Nathan

well, Atlanta is a good example of a city that has made a massive cocktail leap in the last year or so. what I can't get around is why L.A. is lacking. it would seem to fit every qualification (except for good mass transit...but that applies to Atlanta and pretty much every other city besides NY, SF and Portland). Seattle is probably another. as for Milwaukee, I lived there in the late 90's and still visit friends there pretty much yearly: the bar near the opera was almost certainly Eagan's. like Elsa's on the Park (sister restaurant to Bar 89 in NY and AZ-88 in Arizona), it does have a reasonably solid liquor inventory and bartenders who seem to take some care. (as well as prices high for the region). also see the Hi-Hat on Brady. but none of them has anyone who knows what he/she is doing. (I think there might be some extent at a cocktail list at Roots though.) I think the idea of a d.b.a. type place is exactly right. artisanal beer is a big player (one bar, Zur Krone, serves 450 beers)...combine that with some scotches and a cocktail list...it should work. but location will be a big deal. near the park or waterfront or third ward would work. Milwaukee nightlife is stratified between "southsiders" (their version of B&T) and the northeast side. there are several lounges serving vodka/fruit shit...like the bar at the top of the Pfister...so that could eventually morph into something better. actually, a restaurant like Bacchus might be the place to start. that's probably true for many cities...a cocktail program works best started within the restaurant format (see Atlanta)

Since I have very little experience with the real thing, I was wondering if anyone has tried it, how you like it, if it is better than using Pernod or Ricard in a drink like the Sazerac, etc. etc.? Oh, and here's a link to the NY Times article, quoted above, but which may require registration to view....click here! ← its not as good as the top of the line Jade absinthes...Eduard 72 and the like...but it's not bad. edit: I'm pretty sure Ted is producing it in France and having it imported.

Esca isn't far away. neither is Cafe Gray. nor Maze for that matter. second Bar Room at the Modern.

http://resy.eater.com/ heh...we were walk-ins on Saturday night.

Neil Annis has returned and is currently the chef at Compass. http://www.chefdb.com/nm/4774

You should read it. (btw, I highly doubt the 75% figure when applied to say Bruni...he dines way too much at more casual places....I'd be surprised if a place like Franny's was ever looking for him...I buy when the 75% figure when it comes to three and four-stars...sure...but they're the places where critical anyonymity probably means the least). when they spotted Grimes, the following occurred: sending out for extra ingredients, ordering extra flowers, for the next few weeks, ordering afternoon bread deliveries for the next few weeks, placing their best server solely on him (plus backup help), devoting the kitchen to his dishes, on an offnight when the dining room was near empty---calling up friends and family who lived close by and offering them freebies to come in immediately. of course, the punch line was that they hadn't spotted Grimes. one lawyer received all of this attention on five visits. meanwhile, Grimes was eating there all along during the same period, unspotted. (the lawyer also got his name sent out as a Grimes alias...not doubt garnering him incredible attention elsewhere)

pedantic notes: 1. the Blood and Sand is a classic cocktail. the one at Tailor is a riff on it. 2. Absinthe is not illegal. in theory, it is confiscated at the border, but many of us have had it couriered in for years and the better cocktail bars generally have it if you know to ask for it. a few months ago Lucid was approved for importation so now you can buy absinthe at the liquor store.

didn't the chef just leave Compass? I don't like Landmarc either (good burger but you can get that in a lot of places)

Funny...you weren't of that opinion when you were touting New Paradigm restaurants, which (allegedly) appeal to a mostly young clientele. ← "mostly" and "exclusively" aint the same thing.

If a place has clientele exclusively from one age group (whatever that age group may be)...it's a very bad sign.

well Babbo isn't far away...

why? I haven't been but numerous sources report that the steaks are exceptional. indeed, Adam Perry Lang apparently has first dibs at Master Purveyors on the beef...and ages some of it up to 18 weeks.

Mas is a lot better but also quite a bit more expensive. Bobo is only a week old.

You think it should have two?

yup. Junipero and Old Raj are my favorite martini gins...

ah...the torte I've had. I think Ripert first paired chorizo and cod (in America anyway)....

Ate here on Saturday night. It's in a multi-level townhouse. Bar and a few tables on the ground floor. Beautiful second floor (the decor in general is very appealing). The diners were almost entirely composed of couples and groups of young women...mixture of locals, uptowners and a few gaggles of B&T women. Cocktail program showed some thought and care. Actually used orgeat in the Mai Tai..etc. Drinks tended toward sweet although my Manhattan (perfect) was well-made. They were out of a number of dishes we wanted to order. A fritto misto sampling was was simple but well-made. my almond pappardelle app with porcinis suffered from a surfeit of button mushrooms and a lack of porcinis. Bouillabaise was decent but won't scare Balthazar's any. a companion's suckling pig, however, was pretty good. prices are lower than you would expect. very date-place atmospherics.

alas, the heirloom tomato salad was off the menu last night. that lamb belly is seriously good.

Yes, exactly what you expect from a NYT two-star restaurant. ← well...if any of that was on the regular menu......

Grimes also writes books (he's a major cocktail historian as well). Bruni was a Pulitzer finalist and a major political writer and foreign correspondent. Lots of options.

the burger is the only thing there I've had that I would bother to eat again. a friend did like the skirt steak salad.

I don't get it either (the food that is). the wine program is famous for two things (not its overall selection): 1. having numerous half bottles (many unavailable at all elsewhere). 2. almost no markup over retail. welll...Pinot Blanc/Bianco is a clone of Pinot Gris/Grigio....DNA wise they're identical. which means that differences have to do with the terroir and treatment....not the grapes per se. (unless you're talking about American Pinot Blancs which are apparently actually usually Muscadet (they accidentally planted the wrong vines in California)). regardless, considering the different origins and producers...I'm sure these wines were quite different.

on the whole anonymity thing...this month's Gourmet has Barber explaining what a restaurant does when the Times critic is spotted. he also refers to him/her as the only critic who matters.

I really need to learn how to entertain my international clients at a cheap dessert bar in the East Village. It's hard enough getting them out of midtown down to Bouley!

design. no. food...maybe a little. why? Bruni's probably got what...a year or two left in the job? these days it takes a couple years from planning until a restaurant finally opens. menu items can be altered quickly but the scope and design of a restaurant? no.