FrogPrincesse

The following cocktail could go under "Drambuie" or "Lillet", but since I found it in the PDT cocktail book I am just going to add it to this thread. The Prince Edward: Scotch whisky (the book called for blended malt whisky, I substituted Glenfiddich 12), Lillet blanc, Drambuie, orange bitters (I used Regan's + Angostura), flamed orange twist. Not bad; quite boozy and rich (on the verge of being syrupy). Maybe not the best choice with the heat.

I made a Corpse Reviver variation last night with bourbon, aka the Kentucky Corpse Reviver (recipe found via Eat Your Books, here). Elijah Craig bourbon, Pierre Ferrand curacao, lemon juice, Lillet. Very pleasant, but I still prefer the gin version.

Here is a link to a pdf of the cocktail menu at Pouring Ribbons, with the flavor matrix.

Regarding zubrowka, do avoid the brand Bak's. Their version is awful, completely artificial tasting. I have a bottle I have no idea what to do with.

Olive oil + lemon juice, plus the fennel fronds. Very simple!

For my husband who needed a break from Chartreuse I made the Little Bit Country that was mentioned way upthread. The ingredients are pretty straightforward with a combo of bourbon, maple syrup, lemon juice, maraschino, angostura and orange bitters, until you get to the final ingredient - muddled jalapeño. I was afraid that it would be overly spicy but it was perfectly balanced. The richness of the maple syrup did wonders with the jalapeno. There was some heat but it did not take over. The flamed orange zest was a nice touch. Another winner.

Sipping "That Green Drink" (from the Chartreuse thread) the other night I kept thinking that it had potential but was not quite right. It was just too busy and as a result felt too strong and heavy ("liquoreux" comes to mind). So I thought how great it would be to modify it and substitute tequila for the gin and refocus the drink on highlighting the herbal grassy notes of the Chartreuse rather than its syrupy quality with the white vermouth combo that I did not care for. Then I realized that there was already something similar in the PDT cocktail book, the Lawn Dart that combined tequila blanco, gin, lime juice, agave syrup, Chartreuse and green bell pepper. It tasted like fresh cut grass, with a slight kick from the muddled green pepper. Beautiful green notes. After a few sips I realized that it recreated the flavors I like in a good zubrowka/ bison grass vodka, which I have not had in a while because of the coumarin issue and reformulations for the US market.

Local halibut cooked en papillote with thyme and grapefruit segments. I served it with acorn squash and kale. Dinner last night was a quiche Lorraine with home-cured bacon. We had the quiche with this tomato, watermelon and fennel salad.

I made a salad last night with ingredients from my CSA: heirloom tomatoes, yellow watermelon and fennel. The fennel was amazingly tender and delicate; great with the tomatoes. I see the watermelon + tomato combo a lot in recipes but I still don't get it. The watermelon looked pretty but I don't think it added much.

A couple of drinks with orgeat, inspired by the 7 daiquiris in 7 days from The Mix Lab. First, the Look Normal by Rumdood. White rum (I used Flor de Caña) and lime juice sweetened with orgeat, maraschino, simple syrup and absinthe (I used pastis). It's reminiscent of the Hemingway Daiquiri with a kick from the absinthe (I had reduced the amount from 2 to 1 tsp). The orgeat mellows the flavors so it's quite mild and refreshing. The second drink was the Freshman Daiquiri by Theo Lieberman. White rum, lime juice, orgeat, falernum, orange slices. I think this was our favorite. The combo of orgeat + orange + falernum is a great one.

Thanks for the advice. One more excuse for me to buy yellow Chartreuse!

I had a Champs Elysées at Little Branch last night and it was masterful. Don't know the ratios or anything, but it was a knockout - perfect balance of all the ingredients. That shows you how ratios are key... This is such a simple cocktail there is not much room for error. My cognac could also have been the culprit; it's Remy Martin vsop but it's not really that good for mixing. It sounds like you had a fabulous time a Little Branch, I envy you!

I am guessing texture. The ones I just made with egg whites were very fluffy and delicate. I am not sure that you could achieve the same texture without egg whites.

I tried "That Green Drink" from the summer issue of Imbibe magazine: gin, white vermouth, muddled cucumber, Chartreuse, lime juice, simple syrup. Lots of things going on in that cocktail. Intensely aromatic with the interplay of Chartreuse and white vermouth (I used Dolin). Quite strong. May be better suited to the heat topped with club soda (or decrease the amount of Chartreuse a little). I kept thinking that a tequila version could work too.

Excellent. They seem a little more plump that the ones my machine produces. I am sure they are delightful. Do you use ricotta in the dough or just a regular pasta dough recipe?

I haven't been but would love to try Sam Ross' new venture, Attaboy, and Joaquin Simo, Troy Sidle, Jason Cott & Toby Maloney's new place, Pouring Ribbons. Please do report back!

Very cool. It would be great so see the resulting cavatelli when you get a chance!

Intriguing. Do you have a picture?

Brooklyn Girl is a restaurant that opened earlier this year in Mission Hills. I had my first meal there about a month ago; I believe that their original chef had already left. This must be one of the most pleasant kitchens to work in because it has large windows that open into the street with lots of light. The dining space itself is a little reminiscent of Cuccina Urbana - large, loft-like space, noisy and animated, with the bar in the middle. We started off with some cocktails. They arrived in large glasses and were mediocre across the board for a place that claims to serve "craft cocktails". The namesake cocktail was ok; it's their take on the Brooklyn cocktail with Averna substituted for the Picon (and it came with an unfortunate layer of foam indicating that it had been shaken instead of stirred). The cantaloupe Manhattan seemed watered down, the Southern Bell was a weird spicy concoction with bell pepper, and their take on the whiskey sour (I forgot the name but it was an homage to someone's grandmother) was a monstrosity. It was so sweet and candy-like that my friends convinced me to send it back (a first for me as I am very uncomfortable complaining in restaurants). In short, don't order the cocktails. Now that this is out of the way, the food... After the complementary popcorn (which is fun with the cocktails), we had the clam pizza, short rib gnocchi, ribeye steak with bone marrow and chimichurri, and the clams "casino" - a misnomer because these are steamed clams in broth (which was clear from the description in the menu). The clams pizza was slightly undercooked and the clams a little rubbery. Everything else was great though. My dish, the clams "casino", was meant to be an appetizer but was actually an extremely generous portion of juicy clams for $12 I believe - a great deal. The steak and the short ribs were substantial and succulent. We left quite happy with the food. So I am sure that we will be back, but we will make sure to order wine next time! The ribeye steak with bone marrow and chimichurri Short rib gnocchi Clams "casino"

Thanks blue_dolphin. The fresh fig was from Trader Joe's by the way. I had fun with the garnish but if you want to make an exact replica of the version they serve at PDT, I realized after the fact that they had a video showing how to make it.

What a great way to finish the week! And it's nice to see a classic French (Parisian) dish. I've never had lobster Thermidor but this looks delicious. Do you cook the lobster in a pan first before finishing it in the oven?

That's on the list too. Is there a type of scotch that works best in that drink?

I went to the newly opened Public Market last weekend which currently functions as a farmer's market and had lunch at a food truck named Miss Sushi. We ordered a bunch of items and waited... and waited (even though there were only few people). It took a while and I was afraid that the wait would not justify the end result. However I was wrong on that point. First we got this delicious yellowtail tostada. The fried tortilla was super crisp. The yellowtail was resting on a bed of seaweed salad and it was topped with fresh avocado. Delicious. Then we had a couple of sushi rolls. Caterpillar on the left and "crunchy roll" (shrimp) on the right. You can see the attention to detail in the presentation, and the ingredients were great with high-quality seafood . This was much better than most low- to mid-range sushi restaurant that I've tried in the past. Try it if you get a chance!

Unfortunately I don't have cocktail-quality sherry (just some stuff that I use to cook with and has been opened for a while...). But it's on my list once I make some room - I am working on it!

More meals from MIHO since June. I still enjoy this place very much. I loved the eggplant wrap (smoked local eggplant, white bean hummus, fresh local cucumber, local onion sprouts, roasted local sweet pepper, home made créme fraîche, lavash) The salmon taco was not especially memorable although it is nice to see fish on the menu (olive oil poached salmon, local lamb's quarter & padron pesto, local epazote crema, pickled local peppers, crispy local chard, shaved local radish, local flour tortilla). I was not crazy about the chicken shawarma flatbread - the meat was a little dry and over-seasonned (all natural chicken, house pickled local veggies, local little gem, tahini garlic sauce, hand made flatbread). I LOVED the heirloom tomato sandwich (fresh local heirloom tomato, house smoked local avocado puree, gruyere, local arugula, local levain). The picture does not do it justice. It was very "meaty" and satisfying. The pulled pork sandwich was a little bland. The torta de Adobada was great (all natural Berkshire pork, house pickled red onion, black beans, shredded lettuce, salsa de cacauate, fresh cilantro, panella, local avocado, hand made mayo, local telera). I could have lived without the mayo but the meat was delicious and all the other elements added something interesting to the mix.