jg488

I checked the vinegar inside the cruet and it looked totally normal. No bubbles, discoloration, or sediment. The ceramic inside of the cruet looks fine too. I put the vinegar back in, and the strange reaction is continuing. The white crystals keep growing on the outside. Does anyone out there have an idea of why this is happening?

Good call - will do.

Good question, WolfChef. I'm not sure what the vinegar inside looks like. I'll pour some out into a clear glass tonight and report back tomorrow. But I'm hoping someone out there can explain what's going on...

I just returned from Italy where I bought a ceramic container for vinegar. It was part of a set - the matching container is for olive oil. I filled my vinegar holder with plain white vinegar, and it seems that there is some sort of chemical reaction going on. The outside of the ceramic bottle is covered with a white powder. When I wipe the powder off, it reappears in a few hours. I'm guessing that the vinegar is leaking through the porous ceramic and reacting with the glaze, but I'm not sure. Has anyone out there ever heard of this problem? Any suggestions on how to fix the problem? I'd appreciate any input. Thanks, JR

Pete, do you have any contact info for the estate or the somellier? All I could find was the general email address for Antinori. Thanks, JR

Thanks for these tips. We made reservations to visit both Caprai and Paolo Bea. Keep those ideas coming!

Antinori's estate in Umbria is called Castello della Sala, right? Are you referring to a restaurant on that estate?

Hathor, thanks for this link. I'll check into Caprai and others and try to arrange for some visits. Have you toured any of these? Any idea of which places have people who speak some english? Unfortunately, our italian skills are almost nil - althought we just bought a phrasebook...

Thanks for these great ideas! I'd love to hear thoughts and suggestions about wine in Umbria. Any wineries that would be fun to visit? Or restaurants notable for their wine?

My girlfriend and I are going to Umbria next week for seven days. We're staying in Tuoro-sul-Trasimeno, a small town on the North West corner of Lago Trasimeno. I'd love to hear from eGulleters with ideas about great food and wine in the area. I've read the thread on Umbrian restaurants and there's lots of discussion of outdoor dining. I presume that some or many of these places are only open duing the warmer months, so I'd love some suggestsions of places that will be open in February. We'll have a car and will happily travel for great food. Also, we're considering taking a day trip down to Vissani. From the website, it looks like the meal costs between 100-150 Euros per person, without wine. Any opinions on whether it's worth it? Thanks, JR

Thanks so much for all of the great ideas! I finally got a hotel reservation in Kyoto for the first part of our trip. It was very difficult because of the Kurama-no-hi Matsuri (Fire Festival) which takes place when we arrive. The reservation is at a hotel called Nagomiyao-Towa. Anyone heard of it? I thought a good place for a big splurge in Kyoto would be Hyotei. (35 Kusakawa-cho, Nanzen-ji, (81-75) 771-4116; www.hyotei.co.jp) I suppose we could save some money by going there for lunch instead of dinner. I tried calling to make a reservation, but couldn't get anyone who could speak English, and I know no Japanese. If any eGulleter could help me out with reservations, I'd really really appreciate it. I'd also like to know if anyone has experience with Hyotei. Is it the best place for a kaiseki blow-out meal? Josh

We could spend around Y10,000-20,000 on two or three splurge meals. We'd definitely like to try some serious kaiseki, sushi, and kobe beef. I was considering trying Hyotei for kaiseki. So hopefully you can help me identify good places for these special meals. We could certainly do lunch instead of dinner if it's a better value. We'd rather stay in less expensive hotels to save money for eating. We can venture outside of Kyoto when we're in Kansai. I'd love to hear general thoughts about our itinerary, since it's up in the air. Does it sound good to do 4 days in Kansai, 2 days somewhere else (maybe Takayama, which Nate Gray enjoyed), then 4 days in Tokyo? Looking forward to your suggestions, Josh

Dear eGullet members, I was hoping you could give me some advice regarding my upcoming trip to Japan. My friend and I (both 30 year old single men) will be visiting from October 20-30. We fly into and leave from Tokyo. The itinerary isn't set, but right now I'm thinking that we'll take the train straight to Kyoto for the fire festival (Kurama-no-himatsuri), spend a few days there, then go somewhere else for two days(Takayama?), then finish the trip in Tokyo. Most importantly, we want to enjoy as much of Japan's cuisine as possible. We'd also like to have some outdoor activities like hiking and maybe cycling. And we'd like to experience different types of accomodation (ryokan and minshuku). We are watching our budget, but are willing to splurge, especially for a few outstanding meals. I would welcome any advice on our itinerary, places to eat, and places to stay. Specific contact info (especially email) would be really helpful, because I think we should probably book things in advance. Neither of us speaks any Japanese, so it might help to point us to places that can accomodate english-speaking tourists. Thanks so much for your help! Josh --------

What's the story on this place?

Everyone in the office loved Gambino's apple king cake. It was the first king cake I've tried, and it reminded me of a danish. The bright colored frosting on the top was a little off-putting, but the cake itself was tasty. The boss got the baby so the next cake is on her... Thanks again for your help, Brooks.

Brooks, thank you so much for that great post. I'm not afraid of "Metry, Kennah, and the da Parish" - it's just that I volunteered to pick up a king cake for the office for today, and I didn't really have time to make a trip out of it. So I was going to walk over to La Boulangerie on St Charles, but I decided to take the Mayhaw challenge instead. I made my way up to S Carrollton and finally found Gambino's hiding in a strip mall. Unfortunately they were out of the plain traditional king cakes, so I settled for an apple (and a breakfast jelly doughnut!) I was already running late for work, so unfortunately I couldn't stop for drinks at Cooter Brown's or the Columns... I got in to the office late but no one could complain when they saw the Gambino's box! I'll report on the cake itself after we dig in.... Josh

Honestly, can you really buy a bad king cake in New Orleans? ← I recently moved to town and am not familiar with local bakeries, so I don't know where to start. I followed Brooks's link and found his suggestions of Gambino's and others, but it seems like all of those are a bit of a drive for me. If anyone has any helpful comments about where I can find a good king cake in the above-mentioned neighborhoods, I'd really appreciate it. Josh

Where can I buy good King Cakes in the Garden District / Lower Garden District / Warehouse District / CBD area?

One good Sunday night option is Casamento's. Great raw oysters and fried oyster loaf (like a po boy, but different bread). I also really like the fried crab claws. More info at www.casamentosrestaurant.com Enjoy! JR

Cabrales, was the meal you described the $65 tasting menu? If not, how much did it cost? And was there a corkage fee?

I wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this thread and let you know how my meal turned out. I took the cotechino out of the freezer on Thursday night and put it in the fridge to defrost. On Sunday afternoon, I put it in a bath of cold water and let it sit there for about three hours. Then I put it a large pot in fresh water, brought it to a boil, and let it simmer for just over two hours. I forgot to prick the skin, but that didn't turn out to be a problem. As it was in the final stages of simmering, I prepared the lentils. I got some diced onion, carrot, and celery going in extra virgin olive oil. Then I added the lentils, one bay leaf, and liquid from the simmering sausage. I kept stirring the lentils for about a half hour, gradually adding the liquid as it absorbed into the lentils. I sliced the cotechino and served it over the lentils - absolutely delicious! I started the meal with "zucchini carpaccio," a simple recipe I learned from Faith Willinger. I sliced the zucchini on a mandolin, then layered the rounds on a serving plate. Then I dressed it with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra virgin, real balsamico, and salt and pepper. It was a nice light first course, which complemented the heavy sausage and lentils perfectly. We finished with espresso granita from the Zuni Cafe cookbook - granita layered with freshly-made whipped cream in a parfait glass. A rich dessert, but delicious. Now I have to get my hands on a zampone...

cew, that's a hot idea. why don't you and jl fly down to st t and join me for dinner?

Cool idea, bushey. I just called DiPalos and asked their recommendation. They suggested wrapping it in saran wrap, but changing the wrap every time you use the cheese to avoid condensation. They also told me that some customers swear by wrapping in cheese cloth or aluminum foil. You want to wrap tightly to avoid mold - although that can be scaped off. They emphasized that eventually it will dry out, so the best thing is to use it quickly and buy more. But this apple idea might do the trick. I'll try it and report back.

Craig, thank you so much. That sounds amazing. Hopefully I'll be able to come across some decent asparagus on St Thomas. Cross your fingers for me. Maybe I'll finish the dinner with the espresso granita recipe from the Zuni Cafe cookbook. Please keep those menu ideas coming!

Anyone have good ideas about how to store P-R? I just keep it in Saran wrap in the fridge, but sometimes it dries out a bit. Maybe there's a better way?