The Secret List

This is a real story.

After the quih pie tee arrived, all I could think about was how well champagne would go with those bite-sized appetizers — little rice cracker shells with an assortment of fillings, from a shrimp-jicama-egg combo to arctic char crudo. In fact, the entire home-style Singaporean-inspired menu had me craving bubblies.

When I mentioned this to the manager, she handed me a “reserve” champagne list. If that was not was surreal enough, I then noticed what was on that secret list of six champagnes. The least expensive wine was the ’02 Dom Pérignon ($400). Then a ’02 Cristal ($460) standing tall next to a pair of Krugs (’90 and ’96, $900 and $600) and a pair of Salons (’96 and ’97, $790 and $620). A leap from $38 for a Louis de Saint Bonnet Crémant de Bourgogne on the regular wine list to $400, with nothing in between? Yup.

While the secret list was jaw-dropping, I must say that I am a big fan of marrying exorbitant wines with home-style cooking. In fact, I think it’s the most liberating form of luxury — or just pure liberation, period.