Ron Johnson

Goddammit, Plotnicki, would you stop beating around the bush and just tell us how you really feel. sheesh!

Mickey, that may just explain why I am not a big Rebel Yell fan. Weller, while good, is not a particular fave of mine, and a lesser version certainly is not going to inspire.

Okay. I'll bite. Why?

Weller is fine. I have nothing against it, and in the company of Texans I would expect to be served nothing else. I find it similar to Harper, which I like. Jack Daniels on the other hand is the worst type of swill. The fact that it must be filtered through charcoal in order to become palatable speaks volumes about its lack of quality. Jack Daniels is a success because of the brilliant marketing of its parent company Brown Forman. It has become an American icon or symbol. I believe it is the number one selling whiskey in the world (it is not bourbon). Unfortunately, it sucks donkeys. Only thing worse is the canadian whiskey that is actually neutral grain spirits with caramel coloring. Ugh.

You are a wise one.

Yeah I know, a very good friend of mine works at the distillery. Supposedly there is a waiting list for the first released bottles. She better come through for me.

Blanch your vegetables then shock in ice bath. Place them in a saute pan with dash of EVOO and lemon zest, salt and pepper. Set aside away from heat. Right before you need them place on stove and blast the burner to full heat. As soon as vegetables are heated through and lemon zest is fragrant take to the table and serve immediately. This prep allows you to intorduce heat to the vegetables immediately before they are to be served, thereby minimizing the opportunity for them to cool. I use this for asparagus and various types of green beans. Of course the seasonings can be adjusted to your taste.

Kentucky makes good Bourbon for the same reason that we raise good racehorses. The limestone bedrock that makes the grass so full of nutrients for the horses also makes iron-free spring water for distilling bourbon. The distiller's worst enemy is iron in the water. Of course it doesn't hurt that we also grow a shitload of corn. I have had more Bourbons than I can shake a stick at and have visited many of the distilleries. It is always interesting for me to see the types that people from the rest of the country enjoy. For pure dollar value there is no better bourbon than Maker's Mark. It is delicious and outrageously inexpensive. The stuff is literally handmade down to the wax dipping which is done by seven little old ladies. Woodford Reserve is nothing more than small batch Old Forester. The Labrot & Graham Distillery has yet to bottle any of the bourbon made and aged there. So in the interim all Woodford Reserve has bottled from the best barrels of Old Forester as selected by the distiller. The stuff made at Labrot & Graham is distilled in old fashioned pot-stills. It is going to be delicious, but may taste so different from the small batch Old Forester that has been bottled as Woodford Reserve for the last 6 years, that they may have to call it something else. For boutique bourbons, the standouts are: Bookers (ideal for Old Fashioneds or other drinks where the bourbon is diluted due to its high alcohol content, also good after dinner in a snifter); Pappy Van Winkle (also best consumed neat in a snifter); Jefferson Reserve; Blanton's; Basil Hayden's (on the rocks due to low alcohol level); Bakers. Some other nice bourbons are Knob Creek, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams Special Reserve, I.W. Harper, Buffalo Trace, and Jim Beam. Bourbons that I don't particularly care for are Wild Turkey, Rebel Yell, Early Times. Canadian and Tennessee Whiskeys are something but they ain't bourbons. Best Bourbon drinks: On the Rocks (Makers, Knob Creek, Blanton's, Woodford Reserve) Manhattan (regular, dry, or preferably perfect) Old Fashioned Mint Julep (only around Derby) Presbyterian Lafayette (half really good bourbon and half grand marnier in a snifter warmed) Best Bourbon Distillery tours: Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve

Mutton is very popular in Kentucky. Moonlight Barbeque in Owensboro makes fantastic Mutton. It is also widely used in making Burgoo. Mutton: cooked 'till it don't need cuttin'

Both are good. Another somewhat touristy but good spot for an inexpensive meal is Uglesiches (sp?). I also like Frankie and Johnny's. Avoid the emerils. Commander's Palace is not the best restaurant in New Orleans, but it does give a great N.O. experience and authentic food, so your logic of going there is good. October is nice there although still quite warm. Have fun.

Home cooks do not brown foods sufficiently to achieve depth of flavor. This is true whether it is baked bread, seared lamb shank for braising, carmelized onions for soup, or melting cheese under the broiler.

Miss J, you are right on. I also like Alsatian Rieslings, Gruner Veltliners, and if I feel the need for a red, I would choose a Sangiovese or cru-level Beaujolais because both have nice acidity, low tannins, and a refreshing quality that would pair favorably to some Indian dishes.

I love tapenade and caponata. I used to cuise' sundried tomatoes with a little garlic and softened fresh goat cheese and served with deep-fried pita wedges when I bartended. They were very good and went well with most cocktails, and both red and white wine.

When I was a waiter I often used the walk-in freezer for a second to "cool off" both literally and figuratively if something went wrong during service on the floor. Now, unfortunately, when I screw up in the courtroom, there is no freezer in which to hide. It was a good place to go.

Far Niente makes a fair cabernet, a fair dessert wine, and a chardonnay that taste much like a campfire. But, no matter what one's personal preferences are regarding their wine, I think it is safe to say that they are terribly overpriced. I think I saw a Far Niente Cab the other day for $135.00 per bottle. That is totally crazy. Especially since it was a '98. Perhaps FN is operating under the delusion that they are a 1st Growth located in Graves? Even then their prices are wacked.

uh, sure

I have had some late harvest Vignoles from the Finger Lakes that were very good. Nice acidity to balance the sugar and prevent the dreaded cloyingness. Beachfan, the Beaume de Venise of which you speak is killer and it is Domaine Durban. I have never found Far Niente Dolce to be cloying, merely expensive.

It was purchased at the factory in Laguiole, France. Like watches in NYC and breasts in LA, yes that are a lot of fake ones out there.

The client is the enemy.

snacking is very healthy. One of the reasons that people overeat at meals is that they allow themselves to get so ravenous beforehand. Supersized please.

Stephen got it. With a one stage corkscrew you can drive the worm deep enough into a long cork that the prongs won't reach the bottle lip. However, with a two stage, you can drive the worm all the way down and use the higher (second) prong to grab the bottle lip, then as you pull the cork upward, the first prongs will go onto the bottle lip. By driving the worm the length of the cork, there is less chance for breaking the cork, especially in an older bottle. Margaret, that guy is right on. My Lagiuole is not the best corkscrew I own mechanically speaking, but it just looks so damn cool and feels so heavy and well-made.

Oh, and there is also an excellent restaurant for vegetarians in Ampuis called Le Cote Rotie, I think.

Margaret, those are indeed nice corkscrews. We have always referred to them as "two stage" cork screws. It allows you to start the worm deeper than you would with a one stage. However, I still love my trusty Lagiuole.

I think we have drifted a little far afield of the original post. Let me get this straight. This ultra-rich dude is friends with the Rockenwagners. He helps them open their restaurant. He eats dinner there several times with Mrs. Rockenwagner. In less than 8 months he drops over $4,000.00 there on meals. He has ONE BAD APPETIZER and gets up from his meal and walks out not staying for entrees or desserts and leaving his wine even though the restaurant comps the whole meal. Then when the owner does not grovel for forgiveness after learning of this customer's infantile and inappropriate outburst, the customer sends a letter calling the chef, the restaurant, the staff, and the food disgusting among other numerous insults and derogatory remarks. Is that pretty much it? Why are we arguing about magic, music, or anything else? This guy walked out of a restaurant that is owned by his friends and in which he has spent a ton of money for ONE BAD APPETIZER. Get a fucking grip dude. I think you are lucky that Hans didn't pummel the shit out of you with the giant asparagus spear/phallic symbol he is clutching in the photo.

Fat Guy: I have refrigeration. I would prefer something that I do not have to bring in everyday. Pretzels are good, but I need to find something a little more interesting. I went through a Cliff Bar phase, but now I can't stand the sight of them.