Dave the Cook

Right, at least in that it's not late. I don't know about the relationship between importers and the Inner Circle; I do know that when I asked about getting it, the consistent answer "can't" was preceded by a weary rolling of the eyes.

If salt has been added, it has to say so on the label. That's the law, at least in the US.

I'm pretty sure the same thing was true of the late, lamented Inner Circle, which came in 80, 90, 115 and 151 proof. The 115 was my dark rum of choice for as long as it was available, but when it ran out, I bought whatever I could find. Finally, it occurred to me to do some arithmetic: 80 + 151 = 231. Divide that by two, and you're back to 115. Mixing the two and comparing them to a remaining sample of 115 revealed little if any difference.

I agree with therese that midtown is where you want to stay. A friend of mine had good things to say about Hotel Indigo -- not too big, well-located, affordable. There are also some nice B&Bs in midtown. As for food, limiting it to (sort-of) recently opened places: Flip is the very hot ticket these days. You can get there by bus, but a cab is probably a better option. They don't take reservations, but the tables turn quickly. Right on Peachtree is Holeman & Finch Public House. Also no reservations, but right now there's not a more fun place in the city. Go early to get a seat; go late for the burger call. I haven't been to 4th & Swift yet, but it's got a nice buzz going: local sourcing, good chef. A lot of people have been waiting for Scott Serpas' new place, and it's finally open. Kevin Rathbun's Steak is the newest from, well, Kevin Rathbun. Speaking of steak, Laurent Tourondel's outpost in the downtown W, BLT Steak, opened a couple of weeks ago. A few other big names have new places: J-GV's Spice Market; Tom Colicchio's craft and craftbar; Sasha Petraske's Drinkshop opened like yesterday (also in the downtown W). I'm sure I'm missing some.

We can be more helpful if you can tell us where you're staying, what your transportation options are, what kind of food you like -- and how long since you were last here, "new" being a relative term.

They can't find Laird's bonded and decent grenadine for Rachel Maddow? Then why do a Jack Rose at all? How many great cocktails are there that don't require scarce ingredients -- any of which I would order before a Jack Rose made with Calvados -- but still have an interesting history (not that she did well by the Jack Rose)?

But she's apparently into poorly made cocktails. As Mark Twain noted, "a good lie will have travelled half way around the world while the truth is putting her boots on." It's even more true today. Rachel Maddow is small potatoes in the context of cocktails and their history. But we should defend good food and drink against sloppiness where we can -- we certainly do it when it comes to every other celebrity out there. Having a large public platform doesn't excuse you from accuracy -- quite the opposite, I think (and it doesn't mean that anyone outside of New York City should be required to intuit a lame title. If Grub Street wants to do that, they need to get better writers). What's with caving on real Applejack in favor of Calvados-- for an American cocktail -- followed by a lecture about fresh lime juice, then using crap grenadine? Put that on your iPhone and you'll get . . . a lousy drink.

I won't tell Mom about the sad fate of Chock full o' Nuts cafes. What's your theory (I know you have one) for why Han Ah Reum had grapes when no one else did?

I vaguely remember the 1969 grape boycott (I was 14); it was the source of some tension in the household. My father worked for Kroger, and though he was such a leftie that he almost met Barry Goldwater going in the opposite direction, he had misgivings on behalf of the source of his paycheck. Mom, a more traditional liberal, solved the problem by shopping not at Kroger but Alber's. That way, she wasn't boycotting grapes at Kroger, she was boycotting them at a competitor. Mom grew up in Scarsdale, NY, and carries fond memories of Chock full o' Nuts -- both the coffee and the cafes. During recent visits to NYC (well, Manhattan), I don't recall seeing a single one. Do they still exist?

When Mrs. Smith finds out that what she makes and what I make are both covered in the definition of "pie crust," she throws up in her mouth a little bit.

Scout_21 has pretty much covered it, though those all all my observations, and not based on actual numbers and such. I can't stand All-Clad handles; the Viking's is much better. (To clarify, though, Viking doesn't have pour lips on their saucepans, either.) A new(ish) brand I like more than Viking is the Le Creuset Tri-Ply: decent handles, pouring lips, heavy construction and sometimes-helpful measurement scales etched into the inside of the pot. It's a little hard to find, but it's priced very competitively.

Kosher chicken is already brined... does then not need further attention? Dan ← Oops. I forgot that kosher chickens, while not exactly brined, are already well-seasoned from the koshering process. I'd try Bob's suggestion.

I'm skeptical of buttermilk's tenderizing abilities, but it does add a nice tang and a unique medium for dredging. You could simulate the former (and tenderize) with a brine of salt, water and lemon juice. Is that kosher?

My best poached eggs make IHOP look like Per Se.

Hi thock, and welcome to eG Forums! Absent a grinder, your best bet might be chili or some other sort of stew. But the grading process is about marbling, rather than connective tissue (which is what makes tougher cuts appropriate for slow cooking), so I wouldn't cook the meat too long, or it will be dry and tasteless. Brown the meat, but leave it out of the mixture until relatively late. Then add it, let it warm up, and serve.

Sorry for the misfire; I thought I had been to Repast on a Sunday. Perhaps it was Monday I was thinking of, since it's open that night (and is a favorite of people in the life). To make up for it, here's a list of decent places open on Sunday (far from exhaustive): Some Buckhead Life stores: Kyma, Atlanta Fish Market, Nava, Pricci As far as I can tell, all the Concentrics places: One, Two, Trois, Tap, Stats, Lobby, Parish, Room, etc. The Here To Serve group: Twist, Shout, Goldfish, Home, etc. JCT Kitchen Restaurant Eugene 4th & Swift Au Pied de Cochon Craft and craftbar Serpas Shaun's Pura Vida The quality of this list varies a bit, but I think any of them would be more interesting than Ray's. And to answer your previous question, the last time I was at One, you could go small plates or your basic three courses, or a combination.

The essence of Fat Guy's argument is not the validity of the science, it's about jurisdiction to which France and the US have agreed.

I have one Viking saucepan, which I got for free. I think it's a great piece of cookware -- better than All-Clad, in my opinion. The All-Clad handles are a deal-breaker for me, and I've never understood what A-C has against pouring lips. Having said that, for the money, there's stuff as good or better out there. I have a torque problem, too (large hands and skinny wrists), and I really like the oval handles on Sitram Profiserie and Demeyere Apollo.

All of the Concentrics places are solid: you'll get good food, good service, and an excellent wine list. But if I had 20 people to feed, and I wanted them to have great food cooked and served with passion in a nice atmosphere, I'd call Repast and see if the upstairs room is available.

Many of the coffeemakers mentioned here draw 1200 watts and up -- beyond the capacity of units designed for lights. But it would be cool to have a Coffee Clapper.

I think we often add salt, when what's really needed is acid. It's a road from which there is no return. Time for all of us to reread Janet Zimmerman's 2003 Daily Gullet piece Three Powders.

Sitting around for a couple of hours is unlikely. I'm talking about businesses I've worked at, where the typical pot is emptied in about 20 minutes -- and where the predominant brand seems to be Folgers. Perhaps we just have different definitions for good coffee.

I didn't mean to discourage people from using the convection mode on their ovens! I just wanted to alert peeps to the ins and outs of using them. It's a great tool to have around, as long as its advantages are put to good use. As I said above, at low temperatures, it does a great job of creating a crust on meats. Marlene is right about baked potatoes, too, and that advice goes for roasting lots of vegetables: asparagus, green beans, cauliflower, beets (don't wrap them). It's not as effective with whole chickens (the hot spot issue), but spatchcock one and you'll get very crispy skin. If you want to leave the bird intact, use the hot spot to your advantage, and place the chicken so the legs and thighs are facing it. It's also worth investigating the three typical modes: Bake, Roast and Broil. The hot spot is most apparent when using Bake, because that mode uses the heating element that surrounds the fan; you're getting heat and recirculated air from the same location. Roasting uses the top and bottom elements, and the fan element is off. I've found that this mitigates the hot-spot problem to some degree, and kind of mimics a closed grill with better air circulation. This is the mode I use most often. Broil is a little odd. Since you usually place the target food on a high rack, the effect of convection broiling is to boost the temperature below the food. It seems like this might create more even cooking, but since broiling is usually a brief affair, I haven't found that it really makes any difference. I've come to the conclusion that the Broil mode exists only because the upper element makes it possible, and it has the marketing advantage of offering a third mode. Whether it's useful or not is beside the point.

My only experience with Bunns has been with their commercial units, where the coffee is uniformly lousy, but that's because no one uses decent coffee in them. Maybe with good ingredients they do better. Still, I'm surprised at the enthusiasm for the Bunn. Doesn't holding water at 200F rid the water of dissolved oxygen? My vote would also be for the Capresso MT500 (here's a Society-friendly Amazon link: Capresso MT500). Like ElsieD, I have a recent version of the Cuisinart Grind and Brew -- actually, I'm on my second, since the grinder gave out after three months. Three months into the replacement, the grinder on that one broke, too. If I'm going to spend $170 on a coffeemaker that won't grind, I want one that makes better coffee than the G&B does. The Capresso does that, and it has a timer and a very good thermal carafe.

Is this the one you're thinking about, Robyn? Interesting design.