MikeHartnett

Toby, if you wouldn't mind, what are the rest of the specs on the Tongue in Cheek?

For what it's worth, I live in New Orleans, and here's what I thought of my only experience with Galatoire's. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1589086 I really think that where it's at in New Orleans in smaller bistro-type places, like Iris, Gautreau's, etc., and the Vietnamese in New Orleans East (Dong Phuong) and the Westbank (Nine Roses and Tan Dinh) (and Harahan, for Kim Anh's pho). Also, a new must-hit is Cure, if you've got the time and inclination. Fantastic drinks in a great space.

Are you sure that all you could taste was the Cynar? I ask because we all agreed that the drink tasted like the most spectacular artichoke we'd ever had. ETA: I will note that we used more mint than Toby specifies, and it had been picked moments before the drink was made. ← Based on the posts here and on the Rogue Cocktails topic, I've given this one a couple of tries. Although the second try was better than the first (which I tossed), I still just don't get the appeal. All I get is a big taste of bitter and a faint aftertaste of mint, like a really bad mouthwash. ← Honestly, it's one of my all-time favorites. Different strokes.

Have you had the Tongue in Cheek at the Violet Hour? They go quite well in that one...

I think this is all very interesting. The objective of the initial article, I believe, is to give an amateur a base to begin. What it appears has happened in this thread, though, is an analysis of what each individual would keep if they could only pick ten bottles. If the objective is to help an amateur get a handle on what he/she likes, I think the selection would skew quite differently. For example, when I developed an interest in cocktails, I would say that with my first ten purchases, I tried to obtain a broad base of spirits to gain a sense of what I enjoyed. Now, though, if I were to choose ten bottles to keep, they would likely skew very differently.

Even metal filings, to my knowledge, would not stall mid-roux.

King Arthur All-Purpose Unbleached.

It was very bizarre. And I don't think it was the chicken bits either, because that doesn't really explain why it would hit a certain point and stop.

Appropriately, I have a question regarding roux. I just made the fried chicken and andouille gumbo from Donald Link's Real Cajun. This recipe begins by frying the chicken in oil, then using that oil for the roux. Now, as evidenced above, I've made roux before. I even like making roux. I did not like making this roux. It progressed normally until about mid to dark peanut butter, at which point it just stopped. It refused to get darker, no matter how I turned the heat up, or yelled at it, or... It took 2 HOURS. It turned out normally, so everything was eventually fine, and I did not have a roux-induced meltdown. But how is it possible that I can crank up the heat as much as I want and nothing happens? It was as if the roux was shielded from the heat. Has anyone had something like this happen before?

Yes. I think if you do it traditionally, there is a slight reddish color, but the bright red color you normally see is artificial.

I hope that this just came off differently than it was intended. You do realize you can't just "hit" schwa, right? There was just an article (was it in the NYT?) listing schwa as the 5th toughest reservation in the country.

Makes perfect sense to me!

Yeah, I was definitely glad I could buy the book straight from Cure. The shipping was absurd.

There are a few touches that probably come from Chef Link's fine dining experience, but I would definitely agree with Celeste and Todd. Cochon is neither new paradigm nor offal-centric.

I'd love to operate a small restaurant and change the style of cuisine at my whim. One day, gumbo. The next, Thai curries or larb. I'd also love to do this in New Orleans, but this isn't a place known for its reception of change.

I agree, and I also think that listing the provenance of an item should be restricted to those restaurants that have directly interacted with the farmer. If you're getting your [insert name here] from some faceless supplier, I couldn't care less that it came from a big name producer. But if you're trying to show that you got this delicious rack of lamb from John the farmer down the street, I think it's legitimate to support him, and advertise for him, if you will, through the menu.

I'm not sure I understand the analogy between Cochon and Momofuku. If you take away the things that make Momofuku unique, and take away the things that make Cochon unique, they'd be the same restaurant? Couldn't that sort of be said about any two restaurants?

Kyle has worked at the Violet Hour since just after it opened, and he still does.

Kyle Davidson of the Violet Hour created the drink and got credit for it in the book.

Whether it's cured by then depends on the method you're using to cure it, but yes, it is possible to over-cure. If the belly has firmed up before the day you want to cure, I'd rinse the cure off, then dry the belly and either wrap it up or leave out to develop the pellicle. On a separate note, though, I'm sort of dubious of the effectiveness of a pellicle. I've never really done one, and I've always had success getting my bacon smoky. Anyone done side-by-sides?

The way I understand it, it's not that they are aiming to break rules; it's kind of a "chill out about all these rules, and make things that taste good." Where the "rogue" fits into that, I'm not sure. Maybe it just sounded cool.

Snoballs! The greatest frozen treat of them all! If you've ever gotten one at Hansen's, you know what I mean.

The book is worth buying for the Art of Choke alone. What a fantastic drink...

Do you refer to a roasted chicken as a baked chicken?

Call me crazy, but that sure sounds like a Sazerac to me. Ditto. Does the inclusion of actual Absinthe (assuming that the "housemade" Absinthe is, in fact, actual Absinthe) make it a unique enough drink to warrant a new name?