BEAUJOLAIS UPDATE

Well we have been in mourning over the loss of our favourite Wine Bar Beaujolais  and its impending closure. Rent appeared to be an issue.  We facedbooked Lloyd Morrison yesterday asking him if he owned the building - he doesn't and he says that there is a fair chance that his companies may be looking for other premises in the near future. Infratil bought Shell's retail business in NZ.
Apparently the building is owned by Heritage Properties.

BEREFT

Our favourite watering hole is to close.

15 April 2010

 To All My Dear Customers

 After many months of negotiation with our landlord over a rent increase, it has become clear that we are no longer able to stay at our present site of 11 Woodward Street. A new tenant will be moving into the space sometime in May.

 Our 20^th Anniversary party on April 30^th will certainly still take place but it will be our last day of trading and also a fond farewell from us all at the bar.

 In saying that, there has been some activity regarding new investors and potential new sites in which to relocate, but time constraints and commitments elsewhere exclude me from any involvement for now. I firmly believe a new and enthusiastic team could easily take up the reins again and continue the Beaujolais tradition at another site. Watch the spaces!

 For myself, I would like to thank all of you for your unwavering loyalty and patronage over the twenty years that I have owned and managed the bar. It’s been a hair-raising   and wonderful ride that seems to have finished in an instant and I am left with many fond memories, many, many friends and enormous respect for an industry that really sorts out the ‘men from the boys’. (And as a woman in this racket, I’m amazed that I’ve lasted this long!)

 So for the next two weeks I urge you all to come in for a last drink (or two or three), a last meal, a last gathering of friends in the special ambience that belongs to Beaujolais. I will be at the bar all day and night of the April 30^th with Anton, Casey et al to say my farewells and shed a tear or two with you.

 I sincerely hope to see you there.

 Kindest regards

 Debra McMillen

This is very sad as not only is Beaujolais our wine bar of choice it's also one of our favourite lunching places. 

We have had many, many of a good evening ( and afternoon) in the back cubby  talking crap, plotting to change the state of politics, gossiping, and generally raising our glasses to the  passing  of the day with the best of mates. 

The wine list was great, the food was some of Wellington's best and the series of mien hosts always convivial. 

And where oh where will we celebrate Beaujolais Day now? 

It had the sort of small and intimate bar feel that will be hard to recreate in another location. 

We will keep you posted if there is a reincarnation in another location as suggested above. 

WEEPING SANDS

Red wine, parcels from Eumenides, Beaujolais.

St Paddies day....

Bliss............

RANDOM BITS

Cactus likes the Rock.

Arbitrageur is where grown ups gather.

Why is the whole town buzzing over speculation on Chris Carters spending as a Minister? Is that why Labour went soft on Heatley and Brownlie ?

And isn't Beaujolais Duck parfait the best pate in town?

And Ian Templetons wife is a beautiful lady even if he isnt a Sir.....

BEST OF 2009

2009 has been a mixed bag.

We have new mates and we lost some good mates

We stopped blogging for a while then we started back up again .

We have a new job.

The son and heir is passing his helicopter exams and Ma and Pa have been hitched for 50 years.

So who is the best of the best for 2009.

Okay we think that the speaker deserved the best slot for his transformation of the running of the House. No argument there.

Best Minister? Probably Gerry Brownlie. He has made some ballsy calls on the energy front. His decisions have the potential to change the economic face of NZ. We are not sure that ordinary NZers have yet grasped the potential.

Judith Collins has to come a close second. She has police in her steely grip and we are the better for it.

Best Journalist? We reckon there are a few who for different reasons have done a bloody good job this year. Fran O'Sullivan, Ian Templeton, Rob Hosking are all up there .

Then who is the best columnists? Well its Hooton for starters. His columns are must reads and incite the mandarins and spinners alike. And he just gets it right.

Best blogger? Cactus on business is hard to beat. Bernard Hickey is pretty good and Kiwiblog on policy and oogling.. No- one does online girly oogling like D P Farrar.

Whale has to be noted for his fearlessness. He has a touch of the crazies but he is the Rottweiler of the right wing blogs and Gotcha is starting to do some good work ...

We have to pay tribute to Brent Wheeler who had made us think so hard about some economic issues that it makes our brain hurt.

Best paper? NZ Herald is our first read of the day. NBR is next and we dip into it quite a lot and Stuff is good but it seems to have lost the race against the Herald. And we always read TransTasman.

Best Labour politician? Well that's gotta be - we actually no one has really stood out. Grant Robertson is probably the exception. Most of the female Labour politicians are old school, social manipulators not empowerers.

Best Maori politician? Tariana Turia. First and last. However we think that Ururoa Flavell is starting to get some cred.

ACT- Well the jury is out on that for us.

To more urbane issues.

The Best coffee in Wellington is served at Mixed business on the Terrace.

The best wine bar is still Beaujolais and it still serves some of the finest lunch food around.

Best Restaurant is Zicos, followed by Arbitrageur who are happy to accommodate our rolling lunches with a continuously changing cast.

Best venue is Dockside but the food aint what it used to be.

Best new place - Ortegas fish shack and bar.

Best urban bar - D4.

Best wine list - Wine Loft.

Best Beer - Montieths Pilsener.

WHAT ARE WE?

Today we had a snack with some fishy mates at Beaujolais We sipped a bottle or two of Lonestone Pinot Gris. It was dry , flinty and a hint of pear.. Extraordinarily good.

Now over our lunch time conversation we pondered a very vexing question. What is New Zealands quintessential National dish?

Is it a lamb roast?

Warehou and chips?

Paua fritters

Whitebait fritters?

Pavlova?

Muttonbirds?

Bluff oysters?

or in New Zealand a country of many unique plates?

BEST LUNCH SPOT IN WELLINGTON

Well other than Zicos.....

It has to be Beaujolais. the chef there is turning out some of the best dishes in the Capital.

We had lunch with the son and heir last week and he opted for the under the stairs in Woodward Street wine bar.

The Chicken Pie was just yum. It was rich and hearty. Sadly it was its last showing as the chef is about to do a new spring menu.

Son had his favourite - Duck Liver parfait.

Its worth a visit, its cosy and inviting and the service is always top notch.

On the other hand, the Dockside is a bloody disaster zone. The service is appalling. The food average and the prices extortionate.

SMART RESTAURANTS = NO SURCHARGE

Today we dined at Beaujolais - one of our regular haunts. We had the duck parfait - stunning it was accompanied by Trinity Hill Merlot. Any way they are advertising being open on Waitangi Day and there is no surcharge. As we wandered up town thru Manners and Cuba St we notice a few more places advertising no surcharge on Waitangi Day. Times are getting tighter and restaurants are getting smarter.

And D4 is also scrapping the surcharge.

POOR MANS CRAYFISH

We like monkfish. Today we had a lovely lunch of simple yet elegantly plated monkfish at Beaujolais with a hint of something exotic and heady we couldn't fathom. Yum. And the bar , as usual, was populated by unusual suspects. Good wine, Trinity Hill, Martinborough Chardonnay excellent food and great company = bliss.

BEAUJOLAIS DAY A WINNER

Many of the prawns enjoy a tipple and one of the favourite haunts in Wellington is Beaujolais.

Its a litttle wine bar tucked under the top steps on Woodward St. Some of us were there yesterday as its Beaujolais Day. The celebration of the first of the Beaujolias made from the Gamay Noir grape.

In many ways its not the greatest red wine. But its a hell of a good day.
This year Pete and Debs put on a lovely degustation menu, which considering the Boj kitchen is the size of a royal albert side plate was a stirling effort.

First up was a lovely demi tasse cup of roasted capsicum salmon and caviar soup. Next up was a fantastic tasing plate of little meaty morsels. then a palate cleanser and on to the main course - a wonderful duck , orange and kumara salad.
Pete and Steve entertain the diners

It was superb. the duck was divine. there was then a stunning little interlude of pear and white balsamic dipping sauce, followed by a washed rind cheese then profiteroles.
It was a splendid lunch and great atmosphere.

It was also great to see Janet Grey and Steve Morris from Copita helping out. Janet was cooking up a storm on the BBQ dishing up some very popular duck sausages.
Its a great place, great atmosphere, a excellent place to hide( its well known as the place to take your mistress) and Pete and Debs know their wine and food.