coolhandluke

Hey there, Anyone have any good ideas for family style food to be served at an upcoming wedding. We will be at one long table dinner party style - 50 people. New England seasonal is our theme. Thinking striper with succotash, hushpuppies. Most proteins will be coming off the grill, bowls of seasonal salads etc scattered down the table. Any other great ideas? Foodie crowd, but laid back atmosphere - outdoors and simple preferred. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions all. Yes I'll be coming in from SF, in Monterey for a couple of days, then down to Paso Robles via rte 1. Any cools stops along the road for some casual and fun local food? Or any side diversions off the beaten path that I really shouldn't miss? I'll also be coming up rte 101 on the way back, with a stop in Greenfield for my favorite Huevos Rancheros on the planet.

I'll be taking a short three day road trip from San Fran to Paso and back in a couple of weeks. We plan on taking route 1 down the coast, staying in Paso for a couple of days, and then heading back to SF for a night or two. Any places I need to see? Anything great to see around Paso while we are there? All suggestions welcome! Thanks in advance

Thanks for all the help everyone. The Erlenmeyer Flask idea seems pretty interesting and functional, although many of them seem to be more expensive than the decanters I've come across. Lots to think about now, maybe over a couple of bottles of wine.....

I don't think I'm familiar with Winners. Is it a local chain, or can it be found on the web. Malik, those look great, but may be a bit expensive for what I'm looking for. Found some on decanters.com, but seem to be a bit large for my uses.

I am looking to do a wine promotion, offering a number of wines on our list by the half bottle, to be poured in demi-carafes or decanters. I've seen a bunch of decanters around, but nothing that really jumps out at me. Something short, with a wide base to get maximum surface area between the wine and some air, would be ideal. Anyone know where I could find something like this? Edit for spelling

oh my god! this happened to a friend of mine down here after a night of clubbing..turned out somehow he'd swallowed some glass - it was touch and go til it passed out of his system. Doesn't this belong on the really bad patrons thread? Or maybe everyone should take advantage of an establishment for the mistake of one of its obviously neophyte employees.

Ummmm...feijoada....yeah, feijoada. Potato leek soup with Irish soda bread shmeared with fresh butter Tomato soup out of tha can with grilled cheese (American cheese of course) sandwiches......(nostalgia)

Alas, busboy. Buzzy's is no more. Health officials seem to have decided that the prisoners were putting a few too many "extras" in the roast beef sammies it seems. Sad to say that late night food here in beantown is in a sad state indeed.

Lobster Club Sandwich Yum on crusty sourdough with gruyere and hickory smoked bacon, maybe a little tarragon aioli. or.... Lobster tacos......repoach lobster meat in a little melted butter and serve into warmed tortillas with avocade, some cilantro, maybe a little pico de gallo.

These sound fantastic....I'm going to have to put these to good use. Anyone have any others? I have heard of folks using blueberry purees and sometimes mulled spices. Do these work...is the mulling et al produce a better product, or are recipes like this not authentic. I have to make a batch for friends this weekend as a trial run for the restaurant...research by trial and error is always most fun, IMO

I am entrusted to make a killer batch of sangria for an upcoming event. Anyone have a recipe that just cant be beat? All and any contributions would help.

Oh my jesus that looks good. I just love it when berries come into season. Send that pic into some food magazine, it looks that good. Myself, I went protein heavy with pan-seared skirt steak topped with a bit of pesto-butter, two eggs over easy and some sliced heirlooms from the farmers market on the side sprinkled with a little fleur de sel. And a bloody of course

Gotta agree with JAZ that the true gimlet can only be made with gin, ditto the martini. But re the lime juice, I believe there is a happy medium. Casting the aesthetics of the drink aside, I believe a truly delicious gimlet involves a dash or two of Rose's, along with a good squeeze of lime (why else would a lime segment be involved as a garnish) Squeezing in a section of lime before shaking also ensures that the essential oils in the skin of the lime infuse into the drink, cutting the sharpness of the fresh lime juice. As I sit here and enjoy one as we speak, I think the cloudy pulpiness that the fresh lime imparts only adds to the mystique of a truly refreshing summer drink...

You have got to try El Pelon Taqueria over on Peterborough over by Fenway Park...best LA style taqueria around. If you feel adventurous, get on the blue line and go over to East Boston ehre you'll find tons of El Salvadorian and Latin taquerias within a short distance from the Maverick stop. Papusas galore!!!

Perhaps worthy of another link, but can this include inappropriate or amateur behavior by other patrons of the restaurant? For instance, people who try deperately to flag his/her server over in sometimes frantic manners only to sit and ponder what they would like off of the menu. As a front of the house employee, I'm sure this could be a long and seperate string......

Which vineyard of the St Innocent did you like most? I've had the Freedom Hill vineyard, but have yet to try the Shea. Freedom Hill was a great representation of Oregon Pinot, although there are better finds out there for sure.

Just had a 99 vintage Adelsheim Bryan Creek Vineyard last night with my dinner. Killer single vineyard pinot - trying to think of something memorable to cook with a 99 Shea Vineyard Ken Wright. Anyone have any other pinot noirs from Oregon that I must try. The Ken Wright has always been great, but does a bit of damage to my wallet.

New World wine producing regions (South Africa, New Zealand, etc.) are turning out some fantastic Sauvignon Blancs in recent years. Try Tohu from New Zealand (they get their grapes from the same vineyards that Cloudy Bay got theirs from during that fantastic 2001 vintage) Very approachable in price and great grassy grapefruity flavor typical of New World Sauv Blanc with nice astringency. Also five the Stellenbosch Sauv Blanc from South Africa a try. Softer, yet full of flavor - kiwi, grapefruit, lush grassiness. Villa Maria's cellar selections have been great in the past without breaking the bank as well. I would go grab a bottle now if I didn't ave to go to work tonight

I purchased one of those green "extra life" discs for the vegetable crisper and must say, to my surprise they do work. Loosely wrapped, vegetable and herbs keep for at least twice as long. I've had basil and parsley keep for over a week in the crisper. Best purchase in quite a while.

Had some friends over for a bushel of steamed Maryland Blue crabs caked in Old Bay along with some ice cold beers. Slipped when splitting the top and bottom shells and slashed my hand on the barbs on the side of the shell. Old Bay seasoning sure doesn't feel so hot in a deep cut, no matter how many beers ya slug down.