grillboy

When I would come home to visit family in west orange nj we would go to a small local italian place in orange called libretti's. They made the most amazing broccoli and cavatelli. Such a simple dish yet their's was bursting with flavor. Tried to make it at home...not the same (sigh)

In the last restaurant I ran (in Guatemala) we served black angus meats (NY Strip and Ribeye). If a guest ordered the NY strip well done, the waiters were trained to offer the ribeye as the flavor and tenderness held up much better than the NY Strip. This training helped our waiters avoid embarassing moments with the guests and often most guests took the advice of the waiters and switched to the ribeye. If a guest insisted on the NY strip well done a member of manangement spoke with the guest (very nice and politlely) regarding the drop in quality of the meat being cooked well done. The guests that wound up ordering a NY strip well done wound up enjoying it their way. As management, we may not have agreed with them but in the end our guest left happy and that was our goal.

My personal favorite is the Cuervo Reserva de la Familia. It is usually very expensive $75 or up. But the bottles are numbered by production quantity(usually a couple of thousand). Plus it comes in a cool painted box. I have several different boxes. They showcase mexican artists....way cool. The tequila itself is very good.

I have seen the quality drop in the last couple of years. I just enjoy the unique flavor of the rum. Is your bottle one of the straw ones or one of the glass ones? I really don't like the glass presentation myself. When I lived in guatemala, we would drink the rum warmed in snifters. Sometimes we would smoke some avalino lara handrolled torpedo cigars and the graycliff cigars from the bahamas on. That is why I enjoy this rum so much.

I had the chance to vist the distillery in Zacapa in 1998 right after hurricane mitch. It was an interesting tour. I know the Botran family from my time in Guatemala. Their rums are good but the Zacapa is exceptional. Every time I have friends or family visiting Guatemala, I ensure that I get a bottle or two for my private stock. Around the 2000 they stopped making the rum in straw bottles and put them in designer "limited edition' clear glass bottles. I agree that it is more of a sipping rum than mixing. Good to know that a lot of people know about the rum. It is truly a great liquor.

Have any of you had the pleasure to drink Zacapa Reserva rum from Guatemala? It is aged 23 years and is oen of the best rums I have ever had. A close second is the 15 year old Barbencourt rum from Haiti. I used to live in Guatemala (2.5 yrs) which is how I knwo the rum. I have never seen it for sale outside of Guatemala however.