Craig Camp

I think as it is your last meal the regular Marlboro would be OK - why not live it up with Camel unfiltered.

Maybe for good reason...

Are you serious? Really? Budweiser beats Becks or Heineken? Try comparing them when less than ice cold. Budweiser is flavorless and over-processed crap. The perfect match for cheap frozen pizza.

I think that was a couple of decades ago.

The Sam Adam's brand used to be good - no more! Today it is just mass produced swill. The stuff is almost undrinkable tasting of cardboard had leaving an awful off flavor in the aftertaste.

Strange! I thought as Lettuce Entertain You is the high profile name in the Chicago restaurant business that this thread would draw a big response. Does this mean that Lettuce is out of fashion and no one cares anymore. Is Lettuce yesterday's news?

Don't forget the point of aging wine is to bring all the aspects of the wine into a unique harmony. It is not a contest to see how long you can keep the bottle without it spoiling. If a wine reaches that harmony in 8 instead of 10 years this is not a fault as long as the the wine reaches peak complexity.

A vintner friend in Italy sent us two mixed cases of Latini and Latini soon became our favorite artisinal pasta. However, we discovered very early that cooking times are roughly 35 percent shorter than for Delverde, DeCecco and Barilla. Cirpi - welcome to eGullet! While I have found the de Cecco times to be very accurate it seems the smaller the producer the less accurate they are - for instance, Tuscancia always says 12 minutes on their labels no matter the shape. Experimentation and taste are the only sure answers.

Not enough acid in German wines? Try going to the wineries and tasting the young wines for a couple of days - your teeth literally hurt from being assaulted by all the acid.

Yesterday I prepared penne con asparagi e ricotta with both the penne from De Cecco and Tuscancia from Trader Joe's and the Tuscancia was clearly superior to the De Cecco - richer almost nutty flavor with excellent texture. This is a very easy dish to have for asparagus season - Bring the pasta water to a boil Mix ricotta, EVOO, black pepper (I use a quite a bit) and a good amount of freshly grated Pecorino Romano - it should be creamy Peel the lower half of the asparagus and slice into 1 inch lengths - separate the tips Put the pasta in the boiling salted water When there is five minutes left in the pasta cooking time add the asparagus stems to the boiling water When there is two minutes left in the pasta cooking time add the asparagus tips to the boiling water When the pasta is al dente drain and toss the pasta and asparagus with the sauce Serve immediately with more freshly grated Pecorino Romano on the side

For me they are different wines and hard to compare, as the Alsatian wines are powerful and can have relatively high alcohol levels while the Germans wines are defined by acidity, elegance and low alcohol. I love them both - but for different reasons.

Steve there are many people who disagree with you on this and feel that 55 F. was an arbitrary level set by chance. Many experts also believe that when it is too cold the maturation process is essentially arrested. Cool, constant temperature produces good results for many people. Wine Cellar Conditions Wine Storage Conditions

18 C. (64 F.) would certainly be considered good storage conditions - if it is constant. 13 C. (55 F.) is usually listed as the perfect storage temperature, but this is necessary only for very long aging periods. The lower the temperature the slower the maturation. Temperature change also speeds maturation. Some proponents of the biodynamic system say for perfect maturation you need some slight temperature variation that is in line with the seasons. What dlc says about humidity is correct. There is always debate about everything surrounding wine. All this being said - Your cellar conditions sound excellent.

I have tried horse as often as possible in Italy. The results of my research tell me that in almost all circumstances beef or pork will work in the dish better than horse. As Wilfrid notes it is often tough. Notable exceptions are salami - which is fantastic, and bollito - a dish that eliminates toughness in meat.

Would you have rather seen the Rolling Stones on tour in 1970 or in 2002? How long is it possible to keep that fire in your gut? Once the person at the top loose their edge the entire restaurant starts to decline. I think this is the main reason chefs and restaurateurs keep opening new restaurants. They get a little bored and want the rush that comes with the new and fresh. So do customers and critics. No one wants to be yesterday's news. It's more fun to create than administrate.

awbrig - how do you rank Gibson's in the realm of Chicago steakhouses?

I agree that the cheaper range of wines that are not designed to be aged should not use "real" cork as this does not give any benefit to the wine. However until synthetic corks can breath I cannot see any expensive wines using them. Personally I do not mind synthetic corks but I cannot stand screw caps. Do you hate screw caps because of the way they work - or how they look?

Are there dishes you would wish to taste? Dishes that would be perfect for this last meal? Just giving Steve a hard time because of our pasta wars. This concept is scary - how can you really choose. I have had meals that were great because of the food and meals that were wonderful because of people, time and place. One meal sticks out in my mind. It was on an island on Lago Maggiore. The restaurant was nothing special. Even though it catered to tourists the food was not bad. But I had a moment there once on a perfect day with the perfect person. As we chatted I looked at the view, my company, felt the sun and wind and sipped on a glass of Bellavista and I realized I was having a moment of total peace and satisfaction. This is the moment and meal I would choose - if it was possible to go back in time. Some things you can't recreate. These moments of pure satisfaction are harder to find than great meals.

Some of the finest salami in Italy comes from horse and what would a bollito be in Verona without several choice pieces of horse. There are even butchers that specialize in horse - macelleria aquina.

wrote Roger Voss in the Wine Enthusiast. from DecanterIt is safe to say this is an uneven vintage that requires caution. Comments and tasting notes are all over the place. Needless to say producer comments are more positive than those of the critics. That Antinori is giving up 300,000 bottles of easy profit by not making Tignanello should speak for itself.

A four hour tasting dinner in Italy of regional, traditional pasta dishes and Steve Plotnicki has to join in - and like it.

New Zealand harvest woes

100% Napa

I remember tasting the 87's from barrel and thinking what a great American vintage. Upfront and fruity and very early maturing. I ordered a bunch and no one cared. It just got the wrong press. Too bad - they were pretty wines between 3 and 5 years old. Vintages like this are often called 'restaurant vintages' and why not? There is certainly a place for lovely forward vintages that are not destined for long cellar improvement. Those places are called restaurants. The question is why won't restaurants buy them?

Ain't Burgundy great. Mercurey can surprise. Lots of backbone. The 90's are impressive. I just opened a bottle of Volnay, 1er Cru, Hubert de Montille and it was hard as nails. It needs 5 more years before consideration.