RagallachMC

I'm both a Hop-Head and a Wino, and enjoy pairing both with food. Last year I wrote a menu for a 6 course beer dinner. It went over very well. My favorite: Littleneck clams in Trappist ale broth, pomme frites, and Pommery mustard aioli. Served with Chimay.

My wife and I are going to be in NYC July 3-6 to celebrate our 5th anniversary. One of the disappointments on my honeymoon was my inability to score a reservation at FL, so I was determined to get into Per Se. Got through the reservation line within the first ten minutes on the three days I called, but was told they were full all three times. Massive depression! I left all my numbers, just in case. Glad I did. I'm at work on May 5th and I get a phone call. It's Per Se and they have a table open at 5:45 on July 5th. I jump on it. After I get off the phone I tell all my coworkers and they are green with envy. I'm not wild about eating that early in the evening, but at least the night will still be young when we finish.

I didn't know we were submitting more than one! Here's my list: Rolling Rock Old Speckled Hen Pacifico Guinness or Beamish (I love them both) Chimay Crooked River Dortmunder Gold (gotta support the local brew) Paulaner Hefe-Weizen I could go on and on....

I think I might have skimmed over the recipe and missed the 8 lbs. of DME. Silly me :)

I love Rolling Rock! There's just something about it. I love the painted glass bottles and there's nothing better than a RR on a hot day.

The recipe that was posted didn't seem like enough malt for a 5 gallon batch. Let me know how it turns out. I usually brew 7-10 gallon batches, and I fluctuate between partial mash and all grain depending on how much time I have. I'm going to try to do an all grain wheat beer in the next couple of weeks for summer. I hope work gives me time to do it. :)

I just saw chef Cantu and read a sample prix fixe menu in my monthly mailing from Chef's Garden. Looks really cool and will definatly be a stop my next time in Chi-town. I wish you much future success.

I'm a homebrewer who wishes he had more time for it. It's been about 5 months since I completed my last brew. I've never tried to brew a small batch like that, cdh. How does it work?

Nice! Thanks alot, I'll have to try it.

Unless you trademark a recipe, I think you would have a hard time suing for sole use of that recipe. The head chef at the place I work just left a little over a month ago. Before he left, he wiped all menus and recipes from the computer in his office (which didn't bother me since I had a hard copy of all of them anyway). Myself and the other Sous just rewrote the menu for spring, and I'm sure when the new chef comes in he'll rewrite it again.

Thanks for the advice, and for mocking my typing error Since I'm getting conflicting advice, I guess I should take it to my local knife sharpening professional and see what they think. A blood sacrifice of the person who did this is obviously the first order of business for my new or reground knife.

The main weapon in my knife arsenal is a 10' Schaaf First Class chef's knife. I first encountered Schaaf knives in a little knife store in Bozeman, Montana. It was love at first sight. I couldn't afford to buy one then, but when I could, this was the first one I bought. I've been working with it for about four years now and I still love it as much as the first day I bought it. A couple of weeks ago I was prepping in the kitchen and got called away to some meeting. Usually I would roll my knife up in a towel and place it back in my box. For whatever reason, I didn't this time. When I came back from the meeting, I found my knife on the floor next to the table. Someone had obviously bumped the table (more than once, I think) and caused my knife to fall. It hit the ceramic tile, and the tip of the knife broke off. Needless to say, I was EXETREMLY pissed off and peppered the air with some loud curses. I only lost the very tip of the knife, but I've found that to be very annoying when I'm trying to work. So, what do I do? Can the knife be given a new tip, or am I forced to buy a new knife?

recipe please!

I consider myself a 'beer snob', but I still love a Bud every now and then. Especially when I'm out at a concert. Nothing like holding the 'King of Beers' while rocking out. I've experienced the Bud Ireland Draught first hand. At first, I thought it was weird that all the young Irish bar patrons were ordering Bud instead of one of their locally made beers (Guinness, Murphy's, Beamish, etc.). I just chalked it up to Ireland's fascination with all things American. One night I broke down and ordered one (out of homesickness perhaps....nah :) ). I was surprised at the creaminess, but soon began to enjoy it. I wish they would serve Bud like that here in the States.

Thanks for the backup bague :)

Well I've been back from Naples for a week now, so I should report on what I saw/ate. First, I have to agree with richw: The restaurants in Naples aren't that exciting. I think it's all the old people that vacation there. Alot of restaurants with menus that are WAY out of date. Also, how many Italian restaurants does one town need? The town is named after Naples, Italy, but that doesn't mean you have to have 10 Italian restaurants. Oh well, on to where I ate. Catch 22 A little restaurant in the condo complex I was staying. We ate lunch there twice. Their She Crab soup was good, but that was about it. The only reason I ate there twice was because it was so close to where we were staying. Very Average. Cafe Lurcat Ate lunch there with my wife. A nice space with decent service. Maybe it was just because we were eating lunch, but the portions were tiny. The plate presentation was very stark. My wife had Tuna with preserved lemons and I had Sea Bass with cucumber slaw and miso. The tuna was served on a small rectangular plate: Tuna, Lemons, some Cilanto. That's it. Ditto for my Sea Bass. We each had a generous glass of wine (OK I had two :) ) which was served in beautiful Riedel stemware. $60 for two really small salads, two small fish entrees, and three glasses of wine. Not a value, IMHO. Vergina Lunch with my wife, Mother in Law, and 11 month old son. My mother in Law chose this place and I wish she hadn't. This is the worst kind of restaurant. It tries to sell itself as an upscale Italian restaurant, but fails to live up to this in execution. Slow service by a waiter who barely spoke english. foil wrapped butter packets (Hello!!). Cheap bread. Poor wine list and service (I had beer because there was nothing I wanted to drink from the wine by the glass list). The food was mediocre and about as good as something you could get at Olive Garden or Carraba's. Campiello Lunch again with my wife, son, and mother in law. A very nice space with plenty of seating outside. We sat in their courtyard in the rear of the building. Very quiet and tranquil (despite the rambunctiousness of my son). The wine list was very nice, focusing on Italian wines. My wife and mother in law had wine, I had a beer (I was in the mood for a Peroni). The lunch menu was nice and offered many things that looked good. I chose a flank steak salad with potatoes, wild mushrooms, and onions. My wife had pasta, and my MIL had a salad as well. Service was good, and everything was very tasty. The only flaw was the long, black hair I found in my salad. They took the salad away and replaced it in less than 10 minutes. They did not, however remove it from the bill. Overall, a good experience and I would recommend them. Chops The 'Big Night Out' with my wife. I tried to get a reservation on the morning we planned to go, but they would only offer 9:30 or later. Since we didn't want to be out that late (my in-laws were babysitting, after all) we decided to 'wing it' and see if we could just walk in earlier. We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30 and asked if we could sit outside. We were seated immediately (sometimes it pays to screw the reservations). The place filled up fast after we were seated, and they were turning people away by 7:00. My wife and I ordered some cocktails from Jeff our server (who was awesome). We were never pressured to order and we lingered over our drinks for awhile. We ordered some appetizers to start, Lobster Roll and Duck Potstickers. I also ordered a glass of Riesling. The Lobster Roll was very good, but the Duck Potsticker was a little unbalanced. The potsticker itself was a little bland and was overpowered by a sweet pineapple sauce. Next we ordered salads. My wife had their 'house salad', which I can't remeber anything about except that it was good. I had a salad with bananas, goat cheese, and strawberry-balsamic vinaigrette. Very good. For entrees, I had the Seared, Triple Cracked Peppercorn Encrusted Sirloin Strip Steak with a Blackberry – Cabernet Sauce, Au Gratin Potato and Crispy Onion Hay. I ordered an Australian Shiraz as an accompaniement. It was good, but didn't blow me away. My wife, on the other hand, had the Asian Barbecue Glazed Pork Porterhouse. Served with a Caramelized-Spring Onion-Marsala Wine Sauce, Smoked Gouda Potato Cake and Sautéed Spaghetti Squash. She chose a Gewurtztrameiner with dinner. Her entree was fantastic! I was very jealous, but she was kind enough to share with me. We didn't get dessert, since we were full. Overall, a great place with the most interesting menu in Naples. Highly recommend. Besides those places, I ate some good ice cream and some great gelato in places whose names escape me.

Went to the Charleston Grill last summer. One of the best dining experiences I've ever had (and I've had ALOT). Superb service, fantastic food, and a great space (sit in the courtyard if you can).

There are only six 'official' Trappist breweries: Chimay, Orval, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Koningshoeven, and Achelse. All of them are in Belgium, and all of them should have the Trappist hexagon logo somewhere on their label.

Hey! That's [Westside Market] within walking distance to my restored Victorian home, my place of employ and the location of my family's new restaurant!!! Thank heavens it is in Cleveland!!!!!! edit: clarity Amen, Brother! The Westside Market is fantastic, and is a great place to find bargains. Produce is so cheap there it's absurd. And to top it off, you can shop and eat the best brats in town.

Thanks for the tips. I leave the day after tomorrow. When I get back I'll post where I went and how it was.

Anyone?

I'm going to be in Naples, FL next week, and since food is my life, I always try to reconnoiter a few good places to eat before I go somewhere. I've been looking at the local newspapers' websites, and perusing all kind of restaurant review sites, but nothing is jumping out at me. Any locals or past visitors want to tip me to some good spots?

Blackbush is my fave. Great stuff. Followed by Jameson's Gold Label. I think I need a drink :)

I'm glad to hear that Chimay has brought another into the fold. Chimay is a great beer, and I try to buy it (or another Trappist/abbey ale) wheneve my wallet allows. Since I am on a budget, I decided to make my own Abbey style ale several months ago. It took a long time to ferment and condition, but man it was worth it. The best beer I have brewed to date.

Besides all the obvious (rotting shark et al.), the only two things I won't eat are Broccoli (including Rapini) and Cauliflower. Vile, vile stuff.