Florida

Aside from the New Glarus, there wasn’t anything that wouldn’t be readily available to anyone living in the Twin Cities: -The Mango Mama and the Masala Mama were on tap at Town Hall. ( http://www.townhallbrewery.com/ ) -Schadenfreude and Abrasive were on tap at Cafe 28 (which is co-owned by one of Surly's brewers). Furious is relatively common; I'm not sure where I had it. -Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale was at the Bulldog in St. Paul. -I picked up the New Glarus at a gas station in Wisconsin on the way up.

Just got back from Minneapolis: -Town Hall Masala Mama: Spicy hopped IPA -Town Hall Mango Mama: IPA brewed with mango's. Whacked out: Sweet. Spicy. An excellent beer. -Surly Schadenfreude: A slightly smoky Dunkel -Surly Abrasive Ale: Very hoppy, orange scented IPA -Surly Furious: One of the best IPA's out there. -Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale: Rather typical American version of a Belgian Pale Ale. Toasty malts. Light on the hops. -NG Moon Man:Light, crisp, sessionable Pale Ale. Nothing overly interesting.

-Koshihikari Echigo Beer: A slightly better version of the standard Japanese beer. However, at $6 for a 500ml bottle of what is essentially an imported adjunct lager, the price isn't justified. -Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA: A very green, grassy, and herbaceous IPA with surprisingly low bitterness given the ridiculous quantity of hops used in the brewing of this beer. -SN 30th Anniversary (Fritz and Ken's Ale): A dry imperial stout with the robust flavors of chocolate and heavily roasted, almost burnt, malts.

I'm going to say it's remnants from the krausen. Nothing to worry about.

Yes .. althogh peta acually stands for a good cause (anti-cruelty). Unfortunately their approach to advocacy is fanatical, and therefore entirely self-defeating. They make enemies with people who could be their friends; they alienate majorities in order to embrace likeminded minorities; they take extreme and unwinable positions rather than reasonable ones that could succeed. It's too bad. I wish there was an animal rights group that stood for animal husbandry and humane raising of livestock, and that based its positions on reason rather than hysteria. Personally, I don’t feel PETA is “a bunch of fanatics with an insane cause.” They have a message and they play the media to stretch their limited funds. If anyone is to blame for PETA outrageousness it is our own society. As a society we reward this behavior, but since we also tend to think of ourselves as perpetual victims, we’ll never admit we’re the real reason they act like they do. Madonna, Glenn Beck, Lady Gaga, virtually every douchebag on an MTV program are all, to a certain extent, encouraged to act in their particularly excessive ways. So when PETA does something particularly outrageous (and I don’t think a statement from Kate Winslet is anything even approaching outrageous) we give them attention (and also over-react), while The Human Society, which is also anti-foie gras, gets virtually none. BTW, there are many groups out there that support animal rights in a more civilized fashion. To a certain degree, even Slow Food’s philosophy addresses these issues: “Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.” And I agree with that statement 100%.

I don't think that is a fair criticism. PETA does go after factory farming operations. In a big way, too. Not in a parallel way. They are hoping ban production of foie, yes? I don't believe they're trying to ban the production of chicken (even though it's likely their wish). No. From PETA's website: "Oscar-winner Kate Winslet is following in the footsteps of other great actors, including Sir Roger Moore, in urging consumers and retailers to drop foie gras. She narrates this PETA exclusive video revealing undercover investigation footage of the cruelty that is endured by ducks and geese who are abused for this delicacy of despair." Not banning foie. Not proposing or supporting any legislation to ban foie, but urging consumers and retailers to not eat/sell foie. Notice the lack of oppression. Notice that free will and choice in the matter still exist. Notice yet another false argument.

Right. However, anyone telling me what I MAY and MAY NOT eat does concern me, quite a bit. It's politically correct (sort of) to eat factory farmed chicken, beef and pork, but it's NOT OK to eat foie gras? Nonsense.While I'm on the subject, I'm baffled that anyone gives a goose's behind about celebrity pronouncements of this kind. Alicia Silverstone's "Kind Diet" - pffft. And what concerns me is the use of false arguments to support an opposing viewpoint. PETA does not condone factory farming. Saying “It's politically correct (sort of) to eat factory farmed chicken, beef and pork, but it's NOT OK to eat foie gras?” is a disingenuous statement, a statement which PETA 1) has never made and 2) would not agree with. In full disclosure, I too enjoy foie gras on a very occasional basis. However, I am under no illusion that the consumption of foie is a “god given right.” I have the right to own guns, I have the right to tell a cop to go f*ck himself, I have the right to vote. I do not have the right to eat foie gras. As teenagers, we are all taught “driving is a privilege, not a right.” This is really no different, except for the fact the majority of Americans drive a car multiple times a day and probably have never and will never eat foie. Also, I realize my answer is America-centric, but the simple fact is that I am familiar with American law and not English common/parliamentary law or whatever other form of law may be in your particular country of residence. Thanks Indirect Heat for the link. I didn't see my argument as a logical fallacy because, as the link says, "strength of the argument is inversely proportional to the number of steps between A and Z, and directly proportional to the causal strength of the connections between adjacent steps". In this case, PETA is quite clear and vocal that their aim is to eliminate all animal products from our diets, so there is no need to travel from A to Z -- PETA is quite clear that Z (no meat) is their goal, and A (foie gras) is the start. Sorry, but citing the very thing (the improbable conclusion) is the exact reason why the argument is false. It doesn’t matter what PETA says. They could say their ultimate goal is for every person on the globe to stop eating all together because even the consumption of a grain of rice is murder of the grain of rice. It simply doesn’t matter what they say. What does matter is the viability of the final conclusion – that being for everyone to become a vegetarian. Since there is a virtually zero chance PETA would ever succeed in this, the argument is false. And if any argument on this thread is going be based upon either slandering PETA or insinuating some highly improbable grand doom circumstance, then those arguments are going to be called out for the intrinsic weakness on which they rely.

Ah, the classic "slippery slope" argument is a false argument. Also unaware of any "right" to eat foie gras, which would be yet another false argument. At least I found a great deal of ironic humor in the notion that forcing a tube down a goose's throat and force-feeding it is part of "our natural omnivore diet."

Gotta say, what I "love" about TCM over regular TC is that a dish that receives glowing adoration on TCM would be gleefully eviscerated on regular TC.

It's an ingredient. The problem lies in how you choose to define the term "cereal"

The restaurant opens at 3:30. I believe they offer a limited bar menu until 5:30, when the full dinner menu begins. When I went there recently, we had a 5:30 res, at which time they were mostly empty. They were starting to fill up by the time we left. We didn't observe any service inadequacies, but perhaps that was due to our timing. You are correct. And, from my experience and for obvious reasons, the service is better at 5:30 than it is at 8:30. It’s the same at Avec, though Avec is not somewhere I would ever imagine bringing my kid.

I’ve eaten at Publican on several occasions and have enjoyed it greatly each time. There is a convivial atmosphere to the restaurant, something approaching gemütlichkeit, but not quite getting there. I guess this shouldn’t be surprising given the beer hall theme. First of all, it should be noted, the restaurant is essentially one large room. There are two heavy wooden communal tables in the middle of the room, booths to the left, bar to the right, open kitchen to the rear and smaller tables to the front. The only artwork on the walls consists of large paintings of (what I will assume are) different breeds of swine. Everything else is wood and straight lines. “Modern medieval” is what I’ve termed it. The restrooms, while not communal, do all share a central “fountain” for hand washing. Its interesting, almost like a tiny piazza. The food is excellent. I’m a huge fan of charcuterie and the Publican serves it up well. Hams, sausages, offal, and braised lesser cuts all make it on the menu. Paired with one of the many fine beers and, for me, there isn’t anything better. As for the desserts, I haven’t much of a comment. I’m not a huge fan of dessert to begin with, so I rarely order them. Personally, I'd rather just have a tawny port or a PX sherry to finish the meal, both of which the Publican offers. On my last visit, I had a fortified mead to finish my meal, admittedly a beverage which I am entirely unfamiliar. The only issue I have with the Publican concerns the service, which can be somewhat thin for the size of the restaurant. While the servers are knowledgeable, friendly, and they do attempt to be attentive, when the restaurant gets busy, they also get quite harried. Adding a server or two would improve the situation, but, as it would directly affect how much a server earns on a given night, I can’t imagine any of the current servers would be overly excited about this suggestion. Though, I’ve got to admit, one of the reasons I am such a fan of the Publican is that I can bring my 2 ½ year old daughter. We request the booths, which have doors on them, so I can keep her contained. They don’t have high chairs or booster seats or anything of the like so my daughter gets to eat right at the table, which she loves. And with the kitchen opening around 5, we can enjoy our meal with “fresh” servers and be done before the place gets packed.

-Short’s Pandemonium Pale Ale: a rather malty and uninspiring pale. -Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout: an excellent stout. Loads of sweet roasted malts with vanilla, oak, coffee and molasses. And for an 11.2% ABV beer, there is only the slightest hint of alcohol. - - - So, it’s Friday and I’ve got a Short’s Soft Parade, a Short’s Huma-Lupa-Licious IPA, a Weyerbacher Double Simcoe, and a Stone Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard in the fridge. I’m not feeling overly decisive, so someone tell me what to drink!

-Oskar Blues Ten Fidy RIS: a decent, but not overly impressive RIS. Lacked the complexity typically found in most Imperial Stouts. -Ale Asylum Ballistic IPA: Load of citrus hops with a sweet malt character -Russian River Pliny the Elder: the "definitive" West Coast IPA. A smorgasbord of hop aroma and flavors with a surprisingly light malt profile.

I hit up ST’s Iniquity last night. Even though I’m a huge fan of DIPAs, and it’s considered a DIPA, this was not my style of beer. Thin roasted malts clashing with citrus hops. Had a problem getting all 22 ounces of it down. BA gave it a good rating, so I’m the outlier on not liking this one, but I just don’t see how it could ever be considered a DIPA. Luckily, Stone has finally come to Chicago. On deck for the weekend: -Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Bean -Sublimely Self-Righteous -’09 Double Bastard -09.09.09 Vertical And, hopefully, Double Dry Hopped IPA Also picked up a Lost Abbey Angel's Share (Bourbon), but I'm debating whether I should pop this one now or sit on it.

Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza Bottle conditioned Bière de Garde. Cloudy lemon yellow with a huge, fluffy merigue-like head. Heavily carbonated. Dry. Tastes of grain, lemon and spice with a rather vinous nose.

Xoco/Frontera Grill ( http://www.fronterakitchens.com/restaurants/restaurants.html ) Keefer's ( http://www.keefersrestaurant.com/ ) Quartino ( http://www.quartinochicago.com/ ) A bit further, but still walkable: Tratorria 10 ( http://www.trattoriaten.com/t10/trattoria/aboutus.html ) Avec ( http://www.avecrestaurant.com/ )

Ive seen some of this show. My wife seems to like it, but I find it to be less about food and more about playing off of the current conflict between the conservative, Christian, tea-bagger types (as played by the West Virginians) and elitist, liberal, European socialists (as played by Jamie Oliver). Food is merely a metaphor. However, the shows premise does appear to be remarkably similar to Slow Food USAs Time for Lunch ( http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/ ) campaign. As I havent watched all of the show, I do not know if there has been any reference to Slow Food or not. Edit to fix link

Um, do you have to be an owner to be considered a good chef? Bourdain was a chef for many years (Bio Link). I don't mind if you don't care for him, just be sure you aren't disseminating mis-information. Bourdain doesn't actively run a kitchen. And no one is paying him to cook. They're paying for entertainment, or, rather as Fat Guy puts it (in different words) his celebrity status. Now, back in one of the threads on Alice Waters, many of the senior members of this site indicated Alice Waters was not a chef. Am I to consider Alice Waters as "not a Chef" despite her continued involvement in Chez Panisse, but Tony Bourdain as "a chef" eventhough he hasn't cooked professionally in years? However, this is all beside the point. I think we're all aware Bourdain was a chef. As an FYI, I also was a chef, but since I no longer work in the profession, I don't feel inclined to retain the title.

I would agree, there is nothing “objectionable” here. If he wants to sell something (bottled steak sauce, books, speaking engagements, whatever) he is more than welcome to. No criticism there. I personally won’t be dropping any money to hear Bourdain speak, but, obviously there are many who will. However, Bourdain seems to have no issue complaining about TV Food Network and the celebrity status of their personalities. But isn’t this exactly the same thing? To give credit to the TV Food talking heads, at least they’re applying heat to food and actually producing something. As for keeping it real, I would disagree. As much as I absolutely detest Rachel Ray and Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray never calls herself a chef and Bobby Flay owns multiple, profitable restaurants. Bayless, Lagasse, Dufrense, Ducasse, Batali. They all own restaurants and, while they may not be the ones actively cooking your meal, I am quite positive they are actively involved in their businesses. If anyone is pretending to be someone they’re not, it’s Bourdain.

I was reading a local magazine yesterday and I was surprised to come across this: Anthony Bourdain at the Chicago Theatre Really? Is this a joke? Is Bourdain now doing standup? Is Bourdain trying to cut in on Guy Fieri’s Road Show? Seriously, what is this? Not believing this to be an actual event, I looked into it a bit further. Not only is it a real event ( http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/events/anthony-bourdain-410.html ), but Bourdain is on tour and ticket prices (for Chicago) range between $43 - $78. Personally, for $78, Bourdain better be cooking me dinner, though I somehow doubt dinner is included. So two questions: 1) Has Bourdain become a caricature of himself? 2) Has anyone been to one of these? What does an evening with Mr. Bourdain actually entail? Cooking? Comedy? Reading an excerpt from Gone Bamboo?

New Glarus Old English Porter An English-style Brown Porter with a bit of smoked malt. Half of the batch went through a souring process, was then blended and aged on wood. Personally this isn’t my style of beer, but I will give it to the brewer that it is both very respectable and quite complex. Sweet caramel with a light smoky wood accent and a quick pungent vinegary smack that fades quickly, but certainly lets its presence be known.

Let’s see here: Last night was a Founder’s Harvest Ale. Light on both malts and hops with an appreciable bitterness. Unimpressive. Night before that was a Stone Cali-Belgique Belgian IPA. Tame for a Stone beer, without either the pounding hops of the typical California IPA or the twang of a Belgian IPA. Before that it was an ACME California IPA from North Coast Brewing Co. Rather weak California-style IPA. Over the weekend, had an Olde GnarlyWine from Lagunitas Brewing Company. An American Barleywine with about 11% ABV. Liked it at first, but there was the dominant unpleasant flavor of orange juice which I just couldn’t palate. I believe this beer will benefit from some significant aging. Also had a Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout. A very respectable stout. Great blueberry nose, but by half way through a pint, the heavy roasted malts and chocolate flavors overwhelmed any “blueberry-ness” this beer was showcasing. Only Guinness I imbibed in yesterday was in the form of a batch of Guinness brownies, which I guess offered just enough Irish luck for me to be able to secure a couple Dark Lord Golden Tickets.

I thought the show was awesome! It's just that simple.

Here are the beers I am currently holding to age: Bell's: -Batch 9000 -Expedition Stout -Kalamazoo Stout Goose Island: -BCS 2008 -Night Stalker Half Acre Baume Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine 2008 Left Hand Imperial Stout He'brew Jewbelation 13 In addition, I would suggest: -Sierra Nevada Bigfoot -since you seem to like DFH, I would recommend Palo Santo Marron -3Floyd's Dark Lord (good luck on this one!) -Stone RIS -Dark Horse: One, Too, Tres, Fore or Plead the 5th