Carolyn Tillie

You didn't imagine it....

When I was in the fourth grade, my best friend was a child prodigy (artist) named Tony. He and I were the outcasts but because he was so talented (winning National art awards at the age of 3), every Friday his mother would bring him "Friday Lunch." Sometimes it was two lunch boxes filled with nothing but Hostess Treats. Sometimes she would stop by with Taco Bell tacos. It was always different and never good, healthwise. But I got to share and that part was always wonderful. I always wondered what happened to him, but googling does no good as his name was Tony Young -- way too mundane for me to find him. But I stll remember those fabulous Friday Lunches.

Oh, I'm easy on when to go. It is an hour-and-a-half drive from Napa so a weekend might be easier just because of the travel time for those us coming from this direction (so far, Shawn, me, and Wolfert!). Maybe a late Sunday afternoon excursion? Okay, I'm going to repost this as a new topic!

How can place called Vladimir's that has been around for over 40 years NOT be amazing? Anyone in the Bay area care to join me???? I think a small holiday gathering is just what we need, eh friends? ← Or Mankas. http://www.mankas.com/mankas/intro.html ← Hmmmm... I haven't heard enough good things about Mankas to want to spend that kind of money. If I'm going to blow a hundred + a person on a meal, I'll do it somewhere in Napa. Nope - gotta be a Czech excursion, just for the novelty of it!

Depending on the distributor, once a retailer/restaurant has taken possession of a product, most can't return them. I'm surprised to hear of the practice only from an accounting standpoint. These distributors get paid when a retailer purchases the wine. What distributor is going to want to take back a product and refund money when the winery certainly will not? None of the distributors we deal with would take back wine after it is sold. There would be too much question about how the wine was stored, etc... and if new vintages are available, it would be doubly more difficult to get rid of the wine unless it is an extremeley desirable one.

And since he ended up drinking the CB out of styrofoam, I imagine he didn't detect all those things he really despises in those varietals!

Brad, I'm not sure why you are surprised. Wine-Searcher.com shows that BV currently selling between $29 and $49 a bottle retail and the Merlot between $39 and $55 a bottle. From the sounds of it, I am guessing they purchased way too much of it long, long ago, tried to sell it off at too a high price back then, and now need to clear out their wine cellar for newer vintages, lowering it to the 'reasonable' price they have it at now...

As reported via the Napa Valley Vintner's Association this morning: This is big news in the valley this morning. Brother Timothy was an icon of the establishment of the California wine industry. Many a glass will be raised in toast this evening...

I've been hearing good things about a Czech restaurant located *somewhere* out on Inverness. The peasant in me is dying to go on a road trip to find it. How can place called Vladimir's that has been around for over 40 years NOT be amazing? Anyone in the Bay area care to join me???? I think a small holiday gathering is just what we need, eh friends?

Rihgt along with everyone else -- if you are set on staying in the city, Gary Danko is THE choice. If you don't mind a bit of a drive, go down to Manresa. I think it really depends on what is a bigger priority, location or quality. There is something special about being 'in the city' for a nice meal, but the drive down to Los Gatos would ultimately prove more exciting, taste-wise...

Welcome, Midnight! It is a good question -- but I don't think he was speaking about CabFranc in general, but specifically about what was being poured... at least that is how I took it. If memory serves, she said something about it being 100% CabFranc and Cheval Blanc is a blend of 57% CabFranc 41% Merlot, and 1% each Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is an interesting blending to be sure. It IS interesting that for all his obsession with Pinot, the most expensive, revered bottle in his collection is this blend... (by the way, that 61 CB can be found here in America for anywhere from $1,200 to $1.800 a bottle).

Great reminder, Randall! I must say that my most pleasant meals in the city have been entirely unplanned where we end up at Belden. It has happened more than once and I think if I plan a trip to Belden, it will not be nearly as delightful. I love the paella at the weird Spanish restaurant -- R45? (I never remember their name!) Now I'm craving mussels though...

Well I have eaten at the Magic Castle on a number of occasions and while hardly exceptional, I have certainly had worse food in similar establishments. The Sunday buffet is like most other Sunday buffets on a scale with those that have a carving station, a chocolate display, an omelet bar, etc. The regular dinner menu is a bit high priced but the real attraction is the Houdini Seance, upstairs. 12 of your closest friends have a sit down dinner of five courses (give or take). It is funny that the part of the meal I remember was a fruit plate that included sliced star fruit and lychees -- surprisingly innovative considering it was almost 8 years ago. After the meal, there is a "seance" to call the spirit of Houdini -- he is the 13th guest. Kinda fun in a campy sort of way. I miss the Castle. No, I didn't go there for the food, but the drinks are great and the atmosphere cannot be surpassed!

I was there about a dozen years ago, a guest of a member. Back then only members could get in and guests had to be accompanied by a member. By all accounts, the ability to get it can now be auctioned off on eBay. When I was there, they had just started a really cool water/fireworks show on Tom Sawyer's Island. Being in Club 33, we were absolutely guaranteed the BEST vantage point for the show. (This was when the dragon from Fantasia was recreated in fireworks -- very, very cool). The interior then was rather posh red velvet, circa 1880 bordello. The food was surprisingly good then. I remember the most exquisitely constructed petit fours on the dessert buffet, all decorated with Disneyesque characters. Another one to add to your members-only list, however, would be the Magic Castle. Isn't it still members only or has it gone public?

Oh, please do! We MUST have a firsthand account - and soon!

In the Daily Pennsylvanian: and my favorite quote:

How very, very sad...

10/11 -- I missed Spain (hate throwing ANYTHING on the floor!)

This Teapot from Williams Sonoma is my daily-user. I like the wool-lined cozy that keeps the tea hot for some time. I also have a beloved set like this one which is an antique. It is amazing because when you put the put inside the insulated basket, it keeps the tea hot for HOURS. I found mine in an antique store and Shawn will use it when he is working in the studio, locking himself for hours at a time but always having hot tea to keep him warm.

That's it! That's the one I saw -- I loved it but couldn't justify spending the money on it... Why use it only once? It looks like great fun!

I'm a Bourdeaux fan myself -- lovely with tea. Although the Chantillys are quite nice. Regarding those Chessman cookies, they have started making them with toffee bits in them lately - or are they butterscotch? Terribly addictive. Humourous story on the Chessman... When I worked the Renaissance Faire too many years ago, I was dating a guy that ran the bulk of the game boothes (Splatter-a-Platter, Lawn Darts, and yes Monster Chess). He had these giant chess pieces that mostly stood two- to three-feet high. There were also a number of smaller sets that folks could sit around and play with. In an act rebellion against the Faire's management, we bought dozens upon dozens of bags of Chessman cookies to use on the boards and to hand out. Management was terribly pissed off ("not period, you know!") It took us FOREVER to open enough packages to get all the pieces for an entire chess set. Finally two guys started playing, eating the cookies of the pieces that they captured. Not being wimpy dudes, they downed their cookies with Ale, sometimes dunking... Ah, the good ole days....

I've been searching the 'net since the thread started to find a new modern art teapot I saw at the San Francisco Museum of Modern art. Alas, I can't find a picture of it Like the Mono and Bredemeijer pots, it has the infuser inside, but was made this one so remarkable was that the infuser was strategically placed in the upper 1/4 of the pot -- as soon as a single cup was poured, it would no longer infuse more tea into the water. I thought it especially brilliant as these ones with the large or long infusers tend to over brew the tea unless you decant the tea into another pot. I'll call the museum shop a bit later (after they've opened) and see if I can get the name of the designer and picture for you. I'm a bit of a teapot nut, having over a dozen on display in my house and having made one myself in sterling (it was HARD to make!!!!)

Depends on the leeks, Is suppose. For years I only used the absolute whitest of the white part. Then I started slicing higher and higher into the green. Now I'll go almost to where the stalks start to separate and haven't noticed a remarkable difference. BTW, besides asparagus, I think leeks are just about the most elegant vegetable. They are subtle in flavor and can be heightened with bearnaise sauce. Frizzled leeks can top the best soups and plain sautéed leeks with cream and tarragon can't be beat as a side dish for those haute cuisine style dinner parties.

BTW, if you want to read ultra wine geeks analyze this flick -- go to the thread on Mark Squires forum. Very, very funny.

Absolutely decant -- double decant, in fact. The oldest port I've had is from the 30s -- what maker is your's? I would stand the bottle upright at least three days before opening. I would probably use an Ah-So on the cork, if at all brittle. Then, using the candle method, decant once, stopping just before you see sediment. Taste it (take notes). Let it sit for a half-hour and taste again -- has it changed? Maybe an hour later, I would decant a second time, again using the candle method. Taste frequently. See when it begins to change. Take lots of notes on when it started to change and what it was changing to... Depending on the maker, it could open very shortly after decanting or it may take hours. If you want to savor it for a while, wash the bottle out well (or get another clean one) and re-bottle, tasting it every day for a week or month and see where it goes. Report back and good luck!