I probably won't go on Friday (though I would LOVE to see Randy Newman) in order to prepare for the offline. A visiting friend who will be attending the offline will go that day, though. I'll probably hit the festival with him on Saturday.

hello again,looks like me plus 2, and that date and time sounds fine,i wil be going to fest on friday nd would love to meet up.when we get closer ill e mail any interested parties my cell number.

rick

So what is the restaurant of choice?
We might be interested.

We're all in, and very much looking forward to it.
For anyone going to the fest Thursday or Friday, let's pick a time & spot to hook up, we'd love to meet all y'all.

PerleO, how much prep is involved for the NO offlines!!!! Don't skip the fest just for us!

mh

It's not that much prep, but I'd still like to approach it fresh. I find that a day at Jazzfest really takes it out of me--one per season is about as much as I can handle. (Yes, I'm a festival wimp.) Plus there's also this annoying thing called work; they generally expect me to be there even on Fridays.

King of Hearts, we are planning on having the dinner at Chateaubriand, if they can accommodate us once we get a definite head count. For a back-up, in case they don't have room, we are considering Andrea's in Metairie.

To re-cap the current head count:

Tastebuddy--7 people confirmed
Preferred--8 people (will they all come?)
Chef du vin--3 people confirmed
King of Hearts--2 people? tentative (correct?)
My group--3 people

Sounds like it will be a large and lively group!

perleO

Our group had already made reservations for Friday night! Don't put me down for the evening, but I will try to drop by and bring a bottle to share with the group.

Geary

What a shame! Well, if you are able to drop by, please do. It's always a trick to get so many people's schedules synched up.

We'll miss you.

It's official...we have reservations for Chateaubriand at 8 p.m., Friday, April 29.

Yea!!!! dress code?

It's a pretty swanky place, but New Orleans is a dress-down kind of town. I'd recommend that the men wear, at minimum, a shirt with a collar and pants that are not blue jeans. A jacket would be a nice touch, but not mandatory.

Ladies, dress to match. Look nice, but tiaras are optional.

PS--I acquired some 1993 Disznoko Aszu Eszencia this weekend. I may bring it as my dessert offering. Still working on the Rhone...you see where my priorities lie.

ok; I'll see what I can arrange; but, I assure you, shirt/collar/not jeans will probably be all I can wrangle from this group. One of our jazz fest rules has been, for many years now, not to eat anywhere that means we have to travel with dress clothes. I hope that's ok.

That should be fine. Here’s a link to Chateaubriand if you want to check it out. It’s not the most informative site I’ve ever seen, buy the basics are there.

Let me describe how our offlines have worked in the past, to make it easier for everyone to plan.

Each person brings at least one bottle of a Rhone wine (or a good Rhone-style wine from another country). They can bring more than one bottle of Rhone, or another bottle of something else, but at a minimum one bottle of Rhone per person. Hopefully we can split the bottles up in such a way that everyone gets to taste everything, but that might prove tricky with such a large group. Once we see what everyone has brought, we’ll figure out which ones to open with which course.

The restaurant’s chef (Gerard) has designed a great fixed-price menu for us around the theme of Rhone wines. Here's what he has come up with--I very much like the sound of it myself.

• Paté Maison as Hors d'oeuvres
  
• Sautéed Jumbo Sea Scallops with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce
  
• Grilled Eggplant and Fresh Mozzarella Napoleon with Balsamic Reduction
  
• Tournedos Gérard (Tournedos topped with slice of liver paté and shrimp in light wine cream sauce, one of our most popular dishes)
  
• Gratin Savoyard and Sauteed Mushroms served for table
  
• Crêpes Suzette with Mathilde Sauce and Sliced Toasted Almonds
  
• Coffee

Price will be $82.00 per person plus tax and tip. This includes all of our corkage. Please keep in mind that last-minute cancellations will still have to be paid for, so make sure your the members of your party understand the commitment.

It would probably be a good idea to exchange cell phone numbers. If you will e-mail me--kim (at) lawineclub (dot) com--I will send you my cell number, and you can send me yours. That way if anyone is running a bit late or needs directions, they’ll be able to get in touch.

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm getting psyched.

Perlo thanks for putting this together. We likely will not have dinner but will stop by with some wine to share. And my cellar is very weak on Rhone style. I do have some Noon Eclipse though.
Make a suggestion for substitutions.

It's too bad that you won't be able to make the dinner, but we'll be glad to see you if you are able to drop by (especially if you bring wine!). Noon Eclipse sounds great to me, but you could also bring any good Syrah (particularly in the old world style). That would probably fit in quite well with the northern Rhones.

hi,
sent the info on to the group; only comment so far is that we have a few "no pate'" people in the group but it appears that's a small portion so perhaps no big deal. I'm looking forward to it!

MH

Perle0, I sent you an off-line note about the off=line. we have a problem with the menu. Please check your email & let me know what you think.

thanks,
MH

***New Info on the Offline***

There were some cost concerns with our previous plans that would have made the offline unworkable.

To allow the plans to continue, we're moving the offline to a more modest location. Everyone can just order from the menu as suits their tastes and budgets. I recommend the specials they offer daily.

The time of the offline remains Friday, April 29, at 8:00 p.m. The new location is Cote Sud, a small uptown restaurant specializing in southern French cuisine (7918 Maple Street). Fancy clothing is not required. However, take note that this restaurant does not take credit cards or personal checks--cash or traveller's checks only. They also charge a corking fee of $10/bottle which you should factor into the cost of your meal. (Remember that this is a wine dinner, and people are still expected to bring at least one bottle of wine per person to share with the group; at our previous location there was also a corking fee, but it was calculated into the overall price.)

Chef du Vin, please contact me to confirm that you have the new information. Do you still have three in your party?

No offense, but cramped Cote Sud? Man, there has to be a better place with a little more New Orleans flavor in its dishes and ambiance.

I prefer to think of it as "cozy."

It was not my first choice, but it meets our criteria (including having room for us as Jazzfest approaches), and I think we should be able to have a pleasant little offline there.

perle0

Welcome to the perils of organizing an offline! You can't please everyone! Set your plans and let it roll. It doesn't surprise me the the anti foi gras California bunch has problems with the pate!

I hope they realize that Cajun cuisine might have a few other "surprises" in store for them. Mrs prefered and I will make a definite effort to stop by and share some wine. We're staying in the French Quarter so we shouldn't be far from the place.

wow, how presumptous some folks can be. Being a Southerner, very acquainted with Cajun food, a Jazz Fest vetern who is a transplant to Napa, and a veteren off-liner out here, I take exception to preferred's comments, but in my pre-Jazz Fest-good mood, I will allow that to slide like water off a duck's back ... or goose as the case may be. First, for the sake of clarity, it wasn't merely cost that was the problem. Yes, living in Napa can be expensive, but I assure you we're more than willing to pay at least $82 occasionally for dinner out here. <more like forced to, as anyone who's tried to eat out in St Helena will understand>

One member of our group has a serious serious shellfish allergy (none of which is probably in the pate) which would have caused her to miss the dinner or pay a large sum for a prix fix that she could not enjoy. As we are coming from places far-flung, her and one other from England, and we only see each other all together once a year, it was our choice to not break up the group but to ask for a different location. As I told perle0 offline in a private email, we were very sorry for the inconvenience this caused and were most grateful for the willingness to accomodate a change. Price was a concern, but secondary to the issue of the menu.

I just spent a glorious day going from Napa to Sausalito to Stinson Beach doing what I love to do, sell wine, but now I'm all bummed because I've ruined the off-line.

You guys are rough!!

looking forward to meeting all y'all, and don't worry, we understand what "wine dinner" means...

Hope everyone enjoys the meal.
We'll stop by with a bottle and swap tales. No soup for me.

Why don't you all stop by the Palace? The wine cellar's poor, but it can very entertaining.

I'm all for whichever place will accomodate us & meet the criteria. If I can do any of the planning from here, I'm glad to do that too. It sounds like perle0's got it under control, but if we need to change we can.

Leaving one week from tomorrow! woo hoo !