GordonCooks

Who's Bernie? If you're mistaking me for Bernie Roth, I'm honored but admit I'm lowly Gordon from Upstate NY. He didn't metioned any upcoming changes in winemaking technique.

Most of the seminars were packed (Aussie wines, Johnnie Walker) but this one was the only one I wanted to attend and because it started an hour before the event, it was only about 25 of us. Most of them approached Willy Frank to discuss his Salmon Creek and other wines. I don't think many of them knew who Mr. Kessler was - I thanked him profusely for his attendance. He chatted with another fan and myself for a good 10 minutes.

An afternoon with August Kessler There was a big food and wine show in my hometown over the weekend. And I signed up for a Riesling tasting and seminar with Willy Frank of Dr. Frank Cellars and more importantly, August Kessler of Kessler vineyards. They of course dispense with the rudimentary history of Riesling and it’s roots in Germany and the US. I was able to chat with Mr. Kessler after the seminar. He’s a very passionate man about his wine and very informative. He loves to talk Riesling but is most passionate about his Pinot Noirs. I had asked him about his Cuvee Max and if it was derived from DRC clones as I’ve been told and he responded yes. In fact, all the Pinots are Burgundy rootstock. Just about all of his pinot rootstock is originally Clos Vougeot with vines more than 100 years old in some cases. Even his lower level Spatburgunder us vines at least 40-60 years old and any special designation bottlings or named MAX (the winemaker) are 55-75 year old rootstock. I had to ask the question I ask all winemakers – what’s your favorite wine other than your own, not surprisingly – J.J. Prum

I've been looking for awhile, haven't seen any either... ← I've seen them recently. Not sure if it was in Kensington, SLM, or both. Pretty sure the place on the corner of Augusta and Baldwin had them though. Would've been within the last week. Might've been the place on the north corner of ST. Andrews and Kensington. Ok, I'm obviously not entirely sure. Might go tomorrow. Will try and remember to look for quinces. Cheers, Geoff Ruby ← They had them at the fruit stand next to the bahn mi place on Spadina.

I still enjoy my Chinatown jaunts - produce, food, atmosphere - one stop shopping.

Poulet Bresse (or domestic Blue feet), Grouse, and Pekin Duck

Well, that sucks - I'll print this topic out for the glove box for my next trip.

Ditto on Bright Pearl

Well...............I almost disagree with that. Given that this forum is topical and related to your current livelihood - anonymity may not be appropriate. Not everyone would abide by your admirable guidelines.

To a degree - but personally speaking, information given by an unknown source is suspect. And accountability can always be tempered by the penalty suffered.

I'm not sure naming names would solve anything. Cooks isn’t my real last name, but do to my willingness to provide useful information that is accurate or helpful to others, it may as well be. Names do not build credibility in web forums rather historical participation (positive or negative). The name is merely a method to identify a particular individual or catagory of information edit sp

I've fitted at least 6 IKEA kitchens into apartments without incident. Still fairly sturdy after a few years.

The Fifth hasn't been good since Marc Thuet departed and I never found it outstanding while Didier was there either.

As the resident foodie of the household - the kitchen tv is usually tuned to something food related while I putter about the kitchen. While watching the NZ episode of "No Reservations" as I broke down some chickens for stock - my better half clearly displayed her expertise. She: He’s the Kitchen Confidential guy, right? Me: Yep She: What's his restaurant called again? Me: Les Halles in NY – I don’t if he’s still there though She: Is that the place where you tried to bribe the person to have your picture taken behind the glass as you walked to the union square market from the hotel. Me: yeah She: That’s not the place we had really good steak frites at? Me: No, that was Montparnasse, We’ve never been to Les Halles She: I can’t believe he has a big cigarette burn hole in the front of his shirt – He did get a nice new Tag Heuer Link watch though Me: Huh?

Pusateri's has it also (about 3 times the price that I pay here)

Where in Niagara? Niagara on the lake?

Herman Weimer has been making some of the best NY Reislings and Gerwurtztraminers for years.

I got my copy yesterday and didn't put it down until I went cover to cover to cover to cover. Unlike most cookbooks - a lot of insight was given into his background and formative years. Also an exception, I've had 75% of the dishes listed in the recipe section. I thought the personal items were a nice inclusion.

It means mixed together. My wife knows alot about Korean food. ← That's an understatement - she's a guru

I have a soft spot for "Shama-Lama-Hong-Kong-Ding-Dong"

A romantic table for two set on the beach about 15-20 feet from the breaking surf in a tropical location. Torches illuminate your faces while sipping champagne and a massive, orange sunset is your backdrop.

Last night - we did some Pinots 2002 Shea Wine Cellars Family Vineyard - "Homer" Lots of flowers, spice and potting soil on the nose. Prominent blackcherry - lots of defined layers with a lot going on from start to finish 2002 Taz Pinot Noir - Fiddlestix Vineyard Another complex, earthy wine with spice, licorice, and black cherries. 2002 Cristom Pinot Noir (Eileen Vineyard) Lots of stink on the nose that blew off after an hour. Dark pitted fruit, round and ripe, almost 3 dimensional and silky Kessler Pinot Noir Our mystery wine made from DRC clones in a german vineyard. Very complex but without the high notes in the real deal - I wonder how much this one costs? Our blind wines were A Zinfandel (I think it was Kundi, Tundi or something, not KUNDE or Karly though) Loads of euchalyptus that really domimated the fruit 2003 Exlibris Washington Cab - Good right out of the bottle and ready to drink

Looking for some west coast storage options - any help would be appreciated. thanks

Really? Maybe they can enlighten me, then. Because my understanding of what you meant is close to zero. I have been trying to pin it down but the essence of it keeps slipping away like an eel. You mean one thing, then another, then you turn around 180°, then put your words in my mouth, then what. We go from growers to bottlers then to bottlers-not-producers then to growers-not-producers then back to supermarket brands which are no proof of anything special, etc. All I have given is facts and information, all you have given is hearsay and supputation, plus a good dose of playing on words. Now if anyone "reading carefully" can made heads or tails of this, their help will be welcome. Would you be interested in sharing these for the good of those not involved? I look forward to further discussing this and presenting some thought provoking issues. No, I wouldn't be interested at all, because I think you have a pretty confusing way of debating to say the least, and your "no smoke without fire" means of investigation is not to my liking. There's no way I'll let unbacked rumors and personal suspicion limited to an isolated case (involving a premium cooperative bottling company, by the way, and not a producer) get into your hands for any exploitation. If it's thought-provoking issues that you want, I have nothing of the sort for you. An interesting issue, but first I would need to be aware of any "counterfeit products" in the French market and be able to identify them. And I'm afraid I'd disappoint you there. On the chapter of olive oils, I have spent some time trying to explain why counterfeit products are so unlikely because of the DGCCRF regulations, plus the AOC-AOP system, so I don't understand why you're still expecting from me any information that would bring water to your mill. I suggest you do your own research with your own methods since you obviously have that at hand. Your idea, if I can grasp it a little, is that you're basing yourself on the Charial/SVB story — to me an isolated case with much less meaning that you seem to want to find in it — to assume this is only the visible part of the iceberg ("no smoke without fire") and that French olive oil producers (I mean producers, i.e. growers/millers, the guys who grow and press the olives and who are not supposed to blend their oil with purchased foreign produce), in fact do blend with purchased foreign produce. I have told you why that was not likely because that would be fraud. Since when has the existence of one case of fraud implied that there are many more in the same context? This isolated case of fraud has resulted in a trial, that has been going on since 2000 and has made it to the news. The DGCCRF, AOC regulations and regular organoleptic controls and tests being what they are, the fact that no other case of fraud has been publicized since then could probably be some sort of answer to your interrogations? No? I am the author of an award-winning book on premium, cold-pressed vegetable oils (including olive oil) for which I have done some serious researching, but I am not expecting that to be of any importance for you because it seems that you're more interested in confirming a reality that you have imagined according to your "no smoke without fire" principle. But let me tell you, this principle is not enough to let you uncover a "thought-provoking" set of facts. First the facts have to be there, and they have to be possible. Especially when the distinction between olive oil growers/producers bound by purity of origin regulations and olive oil bottling companies legally selling blends of decent quality, but bound by a different set of regulations, doesn't seem very clear to you. No offence intended, no offence held, but I am still wondering whether you're really confusing growers and bottlers and gone all mish-mash from there, or whether you'd be actually be disappointed if you had to face the facts that French olive growers as a rule blend nothing but the produce of their own land because they'd be fined or go to jail if they didn't. ← sorry, I'll try to keep up I'll make it clear (as you have explicitly) that I believe that small, artisanal, gourmet olive oil growers/producer/farmers producing the highest grade AOC oils are using indigenious product. I'm looking at what is happening with oils not under the AOC umbrella (and of course Oil being sold as Premium grade but using non-french product) The amount of information available is incredible - I didn't realize Olive Oil was such a volatile issue in the EU. What is your book? What was the award? edit sp

Another Olive Oil fraud tidbit, I guess Unilever (the importer of Bertolli Olive Oil) was victim of a class action lawsuit regarding the use of the phrase - "Imported from Itaty" when in actuality – hardly any of the oil was Italian at all. The case was settled out of court (naturally) but the end result is the EU now has to make export labels clearer Exp – “Made in Turkey, Produced in France, Bottled in France” etc