KatieLoeb

Arey: Are you in Margate/Longport area or elsewhere?

I LOVE Progresso chickarina. Little meatballs, chopped spinach and/or escarole, pearl pasta and chicken broth. That is Italian Wedding Soup, no? Chickarina has been one of my faves ever since I was little. It always blew the doors off of Campbells Chicken Noodle, which I found bland and watery, even as a child. I never understood why other kids liked that...

Trish: Nice cross section of sparklers there! Depending on whether you like the Vouvray as is or find it a tad too tart, I might mix that with OJ for mimosas (or with Cranberry Juice for Poinsettias - also quite seasonally apropos and tasty!), or perhaps one of the Prosecco. I think whichever of the Prosecco is fruitier would be delicious with the fruit salad just as it is. Definitely save the Demi-sec to enjoy with dessert. Cheers and Happy Holidays!

I think Progresso Chickarina Soup is the most commercially available version of this dish, isn't it? I actually LOVE Chickarina! It's my "go to" canned soup when I'm feeling under the weather. That is if I'm not doing the medicinal thing with a big bowl of Pho or Hot and Sour soup instead

A few months ago I got it into my head to make a "healthy" version of rice pudding that was lower on the glycemic index than rice pudding made from white rice and tons of sugar. I made it with brown rice and wheatberries, vanilla soy milk, cinnamon, etc. It tasted delicious but was rather chewy. The wheatberries never get past barely al dente no matter how long you boil the crap out of them.

As Mr. Rogers would say: [soft soothing voice]It's nice to share...[/soft soothing voice]

I do like Darjeeling and I will give this a try sometime soon. You should go snoop through House of Tea sometime if you haven't had the pleasure. It's right across the street from that big health food store (brain freeze - can't think of the name) on 4th Street just above Monroe, I think. The smell of that store is positively intoxicating. You can sniff to your hearts content and Jessica Litt who runs the shop, really knows her stuff. As an aside, House of Tea also has a lovely selection of tea cups/saucers and tea pots to make up a lovely gift basket for someone who's hard to buy for. I always thought of this as sort of a "grandma present", but I think a really nice porcelain tea cup for one and a nice pot, a tea ball and a few selections of tea would be a nice gift for almost anybody.

Hi James: The A.H. Hirsch is pretty damn good stuff. We went through a bottle of it in no time flat at the SB bar (during better times, obviously). Very popular with the high end Bourbon drinkers and the single malt Scotch types too. Price was almost exactly the same at resturant "wholesale" for whatever that's worth, as well. All the Hirsch products are top notch. The 20 year old Reserve Bourbon is completely SOLD OUT in the state of PA. Gotta run for the border, as it were. You can still order the 16 year old and it's mightly fine. I'd put this in the same category as treating yourself to a nice bottle of Cognac for sipping over the next few cold months. Yeah - it's pricey. But so's a lot of things. Great gift for someone you know would appreciate it! Have I told you how nice you look today?...

There is undoubtedly a future for your son in France. Either as a winemaker/cuvee blender or perhaps as an insured "nose" for a Perfume house in Grasse!

Consider me a girl with a healthy appetite and a brutally honest streak !

My favorite place to buy tea is House of Tea which is ever so conveniently located all of a couple of blocks from my house. I really love the fruit flavored loose teas for iced tea (Four Red Fruit or Paradise Green Tea is awesome) and for regular sipping I'm fond of the Russian Caravan and the Earl Grey with Violets. I'm really more of a coffee drinker, but when I'm having a jones for a good cup of tea, nothing less than the good stuff will suffice. Regular Lipton or supermarket bags just don't cut it.

Oh. My. God. This sounds like something that would require either a cigarette or scratching my butt and rolling over and beginning to snore afterward...Maybe both!

"Punky's Dilemma" from the Simon and Garfunkel album Bookends. I like your version better. The Unbeaten Champion of the Free World as We Know It of Obscure Music Trivia Lives! :Genuflecting Smilie:

We all got sick about 7 hours after the meal started. I know there are other factors involved and I am not looking to "get anything" out of it. I guess I was curious if a chef and or restaurant finds this helpful or not. Any restaurant that I've ever worked for WELCOMED knowing about such things so if there are multiple complaints regarding the same dish from customers in different parties thay could narrow down the possible source. Customers will often call and complain in the hopes of scamming a free meal or getting a gift certificate out of it, but my question is why would you EVER go back to somewhere that made you ill (unless you were lying ) ???

Condrieu, St. Estephe, Demi-Sec bubbly? This is a wild guess besause really, you need to tell us how the mains will be being prepared. I'd certainly pair a diferent wine with a spice rubbed sirloin than I would with a straight grilled or broiled steak. Same with the lobster. Spices, sauces, accompaniments?

Jim: Great descriptions and wonderful finds! I shall search them out in NJ since PA is difficult at best. I'm really intrigued by Chinon with no hints of bell pepper. Not that I dislike that, but it is often overwhelming in the range of scents in the nose. And yes- isn't nice to know what Chard is supposed to taste like! I love French Chardonnay, Italian Chardonnay, etc., but really dislike most (not all) domestic Chard because it tastes like tongue depressors. Wine should taste like fruit dammit!!!

What, no pictures? This sounds awesome!

Jeez Rich - this sounds like fun! Can a non-beer geek come for the festivities and cheer? I'd be happy to have a glass of wine and some cheese and goof off with all you beer-o-pliles. What time are you doing this?

I understand now about the Malbec thing. Didn't know it was a semi-regular list item. (It's not in a lot of places, certainly. Although, it should be!) Perhaps you should go to some wine tastings with your friend and expand her horizons a bit. It'll probably make your event planning a lot easier in the future, as well as hopefully prevent those embarassing tableside moments. Got it on Cuba Libre as well. I thought friend liked the whole package, not just the bar. Unfortunately, this is most likely true. Anyone that's arrogant enough to behave that way toward a guest with impunity, is not likely to possess the self-reflection required to make the appropriate apologies. That would require admitting or implying wrongdoing, and that's just not going to happen Dittos - see above Doesn't matter in the least. You had an atrocious guest experience in his establishment. THAT'S what matters. That's a damn shame, and says a lot about how truly offputting the experience was. Simply owning a restaurant does not a make one a restaurateur. If that were the case, then every McDonald's franchisee could claim the title! There's a flavor to that term which implies service, and unfortunately, you didn't get it. Very sorry.

John: I think it depends how "dry" your Sekt is. If it's really bone chilling dry then something briny/salty is in order. Salt is the chemical opposite of acid, so screechingly acidic/dry wines taste much tamer and fruitier with a salty accompaniment. Think Sancerre and oysters, dry champagne and caviar, etc. A dish with a briny or salty component will compliment better. However, if your Sekt has some sweetness to it, then you'll want something really rich to counteract that like a buttery lobster, foie gras, etc.

You know, I've heard this before, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Something in my presbyterian upbringing or something prevents me from making anyone else go to any kind of trouble for me, even when I'm paying. I should really get over that. Dah-ling! You certainly do need to get over this. Honestly, what is the point of having a Sommelier or Beverage Director/Manager if not to be certain the customers are happy? If it were just about simply placing the phone calls to the purveyors and faxing a form to the liquor warehouse to fulfill the weekly order for liquor then restaurants could save a ton of money and create a spreadsheet program to calculate usage and hire an administrator/secretary/hostess to "phone in" (literally!) these monotonous tasks. The point of having "advanced" personnel to handle "advanced" customer service issues is exactly that. It's about making certain that everyone that walks in the door, walks out thinking it was one of the best experiences they've ever had. Nothing ever made me happier than having a customer call in advance with questions or a special request or assistance with sending a bottle of champagne to someone for their birthday/anniversary or whatever. You're not paying them (directly), the RESTAURANT is paying them to be certain that YOU are happy. The fact that you'll foot the bill for that level of customer service is what allows the restaurant to pay them directly, and you to pay them INDIRECTLY. To me, this is what separates the top notch "hospitality" providers from the rest of the pack. Whether it's a restaurant, a hotel, a spa or whatever, if the services aren't provided with an attitude that says "what can I do for you?", not "what are you doing for me by spending X $$$'s", then it's second rate by definition.

Sara: Sorry to hear of your bad experience at Salt. There is NEVER any excuse for rudeness to the guest, or making the guest feel less than comfortable. The server's lack of wine training (particularly in a restaurant that prides itself on its wine selection) is only what the owner is willing to tolerate. If he doesn't feel the need to have trained waitstaff, and doesn't have a problem with servers looking blankly at the guests when questions are asked, then that's what the guests are going to get. I've been to Salt and the dining room is tiny, and the owner is indeed present, so he is seeing this happen or is in earshot of it happening. He's taking part in the pointing and age guessing games too, right? Obviously he doesn't care. Unfortunate, but true. I don't think it has anything to do with your ages, per se, he's just willing to not only tolerate grossly unprofessional behavior from his staff, but to engage in it himself, it would seem. One quibble I have with your complaint is that if there was indeed nothing wrong with the wine (which there wasn't, by your own admission), then there's no reason for the restaurant to offer to take it back. It's perfectly OK to reject a bottle that is "off", corked, over-the-hill or whatever. It is extremely poor form to send it back simply because it wasn't to your or your friend's taste. I'd suggest in the future, that if there's a guest in your group that is very particular about their wine, then call the restaurant ahead and ask to have a copy of the list faxed to you. If there's nothing on the list that is appropriate, there's also no harm in asking if they might get something for you for the date of your reservation. If they want to be accomodating, then they will (assuming they have enough time to do that for you). It's no different to me than a customer asking if we could have some kosher wines available on the list during Passover because they keep kosher. If they don't want to at least try and be helpful, then they don't want your business and don't understand the root of "hospitality". Or ask if you can bring the wine of choice and pay a corkage fee. This has to be a better solution than having the guest of honor feel she's been given "mucus"! Just curious why your group didn't go to Cuba Libre from the get-go?

Try a Vouvray Petillant, like Prince Poniatowski's from the vineyards of Clos Baudoin. (Which , I think, was given the appellation Premier Grand Cru de Vouvray in 1878.) All of the Poniatowski wines are top notch. He makes whatever style the harvest will allow from year to year, so if the juice is a bit tart, he makes a dry still wine or often a sparkling (sparkling Vouvray is made by methode Champenoise so there is the opportunity to "sweeten" it up with dosage), if the juice has a lot of residual sugars or has been bleesed by botrytis, he'll make a demi-sec or a moelleux. The Poniatowski 1989 Clos Baudoin Vin de Tris Moelleux is unbelieveably delicious. Sweet, but with a healthy backbone of acidity, goes well for dessert, as an aperitif, with goat cheese or foie gras or even with the appropriate entree. Most folks don't think of pairing a sweeter wine in the middle of the progression of dinner wines, but I had this Vin de Tris paired once with a butter poached lobster and it was one of those synergistic parings that make you go "WOW - I GET it now!". In fact, those were the exact words of a friend who was enjoying the dinner with me. Sparkling Vouvray is a great buy and sparkling riesling can also be delicious. In fact it's my favorite thing to drink with sushi!

You are KILLING me!

A nice pair of black wool garbardine trousers that you'll get tons of wear out of later with either a silk blouse or silk sweater in a solid color (either more black or a splash of color of your choice), a black blazer atop for warmth and/or style is optional. You'll be properly attired for just about anything in NYC.