ScoopKW

Based on your list of "done thats:" Il Mulino (Caesar's Forum Shops) Hofbrauhaus (Kitty-corner from the Hard Rock) Andre's (Monte Carlo) Hamada (Flamingo near the strip) And if you're here on a Sunday -- Bally's Sterling Brunch. (Yeah, I know I sound like a cheerleader for Sterling Brunch, but it really is "all that."

How about Charlie Trotter's new place at the Palazzo? dee-dee-dee -- didn't notice it was already reserved. Bother.

True, but Jasmine isn't going to serve BBQ spare ribs. Ever. $200 portions of Geoduck, and shark fin soup are more their style. (I'll add that Jasmine is the most drop-dead gorgeous restaurant I've visited. If I was taking Audrey Hepburn* out for dinner, I'd take her to Jasmine.) * None of today's actresses really do much for me.

Texas Station is miles from your other nine choices. Is Austin's that good? I haven't heard anything about the place. How would you rate the place against, say, Binion's? Speaking of Station casinos, I missed one -- Main Street Station. They have what I consider to be the best microbrew in Las Vegas. (OK, "Best brew in LV" is like saying "Best Downhill Skiier in Libya." The pale ale certainly refreshes, and is a bargain at $4 per 22oz.

1) Bally's Sterling Brunch (Sunday only, sadly. Endless champagne and Maine lobster, and Key West shrimp, and sushi, and rack of lamb and truffle-stuffed ravioli, and... well, everything you could possibly want.) 2) Andre's (Monte Carlo - It's like dining in a drawing room at Versailles. The cigar & cognac lounge upstairs is a treasure.) 3) Bouchon (Venetian - This is my "go-to" restaurant if friends drop in unexpectedly.) 4) Spago (Caesar's Forum Shops - Chef Eric Klein has merged Alsace with California with wonderful results.) 5) Il Mulino (Caesar's Forum Shops - Order the entire dessert menu. Also order every appetizer. Oh, and the entrees are all great, too.) 6) Carluccio's Tivoli Garden (Tropicana Blvd., far from the strip.) Liberace designed the place. It's not fine dining, but it's fun Italian American cuisine at "family restaurant" prices. Go on a Wednesday night to see Wes play. Oh, and the place is haunted. And the mob used to hang out there. 7) Binion's Ranch Steakhouse (Old Las Vegas at it's best. Inexpensive USDA Prime beef here. Order a chicken fried lobster and a two-pound slab of prime rib for less than $100) 8) The In N' Out Burger on Tropicana. Best In N' Out in Vegas. 9) Emeril's Delmonico Steakhouse - Excellent steaks, wines and a great caesar salad, prepared tableside like it's supposed to be. 10) B&B Ristorante (Venetian - Mario never disappoints. I get the mint love letters every time.) 11) Settebello Pizzeria in Henderson. (Real Naples pizza in Vegas. Certified by the Naples Pizza Review Board. One of like 12 pizzerias in America that can make this claim. The gourmet food store next door sells real Iberian Jamon. ) 12) Village Buffet at Paris for Breakfast. $1 mimosas and bloody marys if you know to ask for them, and crepes with nutella and bananas for breakfast. 13) International Market on Tropicana and Decatur. It's a grocery store. You have to be a member or they charge extra. But you can get every delicacy from just about every country on earth. If you want to buy Cornish pasties, sea urchin roe, and Thomy mustard, (and wash it down with some Shandy Bass) this is your place. Every ethnic grocery rolled up into a foodie's dream-store. If it's got to be fine dining, you can scratch 6, 7, 8 and 11-13 off the list. But these are my favorites, in no particular order. (Except Bally's Brunch at the top of the list. You can easily eat $200 in food and drink $150 of Perrier Jouet for $75. Make sure you have a Bally's Player's Card before you reserve. You'll get a better table.) I've only been here a few months, so Joel and Charlie are next on my list of places to try.

I think it boils down to: 1) Always be honest about your wants/needs/desires with your server (as if he or she was your doctor or attorney.) 2) It's easier to care than it is to pretend to care. 3) Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

I live in Key West. All the best seafood and good produce can be found at Waterfront Market on Caroline Street. I go with Faustos on Fleming Street for produce and meat. Best bakery: Cole's Peace on Eaton Street. (Can also be found at Waterfront if you're early.) I always always always start at Waterfront and go from there.

Not savory, but I add a teaspoon of orange blossom water to margaritas. (And, of course, to Turkish coffee.) Try it sometime, it's amazing.

Well, how old are most of those reports... the first few results that Google presents are vintage 1993. Did your predecessor use the bricks, or the sachets? I could see the bricks presenting contamination issues if they weren't used all at once... But the sachets and the bricks are very different things. I'd always thought the Chloraseptic flavor was an artifact of chlorinated water, not bad yeast... and Band-Aid flavor comes from Brett., which would be quite a surprise in a dry yeast sachet... but one I've never heard a report of that happening. ← The brewery used one brick per batch. You should have seen the look on the owner's face when I tossed 20 pounds worth of bricks into the trash when I started. Here's a "Wizard" report on phenolics: http://byo.com/mrwizard/743.html You can find similar stuff in George Fix's "Principles of Brewing Science," and the MBAA's "The Practical Brewer." I also recommend: Brewing: Science and Practice by Dennis Briggs; Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels; and Hardwick's "Handbook of Brewing." The Ray Daniels one is affordable. I'd probably spend the money on a brew tower rather than buy the other two, however. (I was lucky enough to have them given to me.) Regards, ScoopKW

Sure, dry yeast is easy. But the new "XL" smack packs are perfect for a 5-gallon batch, and only require that you pop that bubble when starting the mash -- all will be ready by pitching time. In a pinch, I have pitched 2 XL packs in a 200-gallon batch without problems. It's all about wort oxygenation. As far as dry yeast quality, I can only speak for the 200-gallon batches that I make. The brewer I replaced used Safale S-04 and his beer lasted *maybe* a week. Then it started to go south quickly -- occasionally, wild yeast reared its ugly head, and Kelly's ended up with a batch that tasted like Chloroseptic. (Chlorophenols are common problems with wild yeast.) I can keep my beers happy for a month or longer with little falloff in quality. Can you get good, even excellent results with dry yeast? Sure. But google "dry yeast contamination" and you'll see there are a lot of problem dry yeasts out there. Regards, ScoopKW

I read the guide -- fairly solid information. Some additions from a commercial brewer: 1) Yeast. Yeast is the most important ingredient in beer. Brewers make wort (unfermented barley sugar water with hops). Yeast makes beer. If you're serious about beer, try this experiment -- make a five gallon batch, and ferment in five one-gallon containers. Use five different yeasts. You'll end up with five markedly different beers. Dry yeast, particularly the Safale brand mentioned in the guide, is not that good. All yeast powders contain some bacteria and wild yeasts. So long as you get liquid yeast from a high volume brewing supply store, liquids are always better than dry. Besides, you can match the single-strain yeast to your beer style. This will make a huge difference in beer quality. EDIT: Temperature control cannot be stressed highly enough. I ferment most of my beers "cold" -- 60f for an ale, 45f for lagers. My only exception is Belgian trappist ales and dubbels, which I ferment at 70f. Low-temp fermentation means a cleaner taste. Higher fermentation temps lead to higher ester production, which leads to more flavor notes. If you want a clean, dry beer, ferment as cold as the yeast will stand. (Wyeast 1056 is ideal for clean, crisp ales. Ferment it at 55f.) 2) Water Beer is (usually) more than 90% water. If you're using city water, your quality may suffer -- particularly if chloromines are added or if the water is particularly soft. (If it's soft, make stouts.) Volumes have been written about adjusting water -- both PH and mineral hardness. Your local brewing supply shop may have tips on how to manage your city's water. If you use well water, you may want to have the water analyzed. It'll cost about $50, but it's well worth the cost if you plan to make more than 50 gallons per year. 3) Malt Extract. I never, ever, ever, have brewed with extract. I started out as a home brewer with barley. It's more expensive and time consuming this way, but that rich, creamy head and full body makes it all worth the effort. Cracking and mashing barley takes time, effort and equipment. If there is any interest, I'll post how to make a mash tun using a picnic cooler and about $10 worth of copper pipe. You'll also need a grain mill, which will run $100 or so. 4) Why bottle when kegging is less expensive and more repeatable? Just wait 'til you overprime a batch and end up with glass grenades blowing up in your basement -- you'll end up kegging eventually, so you may as well START with kegs. Here's a place to start: http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=18190 You can also filter the yeast out of your beer using 2 kegs and a filter: http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=16769 If anyone has specific questions, PM me, and I'll either PM back or drop an answer here. Yours, ScoopKW www.kellyskeywest.com Key West, Florida

Pat Croce's Rum Barrel in Key West, Florida. He claims to have the most complete rum collection available on earth. A link: http://www.piratesoul.com/press_detail.aspx?id=30 ScoopKW Key West, Florida PS -- First post.