Nathan

bring a jacket for: Jean-Georges, Per Se, Masa, Eleven Madison Park. also consider Yasuda, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Esca, Peter Luger, Craft, Babbo, WD-50. edit: for Chicago: Alinea, Moto, Tru, Blackbird, Avec, Frontera Grill.

so Violette's been available for a few months from Liquors de France. but a couple weeks ago word on the street was that Creme de Violette, Arack and Swedish Punsch were all going to be available in NYC....about now. anyone know who they're distributing to (ideally someone other than LeNell's...that's a rough commute for me).

Well, the "Fitty-Fitty" at Pegu Club is a Martini as well. The "Astoria" part might be to evoke the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel (as in a "Hoffman House Martini"), and the "Bianco" part refers to the use of Martini & Rossi Bianco vermouth instead of the standard French/dry/white vermouth. M&R Bianco is a sweet white vermouth, with vanilla notes. ← yeah...I noticed that with the Fitty-Fitty too (though I don't like my martini quite that wet...more like a 3-1). I wasn't aware that M&R is a sweet vermouth. that clarifies things.

precisely

Turmeric (yellow), beets (red), cashew fruit (blue)... ← the point is...they're processed. ← You don't have to process them to get colors from them. ← ????

I saw some recommendations of Jane in a recent Chowhound thread. How big is the place? ← 50-70 seats. not that it matters....nothing downtown, nothing, will be full at 11 or even 12 on Sunday. that's hangover time.

Turmeric (yellow), beets (red), cashew fruit (blue)... ← the point is...they're processed.

well..Balthazar serves a breakfast followed by brunch on the weekends! in my experience, most people who consistently brunch (like my entire neighborhood) are generally waking up around 11....which is why brunch spots don't get busy until 1....and brunch carries through to around 3 or 4.

I was in last night...can't believe I hadn't had the Up-To-Date before...great drink. I'm not sure what reason for the nomenclature of the Astoria Bianco is....it just appears to be a real martini to me. also sampled an interesting off the menu Peat Monster based cocktail....the Penicillin....its a little sweet but the idea is interesting. (when Cervantes is working I heartily recommend the off-the-menu Chartreuse Fizz...I suppose the other chaps might know it as well). as for the phone booth and wall opening....there's a bar in Milwaukee known as the Safe House (has a James Bond theme) that has done a more elaborate version of that for the past 30 or so years. the Meehans are from Madison....hmm....

I haven't brunched at Landmarc but I'll note that: 1. many places won't really be open yet (btw, can be it be called brunch before 1...or at least noon?) 2. for the places that might be open that early...11 A.M. is precisely the time that you can walk in without problem...heck, even Prune probably (though not Balthazar). 3. you could probably get an 11 a.m. reservation for Balthazar....but they might not be serving their (excellent) brunch that early...but it's easily in that price range. get three Le Panier baskets (plenty for ten people)...and an entree apiece.

they used to just carry Stock but added Luxardo several months ago. they've fantastically added to their inventory of late...and at their prices...should always be checked first before going to astor.

Please tell me either that you're kidding about the price or that the $16 was for something other than mac 'n cheese. And if they did charge $16 for mac 'n cheese what did you get for that price? A half-pan? I wold hope so (only slightly kidding). ← all the sides are the same price (I think) and each comes in three sizes. the $16 is for a large.

they had it at Warehouse Liquors the other week. also check Columbus Circle and Sherry Lehmann

my understanding (which certainly could be wrong), is that chopsticks weren't used before the 19th century in Thailand either...they used fingers. chopsticks, throughout Asia, tended to arrive with Chinese merchants.....which I don't think really penetrated Thailand until the late 19th and early 20th centuries...(this is also when noodles first began to show up in Thai cooking)

nothing, including sugar and honey, is completely safe.

put differently, there is such no such thing as "natural" coloring agents. (is it theoretically conceivable that someone could have an adverse reaction of some sort to a specific coloring agent (of any kind)? sure. but to every coloring agent? no.)

there is no such thing as "artificial colors" but these discussions usually become pointless once personal experience enters.

Anyone old enough to drink legally should be smart enough not to drink these. When was (briefly) a bartender, everyone who ordered these was carded. They are, by the way, deeply sweet, despite the name. ← generally agree. but if the pour is heavy on the whiskey...

Bruni used to write movie reviews. the formal review of Ratatouille was done by A.O. Scott in the movie section (he absolutely loved it...a verdict I concur with). Bruni ruminates more on the movie and its relationship to the responsibilities of a restaurant critic on his blog.

not great...but ok if you're already buzzed. second the campari idea...

hmm...if you can't even get a g&t... whiskey sour? jack and club soda? amaretto cranberry? (surprisingly decent if a little sweet)

The Charlie Chaplin Cocktail 1 part apricot brandy 1 part sloe gin 1 part lemon juice A little weak to my taste but highly delicous. (served on the rocks) ← substitute a robust london dry gin for the sloe gin. it makes for a stronger and more dry version of this cocktail.

I thought it was terrific. as for Linguini not being a cook at the end....as with the Incredibles (same director)...the eventual thrust of the movie is that ability can come from any background...but not everyone has it. so, no, not everyone can cook. I highly recommend A.O. Scott's ruminations on the movie in the NY Times. perhaps the best cinematic contextual reference for the flick would be something like Andrei Rublev.

Chef Ong, in the Times, says that "very few order dessert at P*ong...just like a typical restaurant." ← If you read the article you took the sentence out of context from, you would find Ong was making an ironic statement. ← I assure you sir, if there's one thing pastry kitchen friends agree on, it is that Chef Ong's statement is inded factual, thus our collective context is indeed accurate. Only equation/percentage changer is whether or not the menu is prix fixe. The truth is, restaurant patrons "do not" order dessert; and when forced to (prix fixe), "do not" eat them. Their question to me..."how many times have you seen a table push "one" dessert around, only to have it later retrieved by the busser half eaten?" Quite a few, actually. I too, am guilty of this. One man's irony is another man's truth. ← you still didn't get it.

LeNell's I would imagine.