WarblyTremolo

I went in this past monday, as I do every monday, having heard of a cocktail that I wasn't familiar with. It's a drink that Kyle and Steven came up with together (to my knowledge at least) entitled The Bitter Guisseppe. It consists of Cynar, Carpano Antica and a bar spoon of lemon juice. yes, it's bitter. yes, the antica sweetens it nicely yes, it has plenty of acid. But is it also delicious? YES.

There are four cheeses in the mac and cheese (one of them being VELVEETA, YUM). I don't know who's mac and cheese you ordered, but it was the same one I ordered. Mine was practically dripping with melty cheese. Perhaps you should head to their bar, order a drink and some mac and cheese. it'd only put you out about $20 after all.

I tried the Ransom old tom gin...it's very...special. Personally, though, I think they should just stick to wine. Also, Richard Betts (of Betts and Scholl) will be releasing his own MEZCAL sometime this fall. He was in for dinner where i work the other night and dropped that on the staff as he was saying goodnight. First he's off to Australia to make The Chronique, then he's heading to mexico!

I have recently been exposed to The Scarlet Ibis. It was late (5:30 am) and I was having my shift drink (flor de cana 7 yr w/one cube) when I noticed the bartender drinking rum from a bottle with a peculiarly simple label (for rum, that is). Of course I asked about it and had some. I found it interesting that it's made in trinidad but bottled in austria. Even boasts the same enclosure as st. elizabeth all-spice dram. Oh. My. God. So, the question is, does TVH keep it behind the bar? I haven't been in for a few weeks due to economic reasons...but if they have it, I'll be drinking it. Toby - have you tinkered with it? Found any golden uses other than drinking it alone?

I'm headed to the Violet Hour in about an hour for my weekly liver-punishment. Has anyone tried the quartet of mini hot dogs? They're GREAT. Two chicago-style and two...that aren't. Think celery root puree and hazelnuts I'm in the mood for an Old Tom Gin Martinez...

Please tell me that you stopped in at the Zig Zag Cafe for a libation while you were in my hometown. Is it still wonderful like I remember it? I haven't had time to get back to Seattle proper in about 2 years...i use TVH as my Zig Zag replacement currently. You'll see me and my gloriously mustache'd friend Fred at the TVH every monday night ← Yes, oh yes I was at the Zig Zag. I swooned like a a little girl at a Beatles concert sitting at Murrys Bar. He is such a Rock Star. It some how got mentioned in a paper. Like it’s news I sit at a bar. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/rest...1happyhour.html I am truly honered that you consider The Violet Hour as replacement for Zig Zag. Toby ← haha, in Seattle, news is few and far between sometimes. Though perhaps your visit was news-worthy - chicago is a more food and beverage city than seattle, and TVH is one of the top cocktail lounges around... Seattle is more...let's say...granola. I only say that because I'm from there (and i LOVE granola). Now if only TVH did a $4.75/cocktail happy hour... Just kidding. As always, I'm looking forward to another monday at TVH, and another Three Dimes Down, just gotta make it through the weekend.

Please tell me that you stopped in at the Zig Zag Cafe for a libation while you were in my hometown. Is it still wonderful like I remember it? I haven't had time to get back to Seattle proper in about 2 years...i use TVH as my Zig Zag replacement currently. You'll see me and my gloriously mustache'd friend Fred at the TVH every monday night

I had a similar experience when I dined there a few months back and felt very much the same as you. Being in the restaurant business, I began to ask around about where they get their servers...turns out they rotate their floor staff through the kitchen - or more accurately, they rotate their kitchen through the floor staff, which brings me to a simple point: How on this wonderful green earth, can any restaurant expect to give 3- or 4-star service when they have new people working the floor virtually all the time? It is simply unreasonable to expect great service to be given when the servers have NO CLUE what they are doing.

I had dinner at Alinea tonight for the first time on the occasion of my girlfriend and best friend turning 30 in the same week. We went all out - the tour with every delicious drop of wine in the house. And some coffee. And champagne. And possibly some campari on the rocks. I would say that 22 of the 26 courses were absolutely perfect in every way. 3 out of 26 were good, but not preferred by my palette (personal preferences are always an influence) and 1 of the 26 was just downright icky - bad texture, too briny and not indicative of the flavors presented therein. I will not divulge which course this was so as to not influence other diners. Was it worth the $800+gratuity that i paid? ABSOLUTELY.

Has anyone mentioned here that the brave souls who dare don checks and whites in the kitchen show up at 11:00 am, finish around 1:00 am and are paid $80 per day in shift pay? No wonder their chef de cuisine walked out - I would too if my staff were on the verge of mutiny. This could be, of course, speculation. What do I know?

The new autumn menu is indeed fantastic, but what I love about the violet hour is the drinks that are NOT on the menu - the perry county smash being one that comes to mind instantly. The 227 being another (potent) one. A sip of Antico Rosso on the rocks is something that should not be missed either, as it is, simply put, perfect. Having made a tradition of heading to TVH after work on mondays, I can honestly say that I don't look at the drink list anymore. I put my experience in the hands of Michael and am never disappointed. If you're heading over there - do the same.

When Spacca Napoli opened I had the great luck of living a mere two blocks east on sunnyside ave. I stopped in on a weekly basis for pizza - they have a VERY impressive setup. Temperature and Humidity controlled basement for making sure the dough is mixed in the exact same manner every time. The proscuitto is to DIE for. It's definitely my favorite pizza in the city, hands down. Anyone who hasn't gone is doing themselves a disservice!

I ate at Veil in august. Having worked previously with Galusha at 727 Pine I was, needless to say, quite excited to have his food again since I moved to Chicago when 727 closed. My "date" disappeared off the face of the earth the day of the reservation, so I snaked another former 727 employee to go with me (against his will). In a word: Delicious. Having watched Shannon prepare a new dish, taste it and then throw it in the garbage after one bite has helped me to realize how seriously this man takes his food, so I know that when he puts an item on a menu, he's dead serious about it being what he wants it to be. As good as the restaurants are in Chicago (and there are some GREAT restaurants here), none of them really please me the way that Shannon's food pleases me. There are days when I feel like flying back to Seattle for dinner at Veil... I meant to take photos, but, being on vacation, I had been drinking before dinner and forgot my camera. Oh well, maybe next time.