Varmint

I believe DonRocks is still recovering from last night, so I'll go ahead and post some photos of last night's dinner. My descriptions will be very, very cryptic, but they should allow Don to work off the photos to give you great details about the meal. One can't forget that Enoteca Vin is a wine bar. They offer over 35 wines by the glass, with 3 different pour sizes for each. The menu. Table setting before dinner. Co-owner and sommelier Chrish Peel. Chrish also is an owner of Carolina Wine Company. He was generous enough to donate some of the older wines from his personal collection. Thanks, Chrish! Oysters. These beausoleil oysters are a small variety, and for those who are not overly familiar with raw oysters, they make a great introduction. Oyster close up. Wasabi and ginger mignonette to go with the oysters. Chef Ashley Christensen and crew plating the scallop. Crappy picture of Maine scallop with sweet corn-truffle emulsion. What a dish! This was described as raviolo with chanterelle mushrooms. Heh, heh, heh. Cut into it and you get this: a flow of egg yolk into the sauce. This dish was brilliant, and I look forward to Don's description. Heirloom Black Krim tomatoes from my farmer friend Jim Currin of Oxford, NC. Simply served with Spanish olive oil and fleur de sel. Perfect. Tea smoked pork shoulder tacos with marinated cabbage and chive oil. This worked very well, particularly with the wine. Mrs. Varmint had a smoked duck taco that I would gladly eat 7 days a week. Chef Ashley Christensen in control of the kitchen. Braised Wagyu beef shortribs with Swiss chard and melted shallot. Chambertin! At Vin, the chef even plates the cheese! Great color! Originally, we weren't going to have dessert, so I just asked Ashley if she could make some simple petit fors to take home or some other small sweet. She came up with this instead, a roasted banana panna cotta with El Rey bittersweet chocolate. DonRocks said that he didn't like strong banana flavors, so this was his least satisfying dish. He ate two of them! Thanks so much to Ashley, Chrish, Julie and the rest of the Vin crew. It was a fantastic dinner, the wine was extraordinary, and the night was festive. Now we need Don to get on the ball!

Not yet. DonRocks will post a detailed report some time after he flies back to DC. The meal was extraordinary, with Ashley's incredible purity of flavor being the focus. Don's a far better writer than I, so be on the lookout for his take. I'll post lots of photos tonight.

Thanks, Tana. We had posted about this great article on the 5th post of this thread, but it's worth repeating. I think there's quite a few more than 3 recipes in the print edition. See y'all tomorrow!

First, the pecan itself is generally found in warmer climates. Second, it's my understanding that sugar cane-based pies were common as well, as sugar cane was grown in many parts of the South. Thus, a perfect combination was born. I think the advent of corn syrup popularized pecan pie to all parts (and made it easier, too). Of course, it's a splash of bourbon that makes my pecan pie Southern (and extra tasty!).

We are happy to announce the creation of a new forum co-presented by the eGullet Society and the Southern Foodways Alliance, the offshoot of the University of Mississipi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture that is dedicated to the foodways of the American South. This new forum, known as Southern Food Culture, will focus on the historical, sociological, economic, political, cultural, and metaphysical aspects of Southern food. It will not, however, be the place to discuss the best meat 'n' three joint in northern Alabama, the best barbecue in Memphis, or who's got the best price on Gulf shrimp in Greenville. The existing regional boards will continue to be the place for that type of discussion. You’ll notice that we’ve moved some existing eGullet threads over to this new forum, and they include such topics as “Barbecue and Politics”, “Grits, Grits, Grits”, “Kentucky vs. Virginia: The Ham Wars”, and “The Glory of the Southern Breakfast.” Part of the excitement of the new Southern Food Culture forum will be the addition of over 400 SFA members to eGullet. Please welcome them as they familiarize themselves with eGullet, and show them the grace and gentility that every Southerner would expect! The Southern Food Culture forum will be moderated by two of our existing forum hosts, Brooks Hamaker (“Mayhaw Man”) and Dean McCord (“Varmint”) as well as a new host, William McKinney (“wcmckinney”). Each of these hosts is a member of both eGullet and the SFA. We hope you’ll enjoy the Southern Food Culture forum and participate in it frequently. We also encourage you to check out all the great things the Southern Foodways Alliance does at their website, www.southernfoodways.com.

The Saylors are wonderful people, and I've even played ping-pong against Kurt in Provence at 1:00 AM on an outside table using a car's headlights. As you might guess, we had a bit too much of some fine Rhone wine! Although I've talked extensively about Carolina Wine Company, they are a completely different animal. Go to the Wine Merchant and take your time. It's more of a traditional shop, and you'll get lots of attention. The Saylors are family friends and I will always continue to go there.

Thanks for the report, lala. I also prefer Thurston's to Beals and have loved my experience at the Jordan Pond House. It's raining here, and I can only just imagine eating some popovers, drinking some tea, all in front of a large fire. I miss Maine already.

Spaces are filling up, and the dinner will be sold to Vin's special customers on Monday or Tuesday, so I suggest you book your reservations today if you want to join us. I met with Ashley on Friday, and I'm just wishing the dinner were today, rather than a week from today, as I don't want to wait that long!

Braise them with some chipotles and shred the meat for quasi-barbecue sandwiches.

It's very good with a sparkling wine, too. But you knew that, of course.

Pickled gummie bears? Mmmmmmm.

I don't have a clue, but g-whiz, I'm looking forward to this blog!

No problem. Looking forward to a good discussion of this.

We have 22 folks signed up as of earlier today. Please book your reservations now, before we open this up to Vin's regular customers! Thanks!

Frazier's is an excellent neighborhood restaurant, and I love that it's within walking distance!!! Please tell us more about the menu items when you get a chance (or have Mrs. Zeb A write for you! ).

Although we head down there 3 or 4 times a year, we usually time it to avoid having to stop and eat on the way. You could hit Sweatman's Bar-b-que in Holly Hill, which isn't far off the road (just before you get to I-26). Seahawg's suggestion, however, looks divine and is something I'm going to tuck away for future reference!

As you might expect, Vin is getting slammed with customers after the Food & Wine article came out. Chef Christensen has assured me that she'll get to the questions, but we need to give her a few days to get through the weekend craziness. Thanks, y'all!

I want to remind everyone to book their tickets ASAP by calling the restaurant at 919.834.3070 between 1pm and 5pm, Tuesday-Saturday, asking for Julie. We will likely open up this dinner to regular customers of Vin some time next week, so that they may be introduced to eGullet, so be sure to grab those seats now!

I assure you there will be lots of coverage of this dinner, from sourcing to cooking to eating.

There's a goat cheese producer from Chapel Hill who is at the Raleigh Farmers Market every weekend. Good stuff, but I just can't recall the name.

The cost that way would be somewhere around $175 for two to fly (the special is off their regular fares). However, if you join their frequent flyer club, you get $25 off your first round trip ticket. That way, you could fly here for $81!!! So, who's coming?

Ashley, could you discuss with us your general approach to sourcing? You've already mentioned that you're getting the oysters from Canada, and Chrish has told me that beef is also shipped in from out of state. How do learn of the artisinal producers upon which Vin prides itself?

Wow, roundtrip airfare is $106, including all taxes and 9/11 charges. That beats I-95 any day. I'll coordinate getting folks to/from the airport, if needed!

I stopped at Blue Mist Barbecue in Asheboro, NC on Monday to pick up a barbecue sandwich on my way to Charlotte. Unfortunately, this barbecue lacked nearly everything that is good about this regional specialty: it lacked pork flavor (let alone any sign of smoke), it was dry, and it just wasn't worth the effort to eat. This was easily among one of the 5 worst samples of barbecue I have ever eaten. What a disappointment.

C'mon, everybody! What can I do to entice you to go on this ROAD TRIP?!?!?