phaelon56

Gramercy Tavern does the same thing. It's a very nice touch - when I see it I know that the restaurant most likely has their act together on a number of levels, particularly relating to customer service. Just curious, Katie - are you doing anything special or particular for coffee service at Rouge?

You're far from alone.... as proven by this excerpt from my own foodblog I didn't even mention the glass or the bowl that I dropped and shattered that same week on the very same floor....

I stumbled across this thread again when looking for index topics. The Julius Meinl coffee is now available in whole bean form in 500 gram (1.1 lb) at Chef Central on Rte 17 in Paramus NJ (also in their Hartsdale NY store). The price was reasonable as I recall - about $8 - $10 per bag. This was as of eight to ten months ago but I imagine they still sell it. I haven't personally tried it but there was a discussion some time ago on Coffeegeek about the Julius Meinl coffee. The general consensus was that it was very good for a store bought whole bean commercial coffee but certainly not earthshaking, nor was it thought to be better than many of the microroaster offerings available locally here in the US. I haven't tried it but I'l be inclined to buy some and make a pot before I spend $5 per cup at Cafe Sabarsky.

These guys (and gals) will surely know where a suckling pig may be obtained in your neck of the woods Michigan Pork Producers Association 4801 Willoughby, Ste 5 Holt, MI 48842 517-699-2145

I think the point has been well established that dishwashing practices are idiosyncratic and vary wildly from one household to the next, much less from one country to another. Believe me.... I'm tidy but hardly anal about cleanliness - the dust is so thick in my house that the the roaches have to ride in dune buggies That said.... I give a quick rinse under a running tap to most plates and bowls before they go in the dishwasher. I do that with glasses if they've had something pulpy/sticky in them (like homestyle OJ) and also do it with my latte/cappa cups that have an encrustation of coffee oils etc around the rim. My reasoning is very simpel and based on experience. I don't run the dishwasher every day and certain items, if unrinsed before going in, never get completely clean once the washer is run.

No pics today - the batteries died on the digicam. Seared Ahi tuna steaks Warm salsa for the fish comprised of habanero, minced ginger, red and yellow peppers, plum tomatoes and fresh lime juice Oven roasted potato wedges Collard greens - first time I've made them and they were really, really good. Store bought peach cobbler with B&J's "light" vanilla ice cream for dessert.

I think cleaning the existing metal filter screen and replacing the charcoal filter is imperative. It may not be a cure but will likely improve the situation immensely. Forget about the "soaking in warm water" business. If that baby is as crudded up as I suspect, you need the miracle product that I learned about here in eGullet: Dawn Power Dissolver. It really, really works to remove built up layers of grease - better than anything else I've tried short of chemical degreasers that emit toxic fumes.

All good points made here although in some cases it's wise to separate higher end dining from the moderately priced middle of the road types of places that dominate the dining scene in some areas (e.g. where I live at present). What hasn't been mentioned here is the importance of training FOH staff to understand and incorporate the concept of dessert as part of the meal into their consciousness and sell that idea to the customer (albeit in a subtle way). I don't like, but do tolerate, going to a movie theatre and being asked if I want candy, nachos etc. to go with my popcorn or perhaps a larger size. The snack bar staff are upselling as they're required to by theatre management. What I really appreciate and so rarely encounter is a server who, when explaining a few of the specials, mentions a dessert or two and suggest that I might wish to save room for a specific dessert that's really good that day. This can be a very effective technique to boost dessert sales but I almost never encounter it. When I have, it's been done in such an effortless and natural way that it definitely didn't seem like a pitch - more like "useful information". Just don't get me started about restaurant coffee

Just curious - where does the phrase "honeymoon salad" come from? Have never heard that before. The "grey washed sugar" looks much like the Turbinado or "sugar in the raw" that's sold here - is it actually different? I did notice when I was in Mexico that their white sugar is actually a greay color (rather than the light brown I see in your photos). It's coarser than American white sugar and has a richer taste - closer to raw sugar.

Good concept but the water's not hot enough - the coffee will likely taste "okay" but not quite good enough. Water should be just off the boil for making coffee - around 205 degrees F is the right place to start because it loses some heat while dripping through the Melitta cone. Before getting a small electric kettle for the office, I would take the hot water from the water cooler spigot and then bump the heat level up near to boiling by zapping it in the microwave for another 30 seconds or so. I'm not suggesting that your coffee didn't taste good - most likely it did but it could be improved by hotter water. Better coffee is always a good thing

It's been about a couple years since I really made the rounds of espresso joints in Seattle. Most of my exploration was documented in a pictorial discussion thread over in the Cofeegeek discussion forums Phaelon56's Northwest Espresso Road Trip I returned to Seattle in the spring of '03 for a more limited visit. This time I sampled a few drinks at Ancient Grounds - downtown on 1st if I recall correctly. The owner, Roland, takes great care in offering a good selection and uses both Vivace and Lighthouse Beans. I've had much better microfoam but he's a nice guy and it's a very unique space, serving as a gallery of sorts that has Pacific Northwest tribal art and other unusual objects on display. They even have a cool historic espresso machine.... Here's the seating area - plenty of books and magazines to browse and.... Alaska's first espresso machine - now retired from service I also visited Lighthouse Roasters on the spring '03 trip. The drink I had while there was very good but the beans I took home totally rocked. Vivace uses a bit of robusta in their standard espresso blend to bump up crema and add that bit of bite so typical in the better Italian espresso blends. Lighthouse does not use robusta in their blend and it has a much different flavor profile than Vivace. It is, as always, a matter of personal taste, but the Lighthouse blend is thus far my favorite of all the Seattle area beans I've tried. It's in a residential neighborhood - I also got decent latte art on my take-away cup The inside is cool - a bit stark but very quiet. The roasting gear is right up in the back just beyond the seating area The short version of my Seattle impressions thus far..... (please note that I have not been able to visit Hines Public Coffee or Zoka yet but hear great things about both places) Vivace - it's everything that I thought it would be - top of the heap Victrola - best overall combo of atmopshere, food quality and espresso quality. They used Vivace beans when I was there but may roast their own now - can someone confirm this? Cafe Lladro - pretty darn good for a chain - not one of the very best but decent and predictable Caffe Vita - nice place but their Del Sol espresso blend was disappointing and drinks were just "okay" Bauhaus Books & Espresso - love the atmosphere and good espresso - not in my top 3 but very good Top Pot - gotta love those donuts! Had decent lattes here but rumor has it that they also now roast their own beans Ancient Grounds - really cool and inviting space to hang out and read whilst sipping a drink. Decent espresso drinks - mostly a daytime place - I think they're closed at night. Uptown Espresso - I went to the Belltown location - twice. Had a really average drink both times and the service was indifferent. Your mileage may vary - I hear good things from other people. Cafe D'Arte - seemed to me like they're resting on their laurels. Decent drink but nothing that wowed me and the service/attention to detail by barista's was lacking. Coffee Messiah - love the funky atmosphere and decorating but sorry.... the espresso drinks weren't too great Cherry Street - uhh..... nothing memorable - just another generic espresso joint - not really terrible but not all that good.

I've been using the Blood Orange vinegar for about a week now and it's great - very versatile. I'm inclined to try mxing some of my own because this product is NOT a vinegar made from blood orange juice. Uh uh. It's a good quality white wine and cider vinegar that is flavored with blood orange juice. I usually mix in a but of fresh thyme, some white pepper, sea salt and a dash of fruit juice for extra sweetness. Just a miniscule amount of oil is needed in order for the dressing to cling more easily to the greens. Very good. I realize that soem killer stuff can likely eb had by making my won from scracth from any number of different fruits but I'll start with mixing and blending a few and then post my results on a separate thread.

What are your favorite places for coffee or espresso in Philly and the surrounding are? Who's really got the goods? I'll kick this off with a few comments sent to me by a lurker (CR) who asked that I post these on his behalf

Yes... I agree completely. It does make for a very low-acid cup, helpful for some people if acidity is a problem, but I find that a good Indonesian coffee such as a Sumatra Mandheling or a Sulawesi, makes a very smooth low acid cup when brewed in the traditional manner (but tastes much better).

My situation is a polar opposite but at least with food, I'm assured of getting some two or three times a day. (but I discuss it way more than I ever talk about sex).

I was actually in a coffeehouse recently that had squeeze type dispenser bottles of simple syrup at the conduiments counter - great idea. I didn't realize there were indivudual packets but that's brilliant for iced coffee and iced tea - I think that's an idea that has more than just legs - seems ready to root itself. It was only a few years ago that just a handful of coffeehouses had raw turbinado sugar - now it's a rare one that doesn't.

Ahem is right Suzanne. I may not be quick with reading comprehension but I make up for it by not writing correctly

Thanks, Gifted Gourmet - those links are great. What I'm looking to do and hope someone here has had experience with the process.... is to make my own using store-bought white wine vinegar and cider vinegar as a base, then add the appropriate product to flavor (I'm thinking of reducing some pomegrante juice for the first try). Making my own from scratch looks like fuin but my plate is a bit full already with other projects.

Don't you run some kind of "bulletin board" with your friends? Since when is that not a job?

Vinegars are being discussed on this thread Superior Vinegars but it has occurred to me - it can't be that tough to mkae your own. I've seen some methods that people use for the simple ones such as tarragon infused etc. but I'm interested in some more creative concotions. Just curious to know what's really involved, what the issues are regarding preservation etc. Anyone here had personal experience with this or know a good resource for information? Edite to change incorrectly referenced link

I stumbled across a bottle of that this past year crazy cheap - can't recall where. Bought ti not knowing what I'd use it for but I really like it. Balsamic vinegar may be trendy but the good quality balsamic is just so damn versatile that it's timeless. I do agree that it's become a bit overused in trendy restaurants and migrated into dishes where it does not rightly belong. I suppose Maille is so mainstream a brand as to lack cachet for some gourmands but I absolutely love their red cider vinegar. I ran out, went looking for some, and discovered that my local Wegman's does not stock it. Can't even recall where I bought it and all they had was cheap store brand cider vinegar so I bought some Cuisine Perel Blood Orange Vinegar It's tasty enough but looking at the label prompts me to think that it would be pretty darn easy to make a vinegar like this at home. It contains Orange juice White wine vinegar White grape juice Cider vinegar Natural orange extract Annatto How tough could it be? I can't find a thread on making your own so I guess I'd better start one....

Let's talk about tea in Montreal and eastern canada. Where's the good stuff? What are your favorite place to go for tea? It can be a cafe, a teahouse, hotel or even a restaurant - anything goes....

Everyone I've made this for has been amazed and enthused, excepting one friend who ate a few bites and then refused to have more, as soon as he found out what it was (it's all a mental thing - very fussy eater). I've been using two sheet pans for one head. The smaller crumbly parts get browned faster, as do the more thinly sliced pieces. At some point during the turning and checking, I slip all the bigger not yet brown enough pieces onto one sheet and shovel all the browned but not yet blackened crumbs onto another. The small bits are at the perfect stage and just sit atop the stove waiting to be mixed back in with the others for serving. Even cauliflower wil char and blacken if cooked for too long - this separation process gets all the small bits and larger pieces to about the same stage of golden brown. Mmmmmm.... I believe I'll roast another head tonight.

As usual... Sam is right on the money. When I was new to espresso and capuccino in the home setting, I zipped right over to Ikea and picked up some of their 365 series espresso cups w/saucers and also some 8 oz cappa cups to match. These are beautifully shaped cups from an aesthetic standpoint but a thin-walled construction. There simlpy isn't enough thermal mass to retain much heat even when one preheats them with hot water. The espresso shots immediately lose some heat that is drawn off by the thin walls of the cup. The situation is compounded, when consuming cappa's, as they are sipped (usually) and take longer to consume. Awhile back I bought a pair each of some pricey Inox cappa and latte cups - the double walled 18/10 stainless steel type. They're also available for espresso in a 2 oz size. They do a great job of retaining the heat but more recently, having moved into a house from a small apartment, I snagged a deal on a dozen Illy bar cups of the 6 oz cappa variety, figuring I'd need them for entertaining. These things are great - thick walled, hold the heat really well, have an ideal shape and the saucer sort of swoops up toward the center in pedestal fashion, where a circular indentation holds the cup My stainless steel cups are gathering dust now - I use the Illy cups every day. The exact same cup is available in espresso size for about $55 per dozen cup/saucer sets. Illy Cups at Chris Coffee Scroll down to se the "Illy logo" cups - the other cups on the page are the "art" collection and command a huge premium because they are numbered editions that have a collectible value. Apparently the finish on the "art" cups is typically a higher grade of porcelain finish than the bar cups (aka "logo" cups) but my bar cups are great - good glossy finish and no flaws that I've ever seen.

I'll second this recommendation and I also don't recall ever seeing smokers in the back dining room there. The seafood selections are outstanding and I really enjoy that cubed pork and potato dish with lemon. Can't recall the name but it's so tasty.