Really Nice!

Four words that needed editing?!? If you need help with the book, I'd love to volunteer! Love your work, Michael.

Here's a little tid bit from a project I had to do at culinary school. The topic was to write about a west coast chef (we were doing American Regional at the time with the country divided into three sections: East, Midwest, West -- at this time we were in the West portion of our study). Two months earlier I visited The French Laundry with notepad and camera in hand so I thought I'd do my paper on him. What follows are the notes of the visit that discuss other people's perspective of my note and picture taking... ..."Before I knew it, five people had approached me before the first course. The maître d, Jean-Paul, asked if I had ever been here. When I said no, he recommended the tasting menu. I smiled as I told him that this was the reason I came here. I also took out my digital camera and explained that I was a culinary arts student in Seattle and asked if it would be okay to take pictures of the dishes. I was expecting a haughty nose up in the air but received generous approval." "...The first item I had was Salmon tartare with sweet red onion crème fraîche. I was rather self-conscious about taking pictures of my dishes, especially since I didn’t have anyone with me to discuss the meal. So I didn’t take a picture of it; the one on the right is from his cookbook." "...At this point I was getting comfortable with the camera. There was a table of four behind me, eight in front of me, and a couple at a table to my right. I deliberately stayed away from using a flash as I didn’t want to disrupt anyone’s dinner. As I took this picture, I wrote notes about what I was tasting, any sensations that came to me, etc. It was at this point I started hearing someone say something like, “I don’t know, <pause> restaurant critic?” Now I’m starting to get comfortable and enjoying myself." "...Now I’m getting full. These portions are two, maybe three bites each, but you put them together and you really get full. I’m about two and a half hours into the meal. “I bet he’s from Gourmet magazine!” My picture and note taking is obviously distracting people so I refrain from asking the name of the cheese. It’s still daylight and the garden is beautiful, you can’t even hear the traffic on the street less than twenty feet away. The table of eight in front of me seems to be people who haven’t seen each other in a while. The couple to the right are celebrating something. The foursome behind me is a middle-aged couple and a couple in their mid twenties; one of whom had the misfortune of being an in-law, but I couldn’t tell which." "...The maître d asks about my notes. Conversations at the three tables come to a halt. “Shh, we’re going to find out who he is!” In an overly friendly manner he says that we in the kitchen are curious. I explain again that I’m a culinary arts student and I add that I’m on a field trip. “Ah, you are a culinary student!” My cover is blown. The curious tension from the other tables is gone. Their conversations start again." ...Epilogue “Excuse me sir, zee chef was vondering if you vould like a tour of zee kitchen?” I look around, “Are you talking to me?” Jean-Franc took a few steps back and waved for me to follow him. I get up and walk towards Thomas Keller's kitchen..."

I never bothered in coming up with names for mine, but each label carries the same information: Michael’s home-brews are impatiently brewed with the cheapest ingredients and cost cutting procedures available. Every expense is spared. There is no research nor development. Water quality is questionable if not suspect (it comes from the hot tub). Exported from my household since 1995. <Beer style, ingredients, when brewed, etc.> GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) Do not drink this beer. (2) Women who are pregnant should not drink this beer nor am I responsible for their condition. (3) Notice: The Surgeon General is both, a Surgeon and a General, so watchit! (4) Don’t drink and drive, don’t phone and drive, always follow section 2, part 5, paragraph 1, sentence 2 of the Washington State Driver’s Guide. (5) Gravity, it’s not only a good idea, it’s the LAW! (F) Michael’s home-brews impairs you’re ability to driVe a car or oper8 a kompewter.

Really?! How does Dijon, in the heart of Burgundy, deal with all that wine and mustard?

So do they have a 4:20 special?

Weeeeeellll, according to the GMIA (Gelatin Manufacturers Institute of America), horse hooves are made of keratin, the same material as your hair and fingernails. Gelatin cannot be made from keratin. The raw materials used in the production of gelatin are from healthy animals and include cattle bone, cattle hides and fresh, and frozen pigskins. But I 'spose to a vegetarian it's neither here nor there. If it's a vegetarian issue, try using pectin instead. It's a fruit carbohydrate. The basic measurements for gelatin are: 7 grams equals one packet 3 grams equals one teaspoon 2 grams equals one sheet

Perhaps to act as a foil against the rich cheese. Mustard has a tanginess that can help add breadth or dimension to a dish. This is another reason (besides taste) as to why it goes so well with charcuterie or braised rabbit, for example; it cuts into the richness of the dish.

Surprisingly, the Washington State legislature recently made a change to allow this as long as the wine is kept in an area that is not accessible during transportation. I.e., the trunk of the car. You can see a Word document that explains what each state allows here.

Only sketchy details so far, but according to a neighboring vendor, it's gone, he's moving to somewhere in South Seattle, and he sold Kosher Delight. Pat ← It's completely gutted. Not even a sink or plumbing to be found.

Back in March 2001 we too had dinner at TFL the night before La Toque. Unfortunately for us La Toque was having an awful evening. We arrived 10 minutes before our reserved time and waited for an hour in the bar for our table to be readied. During that time we could see the chef through the window to the kitchen rather harshly disciplining the staff. After being seated the waiter approached us, took a deep breath and began his spiel. All evening long we felt uncomfortable, like we were intruding on something. The timing of serving the dishes was off, the waiters appeared to be operating the FOH without purpose or direction, dishes were coming to us without our table being cleared from the previous course, and the food just wasn't that great... It was obvious that the BOH and FOH were both in the weeds. By the third or fourth course we both felt like we couldn't wait to get out of there, it was that uncomfortable. I looked at my girlfriend, shrugged my shoulders and whispered, "I don't get it." She didn't either but knew I what I meant. As we were given our fifth course the people at table next to us had finished and left. The next time our waiter came by he apologized for how things were going and said that wine writer Hugh Johnson was sitting at that table next to us (with four other guests). This was his explanation for the way things were going. Service improved a little bit afterwards. The photo shows his table after he left. I think we counted 29 wine glasses, about half of which were cleared by the time I took this photo. After the dinner my girlfriend and I discussed what happened and came to the conclusion that the restaurant just isn't up to the standard we expected, and if you're a destination restaurant it shouldn't matter who the guest is. It's possible they can deliver the goods, and based on what has been said here, it looks like they can. But for $450 I'd rather not give them a second chance and risk going there the same night that some other famous person is there. The French Laundry far exceeded La Toque. My 2¢.

I see the movement to dictate what I can and cannot put on my plate is moving north from California. Is Washington next? What the fuck, am I going to have to smuggle it in from Canada? Amen, brother.

Not to be a smart ass, but the best analysis is to open it up and taste. If you want to have it for a nice dinner and are not too sure about it, have a backup wine handy. How old are these wines? If they're old, were they made to age?

Just read this this morning. I was going to recommend something from the Swiss family, such as a gruyère or an emmenthaler or perhaps a similar style such as a Norwegian Jarlsberg. One thing I like to make with this style of cheese for a wine tasting is a gougère. (Pâté choux with bits of diced cheese added.) But seeing how this is a fifth course you made a good choice not to go with a gougère. I take it this was their Third Century Cabernet Franc? I have five of the ‘99s left in my cellar; two from ‘97. My tasting notes show raspberries, red cherries, fresh cut grass, and cocoa. Definitley new world franc. I’m hoping it’ll develop other characteristics (plum, cedar, autumn leaves, and mushroom) with bottle age later this decade. BTW, Costco has the ’99 for $39.99. Quite the steal considering I paid over $80 for the ‘97s.

Well said, and this is what defines a destination restaurant. You forgot "and we can have ponytails even though we're bald on top!"

If you are staying in Seattle proper and don't have the time to go over to the eastern side of the state, visit Woodinville. It's about a 30 minute drive from Pike Place Market (downtown) depending on traffic. My favorites are: DeLille Cellars, which is by appointment on Fridays only. Make an appointment on their Web site. Matthews Cellars is open on Saturdays from 12 - 4pm. DiStefano Winery is open weekends 12 - 5. Columbia Winery is open daily 10 - 7 Chateau Ste. Michelle is open daily 10 - 4:30 These two are across the street from each other and are closest to the look and feel of a Napa wine tasting room. kiliki pointed you to the Woodinville Winery Web site. Here's a map of the Woodinville region and the wineries mentioned. The ones mentioned above are located within four miles of each other. The ones on the eastern part of the state are spead across about 100 miles along highway 82. The others have metioned that getting out of town for a few days is doable. And if that's what you prefer take I90 to 82 (Yakima) and enjoy the country side. In Seattle if you want to stay downtown, there's the Red Lion on Pike and 5th, or for a bit more there's Inn at the Market. In eastern Washington we stayed at The Cozy Rose Inn Bed and Breakfast in Grandview. FYI, I cannot stand B&Bs, having breakfast with strangers is not my thing, but this place was great. You get your own little cottage and the hosts bring your breakfast out to you where you can dine alone. It was a lot of fun and we plan on returning, which is something I've never said about a B&B. Grandview is west of Prosser and Benton City (Red Mountain AVA) and will give you a central base to access many high quality wineries.

I'm pretty much a Penfold's boy. I have the equivalent of four cases of Grange that spreads out across the last 3 decades beginning with 1976. FYI, the 1976 Grange the first Australian wine to break the $20 barrier upon release. Jeez, if only I could have bought a pallet of that back then! I have two bottles of Bin 389 from each vintage since 1996. These are slated to be opened 15 years after the vintage. I have two bottles of Bin 28 from each vintage since 1998. These are slated to be opened 10 years after the vintage. I have two bottles of Bin 128 from each vintage since 1999. These are slated to be opened 10 years after the vintage. I have two bottles of Yattarna (Chardonnay) from each vintage since 1995. These are slated to be opened 10 years after the vintage.

I saw a copy of today's food section at school and there was an article by Nancy Lesson(?). I think it aires in August, but I'm not sure. Go to Brasa on Saturday or Sunday and get the mood of the kitchen. That should be a tell-tale sign as to whether Tamara won.

You're crazy. I've been to The French Laundry four times and it's worth the price of a jacket. Besides, as Malarkey says they probably have a few jackets handy. Keller has been talking about removing the menu for years. I'm not sure what kind of challenges it would introduce because the kitchen is producing some 80 plus menu items a night. Somewhere in that collection will be an array of items that can construe a menu.

What's the verbiage on the label to indicate the difference between dry and sweet? Thanks!

And if it's coming from California you're going to pay heavily too with all that rain they had down there over the winter. For example, we're being quoted $22 per kilo of spinach and the quality is really poor. This is the wholesale purveyor's price.

Hey Steve, Have you tried wine-searcher.com? Just plug in Gruaud Larose and the vintage you're looking for and you might find something of value. There are also online auction houses. For example, Winebid currently has the following pre-1993 Gruaud-Larose up for auction. New auctions start every Sunday night at 6:05 PM PST. The number in brackets is the lot, the first dollar amount is the expected hammer price range, and the last dollar amount is the current bid. Good luck! 1959 Gruaud-Larose [1162162-G0009] 750ml 1 $370-420 $360 1964 Gruaud-Larose [1157399-G6722] 750ml 1 $60-85 $55 1983 Gruaud-Larose [1157400-G5722] 750ml 1 $50-65 $45 1983 Gruaud-Larose [1157401-G2132] 750ml 1 $50-65 $45 1983 Gruaud-Larose [1157402-G3132] 750ml 1 $50-65 $45 1983 Gruaud-Larose [1157403-G4132] 750ml 1 $50-65 $45 1983 Gruaud-Larose [1157404-G7032] 750ml 1 $50-65 $50 1986 Gruaud-Larose [1156121-G8270] 750ml 1 $80-100 $75 1986 Gruaud-Larose [1156122-G9270] 750ml 1 $80-100 $75 1986 Gruaud-Larose [1156119-G2801] 750ml 2 $80-100 $75 1986 Gruaud-Larose [1156120-G3801] 750ml 2 $80-100 $75 1989 Gruaud-Larose [1160280-G3942] 750ml 2 $50-65 $45 1990 Gruaud-Larose [1163690-G0561] 750ml 12 $155

I'm not sure if this is even news anymore, but a month back when I found out I was told not to tell. However, everyone in the biz is talking about it so the news has to be out there. Two Seattle chefs are going to compete on Iron Chef America. Tamara Murphy of Brasa will be flying to New York and filming her competition for Iron Chef America on Friday, April 29, 2005. She'll be bringing with her two assistants, one of whom is Mary Lokar. Mary is a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle Culinary Arts program and is also the 2004 ACF (American Culinary Federation) National Student Culinarian of the Year; last year she was the number one culinary student in the country, folks! Also Tom Douglas of... well, if you don't know!... will be filming his competition in about two or three weeks. I have word that Tamara will be competing against Mario. Haven't heard much about Tom's competition. I don't know when these will be aired on Food Network. Enjoy!

This behavior really irks me. I've been collecting wine for many years. It gives me great pleasure all the way from performing 'the hunt' for my favorites to cellaring to even scanning my database and looking for holes that need to be filled in the collection. I love it, it's very satisfying. My collection currently has ~800 bottles with an average price of $78 a bottle. I would never, ever consider charging friends for opening a bottle of my choosing from my collection. And there have been many impressive bottles. 82 Lafite, 81, 82, 83 Penfolds Grange vertical, 86 Mouton, 59 Gruaud Larose, 93 Dalla Valle Maya, 88 and 90 d'Yquem, 82 Petrus, and many, many more... I'm in a wine tasting club and have always offered a wine that matches that evening's theme without subjecting other members to a bill for the wine. One former member used to charge us for bottles he took out of his cellar when he hosted the party. I didn't like this because these bottles were purchased before the club was organized. When purchasing the bottles was it his intent to charge people for them, probably not. The cost was his; not mine. This came to a head when at the end of one tasting he raised the bill for those in attendence because two people didn't show up. I found that very offensive and politely declined all his future hostings. He is no longer in the club. If you pay for something, you pay for it. If you consume the bottle yourself who is going to contribute to the cost? No one. It doesn't matter if you drink it yourself, with your best friends, or you drop it. The bottle is gone. Now, if you're planning a dinner with friends and you purchase a bottle specifically for that dinner, that is okay to share the cost. But bottles that are already in your collection are your expense and yours alone. My 2¢ Your values may vary.

Was it a Beaujolais Nouveau? If yes, it won't last very long beacuse it's not supposed to. It's released on the third Thursday in November and its purpose is to celebrate the year's harvest and make some quick money for the vintners. Beaujolais Nouveau should be consummed within 2 months; but others may disagree. Regarding the storage, find the coolest area of your apartment and lay the bottles on their side. The kitchen is probably not the best place, but it also depends on your local within the apartment. I'm on the 15th floor of a condo facing east. In the hot days summer the place doesn't get cooler than 75F. Those facing west have an even warmer median temperature through out the day.

God, I hope so! Please, pass it along! How can alcohol in a wine be an expression of terroir? Over ripening a grape is no more an expression of terrior than it is to satisfy some ex-lawyer from Baltimore. Unfortunately no. No. Excessive alcohol (> 11%) leaves a burning sensation on your tongue. I'd like to say no, but what else is there?