Schielke

You can get taylor pork roll at De Laurenti's (spelling) in Pike Place Market here in Seattle. A bit of a drive, but for pork roll...mmmmmmmmmm. Ben

heh heh heh, yeah I ran across that today while surfing. I thought it was appropriate due to all the raves we have been giving brasa.

Heh heh heh, I have convinced my friends to go here for dinner with me on Sat evening before a movie. This time I am targeting things such as the mussels, soup, and cheese plate. Maybe a lamb burger for good luck. Ben

I had the pleasure of receiving a bottle of Lemon Hart rum for a housewarming present a couple months ago. After the party, I was closely looking at the bottle and realized that it was a 151 proof rum. I had been affraid to drink it for a while due to my previous experience with 151 proof rum (Bacardi) being akin to drinking fire ants. I worked up the mustard to try some on the rocks the other night and was astounded at how smooth and flavorful it was. Is this common of other decent high proof rums? Also, I was curious about your thoughts on Lemon Hart or any other info about it. Thanks! Ben (Jason, this is the rum I was talking about at the Pot Luck)

I am still a bit wierded out by odd cold dishes. I think it is due to my fear of cold salads that I was forced against my will to eat at things like church picnics. I do, however love salami and cured meats of that nature. I love foie gras, but have only had it in hot preperations. I have yet to sample any kind of pate...hold me, I am affraid! hehehe. I think I will just bite the bullet and go for it. Ben

What is the correct pronunciation of charcuterie. I have only seen it printed and never heard it spoken. As I understand it, doesnt it mean cured meats? What am I in for if I order it? Ben

I have to add Agua Verde for pretty much everything they have to offer. A few favorites though- Mangodilla (~$7.00 and feeds two people) Any of their tacos (~$7.00) Bitchin Margiritas ($4-$5 and use very good well liquor, sauza if I recall) They also have some black bean cakes that I really like and could barely eat all of, leftovers anyone? Ben Edit: cant spell.

I have been wondering about that place for a while. It looks like a rainforest cafe. Ben

MsRamsey- I have been thinking about this too. I will give him a call in the near future to see what he has to say. Once I get some details about it, Ill post a thread to figure out a date and topic and such. I would have done this sooner, but funds were a bit tight and I wanted to wait a little. Heyjude- That would be cool and I would love to go. Ben

I am all about adding some kind of cola to the mix. I generally perfer Coca-Cola Classic due to it's balanced sweetness. I cant remember my bbq sauce recipe that I use right now, but Ill try to post it later when I can look it up. A main component is cola though. Ben

So that Omakase menu you just described was $158 total? Good Effing Lord. I really really need to go. So do you just ask the sushi chef for an omakase at a certain price point? Will that generally include things such as the little crabs or do you have to ask for it? I am getting a sushi hankering. Ben

I finally ate at Le Pichet this last weekend. I had a great time, but I still really have not truly eaten there. A friend and I had good intentions of making it from Tini Bigs (where we paid too much for decent drinks) to Capitol Hill for a good night of Cap Hill bar hopping. We figured that we should stop somewhere on the way for another round of drinks. Realizing I was in Belltown on first, I steered our path to coincide with Le Pichet. We sat at the bar and asked the jovial bartender what the beer situation was. He repied that he had bottles of Red Chimay and a nice Alsacean (spelling) pale ale in a big bottle. Being fresh out of college, we chose the big bottle. I was already a bit clouded so I dont remember the name of the beer, but it was excelent and the whole bottle was $12! Lightly hopped, smooth and somewhat crisp is what I remember. My companion was also impressed. Soon I realized that I was in Le Pichet and that I was not eating anything. I fixed this quandry by ordering a little snacking food. We had the Baguette with butter and the roasted almonds with coarse sea salt. The Baguette was a little more rustic than I was expecting, but still very tasty. The almonds were very nice as well. Not too salty and very flavorful, it was just what I needed. After polishing of the beer and stumbling off of our stools, we left happy and still on our way to Capitol Hill. Tragedy soon struck...we got some crazy idea in our heads that stopping at the Night Light and getting a Long Island Iced Tea was a really good idea. I was about a third finished with mine and realized that drinking any more would be a very bad thing. My companion, who has the tolerance of an elephant, polished his off, but soon lost his navigational ability. New Rule for Ben- Night Light Long Islands should either be avoided or only consumed as a first drink of the evening. After giving up on our Long Islands, we got a call from Katie, who we were supposed to be meeting on the Hill after she got out of the Bob Dylan concert. Aparently, Bob had no opening band and the show was over in time for the geezer to get to bed by 10...weak. We then walked to the Lava lounge to watch some shuffleboard while waited for Katie. Aparently the lava lounge shuffleboard scene is off the hook! We were on our way out when it started to get wild and the participants took their shirts off. So we didn't make it to Capitol Hill, but in every other sense our evening was a success. In any case, I will be returning to Le Pichet in the near future for a real meal. I cant wait! Ben

At least he recognized some bitchin' coffee. Ben

I just checked out that link to trotter's vegetable menu and they had this to say. "This multi-course tasting menu is a celebration of modern vegetable cuisine. Chef Trotter’s approach to vegetable cuisine is not that of a staunch vegetarian, but rather of a chef passionate about vegetables. Their complex textures, artistic shapes, vibrant colors and full flavors fuel his love for transforming them into unforgettable dishes. " Ben

If I recall, the Vegetable Menu is not vegetarian. It can contain traces of meat or items cooked with meat. I believe this menu was designed to highlight the vegetables...but this may have changed. Ben

That is the best thing ever. Ben

I guess Ben hasn't seen those segments on the Antiques Roadshow where the expert meets the hopeful owner of some old sword he has been using as a doorstop for twenty years: Expert: "Well, this is a fine specimen of an 1861 Southern cavalry sabre, used by the 3rd regiment, second division of Col. Bartholemew Jeremia Coburn's Army of the Housatonic. Very, very rare, there are just two known to have survived with the beveled hilt and engraved blood channel. Do you have any idea what it is worth?" Hopeful and slightly dazed owner: "Well no, not really. But a neighbor told me it looked old and might be worth a pretty penny." Expert: "Well, in it's original condition a sword like this fetched $475,000 at auction last year. But unfortunately you've had this sword sharpened and cleaned, and that reduces its value to a collector to about $11.99." Owner faints. Hehehe, sweet. The sword I found in my grandfather's office after he passed away some years back. It is an old samuri style sword that looks like it was from WWII. Part of the handle is broken (I guess the bolster, unless it has another name) and the blade is quite dirty. It doesnt have any kind of ornaments on it, it seems pretty utilitarian. Any guesses? Ben Check out the following site http://www.samuraisword.com/ They have a section called evaluation, that helps you find out what type of sword you have and whether or not it is worth anything. My husband has a couple os Japanese swords that I have also been thinking about getting appraised. Neato, Ill have to check it out tonight! Thanks, Ben

Is the happy hour also on the weekend? hmmm.

If it makes waffles in the shape of hello kitty's head, you must go back and get it!!!!!! Ben

I guess Ben hasn't seen those segments on the Antiques Roadshow where the expert meets the hopeful owner of some old sword he has been using as a doorstop for twenty years: Expert: "Well, this is a fine specimen of an 1861 Southern cavalry sabre, used by the 3rd regiment, second division of Col. Bartholemew Jeremia Coburn's Army of the Housatonic. Very, very rare, there are just two known to have survived with the beveled hilt and engraved blood channel. Do you have any idea what it is worth?" Hopeful and slightly dazed owner: "Well no, not really. But a neighbor told me it looked old and might be worth a pretty penny." Expert: "Well, in it's original condition a sword like this fetched $475,000 at auction last year. But unfortunately you've had this sword sharpened and cleaned, and that reduces its value to a collector to about $11.99." Owner faints. Hehehe, sweet. The sword I found in my grandfather's office after he passed away some years back. It is an old samuri style sword that looks like it was from WWII. Part of the handle is broken (I guess the bolster, unless it has another name) and the blade is quite dirty. It doesnt have any kind of ornaments on it, it seems pretty utilitarian. Any guesses? Ben

I think ill send him my knife for some sharpening, I am in seattle and he is a couple hours north, so shipping shouldnt be too bad. I also have an old sword that I guess he will sharpen too. sweet. Ben

Katie and I went with a friend last night. Wheeeee. Good times had by all. We had: Pizza with chorizo and green olives- I am starting to appreciate olives more and more. This pizza is one reason why. The crust is just so damn good. I do think it needs a tiny bit more chorizo though. Steak Frites with Cabrales butter- The frites were really really good. It has been so long since I have had a really good example of fried food. Go Brasa. The steak was pretty good, nothing exceptional. For the price it was amazing though. Lamb burger- The lamb burger was very nice, I would have wished it has more of a lamb flavor. Perhaps some cumin in the meat would bring it out. Still very nice and one of the better burgers I have had. Brasa Sundae- Served with long spoons in a tall narrow cup. Tasty ice cream layered with traces of caramel, strawberries, and some kind of chocolate cake. I felt like a winner after eating it. Yeah! I had a better look at the drink list and am now not so angry about it. The Chimay beer was listed at 7.50, which is still outrageous. Other beers were 4.00 a pint, which is still pretty pricecy, but not crazy. Specality drinks run between 7.00 and 8.00, which is not too bad either. We tried out a few of them with good results. Katie had a Belini, which was quite tasty (Champagne and Peaches is what it said on the menu). Ian our friend had a Tradewinds, which is like a mojito with huckleberry reduction. Excelent drink. I had a Negroni, I have been meaning to try it for a while somehwere. It is campari, gin, and vermouth. Very dry, but very flavorful. We saved 20 bucks on the food bill, but made up for it in drinks. hehehe. I need to stop drinking to stay in budget! Ben

At Izumi, one of the chefs does wear gloves the whole time. I can't remember if the other one does or not. Hot sushi chefs eh? Something about a man that can work it with raw fish...damn! Are the female sushi chefs at Mashikos hot? The boys may have to go check them out! heh heh heh Ben

I have seen it done only on Television. Once on Iron Chef when the challenger was a Sommelier and another on the heavily overproduced show The Thirsty Traveller- champagne episode. Looks neat, I think that is all. Ben

I saw a couple of bottles of old monk at a liquor store here in Kirkland, Wa. I dont know if that helps at all. Ben