plattetude

Not necessarily what you're asking about, but here's a place worth checking, right in the heart of Red Hook... Excellent made-to-order paninis, take-out (or eat-in) pasta, gourmet market baskets, etc. Nepotism alert: my sister is the co-owner. Nevertheless, it's good stuff. Bring a friend! Christopher

8th and Jefferson. Definitely off the beaten path, as Hoboken hot spots go.... I've only noticed it in the past few months, myself. Been wondering if it's worth a try, and now I see that it certainly is! Christopher

Rostocker appears to make a few varieties of bock beer. From what I can see, there's a dunkel bock and a helles bock (dark and light). The dunkel will presumably be fairly heavy, fruity, malty, and the helles lighter (in color and flavor) but still fairly alcoholic. The bock style is typically pretty chewy. Also in their stable are a pilsener and what they call Export. The Export may be up your alley -- it's a milder style that won't have the weight of the bocks but will have a bit of malty sweetness. As for other beers you may want to look into... I usually shy away from proposing a leap to Belgian beers for people wanting to learn about beer styles, but since you've already hit a fruited beer that caught your fancy, you may want to give lambic beer a try. There are raspberry, cherry, peach varieties (and gueze, which has no fruit and is fairly sour, not dissimilar from a Berliner Weisse) from a number of different brewers. Some use whole fruit in the brewing process while others use fruit syrups. There can be a pretty wide range of quality, but even the lower end stuff is very drinkable. The brand you're most likely to find is Lindemans. Plenty of other Belgian styles can be a real revelation, and a lot of them tend towards more sweet than bitter. They also tend towards very strong. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Duvel, a strong blond ale, is a widely available flagship brand to try out. But heck, there are hundreds and hundreds of brewers in Belgium (and there used to be thousands), so the choices will never run dry.... A NY-based brewery that does some very creditable Belgian-style beers is also worth seeking out: Ommegang. They do a farmhouse saison called Hennepin that's absolutely fabulous. Interesting spices, sweet, crisp, dry, all at once. Great summer drinking. Happy drinking, here and abroad! Christopher

I'm guessing you won't be anywhere near Köln (Cologne), but if you do ever see kölsch on tap, it's a lighter style that's very crisp and slightly sweet without the assertive floral hop notes of pilsners. Superb stuff, and very accessible for a novice beer palate. More local to the northeast Germany scene would be a Berliner Weisse, which is a very sour wheat beer that's traditionally served with one of two syrups -- a raspberry syrup or a woodruff-based green syrup (tastes a bit of vanilla/marshmallow to me). For some, the beer style is an acquired taste, but others love it from the get-go. You may be able to find Berliner Kindl Weiss in bottles if you have a specialty beer shop near you. In the southeast is another rather distinctive style: Gose. It's a wheat beer, so fairly light, with the intriguing addition of salt and coriander. Not anything like a standard beer, but a very interesting one, when you're ready for some more adventurous tastes! Christopher

And maybe Gracious Home would have something...? Christopher

There's that kitchen supply place at Chelsea Market, Bowery Kitchen Market. I see they don't necessarily have a Boston Shaker, but they've got a stainless shaker that could presumably serve as the bottom of a Boston Shaker when paired with a pint glass. Christopher

And your point is well taken, Menton. I was bringing up a separate point that I don't particularly think should be considered tangential or irrelevant. I agree that the food at Madison is good. I think the drink menu (or "martini menu" as they deem it) is an abomination, and it colors my perception of the place negatively. Not that I avoid eating there, but as I tried to make clear, this one aspect of what they do, they don't do well. I'm glad your very large Bloody Mary was very good, but the balance of the ill-conceived drink list reads like it should be drunk while watching Saturday morning cartoons. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Do you not agree that taking drink seriously is at least as worthy of consideration as taking food seriously? Whether one chooses to drink a "martini" with lunch or not. Since that, ultimately, was my larger point. Christopher (edited for additional clarity)

Veering off topic, much to the chagrin of the admins... There is no such thing as a vodka (or apple or chocolate and on and on) martini...it's like a bourbon margarita. ← Agreed. Hence my characterizing it as a "martini" list rather than a martini list. Since, after all, a martini list would be a list of one cocktail. Note: if the martini list comprised "gin martini" and "vodka martini", I wouldn't be so chagrined. It's the "Three-Berry Woo-Woo Martini a la Mode" that gets me. As you say, we're veering a bit off topic here, but I think it's valid to point out that a restaurant should take its approach to cocktails as seriously as its approach to food. To stretch an analogy to ridiculous lengths, let's say they had a dinner menu that listed the following: Roast Chicken -- The Classic! Roast Beef Chicken -- A twist on the classic, but made with beef! Roast Vegetable Chicken -- Carved tableside and served with vegetable-giblet gravy and tasty chocolate marshmallows Roast Pork Chicken (with gummi bears) At this point, the word "chicken" has lost its meaning and we're approaching Monty Python Land. Or have we already zoomed past? Bottom line, at least have the smarts to call it a "Cocktail Menu" and not a "Martini Menu", even if the cocktails are dubious at best. Christopher P.S. Menton, no aspersions cast your way; this is a long-simmering gripe I've had about many of the newer restaurants in Hoboken (and elsewhere).

Food is indeed very good, and varied. And yes, the cocktails are large, if that's your thing. And if you like gummy bears in your cocktails (yes, seriously), I'm sure you'd love these. Don't mean to be a grump, but these "martini" lists that are nothing but oversized (waaaay oversized) shooters and fruity, sweet crapola give martinis a bad name. Makes me feel like I'm dining at a frat house. Christopher

For what it's worth, I've found I prefer a 3:1:1 margarita, with perhaps a splash of simple syrup. But then, I like me some nice assertive tequila (typically El Tesoro when I can get it on sale) to really come through. Christopher

Baked some currant scones this weekend, and I soaked the currants in maraschino liqueur (Luxardo). FABULOUS. Just enough of the telltale funkiness of the liqueur that really added a fascinating undertone to the currants' flavor. Christopher

There's Hell's Kitchen (inventive Mexican), Marseille (Moroccan-tinged French -- lovely space and very reasonably priced), DB Bistro (Boulud's famous burger, among other bistro delights), The Modern (Danny Meyer's midtown outpost at MoMA with an Alsatian bent), District (inventive "American" cuisine), among others. Most are probably well suited to a nice pre-theater dinner where you really can't linger, though I can't say for sure if all of them have a prix fixe menu. The Modern would be good if you can snag a spot in the bar area, though it's prone to be loud there... Christopher

I always hear that fellow Hobokenites do well by Joe's Prime Meats, but I've had some pretty un-butcher-like experiences there. ("What's a pork tenderloin?") My go-to is Truglio's, at 10th and Park. Always affable, always helpful, and they know their meat. Christopher

I dug the Arch Deluxe, too. I liked the sauce in particular -- I think there may have been coriander seed in there. Really yum-tastic. That was back when they had just put a serious chef in charge of new product development, which lasted, what, 2 years? Less? I was fond of BK's shameless rip-off of the Big Mac a few years ago, too, the Big King. Never really considered it to taste much like a Big Mac, myself. Christopher

I'm not Phaelon, but I've been to L'Adour a few times. Excellent bistro downstairs and more upscale French cuisine upstairs. Authentical French owners and operators. Of course, there's always the Dinosaur, too. Christopher

More specifically, these are categories of "Qualitaetswein mit Praedikat" (roughly "quality wine with promise") and are in this order, in order of harvest from earliest to latest: kabinett spaetlese auslese beerenauslese trockenbeerenauslese The last two are typically very high in residual sugar and would designate a wine suitable for dessert. Other key German vocab for deciphering German: "trocken" and "halbtrocken," which designate "dry" and "semi-dry" respectively. These terms can conceivably apply to any of the above categories, but I think you will see them most frequently on kabinett wines. Christopher

It's a veritable fruit-basket, if not cornucopia, of vodka! The only real standards that come to mind from that list are the tres-70's shagadelic Stinger (vodka or scotch both viable as a base spirit) and various Grasshopper recipies. And the inevitable Cosmopolitan. With the able help of cocktaildb.com, here's a few choices of varying degrees of interest (including those mentioned above): Flying Grasshopper Stir in mixing glass with ice & strain 3/4 oz green creme de menthe (2 cl, 3/16 gills) 3/4 oz light creme de cacao (2 cl, 3/16 gills) 1 oz vodka (3 cl, 1/4 gills) Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Vodka Grasshopper (variation) Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain 3/4 oz vodka (2 cl, 3/16 gills) 3/4 oz green creme de menthe (2 cl, 3/16 gills) 3/4 oz light creme de cacao (2 cl, 3/16 gills) 1 oz cream (3 cl, 1/4 gills) Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Green Dragon (Variation) Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain 1 oz green creme de menthe (3 cl, 1/4 gills) 1 oz vodka (3 cl, 1/4 gills) 1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Vodka Stinger (if your creme de menthe is white) Build or Stir in mixing glass with ice & strain 1 3/4 oz vodka (5 cl, 7/16 gills) 3/4 oz white creme de menthe (2 cl, 3/16 gills) ice, if building Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Balalaika Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain 1 oz vodka (3 cl, 1/4 gills) 1 oz fresh lemon juice (3 cl, 1/4 gills) 1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Fans Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain 1 1/2 oz Scotch (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills) 1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) 1/2 oz grapefruit juice (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Comforter Cocktail Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain 1 1/2 oz Scotch (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills) 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) 1/4 tsp sugar (1 dash) 1/4 oz Cointreau (6 dashes, 1/16 gills) Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Caribbean Joy Cocktail Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain 1 1/2 oz Scotch (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills) 1 oz fresh lime juice (3 cl, 1/4 gills) 1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) 1/2 tsp sugar (2 dashes) Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) Cosmopolitan 1 1/2 oz citrus vodka (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills) 1 oz triple sec (3 cl, 1/4 gills) 1/2 oz fresh lime juice (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) 1 or 2 dashes cranberry juice, for color 1 lime wedge, for garnish (1/2 oz, 1.5 cl, 1/8 gills) Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish. Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz) To name a few.... Christopher

Epicurious' Super Slaw has been my go-to slaw for the past few years. Always wins raves. Peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, and garlic really give it a neat Asian-inspired twist. Yum. Christopher

If you're doing a pisco sour, Dave (and by all means, do!), then please don't shy away from the egg white. The frothy sweet/sour meringue-like delectation that results from a well-made pisco sour is unbeatable. Without the egg white, there's so much less going on. And don't be shy about using plenty of drops of Angostura on top -- there's a lot of sweet and sour to balance out with bitter! Christopher

Try here. Christopher

GUS (Grown Up Soda) flavors include Star Ruby Grapefruit. I've not tried that flavor, but I've had the Crimson Grape and Meyer Lemon flavors, and they really are superb. Crisp, fruity, just barely sweet. Grown up sodas indeed. Christopher

El Tesoro Plata is my go-to tequila, both sipping and mixing. Very clean, distinct agave flavor. Used to be an excellent value too, but they've raised their prices in the past couple of years (when they also repackaged to look a little more luxe). Chinaco Blanco is quite good too, but typically more than I'd prefer to spend. An outstanding product in the over-the-top range ($100+) is Paradiso (also by El Tesoro). A blend of minimum five-year-aged tequilas, it has fabulous complexity and sweetness while still maintaining the essential vegetal quality of the agave. Christopher

One of my all-time favorite meals was at Laurie Raphael in Quebec City (an opinion shared by the other three of my party -- and we do some good eatin') some seven or eight years back. Excellent food, excellent service, unpretentious and sublime. A quick poke on the web confirms that it's still held in high esteem... Christopher

The Times piece was an interesting read if thin on substance. I recently brought home a pair of smallish bottles of oude genever to sample -- Bokma De Vijf Jaren (aged five years in oak) and Bols Zeer Oude (dunno how long aged, though the "zeer oude" refers more to the age of the style than the age of the spirit itself, as the article explained). Both genevers are labeled 100% "grain" alcohol, though which grains are not mentioned. Another in the Bokma line of genevers specifies wheat, rye, and maize (corn) -- interesting that barley isn't mentioned, since that's what I'd always thought was the primary grain used for genever. Neither has been cracked open yet, but maybe if this hot spell breaks soon, I'll be more inclined to a little tasting and I'll post some thoughts. Christopher

'Round these parts, we call that Hoegaarden (or various and sundry other Belgian brews in the witbier style). And it sells pretty darn well. Christopher