jsmeeker

That's what I would do. Chicken friend steak. If I'm not mistaken, that is a commonly used cut for this delicious southern/Texan dish. You really do need to tenderize them well. If you had a tenderizing machine, it would be perfect. There are hand held models, too.

The place where they brought the glasses to the table along with the bottle, then poured was Craft in Dallas. It was just me and my dining companion. We had the same wine for 2 out of three courses. Also, at the French Room in Dallas. The place where they brought the bottle on a tray with glasses (already filled, in most cases IIRC) was at Michael Mina in Las Vegas. There were four of us at the table drinking wine. This was a tasting menu thing with wine paitings, so everyone had the same wine.

I'm not as experienced in as many fine dining experiences as other eGullters, but I've had my share of different experiences that prompted this thread. Originally, I thought about putting it in the wine forum, but this is less about the actual wine and more about the service. The main topic is how is the glass of wine brought to the table when ordering by the glass. In virtually all cases, in my experience, a server simply brings a glass full of wine and sets it down. But a few times, I've had the server come over with an empty glass and the bottle of wine. They present the wine, then proceed to pour a small taste, then pour a full pour. Another time, the sommelier came with a tray with several glass and the bottle. (this was during a tasting menu with wine pairings meal). I actually like this level of service. Since experiencing it, I get a disappointed when go to a high end fine dining place that simple brings over the glass of wine already poured. Is this service a little over the top? Is it "snooty"??

cool!! a new PBS series with Jacques Pepin! He's probably my overall all time favorite TV chef/food personality (after Julia, of course)

Maybe the off-shoot, Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana? Haven't been there yet, but here tons and tons of positive things about it.

Don't forget Jaspers up in Shops at Legacy.

I got a copy of that article today. Pretty interesting. Personally, I think it's a good thing that wine retailers are trying new angles and methods.

Anybody watching Todd English's show on PBS? It's airing here in Dallas now. He goes to visit some city to learn about some sort of food item or food culture, then goes back to Olives in Boston and uses what he learned as inspiration to cook something.

I want in. I like to enjoy a nice Cuba Libre. dark rum, Coca-Cola, squeeze of lime. /waits for number

Manhattan. My first one with rye. Bought some Wild Turkey today so I could try a more authentic version of this classic drink I've been enjoying recently and have been making (at home) using Jim Beam.

It's a way to buy booze at a fancy nightclub/lounge. You get a table. You buy a bottle of booze (like vodka, for example). You pay a ton of money for it. It typically comes with a variety of mixers and such so you can make various drinks with it. Commonly, this is done for you by a person, right there by the table. Frequently, this person is a very attractive female.

Can it be a buffet type thing? The Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena had a nice one. If you need something closer to Venice, maybe the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills? I dunno. Just some random thoughts.

I know it's probably bad form to reply to yourself, but I think I should elaborate on this. I miss the actual Bob's Big Boy statue. I loved seeing it and, up until the point where I was actually made to eat the food, I always asked my parents to take me there. The food, at least by the time I got to eat there when the place was on its last legs, was horrendous. I'm sure the food was good at some point, but by the time I got there, after much begging, it was really bad and went right along with their really bad service. But I really miss seeing the Big Boy alongside major thoroughfares and the now seemingly sad excitement that the sightings elicited. ← No worries. The "Big Boy" restaurants popped into my head when I read the question.

went about two weeks ago. I was impressed. Much larger than any otehr whole foods I've ever been in. Loved the greatly expanded "sweets" section. I think the produce section doesn't stack up as well against Central Market. Same with the cheese. Meat and seafood seem to be pretty much on par. We'll see how long they keep up the variety, though. Central Market stated to dumb stuff down. I didn't notice crabs. Were they live or already cooked? Of course, no lobster. So, they have that going against them. Does WF sell foie gras?? I didn't check out the spa to see what services were available. Not sure who would go there for services. But maybe if the price was right? I dunno. I heard that you can give them your grocery list and they'll shop for you while you get a massage or whatever. That might be nice.

I think that's basically right. He works for the White House. Not really the President/First Family. Of course, they DO get involved in hiring staff at that level and I think the President/First Family can make a change if they want to. But it doesn't mean he's automatically out come the next innaguration.

I TiVo this show and have watched several episodes. This may seem like a really dumb question, but do they actually BAKE the cakes? I don't think I've ever seen flour, eggs, sugar, etc. Or even an oven. I just seem them decorate cake (and rice crispies), usually with fondant that is bought from a vendor. What'a the scoop here?

awesome choice on the stuff from Recchiuti Confections. They are FANTASTIC. I picked up two boxes of their outstanding Fleur de Sel caramels as gifts for some friends of mine. They were very well received.

awesome job!! Looks GREAT.

That's the only thing I've ever had there as well (raw oysters). I also agree the clams look great. But I do conceed that if it was simply listed as "Clam Chowder" on the menu, and I got that, I'd be pretty surprised. I certainly would not expect that. And I can see how someone that was really wanting what virtually everyone thinks of clam chowder being dissapointed.

yes. Please blog this. I'd be very interested to hear an insiders take on NCL's little experiment. I took an NCL cruise a few years ago in Hawaii on the Star. But that was before they started the operation of NCL America using US flagged ships (and therefore, employees that must be eligible to work in the US along with having to comply with US labor laws). My cruise on the Star was fantastic, and I thought the food was actually pretty good, overall. But I've heard "Bad Things" about the NCL America cruises.

make taco meat out of it.

yup. Saw it this weekend on my TiVo. I've watched many episodes now and I have to say that I think the Food Network does a great job of portraying the "competitor" in a good light. They always say "He thinks he is going to be profiled on the Food Network". Well, you know what, he IS. They DO profile him. Sure, Bobby shows up and challenges him, but they still show the other "competitor" in a good, positive light. They really pump them up and sell 'em. For the donut guy, Bobby was very complimentary. He knew who he was, he enjoyed his donuts, etc. etc.

Hmmm... Maybe you are right. My post was just my initial reaction. It seemed a little "underhanded" to me. I'm not sure if I can equate it to ticket scalping, though.

the name thing WOULD bother me. I really don't want to dine under any sort of "false" pretense. Oh, sure, for a one time meal at PerSe, I could show up and say "Hi, I'm Joe Smith" and claim the reservation I paid for, But then they would call me Mr. Smith, and I would feel "weird". When I went to pay, I would whip out my Amex card that had a name other than Joe Smith on it. That *could* be awkward, maybe. But what if I wanted to do as Fat Guy suggests and develop a relationship with a good restaurant. Go there many times. I can't keep doing that with a different name each time, can I? They may recognize my face, but I would always show up with a different name. Again, that would make me feel weird. If the restaurant did this directly, then I would be OK with it.. If more charged a no-show fee, I would be OK. Of course, I think a lot of people DON'T show and skip out on a reservation (maybe even a confirmed one) because they KNOW restaurants DO overbook, will have walk ins, and have probably had many reservations NOT honored at their appointed times..

Have you seen Alton Brown's Good Eats one hour behind-the-scenes episode? He covered the researchers, food prep team, prop and costume departments, other things I have forgotten as well as actors. He also briefly touched on the technical production staff. I had no idea he had so many staffers helping to make the show happen. He also revealed which of the regular on-screen talent were really experts in their field and which were just actors playing roles. The character W is actually his chiropractor! As far as a show that would catch my attention - the process of a chef creating a new dish for his/her menu. Porthos Potwatcher The Unrelenting Carnivore ← I was going to say.... FoodTV has actually done this. I also saw a show on Giada where they got into the "behind the scenes" on how they did that show. And they covered some of how they do Rachael's show, too. Pretty big difference in the way they are both produced.