KatieLoeb

Oooohhhh! I just found out that one of my favorite wine producers from Sonoma is making a grenache rose. Unti Vineyards has made a tiny bit of this wine from the 2002 vintage. Only 249 cases produced. Apparently only 5 bottles have hit the east coast, and they all came to us! One was a gift to the Beverage Director and the other four will be on our reserve list. I'm probably not going to get to taste it. Grrrrr ! But the 2001 Grenache is currently being served by the glass and it's unbelievable! I just tired it today and it has an incredible depth of flavor and smooth lingering finish. Tastiest domestic grenache I think I've ever tasted! I'm certain the rose is of equal quality since the winemaker is a bit of a nut and really into low yields and ultra-high quality. Try any of these wines if you can find them. They really are terrific.

Varmint: You're right and I stand corrected. Salice Salentino is from Puglia. I wasn't really paying attention to that part of your post. My brain sort of leapt up and said "that must be..." when I read Cheap Italian Wine. Sorry...

Varmint: What is it, exactly? Salice Salentino, perchance? I've seen this for outrageously low prices and it's pretty tasty nonetheless. As for the embarrassment factor, peel off the price sticker!

Shoot, Varmint! That's what I was going to bring! Between Herbacidal's Ginger infused Vodka and my limoncello, I was going to whip up some mean cocktails for the crowd. Lemon-Ginger Pig Pickers, perhaps?

I checked three Greek cookbooks for "pilaf" recipes. Here's the basic distillation of what was common. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add one small diced onion, measured rice (long grain white - they ALL recommended Uncle Ben's!) and half as much orzo pasta as rice to the butter and stir for a few minutes until opaque (sounds like the start of risotto, no?). Add 2.5x the total measure of rice/orzo of chicken broth, juice of one lemon and a bay leaf. Bring to boil and then cover and simmer until the water is absorbed. Opa! You got Greek rice. edited for clarity

I absolutely love this idea and have often thought of opening a restaurant that does this (or maybe just 3 and 5 oz. pours) along with a selection of really good food that comes in small (read appetizer) and large (read "share me sized") plates. Encourage customers to design their own meals and match wines to every course. If there were such a place in Philadelphia, I'd be there as often as I could afford it. Vengroff, are you sure the pours at Blue Ribbon are 4, 6 and 8 ounces??!!?? Approaching this from the beverage cost control aspect, that 8 oz. pour seems bloody huge (that's 1/3 of a 750 ml bottle dude! ) it seems really cost-ineffective for the restaurant, only in that it's hard to get a customer to pop say $15.00 for one glass. Maybe they're just using those big assed wine stems you can do flip turns in and it just seems that way? Or maybe they're using really tiny glasses and getting the "fun house mirror" effect? I am curious what they'd charge for an 8 oz. glass of wine. It also becomes necessary then to put in separate keys into the sales system (i.e. Taste Pinot Noir, 3 oz. glass Pinot Noir, Full Glass Pinot Noir) to track sales and check for over pouring and/or theft (which is basically the end result of what I do all day long). It's hard enough to figure out how much of each flavor vodka got used each week without adding more equations into the mix. I realize not every restaurant has a person that performs my particular job function, but hopefully somehow weekly inventories and sales are compared and someone's checking to make sure the store isn't being given away. We figured out that one heavy handed bartender could cost us about $10,000/year. For restaurants doing big volume in wine by the glass sales (and one could presume that a place like this would do that just out of the sheer novelty of it), you can imagine the potential for hemmorhaging potential profits from every orifice, so to speak.

Wow - this dinner looks TRULY awesome. Why wasn't this place around when I was growing up in that neck of the woods??? Of course my palate wasn't as sophisticated then, but I still knew what I liked, and I'm certain I would have enjoyed this immensely. Those soft shell crabs are right up my alley! It had occurred to me to jump in my car and drive up there from Philly on Sunday afternoon, but I figured it was both too late to RSVP and I had to go track down my cell phone which I had accidentally dropped in a friend's car a few days before. Perhaps you active Jerseyites could plan some events that are more toward the Central Jersey area so that some of the adventurous Philly folks and the adventurous NY Gulleteers could join you? Since Fat Guy and Ellen were nice enough to come join the DDC Rodizio Road Trip to Perth Amboy, a location in the middle might encourage more folks to join in. Not that you'd want that or anything...

I've always wanted to contribute to this book. My recipe for Trailer Park Cassoulet is Beanie Weanie Casserole (canned Pork 'n Beans with sliced hot dogs) with a Fried Chicken Leg on top! Legendary stuff.

Do I have to blow the whole wad on ONE bottle??? How about I go to my favorite wine store, spend the thousand on several mixed cases of wine, and enjoy preparing meals to go with those selections for some time to come. Sounds like a plan to me...and a lot likelier what I would do if the constraint was only that Auut Tilly wants me to spend it on fine food and wine.

Domaine Cheze makes a lovely Viognier. We're currently pouring it by the glass and it seems to be quite popular.

Beans: Aw shucks - I don't even know how to respond to that. Having worn your well worn shoes in previous incarnations, I thank you for the compliment. Vengroff is correct in his equating of costs. Look - I don't claim to be a rocket scientist, however certain things become evident over time and experience. In my current position, I take of Beverage Cost Accounting. Part of my responsiblilty for a group of three restaurants is to physically take the inventory of the one where my office is located (Striped Bass), punch that inventory (and the other two from Rouge and Bleu) into a weekly spreadsheet program that allow the Beverage Director to see the ending inventories and how that compares to the par, and place the liquor orders in a timely fashion for delivery later in the week. I check in that liquor order when it arrives, to make sure that what we paid for is what got delivered. I enter the weekly sales and make sure that what we started with, plus what we bought, minus what we sold, equals what we had when I counted it this week. Make sense? I can assure you that the bottle of wine that costs us $20 and that we mark up at 40% cost and sell for $50 on the list, will need to be replaced next week or might even be "86'd" before the following weekend. The bottle of Gaja, on the other hand, that cost us $140 and that we are selling for $325 (because you can't get away with the 40% markup on higher end products) will sit and sit and sit for months or even longer and tie up cellar space that could be devoted to products with higher turnover, until one customer who is a wine aficionado (or has an expense account!) and is willing to spend for it, buys it. If the equation is that we are tipping based on the "time and effort it takes the restaurant to provide that bottle", then you should tip MORE for the high end products, which often must be special ordered, and are allocated due to small supply, etc. Do we see where I'm going with this yet??? Tip on sales cost. Everything is conveniently already figured into that equation for you, by folks on the "other side" of the equation. Capice?

Glenn: That servers total sales for any given pay period, are by definition, THEIR sales, whether they are based on one shift or ten. On average for that one shift, they should still be making way more than I declare for them. If not, either they suck and should be fired, or they're a magnet for lousy customers Their percentage of the total restaurant sales for that period might vary from pay period to pay period, but their tips are hopefully at least what I declared for them.

First off, congratulations on starting your children on the road to self-sufficiency and adventurous eating habits! Brava! This might be a bit late in the game, but my favorite quick lunch of late that isn't as ordinary but just as easy to prepare is tuna salad with some wasabi powder sprinkled in. Pretty good with salmon salad made from leftover salmon too.

Except that with rare exception it goes the other way. As if always walking home with cash in their pockets weren't enough, some waiters and bartenders (obviously not Beans) have this nasty habit of not wanting to pay taxes on April 15 like the rest of us, and feel that being in the service industry and making tips is license NOT to declare income. Having been in charge of payroll at several of my previous places of employment, I can tell you that I would always declare a minimum of 12% of sales, whether an employee asked for that to be done or not. If the volume of sales doesn't match up to at least a fraction of the declared tips at an establishment, the restaurant would be audited and it was MY job to prevent that from happening (and yes - there are adjustments for comps, manager meals, promotions, etc.). Besides, if a reasonable amount of earnings aren't declared, then the employee ends up OWING taxes rather than breaking even or getting a refund as some of us do. This is neither here not there in terms of tipping however. MKJR, perhaps next time you want to eat out, you should come in a few hours earlier and polish your glassware and silverware, make sure that the salt and pepper shakers on your table are filled, cut lemons for soft drinks and cocktail garnishes, etc. Go get your own bread from the bread station. Make sure you brought your corkscrew so you can open the wine you've chosen and gone and fetched from the cellar. When your appetizer comes up in the kitchen, just tell the server not to bother, and go walk through the kitchen doors and fetch it yourself. Then you'll have to interrupt your meal to go let them know to fire your entree, so there isn't a long wait between courses. Does this sound like a pleasant evening out???? Stay home and be happy. Eat out and tip on service.

Mark: Not to spank you any further, but perhaps you should try some of the Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige (or Southern Tyrol, depending on whether you ask and Italian or an Austrian). I find those wines to be far more pleasant AND food friendly (also a criteria I seek in wines) than the industrial swill and Santa Margherita-esque crap. Tiefenbrunner makes a very tasty PG that sounds like it may be more to your tastes.

If you can find it and since you already like it, Corte Gardoni makes an absolutely luscious Chiaretto.

That sounds perfect! Let us know your thoughts after the tasting.

Excellent suggestion! I LOVE the Vin Gris from Bonny Doon. Very tasty, dry and fruity, delicious summer wine, and/or "brunch wine" as it compliments egg dishes and light fare quite well. Unfortunately, California seems to be White Zinfandel country. Other countries make yummy pink wines though, that fit into your price parameters. Some of the grenache roses from Spain are very delicious as well, and pretty budget friendly. Marques de Caceres makes a quite potable Garnacha Rosato that's reasonably priced at around 10 bucks. A Tavel Rose can be had for around $11-12 too. Any of these wines are great with a Nicoise Salad, a bowl of Boulliabaise, a slice of quiche, etc. Curiously, for all the maligning it gets, when tasted side by side with various foods and other wine options, white zin matches up pretty favorably, and usually doesn't have any truly horrendous reactions with food that would make you go YECH, like other wine/fod pairings might.

Sara: Sorry you were dissappointed at the DDC Mexican. It's funny, you thought the posole was oily, and others found it too spicy, and others, too BLAND. I thought it was just right, but I guess that's why Goldilocks tried everything first, huh ? I wonder if in their lack of preparedness for such a large group if there were different "batches" of food being served that evening, as there was such a bizarrely different take on things, and much more so than could simply be explained away by personal tastes. My only complaint would have been the leisurely service, but I think it's clear they probably weren't accustomed to having that many people at once with such a large and varied set menu. I hope to go back and give it a "real" test drive, and simply order off the menu and see if I like it as much that way. I haven't tried Las Cazuelas yet, although your good report is not the first I've heard. How is Mexico Lindo? Is it more "street grub" a la La Lupe/Tacqueria Veracruzana, or more sit-down, if not fine dining like Las Cazuelas or Zocalo? Can one go there other than in broad daylight (a VERY large male friend was carjacked in Camden, so I'm leery at best) or is it best to do this on a weekend afternoon? I've heard great things about the place and am very much looking forward to trying it. Hey Holly! Is it time for a Mexican update on Holly Eats? I volunteer to check out Mexico Lindo!

Holly: I had lunch at La Lupe today - inspired by this earlier response. I like Tequilas's but the place in Norristown is less expensive. If you haven't been there you should definitely try it. Quite tasty, large diverse menu and the best posole soup I've ever tried. Let me know if you are ever feeling inclined. I'd always be game and I just discoved that I have a coupon in my Entertainment book burning a hole in my pocket, so we could get out of there really cheap...

Sara: Try e-mailing Michael Klein at the Inquirer. If he doesn't already know, he'll certainly want to find out. I'm sorry to hear all this. The food there really was very good, and although I didn't get there often, I always knew there'd be a great Mexican meal awaiting me. I guess we're going to have to drive all the way to Norristown and Tacqueria Michoaxana now for a good Mexican meal!

Bruscetta doesn't always have to be the "usual" chopped tomatoes and basil thingie, does it? You could top the toasted bread with almost anything that twisted your knickers. How about other roasted vegetables? Zucchini, eggplant, roasted peppers (sweet bell and/or long hots in all colors) in various combinations with lots of EVOO and sea salt. Marinated mushrooms. Marinated artichoke hearts. Roasted garlic puree to spread on toasted bread. Anchovy bruscetta? Sliced pepperoni. Tons of different olives, stuffed "poppers" (that's what the Italians here in Philly call those pickled hot peppers stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella), stuffed and bread crumb/grated cheese topped small zuchinni or baby eggplants. How about a white bean salad? How about a fennel salad? I love Italian food! There's so much good stuff!

Rather than ask the front desk clerk, who probably knows about as much as a secretary who loves Olive Garden about what constitutes good food, I'll have a drink at the hotel restaurant and talk to the bartender or a waiter. At least they work in the business and can give a more educated response. If you're lucky and it's toward the end of service, you might catch the chef or a sous chef having an after shift drink and ask them where they eat locally on their nights off. That will only be useful for the next day, but it's usually right on the money.

Where are you going? That might help...

Herb: My new Scandinavian cookbook has a recipe for a Lemon Mead in it. Interested?