budrichard

I am surprised that there is not much discussion about the origin of the main course! In my opinion there are two options, wild and unfrozen, unadulterated bird. To obtain the former, you must hunt or at least have a hunter willing to part with his bird. Since turkey's are very difficult to hunt, good luck. My last wild gobbler was 25#'s live weight shot in the spring, so he was dismembered and we have a breast left which normally would be enough for 6-8 people. The legs, thighs and wings were cooked in sour cream. Wild turkeys are extremely good and they do have a substantial amount of 'white' meat on the breast. Now on to a 'fresh' turkey'. I have found turkey's marked as 'fresh' and 'All Natural' that have the obligatory hydrolised protein injection. Not for me! It is becoming very difficult to obtain an unadulterated bird. Frozen is even worse as they are subject to even more chemical concoctions. All this is brought to you by the same people who soak your scallops and now fish and pork in preservative to supposedly make the product last longer but we know the reason is to increase the weight. Try browning those scallops! So where will you get your bird and what kind will it be? -Dick

Monica, thanks for the thread! We eat quite often on Devon St in Chicago and I don't remember any wines being offered. What I remember is great food with a fabulous array of spices. After I was introduced to the Mango Lassi along with the 'healing' properties of dairy, that is my beverage of choice. -Dick

After 59 years on this earth, I have acquired the knowledge and experience to be able to divorce myself from the wine pundits and make my own decisions about wine. I am also mentally rooted in the past when it comes to monetary value of wine. In the 60's $6 purchased a nice bottle of wine. I simply do not purchase the wines that get the press and corresponding price increases. I still order futures but of the lesser growths. In today's world, a good review of a wine can cause instant loss of availability and price increase. It is all part of a free economy. I'll pay good money for something I believe is a rarity or has value I can appreciate such as a BA or TBA and once in a great while a wine such as Bollingers' 'Vielle Vines'. -Dick

I will prepare a dinner for about 20 people. What I have found over the years, at least in our family, is that people expect a traditional thanksgiving dinner. I purchase a fresh non-adulterated turkey of at least 20+ #'s. I used to get them from a local farmer but he's in jail(another story) and this year will go to a live poultry market for my turkey. There will be cheese's, crackers, olives, smoked sturgeon (my own smoking) along with a magnum of sparkling wine before dinner. We always have 5 liter cans of German beer available. Dinner will be a sit down affair, family style with the following. Turkey roasted with an herb crust. Leek & fresh herb stuffing prepared in the bird. Extra legs!(no fighting over the leg!) homemade cranberry sause Real sweet potatoes Real mashed potatoes(Idaho's) Fresh vegetable Home made bread unsalted butter Gravy made from drippings and giblets Pumpkin pie Home made ice cream 64 Chambertin 69 Niersteiner Rebach TBA Cognac Cigars for the men Chocolates for the women & children The bird is removed and allowed to rest and can be observed by anyone who wants to see it before being tented with foil. It is carved in the kitchen by me. After I carve, I have a glass of sparkaly! About 3 hours later I am asleep. Others pitch in, prepare goody bags and clean up. -Dick

I looked at Sub Zero units but the frequency of repair stopped me from purchasing. I purchased Kitchenaid instead including their 60 bottle wine cooler. Outside of the crazy stacking, it works quite well and costs about $1200US. -Dick

I agree with Mark 100%. When in an Indian restaurant it's either an Indian beer or a mango Lassi. The yogurt helps to tame the fire! -Dick

Adverising people have long said that they could sell refrigerators to Eskimo's and they can and have. Look at the level of advertising of the 'pop' alcoholic beverages and beer versas wine advertising. In our society to day, it's not what you like or makes you feel good, it's what you are told to like that makes you feel good. By purchasing an advertised product, individuals expect some of the advertisment mystique to rub off on them. I also believe that price may have a factor in an individuals decision about what to purchase. Do I feel better about purchasing a six pack of a 'pop' beverage or beer for $6 or a low priced wine for $6? The wine magazines would have you believe that unless you spend a lot of money for a wine, you are not getting the best available. I think it comes down to, how you feel about yourself and your ability to make your own decisions. -Dick

Roland Anchovy Paste. It dissolves very easily with your olive oil mixture. -Dick

Thanks for all your advise and comments and the interesting wine sites. Therry Thiese is very interesting but I don't want to send anyone money and then have them send me wine. Part of the enjoyment is the learning process and being responsible for your own wine selections, acquiring the knowledge and experience to allow one to not have to rely on a wine merchant or steward for advice. The other sites appear to offer very good wines for an overhead that I think I can avoid. Just picked up two cases of 1999 Dr Thanisch Wehlener Sonnenuhr BA for a very reasonable price. If I had to rely on someone else's expertise on whether this wine was any good, the price would have been triple what I paid. -Dick

Mark, I am not trying to disparage you or your friend but Professor (of what?) at UC and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory does not impress me. Just remember the physicists who brought you 'Cold Fusion'! I'll stand by my assertion that the 'Wine Clip' is junk by all known laws of physics and that it cannot be objectively tested, blind, double blind or whatever. I'm incredulous that we (I) are still wasting time on this post. -Dick

Mirriam-Webster: Main Entry: au·toch·tho·nous Pronunciation: o-'täk-th&-n&s Function: adjective Date: 1805 1 : INDIGENOUS, NATIVE 2 : formed or originating in the place where found - au·toch·tho·nous·ly adverb -Dick

Quote from the Times article, "In the long run, it doesn't really matter. Even now, the sons and daughters of American winemakers are working in vineyards and cellars all over the world and their counterparts from Tuscany, Penedes, Alsace and Coonawarra are here with us. There are appellations in wine country, but fewer and fewer borders. What kind of wine will come out of all this? Hard to say, but it should be pretty good. " Since I am founded in the classical European wines, both the vineyard and the grape variety matter to me. Knowing both allows one to have a sense of who made this wine and the grower a sense of pride in making the wine. I do not believe that the outcome is inevitably 'pretty good'. Different wines from the past but not inevitably 'pretty good'. -Dick

It is refreshing to hear from someone that doesn't allow the 'Wine Spectator's' evaluation of $100+US bottles of Red and White French Burgundy as 'good values' to influence their thinking! My belief is that the valuation system of the classical French Burgundy is out of control . We are drinking up the stocks we have and not purchasing anymore. There is a lot of wine available in the world right now, at excellent prices. It doesn't pain me to not have a Montrachet or Musigny on my table anymore. -Dick

Have not had good experiences at Izumi's and we stopped going. Have never had a bad experience at Hama's other than no one is Japanese! Karl Ratch'es used to be the place for hearty, heavy German cusine. To purchase fish, try Grashe's in Brookfield on North Av which is the only vendor I now use in the Milwaukee area. The first Stone Crab claws arrived on Saturday and on the way back from the Badger game, I picked up a dozen I had pre-ordered. They were the best I have ever had outside of Florida and HUGE @ $24.99/#. Two were enough for one person. They regularly have fresh sturgeon, skate wings, white salmon. With all fish mongers, you have to ask about when things arrived and make an educated judgement about freshness. The only problem is that they along with all other retailers are now only selling filets and not the whole fish. Makes it harder to judge freshness and no bones for soup stock. Swordfish is $7.99/# since the restaurant trade stopped purchasing and they will cut to order. I like my swordfish steaks about 2-3" inches for the grill. -Dick

I have been using the 2 gal Zip Lock bags for corning my brisket. Just be sure that it is contained in another pan because eventually the seal leaks a little. As already stated useful for marinating or dry rub for a lot of things. You can prepare your own lox very easily using liquid smoke along with salt and brown suger. Not as great as 'Russ & Daughters' but acceptable in a pinch. 'Stainless Steel Magic' for cleaning and polishing those stainless panels on your major appliances. -Dick

For corned beef there's Jake's on North Av. Not a great neigborhood but Jake's still serves the best corned beef in Milwaukee. Dancing Ganesha's for Indian, even though it's very expensive for Indian food. The little sides that come with the meal at most Indian buffets, each cost here but the food is uniformaly excellent. Coquette Cafe is the little sister of Sanford's and afford's a better value. I wasn't too thrilled about Sanford's. Hama in Bayside north of the city has the best Sushi in the area. One of my favorite's over the years has been Karl Ratche's but I just don't know if they are doing any good now with all the management changes. Of course as already mentioned, the custard at Kopps is the best. I dare you to eat a Double cheeseburger at Kopps! -Dick

Hugh Johnson lists the 1962 vintage of Sauterne's as " very fine, elegant" which translates to me as not having great sweetness but still drinkable. He says to drink by 1974. Old sweet wines can be a crap shoot. The color will be an indication if the wine has undergone madurization. If golden, it may be Ok, if dark in color than maybe not. In any event is not something that is worth a fortune to someone so you might as well enjoy it. Be ready to consume it at one sitting because old wines fade fast. I will be opening the next to last bottle of 1969 Niersteiner Rebach TBA at Thanksgiving and I have no idea how it will have changed since we last had a bottle. -Dick

Plum wine is an acquired taste which I never have acquired. When we get a bottle we give it away. You may our bottle! -Dick

Since I live in Wisconsin and Usinger's is a 45 minute ride away and the car knows the way anyway, let me reinforce what others have correctly stated. I also grew up in Neenah Wisconsin which is 15 minutes away from Slkinsey's alma mater, Lawrence College. Usinger pre-cooked brats are finely ground and more akin to knackwurst. They are excellent in thier own right and deserve to be lightly grilled and nothing else. Usinger regular brats are course ground and of course raw. The traditional method is too pre cook in beer, onions and butter. This allows some of the grease to be removed and avoids overcooking on the grill to assure the pork is fully cooked. Then all that is needed is a light grill just like the precooked. Either is fantastic and we always serve both type along with Usinger veal wieners which are a special order item. Enjoy! -Dick

30 minutes seems a long time. We just clean and poach for about 5 minutes and chill in ice water. Browne Trading http://www.brownetrading.com is in Miane. Call them and they will tell you what the situation is. -Dick

Mark, thanks for the recommendations. I now have 9 cases of the 2001 German vintage but I always have room for one more. I will find the book at read it. My first wine book was Hornickel's, 'The Great Wines of Europe' published when the wine world was a lot smaller. I purchased that book as an undergraduate and it led me to many great wines. -Dick

Of all the Bordeaux vintages, the 61 consistantly yielded very good to great wines. We are down to our last case of Chateau Beausejour. All the rest were excellent and we have fond memories of the wines and the prices. -Dick

Let me clarify. There is a supply of German wines available and much of what used to be generic is now labled with vineyard appelations, not great wines. Certainly not what we have become accustomed to over the years. I am usually looking for Specific vineyards,specific grades, years and growers of which i have a history with. Wines with these attributes are often difficult for me to find. Certainly more difficult than 20 -30 years ago. I certainly can find other wines but I believe that the specific wines I have identified may not be getting out of Germany and the Germans are sending to us the lessor wines or the big name wines that as Mark pointed out have declined in quality to a great extent. As I stated, to get the specific Hochheimer, I had to contact the grower directly, coordinate the importer and retailer and as far as I know, i possess the only three cases in the US. 20 years ago a trip to one of a small number of retailers would have been sufficient to order the wines. Mark, you are certainly correct about Dr Thanish wines. We have enjoyed some wonderful Dr Thanish wines over the years and have a few left in our celler. For 2001 I purchased a case of Dr Thanish Benrkastler Lay Auslese and 375ml Bernkastler Dokter BA. They are and always have been wonderful wines if overpriced. Uerziger Wurzgarten has always been a favorite of ours at a better price. Too bad about the count. there are all sorts of stories floating around. -Dick

As an advid German wine drinker from the early 60's when my future father-in-law introduced me to German sweet wines, I took it upon myself to learn everything I could about this arcane wine and it's nomenclature. This type of investigation was well suited to a Nuclear Engineer who investigates everything in great detail. In the past 10 years I have noticed that many of the top vineyards wines(by my standards) are not represented in the US anymore and the wines we getting, I believe are the excess judged not worthy by the German's. Often the name wines such as Steinberger and Schloss Vollrads are obtainable but the quality has not been good. Many of the great German sweet wines are just no longer readily available in the US. One of my favorites is Domdechant Werner's Hochheiemer Domdechaney of which our first was a 59 BA, sublime! Since 2001 was a good year I decided to lay in a few cases of what i liked. My contact with wine retailers in the mid west was not fruitful. The cases of 2001 Hochheiemer Domdechaney from Domdechant Werner that I purchased were obtained by my direct negotiation with the grower after I could not obtain the wine in the US. For 2001 Werner is only sending a Trocken Spatlese to the US and agreed to send me a sweet Spatlese. These wines came through Ron Breitstein of Great Lakes Import to a retailer and were very difficult to obtain. For a number of years now I have been frustrated in not finding many of the German wines I wanted and I regularly visit Sam's in Chicago as well as other retailers. Milwaukee used to be a hot bed of German wine but no more. Sam's could not help at all? I also attempted to contact the importer for the State's Domain Kloster Erbach wines with no success. I finally found some of the Kloster Erbach wines at Sam's last Sunday which I purchased, A 2001 Marcobrunner Kabinet and a 2001 Rauenthaler Baiken Spatlese. I was looking for a Hochheimer Domdechaney to compare with Werner's but no luck. Has anyone else perceived this problem? -Dick

Are you sure it's 1963? I do not remember ever seeing any 1963 French wines of any kind? Hugh Johnson classifies 1963 for Sauternes as 'Bad' and when to drink as 'Never'. Coming on the heels of 59,60,61 and 62 and before 64, there was a lot of good to great wine available around that time. Still working on our last case of 61 Bordeaux. All the other 60's are gone. -Dick