haresfur

Wow! How civilized! I don't have a good answer to your question, though. I think U.S. bars used to have free food.

Trying to use up bottles by faking Tiki drinks: 1 oz pineapple-infused Cruzan dark 1 oz Bacardi dark 3/4 oz Mt. Gay 1/2 oz Amaretto (since I don't have Orgeat) 1/2 oz Gran Gala Stir with ice strain into highball glass and top with guava juice Garnish with a parasol spiked into a homemade brandy-Bing cherry I don't know much about Tiki drinks but I can't recall seeing any that use guava juice. I'm not a fan of the stuff straight but the rum is a big improvement.

Years ago, checking out fine restaurants in a big new Las Vegas hotel, I saw a stark contrast. Some restaurants (Le Cirque) had high-end European-style service. Employees circulated, actively looking for things needing attention, and unobtrusively providing it -- not waiting for customers to flag them down. Others (Aqua) instead showed high-end "US-style" service. Servers would come to the table, beam at you, and talk about themselves -- and not notice missing silverware, or ask if you wanted coffee at the end. Being chatty wasn't a problem, but a symptom. Good, because as a customer you won't notice if those offenses are deliberately absent either. Everyone is happy. (Just as readers who are less word-conscious don't notice, or mind, when publications routinely edit out "in regards to," or "which" with restrictive relative clauses -- the result looks natural, both to those who don't notice and those who do.) Now what we need (but rarely see) is the sequel: Good practices for customers in fine dining. It seems as if many of them think ethics or decorum are concerns only for the servers or the restaurant. (Otherwise, why would we see things like loud cellphone use, or past threads here by customers who pulled something obnoxious on a restaurant, then actually became indignant when called on it? Or the replies from other restaurant customers, sympathizing with them?!?) Well, I think I do notice. But you are right, good service doesn't have to draw attention to itself. The article doesn't say anything about fine dining - it implies universal truth that isn't warranted. In Italy, if I asked for extra cheese I would be surprised if it came in a separate dish. And I wouldn't be surprised if the waiter made some comment to the effect of, "Are you sure?" There are some I do care about, particularly #2. But it is so poorly worded I'm not sure what they intend. You try to shame them into eating at the bar? Sorry, the correct question is, "Would you like a table, or would you prefer to eat at the bar?" As far as clearing the plate goes, I think it is cultural. I often dine with a slow-eating friend. I'd be surprised if she feels rushed because my plate is gone. If the pace is a problem, it is more my responsibility to slow my eating so it doesn't seem that I'm rushing her. Why would she care what the waiter thinks? I kind of like to have a clear path to lean attentively across the table and maybe snag a french fry (ok not fine dining ).

I agree, only because it makes this easier: Cookies: Dare lemon creams/maple creams (note how I cleverly slipped in a fourth choice?) Canada's gift to the world. Pims - Spongy cookie with orange marmalade and chocolate. Best when just starting to go stale so they are chewier. Hobnobs - you can almost pretend they are healthy Candy: Tree-Top fruit gummies. They come in a huge box of small packets from Costco. Snickers - but only the miniature ones frozen. Star-burst - ok, too sweet and too sticky but the acidity is a nice balance that you don't usually get in candy. I don't think high end chocolate bars meet the criteria, although I almost said Aero bars instead of Snickers. The chocolate isn't that great but I like the texture.

Does anyone know if Australian outdoor gas grills take the same tanks as in the US? Trying to decide if I should move mine. Thanks.

For me, most of these "offenses" fall into the category of "I don't really care"

Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages (Amazon link) was just reviewed in "Nature" (probably the top science journal in the world) and although they were a bit restrained in the praise, it sounds interesting. You need a subscription to read the review, though.

Good point. How do bartenders expect to get tipped if they don't make change? When I was starting out I didn't do this mostly because it was something that always annoyed my father--he doesn't like having a wallet full of small bills and figured if he needed some for change, they could always be traded out later. It sort of stuck with me for a while and though it doesn't come up often where I work now, every time it does I feel a small pang of guilt for giving lots of ones back in change. I like getting a mix of bills, especially if the amount is in the range where the larger bill would be a slightly overly generous tip - that's presumptuous. I don't think I would mind if someone asked if I wanted some singles.

well yes, kind of makes sense, but also have some humility. chef is not going to be happy that you fucked up and if you show too much enthusiasm he may just tell you to get the f*ck out! Basically, go in, put your head down, do the best you can and PAY ATTENTION! even if you dont land the job if you PAY ATTENTION you will learn a lot! Yeah, I don't mean being enthusiastic about messing up, but if you are enthusiastic about your work, and trying hard it goes a lot farther than someone who is screwing up and screwing off, or just has a bad attitude.

Menus with small lettering and poor contrast between the type and the background (say brown letters on tan paper). It's bad enough to have to use reading glasses but combine that with bad menu design and dim mood lighting and I might as well be illiterate Places where you talking is frowned on because you are supposed to be listening to the music with rapt attention - especially if the music is someone at the piano playing sing-along or a whiny folk singer. I'd rather go to a concert then for drinks after and even a good jazz bar is still a bar. Lousy food; expensive unsubstantial food; expensive unsubstantial lousy food. And my number one peeve, especially because I'm usually too wimpy to call them on it, beer poured short. The top inch in a standard 16 oz. pub glass is 1/4 of the volume.

I really disagree with this. First, every craft has it's own aesthetics and no one has a monopoly on the term. Secondly, I believe there is a lot in common between craft brewing and craft cocktails (alcohol for one ) Other commonalities include quality ingredients, a striving for balance, a focus on delivering maximal flavor and experience to the customer along with the requisite drug-dose... That being said, I think classical and craft are both good terms with classical having more of a connotation of focus on similarities to historical cocktails and craft being more open-ended.

I'm in a different business, but I think my advice to young pups is pretty universal, "If you're going to f*ck up, f*uck up with enthusiasm!" Or perhaps it should be, "You are going to f*ck up, so..."

In Imbibe, Dave Wondrich uses the term "Channeling the Professor", but that's a bit of a mouthful. How about the term "Post-Modern"? Like the art-world, it gets at the fundamental lack of meaning in any of these naming exercises. My niece uses a term that might fit, "Adult". As in, "Yes, I'd like a drink but nothing too adult, please."

Any idea what pineapple water is? Also curious as to what kind of Madiera is being employed here, if you happen to know. One of my favorite beverages. The pineapple water, whatever it is, gave a light taste, similar to my infused rum. Sorry, I didn't think to check for any more details about the madiera. I'm pretty sure it isn't the $50/glass stuff Andina has on their desert menu, though.

Made it to the Teardrop Lounge in Portland. Very nice. Started with a High Hat: 4 roses bourbon, house sweet vermouth, house amer, pau d'Arco bitters (forgot to ask what they are), and green Chartreuse. Beautifully bitter and complex. Second was the Other Side of Summer: Clement agricole, Blandy's maderia, pineapple water, kirsch, lime, demerara syrup. A touch sweet with a very strong sequence of flavors hitting the tongue in succession. But very nice. That was plenty to get me ready for a trip through Powell's books.

I would expect that that is almost certainly the case. And as I noted above I'd be willing to bet it doesn't matter at any rate anyway. I agree, but the grain was produced more locally when the industry was developing. Not bourbon, but Dry Fly here in Washington State uses "local" ingredients which means mostly wheat for their whiskey. I think there's another year to go before the first batch will be out, though. The abstract focuses on the water, but my reading is even more that the taste of the water on how the water and the soils affected the settlement patterns and production. Importantly, the steady water temperature springs was important for the condensers. As was noted above, Kentucky isn't the only whiskey producer. There is limestone terrain (karst) in Pennsylvania. and plenty in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia so that can't be the only factor in developing bourbon as a distinct product.

Here's a talk at the Geological Society of America Meeting next week. Move over Pinot! Actually it should be well attended since there will be a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir tasting at the end of the session Not sure I can make it because of my presentation. 2009 Portland GSA Annual Meeting (18-21 October 2009) Paper No. 270-11 Presentation Time: 4:30 PM-4:45 PM LIMESTONE WATER AND THE ORIGIN OF BOURBON FRYAR, Alan E., Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Kentucky, 101 Slone Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0053, alan.fryar@uky.edu Bourbon whiskey, which is made from fermented corn mash aged in charred oak barrels, is a uniquely American spirit produced almost exclusively in Kentucky. Exports of bourbon totaled more than $700 million in 2007. Its distinctive taste has traditionally been attributed in part to the “limestone water” used in its production. Given the prevalence of carbonate rocks, corn cultivation, and alcohol consumption throughout much of North America and indeed the world, why did bourbon originate in Kentucky, and what roles has water actually played in its history? Addressing these questions requires a consideration of settlement patterns and practices and the characteristics of water in karst terrains. European immigrants, in whose cultures alcohol production and consumption were ingrained, began moving beyond the Appalachians in the latter half of the 18th century. Thousands of settlers were drawn to the Bluegrass region of north-central Kentucky, which is marked by fertile residual soils developed on limestone bedrock. Corn was readily cultivated and its distillation provided a high-value product that would not spoil. Consequently, production of whiskey commenced there as early as 1776. Many farms and settlements were located near perennial springs in the Bluegrass region. These springs were valuable not only because of a year-round supply of water, but also because their relatively uniform, cool temperature (~14 to 15 C) facilitated condensation of steam during distillation. Moreover, shallow groundwater and streams in the region typically have dilute, Ca-Mg-bicarbonate-type compositions with circumneutral pH, which limits dissolved Fe and promotes growth of bacteria involved in fermentation. The production of bourbon became standardized and industrial in the first half of the 19th century. Because of the relatively low yield of springs in the Bluegrass region, most distilleries now rely on treated stream water, but some smaller distilleries still use groundwater. Regardless of the exact source of water, its role in the taste of bourbon combines terroir and craft through the growing of grain, fermentation, and distilling. 2009 Portland GSA Annual Meeting (18-21 October 2009) General Information for this Meeting Session No. 270 Terroir—The Relationship of Geology, Soils, Hydrology, and Climate to Wine: A Special Tribute to George Moore Oregon Convention Center: B113 1:30 PM-5:30 PM, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 41, No. 7, p. 696

Is there a right way or a wrong way to clean my (home) shakers, strainers, etc? I have always washed beer glasses by hand because it is supposed to result in a better head but I have either just rinsed off the cocktail gear or thrown it in the dishwasher. Recommendations?

I read this and thought: does Zeno's paradox apply to pie? I don't think so. There's something about the slab turning into a slice turning into a piece turning into a crumb that doesn't happen with the more deliberately cut and structured pie, I think. True, pie is more, "Excuse me, I'll just clean this up for you." But the prevention is the same. Except for the selfish people who throw off the slice count because they are on a diet, too full, or whatever.

I use granulated garlic for things that are going to get heated rather than cooked because it doesn't have the same harshness as fresh. Throw some on leftover spaghetti with good olive oil and Parmesan and heat just enough to warm through. It also makes a good systemic insect repellent for the horses. Which brings up another point, granulated garlic can vary quite a bit in quality/taste: My DB ordered 5 lbs to feed the geldings and they delivered 50 lbs. So that's what I used in the kitchen for the longest time. The horses finally used it up and I bought a mere Costco-size jar. Much, much better.

This brings up an issue in my house. I'm pretty sure the Dalmatian has learned to equate late night activity with food and has been waking me up in hopes of getting her midnight snack. I tend to go for sweet and easy. Pie is perfect but lacking that (dog gets crust), fruit jelly candy does ok (dog gets a biscuit).

With 3 children, my father developed a superb eye for dividing a pie in fifths. Your friend needs to work on sevenths.

Sounds very tasty. I don't know about pineapple size changes but at least some of the pineapple sold these days is much less acidic than older varieties (e.g. Delmonte Gold). I wonder how that might change the drink?

Mexi-mocha 1 c milk 2 tablespoons Dagoba Xocolatl hot chocolate mix with chilies and cinnamon 1 1/2 oz tequila 1 oz coffee liquor put in frothing pitcher and steam with an espresso machine pour in mug and add 3 dashes Fee's orange bitters.

The discussion in the Restaurant Life Forum on starting a food truck resulted in exposition on the wonderful street food in Portland, Portland Street Cuisine. I obviously have missed something on other visits, but will be at a conference at the convention center later in October. Any hints on what to look for in the ephemeral world of street cuisine? Something other than the Mexican luncheras we have here in Eastern Washington would be wonderful - especially if it were in striking distance between sessions.