birder53

I don't like conflict and try to avoid it at all costs. The three times in my life when I did send a dish back to the kitchen, I created an uncomfortable situation for my dining companions and myself. (One was the wrong entree, one was an overcooked steak that had been ordered rare and the third was food that was cold) Should they continue to eat while I waited? Of course they should but it wasn't pleasant. By the time my food came out, the rest of the table was almost finished and I found myself rushing to catch up to them. I'd rather complain in a fast food place where I know they already have another burger or whatever wrapped, heated and ready to go. I'm not interested in getting comped, I just want to get a good meal and good service when I dine out. If a restaurant can't deliver that, then the odds are that I probably won't return. I dine out for the food and service and the chance to let someone else do all the work. I just want to relax and enjoy myself. I don't want to find a reason to speak with the manager or owner and alert them to problems with my meal. It's just not what I have in mind when I decide to enjoy a meal out. I know this doesn't help the situation, but it sounds as though some folks in the restaurant expect an awful lot on my part when I am the one who is already unhappy. I understand that management can't correct a problem that they aren't aware of, but that is above and beyond what I want to get involved in when I dine out.

Wow, that was fast! That looks like a large version of the one I was looking for. This was only about 6-8" tall and very slender. Any idea where they can be found?

I've seen a very small whisk which is really like a long spring attached to a handle. I can't remember where I saw it and when I search on whisk on several web sites, I only get the usual solid construction whisks. Besides seeing it in a shop somewhere, I know I saw one of the hosts on the food network using one as well. Does anyone know what I'm talking about or where to find it? Maybe it's not called a whisk?

Many years ago (over 20) I had breakfast at a small restaurant called "Canadians". It was near City Hall in NYC. We had heard that they served huge portions and went for the fun of it. If it hadn't been so wasteful it could have been funny. Omelets and pancakes were literally falling over the sides of the plates and tables! We should have left when we saw the size of the portions, but like onlookers staring at a bad accident, we just couldn't tear ourselves away. We ordered one blueberry pancake. It covered our table for two and then some. It was over an inch thick and over 24" in diameter. We laughed and then tried to eat this thing. It tasted liked an overgrown, no so good blueberry muffin. We took it home wrapped in around three boxes of tin foil. We measured it and took pictures when we got home. Truly one for the books! I think this place also served lunch and dinner. We never went back again. Once was more than enough.

You were right to leave. Things were only going to get worse when and if they ever remembered to bring your thali back to you.

That sounds wonderful! Can you share a recipe? How do you think it would work with bourbon?

The Goya seemed to bite on the way in and the way down. The Barritts had a nice bite on the way in and went down smoothly.

Smell! It can start the ball rolling before you even see the source. Imagine a wonderful cognac filled snifter - the aroma takes my breath away before I even get a drop on my tongue.

I'm partial to Plymouth.

Not enough time! That is the reason we all need convenience in our lives, whether it be food, cleaning products, laundry services or anything else that gives us back some breathing time. Most of the folks here love to cook, but they don't cook everything themselves. I don't bake and am not inclined to do so either. I love to cook, but I still use bagged salads, frozen vegetables, jarred salsa and bagged chips. They save me time and money and most of them taste pretty good! Sometimes I want to make everything from scratch and other times I just can't do it all myself. I'm glad the convenience foods are there for me when I need them. I do wonder about the folks who eat convenience foods as a steady diet. It could be that they grew up with eating that way and just haven't considered their options. If they like the taste of their food, why should they change? I don't think most people consider themselves adventurous eaters, so the chain restaurants, fast food places and prepared foods offer them safety and comfort.

Found Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer at our local King's supermarket last week. I knew there were a few discussions of drinks using ginger beer, so into the cart it went. We tried Dark'n' Stormy last week. Very good. This weekend it was a Moscow Mule, or two or three! Damn good drink! The Barritt's was about $4.50 or so for four bottles. I saw Goya ginger beer for $0.59 so a taste test was in order. The Barritt's was smoother and still had a wonderful ginger kick. We thought the Goya was spicier, but not as smooth. I'll have to find a better price for the Barritt's, as it was very easy to go through lots of it really fast. These are great summer drinks!

Glad to hear back from you Diner Girl. I hope you can appreciate why some of us responded the way that we did. The pattern of new poster raving in such detail about a restaurant that hasn't been mentioned before has been played out here before. It usually turned out to be someone affiliated with the restaurant, which is fine if they say so up front. I am an old cynic! So, if it's not too late to make you feel at home here, welcome to egullet! Is Sea Salt open all year? I usually find myself looking for a good meal along the shore in January when most of the shore eateries are closed.

Allura, You most certainly could be right here. Maybe I'm just an old cynic!

I'm surprised this post hasn't been deleted by the management.

How uncivilized has this world become when you can't easily find a Boston shaker in NYC of all places!

Try William Sonoma.

Had my first Old Pal this weekend. The recipe I used, courtesy of Murray Stenson, called for equal parts of bourbon, dry vermouth and Campari. I couldn't really taste anything but the Campari. I'll have to try it again using Robert's recipe. It was surprising that even Makers Mark couldn't compete with the Campari.

Thanks, Robert. My copy is on it's way!

I just found this when I went looking for Harrington's 'Drinks Bible' on Amazon. Does anyone know if this is for real? I'd love to get a signed copy. Seller: southhenry (Safe buying guarantee) Rating: 3.9 stars over the past twelve months (10 ratings). Seller has 66 lifetime ratings. Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days; Ships from WA, United States. Expedited shipping available. International shipping available. See shipping rates Comments: This is your chance to purchase one of the very last remaining NEW copies directly from the author. Each copy comes autographed and personalized at your request.

This is a great thread. On the one hand it makes deciding how to compose a drink more difficult because there are so many factors to take into account . But it does help me to understand why a certain combination works or doesn't. I'm going to taste each ingredient before I make the drink rather then just follow a recipe. If I drank more often this process wouldn't take so long, but I'll just have to tough it out. Instead of doubling a recipe whenever we're having drinks, I'm going to make each drink two different ways to see how different combinations work out. I've started making drinks that call for bitters without the bitters first so I can taste it and then add the bitters to really appreciate what they add to the drink. Now I'll go home tonight and review the proofs of my gins and consider that when choosing what to shake/stir for the evening. It's barely 9:30 AM, but I'm already planning the cocktail hour.

Tanqueray is pretty much the gold standard for a "ginny gin." I also think Gordon's does pretty well in this regard, and was susprised to see that you thought it had a less emphatic flavor than Bombay Sapphire. My impressions run entirely counter to yours, but that's why they play the game. It turns out that I have not tried Gordon's yet. My husband said it was Seagram's we didn't care for. ( I don't know why I decided it was Gordon's. ) I'll have to pick up a bottle of Gordon's to try this weekend.

We have Millers, Plymouth, Bombay Sapphire, Hendricks and Tanqueray 10. Tried Gordons and didn't think it had as much flavor as the Sapphire we were drinking at the time. (But I could be wrong.) After reading this thread, I realize that I still don't much about gin. I learned this past weekend not to make gimlets with the Millers again! What a waste of good gin, IMHO. It was completely overwhelmed by the lime. I thought that Sapphire and Plymouth were "big" gins when compared to Millers and Hendricks. Now I find that they are almost considered to be in the same class as Tanqueray 10, which I categorize as "lighter". I see lots a different opinions here and would like a little direction from this esteemed group. If I want to try a big, junipery gin - what should it be? What is your favorite gin for a G&T? What is your favorite for a martini? What is your favorite for a gimlet? What do you like for Aviations? Thanks for your help.

I remember my parents making cocktails for themselves and for parties. Then 37 years my father found a need for Alcoholics Anonymus in his life and the cocktails stopped. I usually drank wine or Chivas on the rocks until I discovered Cosmopolitans several years ago. I know many hold this drink in disdain, but even now I can really enjoy a well made Cosmo! My real interest in cocktails was fueled by our own Nightscotsman's reports of his Seattle cocktail parties. Everyone was talking about the Aviation. I had to have one! Then there were the "mystery ingredient" drinks, which included the Floridita. The Dale De Groff Q&A was the icing on the cake. I bought Dale's book and there has been no turning back. This forum has led me to Drink Boy, and a variety of other sites which have created the need to clear out much of my kitchen storage space for liquor. We had over 90 different spirits as last count. Friends and family expect new and exciting cocktails when we entertain. We try to exceed their expectations! This is the first forum I check everyday when I log on to egullet! Life is good!

Bitters are not just "salt" for a drink. Salt alone cannot always round out the flavors of food for me. I recently made a drink from Grimes book, can't remember the name, which contained gin, cointreau, lillet and lemon juice. It just didn't taste like much of anything to me so I got out Gary Regan's orange bitters and added two dashes. Voila! I don't know what the magic was but I now had a very tasty drink. At Regan's "Cocktails in the Country" class, as we entered the "classroom" for the first time, Gary was busy dispensing a healthy serving of bitters into each of the drinks he had lined up for the class. I was very afraid by how much he was using until I tasted the drink. That was my epiphany! I wasn't using enough bitters at all when making drinks at home! Angostura bitters, orange bitters, peychauds bitters - what a wonderful world this is!

How about Painter's Tavern in Cornwall on Hudson? It is just north of Highland Falls on Rte. 518. I had a very good seafood gumbo there.