KatieLoeb

True 'dis. I suppose I shouldn't expect any better from a sleazy motel owner, no? The phrase South Jersey gigolo is making me shudder.

I believe they have a new person in there, don't they? It was in Table Talk or something. ← According to Michael Klein they hired some French fellow (big surprise there) from out of town. He was in D.C. most recently. Thierry Lesparre. I suppose I will be introduced to him at some future tasting event.

The latest creation.... Provençal Sidecar 1 oz. Courvoisier 1 oz. Belle de Brillet Pear liqueur 1.25 oz. fresh lemon juice .75 oz Lavender simple syrup* Shake together and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Glass can be rimmed with lavender scented sugar if you want to get jiggy wit' it. *Boil 1 cup sugar and one cup water for three minutes until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/3 cup food grade lavender blossoms that have been lightly bruised by running a rolling pin over them. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Strain.

Interesting. If you look upthread, it seems that the conventional wisdom on the Mojito is that the limes should not be muddled (which is actually contrary to my practices the last time I was making this drink with some frequency a few years ago). To my tastes, both mojitos and caipirinas need that zest-i-ness in the drink. It's too much a part of the basic flavor profile of the cocktail. But maybe that's just me. I've done this with lime peels in vodka to up the "lime-i-ness" of Finlandia Lime vodka which is a major component in one of my signature cocktails (a Berry-Lime Cosmopolitan variant with pomegranate juice). Problem with anything like this is that it requires a lot of forethought and time to infuse and is really not quite the same thing as the muddling achieves with the juice of the fresh fruit a la minute. Some of these are positively awful, just as their cousins in the vodka category are. For instance, Belvedere Pomarancza is delicious and Absolut Mandarin tastes like baby aspirin. In rums, the Bacardi flavors are decent - I prefer their Coconut to Malibu which I find oversweetened. Captain Morgan's and Cruzan flavored rums are pretty good for mixing. There really aren't any of these that I'd sip on the rocks instead of a nice glass of some aged rum, but for cocktail creation in a commercial environment these things become my friends. Whether they're necessarily my first choice for a libation has little to do with that.

*ahem* You're really going to make me say it aren't you... The wine list at Amada is pretty decent if I do say so myself. 40-odd bottles all available by the glass - approximately 75% Spanish 15% South American and 10% everyplace else. Capital Grill has an impressive wine list, in that testosterone laden steakhouse big paint-stripping red heavy sort of way. The Four Seasons has a great wine list, although I don't know who is stewarding it along now that James Colabelli has left their employ. It's obscenely overpriced, but quite impressive. The new and fabulous 19 at the Park Hyatt Bellevue undoubtedly has a decent cellar. They had some nice by the glass choices when I stopped in there for drinks and there was definitely a temperature controlled looking room with lots 'o bottles in it for everyone to see. Other contenders include Jake's in Manayunk, Monte Carlo Living Room, Davio's, Meritage, Susanna Foo, Penne, Striped Bass, Barclay Prime (obscene again, but deep). Elsewhere: I've been reading and hearing very good things about Domaine Hudson in Wilmington. I'd be delighted to check the place out with you - especially on someone else's dime. Many of the higher end casino restaurants in Frantic City have impressive lists. Martini Beach in Cape May has a smaller but carefully selected wine list that will be heavy on the selections in the $40-75 range. That should be in place by Memorial Day.

Today - tortilla chips with garlic and dill hummus shamelessly dipped right out of the container. White chocolate chips straight from the bag because I don't need no stinking bowl. Lots of crackers with crunchy peanut butter and several handfuls of hazelnuts and sliced almonds. I told you I looked like the hamster but you didn't believe me...

That's tough because a major flavor component of the drink is the oils extracted from the peels of the limes (or whatever fruit) from the abrasion of the sugar. That really needs to happen right as the drink is being made. I'd suggest a covered bartender's fruit/condiment tray with cut up limes, oranges, strawberries, whatever fruits you might want, a container of mint leaves plucked from their stalks ahead of time and covered with a damp paper towel, and a covered sugar bowl filled with Demerara sugar. Provide a few different flavors of rum, a chilled bottle of club soda, lots of ice, several shakers and muddlers and let folks go to town. Have a place to rinse the shakers out or have a hose nearby to rinse the equipment. This really isn't too different from setting up a commercial bar that sells a high volume of mojitos. Any decent restaurant supply store should be able to hook you up with what you'd need to set up a Mojito bar in your yard. Unfortunately the muddling and mixing has to happen right then, I think. You could always just hire a bartender to do the muddling and mixing for your guests once they've chosen their spirit and fruits/herbs of choice. When is the party? I'll check my schedule...

Can they really do that??!!?? That sucks fiercely for Matt, who has been an a beacon of honesty and hard work in that strip of no-tell motels for years. That really doesn't seem fair. I can understand the township wanting to make improvements but it just seems that Fuji (and Matt) are being punished for not being a sleazy low rent crime ridden business and keeping up with their neighbors.

I so want an "I'm not your bitch, Bitch!" T-shirt! Do they sell merchandise for Top Chef like they did for Project Runway? If they do I'll be first on line for one of these. Edit: I checked and they do have Top Chef merchandise, but no "Bitch" T-shirts. Just aprons and oven mitts and other tame stuff. Very boring. We need to start a write in campaign for the Bitch shirts!

Yes, please. Well, you know that Bacardi (and several other brands) make flavored rums. So the possibilities are only as endless as your imagination or your palate. A couple of my favorites are: Replace half of the lime pieces with orange pieces and muddle along with the mint and sugar. Use Bacardi O orange flavored rum for an O-jito (the original recipe for the Bad Education cocktail at Amada, in fact) Use Coconut rum instead of regular rum. If you're feeling particularly daring replace some of the mint with cilantro for a Thai-style Mojito. Use Mango rum and Red grapefruit segments in addition to limes and mint. If you can find them, use Key limes instead of regular Persian limes. Etc. Basic mojito recipe: 1 half lime cut into small pieces (I usually quarter the half longways and then cut into thirds across) 1 Tablespoon Sugar in the Raw (I like this because it's more abrasive to the peels) 8-12 mint leaves (depending on size) 2 oz. Rum Club soda to taste Place lime and sugar at bottom of shaker. Tear mint leaves on top and muddle vigorously. Add rum and fill shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until well chilled and sugar is dissolved. Dump contents into rocks glass and add soda to taste. Stir well to incorporate and and enjoy. It's pretty easy to riff on the basic Mojito recipe. Many of the results can be quite refreshing.

The four I had tried in the flight were as follows (with their desriptions): Hakushika Chokara - dry and crisp Miyanoyuki - light fruity taste with moderately dry finish Ozeki Yamadanishiki - smooth and refreshing flavor and matches well with a variety of dishes Okagura - medium dry with a nice balance of sweetness and rich body These were all quite delicious but I seem to recall the Ozeki being a particular favorite of mine and philadining's that evening.

Katie, Now you got some Maraschino have you tried this? I think I'm going to give it a go tonight. I'll report back later. ← I haven't tried this. I only had a small amount of Maraschino and I used it to create cocktail recipes rather than Jello shots. I need to actually order and purchase a whole bottle to have enough to screw around with this way. Please do report back! I want to know if I'm as clever as I think I am.

This is an interesting rumor. Can we get some confirmation or more facts? When is the Route 130 "clean up" scheduled to take place? ← My source is 100 percent reliable, but no definitive word if Matt is receptive. Source tells me he thinks Matt is too independant to bite. He'll find out more for me. Well I mean he or she...I have to keep her...or him confidential. Hint: my source is not Bob Woodward. But it could be. ← I can't imagine Matt wanting to deal with Chef Perrier as a business partner in any way shape or form. And yeah - he's owned his own business for decades. Why take a step backward and suddenly have to answer to someone else? Especially if they are a pan throwing, obscenity screaming lunatic with a Napoleon complex? YIKES! I'm just not seeing this having any traction.

Tommy: Your local Vietnamese restaurant might be able to tell you where they get theirs for the ubiquitous Shrimp on Sugar Cane appetizers. I've seen it at Pathmark before, with the other Latino produce like plantains, boniatos, etc. Let me know if you want a couple of cool mojito variations.

Actually, Cointreau is the very best triple sec known to man, distilled from sweet and bitter orange peels. Grand Marnier is sweeter and has vanilla and Cognac in the base as well as getting some oak ageing. The cheap triple sec is both less flavorful and less viscous in a drink and usually a LOT sweeter. Adding Grand Marnier to a margarita usually makes it what's called a "Golden Margarita" and the flavor profile is slightly altered (for the better in my opinion). If you want that really good flavor of a Golden Margarita then use the Gran Gala instead of cheap triple sec. If you don't care, then use regular triple sec. If you want really intense flavor you can also use Luxardo Triplum which is very similar to Cointreau but like the Gran Gala, a bit less expensive than the high end and better known product it mimics. A little bit of actual lime juice added to the jello dials back the sweetness a bit and makes it tastes more like a real margarita. Obviously, I've done this a few times...

oh well, it's back up. ← In honor of "Wine Festival Week" there's free shipping on orders of $200 or more this week. Offer ends 5/7/06.

This is an interesting rumor. Can we get some confirmation or more facts? When is the Route 130 "clean up" scheduled to take place?

Daniel, I'm begging you. Buy yourself a cleaver and don't hurt your knives or yourself hacking up bones...

Catfish is NOT kosher. For a fish to be kosher it has to have fins and scales. Catfish have no scales, hence they don't make the cut. I'd suggest Red Snapper or Salmon, both are popular and I'm certain any decent caterer has a long list of ways to prepare either that would please your guests.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. The service at FL is flawless. Truly. And everything seems to happen as if by magic. I don't ever remember being interrupted or inconvenienced in any way and yet my water and wine glasses were always filled. My dining partner and I were so stuffed by the end of the meal we each had a just a single bite of our desserts and pushed them away. They were immediately whisked away and two NEW desserts appeared. When we asked the waiter why they brought us two new desserts he simply said, "We thought the others weren't to your liking Miss..." Unreal.

Go for a Rhone syrah instead of a New World Shiraz. More smokiness and meatiness with better acidity. A fine bottle of St. Joseph or Hermitage would be lovely...

I like the way you think and your resourcefulness for the camping trips. Brilliant! When you do the margarita shots just make sure you proportion out the tequila, lime juice and Grand Marnier the same way you would for a non-gelatin version of the drink. For what it's worth, I'd buy the Gran Gala (less expensive version of Grand Marnier that tastes virtually the same) for this particular application. The flavor of the jello will mask the finer points of Grand Marnier so it isn't really worth $40 a bottle for jello shots IMO.

Sorry I missed you too. I took a rare day off to attend the Philadelphia Wine Festival. Brett seems to always end up being the waiter whenever I have friends come in. He loves my friends so that's great. The fried cheese with the gazpacho are Idiazabal croquettes. I think they'd make the world most amazing bar snack except it would be impossible to stop eating them until one made oneself sorry for overindulging. The sandwich your guests had is the Serrano Ham sandwich that also has grilled chorizo and grated parmesan cheese on it. You had the Ensalada Verde which is all of Chef Garces' favorite green things - avocado, haricot verte, asparagus, baby greens, fava beans, etc. It's a really nice salad. On a completely separate note, the Bad Education cocktail has been changed to a Lychee Mojito for the summertime. A recipe from one of my fellow bartenders. Muy delicioso! Everyone should come in and try one soon. Quite refreshing!

I've seen plenty of places that don't even bother to check references. They get what they deserve in that case. A former employer hired my replacement after I'd resigned and didn't bother checking their references. The individual in question is someone that I'd fired years ago at another job for stealing. They'd also been fired for stealing by another friend of mine that had been their boss at another restaurant. Oh well. That's what you get for being too lazy or desperate to bother checking references. Flat out making up skills you possess or work experience you don't legitimately have will undoubtedly come back to bite you in the ass someday. Usually doesn't take very long for that to happen.

Just got a shipment at ************. Got 1 to try finally. What, you think I'lll let you steal em again? ← PM me, 'bro! I need to get some more Kaiken for the house wine at Chez K-Lo. edited to add: Never mind. I found it! Woo-hoo!