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Not exactly savory; but, one thing I noticed when looking at a website for a local coffee shop, is that they use a blow torch to put a brulee top on some of their coffee drinks. While using a blow torch in the proximity of liquor makes me a bit nervous, I wonder if you could do something similar with a foam topping on a cocktail? Carmelized true meringue or brulee topping. Be kind of cool, really. But, then I'm a guy, so stuff like blow torches and flames appeals.

Sigh, so I suppose the same thing applies to something like Zwack Barack Palinka vs. Brizzard Apry. One is a true apricot eau de vie and the other an apricot infused brandy based liqueur. True?

From a research perspective, part of the reason nvCJD is so interesting is that it is one of the few Prion diseases which can be induced fairly easily in transgenic animals in a laboratory setting. Some of the hope for studying nvCJD and understanding it better, is that the research will result in cures or strategies for treating other diseases of protein aggregation, like Alzheimers, which do affect people in significant numbers.

There was a bit of a discussion of vermouths in the Rye thread which reminded me, of something I've been meaning to ask, does anyone know if the Duckhorn King Eider vermouth is still made? I will drop the folks at Duckhorn a note and see what I can find out. RE: Vya dry Probably up to a 1:1 Plymouth/Noilly Martini would still be recognized as a Plymouth Martini. With the Vya, I find, if you aren't careful, a Martini made with it, very quickly becomes a Vya Martini instead of a gin Martini.

Comparing restaurants is tricky business. Even comparing A16 to Incanto is questionable. They are different restaurants in very different neighborhoods that succeed at providing different things to different customers. However, comparing Incanto to one of the Batali restaurants in NY is just silly. I haven't been to Lupa; but, I have been to Babbo, and I expect that at Babbo they probably have as many cooks on the line on any given night as Incanto has in toto. In my opinion, you can only judge a restaurant on how well it succeeds at accomplishing the goals it sets for itself and how well it pleases its target clientele. Isn't that very California of me? Incanto is a homey, well run Italian restaurant in Noe Valley. It succeeds at that, and appears to please much of its clientele. While I do agree there isn't much price difference between Babbo and Incanto, (they are both fairly expensive,) really, you can only judge Incanto against its peer restaurants in San Francisco and try to weigh its relative merit it on that basis. At the risk of being tedious, I think Incanto does do well when compared with A16, Delfina, and other similar restaurants in San Francisco.

Well, that one is going right off the list. I really didn't have a great deal of hope for this ballpark venture. Given their location, I'm sure they will have to go straight for the cash or be cashed out. I'm with you, stu-i-moto, however, sometimes I wish I could get food like that in Diana Kennedy's books without having to make it myself.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest, Thursday, February 01, 2006 Whiz Kids: Despite being younger than some of the wines they pour, youthful sommeliers are energizing the Bay Area dining scene, Amanda Berne World View: More French wineries go biodynamic, Jancis Robinson Pairings: Empty an empanada and savor the versatile, wine-friendly filling, Joyce Goldstein Recipe: Picadillo The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Argentine Malbec, Linda Murphy $150 Argentine Malbec?, Linda Murphy The Cheese Course: Age makes this Italian import spicier, Janet Fletcher Wine Business Insider: Now is the best time to buy wine, Cyril Penn Americans purchased a record 300 million cases of wine in 2005...Naples bathes in cash...the impact of the economic activity associated with the wine industry on Oregon's economy is more than $1.4 billion...Jekel building sold...Burgundian vintner Denis Mortet fatally shot himself on Jan. 20... The Cocktailian: Sherry turns pears to pearls, Gary Regan Recipe: La Perla Created by Jacques Bezuidenhout, bar manager at Tres Agaves in San Francisco. Bargain Wines: Would you, could you, with these 10?, W. Blake Gray Having accidentally ingested some portion of truly vile so-called "Vampire" wine from Romania in the past, I cannot believe that the Chronicle is advising consumers to purchase not one; but, two, count them, two (ha!ha!ha!ha!) wines from this company. You've been warned.

While we have a plethora of hole in the wall burrito joints, taco stands, and pupusa restaurants, San Francisco has always been a bit short on well prepared regional Mexican and Latin American cuisine. Last year saw the closing of Mom is Cooking and Cafe Marimba. Two new, fairly upscale Mexican restaurants, Tres Agaves (SOMA) and Mamacita (Marina), have opened in the last few months. Have you been? I've been to and enjoyed Panchitas No. 3 (Mission), Platanos (Mission), and Charanga (Mission). What are your favorite places for decent "Pan Latin" or Mexican food? edit - Oh hey! They even use Rancho Gordo heirloom beans at Mamacita. Getting very hungry looking at that menu.

Well, to be honest, I haven't experimented with it too much beyond Martinis, where I do like it. I'll be interested to see what you think. I did give some to my father-in-law last year and he really liked it for his nightly Martini. In fact, he liked it so much, he threatened to make an annual trip to CA to get more.

Unless the recipe specifically sez "blackstrap" avoid that. Also, try to buy an "unsulphured" Molasses (most are). After that it is probably personal taste. If you like the taste of molasses, go for a dark one. If you are not sure, stick with a lighter one.

If I find some Carpano Antica I will certainly pick it up. Have not tried the Vya sweet. I have a bottle of the Vya dry and am not quite sure what I think about it. It has so much character that I am not sure it works in anything outside of drinking it on its own or a fairly dry (5-1) martini. Thanks to the kindness of strangers (Thanks Kevin!) I was able to score some Pikesville, so we will now have that too. The initial date for the tasting was postponed due to illness. We are now shooting for this weekend or next. I will take tasting notes and post them to the board. Both the Van Winkles belong to my friend, so I am a bit jealous of him having those, too. At least he is nice enough to share! -Erik

I'm gonna see if I can shame one of my so called up-scale liquor stores into supplying decent cachaca first. If that doesn't work, I'll spring for the postage.

Didn't try adding limoncello; but, added a generous twist of satsuma peel for garnish. Perfect to warm the toes after a long, cold, wet commute home. -Erik edit - wrong citrus.

To me the real concern with CWD is just how transmissable and nearly ineradicable (word?) it is. It is my understanding that they have done everything short of drop a nuclear bomb on the deer station where CWD was first identified and yet new deer put in the same pens still come down with CWD. Having listened to and read a bunch about BSE and CWD, it also is very clear that the method of infection for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies between peer animals is not well understood at all.

Now that the bloom is off the Atkins diet, I guess Taubes has moved on to prions? A lot of scientists were pissed off at him about the way he misrepresented them in his pro-Atkins articles about diet. I expect a number more will be pissed off at the way their research is presented in this piece. In any case, aside from Alzheimer's Disease, the odds of dying from prion disease still remain nearly non-existent in this country and there are much more dangerous food borne pathogens to worry about. But, really, do we need to continue to feed cattle meat? C'mon, they're herbivores, for cripes sake. edit - What is it about February? Disclaimer: I used to work for a lab that did prion research and some of my salary at that time was paid by grants co-authored by our group with Dr. Prusiner.

My wife and I used to go quite a bit before it changed owners and closed for a while. We have reservations in a couple weeks, and I will be sure to report back. -Erik

Froze this (or tried) last night. I should have stuck with my original formulation, as it didn't quite freeze and doubling the zest put the aromatic element a little over the top. Revised: Moro Decay Sorbet 1 c Sugar 1 c Water 1 c Moro Blood Orange Juice 1/8 c Bourbon Zest of 2 Moro Blood Oranges 1 tsp. Angostura Bitters BTW, for sorbet, unless you are in a hurry, there is absolutely no reason you need an ice cream maker. Making a fruit granita and then giving it a brief spin in a blender or food processor works really well. In fact, I think the texture of the end product is better than what you get from most home ice cream makers.

It seems like this question has been asked many times; but, going back through the thread I can't quite tell the answer. If one only has a choice between the Ypioca (ouro gold, toucano, crystal), Pitu, and Pirrasunga 51 cachacas, which would anyone recommend for a first purchase?

I think you'll have to cook your squash or it will taste more like cucumber than pumpkin. Convert some of those starches into sugars. (Also, raw squash juice irritates the skin of some people. I'm one of them, so I don't think I'd want to drink it.) Kabochas are pretty dry squashes when they are cooked, I don't know if they would be the best, if you're interested in getting them liquidified. Tasty, though. Always remind me a bit of chestnuts. I know bourbon, cream, and pumpkin are a great combo from my thanksgiving pies, so something like a pumpkin Eggnog or pumpkin Tom and Jerry seems appealing. Kind of taking the easy way out, though. edit - added raw squash juice comment.

Potrero is a largely residential neighborhood, so there's not a huge selection of restaurants there. All those mentioned are good. If you have time, and any of you like beer, I do recommend the Anchor Brewing Tour. It's free and seeing those big copper kettles in action is pretty cool. Tour Info Webpage I used to work near there and enjoyed the sandwiches at Klein's Deli for lunch. I also like the breakfasts at Mabel's Just For You Cafe.

Well, I have seen some odd things steeping in Chinese liquors. And, recent reviews of restaurants I've read have included things like "ham hock emulsion". Layer your ham hock emulsion with pea soup and top it with creme de menthe. That'd be a hell of a pousse cafe. You could call it, "Pig's Wings". edit - thought of a name for the lovely cocktail.

The Slanted Door is a very good restaurant; but, unless you are really jonesing for Vietnamese food in a crowded upscale setting, it wouldn't be one I would pick as, "top of the city". Sadly, my truly upscale dining experiences in San Francisco proper have been pretty limited in the last year or so. Opinions vary on Danko, I believe there is a thread about it somewhere. What about the dining room at the Ritz-Carlton? I've heard Chef Siegel is doing some pretty interesting things there recently. Click for menu.

I guess this will be more of a bourbon punch sorbet than an old fashioned sorbet. So far it tastes awesome, and I'm having a really hard time not pouring it over ice and just drinking it straight. To me Moro blood oranges are the best with their dark red flesh and meaty, berry-like flavor. Moro Decay Sorbet 1 c Sugar 1 c Water 1 c Moro Blood Orange Juice 1/4 c Bourbon Zest of 4 Moro Blood Oranges 1 tsp. Angostura Bitters In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool. Zest oranges into bourbon and stir to combine. Add blood orange juice, bitters and cooled syrup. Chill. Strain mixture through cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. If you have an ice cream maker, process according to manufacturers instructions. If you do not have an ice cream maker, chill an stainless steel or pyrex pan in your freezer. The sorbet mixture should not come up more than an inch along the side of the pan. Add mixture to pan, and stir with a fork every hour until well frozen. After it freezes, process in batches in a blender or food processor and store in a sealed container in the freezer. edit - Thought of better name. Really looking forward to making a batch of Moro Decay Punch based on similar ingredients.

Question is, what are you doing with all that rendered bacon fat? -Erik

Sorry to post twice in a row. My wife and I were out at a French Restaurant and their signature dessert is something they call, "Clémentine Colonel". It is a tangerine sorbet topped with a shot of chilled vodka. We were feeling pretty good by this point in the dinner and the "Clémentine Colonel" put us over the edge into giddy. Much speculation was made about "promoting" other desserts to Colonel. "Why not?" we said, "If sorbet can be improved with booze, why not chocolate cake? Perhaps, 'Colonel Gateau de Chocolate' preferably flaming!" Uh, maybe you had to be there. I know I've seen Grapefruit and Campari sorbet, would it hurt to add some Gin? Or maybe, Grapefruit, Punt e Mes, and Gin?