Kent Wang

I have already heard some good reports from friends. This guy has some serious pedigree, at Wink, Uchi, Herbsaint and I think Cochon too. I went to Cochon in New Orleans and thought if it was in Austin, it'd easily be in the top two restaurants in town (the other being Uchi).

Wow, I got a little misty-eyed watching this. But no stirring? How does the mint flavor stuck at the bottom of the glass get into the drink?

I think this deserves its own thread. How do you clean one of these blocks? You just scrap off the browned bits? I've also been served dishes at restaurants (Uchi in Austin) with items served on the salt blocks. How do they clean the block afterwards? I wonder if the health department would complain, though certainly I don't mind.

The Derby is coming up this weekend! Is it better to use a simple syrup or just sprinkle some sugar on the mint? I've read that the sugar crystals will help bruise the mint.

What do you think of Pastificio Artigianale Romita? I'm not an expert on pasta by any means but I love their product. It has the great variation in texture and al denteness that I haven't even ever had at restaurants. I find the quality difference between Romita and De Cecco greater than even that between De Cecco and the bottom-shelf supermarket brands. Central Market also carries Rustichella D'Abruzzo. It's about the same price but I find the quality just a cut above De Cecco.

Thanks, Andy. I'll give it a shot once I buy another bottle of Grouse. Has anyone tried a beet infusion? Amateur Cocktail Guy did a vodka infused with golden beets.

I've seen these in action at The Trappist in Oakland, CA but am a little put off by the amount of water that stays in the glass. I don't want to my beer watered down, even if it's by a very small amount of water.

What should I do with the souvenir laundry clips?

Much of the flavor an apple will impart on an infusion is in the skin, so definitely leave that on. I've done apple infusions before, using 2-3 apples per 750ml, cored and sliced and I think put in for about 2 weeks. Apples will contribute some water to the spirit, so it may not fit into the same bottle again, I seem to recall running into that problem. Be sure and let us know how it comes out. ← Not so good. I used Pink Lady apples which are a red variety. Result was a little sweeter, more acidic, but just a tiny bit of apple flavor. Definitely can't stand up to mixing. But it did make the Famous Grouse very drinkable; I downed half the bottle straight. Should I try a green apple? What if I only put the peels?

Alphabetically.

I feel that Sazerac 6 is also fairly dull and lacks spice, yet I see it at a few medium-level cocktail bars. Haven't had the Ri(1). How does it compare?

I thought I would post this here rather than the New York forum as many burger lovers will find this fascinating. Serious Eats: Secrets of Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger Highlights: "All the beef is prime and sourced from Creekstone Farms, Kentucky. The ribeye used in the Black Label is the same cut that is on the menu at Minetta Tavern for $90 (and is worth every penny). Nasr says that it is important to use prime grade beef because, due to its intense marbling, less external fat is required in the the blend, thus concentrating the beef flavor."

An article on honey laundering (what a funny name) from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on 2008-12-20. Some highlights: I like honey (I got some New Zealand stuff my cousin sent me) but I definitely don't consume 1.1 lbs a year. A lot of this is probably stuff like cereal such as Honey Bunches of Oats, which I don't eat either.

I just made a pizza with avocados on it. Is that ok? An avoca-do or an avoca-don't?

Back in September I had a great cocktail at Death & Co. called the Grouse Rampant with apple-infused Famous Grouse. I just bought a bottle and some apples. Should I peel off the skin or leave it? Any other advice on how long to infuse, etc. would be helpful as well.

"The Thermapen Private Sale Has Ended Thanks for your interest in the private sale. We had a phenomenal response."

I think we could use a new topic on which are the good artisanal brands of pasta. ... Of course I am but a guest here, but seriously can't we get the hyperbole under control? ← Whether Steven intended it as hyperbole or not, I think the argument is completely sound. $20 million is a pitiful amount of savings versus the many other ways families could save energy, with the very real disadvantage of eating poorly-cooked pasta. I think as environmental issues have come to the fore of media attention, writers try to tie any story they can come up with to saving energy, the environment, etc.

Probably the scariest (good) restaurant in Austin. I've eaten on the porch during lunch and had an old drugged-out-looking lady come up to me and asked if she could have some food. I declined. Then there was the one time at night a crackhead stumbled inside and the staff shouted angrily and kicked him out. So, yeah, be aware of that.

Sam's BBQ is the best barbecue within Austin city limits.

I'm going to argue a bit and say that any drink with anise like the CR2, or Campari, is not a good drink for newbies. I'm also against Sidecars as cognac can be rough for beginners. I agree that the Vieux Mot, or rather the variation thirtyoneknots gives (which I call the Elderflower Sour), is my go to intro cocktail. Daiquiri is nice but is too rounded; I prefer to knock their socks off with the St. Germain.

Columbus cacciatore with porcini. Lots of porcini. Good value. I would refrigerate it at all times. When eating, slice off a few pieces and (hopefully if you have time) let it come up to room temperature.

I got lots of crazy ideas. Wherever I end up moving to, say Shanghai or just San Francisco, I want to bring with me a grillmaster from Central Texas and we'll start up an awesome barbecue restaurant and wipe out the competition. Hire a bunch of cheap laborers and get my mother to teach them how to make Chinese dumplings. Then I'll sell them at the farmers market. Those would be way better than the frozen dumplings from Chinatown supermarket. Have my own farm, like Martha Stewart. I'm a city person so I probably won't spend much time there. But I'll tell them to grow whatever I want to eat, and they'll deliver some to me and sell the rest at market. Also, I could spend relaxing weekends and have parties at the farm.

It seems like the ideal test would be in a dark & stormy, just add it to dark rum. How gingery is it? More than Reed's Extra Ginger Brew?

Official website I read about this in Drinks magazine, the tiny rag put out by Spec's. It is described as being made by John Cooper, brother of Rob Cooper who makes St. Germain. That little tidbit piqued my interest. Unfortunately it's not available in Texas (which makes me wonder why it's in this magazine). How is it? Does it have potential for the various situations that call for ginger?

Both say "Original French Dry". The new bottle looks quite different, with the bottle itself having a twisting part, while the original is a plain bottle.