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RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/5-7/2008

 
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RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/23/2008 6:45:36 PM   
tomandlu

 

Posts: 37
Joined: 3/27/2006
From: Boston, MA
Status: online 		OK.  Now that we've gotten into dining - and what better accompaniment is there to wine? - the place to , IMHO, is Lark.  The most interesting and carefully prepared food in a city filled with great places to eat.  Harvest Vine is a close second.

(in reply to rjonas)
Post #: 31
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/24/2008 7:43:39 AM   
deb293

 

Posts: 236
Status: offline 		Medium budget, no camping, no shopping.  Always love to try great restaurants, but I work in NYC (plenty o' food here) so that's not the primary reason to get on a plane (did I mention I HATE to fly?)  Bouchart Gardens is on the list, and I heard the Space Needle could be skipped.  Walla Walla is a possibility.  Anybody know if Cayuse accepts visitors?

CT weekend the culmination of the trip?  I think so...A live-feed hook-up with The Colonel might just cinch it.  Serge, you coming?

< Message edited by deb293 -- 5/25/2008 7:02:25 AM >

(in reply to mbannon)
Post #: 32
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/25/2008 1:05:36 PM   
cgrimes

 

Posts: 681
Joined: 10/8/2007
From: Massachusetts
Status: offline 		deb,

Just booked my flight today from Boston.  I've been watching the fares start to go up this week...

Craig

(in reply to deb293)
Post #: 33
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/25/2008 3:29:23 PM   
Greenblanket

 

Posts: 1
Joined: 5/11/2008
Status: offline 		Long time lurker here and just registered. I live in town and would be happy to participate in any organization or preparatory details. And yes, I plan to attend.

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 34
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/25/2008 3:45:52 PM   
Eric

 

Posts: 5370
Joined: 10/10/2003
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline 		Another thought crossed my mind today. Clearly we are going to do this Seattle-based event in September. But following not too long thereafter on 4/25/2009 we will actually cross the 5-year anniversary of the public release of CellarTracker. (I started working on the privately about a year before this, so I have already been at this for more than 5 years.) Anyway, clearly a 5-year anniversary will call for a celebration of sorts. I have no idea what yet. But go ahead and save that date now for something. Maybe that will be the time for a NYC-based celebration? Or Napa might be even better.

But for now, let's focus on September...


_____________________________

Cheers!
-Eric LeVine

(in reply to Greenblanket)
Post #: 35
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/25/2008 6:21:37 PM   
deb293

 

Posts: 236
Status: offline 		Eric,

Have a heart on our wallets!  We can't follow you all over the country....(or can we?) Seriously, if the Sept. event comes off (I'm sure it will) a NYC based event would be welcome by us east coasters, I imagine.

< Message edited by deb293 -- 5/25/2008 6:28:38 PM >

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 36
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/25/2008 7:27:27 PM   
cgrimes

 

Posts: 681
Joined: 10/8/2007
From: Massachusetts
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: deb293

Seriously, if the Sept. event comes off (I'm sure it will) a NYC based event would be welcome by us east coasters, I imagine.


Given that my flight has been booked and I've written a check for the deposit on the venue, the Sept. event WILL come off.  I don't want to be sitting in the Uptown Hideaway by myself with a bottle of wine (albeit a good one)
That's where you all come in...and it seems as if we are getting some bites--locally, regionally, nationally.  This is all very exciting.  We'll keep you up to date as the plans unfold. 

A future east coast gathering would be nice.  We might even get a few from the European contingency. 
Craig 

(in reply to deb293)
Post #: 37
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 5:03:41 AM   
Colonel Lawrence

 

Posts: 1469
Joined: 4/24/2006
From: Arabia
Status: offline 		I'm on for 25th April 2009 in NYC (great to get to).
Why not fix an add on visit to Wine Library and we can Taste/Buy some wine (I'm sure Eric's worth a big discount) and meet the second great entrepreneur of the US wine scene (after our Eric of course).
L.


_____________________________

First they came for ....................

(in reply to cgrimes)
Post #: 38
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 5:27:04 AM   
Ibetian

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 7/15/2007
Status: offline 		Sept. in Seattle would not work for me but April in NYC would be great!

(in reply to Colonel Lawrence)
Post #: 39
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 5:55:19 AM   
deb293

 

Posts: 236
Status: offline 		Craig,

For how many days do you plan on being in Seattle?  When will you begin asking for actual RSVPs?

(in reply to cgrimes)
Post #: 40
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 6:46:20 PM   
cgrimes

 

Posts: 681
Joined: 10/8/2007
From: Massachusetts
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: deb293

Craig,

For how many days do you plan on being in Seattle?  When will you begin asking for actual RSVPs?



I plan on being in Seattle by noon on Friday and will be taking a red eye back to the east coast on Sunday night.  Short trip, but its all I can do at this time. 

As for RSVPs, I would imagine that we'll be asking for them when we have the cost of the event(s) nailed down--hopefully by the end of the week.  I believe that Eric will be able to process the charges for the event though paypal.  Essentially your payment would be your RSVP.  I will have to work that out with Eric as I'm not sure how all that works.
Craig

(in reply to deb293)
Post #: 41
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 6:58:55 PM   
Eric

 

Posts: 5370
Joined: 10/10/2003
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline 		Yeah, the biggest commitment here on our end will be locking down quantities with the caterer and also pinning down the actual attendees. If we get too big then we will likely have to pick another venue and eat a small deposit on the current one. But once we lock this down we will in essence sell tickets for the Saturday night as an official RSVP. For what I envision Friday night at my house it will be no cost, but since space will likely be an issue I will likely give precedence to out of towners who have paid for Saturday. Would not want someone to travel thousands of miles and get shut out of one of the events. But will also likely limit the Friday thing to something closer to 50 people to keep it sane. Once we start to nail this down and get actual quantities it will be a lot easier to understand exactly what we are dealing with.

Obviously I will also reach out more broadly to CellarTracker users who are not active on this forum, but for the few dozen people who seem to engage here clearly we will make sure you get first dibs.


_____________________________

Cheers!
-Eric LeVine

(in reply to cgrimes)
Post #: 42
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 7:22:26 PM   
cgrimes

 

Posts: 681
Joined: 10/8/2007
From: Massachusetts
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Eric

Yeah, the biggest commitment here on our end will be locking down quantities with the caterer and also pinning down the actual attendees.


Fortunately we don't have to lock our numbers for the caterer until 1-2 weeks for the event, but we are going to have to take a stab at an estimated number to get an idea of the cost of the event.  I have already had the caterers recalculate the cost based on 100 vs. 150 people.  If more turn out to be interested, then as Eric stated, the venue will be more of an issue (Uptown Hideaway maxes out at around 150). 

Craig

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 43
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 9:15:39 PM   
fingers

 

Posts: 462
Joined: 8/26/2006
From: Santa Ana, CA
Status: offline 		Thanks for that priority, Eric.   We would love to attend your home gathering on Friday night.  It is also the wife's birthday so it could be a breif visit before we head out to dinner (recommends?)  

The Missus and I also get in around noon on Friday, Craig.  We're staying at the Comfort Suites, close to Uptown Hideaway so I'd be happy to help with any setup duties on Saturday. 



Looking forward to a delicious weekend,

rh


(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 44
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 9:18:09 PM   
Eric

 

Posts: 5370
Joined: 10/10/2003
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: fingers
It is also the wife's birthday so it could be a breif visit before we head out to dinner (recommends?)

So many. Well not THAT many, but a few strong picks. What is your budget, what kind of food to you tend to like, and what sort of ambience are you looking for?


_____________________________

Cheers!
-Eric LeVine

(in reply to fingers)
Post #: 45
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 10:26:36 PM   
fingers

 

Posts: 462
Joined: 8/26/2006
From: Santa Ana, CA
Status: offline 		Given the nature of the evening (wife's xxth)*,  I think we'll skip the neo-trendy-fusion-noisy side and consider the more intimate, white-linen and jazz scene.  We're quite partial to elevated views - anything decent food-wise up the needle?  Over water is also nice but I'd also appreciate something easy to drive between your home and our hotel.  Our taste can handle pretty much anything with high marks for seafood, cajun, Indian and Eastern, Italian, but I know the PNW has it's own haute cuisine so that would be perfect, too.  Thanks much for your thoughts



*in the interest of diplomacy and my personal safety, value omitted

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 46
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/26/2008 11:06:19 PM   
Eric

 

Posts: 5370
Joined: 10/10/2003
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline 		A long-time Seattle resident would point you to Canlis, sort of the "original" fancy restaurant in Seattle. It always gets rated the highest, because it is the place everyone aspired to. It's actually pretty solid, good views, excellent service, a bit cramped. But, having grown up in New England it reminds me a bit of a trip to the "country club." I tend to bring my parents there--they feel right at home.

My favorite restaurant in Seattle bar none is Lampreia. No views to speak of, but simply remarkable food. Italian in tradition/technique but very NW in ingredients, it is world class. That said, the chef/owner Scott Carsberg has also managed to turn a lot of people off. He struggles when people ask him to deviate from what he thinks is proper execution of a dish. I actually consider him a friend. Shy, intense, and perfectionist, it can be a tough combination at times. Come September he will be in a new location, actually quite close to where we will be, maybe 10 blocks. 5-10 minutes on foot. Corkage is expensive at $35/bottle, but if you bring one and buy one he waives the first bottle. So it always works out well for me and my wife. (He always has nice, eclectic German, Austrian and Alsatian whites, I get one of those and save the corkage on whatever older red I bring.) Prices are expensive by Seattle standards but are fire sale cheap compared to a peer restaurant in LA or NYC. A very formal, intimate dining room setting.

If you really want to optimize for view I would consider seaside places liek Palisades, Anthony's or Waterfront. Sort of trendy seafood for all of them. More touristy. Still quite nice and bit less stiff than Canlis.

I love more rustic places like Txori, Tavolata, and How to Cook a Wolf but not really anniversary fare. Matt's in the Market is supposed to be great, but I have never been.

UNION is one more fantastic one, probably the most wine-friendly place in town. Not super intimate, a big restaurant, but fantastic food. (Same GM as Tavolata and How to Cook a Wolf.)

Anyway, Google around and tell me what seems to appeal to you. There are of course more choices, but this should be a good starting point.


_____________________________

Cheers!
-Eric LeVine

(in reply to fingers)
Post #: 47
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 4:07:56 AM   
Colonel Lawrence

 

Posts: 1469
Joined: 4/24/2006
From: Arabia
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: fingers

Given the nature of the evening (wife's xxth)*...............................................


*in the interest of diplomacy and my personal safety, value omitted



20's nothing to be ashamed of

(in reply to fingers)
Post #: 48
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 5:14:23 AM   
cgrimes

 

Posts: 681
Joined: 10/8/2007
From: Massachusetts
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: fingers

The Missus and I also get in around noon on Friday, Craig.  We're staying at the Comfort Suites, close to Uptown Hideaway so I'd be happy to help with any setup duties on Saturday. 

Looking forward to a delicious weekend,



Thanks for your offer.  If you remember, send me a PM closer to the day of the event.  Will have a better idea of how much help we need at that time.  Given that it is your wife's XXth you may want to take the day and explore Seattle.  By the way, will we have to card her at the door?

(in reply to fingers)
Post #: 49
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 7:07:08 AM   
deb293

 

Posts: 236
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: tomandlu

OK.  Now that we've gotten into dining - and what better accompaniment is there to wine? - the place to , IMHO, is Lark.  The most interesting and carefully prepared food in a city filled with great places to eat.  Harvest Vine is a close second.


Eric, any thoughts about Lark in Seattle and The Herbfarm out in Woodinville?

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 50
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 8:50:40 AM   
Eric

 

Posts: 5370
Joined: 10/10/2003
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline 		Lark is lovely. I would put Tilth in a similar vein. Harvest Vine is also quite wonderful (Txori is the new Belltown restaurant from the same owner). All are small plate centric, lots of different bites. Of that genre, Lark is probably head of the class.

I have never had a great meal at the Herbfarm (3 or 4 tries) and find the production way, way overblown and the meal way, way too long and way too expensive for what it offers. It is fine dining but too much circus.

_____________________________

Cheers!
-Eric LeVine

(in reply to deb293)
Post #: 51
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 9:04:49 AM   
deb293

 

Posts: 236
Status: offline 		Wow, you probably saved me a bundle.  Had a similar reaction to Per Se in NY; don't want to repeat the experience. 3+ hours and no one was impressed out of a party of five.  One of the "courses" was actually a 3" diameter plate of mashed potatoes.  We're still talking about that one...

< Message edited by deb293 -- 5/27/2008 12:09:20 PM >

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 52
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 9:46:48 AM   
mbannon

 

Posts: 250
Joined: 10/1/2004
From: Portland, OR
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: deb293

Medium budget, no camping, no shopping.  Always love to try great restaurants, but I work in NYC (plenty o' food here) so that's not the primary reason to get on a plane (did I mention I HATE to fly?)  Bouchart Gardens is on the list, and I heard the Space Needle could be skipped.  Walla Walla is a possibility.  Anybody know if Cayuse accepts visitors?

CT weekend the culmination of the trip?  I think so...A live-feed hook-up with The Colonel might just cinch it.  Serge, you coming?

Some ideas for you to research:

  • Rent bicycles and take the ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  Book a B&B in town, spend a couple days just riding and walking around.  Beautiful.
  • Since you hate to fly, Walla Walla is probably out (too far to be worth the cost & time of renting a car and driving), but there are lots of wineries in the Seattle area, some of them quite high end.  They purchase their grapes from the East side of the state, so you'll likely taste some Walla Walla wines, anyway.
  • If you want to "get away," rent a car and drive over the North Cascades Highway and stay in Mazama or Winthrop.
  • Or rent a car and drive up the Olympic Peninsula to Port Angeles.  Stay in town for a night, then catch the high-speed ferry to Victoria B.C. for a night, then return to Seattle on a regular ferry.

(in reply to deb293)
Post #: 53
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 10:20:46 AM   
RoundersRob

 

Posts: 278
Joined: 7/1/2006
From: Santa Cruz, CA
Status: offline 		Looks like the plans are coming together nicely.   My wife and I are looking forward to it.

(in reply to mbannon)
Post #: 54
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 11:04:48 AM   
fingers

 

Posts: 462
Joined: 8/26/2006
From: Santa Ana, CA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Colonel Lawrence



20's nothing to be ashamed of




Shushhhhh....    I've got her convinced it's brains before beauty

< Message edited by fingers -- 6/5/2008 4:50:49 PM >

_____________________________

"A glass of wine is great refreshment after a hard days work."

Ludwig Van Beethoven

(in reply to Colonel Lawrence)
Post #: 55
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 12:09:13 PM   
deb293

 

Posts: 236
Status: offline 		Thank you, thank you.  I just ordered a Michelin Green Guide for the PNW (out of print, and dated, but that's OK).  Between that and other suggestions I feel an itinerery being formed.  Whale watching on San Juan Island, and some of the Canadian national parks, perhaps.  I agree, Walla Walla is probably not worth the time, given only a week or so in the area, and heading in the wrong direction.

There must be a place where local wines from the state can be sampled (like in Beaune) so I needn't necessarily vist the wineries.
quote:

From rjonas:  The Tasting Room down at Pike Place Market showcases about 4-5 different WA wineries (Camaraderie and Latitude 46 are my faves here).


Maybe this is a good place to start...


< Message edited by deb293 -- 5/27/2008 1:49:45 PM >

(in reply to mbannon)
Post #: 56
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/27/2008 4:36:32 PM   
petitblanc

 

Posts: 14
Joined: 2/20/2007
From: Madison, WI
Status: offline 		My wife and I are in. This is certain to be a memorable, perhaps historic, event, and it will be nice to meet some fellow CT'ers. Thanks to you and Craig for all the work moving this forward. Wish I lived closer and could lend a hand...

_____________________________

pb

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 57
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/29/2008 1:26:19 AM   
Colonel Lawrence

 

Posts: 1469
Joined: 4/24/2006
From: Arabia
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Colonel Lawrence

I'm on for 25th April 2009 in NYC (great to get to).
Why not fix an add on visit to Wine Library and we can Taste/Buy some wine (I'm sure Eric's worth a big discount) and meet the second great entrepreneur of the US wine scene (after our Eric of course).
L.



Just rehashing my note in case Eric missed it 1st time round (there's more posts each day now).
L.

_____________________________

First they came for ....................

(in reply to Colonel Lawrence)
Post #: 58
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/29/2008 7:17:48 AM   
Blue Shorts

 

Posts: 251
Joined: 2/5/2008
From: Santa Cruz, California
Status: online 		Thanks, Eric.

My wife and I will be arriving Thursday afternoon.  We're looking forward to meeting you and your wife (and children  :-)).

Bruce

_____________________________

I don't have a drinking problem. I drink. I get drunk. I fall down. No problem.

(in reply to Eric)
Post #: 59
RE: FIRST ANNUAL: CellarTracker weekend, Seattle, WA 9/... - 5/29/2008 2:50:00 PM   
tim95030

 

Posts: 37
Joined: 3/31/2008
Status: offline 		Pretty sure my Dad and I will be attending. Need to make sure we can afford the weekend, but things look ok at the moment.

_____________________________

Tim Schroeder
Certified Sommelier

Current Location: Testarossa Winery

(in reply to Blue Shorts)
Post #: 60
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