GordonCooks

Gordon (a charming, former barkeep), have I told you lately that I think you are the cat's pajamas? Aw shucks ma'am

Look for the highest upper left hand corner for the few, select bottles of spirits the liquor rep talked them into buying of they got free with a promo. These mystery bottles are usually a quality bourbon like Basil Hayden's or Dickel. You may also see the remnants of the Single Malt six-pack (Oban, Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore, Talisker, Lagavulin, Glenkinchie) usually one or more of these bottles is virgin. Order any of these on the rocks and you most likely be undercharged as well.

Keep in mind that many digital cameras will automatically adjust for exposure. But, I've seen most of the take a moment or doing it. My biggest problem taking pics has been opening the camera and shooting a pictire without letting the camera adjust natually. I decided to spend an afternoon with my trusty cam manual and discovered a plethora of things I had done wrong and a bunch of adjustments I could have made. PS I'm an old F2AS guy myself.

Special Mention Toronto Life Best Restaurant Issue Best Service went to Kelly Kwan of Susur. He was our server for my last meal there and he deserves this award.

Your dedication to the regal bean has inspired me to become a little more coffee knowledgeable.

Every other Sunday, some restaurant biz friends get together for some good food and wine. This week, I had Dan Eaton and his wife over the house for some grub and some wine. You all remember Dan from my Beard House adventure Menu Stilton Ice Cream in a Prosciutto cone acc 1990 Dom Perignon Deconstructed Lobster BLT with Roasted Garlic Aioli acc 1997 A.Bichot Chablis Les Vaillons Domaine Long-Depaquit Foie Gras Terrine acc by Figs, Sauternes Gelee, and a Maple Balsamic Syrup. w Brioche and Toasted walnuts acc 2001 Cave Spring Reisling Ice Wine Butter Poached Lobster with Black Truffle, Broccolini, and Edamame acc 2001 Marc Morey Chassagne Montrachet Korean Style Wagyu Skirt Steak with Shitake Fried Rice acc 2001 Le Serre Nuove (Tenuta dell' Ornellaia) 1999 Quilceda Creek 1998 Ramirez de Ganuza Tarte Tatin with Creme Anglaise acc Kracher TBA "10"

Clio, The Federalist, & Radius are tops in my book. No 9 Park is starting to fade a little. More gets you less lately. edit sp

Ditto

I may not agree with everything Chatto states but I do find our palates pretty much the same and I find his assessments accurate. This is just personal taste. The entire experience is a combination of great food, great service, great scenery, and great company. My list for Best Experience would be slighlty different from Best Food. edit sp

Since when is using sex to sell something clever?! Don't get me wrong, I'm not offended, but geez, its hardly original. I don't mean the concept of using sex to sell something. That's the world's second oldest profession (advertising). I refer to the idea of actually using Sex as the product name. It eliminates the need for allusions or slightly subtle double entendres - everything is just flat out blatantly suggestive. My surprise is that no one has done this with some other food or bevarage product already - or have they? I think having the brainstorm to use something so blatant and obvious as a product name when no one else has done it is indeed clever. What they do with it once they've unleashed the idea is far from original, as you so aptly pointed out. You'll see a lot of this in the bar/nightclub business. Think in terms of drink names a.) The Blowjob b.) Screaming Orgasm c.) Sex on the Beach Etc., etc. ...

Sex Vodka is the brainchild of a local Rochester bar owner. I guess the stuff is distilled & bottled in Holland. I haven't tasted it yet but I hear their unit cost is quite reasonable. (profitable)

Totally unacceptable for a place that boasts having "4" sommeliers.

Having eaten at ByMark - it makes perfect sense.

My personal top 5? Please consider my list is very much food driven. 1. Susur - Always full of surprises 1. Eigensinn (Need a refresher trip) 2. Avalon - Best in hogtown on a given day 3. Perigee - new kid that's shooting up fast - imho 4. The Fifth - may be the best all-around restaurant experience. 5. Scaramouche - As consistent as a swiss watch - never dissapoints These five restaurants are all in the same league foodwise.

Maggie. I always infuse the water or use stock when making my grits. Especially if being used at dinner. I use plain water when making sweeter versions or when using as a breakfast dish.

On saturday, they had asked me if I had a reservation (maybe just a lunch or a saturday thing)

I don't drink/buy much white in the winter D’Arenberg Footbolt – 16.99 Taurino Salice Salentino – 8.99 Taurino Notarpanaro – 16.99 Pepiere Muscadet – 9.00 Pierre Breton Bourgueil “Les Galichets” – 16.99 Clos du Joncuas gigondas – 17.50 Cline Mourvedre – 16.95 Ravenswood Icon – 15.95 Hess Select CS – 15.99 2000 Ch Peyraud – 10.00

Likes Mario's efficiency Bourdain's edge Alton's communication Jacques Torres' skill Dislikes Ina's monotony Rachel's simplicity Paula's heavy hand

By the way, when will that be?

I have a feeling that all these re-scheduled reservations will kill my chances for April 24

Do all great wines cost 100.00 - No Can a great wine cost 100.00 - Yes Tis true excellent wines can be a had for much less than the century mark but a remarkable bottle is a wonderful way to mark an occasion. Par example: The 1986 Dom Perignon Brut Rose marking my engagement, the 1982 Latour marking my legal seperation, and the Krug Grand Cuvee marking my second engagement, etc

I was there back when it was Bamboo but have not seen the new place as of yet.

Lunch at Jamie Kennedy’s wine bar Nice tight space with a lot of energy – we didn’t have a reservation but they had space at the wine bar for us. The service was friendly but quite slow – the bartender was doing the work of 3 people. The menu was a nice read and offered some of the cheapest prices for a high caliper chef I’ve seen in a while. I was curious to see where the shortcuts would arise. Dishes were as follows Yukon Gold Fries with Lamb Poutine – A “burger” of lamb meat on a bed of fries with shaved Pecorino Romano adding the cheese component for a true poutine. The dish proved a little salty for my taste but was good none the least Paired with Sandstone Pinot Noir Artisanal Cheeses – good selection of cheeses Paired with Malivoire Pinot Noir Grilled Chicken Salad w toast points – What you say is what you get. I did pick up a hint of Moroccan spice Paired with Zweigelt (producer??) Rib eye of Beef with bean, potato sauté and herb jus – The best dish arrived 15 min after everything else had been eaten. The bartender apologized and gave us another glass of the Mitchell Shiraz on the house. All in all – a nice (and super cheap) lunch. I’m interested enough to definitely give dinner a try.

Robert Parker, Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, Helen Turley You'll eat and drink quite well with this group at the table. I could arm-wrestle everyone for the check after.

They also have a 5 course option and a la carte