djsexyb

ok, admittingly i havent tried this yet, though am to be ordering my supplies soon, i was wondering, for the "cavier" or other spherical shaped creations, has anyone tried submerging the tip of the syringe, dropper, squeeze bottle, then squeezing out a desired amount of liquid? this may create a more uniform sphere in that theoretically the liquid should disperse evenly. eh, just a thought.

i agree, for large parties with people who dont know anyting about wine (or very little), but want to drink wine, i find yellow tail a consistent choice, much better than cheap american counterparts. you could do alot worse than yellow tail, even from a reputable american producer like mondavi (i just cant pallate any more woodbridge or private selection anymore, please!!). as for other aussie wines, i find that while in america, prices are reasonable, but i am not exactly snatching up every bottle of penfolds or d'Arenberg i find, because the "better" bottles are still on par with france, america, etc. however, whites seem to offer aot of value (Yalumba Y Series Viognier, as well as many semillions form hunter valley) for their quality. over all, this glut of wine may sway american who focus their wine consumption on cheaper wines ($5-10) because, as stated above, i believe they have more to offer than american jug wines, and producers like yellow tail and aloce white are all over the tv nowadays, and as in all business, better advertising equals better sales..

i was wondering if anyone has ever shipped wine? to anywhere, within sate, out of state, oout of country? did you declare the contents as wine, or merely breakable, or as an "Olive Oil?" i know with the laws flying around lately, you really shouldnt, but has anybody?

the fact of the matter is that the suppliers know when to deliver to 4-star restaurants. if they delivered during service they would have to turn around and go home. that why chefs always have three distributors at all times, one pisses you off you go to their competitor and make sure they know that you did, thats how you get want you want/need at all times. i remember a story anthony bourdain told me about a guy who CALLED during the rush. he stopped the line to talk to him and said, "Ok, so you're in the business of selling your products directly to chefs, correct?" the guys like, "Ya." "So you know what hours a chef has, correct?" "Ya." and then he screams, "So why the F**k are you calling me during the G*d D**n rush!!?" as for this, i watch hells kitchen, dont like it or dislike it, dont care who wins. the fact of the matter is that the producers chose all these "characters" if you're surveying thousands upon thousands of cooks and chefs, im sure they could have come up with the dream team, but they want a fun show. thats hollywood. sarah's spunky, cant cut lamb for s**t, but spunky.

wow, i have never ate at flemmings but do know that they're suppose to be a very wine focused restaurant, and am surprised to hear they use a universal glass. i know many restaurants use this to try to save money, but the ONLY money saving option i would accept is a universal red glass and a universal white glass. it is highly doccunmented that differnet varietals/blends taste better from different size and shape glasses. riedel illustrates this overtly and frankly to excess. when i was purchasing stemware for my company (see sig), a few of my employees and i tasted different wine glass shape, size, companies, etc, etc to find the optimum experience for given wine varieties and although purchasing stemware amounted to almost 50% of our total start up costs (which were substantial) i feel that it was money well spent because diners get the optimum experience for the price. We have 2 white glasses: 12oz and 8oz regular shaped; 4 red glasses: 16oz and 12oz regular shaped, as well as 18oz and 20oz bowls; 1 oversized sparkling wine glass (roughly 7 1/2 oz--i feel these are easier to detect aroma, and easier to sip from). as well as a few liquor, martini glasses. NOTE: we use an untraditional 4oz pour, i feel this works better in the kind of dinners we do. for my money, different sizes/shapes does make a difference. just drink bordeaux from a bordeaux glass, then from an oversized bowl, then from an 8oz white glass, there difference is clearly evident. sorry for the rambling, this is one of my pet peaves in restaurants and home service.

has made... a traditional french omlet. smooth, creamy, just a sprinkle of cheese and nothing more. pure bliss

yeah im in the same boat with that, my wife is fond of small animals too. once i tricked her into eating squab and then told her what it was--yeah, i was making up for that one for weeks. the rib eye does sound quite nice. try coating it in Kona (or other high quality) coffee. and searing it med rare youll be amazed. Morels are the way to go if you can find them. my fav mushroom (simply sauteed in a little shallot and butter). if you do a beef course it should come after the duck and before the lamb.

yeah i not really sure what i think about that article or global warming as a whole. i do find it wierd that chicago hasnt had a real winter in id say 5-6 or more years and the summers ahvent been hot at all for the same number of years or more. wierd. ill be dead, but my kids are going to have a hell of a time fixing the world that my ancestors and i made for them.,

ok, if your GF is light, i would suggest just opening the '82 and leaving the chard for another day. this way you'll be able to fully focus on that wine and track its course over the course of the night (and post a WTN the next day in the eGullet wine section). if you guys want to further indulge after the '82 is gone, just whip up some dirty martinis ofr something. i think we should work on the progression of the menu... 1.) Corn soup --pop the '82, if youre going with one bottle like i suggested dont have it with the corn soup, it will clash and shouls be opened and poured before this course, which i suggest--- 2.) Sauted sweetbreads on a bed of spring mix coated in walnut vinagrette, blue cheese and rosted beets. 3.) (you wnated something with fava beans) i suggest... Medallions of roasted rabbit loin with Butternut squash purree, sauted black trumpet mushroom, and fava beans ragout. 4.) Duck with peaches 5.) Lamb Chops 6.) Grapefruit granita (a note on this...be sure to ad some sugar and a shot of vodka to the liquip before you begin to chill/scrape it, this will make for a smoother product, more like sorbet and less like an ice cube.) 7.) Cheese course 8.) Chocolate wow, you have your hands full. hope your good with a chefs knife and a sate pan.

check out this article. i might want to invest in the northeastern and northwestern wine markets and fast!! (according to that graphic). http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/clima...710141309990003 M

Couldnt have said it better myself. with all do respect to everyone that wants to formally "ban" their purchase of high end wines, and while i do believe that many, many wine prices are outrageous, those that can afford to buy these wines are going to buy them anyway, reguardless of price. look at it this way, chateau mouton rothschild and other first growths aren't going to be overwhelmed with unsold cases of their wines (even in "bad" years). the demand is super-high despite cost and will be untill a "better" trend comes along. and if i might play devils advocate here, being a business owner, wouldnt you want to make the most money off your product(s) that you can? as long as the chateaus are still bottling quality wine and people are scarfing them up, why not raise price? all their really doing is cutting out appreciation on the collector's wine market and taking the profit for themselvs. are we really mad that the prices are so high or are we made that we cant cellar it for 20years and make 250% return on our money.

yeah i certainly wouldnt deglaze with the '82, any left over red or palateable 6 buck bottle from the store will certainly do along w/ lamb stock. celeriac puree--use white truffle oil if youre going to do this (if you have it). you sound well educated on food so i wont touch on the differing flavor profiles from different truffles. lamb--with the oven preheated and you not opening the door every few seconds, id say 5-8 minutes if its coming off the stove from searing, perhaps 8-12 if seared earlier and are reheating, but these are mere ESTIMATES, i always go by touch and you should too if you know how.

ok good idea with the corn soup, good flavors, infuse a little thymne in there, that would be killer. i was suggesting the the granita be served directly before the cheese course. you are intending it to be a palate cleanser right? so thats where it will serve its purpose best. lamb chops, serve them quickly on all sides to carmelize, coat with the mixture of parsley thymne (perhaps some tarragon also) and stone ground mustard. press in gently and finish chops to med rare in an oven preheated to 400*. (***NOTE: you could sear the lamb chops and coat them with the parsleage earlier in the day and just pop them in the oven to finish cooking. this would also give you time to make that pan sacue so you wont be flying around like a chicken with your head chopped off when you should be enjoying the company of your loved one.) i normally roast root veg all together (i also suggest throwing in a bit of rosemarry, thyme, to accent the lamb chops), but youre using beets and those will bleed into the other ingredietns. either dont use beets or roast them seperately. yams, beets, and i suggest celeriac, parsnip, or sunchoke puree. as for a sauce for this dish, it would be pure bliss to make a pan sauce after searing the lamb chops, saute a few shallots/garlic to golden brown and deglaze the pan with the wine you will be serving with dinner, perhaps add a little lamb or beef stock if you ahve it around, if not then jsut a little water. reduce untill desired consistency. im salivating thinking about it. if you do deside to go with 2 desserts just amke a lighter one to go before the choc one. perhaps a red wine poached pear with vanilla creme. as you would surmise from my post and my sig i do these exact types of things for a living. good luck with yours and be sure to tell us how it went!!!

well i have a few suggestions... first, what exactly is peaches and cream bisque? sounds too sweet to be a first course, might want to try a melon soup (if you want to stick with the fruit based soup idea), that would pair better with serrano ham. second, the grapefruit ice (i am assuming you mean granita) should be served before the cheese course. third, the lamb chops need to be seasoned somehow, id go with a parsleage (lots of parsley thymne and stone ground mustard) the root veg are nice, but to contrast textures puree one of your choices. this creates a "bed" for the further root veg and the lamb 4., the duck sounds good, reduce the balsamic down to a syrup though and dont used anything past a 10 year age, youll just be wasting your money (if you are going to reduce it). 5., and finally i might put up another dessert instead of another course before cheese good luck. oh and will you be pairing wines?

i frequently check cellartracker.com for tasting notes, although i have not subscribed for their others services just yet and like the community with one exception. many people just post a number rating (off the 100 point system) without any notes and this is frustrating becuase words can tell me everything about a wine, number frequently tell me nothing if not accompanied by notes.

just thought i would add that many Italian whites are feremented with the skins, seeds and althought this is not a common practise in the americas, it does produce a fantastic product. the name for this technique is called "Pazzo Fermentation," which if you know italian, you know Pazzo translates to "crazy" or "unorthodox." Randal Grahm from Bonny Doon has a pazzo chardonnay is his DEWN category in the shop bonny doon section of his website. check it out, its very good. ill throw up a WTN when i open the next bottle.

The only reason I say this is because the first time I went to Trotter's, it was the night after the first time I had been to Trio with Achatz as the Chef. The food at Trotter's, while quite good, just seemed so pedestrian after having my mind completely blown the night before. ETA: Tsuki is a great call, especially if this pack of women is still in town on a Monday night. All food is 50% off for tables of all women (same deal goes for men on Wednesdays). ← while i do feel that the experiences must be taken within context (trotters is high end classic and alinea is high end progressive), i do understand what you are saying. but given the cheange id go to either of them again and as often as possible! wow, 50% off mon and wed, sweet, youve given me a reason to pull out the charge card again.

ive staged in the highest of high (Charlie Trotter's, MOTO, Vie, etc, etc) and let me tell you its heavy duty. be prepared mentally. i know this sounds stupid, but eat a good breakfast because you will be there up to 14hours depending. ask lots of questions if you want answers, dont assume--ask because if you screw up that nights squab/pork loin/lamb you'll be on the menu. wear a chefs coat if you have one, aprons and hats are usually provided. surprisingly, DONT bring anything more than a chefs knife and a pairing knife, if that. and not good ones either. my Wustof got stolen at Trotters. And my two most important points. 1...when you get there, introduce yourself to the person whos in charge. when i was at trotter's (two weeks), on my first day i went about working my tail off for 7-8hours and trotter walked in and was going over the staff meeting with others so i didnt bother him, but when he was done, he took a bee line to me, grabbed my chefs knife in mid chop an dsiad "Hey Im chuck, but im sure you knew that already." he was nice about it, but he was a bit preturbed. and 2... eat family meal if they have one. i staged once and skipped it figuring i would get ahead on prep and to make a long story short when i got home after 16, yes 16, hours there i couldnt walk up the stairs to bed because i hadnt eaten or drinken in 16 hours! my body literally shut down. not good. But have fun!!! hope i didnt scare you away. i strongly encourage stages.

although alinea is spectacular, i dont think you will be bored with other high end places. each offers a unique experience. I would look at MOTO. you certainly wouldn't be bored with that. also if you dont mind going to lincoln park, TSUKI is very nice, very chic sushi. might want to check out Blue Bayou on southport if you find yourself on the northside, nice bar, good food. Trotter's is always an option, just a classic, but if you've been there why not try something else. Blackbird is always the talk of the town, havent been there but its on my list. As for what i dont recommned. Spiaggia is overrated in my mind, dont know if the cafe is any better, i know the prices are cheaper though. NoMi is also overrated for the price, and service wasnt too good when i was there. ooh and if youre the wine crowd, hit Bin36! Have fun ladies

had a little get together to celebrate graduating from culinary school...popped a few bottles of bubbly... NV Montesel Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Vigna del Paradiso Very clear, white peach color, very uniform bubbles rising from the very center of the glass. the nose had faint hints of white peach and almond. it seems closed when first poured and it takes a while for very faint honey and pear notes to appear. This prosecco is very dry, very well integrated on the tongue, with good acid backbone, white peach, and almond flavors. a waxy taste appears on the finish which is pleasent. Very Crisp and refreshing. short to medium length finish, with a very faint bitterness on the end. Overall, very nice. this is a refined, elegant, well integrated prosecco that i would buy again and choose over a gold label Cliquot 9 out of 10 times, especially at half the price. Note: the lip of this bottle was huge and wide making for a hard, dripping pour...wierd. 1997 J Winery Brut My folks received this 4 years ago when they bought their new house and brought this. It was not stored well, the cork was shrunken. I was looking forward to this, but it disappointed because it was partially flat. still some bubbles, but minimal. The cuvee was very clear with a golden hue. Ripe peach, apricot, and honeysuckle aromas dominated with a slight yeast at the end. Very dry. There was a heavy petillance on the tongue despite the lack of bubbles, folowed by peach, yeast and honey. Vey good acidity. faded quick. acid lingers along with a flinty almost mineral aftertaste. Conclusion: bad bottle, but this would have been VERY nice had it been properly stored...i wish i had another bottle. Note: Good paired with cold fried chicken.

← HA! i couldn't ahve said it better myself i thought we lived in a free country, but that apparently someone forgot to mention they really meant-- "fat" free country...

yes i am lucky to have a few binny's beverage depot in driving distance so i have a pretty good selection. but i often order from wine.com or other online wine shops (winebid.com winebuys.com thewinebuyer.com) and i know that wine.com currently stocks the 375mls. $34.99 if my memory serves me right.

i have been an ebay member (sellar and buyer) a long time., though have never traded or purchased wine. it is rare that you get any fraudulent/misrepresented items and when you do, ebay (as well as paypal, if you use that for your online instnat payments) does have several very good purchaser protection plans that will refund your money if you are not satisfied and it is proven that you were given fraudulent materials. i have not bought any wines off ebay, but when i do find something i like(want) i will not hesitate. other wine auction sites that you should be aware of that offer great deals on wide varieties of wine are: wineBid.com and winecommune.com

yeah, deffinately didnt have enought time to develope. as i alluded this, i was in a party setting and i had but a minute to take a whiff before someone suggested chuging ( i was obviously not in the presence of other wine connaisseurs). the quality and complexity was easily taken away enough for me to write a glowing review and order a half case, though. you're right--i couldnt find many bottles, so i had to order 375mls, which is fine, i think only one (if that) will last past 5 years this was so nice. if i can find a 750 or 1.5, i would love to cellar it away though for 20-30.

felt bad so i made a quick list of what i can remember is in the cellar at home. any one who has read my posts before knows i support bonny doon, lol. 2005 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare - 6bottles 2004 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare - 2btls 2005 Bonny Doon Big House Pink - 2 btls 2004 Bonny Doon DEWN Rosato Rofresco - 1 btl 2004 Swanson Rosato - 1 left 2003 Kir Yianni Akakies - 7 btls 2005 Chateau Calon Segur Rose de Calon - dont remember if there's any left had a phelps rose that was memorable a few years ago. i like my pink