LJC

Highlight was 95' Beaucastel CDP. I opened 3 of my last 4 bottles and I think the time was right. -practically no tannins left -super smooth -dark concentrated spicy fruit How long should I hold my last bottle? I doubt it will get any better and may be going down hill. The last one I opened was in 2001 and it too was great. At that time I remember thinking that I shouldn't hold the others any longer. What to do, drink or hold?

Old Rip Van Winkel Blantons Basil Hayden Knob Creek Makers Mark

How far are you coming from? It is a very small kitchen but there is enough space for 4-6 people to each have their own space. If you give yourself enough time prep should not be a problem. If there is any special equipment you need (i.e. steam/convection oven) you should check and make sure that they have it; the facility is just a step above a domestic kitchen.

My office used to be right in that area and there is still nothing. Within a few blocks there is a Mc Donalds, Gold Rush (Burger and Beer joint where the Firepeople hang out), La Mensa Pizza (eh), a poor italian place on the north side of 34th x 9th and 10th and thats about it. I suggest you go a bit further to Koreatown; it is the best local option. Oh yeah there are a few diners around 34th and 9th too.

No need to worry about commuter expenses; I had a car and driver for $6/hr. As well my wife and I used the subway which although somewhat limited in range is very safe and fast and clean. The taxis are cheap as well but traffic gets really bad. Food: Too much for just two meals ahhhhhhh!!!!! I found the street food to be fantastic; ranging from grilled skewerd meat (who knows what kind) to pad thai, rice, and especially these pan seared vegetable dumplings) This is a great way to have lunch all over Bangkok; you can visit temples, shop and eat at the same time. If I could have only one dinner Bangkok there is no question that my favorite Rest. is the "Fish Market" out off of Sukhumvit around soi 16 if I remember. This is an amazing seafood restaurant that you will never forget. (I have been to Bangkok 3 times for a total of 7 days and I have eaten here 3 times) Essentially it is a fish market with just about every kind of fresh sea delight you can imagine. You take a shopping cart and pick out your fish, crab, lobster, etc. then your vegetables, bread and fruit and proceed to the check out register. Then you take your cart to your assigned table and the waiter asks how you would like them to prepare you choices. You can not go wrong! Definitely have lobster in yellow curry, morning glories in oyster sauce, garlic bread and I swear every single sauce I tried was great. My best experience was on business, we were 8 people and we tried about 12 diff dishes. I then returned to Thailand with my wife and we loved it so much that we went twice. It is a bit pricey but how often are you in Bangkok, and as the local businessman who introduced me says it is "the best". Plus if you eat on the street for lunch you will only spend a couple of dollars. Have fun and enjoy a great city!

There is more than cafeteria or diner fare in White Plains. I just had a great cuban sandwich at a nameless cuban cafe in downtown white plains. There was no name on the sign and I forgot to take a card but next time I will report the name and address. As well across the street was a Columbian Bakery that I will have to check out too. I hope they make pan de queso.

Wow Great suggestions! I can't wait to go back; all I'll have to do is print out this thread. I can only add that Pascal's Manale is great and they have an oyster bar for the wait which can be long. On my last visit I wound up at the oyster bar for over an hour. To make a long story short I ate over two dozen oysters, drank a few beers and headed home; no shrimp. My advice is tip the shucker well and you will only pay for a small% of the oysters you eat. I think someone mentioned Bayona, Susan Spicier's restaurant, which is a fantastic fine dining value. I don't know where you are staying but I always get a room with a balcony and I buy a big sack of boiled crawfish and potato. I then get a bunch of cold beers and sit on my balcony in my underwear, eat like a pig and watch the world pass by on the streets below. This is one of my favorite things to do in N.O. Oh yeah, next door to k pauls is a small liquor store where they make the best bloody marry in the world garnished with a pickeled string bean. When I'm in town it's my first stop in the morning.

Nobody else knows White Plains? Am I bound to a City Limits Diner for the next few months?

Havana Club

I am sure that there are some legal experts on egullet who could explain the definition of fresh, freshly, etc. I too am always amazed that 1)people like sugar syrup or corn syrup as a maple syrup substitute and 2)that many people even in the food service industry don't know the diff. I bring my own syrup to my local diner because they use "pancake syrup". This summer my wife and I went to Montreal for a few days and we stopped in Lake George for breakfast on the way up. Any way the pancake house we ate at offered "pancake syrup" or you could buy a 1.5oz side of real syrup. Although this particular rest was plain old crap I liked the idea of offering a choice even if you have to pay a premium. I have no problem paying a $1-2 extra for the real deal.

I have had the same maple syrup experience many times. LOL. I am glad to here that AC can be upgraded from total wasteland to plain old wasteland. Thanks for doing the research.

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There is no right or wrong way. The information that most people care about is producer, appellation or variety, any vineyard specs (i.e. old vine or single vineyard name) and vintage. I typically do the following: Samur Blanc “La Papareille” 2002, Domaine Saint Vincent (appellation) (vineyard) (vintage) (producer)

I ussually use Bourbon too, but the rum sounds good.

Wow, great response! Wesza you may love crab even more than I. Do you know what kind of crab it might have been that I had in Columbia? I have family in Venezuela and I visit them a couple of time per year. There is a place where we go for lobsters and we always order a crab salad appetizer. I called my in-laws to ask them if they knew what kind of crab it is and they described the same large spiney crab I had in Columbia. They told me that it comes from Merecaibo (near Colombia) and it is the same crab that is exported to the states as pasteurized Venezuelan lump crab meat. Does anyone know what kind of crab this might be and if they can be found live in the states? (the pasteurized lump meat is ok but fresh is sooooo sweet) What is it about Joe's in Miami that every one here loves so much? is it the extraordinary prices? the wait? the decor? the relatively small claws they stock? The only thing that I like about Joe's is the Key Lime Pie and you can buy it from the take away store. Good point Susan; they only harvest Stone Crab Claws so it is politically correct to eat them.

Thanks! I'll check it out.

I just got back from Miami where I ate Stone Crabs three days in a row, which is why I am starting this thread. I love crab. Early this fall I was in Columbia and I had a type of crab that I had never had before. It was very large and looked like the inedible "spider" crabs we find in NY's Great South Bay except larger. The shell was very spiny and thick/hard but the meat especially the body meat was soooooo sweet. Does anyone know what type of crab this was? I think that of all the crab subspecies the Stone Crab is my favorite followed by this ??? crab and then the Dungenous, Alaskan, Atlantic Blue and then Caribbean Blue. Is anyone else out there crabby?

where is it? Mamaronack (sp?) Ave.?

I am not very familiar with Westchester and I will be spending some time in White Plains over the next few months. Where should I have lunch? So far I have found a (flick) cafeteria in the office complex that is poor and a great little Columbian bakery. What else is up here? Please help.

Atlantic City is the a-hole of New Jersey and a culinary wasteland (boardwalk delights excluded). I have not been since the opening of the Borgata but on my last visit I swore never to return.

As a finish to everything. I love it with buttered crusty bread; a pinch per bite.

"Yona Yona Ale from Japan, a beer that is far better than the standard Japanese crap (Kirin, Sapporo etc) sold in the US." Thanks I will get on it. "Dortmunder " ????? where is it from? "boag's (australia)" never herd of it; please tell me more. "saku is a brewery located in Tallinn... " Thanks again! I am hoping that there is a some holdover of beer brewing skill in africa post european colonization. I don't know any brand names but I have eaten in many african rest. and had a few different beers. None of them have been incredible but I have high hopes.

distilled spirits will not good bad or change they will only evaporate if not closed. Fortified wines ie port will last a while up to six months once opend but Aromatized wines i.e. vermouth will last an even shorter time, only a mont or two.

"In this market the wholesale price to restaurants of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label is $32. The deal price for pouring it by the glass is $27. This is much higher than all the other large Champagne houses who usually let the NV Brut go for around $20." These prices are pretty close to NY as well, but which champagnes are you suggesting are $20? At least in NY most of the large houses are comparable to clicquot.