kathryn

Got to flip through a preview copy of Uyeda's book, Cocktail Technique, yesterday. Gorgeous little volume. Well-bound, heavy stock, full color photographs illustrating step-by-step tutorials of techniques. Handsome little bugger, can't wait to get my hands on a real one.

I now, though, have a hotel recommendation for out of town foodie friends: the combination of a branch of Milk Bar, Ma Peche room service, and excellently made drinks (cocktails and non-alcoholic), while being steps away from tourist attractions is quite compelling.

Cocktail list is here: http://www.momofuku.com/ma-peche/beverage/cocktails/ 7 spice sour is amazing. Dark & stormys were also good. Husband tried the Ampersand; from the small taste I had, it was great. Not too heavy on the honey. Really refreshing and interestingly layered with the two rums . Unfortunately, I didn't even realize there was a house soda list until later: http://www.momofuku.com/ma-peche/beverage/other/ That Arnold Palmer sounds pretty delicious! Had lunch here today, service seemed fine to me. Oysters were fantastic: fresh, meaty, creamy. Fluke with pineapple was fantastic, and reminiscent of an old Ssam Bar dish with raw diver scallops and pineapples. Beef tartare, scallions, mint, with shrimp chips was great. The light and crispy shrimp chips worked quite well with taste of the beef. In fact, putting too much beef on a chip actually detracted a little from the experience. Also had the snails & sausage (great sauce, be sure to dip the bread in!) as well as the skate with pea shoots, steak frites (the rice "fries" are a little mind-bending), frisee & tripe with jowl croutons (can't go wrong with crunchy jowl cubes), but pork ribs with lemongrass caramel and fried cauliflower stole the show IMO. Tien also sent out a great dish of asparagus and shreds of sweet, fragrant crab. I didn't catch the rest of the details but this was also excellent! Also found their coffee to be quite good. One French press pot (16 oz.) was more than enough for three of us. Dallis Brothers Brazilian estate, Sumatra. Too bad their baked to order chocolate chip cookies are no longer on the mezzanine menu.

Have you seen these roundups of some rum combinations? http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com/?p=1692 http://rumdood.com/2009/01/26/a-month-of-mai-tais/

My photos are here: I was neglectful in finishing my 2009 San Sebastian report on eGullet, but we hit up: Parte Vieja: La Cepa - liked the scrambled eggs with mushroom, jamon with melon, Gilda (we actually ended up here a lot since they're open daily and it was an easy fall back when San Telmo and Ganbara were closed) Alona Berri - tasting menu but favorites were "delights of Ulia," baby squid in "sea balance," foie gras with red onion and green tea, steak, torrija (Spanish "french toast"). Overall felt it was a bit below expectations, though. La Cuchara de San Telmo - foie with apple jelly, risotto (used orzo), "goat cheese stuffed vegetables" (more like warm round of cheese with carmelized top) Ganbara - chistorra sausage in puff pastry, served hot right out of the oven, baby croissants with jamon (again, watch the oven and the man doing the slicing!) Gros: El Patio de Ramuntxo - seared foie gras on toast, grilled razor clams, considerably more upscale/modern than other spots, seemed to have a large menu Garbola - shark pintxo (was OK, definitely worth trying to say you've eaten shark), pistachio croquetta, interesting but I think Ramuntxo and Hidalgo were better Hidalgo 56 - Blood sausage "volcano" with egg yolk and apple (amazing), also seemed to have a large & creative menu, sadly didn't get to try more items Senra - large variety of croquettas, they have a very large menu, but we were unfortunately very full at this point HIGHLY recommend heading over to Gros for one night. Not quite as scenic but far less crowded and lots of places doing creative things. We only did one night in Gros and were kicking ourselves for not walking over the bridge earlier, but, then again, we also were eating at Arzak, Mugaritz, and Asador Extebarri....

Yajna Patni, do you have a copy of Beachbum Berry Remixed, yet? He has a great rum glossary with brand recommendations for each particular style. There's also some recommendations here: http://www.beachbumberry.com/the-bum-on-rum/ Here's his Mai Tai recipe, too: http://www.beachbumberry.com/how-to-make-a-mai-tai/ I've been using the Trader Tiki syrups and have been pleased with the results.

The cumin handmade noodles at Xian Famous Foods might be more delicious than the liang pi, IMO. As for the steamed Taiwanese sandwich, it may be better known as a Gua Bao or Taiwanese hamburger. BTW, BaoHaus on the Lower East Side might be the only place you can get them in Manhattan (worth a try).

What's your budget? What does she normally like? Where have you gone for celebrations in the past?

On a trip to Austin last month, staying mostly downtown, I really enjoyed Lambert's, Peche, Frank, and Parkside. Jezebel was mostly a bust. Undercooked sweetbreads, everything plated really "tall," unmemorable flavor combinations, underseasoned entrees. Eh. Drove out to Cooper's in Llano for BBQ (with a stop at Inman's and another stop at Opie's in Spicewood) and it was good but a little too salty for me. We tried the brisket (still think Smitty's is better), sausage (really good), and pork ribs (good but not the best I've had).

Finally went last night (40 minute wait for two at prime time). The dough is a bit dense and too heavy, IMO. I like Motorino or Franny's much more. Burrata pie (the special, fresh burrata from Italy) with cherry tomatoes was nice, though. Topping quality was very good. But we literally ate an appetizer and 2 slices of each, ended up taking the rest of the pies home. But overall, the dough was just way too dense. It kind of felt a little doughy and undercooked. Visually looked too solid when I took a bit of crust off the edge. And the height of the pizza itself was a little low, IMO. I wanted something more airy, and with more fire/wood taste. It needed some salt as well. It wasn't terrible but it seemed a bit over-hyped to me and with all of the other pizzerias in town, I won't be rushing back.

How was it, Pan?

I've been very pleased with the quality! Good luck with your search.

Kalustyan's is where I go to purchase frozen fruit purees, but Perfect Puree can be pricey. I grabbed the last tub of passionfruit puree a few weeks ago. Not sure if they have re-stocked. They can probably tell you over the phone. You can find nearly all of the Perfect Puree varieties in the freezer section that's in the new half of the store.

I agree with everyone else. $50 per person, including wine, tax, and gratuity at 20% is going to be difficult for a group your size especially since you want something large and nice enough for your wedding dinner. Also, I assume you want a sit down dinner, correct? (Cocktail party style can mean you can squeeze more people in AND keep the cost down a tiny bit.) Boqueria Soho has kind of a back area with booths that's a little separate from the rest of the restaurant, but it's not truly private and it's far too small for a group of nearly 40. Given what I've spent for dinner there, I also think it's also going to be out or your private range. Not sure about the Flatiron location (which isn't huge either). Otto does parties of 12-65 according to their web site, and has a prix fixe dinner package that's $40/per person if you can dine before 8pm. Also, their beverage package is pretty reasonable (unlimited wine). A little over your budget, though. They are, however, a pretty large restaurant and should be able to accommodate you. I would also try The Smith or Jane, both of which have reasonable party packages for their private rooms (both of which are in the lower level of the restaurant). Note that beverages will be billed separately. Probably your best bet given your group size. http://www.ctrnyc.com/CTR/ctr_html/ctr_privateparties.html 'inoteca LES' downstairs room seats only 26 people. And the 23rd Street location sounds like it's out of your budget given that they charge $2750 (including wine but not gratuity) for a group of 30. http://www.inotecanyc.com/liquori/catering.php Blue Smoke would be a good choice as they can seat a large group in their semi-private balcony, but they don't do large events on Fridays or Saturdays and your wedding is on a Saturday. Hill Country is definitely in your budget but it seems like you need to choose one of the higher priced packages to get any actual BBQ on your prix fixe menu: http://www.hillcountryny.com/assets/file/hill_country_catering_menu_12-09.pdf

How do they know if you're a local versus a foreigner? You write your request in Spanish vs. English? Pleasing people with more precise plans seems backwards to me. I'll make a trip JUST to go to El Bulli, I'll plan my vacation around the reservation, because that's how much I'd like to go!

Do they process requests in order received or is it truly a randomized lottery? Sometimes the press will refer to getting in as a "lottery" which leads me to believe it's a random drawing.

I was having trouble procuring vanilla syrup and coffee syrup, so I asked Jeff "Beachbum" Berry for some recipes. Here's his reply: Here's a good recipe for vanilla syrup: http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com/?p=5365 There's only one good recipe for coffee syrup, but it's a little more complicated. Here's the entry from my upcoming book, Beachbum Berry remixed: COFFEE SYRUP 1 cup of medium-roast coffee beans 2 cups brandy 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 1/2 cups water Step one: Crack all the coffee beans, then place in a jar with the brandy. Seal it and let sit for three to four days, then strain the brandy. Step two: Make a brown sugar syrup by heating the sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Let cool, then combine the syrup with your coffee-infused brandy. Hope this helps others!

Some of the Chinese food places in Flushing aren't really big enough to accommodate a large group. I'd do a self-guided tour of 4-6 people and go to the places I mention here.

For tiki drink and iPhone fans, Jeff "Beachbum" Berry and the makers of the Cocktails+ app have released the Tiki+ application. I highly recommend the application, particularly because I find flipping through Sippin' Safari for specific recipes to be sometimes difficult.

For people who are searching for Fee Brothers falernum in NYC, I found it at Kalustyan's. And Astor Wines stocks the John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum.

This is punch recipe that was given out during a seminar at Death & Co (NYC) that was part of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. (I've added some notes of mine as well). Porfirian Punch Alex Day Serves 2-4 people. 9 white sugar cubes 3 oz club soda 1 1/2 oz market spice tea-infused Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth* 1 1/2 oz Manzanilla sherry 3 oz lemon juice 6 oz pear-infused Herradura Silver Tequila** 6 oz club soda (yes, twice) In a 4 c. measuring cup, muddle sugar cubes with club soda, then add rest of ingredients. Stir constantly, add crushed ice, stir & strain into a punch bowl. Garnish with thin slices of pear. * Take a one-liter or 750ml bottle of vermouth and infuse it with 3 or 4 heaping tablespoons (depends on the size of the bottle) of market spice tea (can buy the loose leaf on amazon.com) and let it sit for 1 1/2 hours. Strain and keep refrigerated. ** Cut 3 Bartlett pears and 1 Granny Smith apple into cubes (peels, cores and all), and place in a glass jar or container. Add 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 liter of Herradura Silver Tequila. Store for 6 days, shaking periodically. Double-strain all the fruit and spices out and keep refrigerated.

FWIW, Zagat is reporting that Le Bernardin will be open on 12/24 and 12/25, if you are still in need of plans. Open 12/24: Aquavit, Bar Breton, Bistro Ten 18, Brick Lane Curry House, Bruno Jamais, Café D’Alsace, Commerce, Esperanto, Gotham Bar & Grill, I Trulli, James, Klee Brasserie, Loreley, Marea, Osteria del Circo, Piccola Cucina, Saul, Thalassa, Trattoria Cinque, Aldea, Alto, Anthos, Aureole, both A Voce's, Bar Americain, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Steak, Braeburn, Buddakan, Café Sabarsky, Convivio, Dovetail, Gus & Gabriel, Kefi, Mesa Grill, Metrazur, SHO Shaun Hergatt and Savoy. Open 12/25 (a lot of these are also open 12/24): Adour, Armani Ristorante, Benoit, BLT Market, Blaue Gans, Carmine's, Cornelia Street Cafe, David Burke Townhouse, Fishtail, Kittichai, Le Bernardin, Macao Trading Co., Rouge Tomate, SD26, Tamarind

Co., aka Company is near-ish Penn Station and might be good for lunch.

Try Rocco's on Bleecker or Bruno's on La Guardia for freshly filled cannoli. Ferrara and Veniero both pre-fill their shells, which end up cold and soggy over time. There's also this newer, fancypants place on the Lower East Side, not sure if they have coffee. http://stuffedcannoli.com/

Yes - Salumeria Rossi, right on 74th and Amsterdam (so a block away). Perfect timing for that place, and some quite delicious food. Other options: Shake Shack for a Shack burger and fries, something to-go at Grandaisy Bakery, hot chocolate at Grom or Jacques Torres, maybe Fairway Cafe?