GordonCooks

Avoid both Mario's is little more than homogenized banquet food. The Rio offers excellent quality but little value. The Chef is former Bouley sous - Jay Cohen but the microscopic portions and Manhattan sized checks will disappoint.

Check some of the bottle tops to see if the cork has raised above the neck (check an older bottle, 10 yrs of so). You could probably check the top through the foil with your thumb. A decent sign of how warm the bottle got.

I think I understand the situation a little better. As far as the cash register - I meant it's a small place with regular daily customers.

Think more of a rack and whoever is handy cashing a person out. If you find that you're so busy that too much time is being taken to wait on customers - call in grandma If you gear your business towards a late crowd - I think you can still do some retail but mostly single serve desserts, cookies, etc There's a nice little bread shop in town that is wholly run by just the owner/baker. He hears the bell ring on the door and he sees who it is. Most people leave the money on the counter for him.

In terms of retail - I would suggest Muffins, Croissants & Scones. You'll be able to handle a small counter It will minimize wasted product (pastry dough, fillings, etc.) It will provide a cheap way to sample your product It will provide a place to showcase some of your wares It can lead to eventual expansion - specialty breakfast trays, coffee, breads, sandwiches, etc Best of Luck

What are some other good Vin Santos ? I've had very few I'd consider memorable and a few I'd like to forget. Mainly due to lack of knowledge

The ability to sell pizza by weight (as opposed to our slice/whole pie) allows for infinite combinations. Surely one of the greatest innovations of our time.

I tip my hat to you three - I'm green with envy

Ditto !

Bux -- I know of at least two (failed) attempts to grow Zinfandel in France. Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac attempted it at Domaine de Triennes in Provence and Jean-Louis Chave planted some vines on the Hermitage hill for his own personal amusement. Both found that the climates were too cold and they could not get the grapes to ripen sufficiently. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review What ever happened to Bernard Portet since his return to France ? Clos du Val was the first Zin I ever tasted.

I still feel there's plenty of room for innovation within those guidelines.

I've enjoyed saving a few special bottles for my birthdays and really special ones for milestones. My 30th was a Cult California night 1994 Abreu Madrona Ranch 1994 Caymus Special Select 1994 Dalla Valle Maya and my recent 35th was a 1985 Gaja Barbaresco 1986 Chateau Latour 1989 Chateau D'Yquem As I start to think about the next milestone - it's interesting to see how my palate has changed over the years. Will it be Rhones ? Burgundy ? Champagne ? What are you holding for the special occasion ? PS - My 25th consisted of Single Malts, Cigars, shots of Grand Marnier, and sleeping on my bathroom floor.

I think the main theme has been the decline of French wine quality - I personally think that it's moreso the increase in quality of Italian, Australian, Amercian, New Zealand, South African, etc. I still believe French Wine to be the Benchmark from which many wines can be compared to. We'll probably see a economic equalization of some sort - the french wines will decrease in price as many of the marquee names i.e. Gaja, Penfolds Grange, Sassacaia, Tignanello, Opus, Greenock Creek, Colgin, Bryant, etc, etc - increase in price. I'm selfishly hopeful of a Bear market in french wine - I'd love to get some cases of Grand Crus for my golden years. In the meantime - I consider myself an equal opportunity consumer.

Did she purposely substitute thick soy sauce (kecap manis?) or did she think she was using molasses? I have a dear friend I love very much who doesn't understand the concept of preheating an oven. She puts whatever item into the oven while the oven is cold; then, she turns on the oven. She and her husband tell me that it's a waste of electricity to preheat. They're also unwilling to pay for decent knives, yet they wonder how I can chop so much more quickly and precisely whenever I bring over my own knives (and mine aren't even close to top-of-the-line). For someone who scored quite low on the snob test, this sounds awfully snobbish. She had watched me make cookies many times for my nieces and nephews - she just didn't pay attention to the label. The cookies were for a going-away party at "her" job so I let it slide.

Just about any French wine in the store is probably been paid for by an domestic importer. I would also surmise that the decline in future sales may have more due do with everyone and their cousin blowing their wad on 2000 Bordeaux futures than, "Patriotism"

My ex (not a good cook) tried to make homemade cookies and used thick soy sauce instead of molasses. The sad part is that it probably helped more than it hurt.

Auction buyers do not experiment. You don't build your reputation on the auction market. Auction buyers are only buying from producers with already established reputations and then only buy wines from the best years. Please explain the California Cult Phenomenon and how a First year production of any David Abreu or Helen Turley wine would bring a higher auction price than just about any 96, 97, or 98 Prem Cru Mass insanity.

Auction buyers do not experiment. You don't build your reputation on the auction market. Auction buyers are only buying from producers with already established reputations and then only buy wines from the best years.

I would offer that a sold wine at auction that brings a premium price - promotes speculation and increases the winemaker's profile expotentially. edit:spelling

Tax here is 9% - that seems pretty fair. We're at 8% from a recent 7% - I don't want this to digress into a tip thread - but college years spent bartending and having many a friend in the business have shown "the difference between a fair and great tip may be 5.00"

Absolutely - I know the Cabernet grapes used in the two wines were slightly different (as far as vineyard) but I rememeber reading something about the wine-making process I thought. I should note that both wines were decanted prior to tasting

Tippers who double the tax People who say "Medium Well" Hostile vegetarians People who send wine back because they don't like it People who change their order after it's been placed

T.N. 1999 Quilceda Creek Red Unexpected nose of Barnyard and leather in addition to sweet black fruit. Big, gelatinous texture and slides down the throat. Loads of ripe fruit and tannin in the powerhouse. Don't wait with a wine this approachable - drink it now. 1999 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Similiar nose but not as Bretty with more noticeable wood. Tasted even bigger than the Red with firmer tannin and immense structure. Seemed to have a more pronounced cherry flavor. Should be a show-stopper in years to come (if you can keep your hands off it)

If your thinking of commercial (or similiar) - install a gas line of sufficient diameter.

I did spend a lot time in the kitchen this weekend making sauces/stock so the TV was on a lot of the time. I wanted to see how bad some of these shows really were. Cookworks - I thought it was ok, seemed like it's geared to novices. Paula's Home Cooking - Not good. Grease and more grease. I wouldn't be surprised to see a recipe for Beer Batter french fries and Lard cakes. Lighten Up - god-awful - I turned it off. Barefoot Contessa - Bad, You could condense the show into a 2 minute commercial