Mulcahy

Happy birthday to both of you! I say if you like the wine, young or not, and it's your birthday -- drink it. Rich, as an aside, what is your filly named? I will be both at Belmont and Saratoga a lot this summer.

As a full-time customer (never having worked in the restaurant business) people like this really get on my nerves. They make things bad for those of us that are pleasant and well behaved by making it bad for the employees (who sometimes are friends) of whatever restaurant I happen to be dining at. For instance, overheard at Babbo at a bar table one night "how are people supposed to know what's in any of the dishes, it's all in italian." And then she proceeded to scold the waiter (loudly) for her linguistic difficulties. Babbo Menu. I wanted to beat her on his behalf. You should have dumped the dessert on their heads (I am sure the waiter wanted to). I, for one, think the dessert sounds delicious (and quite pretty).

I have two: 1) How do I season the two nice cast iron pans someone gave me as a wedding gift and am irrationally afraid of? (Maybe I should ask this on the cast iron -- smoke thread). 2) How do I effectively thicken stew gravy. I make a really flavorful boeuf bourgognone but the sauce is always runny and I can never thicken it (I have tried lots of stuff). Thanks.

Me too. 'Cesca, for instance, doesn't release all its tables to Open Table but Open Table tells you so when you try to make a reservation. Edited for punctuation

They also have a decent number of half-bottles, which is what my husband and I enjoyed in addition to some by the glass choices.

Charleston, SC. Wonderfully friendly and beautiful town. Excellent food options. Good shopping and beautiful hotels.

No cockroaches. Could probably eat grasshoppers. Rabbit. Every time I try to order it I hear "here comes Peter Cottontail . . . ." No can do. Taco Bell. The smell makes me queasy. Never got close to eating it because of the smell. Also I won't eat anything, ever, that has maggots anywhere. Eeeeew. Edited for punctuation.

The male half of a couple we are very close to won't eat any spice. None. Zip. Hates it. Cayenne pepper is my friend. The female half won't eat anything smoky (read: bacon or bacon flavored), pork, meat that isn't charred, and lots of other stuff. Almost had them over for lasagna once (I make my lasagna with spicy italian sausage) and then threw the brakes on hard. That would have been a disaster. I love them dearly, but it is easier to go to a restaurant.

Brad, You are right about the creaminess. That's what I remember liking. I don't remember the Etoile being particularly sweet. Thanks for the recommendations.

They were roasted, but they were in this lovely beet sauce, and there were other garnishes/herbs. The sauce was beautiful both in flavor and color. I wish I could remember my other course!

On a whim, and as a thank you to my husband, I called Gramercy Tavern last night at about 6:15 and was lucky enough to snag a cancellation for two at 8:00. We last ate there well almost exactly two years ago. I did not take notes, so my description of dishes will probably be spotty, but it was a wonderful meal. And I can't remember one of my courses! Aargh. I am sure it will come to me eventually. I ordered the vegetable tasting menu which consisted of (I am not a vegetarian, just didn't want meat last night): Amuse Bouche: goat cheese and eggplant bruschetta. Mmmm. First Course: hearts of palm with mandarin orange slices Amazingly, I had never had hearts of palm before. I liked them a lot. The salad was light and refreshing. Second Course: Artichoke Ravioli This was dreamy. The ravioli were light and delicate and the sauce was just the right consistency. Third Course: Roasted Beets with carrots Beets are not my favorite veggie, or so I thought. This was a wonderful dish and the color was absolutely beautiful. Fourth Course: Mushroom Tarte Tatin with Mushroom cappucino My least favorite dish. The Tarte was crispy and flaky but the dish was very heacy (I was getting full). Also, I hate cappucino in any form, so the mushroom cappucino was lost on me (no fault of the chef). Intermezzo: Orange sorbet with orange soup I loved this, hubby thought the sorbet was great and the soup too thin. Dessert: Cheese, Ossau Oraty, Stilton and ??? My husband had the Spring Tasting Menu which consisted of: Amuse Bouche: same as above First Course: Marinated Hamachi with beets He really liked this and he is not a fan of raw fish, solo. Second Course: Langostino poached in butter I think I have read this dish was "stolen" from the FL cookbook. Hubby reported he could have eaten another hundred orders of this. Third Course: Turbot with ??? He also loved this, thought the fish was excellent. Fourth Course: Fresh Bacon with citrus The texture of the bacon was crisp on the outside, with melting fat and a wonderful consistency to the meat, or so I was told. Fourth Course: Lamb with arugula salad The lamb was perfect. Intermezzo: same as above Dessert: Ricotta cheesecake Oh my. I tasted this. Unbelievably creamy and delicious. Also we got chocolates at the end of the meal and muffins to take home. We split a very reasonable bottle of white (I think Vouvray?) and then had one glass of red a piece. It was a great meal. The menu was similar to what I ate two years ago and not that "cutting edge" (probably as Fat Guy pointed out on another thread because he Colicchio has been so widely imitated). But to me not being "cutting edge" can be a very good thing. Eating last night's meal was like spending time with an old friend or sitting in a favorite chair. It was delicious. Also, I need to comment on how extraordinary the service is at that restaurant. It is phenomenal.

Yellow Label is my standard "oops I forgot your birthday and you are a close enough friend that I should have remembered" champagne or the "you planned a really elaborate meal for me and I couldn't even come close to matching a wine to the food so this is for you" champagne. It's nice. But that's the only word that really comes to mind when I describe it. Dom was my mother's favorite champagne and so I am fond of it for that reason alone. Truthfully I found Dom too dry for my tastes (but it has been two years since I had any). I had a Chandon rose last year in Napa on the terrace at Chandon which I loved and paired very well with the food. I think it was called Etoile. It was, if I recall correctly, softer than either the Veuve or Dom which both my husband and I enjoyed. I believe that the champagnes I have generally preferred have been blanc de noirs. Is any of the above of any assistance?

Thanks, I will! It's not until June, but I need to budget/spread any purchases out, which is why I am asking now. (Looking forward to Saratoga. )

At the risk of sounding like a total moron, can these be had with food (in other words if I take the bottle to his birthday dinner is the food going to ruin the champagne)? Otherwise I would open the champagne pre or post dinner.

My husband and I are budding (read: we still know nothing) oneophiles. His birthday is approaching and I would like to buy a special bottle of champagne for the occasion. We have had at one point or another: Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label Dom Perignon And others, none of which come to mind right now, and none super-spectacular. I would like not to repeat either the Veuve or the Dom. I can't stomach the thought of spending more than $200. Less I can probably live with. I had considered Krug Grand Cuvee. You should also know that we have really enjoyed rose champagnes in the past. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

How cool!

Have any of you tried the Krug Rose Champagne?

So my day has been made significantly brighter by the fact that I just got my re-scheduling call. Had Friday April 2 at 5:30 now have Friday June 11 at 5:45. I was also told that they were trying to "match" my old reservation. (Match is my word. I have already forgotten what word the reservationist used.)

Even better, if they only call me at home (I also gave them my work number, I think) they will never be able to reach me and I won't know whether or not they called. Honestly I am still really looking forward to eating there (eventually) but the rather idiotic air of mystery throughout this process has left me strangely irritated.

Weird. When they called to cancel my reservation they came up on caller id.

What's the Asian Fusion place?? Oops, I forgot to ask you to also include my husband.

You can tentatively sign me up for picnic, not dinner. I don't know my schedule for the summer yet for sure (I usually miss one weekend) but I should be around the Sundays you are discussing.

Thanks everyone. I have decided to use Katie's recipe to make my own (probably this weekend). I will post here to let you know how it turns out.

In my house, precisely because I asked "why" so often, I called my parents by their first names. Friends parents and other adults were always Mr. and Mrs. So and So, unless I was specifically told otherwise. I don't have children, but am absolutely thrilled to see so many of you trying to raise yours right. I cannot tell you what a charge I get out of seeing a well-mannered child enjoying dinner with his or her parents at a nice restaurant. It makes me believe that there is hope for the future. (And also makes me think back fondly on my own childhood, since I was one of those kids. I loved going out to eat.)

How do I make it?