CJ finds much to like at Galt House's Rivue

[Robin Garr]

Marty is given 665 words to review Rivue, the posh eatery that replaced the old Flagship Room atop the Galt House, and he spends them well, in an expansive report that finds very little fault with the new operation and awards it 3 1/2 stars. (Apparently it was only service lapses that cost that last half-star: He finds no fault of any kind with the food, as far as I can see.)

Recalling the initial forum discussion about the restaurant's very pricey bill of fare (including an odd move when Rivue actually opened with most prices a few dollars less than shown on the restaurant Website), I was suprised to see him describe pricing as "quite modest considering the upscale setting," making me wonder if they've changed it yet again. He also mentions a fancy table-top device that keeps his white wine well chilled. Restaurants typically serve white wines way too cold, so if you order a decent white at Rivue, you may want to take it <i>out</i> of the "stainless steel unit" to let it come up to an appropriate serving temperature.

[url=http://cityguide.courier-journal.com/fe/RestaurantReviews/Profile.asp?businessid=47429]A changing river view
Resplendent Rivue offers excellent fare at modest prices[/url]

<B>Rivue</B>
Galt House
140 N. Fourth St.
(502) 568-4239
http://www.rivue.com/

I'd say 99.9% of the general public (including me) aren't wine experts and don't get to the point of anaylzing their wine temp as long as it's not warm.

Couldn't the cooler be benefical over a long dinner? You wouldn't want the wine setting unchilled the whole time would you? So would you take the wine out of the cooler for 10 minutes or so to bring the temp down and then but it back in the cooler for the remainder?

[Robin Garr]

I'd say 99.9% of the general public (including me) aren't wine experts and don't get to the point of anaylzing their wine temp as long as it's not warm.

Couldn't the cooler be benefical over a long dinner? You wouldn't want the wine setting unchilled the whole time would you? So would you take the wine out of the cooler for 10 minutes or so to bring the temp down and then but it back in the cooler for the remainder?

Brian, it's really not a matter of scientific precision. I don't think you need to be a wine geek to discover this little secret to enjoying white wine, though: If the wine comes out ice cold, whether from the fridge or dripping from an ice bucket, it might seem like a refreshing beverage, but when it's that cold, it numbs your taste buds, and you can't really get the good flavors of the wine. Now, with iced tea or Coke, this doesn't matter much. But when, like Marty, you've paid 34 smackers for 2006 D'Arenberg Hermit Crab Marsanne Viognier, you don't really want to slug it without appreciating it. So take it out of the fridge early, or don't keep it on ice (or in the high-tech equivalent of an ice bucket). Let it warm up until the bottle is cold but not icy to the touch - you don't need a thermometer - and you'll see the flavors blossom. If it gets too warm, you can put it back on ice for a couple of minutes, but frankly, in my experience if you take a wine right out of the fridge and put it on the table, it will be a half-hour before it warms up just right, and it will be find for a couple of hours before it gets too warm.

The converse is true, too, in the summer time: A good red actually tastes better in hot weather if you cool it off just a little. Not COLD - reds taste funky cold. But a half-hour in the fridge or 5 minutes in the ice bucket will make it taste much better.

By the way, I don't know what Hermit Crab Viognier wholesales for in Louisville, but it retails in the $12 to $17 range around the US, so $34 looks like a pretty spendy markup on Rivue's part.

Thanks for the info, that makes sense.

Another question, I was reading Marty's piece. Do reviewer's typically take notes? If not it seems it would be difficult to get into so much detail or that one might forget things?

Just a question that I've thought about before and was wondering about.

[Robin Garr]

Thanks for the info, that makes sense.

Another question, I was reading Marty's piece. Do reviewer's typically take notes? If not it seems it would be difficult to get into so much detail or that one might forget things?

Just a question that I've thought about before and was wondering about.

Brian, it would be unusual for a dining critic to take handwritten notes, as this would be kind of a dead giveaway. (It might be interesting, though, for someone who's not reviewing to bring a steno pad and jot down careful descriptions of the first course, and see if service markedly improves. )

Basically, I don't want to give away too much inside stuff - not that it's secret, but I don't want to give our friendly local restaurateurs any "how to spot a critic in the house" guidelines. But I would say that an excellent memory is important, and a habit of debriefing ASAP after the meal, while memories are fresh.

[...But I would say that an excellent memory is important, and a habit of debriefing ASAP after the meal, while memories are fresh.

This is why I don't fault Marty for references to his wife, Mary, that so often appear in his reviews. With a dining companion the critic gets to sample twice the dishes. Plus, I expect they discuss the dishes during the meal (my wife and I do) and she helps him during the debrief to remember stuff.

[Robin Garr]

This is why I don't fault Marty for references to his wife, Mary, that so often appear in his reviews. With a dining companion the critic gets to sample twice the dishes. Plus, I expect they discuss the dishes during the meal (my wife and I do) and she helps him during the debrief to remember stuff.

Agreed on all counts. It would be nuts for a dining critic to base reviews on solo dinners, for the reasons you state.

Now, while "fault" is a strong word, I do find it a little hokey that Marty <i>names</i> his wife in most columns. I understand that R.W. "Johnny" Apple did the same, but to me, whether it's Rosen or Apple or anybody else, the practice suffers from the same problem as those little "sig lines" that some people put beneath their posts in Internet forums: What's cute once or twice gets boring after many repetitions.

Now, while "fault" is a strong word, I do find it a little hokey that Marty <i>names</i> his wife in most columns. I understand that R.W. "Johnny" Apple did the same, but to me, whether it's Rosen or Apple or anybody else, the practice suffers from the same problem as those little "sig lines" that some people put beneath their posts in Internet forums: What's cute once or twice gets boring after many repetitions.

Ha, my daughter listens to me complain about this nearly every week when I read the review, and thinks I'm so anal....but for some reason it really gets on my nerves.

...Now, while "fault" is a strong word, I do find it a little hokey that Marty <i>names</i> his wife in most columns.

Here are some theories:

1) Marty is in his mid-sixties, and by naming his wife in the columns, he's hoping she gets the publicity needed to get offered the gig when he retires, OR

2) Marty's significant other is actually "Mark". He lists his companion as "Mary" in the columns as a clever ruse to throw off those pesky restaurateurs who seek to recognize the couple when they visit to review, OR

3) He names her frequently so he can visit here and gauge the reaction (you know he looks in - hey Marty!!)

(I'm kidding)

....but for some reason it really gets on my nerves.

Marty naming his wife in the reviews has never bothered me. But, the practice at Gannett's USA Today of using "USA" everywhere the word "country", United States, etc would suffice drives me nuts. I picture them having one editor whose sole responsibility is to scan text for opportunites to substitute that insidious advertisement "USA".

Or, how about those pesky ads at the bottom of the front pages of various CJ sections that are slowly getting larger and creeping up into the text and up the right side of the page.

Those table top coolers are great...I can't remember which place but I saw them at a place in Dallas they chill wine -or- warms soup or other such.

Right on the table top next your plate......if you touch one it feels just like your plate room temp. Only works if something sets on them.

I think it works off magnetic induction or some such. Way cool though.

[Robin Garr]

Or, how about those pesky ads at the bottom of the front pages of various CJ sections that are slowly getting larger and creeping up into the text and up the right side of the page.

This not-so-subtle blending of advertising and editorial pretty much says it all about Gannett and its policies, as much as does the newspaper's management intruding itself into (and influencing coverage of) governmental issues like merger, the arena project and the Museum Tower.

I'm sure both Binghams are spinning in their graves.

Gannett will cease to exist in the next 25 years as the next generation will be getting all of their news online or via wireless. The newspaper as we knew it 25 years ago is a shadow of it's former self and at the rate it is going, 25 years from now, we'll be going "News-what?"