PorscheGuy

Just got back from a quick and much needed getaway to Dallas and was lucky enough to experience Monarch. It has easily catapulted to the top spot on my Dallas restaurant list. Stunning views and decor. Staff was on point. Excellent wine list that is not over priced. I noticed most bottles were only 2x retail. Which is really nice compared to the 2.5 or even 3x I’ve seen recently. Had a fantastic 2016 L’Alberello. What really sets Monarch apart is the food. Wonderful menu of Mediterranean inspired seafood, wood fired steaks and handmade pasta. Everything was outstanding. Thank you [mention]ChiTownDoc [/mention] for bringing chef Grant from Chicago to Dallas. Can’t wait for Maple and Ash to open. You guys are killing it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Your list is looking strong Check out these : Schramsburg is always a good one to start out with. Awesome and massive cave. Above average American champagne that’s about $60 a bottle. If your wife likes Veuve clicquot, she will like this. Barnett’s should be on your list. Amazing view from the top of spring mountain. Great for 1-3 couples. Rattlesnake cab is in my top 5 Napa cabs. Estate cabs are $100- rattlesnake is $195 last time I looked. They used to wave the tasting fee if you spent $200+ on wine. Hall has some of my favorite wines. There facility is huge. Would only Recommend doing a private tasting and tour. IMO they are the best large producer of wine in Napa. Plus they are owned by Texans. Far Niete is another to look into. Good wines. Cool car museum as well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had a horrible experience at Bouchon, but to be fair, my waiter admitted he was coked out of his mind after I got up and let the manager have it. Bottega is damn good. Don't sleep on Reddwood's, I had the best pasta dish I have ever had anywhere. It is way more causal with pizzas but done at the highest levels.

No. you are getting what ever they bought on the cheap and have good margins. Use the Vivino app to search wine reviews and get ratings. You can take a picture of the bottle or even of a bottle on your screen and get feedback. Usually any rating over 4.1-4.2 is good. 4.4+ is usually really good. If you want to try new wines and not spend a fortune try lastbottle.com They have an app too. I have had good luck with the vast majority of the wines I pulled the trigger on. Huge variety of wines with good write ups of what to expect. Usually good deals, sometimes great deals, especially during their marathon days. If you are wanting to spurge, wine.com has some coupon codes that can save you up to 15-30% and get free shipping on orders over $100.00.

True. Just trying to help a guy out to get them most out of his experience. To me it’s easy to be a one trick pony. I prefer a place that knocks many menu items out of the park. The brisket is out standing. Almost all of his stuff is really really good. sausage is average but I would not drive any where for just sausage. Good sides round out the great Q Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Get the cheese grits next time instead of Mac and cheese. I’d put them above the beans. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Damn near perfect. Points deducted for the red onions on the wedge salad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As far as Eleuthera goes, I highly recommend Glass Window Bridge. Check it out from the actual bridge. It’s one of the most amazing places on earth. The island has over 110 miles of unspoiled beaches. You probably can spend a week cruising the western side starting north at Spanish wells/ Harbour Island. Great lobstering and spear fishing area when in season. Marina at Harbour Island usually has some impressive rigs. H.I. has completely different vibe then the rest of Eleuthera, much more cape cod, wealthy feel where as main land Eleuthera is still amazingly rustic and unspoiled. GREAT PEOPLE! The marina at Cape Eleuthera on the southern side is supposed to be nice, though I have not been there personally. I loved governor’s Harbour (western middle of the island). The pink sand French leave beach and twin cove beach are on the eastern side of GH. Check out light house point on the far southern tip. Disney bought it and is about to destroy-I mean- develop it- it’s often thought of as one of the most beautiful places in the Bahamas. I can’t give any help w exuma, but if you need more info on Eleuthera, let me know. Post pics and travel details please. It might be a few years before I get back... PS. My profile pic is from Glass Window Bridge. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk in

Reid Guess is a BBQ allstar in my opinion. Been a fan for years and think he can que with the best of Texas BBQ gurus. I have rarely had anything less then excellent from him over the last few years. I have heard they have been struggling with staff lately like a lot of local restaurants. I’ve had a handful of issues with incomplete to go orders, but the food was still top notch. No excuse for subpar food though. His brisket is amazing and some of his non bbq food is insanely good. Chicken fried steak is second to none. Honestly, Waco needs Guess BBQ in its food scene. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

B&D Fence. They are out of Groesbeck but do a lot of work in Waco. Highly recommend. Honest and do a great job.

USVI and BVI are great. Mostly boutique type places on all the islands. Plenty of rec's on this tread already, I'm sure others will chime in. I would stay away from any large resort type places if you prefer romantic. Stay away from Mexico/Cancun/Playa, Jamaica, Dominican and Costa Rica. Peter Island in the BVI's would be perfect, but they are still rebuilding from the hurricane. Also, look at Bahama outer islands like Eleuthera and Exuma if you really want to go somewhere secluded. BVI and USVI will have more upscale options to stay and more options to dine. Eleuthera and Exuma are more remote, but water and beaches are stunning and you might be the only one on the beach for hours. Just depends on what you and your wife want/expect.

What part of Idaho were you fishing? Looks absolutely amazing. Would love to know more details. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just stopped into Mr B’s Friday. Outstanding gumbo and probably the best fried oysters I’ve ever had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

$1000.00 gold leaf tomahawk, give me a break. Can’t believe someone would buy that. Here’s the thing, he makes it look like everyone ordered that in his social media. Genius. I got to give it to him. I’m sure he is laughing all the way to the bank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wife: Can I park the boat? Capri sun billionaire: Sure, it has autopilot, no way it can get fucked up. "crash 1" "crash 2" Wife: I'll go get the caviar...

Caviar, flowers and champagne, that fine boat of yours gets more expensive by the minute. Always been a huge Carver fan. Without a doubt the best boat I’ve ever been on. Congrats on the purchase. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You should not have any issues finding it. I believe it’s a Cosentino wine. If your local grocery or liquor store does not have it they should be able to bring it in. I need to start buying Zins again... great value Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

take a look at Scarab too. Plenty of size options. I think these types of boats make a lot on sense. The pricing of Mastercraft Etc are insane. I mean, is everyone trying to turn pro and needs one of these 200K rigs?

14K for a headlight and bumper scratch on a 488 could have been worse. Not too long ago, a local car dealer sold out to a much bigger outfit. He decided to "invest" in a rare limited edition Ferrari. The day comes and he gets delivery of his investment and decides to drive it to the country club to show it off to anyone and everyone. About half way down the driveway, some hack shanks a golf ball over the green and right into the door of his new investment. Guy gets out and throws a fit threating everyone around until the hack finally owns up to it. Repair was in the 30K neighborhood for a door ding. The appreciative value of the car now in jeopardy due to the body work preformed. A dealer once told me that before you buy a Ferrari, you should own a high end Porsche out of warranty. If you can still afford to cover the costs of all the repairs and maintenance after a few years, you will be ready for a new Ferrari in warranty. Just because you can afford to buy the car, doesn't mean you can afford to maintain the car. When your Toyota needs repairs, its $1500.00. When your Ferrari needs repairs, it $15,000.00

Very well said. His wines are what started me getting into wine. Easy to drink most of his wines. Abstract is around $30 and a great wine for the money. Cuttings is an under rated wine as well. Actually opened up a 2012 Papillon last week, drank great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Killer wine, great year too. tough decision to hold it or drink it. Ah fuck it, its 2020 still, drink it!

Another Zin worth picking up is frank family. If you want to stay with cabs, can’t go wrong with Hall at that price. Cuttings is a big bold cab. Others off the top of my head Buena vista Seqoya grove Austin hope If you want to go a little north of $50, grab Adaptation ($65). Outstanding wine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

great looking marble counter, nice wine

Picking up some decent deals on Lastbottlewines.com Free shipping. Just keep hitting refresh until you find one you like. They go fast. Cheers

Akaushi cooks really really fast. Probably 50% faster then a normal steak. Takes a few attempts to get it right. If that is a first attempt, I would say he did a pretty good job. I have seen some guys cook it way past well done if they never cooked it before.