plattetude

I for one don't mind your grammAr lesson if you don't mind my spelling one. Christopher

so if it starts with an "e" it's pronounced "i" and vice versa? how <i> helpful</i> ← A little late to the game here, but I thought I'd add a cent or two. The thing about vowels in U.S. English is they're so diphthong-laden. Years of singing in multiple languages (Latin, German, French, Italian, Czech, Polish, Old Church Slavonic, yadda yadda) has made me particularly sensitive to this, how to break down vowel sounds into component parts. Take the letter "i", for instance. We pronounce the letter "i" as a diphthong: sound it out slowly -- ah-ee. Where's the "i" sound in that, really? Put it in a word -- there's "bit," which is pure short "i" but has neither the "ah" component nor the "ee" component. And then there's "bite," which has the "ah," the "ee," and no "i" at all. And the letter "a" -- eh-ee. In short vowel form: "fat." No "eh," no "ee." Long vowel: "fate," or to keep this even slightly on topic, "bacon." All "eh" and "ee", no "a." Oh, and then there's "father", which is really a pure Latin "a" (think saying "ahhh" with a tongue depressor) and is completely different from the short "a" of "fat." And of course, as the above indicates, for every rule can be a gajillion exceptions. And then throw in dialects. Fuggedabouddit. It must be maddening for people to try to learn English. Christopher

Anthony David's is definitely open for lunch. They have their brunch menu available daily from 9am. Figure a bill around $30 for two. But I'll add my hearty recommendation for Cucharamama. Get a bunch of small plates -- some adventurous, some not, everyone's happy! The Jefferson is also extremely good, but don't know prices for the lunch menu. For excellent eats on the very cheap, you could pick up a sandwich (yes, one should cover you both) at Vito's and head to the park at Pier A or at 10th and Hudson for a sublime picnic. Some of the best fresh mozzarella around, awesome spreads like roasted garlic, fresh-made olive tapenade, and all on excellent Hoboken bread (from Antique Bakery, I think). Christopher

Refrigerate chocolate? Isn't that flavor- and texture-killing sacrilege, on the order of refrigerating a perfect, ripe summer tomato? Cool, dry, and dark storage is one thing, but refrigeration is something else entirely. Christopher

Rosemary, Baby Serves 1. 3 oz rosemary-infused vodka 1/2 oz Lillet blanc 1/2 oz Cointreau splash absinthe or absinthe-subsitute dash orange bitters Stir vigorously with ice, serve up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel. Note: To infuse the vodka, add a handful of sprigs of fresh rosemary to your infusing vessel (preferably a wide-mouthed jar), add vodka of choice and agitate, and let sit for a day or so. Keywords: Cocktail, Intermediate ( RG1244 )

Rosemary, Baby Serves 1. 3 oz rosemary-infused vodka 1/2 oz Lillet blanc 1/2 oz Cointreau splash absinthe or absinthe-subsitute dash orange bitters Stir vigorously with ice, serve up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel. Note: To infuse the vodka, add a handful of sprigs of fresh rosemary to your infusing vessel (preferably a wide-mouthed jar), add vodka of choice and agitate, and let sit for a day or so. Keywords: Cocktail, Intermediate ( RG1244 )

Sounds great to me! I'm sure there's a vast audience of parent-types in and around Manhattan who'd love the chance to have a grown-up time and not feel self-conscious bringing baby along (or feel guilty leaving baby at home). Heck, you could make it a monthly event -- call it "Pegu Club Jr." And by the bye, there's certainly no need to disparage the earthly pleasures of cocktails, particularly when they're done with the skill, creativity, and love that you bring to bear on them. I will indeed drink to that! Good luck on getting through your final trimester! Christopher

Fresh squeezed lemon. Simple syrup to taste. Nothing more, nothing less. Christopher

There's a Qdoba on Washington St. in Hoboken, been there a few years. I find the burritos are just too frickin' big to bother with. Anyway, there are some independent burrito places in town that I prefer -- Mision Burrito and El Barrio Burrito. There's also a Fresh Tortillas that opened a couple years back, not far from Qdoba. I'm guessing we may get a Baja Fresh soon enough, to put the burrito-per-capita count for Hoboken somewhere in the double-digits. Christopher

Wow, I'd forgotten about Gino's. Boy howdy, that takes me back a few decades. Here's a recap of the late-lamented chain. As you'll see on that link, your KFC connection was not imagined: Gino's was an official outlet for KFC (which I'm not really sure I understand, conceptually -- kind of a half-hearted franchising agreement?). Christopher

Ooh! I've got a bottle of Bols Genever in my fridge and I haven't quite acquired the taste for drinking it straight. Now it's all the more imperative that I get this book. Maybe I'll even have to pick up another bottle at Duty Free on my way home from Amsterdam tomorrow.... Christopher

Aha. What we refer to as "bottle-conditioned." Makes sense. I guess if I'd thought about it, I might have pieced that meaning together, since the concept of bottle-conditioning was really best developed by the Belgians (as I understand it, anyway). And that was really what I'd alluded to in my earlier comment about how I don't understand the apparent preference for many of these beers on tap when the formulas for these beers were really developed for being stored in bottles -- the whole "freshness" concept that U.S. brewers like Budweiser tout really carry no weight with living beers like these. To get back on topic, I had my first Netherlands Amstel last night. Far better than the Amstel Light that flows like so much water in the States, and it made for a nice crisp aperitif. Struck me as kind of midway between a light pilsner and a Vienna lager. Today I was hoping to do a lot of shopping and exploring and hit a few other beer recommendations that Klary so kindly gave me, but it's looking like a lot of things are closed for Remembrance Day (I may be getting the name of the holiday wrong, but I think that's the essence -- remembrance of fallen soldiers of WWII). Fingers crossed that I come across some more good brews! Christopher (edited for clarity; *hic*)

I'm currently on a short trip to Amsterdam for work, and I've had far too few opportunities to indulge in the malted art. (I also need to get some genever tasting in while I'm here.) Anyway, I found my way to a nice little brown cafe during my wandering on Sunday and took some bare-bones tasting notes. Unfortunately, work has kept me away from the forums for too long this week, so a lot of details that might have stuck in my short-term memory are long gone. On to the report: Started off by having a Duvel with my very late lunch at a small outdoor cafe. Same Duvel we all know and love (or is there a slightly different formulation for U.S. distribution?) -- crisp, floral, dense creamy head, plenty of warming alcohol balanced by the perfect balance of hops and hint of candy sweetness. My walking then took me to Gollem, a brown cafe boasting some 180 beers, including about a dozen taps. (Most of the taps were Belgian beers; and I've noticed Dutch drinking a lot of these tap beers that I've always understood were better kept/poured from bottles, as God intended of bottle-conditioned beers. Hm.) I scanned the list (and only later realized I'd missed an entire blackboard of other choices) and picked out one that I'd never heard of or seen before -- Egmont Tripel. Well, apparently, the barkeep and her patrons didn't know of it either, because she had a very hard time finding a bottle in the case and gave up looking for the branded glass. The bottle identified the beer as hailing from Zottegem, and was brewed with "smaakevolutie," which I have no idea at all how to translate. (Maybe Klary is reading this and can be of some assistance.) 7% abv. This beer seemed to be crafted very much in the Duvel vein, with a similar floral perfumed nose, but up front had a faint sourness, almost as though it were a gueze. Maybe "smaakvolutie" means "airborne yeast".... Anyway, as I said, very much like a Duvel in many respects, but a bit thinner in flavor profile, and that intriguing sourness up front. Interesting indeed! Next I chose a less obscure choice, but one that I don't see much in the States, that being Hoegaarden Grand Cru. Only had this once before, in Belgium, so I was very pleased to have the chance to try it again. Another in the Strong Blonde Ale tradition of Duvel, this couldn't be further from the witbier that Hoegaarden is so known for (apart from a few similar spicing notes). Malty, caramel, floral nose. First taste impressions are full of figs, raisins, honey, bitter orange, vanilla, and then a light dusting of hops to cleanse the palate as it goes down. Dense, fluffy head, tiny bubbles, massively effervescent, standard lace. Further tastes brought on some biscuity, crisp champagne notes, from the yeast I presume. Really really a superb beer. God I'm thirsty now. Christopher

Uh, actually, according to just about everyone (no, absolutely everyone) else who's posted in this thread, gin is emphatically not used in the the same way as vodka. Vodka is a diluting agent that adds alcohol. Rarely can it be said to stand on its own for much of anything other than an inoffensive kick (well, inoffensive is in the mouth of the beholder, I suppose). Gin is a flavor base all its own, and a widely varied one at that, brand to brand, a flavor base that marries well with any number of ingredients. "Marries well with," not "is obscured by." Do you submit that the list of recipes you linked to above can have vodka swapped in place of gin and give similar results? I'd be highly surprised by that. Really. Likewise, substituting orange-flavored vodka for gin and orange bitters is miles off target. You may get pleasant results in such a cocktail, but it will decidedly not be the same thing, or even in the same neighborhood. Where's the bitter backbone of the orange bitters? Where's the herbal character of the gin? Different animal altogether. Finally, small changes in ingredients can and certainly do make huge differences, particularly with such ingredients as bitters (Angostura vs. Peychaud's vs. Orange vs. Peach, etc), kummel, even grenadine if it's real grenadine. Differences may appear small on paper, but on the palate, not so. My two cents. Christopher

Piquillo peppers have a bit of heat, don't they? Pimientos are actually sweeter, aren't they, sweeter than bell peppers? For a bit more of a definition of pimientos in general, click this. I've never actually seen one raw, personally, but now I'll definitely be on a mission. Or maybe there is no single genus of "pimiento," since really the word is just spanish for "pepper." Any botanists around who can elucidate us here? In any case, I think it's pretty standard to use the jarred variety. Christopher

Is it open yet? Is it? Is it? (BTW, how old must an infant be for it to be socially acceptible for new parents to plan a babysitter for a trip to a new bar? Please say 3 mos. is old enough... ) Christopher

So... where'd you eat, Sarah? Inquiring minds want to know! Christopher

I find Farigoule makes for an excellent digestiv, but obviously that's a matter of personal taste. For mixing, why not treat it like Yellow Chartreuse? Similar profile of sweetness and viscosity, just a different spin on herb flavors. A couple of Yellow Chartreuse drinks I like: Bijou 1 ounce gin 1 ounce Chartreuse 1 ounce sweet vermouth 1 dash orange bitters Stir well with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry and a squeeze of lemon peel. Chartreuse Cocktail 3/4 oz bourbon 1/2 oz chartreuse 1/4 oz French vermouth Stir with cracked ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass. Serve with maraschino cherry. Other inspirations may follow from thisthread. Christopher

Definitely check out The Jefferson. No particular night better or worse that I can recommend. I'll also add a major thumbs up for Cucharamama. Particularly fine for lots of tapas-style plates many of which are simply out of this world -- empanadas, chorizo, grilled quail, escabeche, etc. etc... Great wines by the glass and some mighty fine South American cocktails to be had. Similarly, and only a block away, Zafra has a lot of the same charm, but with a scaled-down menu and no liquor license. Same owners, same superb ingredients and excellent preparations. Elysian Cafe is a cozy little bistro. French onion soup is a must-have. Great frites, too. And the cocktails are done right. Elysian, it should be noted, is an outpost of the grandaddy of fine restaurants in Hoboken, Amanda's (link here). Always a great meal there. If you can get there early (5 or 5:30 seating), you'll get a great bargain of a limited-menu 3-course meal for $12.50 ($25 for 2). The Dining Room at Anthony David's, at 10th and Bloomfield, is absolutely superb. Formerly just a catering biz, it opened as a BYOB restaurant a couple years back and never fails to delight. Upscale Italian, some fantastic pasta dishes and excellent mains, always with top notch seasonal ingredients. And save room for the bourbon glazed donuts. Worth their weight in gold. Grimaldi's -- haven't been in a few years, but it never really sparked my interest the few times I went. Stick with the Brooklyn original, or with your NYC pizza joint of preference (mine's Lombardi's). Oddfellow's is fun. Some decent cajun food to be had, nothing earthshattering. A couple others to toss out on the cheaper end of the scale: Satay - very good Malaysian (Washington St @ 1st) Front Page - tops in take-out Chinese, also does sushi (Washintgon bet. 10 & 11) Any further guidelines re: price point, cuisine, etc? Christopher

La Tartufferia, I presume? Or Leo's Grandevous?

Teaism = Yum. You've got to have the sausage, too. Spectacular. Essentially pit roasted in a barrel right in front of you. And the oatmeal is superb, with little bits of mango. Christopher

Hmm. If Firefly is already on-the-fence as being too much (I assume in terms of "degree of fine-diningness"), wouldn't Tabard Inn be that much more? I'll second the recommendation for Pesce. Good, simple, fresh seafood. If pub-grub and beer fit the bill, then Brickskeller may be worth a visit. I mean, if you REALLY like beer. Food is so-so, but it's the best beer selection you'll find pretty much anywhere. Pizzeria Paradiso is also an excellent spot for a casual bite -- made to order pizzas of the highest order. Usually a nice handful of craft beers available and a few wines by the glass. There's Bistrot du Coin, which has its avid followers and just-as-avid detractors (I fall more to the latter camp). YMMV, as they say. Caveat: I'm only an infrequent visitor to D.C., but these are some casual standbys, most of which have borne repeat visits over several years. Christopher

As one who has dined at Melt (and might I add, "yum"), I'll say that I very much appreciated the salad. It's not dressed, but it's very obviously a salad, and Glenn brings bottles of oil and vinegar for self-dressing. Based on the variety of chutneys, jams, and other condiments available for the sandwiches themselves, I would suggest that cole slaw might not be the best option as a replacement side. I would think it would fight with a lot of sandwiches one might order. And offering choices, eh, I'm not sure how cost effective that is in the long run either. Adding more complexity to what can be fairly complex orders (up to three cheeses per sandwich, a dozen or so other add-ins to choose from, two different breads)... Well, I just think there's enough to keep track of. Salad goes with everything (and makes a decadent little meal feel a wee bit healthy too!), and I'd say either take it off the plate altogether or leave it on and bump up the price. Ultimately, though, I wonder if it's the cost that's nagging, or if it's just the wastefulness, which bumping up the price will certainly not alleviate. Bottom line, my vote is, status quo works for me. Christopher

And for 'wichcraft jonesing (to which I am certainly prone, for one), there will be four 'wichcraft kiosks stationed in Bryant Park starting next month. Christopher

I'm very particular about cocktail glasses in particular. Particularly. I have a martini set from almost 20 years ago which included (pre-breakage) 6 cocktail glasses, pitcher, and stirrer. I gotta tell you, the thin, polished lip of these glasses really help a cocktail sing in a way that the thick, rounded lips of most standard issue barware never can. Sadly, though, they're that more more prone to chipping, but c'est la vie, as they c'est. The size of them is also ideal -- not the 12 oz. monstrosities that have become the norm, but a more human 8 oz. size (that still looks reasonably well-filled with a 4 oz. drink). No frills otherwise, no zany polka dots or rainbow-hued stems, yadda yadda. The fun is in the contents, IMHO. My cents. Christopher