KD1191

Found ourselves in Milwaukee for the weekend and spent another late Friday night at the bar at Bacchus. We've known Ira since he was part of the crew at the Violet Hour and have always greatly enjoyed his cocktails and conviviality. His style respects the classic, while improving and improvising as best he can (which is frequently quite a lot). We met Nick much more recently, but he got the best of us rather quickly, as the 21st Century he crafted on this trip made my wife swoon. The Bittercube line of products continues to grow...acquisitions on this trip included their Lemon Tree bitters, as well as updates to the Orange (best representative of the style I've had) and Bolivar (what I reach for when Angostura is specified). They've branched into liqueurs, with Orange, Cocoa Nib (amazing with Fernet) and Creme de Flora available. They also make Kola Nut Syrup and various other liqueurs and tinctures for use at Bacchus. The Cordoba (Fernet, Kola Syrup and Muddled Limes) and Summer G&T were both delicious and well balanced entrées to the evening. The first alternatingly reminiscent of a Cuba Libre and Fernet & Coke, elevated over either...the second a refreshing tweak of a classic. By comparison, The Cudahy, a Brooklyn riff with Death's Door White Whiskey & Amaro Nonino was a hefty main course, packing a wallop, but letting each flavor play its part. An off-menu Creole Cocktail (Rye, Punt e Mes, Benedictine and Amer Picon), a Savoy classic, was as amazing as it was the day Ira introduced me to it...and still my favorite mixed drink. We also tried some Appleton Estate 21-year (I'm not typically a Jamaican Rum drinker, but that stuff knocked my socks off) and the aforementioned 21st Century (Death’s Door Gin, Lillet Rouge, Lemon and Cocoa Nib Liqueur topped with Cocoa Nib Tincture). Their house-made Cranberry liqueur was also spectacular, balanced with the addition of some herbal notes whose source left me momentarily speechless. Small bites at the bar are well priced, but nothing really stood out amidst the excellent drinks.

...or Tweet @ him. Just don't show up in dress shoes.

I'm not sure it's going to be much of an issue...one of their sommeliers has gigantic hair. Achatz himself has a pretty healthy mop these days. Contain it as best you can, and follow any direction you're given with regard to it once you arrive.

Yes, Kyle's been behind the bar at the Publican far more often than the Violet Hour over the last year...I'm told there's even more hard liquor available to those in the know (a well curated whiskey list, at least), but I'm always too involved in the beer to ever find out.

To those who have (rightfully? I love the waffle!) pooh-poohed the dessert selection at The Publican, they've added a new Pasty Chef within the last two weeks...so, hope springs eternal. That said, Kyle Davidson's 'After Pork Digestif' (aka the Art of Choke) has always been my go-to postprandial.

The manner you describe sounds perfectly fine, to me, but I can imagine certain more dainty patrons preferring to remove the meat from the shell to their plate and dividing it into multiple bites. The range of utensils provided allowed you the option of eating the oyster in the method you prefer.

On our first trip through Alsace, we took the train to Strasbourg and picked up a car there. It was pretty seamless. Had excellent choucroute at Chez Yvonne (10, rue du Sanglier). Riquewihr is definitely something of a tourist mecca, but we still went back on our most recent trip to get some of the excellent Crémant from the Dopff & Irion cellars there.

Haven't been in over a year, but I imagine it's only become more difficult. They recently changed to a single-menu format, which I imagine may have smoothed things out a bit. I would suggest calling 2 months in advance and be flexible with dates and times. Once we were able to book a Saturday dinner with only 3 weeks notice but we had to take a very late seating. My understanding is that Chef Achatz is almost always there.

Freeways are a means to an end...yes, this trip involves large stretches of driving, and for many that would suggest the scope should be narrower, but with family in Paris & Cannes and roots of a sort in Parma, it doesn't sound like Le Grand Voyage is being undertaken for the sake of the drive. Certainly we missed many quaint villages on our similar trip (though we did manage to visit Obernai, Riquewihr, Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, Pommard and others...), but we also were able to accomplish many wonderful things with only one set of transoceanic flights (which, at 6'4", I'm never keen on). We never could have toured the mountains and caves of the Peres Chartreux after dining on Jean-Georges Klein's masterful cuisine without enduring a bit of the cursed freeway (a misnomer, as the tolls in France are high...not even considering the nearly $8/gallon gas) in between.

Have hope, the website always says they are full and yet I've been able to e-mail and secure a room and dinner reservation. That said, I'm usually booking a month or more in advance, and they only have maybe 7 rooms, so it is possible they are actually full at this time. You might try reservation@arnsbourg.com and/or hotelk@wanadoo.fr for a slightly quicker reply than the Relais & Châteaux address. Unfortunately, there's really no where else within miles of it...the hotel was built so people wouldn't have to travel so far to eat at the restaurant. And, I don't believe breakfast is offered to those not staying at the Hotel.

Hot Doug's closes whenever Doug goes on vacation, but he just came back from one last week, so I doubt another will occur anytime soon. The lines can be immense on Friday/Saturday (the days duck fat fries are available), especially if the weather is nice. Get there around 11:30 any other weekday and the wait shouldn't be very long. You can do a lot worse than Big Star for a low-key lunch. If you can't get to Avec/Blackbird/Publican, you'll at least get a little Paul Kahan goodness. Pork belly tacos and queso fundido, topped off with a dulce de leche milkshake.

While true, I'd suggest tempering enthusiasm here, as well. We spent a lot of time on the autobahn a few weeks ago... >50% of that time was on roads that were under construction (with severely reduced speed limits) and more than half of the rest of the time it was raining, further hampering our need for speed. Still managed to get up to ~180 km/h a couple times, which was fun, but the nature of the autobahn didn't cut any time off our trip.

Unreasonable? No, not really...though some of the legs might be a bit longer than I'd personally call comfortable. Looks like it'll be about 2,500 KM total, split over 5 days of driving. By comparison, my wife and I just returned from a 2,700 KM trip (through Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium) over 7 days. It was a lot of driving, and thankfully we very much enjoyed it in our new car, but we only had one particularly long leg (and that was around 6.5 hours). There are many wonderful restaurants in Paris where it is far too easy to spend €200. By comparison, that money will get you much further while you are out on your journey. For example, you can have an absolutely *** tasting menu at L'Arnsbourg in the Vosges for €115/pp. Speaking of, if possible, on the Parma to Amsterdam route, I highly recommend stopping at Hotel K/L'Arnsbourg (outside Baerenthal, France). Even if you don't step foot in the restaurant, it's worth going...the valley is the picture of serenity and breakfast at the Hotel is (for my money) the best in the world. To the extent your route overlaps with ours, you may find some of the recommendations in the thread here helpful.

That won't be a problem. If you don't bring any, you won't be served any. However, if you're opposed to consuming alcohol in any form, I'd be sure to let them know in advance. For awhile, the amuse was always some sort of riff on Hendrick's Gin, and we also had a beer-cheese soup and a dish that involved a tequila gel on our visit.

It's small, operated entirely by the chefs. BYOB. They will take your wine/beer and pair it with the courses they think appropriate (often they will ask to pool the wine of tables who are dining at the same time in order to provide a wider range of pairings). It definitely doesn't hurt to bring something to share with the kitchen. I posted a summary of my visit here. ETA: They undoubtedly serve some of the best and most inventive food in Chicago. The only complaints I've heard are about the difficulty getting a reservation, and from those who dislike the alternative service arrangement.

That won't work in your itinerary, as none of the Bayless restaurants are open on Sunday.

I would totally eat at Topolo, but it's entirely booked up. However, I think I will drop Mercat and Xoco in favour of hitting up Fronterra Grill at brunch on Saturday. We'll see how the lines go. I've never been for brunch, but when I want to do dinner at Frontera, I just make sure I'm there about 10 minutes before they open and it's generally not a problem getting a table...usually only a handful of people waiting at that point. Though, the margin for error is slim as the dining room is not large. Worth noting is that you can eat in the bar area. Would Goose Island be served around the city? If so, then I'd rather skip the brewery. I just checked and you're right - no food on most nights at the Map Room, so how far on Damen should I be wandering for those Tacos? I do need to make it back to the station ... detours are acceptable! Yes, Goose Island is pretty prevalent. Map Room would have several, Publican should as well. Not sure which station it is you need to get back to, but the Map Room is a healthy walk from the train (Blue Line - Western or Damen). Big Star and The Violet Hour are steps South of the Damen stop. Detour is worth it if you don't mind a crowd. Try the queso fundido. The place can be a scene, but the food is worth the effort. You can tell that Kahan worked for Bayless.

Tonight, something a little different courtesy of my friends at North Shore Distillery. A few weeks ago they ran a contest to announce their limited release for 2010, which I happened to win. The prize was the #2 bottle of their new ready to serve cocktail CR2, a "spirit distilled with herbs, spices and citrus, and blended with wine," inspired by the Corpse Reviver #2. All I did was shake a few ounces with ice and drop in a cherry. For the amount of effort required, the result was quite impressive. There's a nice absinthe aroma and the orange and lemon notes are significantly brighter than I would have expected. North Shore's gin and absinthe are quality products, so the Corpse Reviver #2 should be in their wheelhouse. Is it the equal of a CR #2 prepared à la minute by a highly skilled bartender with premium ingredients? Probably not...but it is unbelievably better than any bottled cocktail I've ever had.

They fill up by 6 most nights. On a recent Thursday, there was an hour wait by 6:30. You may encounter a short wait at 8:30...though they've recently added a few more tables out on the patio, so it's possible the waits will come down. You can try checking @WaitWatcher on Twitter, they post about the Pig's wait most evenings. My one lunch at Mercat was fine, but nothing extraordinary. Dinner was much better. Blackbird is a pretty great deal at lunch, and worth doing. Hot Doug's closes at 4, and if the weather is nice on a "Duck Fat Fry-day" the line can be ridiculous and unpredictable. It's entirely possible you might not get served if you show up too late. The Publican offers an abbreviated food menu at the stand-up tables in the bar area. You can get oysters, frites, pork rinds and some of the cheese/charcuterie options. It's a nice option if you can't get a reservation or don't want a full meal. That said, there's always something on the full menu that makes me wish I'd waited for a seat. Not that it should affect the dessert menu, but it's worth noting that Rick Tramonto announced that he is leaving TRU today. I'll second the suggestion of trying to get into one of Bayless' other places...had my 5th meal at Xoco today and have only ever left impressed with what I ate once. Topolo, however, is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. If you want something sweet in the morning, nsxtasy's recommendation of the Bongo Room is right-on. Fox & Obel is not that high on my list these days...they were inundated for awhile due to a GroupOn. I'd put Pastoral into the mix for lunch (either the one on Lake, or their outpost at the French Market). Avec opens at 3:30 and can be on a wait by 5. If you're planning to do an extended tasting at Moto or Alinea, starting at Avec is a likely recipe for way-too much food. Maybe a cheese plate and a couple of the fantastic cocktails around the corner at Sepia (whose lounge opens at 4:30)? I don't believe the Map Room serves food, but it's definitely worth a stop for a beer lover. Rather than Goose Island (unless you have an affinity for their products, I don't), I'd suggest a trip down Damen for tacos, etc. at Big Star and cocktails at The Violet Hour.

I'd suggest a look through this thread. A few of the books I often turn to are Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, Rogue Beta Cocktails and Imbibe.

Used the liqueur tonight in a variant of Michael Rubel's Harlan County (the original calls for Buffalo Trace, Lime and Apry)... Cochem County 2 oz WL Weller Special Reserve 3/4 oz Lemon Juice 3/4 oz Roter Weinberg Pfirsich Likor 1/2 oz Simple Syrup 12 Drops Bittercube Bolivar Bitters (sub 2 dashes of Angostura or something fruitier) Shake, strain, coupe. Liked the peach in this quite a bit...was on the sweet side. Might have been able to dial back the simple to 1/4.

Hot/warm Coke & ginger is a favorite cold remedy in my house. Mexican Coke is generally the order of the day now that Costco has is by the case, and Cuba Libres (muddled lime, Angostura & Sailor Jerry or Flor de Caña) are always a good choice. Recently had some very interesting Belgian chocolates made with Coke flavored Pop Rocks. There's Coke barbecue sauce, which I've seen in a number of restaurants...often served with pulled pork.

I find the liqueur very similar to what is described above. Nice bright peach aroma, sweet and syrupy mouth feel. Reminds me a bit of Cherry Herring, but there is a hint of bitterness (the kind I associate with bitter almond, apricot kernels, etc.), which makes me wonder if the pits were involved for a longer period of time/at all. Excited to try it in place of Herring or maybe Apry in a few things...White Tiger's Milk? The eau-de-vie (or, schnapps might be more correct?) has an aroma that is fruity, but not as bright and somewhat crude...not unlike other rudimentary brandies I've tried (nearest in my memory is the Vietnamese Hibiscus brandy from Son Tinh). There is a definite peachy character but also a burn in the nostrils. As far as flavor is concerned, it's considerably more bitter (though perhaps not inherently so...tasting it side by side with the liqueur) and dry. Their is a nice fruity finish, though. Having a hard time thinking of ideas for this one. Perhaps a simple egg-white fizz?

Just around the corner, on Randolph, is Tavern at the Park. Pretty much equidistant in the opposite direction, you've got an outpost of the Palm in the Swissotel. Nearby on Michigan (in the Hard Rock Hotel) there's a China Grill. There's not a ton to recommend about any of them as restaurants, but all have decent bars. In my opinion, Tavern has the better of the food, but if I want something from John Hogan I'll happily walk a few more blocks to Keefer's (my favorite steakhouse in the city, and a nice enough bar as well). For something much more low key, there's Lizzie McNeill's, just over the river. No food that I know of (besides the free popcorn) but it is "The Only Irish Pub on the Chicago River". Tavern at the Park 130 E. Randolph 312-552-0070 Palm 323 E. Wacker 312-616-1000 China Grill 230 N. Michigan 312-334-6700 Keefer's 20 W. Kinzie 312-467-9525 Lizzie McNeill's 400 N. McClurg Ct. 312-467-1992

Another product I had never seen before visiting the Chartreuse distillery in Voiron (an absolutely wonderful tour and tasting, organized by their export director Philippe Rochez) was their Gentiane (Apéritif des Pères Chartreux). It is exceptionally bitter without the cloying sweetness and syrupy mouth feel that I have come to dislike in many other products. As such, I thought I'd take it for a test drive as a substitute for Campari in a Negroni. 1 1/2 oz Tanqueray 1 oz Cinzano Bianco 1 oz Gentiane de Chartreuse I started with equal parts, but the gin was lost behind the powerful flavor of the Gentiane. With the juniper restored, besides looking like Ecto Cooler, the drink is marvelous. I don't want to badmouth the Negroni, it's one of my favorite cocktails, but where once there was just a lingering note of orange, now the herbs of the mountains and forest dance in the background.