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aidan

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Everything posted by aidan

  1. Just got back from Barcelona. Made it to 41 degrees. We didn't have a reservation to either, and tickets seemed impossible to get into, even with cancellations. We walked right in to 41 degrees at about 7 on a Monday or Tuesday night, so that might be the best way to get a walk in. The food was great. Spherical olives, air bread with Iberico ham, kim chi octopus, curried rice worms and my favorite, nordic snow were all on the menu with many more things that I can't remember off the top of my head. We ordered almost every snack on the menu, and everything was very good. The parmesan ice cream sandwich was a little too much parmesan for me, but in a smaller portion would have been amazing. The cocktails were good, but nothing that I expected. Most or all of them were classic cocktails, with also a list geared towards gin and tonics. I enjoyed my cocktails, but wasn't blown away, and even went to drinking cava by the end of the night. If you want a cocktail experience, I was blown away by the two gentleman behind the bar at Ohla, in the Ohla hotel. It is a tiny bar with two amazing bartenders and great drinks. They made me an amazing angostura based drink that was as good as any drink I have ever had. Next time I go, I will try for reservations to tickets, but the new concept in store for 41 degrees seems pretty cool. 41 degrees
  2. My parents just came back from Ireland and brought me a water bottle filled with the family's recipe for Poitín. Anyone know of any good cocktails that incorporate this?
  3. I see it very similar to calling a coach, "coach." Nothing pretentious or fake, just an acknowledgment of their role.
  4. Not sure how much you want to spend, but what about O Ya?
  5. I can't imagine there is a definitive guide to value for money. There have been studies of people who rate wines higher when they think they cost a lot. I would imagine the same goes with food or the chefs that prepare the food. If Ferran Adria made the same "caprese salad" dish as you, no one would bat an eye. Value is in the eye of the beholder.
  6. aidan

    Sauce for Pork?

    Last night I made a blackberry and red wine sauce for a pork loin I had. It is pretty easy to make, just saute onions in butter, add blackberries, add wine, bring to a boil and simmer for a while. I added some cinnamon and maple syrup granules to take a bite out of the acidity. Strain through a chinois and serve with a couple whole blackberries.
  7. How about an Old Cuban. Not very champagne forward, and much more useful in the summer, but still a tasty drink. edited to add my reading comprehension skills that said "This topic here is for what Sam calls ". . . drinks that are fundamentally champagne with stuff added in . . . "" are lacking more than slightly.
  8. I think this waiter sums the "rules" up pretty well. The rules explained.
  9. Maybe not the same as the other drinks, but is there really anything better than drinking a beer in the shower after a long night making drinks for everyone but yourself? It may just be me....
  10. Lots of bluefish on the east coast. At least in New England. Also, a lot of striped bass as well this year.
  11. I have a nice Thai Basil plant growing outside, and figured it may make an interesting addition to a drink. I chose to use it instead of mint and pernod for a French Pearl. Unfortunately, it didn't do too much. The flavors were pretty small, so I used a couple dashes of peychaud's to liven it up a bit. Better luck next time. Does anyone have any good recipes for thai basil?
  12. Gin (Plymouth) Rye Scotch (Oban) Vya (sweet vermouth) Laird's Applejack Cointreau Lillet Blanc Appleton Rum Tequila Angostura
  13. Fedco is a great option. Entertaining catalog as well. Fedco Seeds
  14. What if you filled 5 of the shot glasses with vodka, gin, rum, tequila and triple sec. Fill the last one with lemon juice, and have some simple syrup and coke to finish it. Pour all the shots into the decanter, shake, top with coke and have the kitschiest(sp? is that even a word?) cocktail for frat boys and 18 year olds around.
  15. Hate to say it, but "Mudslides."
  16. aidan

    Gardens

    I am sure most of you are more than satiated with the daily barrage of economic woes on the news and in print. But, is there any good that can come out of this? My thought is that with this slowdown in the economy, home gardens may once again become more common. My wife and I had our first child this year, and we were starting a garden to fulfill his diet in place of baby food. Now that money is being used a little more wisely, we are hoping to expand it to a little larger than first thought, in order to compensate for the pricier items in the grocery stores. My question for all of you is: Do you think that there will be an increase in home gardens? And, if so will this have an effect on the food industry insofar as to make more local, seasonal and organic fresh fruit and veg more readily available at your local grocery superstore, as well as more affordable?
  17. I have no preference on cuisine or atmosphere. We just moved back to Mass from southern Maine, where I worked at a local restaurant. I plan on exploring more of the city, so it isn't a one time deal. I also live within an hour of Boston now, so transportation is a non issue. We are both open to any food, we just want a fun meal. We also don't care if it is ultra formal or sitting at the bar. I fully understand I am not being overly useful in the info department in so much as to what I am looking for, but vagueness limits pigeonholing, and I want to know where you would want to go to if it were up to you. Thank you for responses thus far.
  18. My wife is taking me out to dinner this week in Boston for my birthday. I am out of the loop as far as the restaurant scene here. I had a couple ideas (harvest, garden at the cellar, ten tables, mistral, clio etc.). Any recomendations would be great.
  19. Brad's right. You might not be thinking that beer fits in with your desired ambience, but everybody loves it and you'll go through a lot. ← Beer has already been taken care of. That was the easy part. We have a couple of great microbreweries by my house that we are getting a few barrels from. As far as ambiance, the wedding caters to a beer drinking crowd. Thank you all for the suggestions so far. I was thinking about a Beaujolais for a red, but was slightly worried about an almost overpowering fruitiness to it. I am toying with the idea of chilling it slightly. This is a day wedding, so it could get pretty hot. I am also leaning towards an Australian Shiraz.
  20. I am getting married this summer, and I am still trying to decide on the wine. My fiancee and I are planning and paying, and as a young couple we aren't overly endowed with money. So what I am looking for, is some advice on good wines to pick that are: A. easily accessible B. not too expensive (under 10 dollars a bottle wholesale) C. good for a summer BBQ As far as the food, we are having BBQ. There will be ribs, pulled pork, corn bread, watermelon, and some chicken as well. I want a variety of wines, and I am really leaning towards rose. I also want some bottles of white, and only a few bottles of red. This is an outdoor wedding, and more than likely it will be hot, so a cool rose or a white would probably be more readily consumed than a red by the majority of people. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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