weinoo

In a pickle...the last of the season. Kinda large, so blanched for about 45 seconds.

Must one, really?

As the NY Times fabulous Flo reported yesterday, Guy Fieri will be opening a restaurant with a new concept, sometime this fall and somewhere in Times Square. As he might scream, "that's money." My prediction - there's a lot of money backing this one, and it'll last as long as Jekyll and Hyde and the ESPN Zone. Will you ever set foot inside? I won't.

That's how I learned a lot of tricks!

Well, of course - Spring. We totally enjoyed our meal at La Régalade Saint-Honoré. Rino was great. Roman chef there doing some awesome stuff. L'Agrume in the 5th. And the rest of Talbot's blog. As well as Paris by Mouth. And if I was heading to Paris now, I would want to try Verjus, a restaurant that was opened by a couple who used to do private dinners in their apartment. They're expat Seattleites.

Tri-tip is what's used in the famous Santa Maria barbecue. A delicious cut. When I had "my" butcher at the Essex St. Market (sadly no longer in biz), he would sell me some special cuts. Most, if not all, from the chuck, a naturally delicious part of the animal.

You'd be right, but it's really not that new. The "seminal" butcher Jack Ubaldi, author of Jack Ubaldi's Meat Book: A Butcher's Guide to Buying, Cutting, and Cooking Meat also discovered a new steak, as the NY Times wrote in his obit:

Something quite saucy, as mjx mentions above, works nicely, Even just a tomato sauce. But do yourself a favor...try the real stuff. It's not that difficult to make, and it's light years beyond the pre-cooked.

I don't understand. His restaurant "Dinner by ..." has gotten rave reviews. Why does a menu have to change if it's great? Is there a personal grudge against Mr. Blumenthal?

To me, a lot of food (both sweet and savory) tastes best at room temperature. But I like certain cookies right out of the fridge (some friends even tell me they're better out of the freezer, too). So: Mallomars Thin Mints What others?

When you add the corn kernels, scrape the corn milk from the cob with the the back of a knife into your batter. Oh - yes I will ! Thanks.

Yes, for many years (and maybe still) the one and only vegetarian option on Momo's menu... .

Yes, his calling of pretty-boy Mr. So and So over and over again, and his general know-it-all-edness are fairly grating. I mean, I never liked his schtick, but could put up with it when guests like Shirley Corriher were explaining things (though, to his credit, he calls Bobby "chef" a number of times, and that's a plus). Bobby's gotten better and better on TV...wish I could say the same for his burgers.

Yeah, that and the preachiness I guess.

My first question, since I don't necessarily care who wins this latest competition, is: Has Alton Brown morphed into Christopher Kimball?

I think if you're wondering whether it's rancid, it's rancid.

Then I haven't been to that one! I'm pretty sure I've been to Viet Royale, though. I'm a big fan of the quail appetizers.

This morning's much better results... Mixed up the same recipe as listed on the Bob's Red Mill bag, except using this... My semi-trusty Chinese All-Clad non-stick griddle pan... And... Pretty tasty, though I'd like to bump up the corniness. I guess some fresh kernels wouldn't hurt.

I enjoy the Eden Center greatly on my forays into the 'burbs when I go down to DC. That said, I don't know if I remember the names of the restaurants I've tried in the center, but I'm pretty sure I've tried both Viet Huong and Viet Bistro. If I could only remember which was which, and which one I liked better. In any event, the Eden Center is worth a stop for everything listed above, because it really makes you feel like you've entered an alternate universe. Just don't do any gambling...

I think there's some of that happening now, with perhaps more to come. There is a bartender whose name escapes me at the moment who is Japanese and, at least the two times I've been in, has been working the second of the two bars. And last night we did try the Kinkakuji, made with Yamazaki 12yo, Arrack, Plantation OP, pineapple juice, clarified milk, coconut water, Japanese 8 spices and Tamaryokucha green tea...and that's a mouthful and goes down way too easy.

In order to continue establishing a relationship with the bartender(s), I had to return last night, since a friend and I were practically around the corner at a gallery opening. I might've found a new favorite cocktail, as the Noblesse Oblige was the first drink I tried on this second visit. Cognac based, with both Pedro Ximenez and Del Maguey as sidekicks, it's another one of Nicolas' fine, fine cocktails. It'll probably stay on the menu, though he did say that he finds people here shying away from Cognac cocktails, which is a big mistake, in my opinion. My friend started off with the Black Heart and immediately pronounced it his "new favorite drink." He also tried the L'Américain, the drink served in the bottle and pictured in my first post, and they've got the carbonation level up to where it should be and making the drink that much tastier. They're not heading off-menu much at this point, though Aaron was kind enough to mix me up a boozy Vieux Carré. Comp Disclosure: A round.

Today's NY Times has a piece about a man in Korea who started a sturgeon farm 15 years ago with 200 pregnant sturgeon that he brought to that country from Russia. He started harvesting the roe in 2009, and it appears as if his investment in both money and time is paying off, as today he has well over 50,000 sturgeon. He is able to harvest sustainably without killing the fish, which is evidently the traditional method of harvesting sturgeon eggs. Has anyone tried the product? Also, it sounds like a brilliant idea. Kudos to Mr. Han.

Funny thing, Nicolas told me that during the first weekend of service, even he was having trouble remembering what and how much of each ingredient went into each cocktail. Obviously, some of those ingredients are used in very small quantities. But they are some tasty drinks.

If only...

Last night, a friend and I paid our first visit to the recently opened ECC, another branch of the cocktail lounge that first took Paris by storm in 2007 (following that with an ECC in London). ECC is in the old Kush space, a lounge that I was never fortunate enough to (or, fortunate enough to never) set foot in. What's interesting is that the Paris ECC was modeled after the new wave of cocktail lounges that were opening in NYC and now NYC's ECC kind of looks like the type of lounge you might find in Paris. If you think this is confusing, it's not - our ECC is absolutely gorgeous inside, designed by the wife of one of the owner's; lots of French flea market finds, and I wish my living room looked like this. My pictures do not do it justice... The back bar is nice too... And the glassware, at least for now (because we all know what happens when the stems start breaking) is great... That was my first cocktail, called Black Heart, from Joseph Akhavan at La Conserverie in Paris, and it's made of Buffalo Trace bourbon, Cynar, Luxardo Maraschino, a touch of French Roast Coffee, Bitterman's Boston Bittahs, a Laphroaig rinse and orange oils. A real winner, balanced as can be. My drinking companion started with the L'Americain: artichoke infused NP Sweet Vermouth, toasted walnut infused Campari, thyme water, orange oils - all of which is carbonated and bottled and served like this... Which will be perfect for when those kids pour in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and can't hold a glass. The drink is damn good, though it probably can use, and probably will get, some more carbonation. I followed up with a classic Manhattan, and it was nice to be asked by my bartender (Aaron, iirc) whether I wanted a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio - I'm a classicist, so my 2:1 Rittenhouse Manhattan was just how I like it. My buddy moved on to a drink called The Artist: Drouin Calvados, verjus, pear and apple cider shrub, Peychaud's, Didier Meuzard Ratafia, Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe and Billecart-Salmon Champagne to top it all off - wowser. Many of the drinks are creations of the bar manager Nicolas de Soto, a Frenchman who now lives most of the time just off of Avenue B. Some of you may have seen him behind the stick occasionally at Dram - I know I had. Nicolas' drinks are pretty complex, lots of infusions, but as I said above, balanced and delicious. He'll be working the bar here some nights, and overseeing the show all the time - a true gentleman who is as nice as can be. Okay, okay - we did have a third round; after all, we were checking the place out. By this point, the place was filling up, and Xavier was working our end of one of two bars. He's a 7-year alumnus of Daniel, and quite the pro. So, the appropriately named The Last One: Cardinal Mendoza Brandy, Bonal Gentiane, Cocchi Barolo Chinato and Akanono carrot Shochu. Simple, and practically an aperitif, no? And the Curious Prescription, a tequila/mezcal lover's dream: Pueblo Viejo Reposado, Pukhart Pear Eau-de-Vie, La Cigarerra Manzanilla Sherry, housemade salted mezcal caramel syrup, lime juice and Bittermen's Habanero bitters. Food will be soon to come; bar snacks, and they will be supplied by The Fat Radish, another one of my neighborhood faves. I expect, and have heard from Nicolas, that ECC was already packed on the weekends...and will continue to be so. Doesn't matter to me, though - I rarely go out for drinks on Friday or Saturday nights - and if we do, it'll be earlier than the throngs. And here's a tip to all the kiddies - if you want cranberry juice in your drinks, go soon. From what I've heard, it won't be available for long and if it stays on the menu, you may be paying a pretty premium for it. Have a real cocktail. Comp Disclosure: Had to be a drink or two in there.