.

QTD – I’m guessing it must have been a meal in Las Vegas or Walt Disney World. Therefore, I’d go with Sunday morning brunch buffet at Ceaser’s Palace years ago (say 20 yrs.) or the California Grill atop the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World (say 5 yrs. ago).

Hey Gary, love the hotel episodes. I think the ‘raw’ nature (no WWE ref intended) is what sets them apart. Your guests each add something special, but there is nothing like the “unplugged” atmosphere of just seeing you with your own cam, riffing on wines.

QOTD: Best meal ever was a breakfast buffet at Atherton Hotel in Chi-Town on the Miracle Mile. It was years ago, but the place had just been renovated, and the restaurant was still under construction (you actually saw/heard the hard-hat guys with hammers and the like). The meal, though, was what you might see in a magazine or on a menu picture (amazing how the pictures usually don’t match up with the deliverables, right?). Anyway, if you go to Chi-Town, and the Atherton is still there, definitely check it out for breakfast! When I was there, the Tip-Top-Tap was also being renovated, but I suspect it is in full swing again today – my cabee and everyone I asked seemed to have a Tip-Top-Tap story.

Bonus: The Omni Chicago Hotel is just across the street and their restaurant/bar on the second floor (Cielo) is/was one of Chicago’s finest.

Qualifications: I have no idea if any of these are still in biz. Gotta go see.

Gary,

That murder scene in the sink is going get a sponge on the mid palate and Javex on the back end. Cleaned properly you’re going to see that sink really shine between 5 and 7 years from now.

Stay Hard,

Mr.Hooper

GARY!!!!
Nice job holding the camera …!!!

The Housekeepers gonna see the sink and call hotel security!!!
🙂

QOTD: I love to order roomservice breakfast… In Mirabella, Spain the hotel brought these spicy eggs with this strange but delicious french toast that was more like a sugar cookie and fresh squeezed OJ with strawberries and pineapple mixed in… it was different..and yummy! And of course in Vegas theres awesome restaurants in the hotels….like LeCirque in the Bellagio…these were all terrific dining experiences..

I was hoping there would be a show from the boat!?
Miss u…
xo

Gary: “in a hotel on a date”, man i knew you were pimp!

— i know, i know you meant to have a comma in there. but it sounded awesome..
QTOD: simple egg cheese and mushroom souffle in a napa B&B – does that count?

Thanks for putting out another hotel episode. I agree with you (though I think I put it a couple of points lower) on the ’07 Root 1 Cab. I generally think their cabs are fine for the price, especially since you can get them in supermarkets around here where there might not be much else to choose from.

qotd: I’ll go room service on this one. At the Airport Hilton in Fort Lauderdale I had a lunch that was so good (crab cakes with two sauces and a lovely greens mix) my girlfriend and I also ordered dinner there. Dinner was a lovely salad, cedar plank roasted salmon, and hazelnut crusted sea bass with a Frangelico Beurre Blanc. Everything was presented very nicely and tasted delicious. The molten chocolate cake was also very good.

I’ll say it again, a hundred times better than the dolts in SD. I’ve had the Root:1 with similar notes and you’re right about the price point so it’s a play.

QOTD: Geez, tough one. I may have answered this before so I still remember the meal I had at Chateau Boyer (Pommery residence) in Reims, France at the restaurant called Les Crayeres. Memorable. Honorable Mention goes to the restaurant at Chateau Frontenac in Quebec. Amazing

There are some fantastic, inexpensive Chilean wines out there – one of the best values for my wine dollar. And I love my Flip, too.

QOTD: Radishes, homemade butter, and sea salt in a tiny little inn near Lyon, France

QOTD: Two answers. Daniel (NYC) is located in a hotel and is my vote for the best in NYC. My second choice would probably be Le Mer which is in the Halekulani hotel in Honolulu.

Still love the hotel episodes, keep them going. Hopefully some coming from the cruise ships. And props for doing both bottles when you discovered the split.

Interesting tip I got from you to twist off and pull the cork capsuels (at least on the Coppala wine), I’ll try that next time. I can guess the staff enjoyed the reminants when they came in to clean the room 😉 It will make up for having to clean the wine stains in the sink…

QOTD: Since you’re on the Thunder Cruise, you have to love the unlimited room service on a cruise ship; but in reality it’s probably a meal a year ago at the STACK restaurant inside the Mirage Hotel/Casino in Vegas for my little bros’s 25 birthday. It was more about the occassion and the company.

qotd: the hotel monaco in seattle is my choice in the US. it is a nice and relaxing place to spend an evening.
In the tropics, the answer is anywhere you eat outside on the beach. all of the resorts have them and there is really nothing better than eating outside on the beach looking at the ocean.

Yo G, Fun Hotel Episode!! You are goin’ beyond the call of duty,
paying $32 for that $7 swill to keep us “peeps” entertained…..
Mooochooo Thanx!!

qotd: Haven’t had a Hotel Meal in eons…..

Best hotel meal i ever had (actually a couple times) was at the Hotel Anker in Bayreuth Germany. Also a wine list that is excellent, a lot of focus on France, Spain good list of German whites. Also the dining room is still in the original 1920 style so if you are thinking Charleston you are spot on.

If you are ever in Upper Franconia a must stop. If you are a Wagner fan you know Bayreuth….

Tied for me!

1) On my Honeymoom, wife & I ordered steaks to our “hut” over the water at a 5* hotel in Bora Bora. We ate half the steak, and fed half to the Sting Rays that were swimming under out table that opened to reveal the various fish below.

2) More traditional, Michael Mina in SFO! Rocks! Maybe the best meal of my life. At hotel or not. Recommended if someone else is paying…AMM

These hotel wine shows are pretty fun, thanks!
QOTD: I had a cupcake from the Bouchon Bakery in the Venetian in Las Vegas, it was heavenly. Other choice would be this italian restaurant in some hotel in Reno where we had a meal with wine pairings… I don’t remember any names.

Hey Gary – As always, amazed by the dedication. Maybe you could set up the camera on a shelf (or get a mini tripod) instead of holding it while running around?

QOTD: Driving across the country, moving to California, my station wagon pulling a uhaul trailer starts acting up in the middle of Wyoming – on my birthday, a Sunday (no joke). I pull over to the nearest gas station, and am trying to find an open garage on a Sunday. A local man offers to drive behind me to a big 24 hour truck stop 20 miles away in a town called Little America to be sure I don’t get stuck in the middle of nowhere. The garage can’t figure out the problem, so I’m stuck there for the night. So I bought the guy who drove me all the way there dinner at the hotel restaurant. I ordered a steak, figuring it was my birthday and this was cattle country. The food was lousy, probably frozen and microwaved, but they had some good local beer, and we had a great time talking about life as a miner in Wyoming and sharing travel stories.

QOTD: Best meal in a hotel by far was Addison at the Grand Del Mar in San Diego. They are southern Cali’s only 5 star 5 diamond restaurant and their wine list screams. they even have some great bargains on their among their 3700 selections.

I’m a huge fan of Turner Duckworth, who designed the packaging for Root:1. They are some of the top players in the packaging design field. I’ve been very tempted to buy a bottle, but yet to grab it. Very glad to see you trying it out.

Damn. Gavy V was in San Diego and I missed him. I am so sad. School had me so busy that I didn’t know he was coming. I am so sad now.

You missed downtown San Diego’s best restaurant and wine service just a few blocks away from the W! The Grant Grill at the US Grant is by far the best wine and foodie restaurant in the area!

best meal i’ve had was at the four seasons hotel in chicago ,it was a 5 courses meal …ohh and by the way i had a nice bordeaux from the medoc that i actually bought on wine library what a surprise ….lol ,it was mostly red meat so it was a perfect match i really enjoyed it and i also enjoyed the view of the great lakes.

I went to college in San Diego at UCSD, and lived in the area for 4 years. So I can definitely vouch for The Grant Grill.

Fun episode, always enjoy the hotel episodes. Oh who am I kidding, I love nearly every episode.

Didn’t really have to see you spitting into the sink though!