DTBarton

Just thought I'd throw this in. Another place with a huge wine list on line (82 pages) is the Angus Barn in Raleigh, NC. They list their prices, have a magnum section as well. Fun to look at. http://www.angusbarn.com/

I like the magnum idea, but I also like the idea of trying some different things with the steaks. A classic comparison would be to have a good California Cab and a Cabernet based Bordeaux to compare. I usually prefer the Bordeaux because I like the effect that blending in a little softer wine (merlot, cab franc) has on the varietal Cabernet. Don't think you can go wrong. Have fun.

While bacterial contamination is certainly an issue to be considered, the media tends to blow these things way out of proportion. During the recent spinach apocalypse when some 200 people nationwide were sickened, it was believed, by tainted spinach, I saw an interesting article that noted that each year some 200,000 cases of e-coli related sickness are reported in the U.S. That's about 4000 a week. So, actually, the spinach and Taco Bell situations are well within the statistical norm. Given the amount of food that is produced, packaged, distributed, prepared, and consumed it's amazing how little food related illness there is and a testament to the quality of our food supply.

I agree with Felice. I've had many enjoyable Beaujolais wines over the years, medium bodied and fruity, pairs well with a lot of different foods. I have never understood the BN thing except as a way to hawk crappy wine. It does succed in getting some people who don't normally drink or buy wine to try it but you'd think they'd want to showcase a better product to potential new customers.

I am always extremely dubious of studies that make cataclismic, omnipotent claims that are obviously speculative, like all the fish will be gone by 2048 (not 2049, or 2047). Environmental systems are so huge and complex that anyone who claims to predict with certainty what will happen in the short term, not to mention over 40 or 50 years seems to me to be engaged in very arrogant chutzpah. I don't know the affiliation of the people who published this study but that's always interesting to find out. Sometimes dire predictions about one thing or another are funded by folks who profit from such predictions. Government funded researchers have little incentive to present positive news because then there would be no need for them to get continued funding. They typically reach conclusions that are somewhat to very negative and the course of action always includes more funding for further studies, natch. There are many examples of bogus doomsday predictions. Many of the same people who are now thrashing about global warming were yelling about global cooling 30 years ago. Paul Erlich and his overpopulation alarmists told us in the mid 70s that half the world's population would starve by the mid 80s because we couldn't produce enough food. Here we are in the 21st century fretting about an obesity epidemic as the US population flies over 300 million. And the most recent, obvious alarmist nonsense about the 2006 hurricane season that was going to wash us all into the sea. I think we can take heart in the reality which is that in these days of modern disisimination of information, issues like this are freely discussed and hashed out such that major calamity can't happen in a vacuum. Look at all the opinions being expressed on a foodie web site!

Italian market link: http://www.theitalianmarket.com/index.html

I like Ledo's pizza OK, wife really likes it, but it is a style unto itself. The crust has a definite butter thing going, like pie crust as stated above. Enjoyable, but it's own product. I'll probably get flamed unmercifully for this, but I also like Bertucci's, a dreaded chain. Our local one in Annapolis is a bit inconsistent, but on a good day, they're the best in town. They have a nice hot oven to use and a decent crust recipe. I usually tell them to go easy on the sauce and cheese and I've gotten some really good pies there. They have 2 DC locations (Dupont Circle and Pa Ave.) and one in Tyson's corner. http://www.bertuccis.com/ Disclaimer - Don't eat anything else at Bertucci's but pizza. I tried once. In Annapolis, we have a few places that make pretty decent thin crust pie and sell it by the slice. Squisito has several locations http://www.squisitopizzaandpasta.com/index.html, Mangia is on the city dock next to Mill's Wine and Spirits (a good destination in it's own right), and the Italian Market also is a local small chain (2 stores) that sells slices. They also have a decent selection of imported Italian products and wine. Welcome to the neighborhood.

33 Liberty was on our list based on lots of kudos in this forum. After much driving it was the close walking distance from the hotel that made the diff. Hit you all next time. I mean, how can Snow White AND Varmint be wrong?

One more review, forgot to give Soby's in Greenville some love. http://www.sobys.com/ Man, has downtown Greenville changed in the last 20 years! We stayed at the Hyatt and enjoyed walking Main Street in the evenings. Had a very nice dinner at Soby's. It was packed on Friday night. Took them about 15 extra minutes to get us seated, but once there, the service was pleasant and efficient. Apps were good. She crab soup was tasty but could have been hotter/a little thinner. Fried calamari was delicious and light. I little more bread than squid, but nice. Some of the best fried greem tomatoes I've erer had. Entrees were all good, that happy time when the entrees were more consistent than the apps. Our group tried the crab cakes, the leg of lamb, the hangar steak, and the pork tenderloin. All were well prepared with nice ingredients and thoughtful side dishes. Neat refurbished building. Hostess said it was a shoe factory in a previous life. This is not your Daddy's Greenville, SC!

Same request for you, Bombdog. Could you share names and locations of your favorite Columbia spots for my "next trip" dossier? Preferably somewhat close to I-26 if possible, but not required. All my SC connections are lowcountry and/or upstate, usually just driving through the middle. As a Clemson alum, too much Columbia time can get to ya!

I'm sure you've divulged them before, but what are your favorite spots (for planning my next trip)? I see you're in Raleigh, home of your pig pickin'. Have to get to that event some time. I went to Murray's in Raleigh about two years ago, it was really good BBQ. Heard they're closed.

It's funny the ebb and flow (this is a tidal community, after all) of people's impressions and experiences at different places. We went to Hank's a year ago and got a terrible meal, one of the worst I've had. A bad night, I'm sure.

Just returned from a nine day sojourn through the southeast. Did some great eating and thought I'd share some thoughts. Many of these places have been mentioned in these forums before so I'm just adding a recent review. No pics, sorry. Started in Portsmouth, VA, at brother in law's place. Kudos to Aimee for some terrific grilled lamd chops. She marinated them overnight in olive oil, salt, pepper, and lots of fresh onion juice extracted by whipping onions in the food processor and straining. Wonderful, I'm going to steal it ASAP. We brought marinated shrimp and scallopped potatoes, they had nice salad, bonfire on a James river beach, life is good. Took a leisurely back road drive from Portsmouth to Goldsboro, NC. Boy, was it cotton harvest time. Miles of roads with cotton balls in the shoulder. Wanted to try a couple of eastern NC barbecue places, Wilber's (http://hollyeats.com/Wilbers.htm) and McCall's (http://hollyeats.com/McCalls.htm). This is easy to do as they're about 1/4 mile apart on highway 70 just east of Goldsboro. We found the chopped pork barbecue, slaw, and Brunswick stew at Wilber's to be excellent. Hush puppies were good, but too sweet and not enough onion for my taste, local custom, I think. Liked their sauce, bought a bottle for $2. Very vinegary/peppery. McCall's is a buffet. The chopped pork and BBQ chicken were both very good. Ribs were somewhat overcooked and had an oddly sweet sauce. Not bad if you got a thick one and cut the sauce with some vinegar sauce and Texas Pete. Slaw was good (both places served a green slaw, no carrots). Fried chicken was decent. Rest of the buffet was no big deal, mediocre fried seafood and tired vegetables. Missing were the more interesting veggies listed on the white board by the door like collard greens and lima beans. Verdict: I liked Wilber's BBQ a little better, more vinegar and a little coarser chop. Slaws were a draw. McCall's hush puppies were less sweet, better, but still no onion to speak of. Wife liked McCall's BBQ a little better. Wilber's wins on atmosphere big time. As an aside, wife's great grandfather ran a clothing store in Goldsboro, she had an ad from 1917 when it opened. She also had a picture of his house, but no address. Mentioned it to our somewhat elderly waitress and started a 20 minute discussion about the store and where the house might be. She remembered the store. Another older gentleman who worked there drew us a map of downtown Goldsboro and marked where the house might be. Said his mother in law had worked at the clothing store many years ago. Finally a visit from Wilber himself. He said he worked at another BBQ place (Owen's?) from 1949 until he started Wilber's in the early 60s. His opinion was the house might have been torn down. The neighborhoods they identified had many houses in the same architectural style and some lots where things had been torn down. Really nice, helpful folks. I love the south. Another back road drive from Goldsboro to Charleston, SC. Route 701 was very enjoyable from about 30 miles south of Goldsboro all the way to Georgetown SC on the coast. Passed a promising looking BBQ place called Woodie's too early to eat. Decided to eat a late lunch at Seewee in Awendaw, SC, about 20 miles north of Charleston (http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=1402, http://hollyeats.com/Seewee.htm). Gone by it a few times, got good review from Holly and my friend Michael Bonner, two good signs. In a word, great! We wanted to try the fried shrimp and fried oysters, so got those two platters. Menu said they came with fries and slaw. Waitress said, "Are you happy with fries and slaw?" They have a long list of cool side dishes and you can pick whichever, a nice touch. So, we said, let us have slaw, butter beans, collard greens, and fried okra. And a side of hush puppies. Seven items, all delicious. These folks know how to fry, thin, crisp, tasty, non greasy coating. As good a fried shrimp as I've ever had, maybe best fried okra. Hush puppies not sweet and oniony, all right. Have to go back. On to Charleston for Anniversary dinner at Fig(http://www.eatatfig.com/home/default.aspx). Really excellent dinner. Appetizers were all very good. Special app of local wax beans in a lemon vineagrette. Simple and superb. Never had a wax bean anywhere near that good, small, tender, vibrant. Chicken liver pate was smooth, rich and delicious. Duck confit was crispy and good and a nice textural foil to the lentils it came with. Entrees lived up to the apps, always a plus. Two folks had the suckling pig. Neat presentation. They carve the pig and take a rectanglar frame. In the frame, they mix some white meat, some dark, and some brown skin bits. Remove the frame, top with roast pork juices and a mustard sauce (It IS SC pig!). Served with small beets and greens. Yum. Pan seared grouper was good as well. I got the sweetbreads. Impeccable ingredients, but I found the dish to be underseasoned, tending towards bland. Odd, since bacon was used in the prep. Excellent dessert of Carolina gold rice pudding with cherries and walnuts. Nice bottle of pinot Noir. Fun anniversary. They have live jazz on Tuesday nights which we enjoyed. Dinner the next night was at a new Italian restaurant called Mercato. Here is a review I didn't see before I went that captures my experience pretty accurately: http://www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/...Date=10/19/2006 After the build up of the chef, his background, training with Mario Batali, etc, we were underwhelmed. We did like some of the same dishes the reviewer liked. The carpaccio was very good, the mushroom risotto was excellent. An eggplant app was good, except for bitter, inedible eggplant. Entrees were less successful. I thought the orichette with sausage and broccoli rabe was good, it was a bit spicy for the person who ordered it. My osso bucco was nice, but somewhat overcooked. I know it's a long braised dish, but this was done too long. The special that night was whole pompano, a fish we love and can't get very often. Unfortunately, it was way overcooked. The flesh was mush. A shame, it was a pretty fish. Also, our table in the middle of the upstairs dining room was so dark, we had to beg matches and a key chain flashlight to read the menu (and my eyes are pretty good for 46 years old). We weren't the only ones struggling with the low light. It's a new place, maybe still having growing pains. The next day was spent in McClellanville SC, about 35 miles north of Charleston on the coast. It's a true shrimping village with white clapboard houses, live oaks with Spanish moss, and some of the best shrimp and oysters on the planet. We were treated to a great meal of shrimp sauteed in butter, garlic, capers, and Worcestershire that was fabulous. Kind of like New Orleans BBQ'd shrimp, but a little milder. Served over rice. Then on to oysters. Bull's Bay clusters roasted on sheet metal over a wood fire. Haven't had them in years and I'll still put Bull's Bays up against any oyster in the world. And our second bonfire of the week. Thanks Michael! Heading to Clemson, SC for the weekend. Made an unplanned BBQ stop in Columbia, SC at Maurice's BBQ (http://www.mauricesbbq.com/). Saw the signs on I-26. Didn't have any expectations since big cheesy interstate signs usually mean lame food. Turns out it's a local chain with several locations in the greater Columbia area. We went to the main location north of I-26 at exit 113, I think. It's a BBQ complex like I've never seen. A restaurant, office complex, and a huge smoke building where I assume they cook stuff for all the restaurants. I was encouraged by the large amount of hardwood sitting there. Also, by the road, a big sign that says "we buy oak and hickory". Then I saw that they had been in business since 1939. Another good sign. Bottom line: Good stuff, SC style. We got one large platter to split so we could try some things. Chopped pork was very good, nice browns, coated in a yellowish mustardy sauce. Ribs were excellent, tender and meaty, nice smoke. A little salty, but that's a nit pick. The hash and rice was tasty, reminiscent of Sweatman's (http://hollyeats.com/Sweatmans.htm). When we ordered, the nice lady yelled back "extra plate with that platter!" Then, when the waitress brought it out, she dropped it off and came back with another plate with two more hush puppies and another roll, so our split was complete. More southern hospitality. After a disappointing football game, headed home to Maryland. One last BBQ stop in Lexington NC. Never been before. Now I understand what the fuss is about. Wow. Best BBQ of the trip and we had a bunch of good BBQ. I guess I like the western NC style a little better than the easten, never would have guessed. First stop, the famous Lexington #1 (http://hollyeats.com/Lexington.htm). First impression: Good lord, look at the crowd for Monday lunch! Packed big parking lot, dine in and take out cranking at a high rate of speed. We had a chopped pork platter and a sandwich. Some of the best I've ever had, beautiful smoke flavor and carefully chopped, not fatty at all. Added some of their very peppery brown sauce ($1.80/bottle, brought one home). The red slaw was perfect with the BBQ. I thought it meant red cabbage, but it's more like they mix a little tomato sauce in the slaw. It works. While looking for Lex #1, we passed the BBQ Center on North Main street (http://www.barbecuecenter.com/). Decide to stop back by and get a sandwich to go. Also excellent, very similar chopped pork and red slaw. I guess if I HAD to pick I'd take Lexington #1 by a nose. BBQ center was a little saucier and saltier, but that's serious nit picking, they were both great. Guess you can't get away with serving bad BBQ in Lexington. Well, that's enough rambling for now. Think I'll go vegetarian for a few days!

We freeze pesto all the time when we have the basil glut. I like to freeze it without the cheese or butter for two reasons. 1. Then I can cut off chunks and use it to season marinara or other sauces. 2. When you add the cheese and butter fresh, it seems to refresh the frozen basil/garlic/olive oil/pine nut mixture and give it a brighter flavor.

I usually just Google whatever it is I'm thinking of making with the word recipe added. Gets you a nice cross section of resources.

I usually think of a few grapes as aging grapes. The king of aging grapes is Cabernet Sauvignon. Varietal Cabernet or blends of predominantly Cabernet are usually good candidates for aging. I tend to keep Cabernet dominant Bordeaux for 8 - 10 years at least. It's possible you will get some ageable Cabernet in your wine club offerings. Other good candidates for aging: Red Zinfandel - Good for 5 - 15 years depending on pedigree. Nebbiolo - Barolos can age and age. Rhone style blends of Grenache/Syrah etc. - I like my Chateauneuf-de-Pape between about 6 - 12 years old, but can go longer depending on pedigree. Most whites should be drunk sooner rather than later with very few exceptions like really good Rieslings.

I agree with Simon, i.e. most people have a positive notion about Italian food, unlike some other ethnic varieties. Good Italian food is relatively inexpensive and simple to prepare as long as you use good ingredients. And, I think, Italian, along with anything tapas/small plates is the fad du jour glomming on to the "healthy Mediterranean" theme.

Depends on if you like them! I agree with trying to find out what they like, do they drink wine, etc. Maybe go out to lunch and see what they eat.

Tried my first bottle of 2004 Aresti Estate Selection pinot noir a couple nights ago. As good a pinot as I've ever had for under $10. Straightforward varietal characteristics, nice fruit, well balanced. At this price it's not ethereal Burgundian or anything, but to me a serious bang for the buck.

We went to Hominy Grill last year and also had an ordinary meal. Not bad, but nothing special. Wanted to mention another lodging option. If you want a great downtown location with free parking, check out the Days Inn on Meeting street. Nothing fancy at all, but can't beat the price/location ratio. Nothing comes close that I'm aware of.

I hadn't noticed this thread when I posted about the Williams bangers in the mail order food thread in the special occasions section. I believe those bangers would be perfect for the English style sausage rolls mentioned previously here.

Memories keep coming back. The access road is a loop where you stay to the right on the way in, Bowen's is at the end of the loop, and you stay to the right on the way out. You had to remember to check the tide though as the Folly river side of the loop (the way out) could be flooded when the water was up. Knew some folks that drove in to the water there in the dark after a few long necks . No injuries, just might get wet getting out.

Haven't been lately, but I spent a LOT of time there in the early 80s. One of a kind. Eating oysters next to the broken bicycles and screen doors, the best fried shrimp and flounder right off the boat, chatting with ancient Mr. Bowen in his slippers in front of the wall of TVs. He'd tell us about his fancy restaurant on Folly Beach that was destroyed in the 1933 hurricane. "It had glass doors", he'd say, then he'd sigh and say, "and all the tables and chairs matched!" We told him matching tables and chairs were overrated. Watching first timers get in trouble for going in the oyster room without first stopping at the counter to tell Mrs. Bowen you were going in the oyster room. She was in her 80s, about the same weight as her age soaking wet, and doing all the fry cooking in cast iron skillets with about 2 inches of grease build up all around the sides. We saw her get after some of them with a spatula for going in there without paying first. Hope they use plenty of old grungy cinder blocks when they rebuild.

Pancetta and chicken is a great combination. One of my favorites is this cacciatore style dish. Salt and pepper chicken pieces and brown them well. I like dark meat better, but anything's fine. Set aside. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Saute 1/4 lb. of diced pancetta until it starts to brown. add 3 diced garlic cloves and a cup of diced onion and saute for a couple minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of good Marsala. Add one regular can of diced canned tomatoes and about 1/4 cup diced fresh rosemary. Add about 3 cups chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and braise at a simmer until the chicken is done, about 40 minutes or so. Serve with pasta and grated parmesan. You can also add diced mudhrooms with the garlic and onion if you like. A decadent dish is to make a rich sauce by sauteing diced pancetta in melted butter. Add some chopped fresh sage, ground pepper and just enough chicken stock to make it saucy. Serve over cheese ravioli or, even better, gnocchi, with grated parmesan.

I haven't been yet, going in a couple of weeks, but based on my research, Fig could be what you're looking for. http://www.eatatfig.com/home/default.aspx