Carolyn Tillie

I bought the 48-bottle Sunbeam model from Home Depot. Yes, too small and not perfectly regulated, but at a $150 and also living in a small apartment, it if fine for my current needs and budget (besides, I have more money to spend on wine whicih gets drunk far too quickly anyway....)

So on my puddle-jumper flight between Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia, I sat next to a lady who told me about an agricultural/tourist community *somewhere* in her Georgian neighborhood that made their own jam and ground their own grits. She promised to send me a link so that I could make a purchase but no e-mail has come through. I was intrigued by the jam because it is made from some berry that I didn't recognize and I wanted to buy some of their artisinal grits. Does anyone know what this community might be? If not, what might be the best artisinal grits to purchase online? My Daddy (pronounced Dahdde) was from Georgia so there's suth'n blood runn'n in this girl's veins...

A week travelling around the East Coast had me returning to San Francisco quite homesick last Friday evening. Foregoing the invitations for St. Patrick's Day pub crawls, Kevin and I wandered up Fillmore Street to a different Japanese restaurant I had been anxious to try, Ten-Ichi. Mostly, I had a craving for the basic teriyaki steak and tempura which I ordered as a combo. The steak was pleasantly rare and tender (so often not the case). The tempura was decent enough, but I always look for something extra; a different vegetable to set it apart from others. The nigiri sushi, on the other hand, was exquisite. Kevin and I ordered a variety of uni, toro, hamachi, shiro maguro, and ama-ebi were extremely fresh and tender. The service was fantastic and (after a stressful week travelling with my boss), the large selection of sake was well-appreciated. I believe we tried five or six different styles and enjoyed each one of them (realizing I need to start investigating sakes more thoroughly).

I'm pushing this topic back up in hopes of finding sources for dried Italian or European mushrooms in bulk. I live next to Japantown in San Francisco and have a great selection of dried Oriental mushrooms, but have finally figured out that I always need to have a large selection of mushrooms on hand and want to buy larger quantities than most stores sell. Specifically, I would like to find bulk offerings of morels, porcini, chantrelles...

After a week on the east coast, the last 12 hours were spent in Charlotte (the final leg before rising at 4:00 a.m. to catch a flight home). Downtown was shimmering with inviting lights and feeling brave, I headed toward the shimmering spires... Arpa was one of the first to catch my eye -- elegant and modern on a street corner teaming with folks -- and knowing how early I'd have to rise, decided it seemed reasonable enough for a quick meal. The boss and I were hungrier than I anticipated as we went through a wide variety of lovingly-presented tapas; Roasted Duck Supremes, leg confit and truffled potatoes; served in a stubby martini glass, I don't believe the duck was actually true confit, but was flavorful enough (if not a tad overcooked and tough) with arugula and miniature roasted tomatoes. Melty Manchego on Crusty Bread, with olive tapenade and caramelized onions; a fairly standard offering except that the bread was almost a bit too large, in both height and width. How can anything be bad with caramelized onions? Croquetas de Jamon y Pollo, traditional chicken and ham fritters; served on a spicy romesco sauce and drizzled pesto, these were innocuous enough but my boss adored them -- fried things are a favored of the weary. Roasted Eggplant "Package", goat cheese, hazelnuts & pesto; sliced and roasted eggplant enrapped melted goat cheese but the garnish of fleur de sel overwhelmed. Empanadilla de Carne, Spanish meat pie; the spiciest dish of the evening -- with a crispy, flaky crust. We finished the meal with a shared molten chocolate cake that was far from molten, but tasted good with a few glasses of port. Overall, a nice enough experience except that in retrospect, I found the entire meal to be too salty. I drank twice as much water as I did martinis (unusual for me). The ambience is very George Jetson/1972-SciFi but the servers are more than gracious.

I would be wary of a butcher who does not know what caul fat is... My understanding is that it is the webbing that encases the intensines. That said, in my terrines I have used both fat-back and bacon, but both have to be heavily blanched beforehand to remove the salt. It is usually harder to get it as thin. Caul fat provides a thinner layer of fat around the terrine but there is no reason you cannot use other forms of fat (I have even used chilled duck fat to some success).

I had a commercial Wolf Stove and was never able to install it because it required specially-designed firewalls and hoods. I was a renter but if I owned and was re-doing my kitchen, than there is no reason not to...

I would recommend you wander the square, read menus, and eat at whatever strikes you. Seriously -- sometimes serendipity is the best plan of attack. Alternately, you could always shop at Sonoma Market (a most AMAZING grocery store), pick up some picnic items, and head to Gundlach Bundschu Winery for lunch!

The Starbucks here in California have been offering a wide variety of sandwiches and fruit-and-cheese platters for some time. I have become rather addicted to an egg salad on multi-grain bread as a breakfast staple for the past two or three months; buying more than one a week. I'd probably try a breakfast sandwich, just because I'm lazy at 5:30 in the morning...

Another stellar evening at The General's Daughter on Friday... To begin, I was pleasantly surprised to see a little redecorating since my Thanksgiving visit. The pale, lipid apricot-toned walls are now a vibrant, dark burgundy. Black tableclothes contrast the silver and provide stately elegance. Very nice ambience. Four of us descended and now that there are three-, four-, and five-course options, were able to taste through a good portion of the menu. Chef Preston Dishman outdid himself again and it is great to see his skill progressing into the exceptional. We started with a selection of West Coast oysters on the half-shell with a tomatatillo mignonette. Shared starters included a spicy yellowfin tuna tartar with green apple cucumber salad and a not-on-the-menu crudo with fresh lima beans. Next were bourbon-braised sweetbreads in a dark mushroom sauce on creamy grits (amazingly rich). Sonoma foie gras caramels; the foie gras actually melted inside pasta pockets served with a truffled mushroom cream. Shamefully, there was a whole other course served that I am drawing a blank on... Entrees for the evening included Diver scallops with a chorizo and roasted cauliflower hash, perfectly grilled skirt steak with pommes frites and bearnaise aioli, and short-rib special that melted in one's mouth. The absolute hit of the evening was a "dream" dish that Chef Preston created (literally, he said he dreamed the dish and made it for the first time that evening); a "Rack of Dover Sole" where the bones of the fish were Frenched as if they were a rack of lamb. The filets were served atop fresh asparagus, lima beans, and forest mushrooms with an elegant cream sauce. It was a stunning presentation with flavors that were understated to the point of sublimity. Being quite overwhelmed at this point, the table opted to share a cheese plate but once again we were impressed; I grow so weary of restaurants only providing three selections of cheeses, often too much to really be enjoyed. Here, the chef put together a special platter of eight or ten choices with small-enough samples to truly experiment. Served alongside walnut-and-dried-fruit toasts, a 'sausage' of quince paste, and a spoonful of fresh honeycomb (I WISH I could remember the farm name as it was intensely floral and sedate!), a few glasses of Madeira completed a perfect meal. Of course, the great company of fabulous friends only made the evening that much more special...

Tannins do not necessarily mean bitter -- think over-brewed tea; THAT is tannin (it makes your mouth feel dry). While I do not drink POM straight, I have it in the house almost all the time now as a GREAT mixer for cocktails (working well with both Gin and Vodka) as well as weekend mimosas and just sparkling water.

I received the following press release this morning: A true giant in the industry here in California - his loss will certainly be felt...

Actually, the progression of my hunting for a cassole ultimately encouraged this firm to produce that pot. In 2003, when I began my search, my only hope was having someone travelling to and from France to bring me one. For the first several years, I ended up borrowing pots from Ms. Wolfert to create my cassoulet. She then began a dialogue with this firm and we are now both proud owners of this American-made cassole. By all accounts, they have produced almost a hundred cassoles and every few months, I get e-mails from folks who are thrilled to be able to acquire an affordable, effective, stunning cassole. This year's cassole, as a matter of fact, was produced in exactly one of these pots -- a Christmas present from the divine Ms. Wolfert...

The March or April Food & Wine is going to include a big spread on Healdsburg in general, but highlighting Cyrus. I'd say they are going to be in the spotlight shortly and Healdsburg is going to be the new Napa.

Nah.... MY lottery winnings will be spent storing my wine in a Spiral Cellar under my custom kitchen!

I think that is pretty standard in the magazine industry in general -- I've never subscribed to a magazine and received it before seeing it on the newsstand...

Well, I haven't had the new kick-butt whiskey, but I have had Absinthe, Moonshine, and Everclear...

The resulting chicken might be "yummy," but if you read that recipe and didn't know what it was supposed to make, I'm willing to bet most consider it (the recipe!) disgusting. I wouldn't know either way -- there is a Popeyes at the base of my apartment complex, but as it is a neighborhood known for flying bullets (seriously!) and gang warfare, I'm not about to go and try it.

According to the secret recipe website... Sounds perfectly disgusting to me...

Have you picked up the latest Saveur? The cover article is about artisinal foods available in Ireland, highlighting Cork as the California of the Irish country...

Don't forget Kibbe - the Lebanese version as well!

The Joe's on PCH in Redondo Beach is THE place to go for your morning-after-hangover-breakfast. Their John Wayne Special (I believe) is legendary. There is always a line on weekend mornings and the place has been there for years. Hopefully Mr. Cognac will chime in -- it has been years since I've been there...

You are correct -- I do have that tendancy and most of my angst comes from places like Rutherford Grill which, as part of the Houstons chain, had to change its name because of an ordinance that keeps large restaurant chains from descending into the Napa valley (Houstons got around it by naming the restaurant differently and tweaking their menu). I will readily admit to prejudice against chain restaurants but I believe their is a distinction between chef-driven chains (like Bouchon or Patina) and large corporate chains like Houstons or P.F Changs. Most of the difference lies in the individual chef's ability to mold their menu to their clientele. That is what I believe makes Bouchon and the Pinot restaurants stand apart; different chefs with vision. When Napa Valley Grille opened, their menu in Yountville was exactly the same as their menu in Los Angeles. I do not honestly know now if it has changed, but the prejudice is hard to get away from when visitors and diners in the Napa valley expect a 'cut above' in their dining experience. Perhaps it is time for me to visit again and see, but I will maintain my general thoughts on chain restaurants; while the food might be acceptable, it is usually not extraordinary.

What a timely discussion! I'm working on an article for Saveur right now that will be mentioning Slivovitz... Consequently, in thinking I would have to special order some, I was shocked and surprised to see it available at my local Trader Joe's. Having just bought the bottle yesterday, I opened it just now for this response. Manufactured by Zwack, this is a green, pear-shaped bottle with yellow labels. Produced in Hungary, it states that it is Kosher Slivovitz, 47% Alc/Vol; 3 years old. I'm afraid I don't recall the price but doubt it was more than $25. It is a clear, thick liqueur and like moke fruit brandies that I have tried, shows more of the pure grain alcohol than it does the fruit. I can only imagine what Clear Creek's is like -- I enjoy their Muscat Grappa because it is the only Grappa that I know that clearly tastes like grapes. So I am not surprised that this brandy doesn't overwhelmingly taste like plums; it shows a slight sweetness beyond the heat of the alcohol. I think more research is in order for me... thanks for starting this thread!

I've never been that impressed but probably because I know it is part of a larger chain-based corporation and the food seems so much like other large-city restaurants I've been to. It has always been a good stand-by when Bouchon or Pere Jeanty was full up and tourists needed a place to dine quickly. Napa Valley Grille seems to always have space (which, I think, tells you something).