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Schielke

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Posts posted by Schielke

  1. I had a fresh salsa business for a couple of years; the farmer I worked with wanted to make a canned sauce, and I just wouldn't do it; it seemed the antithesis of what table salsas were about.  While I roasted (on a comal) the vegetables I used -- tomatoes, garlic, chiles, tomatillos -- I didn't cook them together as a sauce.  Once you can them, they're subjected to a lot of heat and the taste is going to change.

    I wonder if this new pasteurization technology could drastically improve the taste of bottled (well, probably not bottled, but bagged or something) salsa?

    They aparently squeeze the hell out of it instead of heating it a bunch.

    Ben

  2. So am I correct in interpreting from the picture above that he slices a circle of the peel from the orange for flaming duties?  Does this piece actually go in the drink or does the flamed oil go in?  

    It looks like the drink already has some orange peel in it.

    Thanks!

    Ben

    My understanding of his techinque is that he holds the ligher or match in front of the glass and sort of bends/snaps the orange peel to release a fine spray of orange oil through the flame towards the surface of the drink. It's the fine mist of orange oil that actually ignites, not the alcohol in the drink. You can then drop the peel into the glass as a garnish, or use a strip of orange peel like he has in the photo.

    So does this "flamed" oil add to the drink flavor or aroma-wise? This part definately adds to the alure of the drink...and anything on fire is better.

    Ben

  3. This sounds pretty similar to what we have here.

    The workers are government employees who are charged with distributing and controlling the liquor distribution. They seem to care less about liquor and I have never seen any of them excited about any product they are selling.

    We dont have the take a number racket and for that I am thankful! Phew!

    Our stores are closed on sunday too and have strange hours on top of that.

    Ben

  4. We finished by sharing a cup of their insanely thick and rich hot chocolate (not on the menu) with a side of whipped cream - there is no way one person could eat (too thick drink) an entire cup of this stuff.

    Ha! I laugh at your challenge! I polished off a cup of the exact same hot chocolate you mentioned today! Katie only got halfway.

    We were wandering around downtown and decided we needed a chocolate bomb so we wandered in and got some. Ohhh so good. I was sorry I finished the whole thing though. I was full the rest of the day.

    Ben

  5. Pizza and hot dogs are the big sellers at the Costco food counters here in the NorthWest. I think the pizza is overrated though.

    We also have a new Costco Home store here in Kirkland (Do you guys have Kirkland Signature products across the US?) and will be getting some kind of Costco "gourmet" food store in the near future. Only time will tell if it is any good.

    Ben

  6. What is abalone sashimi like? Is it much like surf clam or giant clam? How does the flavor compare?

    I have seen a tank of abalone at a fish market in the International District here in Seattle. Funny looking things. As I understand it one type of abalone cannot be fished any more in certain parts of the world. I guess it is pretty pricey in Japan too. The abalone at the place I mentioned before was not overly expensive I remember.

    Ben

  7. I just noticed that the latest newsletter on his site lists the D2-

    2000 DeLille Cellars D2

    Big jammy, ripe aromas of blackberries, blueberries and toasty vanilla oak spices jump right out of the glass. The flavors combine a blast of fresh ripe berries with white pepper, ripe tannins and plush Merlot middle flavors. Good concentration and fresh vibrant fruit are the key to this wine.

    $31.98/$28.98/$26.08

    The first price is retail, the second is single bottle, the third is case discount.

    Ben

  8. The interesting thing I found out in that discussion is that there is no current liquor tax in our state. The LCB just marks it up 45 percent because that is what they can get away with. If it were privatized, we would see taxes on it no doubt. I just hope the taxes would not make competition a moot point as far as price goes.

    I am sick of paying these horrible prices for liquor here. Gaahhh!

    I am going to California this week though and will pick up something fun for cheap no doubt!

    Ben

  9. Back in '98, an Australian friend of mine smuggled a little bit of Kings Island 'Roaring 40's' Blue Cheese into the country. I had no idea to its quality, nor why she would risk bringing it in the country; that is until I tried it. It was the best blue cheese I've ever had in my life. Ever since I have searched every known store; Di Laurenti's, Costco, Trader Joes, etc. to find it and no one even knows what it is. As Fish was walking me through Whole Foods as a tour guide, we got to the cheese counter and I started telling him about this unobtainable item. And there it was. I bought a wheel, sliced it into 6 wedges and froze them with my Food Saver™*. I'm down to my last wedge and need to go back.

    You are dead on about that cheese- it is my favorite blue to date. I tasted some of it when I was last at Mistral and I had to know where he got it. I now make a point of getting some regularly.

    Do they give you a discount when you buy a wheel?

    Ben

  10. Liquor Control on KUOW last Friday

    This was an interesting piece that I was listening to last Friday. It is about the argument over whether the liquor control board has a conflict of interests where they both control the distribution of alcohol and provide customer service for people buying it.

    The liquor board representative that appeared seemed to be very skewed in his reasoning. He seemed to think that his job was to reduce the sale of alcohol to the public. I remember him saying that a private alcohol system would lead to more people buying alcohol! (gasp!) :shock:

    I was happy to hear Washington State Senator Tim Sheldon inform us that he will be proposing a bill that will eliminate the Liquor Control Board here. I am crossing my fingers.

    What do you all think of this whole business? I am generally in favor of most things private and not state run, but there are good arguments the other way. The revenue from the system is obviously a benefit. Supposedly we can special order any liquor that is sold in the United States from any Washington State Liquor store so variety of product is kind of taken care of. I just think the government should keep their grubby little fingers out of my scotch.

    Ben

  11. I have never been a fan of the wings at Hooters...not that I have ever been before! :raz: I do know that the local wing place here in seattle (Wing Dome) deep fries all the wings and then sauces them by tossing them in a bowl with a bit of the sauce. I would guess you should do this while they are fresh out of the fryer.

    Man, now I want some wings.

    Ben

  12. Hana on Broadway also serves a bento box, but while good, their food is more home-style cooking and not as refined as it could be. Though I often find myself craving their beef teriyaki.

    Of course the bento available everywhere in Japan is amazing - I haven't seen anything in Portland or Seattle that comes close. Even the boxes available in the train stations were wonderful, and very fresh as by law they have to be sold within 4 hours of being made (or so I read). Imagine dining on a small feast of many little delicacies (which cost you about 10 bucks) while hurtling along at 180 MPH in complete comfort and quiet (much smoother ride than the TGV, IMHO) as Mt. Fuji, rice paddies and small tea farms glide past the window.

    Damn you nightscotsman!!! Why must you tease me so?

    :biggrin:

    Ben

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