London Recommendations?

[ShortWiner]

Heading to London later today for the holiday. Anyone burning with a wine-related activity to recommend? A great merchant perhaps? What about this Vinopolis thing? Looks rather like a tourist trap to me, but the wishful thinking part of my brain wants to say otherwise.

[joeyz6]

First of all, there are wine bars EVERYWHERE. Being as penniless as I am I couldn't really afford to try them, but you might check some of those out.

Second, I walked by that Vinopolis place. It looked really interesting and if it hadn't looked so pricey I definitely would have gone in. Maybe you can scout it out for us Shortwiner. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[Auburnwine]

I don't love London. My preference is to head out of town by train to Cambridge or the Cottswalds. That's God's Country -- but that particular God drinks great beer.

[Kcwhippet]

Here's an idea. Try to find some wines in a can. If they really exist Hdavey will be ecstatic.

[ShortWiner]

No wines in cans were found, but then, I didn't actually try that hard, I must admit. Didn't pay that much attention to wine in general--too busy attending to London's real attraction, the theater. The scene there is just unbelievably better than NYC's, in terms of quality, quantity, and cost.

Anyway, casual observation noted that wine seems less expensive in general there, though US wines were more (no surprise). Grocery stores seem like a not-bad place to buy wine. And the chardonnay-merlot axis of mediocrity appears to have some foothold there, though it is by no means as ubiquitous as in the states.

Cheers!
SW

[Innkeeper]

Did you get a chance to check out the neat little Italian restaurant that is directly across the street from three of the major theaters?

[Thomas]

You almost cannot beat the theater experience in London. On one trip, in one day, many years ago, I saw John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Alan Bates, Venessa Redgrage, Maggie Smith and a few others whose names escape me. I went to afternoon and evening theater--couldn't get enough.

The wine back then was either expensive Bordeaux, Port, Sherry or plonk from Germany. Things have changed...

Don't recall a little Italian restaurant IK, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 12-03-2002).]

[hotwine]

Yeah, I used to enjoy visits to that town every couple of months. Saw some productions multiple times. Even tied the knot there (Kensington Gardens registrar's office, Halloween, '75). It must have stuck; she's still here. Bordeaux was then FF5/btl in France, and maybe $3-$4 anywhere else.

[ShortWiner]

Didn't catch that Italian place, IK, but we did enjoy a lot of good Asian food. Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Southern Indian. Great stuff.

[wondersofwine]

On one trip to London I ate mostly at foreign restaurants in the theater district--Greek, Chinese--or pub food. But on a Saturday night I had a good roast beef and Yorkshire pudding meal at a noted chop house. I was thinking to myself "finally a good English restaurant" and asked the waiter if they would be open the next day on Sunday. "No," he said, "We all go to church on Sunday." "And we all go hungry!" I replied. So he had the carver come back and give me a second helping of roast beef so that I wouldn't go hungry the next day.
P.S. On my most recent trip to London we saw "Beauty and the Beast," a revival of a musical, and "The Importance of Being Earnest" with Patricia Routledge (Hyacinth in PBS series "Keeping Up Appearances"). Couldn't get tickets to "Lion King." I have seen Maggie Smith live but not the others named above.

[ShortWiner]

A few years ago I saw Maggie Smith in "The Importance of Being Ernest"--stellar--as well as the debut of Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia"--also stellar. On this trip we ended up seeing mainly new plays. Not all were great, but even at a non-so-good show, the feel is different there. The theater there is so much more accessible. A lot cheaper, for one. And quite a bit more variety, for another. It feels like a living, breathing, changing art in London. Plays are constantly opening, closing, being revived, etc. It's less of a "big deal" and more of a fact of everyday life. I hear that drama is taught in every school from primary on up. That explains a lot, I think. The money for art in schools just keeps getting thinner on this side of the pond.

[Drew]

Was there in October of '94 where we saw Phatom of the Opera with the orig. cast, wonderful. The Altruist Champagne bar in the banking district is a must see. The Cotswolds is Gods country as well as the town of Rye, which was one of the orig. Cinq ports.

Drew

[Thomas]

Shortwiner, my sentiments exactly...

Hey, I am in the shop this weekend--stop by. Also, is-wine is celebrating two years next weekend--big party coming up.