Malkavian

70 bucks for two *app, two entrees and beer for me* at Waldhorn in Charlotte? Man, I'm an amateur

I too don't understand eating very late, say after 8 or 9pm--i've always been under the impression that going to bed full isn't terribly good for you.

Speaking as a programmer in a mostly male office, let me say this-- my group of co workers are a pretty abusive bunch as seen by outsiders. We insult, talk trash and constantly pick at each other (mostly to burn off stress, but it's entertaining, call us immature if you like, but doing our job without blowing off steam makes for more stress than i like) lately we've been taking lunch with some of our other co workers, one being a young lady who we somewhat tiptoed around, right up until she started throwing verbal darts at one of us who'd slipped up and said something slightly suggestive. (after which we warmed right up to her as part of our group) Perhaps my group of co workers is different but it seems in most situations like that the easiest way to stop folks from tiptoeing around is to trip them a few times

Bout six pm growing up--parents both worked till 5ish and it would take mom about an hour to get everything ready. These days it's whenever I can be bothered--between 6 and 9 usually

I'm partial to the lines of a Sazerac bottle. Besides that, Jura distillery's hourglass shaped bottles are an interesting twist IMHO

There's always Sun-tea. I imagine you could give dried meats a go if you fancy jerky, don't know what the health implications would be there, but I'd be game for it so long as you kept the bugs and animals off. 103 in Charlotte, btw miserable.

I have not been all that impressed with many organic brewers, but Pisgah is first class. Too bad its distribution is limited to western North Carolina, but it is definitely worth seeking out. For those who don't have access to Pisgah, I would recommend Eel River, which is more broadly distributed. ← I'll take your reply to heart Brent, and give them another try--I have had a few of their brews at a small bar in Spindale, NC (my hometown) and was not impressed; not that it was bad, but had a somewhat funky (possibly adjunct-grain) taste. Suppose ti could be down to age of the keg or improper handling though, so I shall see if I can chase down some bottles or find it on draft at another location.

Pisgah Brewing in Black Mtn North Carolina has some (perhaps all?) organic brews.

Depending on your location, there may not be anything better around. Witness my hometown (backwoods of western north carolina) No red lobster (yet) but just about the best food the county proper has to offer is a Chili's and a Barley's. Local acts are for the most part inconsistent or mundane at best. an RL would be an improvement (and probably isn't there because of the arcane liquor laws the county sticks to despite the people who leave in droves for entertainment elsewhere, but i suppose that's another rant)

I'll go ahead and chime in as well from another customer perspective-- I don't sit at a dirty table because I want--if I do it's because the place is seat yourself and packed to the gills and it's this or be shoulder to shoulder at the bar (Have a particular joint in mind on that comment, really) Benjamin, I daresay the type of establishment you're working in is more high end than the one I have in mind, so to be fair I can't imagine insisting on going ahead and sitting down at a dirty setting anywhere where tables are actually assigned (I have been seated at dirty tables by a hostess a few times; as long as a busboy is along promptly I don't really mind, usually I find it beats standing and waiting) As far as how the flow of conversation goes when the waiter approaches, I'm a little confused on that one--obviously it's bad form to ignore their presence, but isn't it equally rude of a waiter to break into a conversation in full flow?

Depending on where you live I'd suggest rabbits or deer. In the latter case it's going to take more than a BB gun I don't know that raccoon or possum graze that much. Tomato Hornworms will also eat small plants down to a stem, and blend RIGHT in with greenery so they're easy to miss (I'm nursing 2 planters of pepper plant stems thanks to a meager PAIR of these voracious critters)

Oven baked well done sirloin at my grandmother's one year. Now, my mom's mom is a fantastic cook, but she's of the school that meat should have no blood left in it, and so much more excels at hte likes of ham and roast beef. I got it down, but I didn't much enjoy it. Funnily, I had a similar meal at an old babysitter's (old as in she was, and old as in it had been some time since she babysat me) same style sirloin with fluffy mashed sweet potatoes and some other things, and rather than being regrettable, I'll treasure the memory, as it was the last, as I recall, time I and my family spent with her, and since she's moved to be with her family, probably won't see the woman again unless it's looking into her casket. (Hah, how's that for the most morbid response award winner) Context I suppose, is more a player than we may realize.

I eat there from time to time. My group of gaming buddies keeps an eye on the one near our favorite theater to see when they do their Endless Shrimp special (there's 7 of us, pretty big eaters, one day we WILL break the re-order record at that location ) and my mother's parents like it, so if we go out to dinner with them on a special night the big RL is fair game. I wouldn't ever pretend it's top flight food, but if you order carefully and don't just get popcorn shrimp and a slab of fried fish you can do okay. Also cheese biscuits

Don't think I'd seen the meadmaking thread, it'd be good to have that showcased as well Working in a wine/beer supply shop with 2 meadmakers (one of which is a beekeeper as well) really got me interested in that facet of the hobby. My roommate and I have plenty of that clover honey left, but considering the taste issue I mentioned , I think i'm going to use it just as a base for melomels and cysers as the year progresses.

Nothing too fancy--a very simple bowl of sushi rice, caramelized vidalia onions and a poached egg

Not necessarily Homebrewing strictly speaking, but I felt it would get more interest here than on the Wine forum, I kicked off a cherry melomel a day or two ago on the following recipe: 8 pounds bing cherries, destemmed and crushed (didn't yield much free juice but I wasn't trying THAT hard) 10 cups clover honey (about 7.3 pounds) 6 tsp Fermax nutrient 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme Standard operating procedure here--juice the cherries, bag the pulp and make a must of 5 gallons volume, dose with campden tablets for 24 hours, used Lalvin 71B for this one as a meadmaker friend and beekeeper swears by it for anything involving fruit and honey. The OG was around 1.080, which I realize is a little short for a mead, but my intent is to introduce more cherries in secondary, which will add some more fermentables, and I'd rather this be bone dry and on the light side rather than leaning towards rocket fuel. Fermentation is proceeding, but with the nutrient addition and the OG, I'm a little surprised at how leisurely it seems to be going. Maybe the acid content of the cherries? My only disappointment so far is that the honey my roommate had acquired has a somewhat distinct flavor that seems off somehow--i've been told that's common in very homogenized or low grade clover honeys, so I'm hoping the cherry masks it.

If it would lower shipping (definitely, being lighter) materials (probably true once mass produced) and damaged-goods costs, why not? I realize PET plastic is still oxygen permeable in the long term, but enough so that it would have a noticable effect on wine meant to be drunk right away?

Honeydew, Cantaloupe, watermelon. Mundane, but there's what i grew up with, so... Garden grown watermelon can't be beat.

Simple peach and candied ginger cobbler done in a skillet, biscuit crust.

Typically my ideal burger will have cheese (blue or sharp cheddar) bacon mushrooms onions and mustard on a good toasted bun. I enjoy slaw and chili from time to time, if I know those two condiments are done to my liking. Generally stay away from tomato, as it's squishy/watery, and, in the case of a commerical eatery, probably flavorless.

Patrick Lesec Cotes du Rhone Beaumes 2001 I selected this bottle almost at random from a (to me rather intimidating) assortment of French wines--without any knowledge of it's status or stature in the wine world, it met the two requirements I had: price range and being of an appellation I was unfamiliar with (which really, is all of them, if I'm honest) That said, I enjoyed it. Poured shades of purply garnet, with a somewhat subdued fruit and pepper nose. The taste ran from cherries and dark fruits down to smooth tobacco and leather, tannins noticeable but not what I'd call strong. I found the flavor combination calling for a cigar pairing: at the time I thought La Aroma de Cuba (a favorite vitola of mine) would be a good match; once the ones in my humidor have matured a little I'll be picking up another bottle to see how the pairing plays out.

I confess, as a Protestant (Methodist upbringing) Christian, I've always wondered at this--not trying to call anyone out on their beliefs, but being acquainted with a number of Jewish friends, I know that some keep absolutely kosher while some have their small (to me) exceptions, and I'm unaware of the distinction. It seemed distilled to its essence when, at a wedding reception, I heard one Jewish friend say to another (upon meeting for the first time) "How Jewish are you?" "Enough." came the reply, as both tucked in with relative abandon, while a fellow who kept kosher partook of fruit. Again forgive me, for I have no wish to offend; if this would be something better replied to via private message, I look forward to anyone offering a response.

This was an interesting read When I worked in homebrew/winemaking we had a few gadgets that had similar claims, they were just magnets encased in a faux wood finish that the bottle rested on for half an hour or so. I dont think we sold more than 1-2 in my entire time there, but my boss did extend an unconditional refund on them, as most people were very skeptical. I don't recall anyone wanting their money back, but like i said, we barely sold a handful.

Tangentially, I remember reading an old post on a cigar forum of a gentleman who took half a box of cigars (Hoyo de Monterrey Rothschild for the curious) and microwaved them for a short amount of time and put them down to age alongside the others, theorizing the breakdowns and other chemistry of the aging process would surely be altered by the heating effect adn the microwaves themselves. If I recall correclty he actually ended up favoring the 'nuked' ones as having less of some flavor note or other that he didn't care for. Not for a moment suggesting any great vintage be microwaved to observe how it ages (well, i'd be curious, but we're using YOUR wine ) but one would think the same principles would apply, the radiation changing how the breakdowns and reactions occur and so on.

I noticed a similar thing, a small (Barley's chain) pub in my hometown for a while had a barleywine style on tap, later Unibroue's Ephemere. The idea of having a barleywine (I guess it was this year's brew anyway) on tap so fresh made me cringe, and sure enough the sample i got was barely palatable. They apparently sold through it though, and the ephemere as well (Which I adore, but it was lacking some of the complexities that the bottled version has, I thought) My guess is that it's easier to get small joints to take a chance on stocking the stuff at ALL offering it kegged vs bottles, and at a price point people are more willing to go for (Ephemere was 3.50 a glass, which I think comes out cheaper than the small or large bottle price I've seen in stores in this state)