KatieLoeb

Also a problem I'd love to have. 1961 is both the vintage of the century and coincidentally the year of my birth. Hopefully by my 50th birthday I'll have both located a bottle and saved enough to buy one for the festivities. I'll weigh the options thusly: New House? Bottle of wine? New car? Bottle of wine?

Hey Ali! Where've you been? Haven't seen you... New career path? Are you marketing said packets? Just curious... For the record, we do the little pitchers of simple syrup with our iced tea here at Rouge. Customers seem to really like that.

Hi David: Yeah - this one will go down in the annals of "Nutty Stuff I've Done", for sure. But it was a blast and the jealous stares of the onlookers only confirmed that we were definitely on to something! The Benjamin port was totally delicious! I had also read the high marks in the trade press and wondered what all the fuss was, and also how a port in that price range could possibly be any good. But it IS! One of the reviews I read about it said "Benjamin Port should be bought by the case and shared liberally with friends." Sounds like good advice to me!

I seem to recall Bogart's in the Latham where Jolly's now is. I never said I wasn't geographically impaired.

I'm in the spicy asian soup camp for blasting out the head - Hot n' Sour, Tom Yum, heavily spiced Pho are all good sinus clearers. When I seek nothing but a sedative and cure-all I make a mug of Apple-Cinnamon flavored Ther-a-Flu and put a shot of Stroh's 160, 80 proof (sugar beet based) Austrian rum in it. It knocks me out cold, I sweat like a beast and wake up feeling virtually cured. And it doesn't even taste like medicine! This works well with a stiff shot of Bourbon or brandy too. But the rum makes it taste like spiced cider and it really is hardly medicinal at all.

nobody? this is driving me nuts. Bogart's or something like that?

No doubt! And of course would have made certain to mix up said constable's favorite libation of choice!

Last night - home infused cranberry vodka and white cranberry/peach juice. Pretty tasty.

Holly: What on earth do you mean we'll never be invited back??!?? We're the ideal customers. We snaked the rock star parking up front in the "No Parking" zone right by the fire hydrant (as is evidenced in the photos). We brought our own booze, our own seating, our own glassware and cocktail shakers, even our own ambiance with flowers on the table and the umbrella...we're so low maintenance. The fact that we were literally stopping traffic was not our fault. Folks were just too dazzled by our creativity and brilliance is all. Hmmpft. Dinner was indeed spectacular, or at least what I remember of it after two large glasses of vodka on an empty stomach and then all manner of wine and stuff. But the photos do it far more justice than my clouded memory would. Everything was delicious and will definitely go back to Melograno another time and skip the pre-prandial cocktail hour in the truck so I remember it all better. Since I was in charge of the wines I'll detail what we had with dinner. We started with the Argyle Vineyards Brut Rose 1997 from Oregon. There's nothing better than something pink and sparkly to start off a meal, I think, and this wine was a real winner. The delicacy of a sparkler with more guts. The Argyle folks make all their sparkling wines in true methode Champenoise so it really has the elegance and flavor one would expect from a true Champagne. $20.29 at PLCB Specialty stores. For a white wine a brought Fazi Bataglia Verdicchio San Sisto Riserva 2000. An excellent standard Italian white. It's quite full bodied for a white wine with vibrant acidity that really compliments food. This was one of the PLCB "special buys" at $14.99. For the red wine I brought (and must go run back to the store and buy up some more before it's all gone) Arrowood Syrah Saralee Vineyard 2000. Another PLCB "special buy" at $17.99. This wine is seriously jammy. It's like a melted Syrah flavored Jolly Rancher in the glass. Notes of cocoa, cassis, but mostly berries and concentrated cooked down fruit. Really silky and smooth and the finish lasts for an eternity. This stuff is quoted in the wine press at up to $48 so it's a serious steal at that price. Must. Go. Buy. More. For dessert I thought I'd be geographically adventurous and picked out a Benjamin Tawny Port from Australia. I'd read about this but not had the chance to try it. It's quite tasty and a definite bargain for the quality at about $10! I think I might like this with certain cheeses too. Not overly assertive or spicy, but quite full flavored, particularly given the price point. Could easily become my house port for next winter.

Carman: It's not every Thursday. The special events at Samba are frequent, but Flamenco Ole! is not the "House Dance Troupe" or anything. Also, Flamenco Ole! is often travelling to perform so I'm certain nailing down a performance with them is not quite so simple. More information about Flamenco Ole! can be found at their website HERE. More information about Samba can be found at their website HERE Check under "Coming Attractions". There is also an evening of Argentine Tango performance and instruction this coming Thursday evening May 6 that could a blast as well.

Hi everyone: While we were recently lamenting long past restaurants and the subject of Tapas came up, it brought a tear to my eye. I happen to be on the mailing list for Samba Nightclub which is located at 714 West Girard Avenue and is widely known for their Brazilian rodizio dinners. Turns out they are hosting Flamenco Ole! on Thursday evening May 13, with shows at 8PM and 10PM. When I called to inquire more about tickets etc., the very kind manager said he'd e-mail me "special pricing" for a group of 10 or more, with and without dinner inclusive. The regular freight is $15.00 at the door for the Flamenco show or $12.50 in advance. Their regular pricing for dinner is $22.95 for all the Atkins friendly meat you can eat. If folks were interested in doing this (the early show on a schoolnight for me) I'll definitely follow up with management there. This doesn't have to turn into a great big ole deal or anything, but I thought a smaller group along the lines of our usual Pizza Club gatherings might be fun. I absolutely ADORE Flamenco, and for those of you that may not have had the pleasure, it's Muy Caliente! It's truly passionate and infectious to watch. And the guitar music is just awesome. The guitarist of whom I spoke so fondly on the previous thread, Mr. Carlos Rubio, is the Music Director for Flamenco Ole and the woman who runs the company, Julia Lopez, is a world reknowned dancer and choreographer. These guys are REALLY good, and are (unfortunately) a not nearly well enough known artistic resource in Philadelphia. So what do you all think? Shall we go drink pitchers of sangria, stomp our feet and shout OLE! at the tops of our lungs together? This could definitely push me over the edge to take that Flamenco dancing class I've always yearned to take. More about this HERE Post your opinions here....

One of my favorite inventions is "Katie's Funky Waldorf Salad". Rather than having celery, apples and walnuts, I substitute sliced fennel, diced pears and cashews. I also add a handful of golden raisins for sweetness and some crumbled blue cheese. The dressing is commercial Russian/Thousand Island that's too thick to start with and then thinned with a bit of defrosted frozen apple juice concentrate. After it's all mixed up I throw in a bit of the chopped fennel fronds for some greenery and a bit more anise flavor. It's really good. Once in a while I'll make a Spinach and Strawberry salad with a thin very lemony mayonnaise type dressing on it. I'm a big fan of mesclun or spring mixes but I tend to jazz then up a bit with some local farmer greens or almost always with some watercress for that peppery bite. Salad mixes can sometimes be a bit bland, so the watercress kind of brings it somewhere between bland plain, and too peppery watercress on its own. I love to throw nuts into my salads. Cashews are my favorite, but walnuts, slivered almonds or even soy nuts for some crunch are always welcome. Beets are a common salad addition in my household as well. Sometimes Mandarin orange segments for sweetness. Cubed avocado. Grape tomatoes. Chopped hard boiled eggs if I happen to have them around. Cubed cheese of whatever is in the dairy drawer and needs to move out. Sliced leftover roast beef, London Broil or Turkey breast is great on a salad and makes it a substantial meal in my book.

There's a restaurant here in Philadelphia called Friday, Saturday, Sunday that sells every bottle on their list for $10 above cost . It's a great policy but I can't imagine how they're making enough revenue from that to pay the bills. I guess that they make up for it in alcohol, beer, glass wine and food sales. The wine list can be viewed HERE

NulloModo: There's real "good stuff" that is aged and comes in bottles that aren't necessarily shaped like the one above. The stuff I have at home is This One and it's amazing. This is what I referred to in another thread abot wine and cheese when I said to drizzle just a tiny bit of good viscous aged balsamic over some aged parmesano reggiano. That's the snack food of the gods, for sure. In addition to putting it on strawberries as Robyn mentioned (another favorite way to use this sparingly for best effect) you can also brush a light film or a wee drizzle on a perfectly grilled steak before you eat it. That's pretty damned tasty too.

Buzz: You are so NOT the LCD I was addressing that it doesn't even hit the same radar. The very fact that you've spent time in a professional kitchen cranking out 700 salads disqualifies you by definition. The fact that Kitchen Confidential spoke to you in a way that made an impression deep enough for you to self-define by it disqualifies you. As the self-proclaimed "King Spud" I appreciate what you're saying. But you seriously underestimate yourself and your experience as it relates to the target I was aiming for with my earlier comments.

Must. Try. This. Immediately. Fruit Cocktail sorbet. Yum. Tastes surprisingly familiar but I bet no one could place it!

Yup - that pretty much covers it! Thank goodness there's some "reality" programming connected with the restaurant biz that's getting a true and realistic picture out there. One of the things that I find the most disturbing about "The Restaurant" (aside from the fact that most of those people wouldn't last ten minutes anywhere I've ever worked) is that now this is how much of America believes high-volume "professional"-level restaurants are run. Although the exposure is great (or not) PR for the one enterprise depicted, I can't think of a more damaging bit of PR for the entire industry than what's being shown on NBC. If it makes you feel any better, as someone who has never worked a day in the restaurant industry, I can assure you that I don't watch The Restaurant saying "so that is what it's like". Rather, I watch saying "The place has a kitchen like a restaurant. It has a dining room like a restaurant. That appears to be about it". You are clearly a more discerning individual than the "average" couch potato or Lowest Common Denominator (obviously their target market) to which I was referring.

New Jersey - Tomatoes! Pennsylvania - soft pretzels

It might lose a little something in translation for me. Than you, I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your bartenders and waitresses...

Yup - that pretty much covers it! Thank goodness there's some "reality" programming connected with the restaurant biz that's getting a true and realistic picture out there. One of the things that I find the most disturbing about "The Restaurant" (aside from the fact that most of those people wouldn't last ten minutes anywhere I've ever worked) is that now this is how much of America believes high-volume "professional"-level restaurants are run. Although the exposure is great (or not) PR for the one enterprise depicted, I can't think of a more damaging bit of PR for the entire industry than what's being shown on NBC.

You could riddle the cans, but the temptation to then open them pointed at someone might be too great!

Katie, how much will that set us back at retail? Seth: An astonishing buy at about $9.00 (at least here in PA)! Problem is that in PA it's what's called an SLO or Special Liquor Order, meaning that it's really meant for restaurants or consumers that want to go through the trouble of ordering at least a full case through the State. My purveyor (Winebow) sells it in PA, NY and NJ. Only success I had finding it with a Google search was an abundant supply in the UK (at ≈ 4.99-6.00₤), but that probably doesn't help you much. Perhaps it could be found local to you using a wine search engine like WineAccess.com or Winesearcher.com?

I just got a Mendoza Argentinian Chardonnay/Viognier 60%-40% blend in for by-the-glass pouring. It's the Santa Isabel 2003 and is a perfect "sittin'-in-the-sunshine-sippin'" wine for summer. Lots of peaches and a hint of floral from the Viognier on the nose and crisp and refreshing to boot. Seems to be going over well with the Cafe Society types that populate our sidewalk.

Good for you! I won't speak for any other businesses other than the statistical sample that I've been exposed to which is restaurants, but I'd imagine the cluelessness could easily cross industries. I think with restaurants though, there's that cheery ingenuous Busby Berkley :music swells: [Judy Garland]"Let's Open a Restaurant, Kids!!"[/Judy Garland] mentality that is so pervasive. Anyone and everyone thinks they can do it simply because they eat at restaurants all the time, and somehow feel "connected" to the industry, or that they have an understanding of it that they don't feel about say, putting up a building, opening a hair salon, or doing brain surgery. Clueless is as clueless does....

NoooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo! Okay, who approved my mother for membership? What's the point of being a Site Manager if I'm not consulted on inmportant decisions like this, I ask you? Ruh-Roh, Rastro! Looks like the kitten is out of the bag now... So Mrs. Kinsey, about Sam's childhood....