weinoo

Yeah, it's sorta glorified cat food.

One of the more fun ways to get to San Sebastian (if you're already on the continent, I guess) is via the high speed train. From Paris, for example, the train takes about 4.5 hours, though there is a little quirk in that the train you take from Paris only goes as far as Hendaye, which is on the border with Spain. Hop (or crawl) off the TGV high-speed rail, and onto the Eusktren, and you're in San Sebastian in another 30 minutes. Even though flying from Paris to San Sebastian is much faster, getting to the airport, getting from the airport, dealing with security, luggage, etc. etc. I find the train much more roomy and relaxing. Heading into Basque country. It's pretty beautiful. And for this trip, we almost pulled out all the stops, staying in one of the nicer hotels, in one of the nicer rooms. Which afforded this view, of one of the most beautiful cities we've been lucky enough to visit... La Concha. The view was actually quite similar to the view we had from an AirBnB on our last trip, but said AirBnB was unavailable this time. I love the beach writers and artists; some of the most ephemeral writing and art around. Lasts only as long as the tides allow! One of the "issues" we faced during our stay in San Sebastian was that a number of the places I'd planned to dine at were actually not available. Not because they were booked. But because they were "cerrados por vacaciones." Bastardos! Also, I have no idea who that person is, but she was following me everywhere! Don't worry - we were still able to dine regally, and on our first night, we certainly did... At Gerald's Bar, new to us, but not new... Kind enough to give us a menu in English (have you tried to read Basque?!). We were hungry. And wanted to compare the paté with some we'd had in Paris. Maybe it was even better here? Grilled leeks and pears...amazing what some heat will do for a pear. This was simple and fantastic. Significant Eater quite enjoyed her tagliatelle (chef trained in Italy for a while, and this was a great, housemade tagliatelle). On the other hand... My pork chop, from a pig raised on the hills above Getaria, was astounding. Tasting better than it looks... Postre. Mas pera. Believe me when I say if I could get a meal like this, at this price here in the states, I might be ecstatic. (I can't, so I won't be). After a fair amount of rain in Paris, it was lovely to see and enjoy the sun in San Sebastian for 2 days, though the rains came here eventually. Gandarias is fine for what it is, old school (with both a pintxo bar and a sit-down restaurant), open on Sunday night, not closed for vacation, and pretty good food. We'd had a good time once before, so off we went... Delicious pig products. Shrimp from Huelva, simply cooked on la plancha. Sweet as can be. Para mí, a big hunk of lamb shoulder, with crispy skin - oh man, this was good. Para ella... Rodaballo with lotta garlic, and no one in Basque country is shy with olio! Beautifully cooked fish. Did I mention it started to rain, after 2 days of almost perfect weather? That doesn't mean it isn't still gorgeous, and a faint rainbow even appears every now and then! This is the Urumea River, which can get angry looking when it's stormy. It sometimes gets surfed by crazy people. So how was this trip different from our previous trips to San Sebastian? The one big difference was that we stayed in a hotel, which is not generally how we operate. The hotel also offered quite a lovely breakfast, which we indulged in. That meant lunch wasn't always necessary, and it also reduced our pinxtos intake, as we wanted to enjoy somewhat fancier meals in the evening. However, it didn't stop us from enjoying a great lunch at a place I'd be clued into from a previous AirBnB host, located within the sparkling Merkatua San Martin. It's called Maun Grill Bar, and two guys cook and serve fabulous food out of their tiny, well-appointed (kitchen geeks would enjoy this place!) space. Grilled and braised artichokes and celery were so different and delicious. Getting the most flavor out of this tomato salad, by torching it. Great idea. Scallops roasted in their shells, with their roe and a spicy ginger-y sauce thing. Carabineros, simply grilled. One for each of us, though I might've eaten another; they're just so good. This all kept us well sated until dinner at Antonio Boulevard (we did indulge in Antonio Bar's pinxtos on Tuesday). Tuna belly, piparras, pimento, anchovie on toast, drowned in olive oil. More artichoke hearts, this time with jamón. A favorite were the clams and rice with green sauce. Here's where I learned that I am probably overcooking my Spanish rices by a little - all the rice we had in Spain was a bit more al dente than I have been able to achieve, but I'm working on it. I didn't realize that their famous meatballs (quite good) would come with potatoes, and we ordered a side of potatoes as well. Note the salad, similar to every other green salad we had in Basque country; i.e.: lettuce and onion. I think we've had enough, no? OK - maybe a wee bit of queso to finish. Lovely, casual meal. Our final night in San Sebastian was not to be so casual, and off we walked to a restaurant which had been recommended to us by the chef pictured above, at Maun Grill Bar. It would be Casa 887, whose chef is from Brazil and where the cooking is slightly more fusion-y (but only slightly). The amuse was almost classic. Red tuna "nigiri." Just great. Pork gyoza, served in the style of Mission Chinese Food. "Glass peppers" drowned in olive oil. Significant Eater had to have some more rice, this time with those great red prawns from Huelva. Wow. And I had the special wild sea bass, which was rightly cooked and right up my alley. I'm pretty sure we drank dessert here, along with a scoop or two of ice cream. Great find, and I'm glad to have asked chef for some recommends. As mentioned, it rained, but that never stops us from wandering. It's only water, after all (and we don't use umbrellas!). Decisions, decisions. Gotta walk to get coffee... Whether it's at Old Town Coffee Roasters, or... Simona Specialty Coffee. Here's our hotel in the rain. We stayed at the very top, in a room with a private terrace. The rain keeps a lot of people off the beach, though some hearty Basques were swimming every day... And even though the view from our room when it was raining wasn't too bad... When the sun broke through, it was even prettier... On our final walk back... Might be Jupiter. Till next time... Oh - I forgot to show this... Couple pushing a baby stroller into Casa 887 on our final night. That's either a very ugly baby, or...a fucking dog!

You'd boil or steam it, as you would a lobster. Nothing is ever going to taste as good as cooked from live product, but just as I suffer with picked and packed blue crab meat to make crab cakes, the packed product works in a pinch.

John passed away on November 29, 2023. John hadn't been here for quite some time, but that doesn't mean he wasn't writing about food on his blog; mostly about his beloved Paris. I'd missed him on our last two trips to Paris, as he was unable to continue living there over the last few years, starting when the pandemic started. His advice was always welcome and kind. And I'm proud to say that he would ask me for advice, when he was coming to NYC for a visit, conference, whatever. His daughter posted this on his Facebook page: RIP, my friend.

It almost looks flank steak ish.

I'm wondering which restaurant is the one in the opening picture.

To expound, I loathe when people keep their hats on inside restaurants, and I loathe even more when people keep their baseball caps on inside restaurants, and when they're on backwards, well - take them out back and dispose of them (the people, not the caps). AND DON'T PUT YOUR HAT ON THE FUCKING BAR!

I like to plop my toes onto the table. Welcome to the 2020s.

Well, obviously it's a time for lists, as 2023 draws to a close. I'm not a big fan of lists, but since someone already broke the ice, what the heck?! Though I wonder - what if a chef/restaurateur opens a restaurant in December? Why shouldn't that count? Why not wait until 2024 to enlighten us with what was best in 2023? Anyway, I digress... I haven't eaten at Mads' newest, which tops Esquire's list, but I hope to at some point soon. I like Mads (and even got to work with him once), like his food, like his philosophy about food and no waste. So Ilis is definitely on my list - of places to try. As to the other local (to me) places, I've been to two of them multiple times - they're quite good and are places where spending money doesn't hurt, as it can when one has a bad meal, or receives bad service somewhere else. That is - they know what they're doing and they understand that the restaurant business is about taking care of customers properly; not every restaurant can say that! Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America 2023

So basically unless a restaurant uses the open table platform (like, if it uses Resy), it can't be considered one of the best? Which is just ridiculous.

That will be fine! It's a nice gift - why not try a medium roast coffee along with one of the darker roasts they offer? Even if he doesn't really like the medium roast, it can easily be blended with the darker roast to get something of a profile of coffee he likes.

None here either; plenty at Trader Joe's, local supermarket, and via Fresh Direct.

Cook's Illustrated, many years ago, showed another way to use the tenderloins, which is kinda fun...wish I could find it. This is close, but I don't think the original recipe used the reverse sear... https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/americas-test-kitchen-from-cooks-illustrated/recipe-perfect-pan-seared-pork-tenderloin-steaks

It's nice to use a scale, I suppose, when first starting out with your ( @JoNorvelleWalker ) new coffee adventures...you know, to set some parameters. ( I always use it to weight the beans, however). For me, I figure that after 40 or 50 years of making pour over coffees, I can do without. And I don't need a timer, either. And no one is any the wiser.

Or...Nathan's!!

It varies, and also depends on the pricing. I like their Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees a lot. And moving out of Africa... Currently, I have the Mexican Miramar, El Salvador Montecarlos Gesha, and the small farmer lots from Guatemala (all the Guatemalans are good). They do have some crazy expensive coffees, but the most I'll go for is one of the Peruvian special roasts, which currently clocks in at a silly $58/lb.!. I also buy the Alchemy for espresso...it works great I always order enough to qualify for free shipping; as the coffee has gotten much more expensive, that's easy. Generally, my order is in the 1.5 - 2 lb. range. Almost enough for 2 weeks, and if I time it right, I get a shipment as soon as coffee is running out. If they roast and ship on a Monday, it arrives no later than Wednesday. Pretty sure I have the 1 lb. canisters, and they'll hold a 12 oz. bag emptied in, and an 8 oz. bag atop, smushed down a bit.

I've said it before, and let me say it again: George Howell. Intellegentsia is owned by Peet's, which in turn is owned by a giant holding company. Blue Bottle is owned by Nestle, in turn owned by Black Rock, et al. Not that there is anything wrong with giant, multinational organizations, but I prefer to spend my money, when I can, elsewhere.

If stuff is used for non-culinary purposes (like, let's say a Netti Pot), isn't it safer to first bring the water to a boil and let it cool down?

I thought I might never start cooking again, after a few weeks away. Also we both came down with what apparently are bad colds, since every other asshole on our flight was either coughing or sneezing. And me, being an asshole, didn't wear a mask. I've tested yesterday and today, both negative, so keeping my fingers crossed while hydrating greatly. Anyway, last night I was back in my kitchen. Not to make anything beautiful, but... Pan roasted chicken thighs, red beans, rice, peas and carrots. (Night before was a simple pasta marinara with roasted Brussels sprouts).

We just returned from a lovely 2-week jaunt to Europe. Our final few nights were spent in Madrid. We went to both the Museo del Prado and the Reina Sofia, as we wanted/needed to (re)see certain works of art, and there were also a few specific exhibitions that made those choices a no-brainer. We also ate. Since we were in Madrid for only 3 nights, we weren't about to just toss the dice on where to eat, so we took two recommendations from a good friend: La Buena Vida and Saddle. As we were staying in the Cheuca district (or is it called Justicia?), that meant we could walk both to and from our dinner reservations, perhaps even stopping off for a preprandial cocktail each night. Perhaps. As mentioned, on our way to dinner: A stop off at Del Diego Cocktail Bar. For a Martini and a Manhattan. Obligatory crisps and crackers, in this case. Then on to dinner. Sig Eater started with the classic Iberian ham croquettes, while her partner wanted 'shrooms... And got 'em. Our main courses don't appear on the menu above, as they were both specials. Chef came out to chat about what he was cooking, and that made the decision easier. Fantastic red mullet served atop its bisque. This was great. As was my knockout wild duck dish, with some creamy potatoes. I had asked chef about the broad beans on the menu, and he was nice enough to send out a small ramekin for us to taste - tasting straight out of Florence, meaning delicious. Fine meal - lovely service...I think we ended with a couple of sherries, because I don't see dessert on our bill. La Buena Vida. On our way to dinner at Saddle the following night, it just so happens that Saddle is located across the street from the Ministerio del Interior, and some other important stuff on the block, as there were policia et al. everywhere, toting their machine guns. Which either makes you feel safe...or maybe not. But it also means there is generally a divey bar nearby, because those public servants don't make a lot of dough. At least, not legit dough... I kid, I kid. But it works out just great for the two of us - we love the dive bars. On to Saddle (menu here). Yes, we were an early res at 9 PM, but that's how it goes, after a light lunch and a couple of hours walking around in a museum, a nap, and hunger. The food here was great, and the service was...omnipresent. From the Martini cart at the start (we demurred), to the bread, oil, and butter service: Lotta butter. Olio. Great bread. Amuse me... Re amuse - fantastic brodo. Fabulous paté en croute... Full portion, split tableside for us. It's great that Saddle also offers "1/2" portions on many of their dishes, which enabled us to try more. And more... Boletus w/grilled, wild rabbit, whitefish and paprika crumbs "El Sequero." Holy shit, this was good. Wood Pigeon Tortellini - Game consommé, chestnut infusion and wild eel. Also quite good. Those were the starters! For my main course... Mont Royal Pigeon - Potato gnocchi and inside meatballs (inside here meaning the innards). Another fucking winner. Here's where things got interesting. Significant Eater did not like her main...at all. From the first bite. But...they noticed, came right over, and basically forced her to choose something else. She did, and was quite happy with the wild sea bass (which was on every menu around, from San Sebastian on down), done fairly simply. Kudos to the staff for that. Another tidbit..I spilled some wine drops onto our tablecloth... They came over with dots to cover it up! Then this came... And we'd almost had enough. But No - we didn't, so queso was consumed. Nice petit fours to send us on our way. Oh - one more interesting tidbit. Saddle was the first place, after two weeks in France and Spain, where my Cap One card would not go through. Sig Eater's Cap One card would not go through either. So they said let's go outside, maybe the connection will be better. It wasn't. But there were like 6 people there with us, watching the credit card transaction...I felt like Anna Sorokin. A different card was proffered, and off we stumbled into the night. We had an early flight Saturday, and wanted to stay close. And eat early. That's easy, in Chueca,. Our apartment was directly above: Which our airbnb host practically insisted we try. Scoff if you must, but... The wings were fucking great. And on a Friday night, around 7:30 PM, they were turning people away. We'd reserved. As should you...https://celsoymanolo.es/ The Madrid portion of our trip was way too short; gotta do a week next time...this city is great.

You can blame me, but they won't be bad. We just returned from two weeks in Europe; I brought one of my pourover units with me, and it's the perfect size for single bev... Kalitta Wave. (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) AT home, I usually use a V60 as well. A few other thoughts... 1. I tore my rotator cuff on a trip to Italy 10 years ago, using a hand grinder and making coffee for 4 people. 2. I've been brewing at 205℉ with Howell light roasted beans. 3. I don't think that's enough coffee for that much water, but that's personal preference. I go for around a 1:15 ratio of coffee to water. YMMV. 4. For storage, I like these...from tightvac.com 2 weeks is probably optimal for storage, pushing it to 3 is fine, I'm sure. With Howell, I always aim for free shipping, and with the price of coffee these days, that's easy enough. Don't refrigerate or put in freezer to use on a daily basis. Condensation will fuck up the beans. However, I sometimes take 1/4 lb. of beans, vacuum seal them and freeze that for emergency use, in case my inventory control doesn't work out perfectly. If you find the light roast is not to your liking, they do a medium roast on any number of their beans as well.

I'm enjoying using it; holds temp perfectly and water boils fast!

Nothing wrong with a hit of nitrous.

You flew away from the game?

The last thing I did to get these kind of kudos from my wife was to replenish her supply of cough drops...from Amazon!