birder53

Isn't the Negroni equal parts of gin, campari and vermouth?

I don't keep track and neither do my friends. My mother, on the other hand, is very uncomfortable about not being able to reciprocate invitations from her friends. Both mom and dad are 83 and can't move around the way they used to. It would be impossible for them to get the house ready, cook, serve and clean up for entertaining. Their friends are close in age but a bit more nimble so they still extend invitations to their homes. We gave my folks a gift certificate at Christmas for a catered dinner party at their home. We told them to pick the date and the guests and we would take care of the rest. Well, we cooked and served dinner for seven. Her friends wanted to know if they could hire us! It all went very well and at the end I heard Mom say "Well, now I've paid them all back." Maybe I'll feel that way in my later years, but for now I don't owe anyone and no one owes me.

Fine Cooking. The photography is wonderful and inspiring! I've been very pleased with the results of the recipes.

A well balanced cocktail does indeed reflect the "dash" of whatever. What about the Sazerac? Where would it be without the teasing flavor of a bit of absinthe? If the drink is balanced, even the subtlest amount of a special ingredient provides much more than a sense of personalization. IMHO.

Gin - Yes! Vodka - Aw, do I have to!!! Since discovering gin I can't find a reason to drink vodka. I used to enjoy the Lemon Drop. No more! Vodka lacks the flavors I've learned to appreciate in gin. Maybe it's an acquired taste for some people, like Campari. It is strong and assertive when compared to vodka. I love it! I think of vodka as a spirit for beginners or those who just want a kick from their fruit juice.

Oooooh! A new chartreuse cocktail - Thanks!

I took Gary Regan's Cocktails in the Country course this past weekend. A wonderful and informative time was had by all. While the course is intended for bartenders or those aspiring to be bartenders, he graciously allowed seats for some of us who just love cocktails. Gary is very entertaining and thanks to him it might be years before I can get Lonnie Donegan's recording of "Have a Drink on Me" out of my head. There were ten "students". Five were currently in the business, one is thinking of it and four just love to make great drinks at home. I certainly got an appreciation for how difficult it is to be a good bartender. If I ever harbored any thoughts of getting behind the bar, I think he cured me of that. You need to be a diplomat, entertainer, speed demon, and make and serve every walk of life that present themselves at your bar. It also explained why I prefer to drink at home. Very few bartenders that I have come across can do what Gary explained as the responsibilities of the job. It was interesting to hear bartenders say that they won't order cocktails when they go out because most bartenders don't know how to make a decent drink. They size up the bartender first, but most said they stick to wine or beer when they go out. If anyone is interested in the course, check out Ardent Spirits A special thanks to Robert Hess for recommending this class to me. It was a blast!

Please, tell us what you really mean!

That is hysterical! We never let my brother bring anything to a meal besides dessert because of his tardiness. This irks him becuase he loves to cook and is quite good at it. He has improved lately and actually seemed a bit miffed when everyone commented on his timeliness. He was the first arrival at a recent family party and was early to boot! Your in-laws must really live in their own little world to first off be so very late and then to be insulted by the "game" everyone played at their expense. Just goes to show you - it takes all kinds!

Happy Anniversary! You were right to expect better service than you apparently received at an establishment with the reputation and prices of The Bernards Inn. We dined there once, also to celebrate an anniversary, and found the service a bit like an assembly line. We ordered a tasting menu which was dropped off course by course and wine by wine without explanation of either. We saw more of the busboys than our waiter. Our experiences at the Ryland Inn and The Stage House have been much better than our evening at The Bernards Inn. These were not just "nits" amd they shouldn't have happened.

The Stage House has opened their "Candlelight Dinng Room." It is on the second floor of the building. It was available on Saturday nights in March with a five course tasting menu, with wines and an open bar for $95 per person. The table is yours for the night! We went last evening and had a wonderful time. The room is small and intimate. There were five tables last evening, four couples and one party of four. The room was filled with candles and is very romantic. The wine and food were excellent, as was the service. My only complaint was I left hungry. We've have dined here before and enjoyed the tasting menus and never left hungry. This time some of the portions seemed so small that they looked more like amuses. The exceptions were the seared foie gras with spinach, endive and balsamic marinated strawberries as well as the grilled filet mignon with mushroom risotto, aparagus and red wine sauce. There seemed to be more wine than food, which makes it hard for me to keep up with everything. I guess I should have had more bread, but I didn't want to fill up and not enjoy the real food. One couple had cocktails before dinner and two more after dinner - how did they manage that! They served a glass of cava when we arrived and then asked if we would like a cocktail. I jokingly asked if they were serving chips with the cocktails, as nothing to eat appeared for quite a while after our arrival. I know they have nibbles at the bar downstairs and it would have been a nice accompianment with our pre-dinner drinks. We arrived at 7:00 and left after 11:00. It's a very nice dining experience. I just received an email from them stating that on Saturdays in April dinner will be six courses with wines for $120 per person. There is no mention of an open bar, which is probably unnecessary given the wines served with dinner. Again, the table is yours for the night.

Enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Stage House in Scotch Plains, NJ last night. Five course tasting menu with wines and an open bar. I decided to have a champagne cocktail to start and asked for a French 75, which I thought was gin, cointreau and lemon juice topped off with champagne. I received a champagne flute with cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup and champagne. Not what I had expected but it was a good drink. I had mentioned to the waiter that it was made with gin, but he wasn't the one making the drinks. This morning I dragged out a few cocktail books to find out where I went wrong with my request and only became further confused. Mardee Regan's book has a French 75 and a French 76, the 76 being made with cognac, the 75 with gin. Craft of the Cocktail lists only the French 75 and uses brandy. According to Drink Boy, this is a gin drink. Is there a correct answer here?

I just finished my first Jasmine this evening. What a wonderful drink!

Kir Royale! Pink and festive.

We've eaten at our local Borders twice. Dried out sandwiches both times.

We finally got FN on our cable TV last month. I haven't seem much of Sara yet, but I already cringe when I see Emeril - why is he on every night??? It's like watching a bad infomercial (not that there are any good infomercials.) Rachel Ray hasn't gotten to me yet, but Sandra Lee is unwatchable. I like some of the Al Roker shows and How to Boil Water. What amazes me if the number of advertisers for prepared food. The FN demographics must say that cooks are not watching - only very hungry people. At least I didn't have to pay extra to get FN. I'm just disappointed with what they have to offer.

My brother and his family are usually late. We now invite them to family gatherings with a schedule of events - cocktails at 4:00, dinner at 5:00. We do not wait for them if they are not here when everyone else is and he knows he can fend for himself in the kitchen whenever they arrive. It doesn't seem to bother him and it certainly reduces the tension among the rest of the group. On another note - the same brother usually has multiple events scheduled for any given weekend due to the myriad activities his children participate in. His wife will try to see if she can sqeeze in some time at a planned family gathering because they need to be at "A" in the morning and at "B" at 8:00 PM, but could probably come over for about two hours in between. They are 1 1/2 hours away. This becomes disruptive because they will be late anyway and throw off the rest of the gameplan because they are not planning to stay for dinner. We try not to eat too late because my parents have a long drive home and prefer not to travel late at night. I would prefer if they just didn't come at all if they are that busy! What's wrong with people who feel that they must do everything and be everywhere??? (end of rant...)

I'll second the recommendation for Thai Thai in Sterling, even though it doesn't meet the Chinese food requirement. I haven't been to Ling Ling but my neighbors did and had nothing good to say about it. Our local Chinese restaurant, Hunan Taste in Warren, was our favorite for almost 20 years. Our last two visits there were awful, extremely slow service and bad food. We haven't been back and haven't found a replacement. It's amazing that with the number of Chinese restaurants in this area that I can't recommend one to you - or me!

My first taste of posole was in a green chile stew at The Shed in Santa Fe, NM. It was wonderful and the posole were chewy and addictive. I recently prepared a chicken stew with posole from Fine Cooking magazine. It called for canned posole and I located the Goya brand. It had an odd floral taste and smell that overwhelmed the rest of the dish. Nothing like what I remembered from my first taste of posole. I even bought two cans of the stuff in anticipation of making the dish again. That can is going out with the next canned goods collection to feed the hungry! I'm glad to hear that there can be such differences in this product. I thought maybe I liked it the first time only because the margaritas we were drinking were so good! I'll have to add this to the list of things to try again. Now, about that "head'...

← I think the Floridita was a "mystery" drink at one of Nightscotsmans infamous cocktail parties back in his Seattle days. They're very good!

Update! I gve salmon another try when vacationing in Seattle and environs. Love it! Wild salmon is nothing like farm raised. Grandma was right - keep trying those foods you think you don't like. You might be pleasantly surprised. All salmon is not created equal.

Make Aviations!

A variation on the Aviation is the Cherry Crush, which I found in Dale DeGroff's book. Muddle a few of those wonderful Fabbri Amarini (sp?) cherries with the lemon juice and then shake with ice, gin and maraschino. Also, if you are trying new gins, how about Plymouth and Millers? I find the Millers to be especially "soft" but still wonderfully flavorful. Gin drinks are so wonderful it would be a shame if you gave up now before trying a few more gins.

I tried this recipe and it was very good. The shallots carmelized nicely and the bean were delicious. I'm a F ine Cooking junkie!

From Bombay Sapphire to Hendricks? They seem so very different to me, the Bombay being "bigger" and "hotter".