TAPrice

Yeah, mouthfeel seems like very specific, useful term. It also, though, sounds like jargon. I try to avoid it when writing, but it doesn't offend me when I read (and I'm happy to use it in conversation).

I don't know, sometimes gelatinous is just the right word, but it's not one that I would use in a positive description. It doesn't make me hungry.

Everyone surely has a food description, metaphor or cliche that grates of their nerves. Something that makes you recoil in horror, either in your own writing or in pieces that you read. I keep a list of words and phrases that I notice myself overusing. That list is growing all the time. Currently, I'm not of fan: any sexual metaphors for food any moral metaphors for food ("sinful cake," etc.) "belly up to bar" "perfect" "ambitious" And I think everyone hates "toothsome." Why do we even need that word? What are your words and phrases to avoid?

That's a good point. Most bars can't be expected to mix carefully when the crowds are huge (although it can be done; recently in NYC I saw the bartenders slamming out careful cocktails at the hipster hangout Freeman's). This is problem at the Columns, I think. The place is always so packed at happy hour time that the bartenders can barely keep up. This is probably why restaurants do better (that and the fact that they're more likely to have fresh juices). I would say that New Orleans certainly has some bartenders who care about and know about cocktails, but we have very few bars that have that attitude. The Swizzle Stick is an obvious exception. I'm pretty confident that anyone working there knows the classic drinks and can make them well. At other places, there might be a particular bartender with an interest in cocktails, but you might be out of luck if you arrive on that person's off night (even the bartender at the Delachaise drew a blank when I originally asked for a negroni, which I thought was a pretty standard drink). On the one hand, if no one orders anything beyond Bloody Marys, martinis, highballs and Sazeracs, then it's not surprising that bartenders wouldn't be conversant in other cocktails. On the other hand, a good bartender could teach people about the wide variety of cocktails. If the crowds aren't too big, it's easy to discover someone's preferences and turn them on to a new drink. An enthusiastic cocktailian like Chris McMillian at the Library Lounge certainly does this.

I went to the Delachaise last night to sample a few cocktails. Everything was nicely done. Neil, the real cocktail enthusiast, wasn't working that night, but the woman behind the bar (wish I got her name) did me right. The Delachaise listed the Scorpion on the specials menu and I knew that over labor day they were doing tiki specials. Unfortunately, they were out of some special ingredients, but the bartender offered to make me an Eastern Sour (here is Drink Boy's notes on the cocktail). Very nice. Fresh orange juice (luckily she was out of pre-made OJ), bourbon and orgeat were the main ingredients. Next, she made me another tiki drink, but I forgot the name. Rum, coffee liquor and pineapple juice were the main ingredients. Very odd and quite satisfying. It seems that Jeff Berry, the king of tiki, had taught them some drinks when he passed through recently. To end the evening, I ordered a Manhattan. Glass was properly chilled. Angostura bitters were added. I could have sworn that she muddled an orange in the shaker, but I was watching that closely and she was making a lot of drinks. If she did, it added a nice twist. It was just a very nice and well-balanced cocktail. The bar also seems to have a very good selection of liquors.

Here is a round-up of bars mentioned above (I'll update this list as new places are suggested): Absinthe House Bridge Lounge Carousel Bar d.b.a. The Delachaise French 75 Library Lounge Loa The Napoleon House Napoleon's Itch St. Joe's Swizzle Stick Tujague's Restaurants with good cocktail programs: Bourbon House Brennan's Cochon Commander's Palace Dante's Kitchen Delmonico Emeril's Iris Lilette Marigny Brasserie One Restaurant and Lounge Edit: Added Lilette, which was left off by mistake. (9/25/07) Added Brennan's. (9/26/07)

There was a section on cocktails made with fresh fruit, just not a general section on cocktails. It was arranged around "readers" questions (no names of readers were given, so I'm not sure if all these questions were submitted). Questions like, "Which bars have the best by-the-glass selection?" or "Who has good happy hour food specials?"

There are two menus. There is a short menu of house cocktails along with a menu of classic cocktails. I can't remember which drinks are on the classic menu (last time I was there Katie, Dave the Cook and JAZ were there for Tales; maybe one of them remembers better), but I ordered a Hemingway daiquiri off the classic menu.

Slkinsey, Thanks for weighing in on this (and I hope you don't mind that I quoted you; your comment got me thinking about this). I think Swizzle Stick would qualify in this respect, but it might be too embedded in a tourist friendly zone to be a regular hang out for locals. I'm curious to see what Delachaise is doing. It's has the kind of atmosphere that would make it perfect to start such a trend. The chef is adventurous, and because it's a one-man operation, he runs out the plates and often chats with customer. It creates an atmosphere where people are comfortable talking about the food and taking chances. If that atmosphere could be extended to the bar (and maybe it has, I haven't been in a few months), that would be a good start.

I've heard that Delachaise has been doing so serious cocktails recently. I'm going to try to put that to the test tomorrow.

Yes, it is open. I've never thought of getting a drink there because the beer selection is so enticing. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for the tip.

Katie: Yes, those poor bartenders at the Carousel Bar were getting slammed. Everyone seemed to want a Ramos gin fizz. I remember one afternoon when the bartenders would announce "We have no more eggs" even before you could order. Robert: Yeah, we're not good on trends. That's good and bad. Perhaps the question is not why we're behind the times, but why we stopped making good drinks. Because really, the trend towards good mixology is really a return to long cast aside practices. And around here, we're really good about holding on to foodways that others have abandoned. I suspect the desire to accomodate tourists who want to get really drunk really fast is part of the answer. What have people's experiences been at the Columns Hotel bar?

The Picayune published a bar guide this week (only the index seems to be online). It's answers lots of question, like where to dance or where to hear a DJ. Conspicuously missing from the reader submitted questions is "Where to get a good cocktail." On another thread in the Spirits and Cocktails forum, Slkinsey said: I'm a recent convert to drinking cocktails, so I don't have much experience drinking them outside of New Orleans. I have noticed that restaurants are more likely to mix a good drinks. Two questions: Why hasn't New Orleans picked up on the trend towards quality cocktails? And, which bars (not restaurants) make a good drink? I'll start with the second question: Swizzle Stick: Lu Brow and her entire crew are top notch. Certainly the best place to get a drink in town. Library Lounge: Chris McMillian is a great bartender and a real historian of cocktails. Tujague's: I've had pretty solid drinks at Tujague's bar.

Are the taco trucks still at the Loew's on Elysian Fields? I went out there Saturday to get lunch, but there were no food vendors in sight. No tacos and no barbecue. Maybe they don't show up on Saturdays? I'm not sure that I'd ever been there on a weekend before.

Here is the website, but it doesn't have a menu yet. Maybe they'll get one up soon. I saw a preliminary menu, but I can't find my copy of that. The food is grounded in classic French cuisine, with both some local and global elements. Overall light. It should be very seasonal and based on what's fresh at the moment. The chef, Aaron Burgau, spent the last six months as a market manager for the Crescent City Farmers Market. He plans to use all the connections he made with farmers and producers to supply the restaurant. Also, they plan to do breakfast/brunch on both Saturday and Sunday.

I always add two months to any projected opening date. When I read the article, I said to myself that we won't be able to dine at Mila in this calendar year. But who knows. They've got a big hotel behind them, which might speed the process. I also don't know how much work was done on the space when it was, at least in name, still Rene Bistrot.

Could it be that anyone who actually drinks cocktails knows what a difference a little care can make? Maybe it has a lot to do with the personal drinking habits of a bartender?

What's an OJT-type bartender?

Good point. Maybe I should start carrying a checkbook. A few comments to the above: Sam: It's New Orleans, a down hood is never more than a few blocks away. David: In New Orleans, lots of restaurants are not in high traffic areas. There are still lots of places in residential neighborhoods. I'd say my annoyance threshold is about $60. If a place costs more than that for 2 people, then I want the option to use plastic. More importantly to the restaurants, that's about the threshold where I'll limit my spending to make sure that I don't come up short. No matter how much money I've got in my pocket, I pay a lot more attention to the prices at cash only places.

Sazeracs often annoy bartenders. So many steps. Most good restaurants can do a nice version. I'm not looking for a pass or fail test. Some of my favorite bars are mainly places to get a shot and a beer. I agree that there are many types of great bartenders. What I was looking for was a single drink that would let me know if a bar might produce decent cocktails. If a place served a Manhattan as an unmixed highball on the rocks, then it's probably safer to get beer there. If the first drink was good, then it might be worth investigating further and ordering some more drinks. One place who served me a miserable Manhattan last night (although at least it wasn't on the rocks, but it was in a short, highball style glass) proclaims itself "the evolution of the cocktail." I hope not.

I got word that Patois opened last night. If they didn't pull that off, then it should be open tonight (Friday). I think this is a soft opening.

Am I being unrealistic to expect a cocktail bar to mix a decent cocktail? I don't expect a dive or neighborhood bar to do this, sure. But I would expect a swanky lounge with high prices to mix a basic drink. (And no, I don't normally hang in swanky lounges, but this is for work.) I'm learning that's true. Restaurants do a better job mixing drinks I find.

I'll preface this by saying that I'm new to cocktails. I only started seriously mixing drinks at home over the summer. Recently I've been updating some nightlife listings for a guidebook. Wanting to get a better handle on the drinks served, I've tried to order a cocktail that will help me quickly judge the talent behind the bar. My choice has been a Manhattan. Here's my thinking: 1) Every bar has the necessary ingredients. Yes, I love to see fresh juices and such, but I figure that a competent bartender could be working at a place too cheap to buy fruit. 2) It's a drink that people do order and every bartender knows. No need to explain the drink and it's ingredients. 3) It's not complicated. Only two ingredients (three if you add bitters, but that's asking for the moon). In my limited knowledge of mixology, it seems like balance is the mark of skill. This drink is about correctly balancing (or measuring) two elements. 4) The garnish is well-established and, again, something that every bar should have on hand. 5) I can see if they chill the drink properly and serve it in a cold cocktail glass. 6) Also, if the bartender asks for my Bourbon preference instead of grabbing the well brand, then I figure they have some concern for what they're making. Most bartenders in New Orleans, it seems, can't mix a Manhattan. Too often I've gotten sweet vermouth and Bourbon on the rocks. Normally, there isn't even an attempt to mix the drink. It's not a highball, but too many bartenders are unaware of this. So, is this drink a good test? Should I be ordering something different? What else should I be on the lookout for?

It does seem, though, that cash only places are more frequent in New Orleans. I'm not sure why that is. Are they making money off the ATMs set up in the business? I also don't mind Casamento's being cash only, but I can't say that I'm not glad that Camellia Grill starting taking plastic. Honestly, I don't like walking around with $100 or more in cash.

The other night, my wife and I decided to try the recently reopened Ciro's Cote Sud on Maple Street. For some reason, we'd never tried it before, even though one of our most trustworthy food sources raves about it (the man's French, well, French Canadian). When we got there, we remembered why we never went. We tried once before, but were so put off by their cash only policy that we went elsewhere. This time, I drove several blocks to an ATM while she got a table. And it was good, and I might go back. But the cash only thing bugs me. New Orleans seems to have an unusual number of cash only restaurants. I have no problem with snowball stands not taking credit cards. When a place like Ciro's, which sells bottles of wine, doesn't take plastic, I think it's ridiculous. I also had this experience at Mandina's. Looking at their brand new, computerized point of sale system, it just seemed obstinate that they wouldn't hook it up to a phone line and take credit cards. So what is your tolerance level for cash only place? I'm ok with po-boy shops, but I don't appreciate a place like Lola's not taking credit cards.