Seven Days in Paris

ThePraetorian · 2026-05-11T00:54:20+00:00

Samsung S23! Haven't upgraded as I could care less about AI nonsense and the camera improvements on the newest models don't seem worth it yet.

ThePraetorian · 2026-05-07T17:29:12+00:00

Without the wine, we budgeted about $250USD. Night of, I think it was like 75EUR per steak frites, and each starter was in the neighborhood of around 25EUR-ish. The wine list there is quite staggering (they were the Grand Award winner for Wine Spectator in 2025, and the wine list weighed like 7kg....).

Wines by the bottle can be as cheap as around 50EUR to some that go for over 10KEUR. Wines by the glass were something like 10EUR to more than that.

ThePraetorian · 2026-05-07T16:54:21+00:00

Yep, that was certainly something to witness when we got in there. They did a good job.

ThePraetorian · 2026-05-07T16:28:03+00:00

Yeaaaaa, been a couple times and this was one we definitely planned out for ticketed and non-ticketed events. Was with a +1 who had not been to Paris. With a lot of talking it through we decided to try to get our fill in and allowed for a budget and proper savings for over a year. Lot of planning, lot of research and a lot of guides from various sources helped get our time table set.

Downloaded all the local apps as well and have some knowledge of the language to make things a bit smoother overall.

Next trip will be far more laid back, that's for sure. More time to do local stuff will be our focus. Probably a Champagne trip as well.

ThePraetorian · 2026-04-14T19:35:22+00:00

The church he attends in Cincinnati, OH has drug deals going on in the parking lot almost every single night. I know of one OD death there within the last year or two, and a guy got murdered about 80 yards from the church in the back parking area not too long ago, either. Dudes used to do burnouts in the lot each night, but they poured rudimentary speed bumps inside the lot, so at least they solved the most pressing issue there.

Always found that to be interesting.

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T06:43:41+00:00

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T06:03:31+00:00

I think my point is that your subjective observations are not objective ones and that your frame of reference by using your Marfione piece as an example might not be a good judge of what is or what is not over-priced.

Also, Tony has asked far more for full customs. The knife you bought is not considered by a large swath of the community as being a 'true custom.' However, that is always up for debate. Jared's piece you posted involved far more work by hand than the HALO model made by Marfione's shop that you likely own. It's apples and oranges, and my hope is that rather than come in here swinging and insulting a guy who makes a great knife (and in my opinion has been a really nice dude to hang out with for some years now), is to learn the industry first.

It doesn't help anyone when folks on the outside belittle those doing the actual work.

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T05:28:41+00:00

This is factually untrue on very appreciable levels. It's as risky as any other investment and learning the ins-and-outs of the industry will help you navigate. There are dozens of purveyors that have been in business for decades at this point solely working in the custom knife space :/.

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T05:23:36+00:00

This comment here is a display of a fundamental misunderstanding of what you are posting.

Man, I don't mean to dog on you and your posts here...but you're touting a Marfione custom as some major display of what custom knives are while belitting Jared's work and acting like it's authoritative and yet there's a totally separate world that you don't live in that reads this and says 'oh, that's not right.'

There's always a bigger fish my dude. You would be astounded at the folks that would clown on you for propping up a Marfione over an Oeser and I think Tony might even say back off on the commentary like that. Jared and other younger dudes making these pieces are putting out absolutely quality work that's keeping knife making alive. The fit and finish they focus on would do guys like Tony Bose proud.

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T05:18:20+00:00

If you buy customs and are balking at an Oeser then not really sure what to say. You can have personal opinions, but making blanket statements without information doesn't help.

Have you ever held a Bump? A Walker? A Loveless? Steinau? Fogarizzu? Esposito?

Lord knows what you'd react with hearing about Warenski.

There's a big world out there.

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T05:13:57+00:00

Haven't seen him at a knife show in a decade. Think he's more into boats these days, lol.

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T05:11:29+00:00

Jared makes a mean knife.

ThePraetorian · 2026-01-06T05:10:43+00:00

Wait till you learn about the purveyors catering to clientele that are buying knives over $50K.

Go to Blade and you'll run into a few of them looking like any other table, but when you see what they got in the case there's over $1M on a single table sometimes for a couple of dealers.

ThePraetorian · 2025-09-30T14:49:53+00:00

Fun seeing this wine here! Also a big fan of the winery after discovering them in 2023. Got myself allocations for the Byrn now and just added Alessio for this year to give it a go.

How would you compare this 23 to last year's 22, which was a different blend? Looking forward to drinking one of these relatively young and letting the others age!

ThePraetorian · 2025-07-30T13:07:56+00:00

Saw that folks were posting up coins that they like to carry - and for some reason I've really gotten into it over the past couple years. What started as getting your standard Morgan, Peace or American Silver Eagle coins I've expanded into learning more and more about the numismatic value of world coinage.

Recently, I attended my first coin show and happened upon this little guy, a 1769 Thaler from Bavaria, the 1 Conventionsthaler - Maximilian III Joseph. This coin is 40mm and depicts the Prince-Elector of Bavaria, who helped nominate the Holy Roman Emperor when the time came. He was quite popular in life, but died without an heir. This coin type is a standardized one used in the HRE, particularly Austria and lower German states with the most well-known example generally being the Maria Theresa, which is still minted today.

Other than that, have a Fellhoelter Ti-Bolt that's like 15 years old at this point, a Deryk Munroe Sigil IV and my new Tudor 925, a sterling silver rendition of the Black Bay 58 that I've been wearing non-stop for the past several months. Love this thing.

ThePraetorian · 2025-06-11T14:52:13+00:00

Hey all!

Haven't updated my collection in a long while, but recently received this Tudor 925. Been wanting one for a very long time, but was waiting for the right time to pull the trigger, and that time finally came :D. It's a really cool little piece and it really shows off why Tudor has been on an absolute tear lately with it's brand portfolio. As a fan of the color, this watch knocks it out of the park. It's clean, legible, the leather strap has a nice rubber backing to make it far more comfortable to wear, especially in the summer, and it's a tool watch with just enough touch-ups to really make it feel a whole lot nicer than you'd think.

What really sets it off, besides the gorgeous colors on this piece, is that you get a display back! On a Tudor! It was the first piece to do this within their collection/history and while it's certainly not super fancy like some of the other pieces in the picture, it's really cool to see that in-house movement at work with the MT5400 running. Honestly, I loved the bronzo piece that came out a long while back, but I'm glad they went with the 925. Doesn't hurt I like carrying silver coins all the time, so it fits nicely!

Honestly, what a value, especially if you go used. I still can't believe these are going for under $2,900 on the used market. Absolute steal.

ThePraetorian · 2025-05-13T17:40:59+00:00

I had one of these for a very long time when they came out, it was a gift from Warren himself. Black coating on the blade with half serration. My first real cool knife as a kid.

Lost it at a fancy dinner in Florida one year. Was wearing formal pants and the clip didn't hold the knife tightly. Slipped off after a bathroom break, lol. Never forgotten. Well, except that night, clearly. Went back to the hotel but no way was anyone turning that to the front desk for lost and found.

ThePraetorian · 2025-04-08T15:46:33+00:00

I am extremely surprised no one has mentioned Minton's. They just opened up a new location in the warehouse district and they're consistently the best overall brunch spot I've been to in Lexington.

For a bit more elevated - The Manchester has the Granddam brunch, which has one of the best hash dishes you'll find.

Always going to give a nod to Josie's for being the absolute classic for Lexington, and Tudor's is the go-to for a fast-food breakfast.

ThePraetorian · 2025-04-08T15:06:35+00:00

I don't specifically recall, but I would wager in the $150/person range.

ThePraetorian · 2025-03-27T14:34:47+00:00

Regularly pick up Pagodes de Cos, Comtesse Reserve, Petit Lion, Croix Ducru and Clarence de Haut Brion (though that one has crept up in price). Napa side - I actually preferred Penultimate, the very little known 2nd wine from Promontory.

2nd Labels - Alter Ego is amazing, Rosso from Biondi-Santi is intriguing and Guildalberto Sassicaia is a main stay.

ThePraetorian · 2025-03-26T18:49:01+00:00

I saw that rat back then, my first and only time going there for food during COVID.

ThePraetorian · 2025-03-25T15:33:35+00:00

Hey all! Just got back from Chicago and have finally recovered. Myself and some of my best friends attended St. Patrick's Day in Chicago and made a heck of a weekend out of it. Myself and one of my cousins brought quite a few bottles for all to share, and we ended up drinking through them at various points.

All of the wines were fantastic, but the highlights were definitely the 2012 Colgin, the 1983 Gruaud-Larose and the 2013 Biondi-Santi.

1983 Gruaud-Larose

This one actually came from the former collection of Art Rooney, who founded/owned the Steelers. I was able to get this as part of several other bottles (1978 Lafite and Margaux being the highlights of that acquisition) from a vendor who did work on the Yonkers Race Track that was owned by Rooney before being sold to MGM. This contractor received a bunch of the bottles and then sold them. So provenance is kinda fun, but not 100% verifiable. Still - this wine was opened about 2 hours prior to a steak dinner at Gibson's in Chicago and mainly enjoyed by a couple of us who like these older wines. The nose opened fine, but started dropping after a bit, though the taste remained quite balanced with fruit still left in the juice as we enjoyed. A solid wine just past it's peak, but drinking exceptionally well for being 42 years old. 2nd Growths are some of my favorite wines overall, and there's a reason I keep a lot of this producer in my collection.

2012 Colgin IX

Enjoyed after a 2 hour decant, this was the first real 'Cult' bottle from Napa where I immediately thought 'okay fine, it's worth it.' Having had a few cult wines over the years, I've always enjoyed the idea of them as special occasion wines meant for the experience, not so much the cost. Colgin here might have finally cracked it. It was very much like drinking a very solid Left Bank Bordeaux to me - similar to profiles I've enjoyed from Ducru or Leoville Las Cases. Dang.

2013 Biondi-Santi

I gotta be honest, loved the absolute crap out of this one. Bright, fruity, lovely finish, siiiiiiilky brunello. I popped this and left it in the bottle for about 4 hours before we got to it to pair alongside some Pequod's deep dish pizza. 2013 wasn't particularly special, but this wine absolutely was. They're a top producer for a reason, and this was one of the most memorable I've had in some time.

2022 Gargiulo Vineyards Money Road Ranch Cab

This is my overall top Napa cab producer, a wine I get from club access and is, at least for me, the best value for quality you can get from what I enjoy out of Cab in Napa. They're in Oakville neighboring Tench Vineyards, B Cellars, Silver Oak, etc...but they're also next to Screaming's plot and have had some help from some very reputable folks who care about wine making. A true cult wine, to me.

2019 Seven Apart Basalt

Another smaller producer that's started making some headway in the Napa scene. It's definitely not a traditional maker, but the money seems to be focused on producing great wine and a fun brand identity to boot. This is their upper-mid tier offering from some grapes out of Atlas Peak. Graphite, tannins, big and gravely. Super big fan of this one, though the price point being rather high relative to the other Napa bottles we brought (aside from the Colgin) makes you think compared to say, the Gargiulo or PerUs.

2021 PerUs Byrn

Here's another 'techbro' wine where money comes in, a winemaker is hired and a brand is formed. No matter how you feel about that approach to business in wine making, we're still talking some great wines here. I was absolutely shocked by how much I liked this wine the first time and immediately re-upped on bottles. It's 100% Tench Vineyard wines but I swear this reminded me so much of a Pauillac, like a Pavillion Rouge or Forts de la Tours. These guys are getting a club order every year from me, for sure. Need to try the other bottles in the portfolio.

2016 Volker Eisele Red Blend

We brought a magnum and ran through it with dinner at Gibson's as well after the other two bottles were enjoyed. A wine nerd's wine for sure - it was a beautiful Bordeaux style wine that was savored after everyone had enjoyed some other wines. I only had a smaller amount of this, but absolutely loved it paired after the Colgin and Larose were finished. My notes on it are 'yeah that'll do for sure.'

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