claire797
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Posts posted by claire797
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Claire797, Thanks for your reply and I have tried the wines and find them underwhelming. I think if you asked a manager at your favorite wine store for an alternative at the same price point and better quality, she/he would do their best to find you something a bit more appealing.
I have gone to the manager many times. Sometimes, he's helped me pick winners and sometimes he's steered me toward duds. I actually like Yellowtail better than some of the more expensive plonk so when I'm plonk shopping, it's an easy choice. Obviously, I don't buy it to impress friends. However, if I'm not feeling cash-happy and am looking for a red to match some take-out pizza or something equally low-brow, I'll buy a bottle of Yellowtail.
You pointed out the "comfort" factor. That's a definite factor in my choosing Yellowtail. I usually pick YT when I'm tired or stressed and just don't want to think about choosing something more interesting or taking chances on something new. And keep in mind the price. $5.00-$6.00 is a *very* low price point. If I hated it -- as I do Sutter Home, Two Buck Chuck or the other (IMHO) vile offerings I've tried in that price range, I wouldn't buy it. But I liked it.
This of course, imho.May I ask why you first picked up the wine(s) to try?
Was it a recommendation from someone who had the wine?
The stores recommendation?
Its position in the store? Stacked near the cash registers?
The label?
The price?
Or?
Word of Mouth. My brother-in-law said it was his "every day" wine. I trust his opinion and took note. Didn't bother to buy a bottle. A few weeks later, another friend whose opinion I trusted mentioned it. I still avoided it thinking it was probably as bad as all the others. I broke down and bought it one evening to take to an event where (to be honest) nobody really cared about wine. In fact, I think it was hosted by the same person who said she liked Yellowtail Chardonnay. I tried the Chardonnay expecting it to be on par with Lindemann's or one of the other cheap Aussie wines and was pleasantly surprised. It was better.
For whatever reason, it exceeded my expectations and my perception (at that moment in time) of it being good stuck around. The next week I was in in World Market picking out a few other Yellowtail varieties.
So no. It's not the best wine in the world, but it's pretty good wine for the price.
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This is an amazing success story. I can not understand why this brand, with a not great package, has caught hold? I am sure they have become the new comfort factor wines like KJ, Beringer White Zin, Sutter Home, etc.
Have you tasted it? It's very good for a $5.00 wine -- as good as many of the $11.00. Obviously, it's probably not something that most wine people here would go for but for us lowly sorts, it's a good value for the money. I think it's rocketed past the others due to its extremely low price. People are generally happy when they find a $5.00 wine that is as good or better than the others, and Yellowtail, IMHO, definitely trumps Sutter Home.
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woof.
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Damn them-- they didn't mention egullet!!! :mad:
I'm writing to the Times to complain. Picaman, pm me with your last name, please.
It's a good thing they didn't mention eGullet. That's just what Elyse needs is a bunch of gamine-loving, New York freak shows stalking her.
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I loved the cover and think Ruth is doing a great job. The magazine gets better and better.
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Have a good trip, Jane! Can't wait to hear about it.
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The monkey cooks all kinds of stuff!
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We've been to the Austin Flemings twice. The service is excellent, the atmosphere is upscale (dim lighting, contemporary decor) but not stodgy and the food is good. They're one of the few restaurants in Austin that feature wine flights, which is another reason I like the place. You can try 3 different wines for about $10.00.
Things I remember about the food: Good bread basket for those who dare admit they like bread before the meal, thin shoestring fries, perfectly cooked chicken for non beef-eaters, and as you would expect, prime steaks. The New York Strip is particularly good. The drawback for us is that they don't serve prime rib, which is DH's favorite. They're also known for serving a good ahi tuna.
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Too late!
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I'll bet it tastes great, Fifi! Too bad we can't have a side-by-side taste test.
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I wonder if she's been reading about herself on egullet? Might explain why she appears a bit grumpy in some recent shows.
Uh, doubt it. More likely it's fatigue. Rolling around in cash takes a lot of energy.
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Candy Update
The longer this stuff sits, the more it tastes like Monterey House. In fact, I wouldn't hasten to call it the same. Fifi, don't think I'll need to try the condensed milk version.
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recently celebrated my own bday at SFA hotel, and we had burgers at the bar, which were rilly, rilly good. So good we were crestfallen to learn they do not participate with the room service menu. Best wishes, by ze whey!
Hi Jess!
Outstanding burgers. That's a good sign! Sounds like you had a really nice birthday! Room service?
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Good news! After sitting for awhile, the candy has dried and taken on a more crumbly texture. I took another bit this morning and I tasted the essence of Monterey House candy. So this recipe is close, if not the real thing. I'll still try to condensed milk version at some point.
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I've made something. In fact, I think I've made burnt milk candy. However, it does not taste like Monterey House.
I used the Recipe Goldmine recipe which consisted of milk, sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla. After an hour and a half of watching the concoction transform from a curdled milk sloop to a thick grainy mess, I was ready to rename the recipe leche quebasura. But I kept on going and I seem to have candy.
It tastes good. The consistency is still pliable, not crumbly. But it may change after it dries out.
It's amazing how much water was cooked out of the mix. 48 ounces of ingredients (32 of which are milk!) cooked down into 16 ounces. There's a quarter cup of milk in every 1 ounce piece. The Kraft Singles of candy!
Here are some pics:
Curdled Milk Stage
Thickening
Grainy
What I have
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Well I'm about to head downstairs and try version 1 -- the one-hour, all-milk, no condensed version. I'm going to make the whole batch, so let's hope I don't screw it up.
If it's not close, then I'll move on to the condensed milk. I wanted to avoid the condensed milk version because something about it seemed inauthentic, but if Fifi is right and if most Mexican candy DOES use condensed milk, then maybe the condensed milk version will be tastier. I also like that that version uses brown sugar.
Here goes.
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Here's another version I've got my eye on. I have everything in the house, so I could start now. The thing is, 4 hours? Good grief! That's a long time to boil candy! This one looks a little more flavorful than the other versions, as it uses borwn sugar and condensed milk.
LECHE QUEMADA
Ingredients :
3 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter (real butter)
1 (13 oz.) can Eagle Brand condensed
milk
1 (13 oz.) can water
2 c. pecan or walnut pieces
Preparation :
Combine all except nuts in heavy pan, such as cast iron. Simmer
on very low flame for about 4 hours or until you can see the bottom
of the pan when you stir slowly (halfway between soft and hard ball
stage on candy thermometer). Add nuts. Pour in buttered pan.
Break into pieces when cool. This is like penuche without the
maple. Is often served at the end of a fiery meal in Mexico - just
one piece. Takes the "hot" out.
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Mudpuppie, a Pancho's Buffet is opening near our house where the "U R Cooks" used to be. I probably will never set foot in the place. However, I would have LOVED it when I was 10. I think Monterey House is a few steps above Pancho's.
Also, the candy is definitely not praline candy. It is burnt milk candy -- leche quemada. I must have done something wrong with the batch I attempted yesterday because it had the consistency of a thick, chewy caramel. Leche quemada has the texture of fudge, but is not chocolate.
Jaymes, I'm going to buy some whole milk and try the recipe you posted. The other one I tried used evaporated milk and said to boil the mixture to 245. Yours is different in that it uses regular milk. I'll give it a try today. I wonder what the cream of tartar does.
Fifi, are you going to try too?
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Don't know if they are still in Houston, but we have one in Beaumont.
Wow! So they're still in business!
I just tried to make a batch of the stuff and failed miserably. The candy has a fudgy, almost crumbly texture if I recall. Mine has the texture of chewy, sticky caramel. Back to the old drawing board.
Here's the recipe I used:
http://www.saveur.com/article_print_card.j...t-Milk%20Fudge)
What I'm aiming for is something with the consistency of one of these:
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Eh, never mind. Google came through for me this time. Apparently it's called Leche Que Mada.
http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m022702.htm
Off to the kitchen...
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Does anyone remember Monterey House? It was (is?) a chain of Mexican restaurants in Houston. I haven't eaten there in 25 years, but I still remember the taste of the tiny candies they buried in the chip baskets. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
I'd like to make this candy, but have no idea what it was. Was it penuche? Mexican fudge? It was fudge-like, but not chocolate. Not a praline, but fudge. Is Monterey House still around?
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Sorry, I've been away for Austin for a while and only get back a couple times a year.
What happened to Star Canyon? Is Roaring Fork a Stephen Pyles restaurant too, or did he just bail?
When I left Austin, Stephen Pyles' coming to town was the big buzz. I'm interested in what happened. My foodie friends have obviously been less than forthcoming.
Hi Mudpuppie,
Here's a link from Texas Monthly.
I suspect the restaurant's demise was due to both the loss of Stephen Pyles and the economy. They just weren't making it.
It was a bad omen when we went there for dinner during that year's SXSW. We arrived about 7:00. Granted, that's early for the SXSW crown, but the restaurant shouldn't have been empty. We had an excellent meal and perfect service (as expected, since were the only customers!) but the place was dead when we arrived and dead when we left. Very sad for such a great space.
From what I hear, that's not the case these days at The Roaring Fork.
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It's that time of year again. Time to pick a birthday restaurant.
After hearing a rumor that The Roaring Fork serves an excellent prime-rib, DH and I have put it at the top of our short list. Any reasons why we should avoid it? So far, the buzz has been good. Then again, you can't always trust buzz in Austin.
Roaring Fork is in the Stephen F. Austin hotel where Star Canyon used to be. From what I've heard, atmosphere is the same and cuisine is upscale cowboy. Any thoughts?
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Austin, TX -- The Clay Pit
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