TAPrice

A few comments below: Acme is easy. Not too bad for a po-boy, and there aren't a lot of better po-boy options in the French Quarter. Without the oyster bar, it's less appealing. If you want something no hassle when you arrive, this might work. You can find better food. Are you sure Wilie Mae's is open on Monday? Go on the early side, because it can be slow. Also, be cautious in the neighborhood. Personally, I really love the zoo. The swamp exhibit, way in the back, would be interesting for you. It's a first class establishment. I also have a two year old, so that might color my opinion. I would suggestion a Hansen's sno-ball on the way home from the zoo, but they're closed on Monday. Upperline just lost Ken Smith, who had been the chef for about 20 years. He decided to become a priest. Keep that in mind. You know the 9th Ward and Parkway aren't close, right? I agree with others that Lola's could be skipped. Perfectly fun place. The Spanish food is fine, but nothing that ambitious. Keep in mind that many people spend three hours at Galatoire's for lunch. That's a lot of food in one day. I wonder if breakfast at Brennan's will kill your appetite?

As far as I can tell, Zacapa is really a 6 year old rum. They use a solera method, but everything I've read says the youngest rum in the bottle is 6 years old. The bottle used to say "23 años," as this old photos shows: Old photo of Zacapa Now they tout that it's aged at 2,300 feet and make no mention of years in any language on the front. ETA: I don't own a bottle at the moment, but this discussion on a tiki forum says the back of the bottles states 5 to 23 year old rums.

[quote name='Dan Perrigan' date='05 August 2010 - 08:23 PM' Do you know if Lemon Hart 151 is still available in the States?

For me, it's pretty much "big one." Until a few weeks ago, we ate black drum once a week. Occasionally we'd have fresh shrimp another night. I only buy directly from the fishers at out farmers market, and they don't sell a wide variety.

I was actually in the seminar where Pacault talked about Bluecoat (it was the spirit tasting workshop on Friday morning). In the Q&A section, someone asked for Pacault's opinion of Anchor and Bluecoat. He didn't respond about Anchor (although he might not have heard the whole question), but he talked about how much he disliked Bluecoat. A plant? I seriously doubt that. But judging from the tone in which the question was asked, I gathered the questioner knew what the response would be. After flipping through Pacault's book, it's clear that when he dislikes a spirit he really hates it. His scorn for Rogue, for example, is pretty fierce. His comments about Bluecoat certainly aren't out of line with his opinions of his other least favorite spirits.

Russian Standard has a tasting room at Tales on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Another miss for me. Maybe I should start reporting this experiences on the "drink that go in the sink" thread. I tried the Colonial Cooler from this month's Imbibe. It's from the article on Brooklyn bars. 1.5 oz London dry (I used Beefeater) 3/4 sweet vermouth 3/4 oz Carpano Antica .25 Cointreau .5 lemon juice Soda water Shake. Strain into iced high ball (I used a Collins, because who can find highballs?) and top with soda. Going into this, I thought it would be too sweet. Three sweet elements (two vermouths and Cointreau) seemed like overkill. In the end, it was just a unpleasant (and somewhat watery) mismash. Nothing played nice. Strike two for Brooklyn related cocktails. I'm going to stick to Manhattans.

Following a recipe in the Washington Post, I tried a Greenpoint. I gather this belongs to a class of rye drinks named after hipster enclaves. 2 ounce high-proof rye (I used Wild Turkey) 1/2 ounce green Chartreuse 1/2 ounce Punt e Mes Stir, strain, lemon twist. Not a great drink. Too hot. Too much alcohol. I won't be making this one again. WaPo: Greenpoint recipe

The second hand word I got from a bartender at Cure is that it's coming but not in time for Tales

Headed up to Montreal this weekend. We're looking for a Sunday brunch option. Any suggestions? My wife, who is in her third trimester, gave me this requirement: Bagels will be for another morning.

But isn't dilution desirable? Aren't drinks suppose to increase roughly 25% due to dilution? Or are you still getting enough dilution when the alcohol hits the strained ice and you then chill the liquid down by stirring?

Direct from Scott McClard, here is why Bill Clinton's favorite barbecue joint only has chicken on Wednesday: Not sure it adds much to Fat Guy's original question, but there you go.

Last month I was in Hot Springs, AR, and ate a few times at McClard's Bar-B-Q restaurant. They only have chicken on Wednesdays. Why? No idea. Maybe chicken barely sells, but then why make it all? Maybe the pit masters don't like working with chicken? [i emailed McClard's. We'll see what they say.]

I don't see how that's the same argument at all. The line from the whole-hog people is regional bluster and, frankly, nonsense. It's not grilling unless you have direct heat. Has enough cultural attention been lavished on barbecue chicken that people would even recognize certain styles and approaches in the U.S., in the way we do with other smoked meats? Do these barbecue styles ultimately depend upon restaurants as a touchstone? And if barbecue chicken is considered more of a home dish, do we lack these restaurant reference points for fowl?

I wonder if serious barbecue circles (or parts of the country that have a culture of barbecue) see chicken as home cooking. Sure, you can cook other types of meat at home and plenty of people do. But it still can be a bit of a production. Tossing some chicken on the grill and banking the coals to one side, well, that's just a weeknight meal.

What happened to the CIA instructor? She got a little testy when the judges asked if she had made this dessert before (she hadn't). And then, as far as could tell, she just disappeared. Which is pretty much what happened in the previous episodes. Is she just too mid-pack to rate much screen time at this point? It seems like the producers could wring a lot of drama out of a CIA instructor. And I'd like to hear someone with solid fundamentals and a little more maturity comment on the competition. Could add a new perspective.

That could be, but I don't know that region well.

Yes, how could I forget Cork and Bottle. Great shop with a nice selection. There is a Martin Wine Cellar on Magazine Street, which is closer to the French Quarter. It's quite small, though, compared to the shop in Metairie. If you call ahead, they can send anything over to the Magazine Street location.

Selection in New Orleans has improved significantly over the last year. Your best bet is to stop at either Martin Wine Cellar or Dorignacs grocery. Both in Metairie, which is a long way from the Quarter. On the other hand, you could make a stop on the trip to the airport.

Rittenhouse Bonded is available retail in New Orleans, as are several of the Haus Alpenz products. Pretty sure I've seen Junipero, but I'm not certain. The liquor store in the French Quarter is called Vieux Carre. Don't know what they carry, because I don't shop there often: Vieux Carre WIne and Spirits

Domenica, an Italian restaurant here in New Orleans, makes its limoncello (and other citrus liqueurs) by suspending whole fruit in cheesecloth above the Everclear. I don't know the exact procedure, but the results are incredible. Anyone tried this? The chef said he picked up the technique in Italy. The only downside is that you need a rather large jar. I also imagine that it takes longer to make a batch.

New Orleans doesn't have a bbq style or really any decent bbq restaurants. Another way we're not like the rest of the South.

CNN quotes a Nature Conservancy scientist on the long-term impact on oysters: The article also says that 40% of the nation's seafood comes the Gulf of Mexico.

As a precaution, fishing was halted today from Louisiana to Florida. The New York Times says swordfish and tuna, along with charter boat fishing, will be most affected: This article is not completely clear on the details, but as far as I know fishing and oyster harvesting continues west of the Mississippi, where there is still no oil. I've seen reports that if the oil continues to flow, it could make its way around Florida and up the Eastern seaboard.

Bob Marshall, the Times-Picayune's Pulitzer winning outdoors writers, looks at the impact on people who lead charter fishing trips: One ray of hope, at least for the economic survival of these and commercial fishermen, is that they may be able to make money from the clean-up operation. It also seems clear that BP is responsible for these loses. If it takes years for compensation to arrive, however, it may force the fishermen to give up and seek other work. That could devastate the fishing industry, I would think. Edit: Another TP article on fishermen training to help in the cleanup. And this TP article from several days ago explains how most fishing and oyster harvesting east of the Mississippi was shut down as a precaution.