RockinRonD

I was talking about Sara, yes. I never thought she was particularly good at instructing. Too often she was hurried, took shortcuts and overall just seemed distracted and ill-prepared. I'm sure she's a seasoned professional and all that, but perhaps she just got tired of doing the show. Lidia, on the other hand, is one of the best on TV in my view, cooks in real time and continually gives helpful hints about preparations. Her recipes, almost without fail, are right on the money. She makes Mario Batali seem like an amateur (and I know they're great friends and business partners, but Lidia is eons above in the cooking department in my view).

I never did like her show all that much. I thought she was ill prepared most of the time and talked way too much about nothing. I'm sure she's an excellent cook, but not a very good instructor.

Had dinner recently at the Olde Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, MA, and I just wanted to say that chef/owner Peter Platt is tremendously talented and inventive. A prix fixe $68 seemed a bargain in view of the remarkable dishes that came from the kitchen (there is a tasting menu, with or without wine pairings, that can be had for about $90). Platt coaxes amazing flavors out of vegetables particularly, and the quality of everything was first rate. This is a young chef who is a rare jewel in an expanse of culinary wannabe's and if ever you're in the Berkshires and have the means, I would highly recommend the Olde Inn on the Green. There are also guest rooms if you want to overnight it or stay for the weekend or longer. I can't wait to go back. His Egg Nog gelato was truly memorable.

Kape makes a good point about V-day, but the truth is my wife doesn't care much for red wine, preferring white 90% of the time. Go figure. But she WILL drink reds on certain occassions, especially if it's a special bottle and I romanticize the purple juice a bit. I will definitely open one of the bottle around graduation time in June...but I think I may leave the other for sometime in 2010. RockinRonD

Wow, I'd love to taste that. Here is one experts opinion. With a phenomenal bouquet of exotic spices, coffee and intense blackcurrant, and a firm but incredibly ripe palate of great class, this Mouton clearly has few peers amongst the 1988 crop. The famous Baron Philippe de Rothschild died in January of this year, and this highly underrated wine is a fitting testament. Drink now-2020. From http://www.bbr.com/US/db/product/32480B/Ch...auillac?ID=null ←

Hey Peter... I've had two bottles of 1988 Mouton Rothschild laid down for about 12 years and I always said I would open them in celebration when my daughter graduates college. Well, she graduates from Bennington College this June...and I guess I'm going to have to make good on this. In fact, my brother-in-law insists on it. But I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to bring myself to pop the cork on both. I';m not even sure they're ready to be drunk. Any ideas? Ron