Dave the Cook

Assignment: listen to this audio story from NPR, which aired today. Compare and contrast.

You need feeding tongs.

Are Pirogies considered a Canadian dish?

Formerly High Cotton in the same strip mall as the Publix a few blocks off Mt. Vernon? I don't hang in that hood much anymore, so I didn't know HC had gone under. What's your timeframe?

Like an iceberg wedge, you mean? I love those salads. You missed steak night, since it was tonight: hanger with a really crispy-skinned baked russet and local cultured biutter; fresh peas. So what's your preference: strip, ribeye, porterhouse? Something else?

Hmm. I guess that is what I suggested, but it's not what I meant. I've been to Palm, Morton's and Ruth's Chris, all several years ago and always on business. I've also been to the highly-touted Bern's in Tampa. I don't find any of them memorable, which is why I started this topic. Six months or so later, I do remember Bone's, so maybe that's something. There's only one dry-aged steak on the menu at Bone's, the 16-oz. strip. I didn't have that, I had the bone-in ribeye, a cut I much prefer to the homogeneous strip. Yes, the waiters trot out the prime line ("the top one percent of all beef"), but I just didn't detect a noticeable bump in quality from high-end choice like CAB or Coleman's. Neither did I notice a great surface from the broiler. I do know what dry aging does for good beef; I used to work in a restaurant that served it by the cow-load. What I was trying to say was that 1) I've had better steaks, and while I agree that steakhouse steaks are usually better than steaks at otherwise excellent restaurants, I'd say that's either changing, or it's a matter of you or the restaurant choosing wisely. Restaurant Eugene serves a terrific hanger, for example. 2) most of the better steaks I've had I made myself. I don't have access to prime beef or an infrared broiler (something else a steakhouse will boast of). I just have good choice meat and I practice a lot. I'll take your word for it that Bone's is head-and-shoulders above the rest (in Atlanta, anyway), but that only increases both my disappointment and my conviction to stick with cooking steak at home.

I saw a package labeled "lime leaf" there (Buford Highway Farmer's Market) recently. Is it assumed that these are Kaffir lime leaves, or are they Tahitian lime leaves or what? It turns out togarashi can be found in a lot of places. Once you know what the bottle looks like, you start to see it all over. Star Provisions will sell you fennel pollen, but you have to ask -- it's not on the shelf.

Wow. I thought I'd followed up on this, but I guess I didn't. Sorry. Spot on. I had to go through receipts to remind myself where I actually went: Bones. The meat was good, and so huge that we ordered crabcakes as a second entree. They were also good. The sides were good, not to mention decadent; the creamed spinach was more white than green. Where Bones shone was in service: it was absolutely impeccable. Overall, it confirmed my suspicion: a good cook with access to good meat (though it was hard to tell that what Bones served was anything much better than, say Certified Angus) and some technical support can serve a steak that's just as tasty as anything you can get at an Atlanta restaurant (okay, as good as anything at Bones, anyway). There's nothing wrong with wanting to be pampered, have access to a wine list that's beyond most folks' reach and eat very decent beef. It's just not where I want to spend my limited restaurant dollars.

Given the associations that proprietors Greg Best, Andy Minchow and Regan Smith of Holeman & Finch have with mixology (the bars at Restaurant Eugene and Repast) one shouldn't be surprised to be served an excellent invention like the Kitty Hawk: cognac, maraschino, lemon and lavender, let alone a terrific version of the classic Monkey Gland. But a couple of those, and you forget that Linton Hopkins is a partner in the project, and that he was in on the menu design. The result is a litany of well-executed comfort foods interspersed with expert takes on charcuterie, cheese, and the occasional special that takes advantage of whatever's good and local -- a late-night menu for the drinking afficianado. I've been through about a third of the dishes, and can recommend 1) oysters in any form -- well-sourced and treated respectfully, whether they're served raw or fried; 2) crawfish beignets (made with Louisiana bugs); 3) the Crunchy Gentleman, perhaps the best Croque Monsieur I've ever eaten; 4) sweetbreads with greens and guanciale, which don't quite equal the sweetbreads at Home, but make up for it with a crispy curl of jowl and a generous portion size; 5) marrow-parsley salad -- need I say more? 6) the sugar-glazed dougnuts, just so you don't have to hope that Krispy-Kreme will have its "Hot" light lit on the way home. I haven't tried the pimento cheese, but I assume it's the same as you get across the driveway at Eugene, and it's stellar. Last night, a special of halved cherry tomatoes, black basil and something that wasn't quite burrata in a well-balanced vinaigrette made an excellent foil to the fat level in the other dishes. What all that adds up to is this: everything I've tried has been if not excellent, at the least very good. If, like me, you're a bigger fan of the small dishes at a place like Repast than you are of the mains, you'll love the Holeman & Finch menu. There are a number of things I haven't tried, of course: there's always a raw fish on the menu; I've seen deviled eggs three ways, catfish fingers with sunchoke pickle sauce, and many plates of house-cured meats. I don't know how they tasted, but they looked on par with what I've eaten. The wine list is a study in idiosyncratic discovery. The rich food menu allowed them to consider wines that might not make the cut elsewhere. That gave them the opportunity to assemble a roster that's interesting, well-arranged and affordable. Only a few are over $100, with most in $30-$40 range, and 11 by the glass. There's also a corkage policy: a measly ten bucks. Beer is respected, too. It's not a Taco Mac-sized selection, but there are five on tap, with nothing from a container bigger than a pony; most come from bullets. In a brave but sensible nod towards one of the few legitimate American-style lager/pilseners, Miller High Life is on the list. Which not to say you can't get Abita Jockamo or Duck Rabbit Porter. Oh, and the cocktails: the menu changes form time to time. Out of the ten or so featured drinks, only one -- the metamorphosing nightcap called Southern Cola (Amaro Cio Ciaro and Coca-Cola served over a cube of frozen lime juice) -- was on both menus I've seen. In addition to the Kitty Hawk and Monkey Gland, I sampled the Agro Non Dolce (borrowed from Restaurant Eugene, where the mixture of bourbon, lemon juice and biscotti liqueur was invented by Nick Hearin). I don't much like bourbon because I find it too sweet; this drink is a balanced, enjoyable surprise. I also had a Smith & Thomas, a tall drink of iced tea, lemon and raspberry that's a nice reach-out to vodka drinkers (I had them make it with Plymouth Gin). Of course, you don't have to stick to the cocktail menu. They seem to be able to mix up pretty much anything, from a classic Aviation to something invented on the spot or dragged out of a voluminous memory of recipes and history. My dining partner asked for something with scotch, and Greg poured out a perfect Bobby Burns with Glenmorangie 10 -- a perfect drink on which to say good night. If you go, go on a weeknight, or go early -- I mean like 5:30 or 6. After about 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, the place is slammed and noisy. In which case, you can walk across the driveway and have a quiet, expertly made cocktail at Resturant Eugene -- hardly sloppy seconds. Holeman & Finch Public House 2277 Peachtree Rd. NE Atlanta, GA 30309 404.948.1175 No reservations. Website here.

← This is silly hyperbole. No restaurant I know, and none of the members who've posted on the eG Forums sous-vide topic, care about the vacuum pressure, as long as all, or nearly all, of the air is removed from the package. The pressure applied to achieve the vacuum inside the bag is irrelevant to the cooking process. Keller's well-deserved reputation is based on accuracy and finesse. A misleading title like this is disrespectful to the precision he preaches.

This is scientifically incorrect. The air pressure inside and outside the bag are the same.

To amplify on Janet's post, Holeman and Finch is a great place. The cocktails are impeccable and the food is terrific. But it's not the white tablecloth sort of establishment that laurelm seemed to be looking for. That said, if you go, go early. It gets crowded and really loud by 7:30. I think all the appropriate candidates have been nominated and seconded: Eugene, Bacchanalia, Quinones, the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. You really can't go wrong with any of them. The only reason I'd opt for one of the first three over the last is their more pronounced dedication to local ingredients and traditions.

I have it on pretty good authority that fresh mangosteens will be in distribution this fall throughout much of the US.

Seriously? Beefeater is ₤25/L in England?

I don't know if this happens on a national level or not -- maybe this is a topic where we could figure it out. Today I went to replenish my supply of Beefeater. The 1.75 L was $24.98; the liter was $25.98. (If you're in Atlanta, get yourself to Pearson's.)

Spirits, liqueurs and bitters Laird's Special Apple Brandy (100 proof): Pearson's Wine of Atlanta Junipero Gin: Tower Beer, Wine, Spirits (Piedmont Rd. only; Buford Hwy. location not confirmed.) Marie Brizard liqueurs: Pearson's Wine of Atlanta Tower Beer, Wine, Spirits (Piedmont Rd. only; Buford Hwy. location not confirmed.) Jax Fine Wine and Spirits (Roswell Rd. location only; Cumming location not confirmed.) Creme de Violette (Rothman & Winter): Tower Beer, Wine, Spirits (Piedmont Rd. only; Buford Hwy. location not confirmed.) Green's Discount Liquor (Buford Hwy. location only; Ponce location not confirmed.) Lucid Absinthe: Tower Beer, Wine, Spirits (Piedmont Rd. only; Buford Hwy. location not confirmed.) Grande Absente: Green's Discount Liquor (Buford Hwy. location only; Ponce location not confirmed.) Carpano Antica: Pearson's Wine of Atlanta Toco Giant, 2941 North Druid Hills Rd NE, Ste A, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; (404) 320-1903 Fee's Bitters: Toco Giant, 2941 North Druid Hills Rd NE, Ste A, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; (404) 320-1903 Meat, Fish, Poultry Prime beef: Star Provisions Sawicki's Meat Seafood and More Grass-fed beef: Moore Farms and Friends CSA (limited availability) Sawicki's Meat Seafood and More Berkshire pork: Star Provisions Sawicki's Meat Seafood and More Moore Farms and Friends CSA (limited availability) Whole pork belly: Super H-Mart (only Duluth confirmed.) Quail: Your Dekalb Farmers Market Fruits and vegetables Kaffir lime leaves: Your Dekalb Farmers Market (call ahead to ask about availability. Hon shimeji mushrooms: most Asian markets Dry Goods Ground ancho in bulk: Your Dekalb Farmers Market More Than Gourmet soup and stock bases: The Cook's Warehouse Togarashi: most Asian markets Fennel pollen: Star Provisions (Ask for it; it's not on the shelf.) Palm sugar: The Cook's Warehouse Cheese Delice de'Pommard: Star Provisions Cookware Glassware Tableware Services Knife sharpening: The Cook's Warehouse Bladesmith, 3715 Northcrest Rd, Doraville, GA 30340; (770) 458-3102 Appliances

It's about time we had a topic for locating stuff in the metro Atlanta area. Here's how I'm going to set up the discussion: I'll start off with some fairly random stuff, while trying to categorize it. Since my most recent notes have to do with cocktail ingredients, the list will be heavy on that until we get participation on the next step. The next step: as members have questions, they post them on this topic. The other next step: as members find stuff, or as they have time, they post that here, too. Every few days, I'll incorporate new locations into the original post. That way, if you're looking for something, you only need to hit that first post (well, it will actually be the second post -- the one after this one -- but you get the idea). A few guidelines are probably in order: With the exception of restaurants (see below), nothing food-, beverage- or equipment-related is off-limits. In my teaching work over the last year, I've ceased to be surprised at what even the most enthusiastic cooks can and can't find. Often, it's right there at Kroger or Publix but they just never thought to look (or just as often, it's not in the expected place in the store). Except for those that have retail operations (like The Fish Market), restaurants are not part of this project. When you post a find, please include a link to the relevant website, if one is available. If not, please include the address and phone number. Although hearsay is acceptable (as in, "I heard you could get X at Y"), I won't post the information until a member has verified it. We will assume good faith and common sense on each others' parts. This won't be the place to debate relative quality or the usefulness of a gadget or ingredient. For those sorts of discussions, we have the Cooking and Kitchen Consumer forums. If you have suggestions for organization or information-gathering as it relates to this topic, please PM me, rather than post here. Let's keep this a clean reference. Ready? Let's get started!

If you need encouragement, check this out.

Not to derail an admirably obsessive project, but why not just brine the guy in an ice-filled bathtub for the four days?

From the picture and description, it seems more like a portable gas oven than a grill -- not that that's a bad thing, but with the flame-drip pan-grate arrangement, it's not in the same category as a Weber or Chargriller. The comments on Amazon lead me to believe that people's affection for the product has a lot to do with Holland's insistence on their "unique" instructions, which include very sound advice for any griller: keep the lid closed and mess with the food as little as possible. I'm pretty sure even charcoal grills (the ones that come with instructions, anyway) will say the same thing -- but who reads the instructions for a grill?

I can't find Triplum, so I can't comment on it. I used Marie Brizard triple sec for a long time, until slkinsey convinced me that -- for a home bar -- it was false economy. If you're pouring 100 sidecars, margaritas and applecarts a night, I'm not so sure that a good substitute isn't smart. After MB, I like Patron's Citronge. For curacao, I've been through Prunier, Marie Brizard's curacao and Grand Orange, and Liqueur Creole Clement. For now, I've settled on MB curacao, but when it's gone, I'll go back to Grand Marnier. I don't go through enough of the stuff to make a big dent in my bar bill, whatever direction I choose.

It's a slippery game. Here, a Tanqueray 1.75 is $30, Beefeater $25. The Tanq isn't quite worth $5 more to me (please, do not figure out how little the cost-per-cocktail difference is!). If the delta slips down to two dollars, I'm going to reach for the green bottle. You have to have a line, though, otherwise you get Tanqueray instead of Beefeater, El Tesoro instead of Herradura, Dom Girraud instead of Hardy -- just a few bucks here and there, but when you hit the checkout, you start wondering if you can make the mortgage payment and drink, too. If you go to a butcher with your heart set on lamb chops, that's what you're going to buy, even though it's September and lamb costs more than gasoline. If you go set on just getting the best-looking piece of meat in the store, you'll get value. So I try to go to the liquor store for gin, not for Beefeater. What's great about the lists people are posting here is that I can be more flexible, knowing that a few people I trust have approved some alternatives. To be specific, Flor de Cana 1.75L is about the same as Cruzan -- $14 or 15. Very specifically, the last time I was in your fair city, Vieux Carre Wine still had a couple of 1.75s of FdC 2-year old (which I've never seen anywhere else) for $11. I'm with Katie -- I like Bulleit, but the 1.75 size isn't much of a bargain. I also like Wild Turkey 101, and it is: $26 for a liter, $33 for a 1.75L.

Super H-Mart is on an expansion kick these days. Maybe it's them? Of course, US 41 runs all the way through the state. Maybe you could narrow down the geography a bit?

Todd, if I understand your question, what you're after is high-value spirits: the highest quality for the least amount of money. Except for the occasional splurge, that's how I stock my bar, too. Here's what I'm using now: Beefeater in the 1.75 is scary cheap -- about $4 more than the liter. Lately it's been on sale here for $25. For a lower proof gin, I like Plymouth. I don't think Gordon's or Bombay are in the same league as these two. Cruzan and Appleton are fine light rums (they're my back-ups), but I think Flor de Cana is a better value -- a couple of dollars gives you a much better product. If you can find it, Montecristo white is really good, too. In darker rums, Bacardi 8 is very tasty and not too expensive. I think it's the only Bacardi product worth buying. I agree with everyone else here regarding Rittenhouse, but it can be hard to find. Whether you choose between Wild Turkey and Old Overholt might depend on how you like your ryes. WT is more expensive, but has a nice high proof. Laird's Bonded is terrific and deserves to cost a whole lot more, but it's also hard to find. Their applejack is great and more widely available, but doesn't always work as a substitute for the brandy (in a Jack Rose, for example, the difference is startling). For cognac, I've settled on Landy, a versatile VS from the people that make Pierre Ferrand and Claude Chatelier. Tequilas: for silver and reposado, my go to is Milagro or Cazadores, depending on availability and price. When I can find El Grito, I snap it up. It's a dirt-cheap 100-proof silver that makes great margaritas. In going through this list, I've realized that if my usual isn't in stock, I'm more likely to spend a few extra bucks for the next thing up the quality scale than sacrifice quality to save the money. For example, if Beefeater isn't on the shelf (hard to imagine, but it does happen), I'll buy the more expensive Citadelle, Boodles or Tanqueray rather than Seagram, Bombay or Gordon's.

I don't excuse Lisa, who has simply been consistently not ba enough to be the worst at every crucial point. But in this episode more than any other to now, the judges paid attention to the style of the chefs as it played out in the local cuisine. It seems to me that Richard won because he didn't let his style be warped by catering to local custom (he said as much, I think). He bent but didn't break. Antonia broke. Also, when was the last time Richard pulled out one of his toys? He's got to be getting tired of hearing Tom say '"So, you're playing it safe tonight?'"Richard is a classically-trained cook whose bases are -- like Tom's -- flavor, texture and contrast.