KatieLoeb

Clearly, we've compared notes. But next time we're going to manage to be there at the same time. It'll be epic when that finally happens.

I'd agree with this characterization. I've certainly made my share of gin-gin mules (along with giving due credit to Audrey) and brought a lot of nongin drinkers into the fold. It's a great "gateway drug" for the juniper haters as well as being damned refreshing and delicious, as well as being easy to replicate. Perhaps not as universal/ubiquitous as a Cosmopolitan, but most higher end bars would have the ingredients and be able to reproduce the drink.

Less tannic, more floral or herbal teas seem to work well with gin. I've used a green tea mixture from my local tea shop as well as a more floral cherry blossom based tea to good effect. The key is to tread that fine line between maximum flavor infusion before the tannins get the best of the mix. No more than a few hours with the gin slightly raised in temperature in a hot water bath seem to have the best results. Any more than that and it just tastes like an oversteeped teabag.

I just had the chance to try the Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters too, and I really like them. I find they work well in a drink that also contains Maraschino liqueur - they seem to create a deep dark cherry flavor together that are greater than the sum of a small bit of maraschino and a few dashes should do. I'm using them in a hibiscus infused rum drink I've just created for my fall cocktail menu. Sort of a cross between a gimlet and a Hemingway daiquiri with just 1/4 oz. of Maraschino and my homemade lime cordial. Tastes like a rum popsicle and is a beautiful color in the glass. The cherry bitters work well in this application.

I've seen tomato sorbetto there. The 20th Street store had it a couple of weekends ago. And I think there has been cheese flavored gelato - it might have been mascarpone and not mozzarella, though. Mascarpone, tomato and basil would be delicious together too.

I think Neufchatel is pretty much the same as cream cheese. But if you don't have to have the "New York style" weighs-a-ton cheesecake, you could always find a recipe for Ricotta or Mascarpone cheesecake. I tend to like those better myself, anyway, as I can actually finish a slice without feeling ill.

I see you're in a particularly philosophical mood tonight, Toby. What brought this on, dare I ask? Having pretty much always worked too hard to not enough money, I'm not sure if there's a linear relationship between earning what you deserve to and with what falls below the line of acceptable. I suppose relying on poor quality commercially bottled ingredients rather than making them myself where possible is something I wouldn't want to do anymore. Not sure if that will get me into Restaurant Heaven or not. I think Restaurant Heaven looks a lot like many of my favorite haunts. Low lights, plenty of very comfortable stools, good bar snacks, big ice, handsome attentive barkeeps that flirt and flatter me endlessly. I'd hope you and some of my other fave folks would be tending bar there, in any case. Selling out to get rich would be completely acceptable. I'm just waiting for the right offer from some deep pocketed corporation. Maybe TGIFriday's needs their signature cocktail list reworked? If they can cough up money for Guy Fieri, some Katie Kocktails ought to be worth at least six figures.

Tour sounds fun, and delicious! Russ and Daughters should have some things for you to eat as well.

But why (with all due respect) would anyone ever order knishes at Katz's if Yonah Schimmel's was so close by?? Unless it were the dead of night and the better alternative weren't available, (and I speak as one that travels a distance for this particular fix) I can not imagine ordering a knish at Katz's if Yonah Schimmel were available.

I won't be behind the bar, but will happily stop in to join you on the "served" side of the bar on my night off. PM me with your schedule. I'll be there with bells on!

Like Maggie, lot's of corn. Many tomato salads and tomato soups. And the Asian pears from my favorite orchard are just starting to come in, so I still have something to look forward to...

Woo-hoo! It's official! After waiting an eternity since last October, Chick's liquor license has finally been extended to the outdoor seating area! Just in time for the lovely weather, too. So stop by and have anything you want whilst enjoying the cool evening breeze...

This is a shame. Ross is a talented chef and I had hoped that the place would continue to do well. What more proof do we need that the economy is slumping? Best of luck to the staff, both front and back of the house, in finding new employment. This is a great big bummer.

Can you describe your process a little more thoroughly?

My recipe for fresh lime cordial that I've been using at my bar is in RecipeGuillet. Ingredients are far more accessable and the acid powders give the end result excellent shelf life when refrigerated. The little touch of rosewater makes it much tastier than Rose's IMHO. It can be adjusted to taste and made a bit sweeter with more sugar if that's how you like it. Makes a righteous gimlet with some Hendrick's.

Yup. Couldn't agree with this more. The house made mixers are definitely the unique angle that's gotten the most press for my bar/my bartending here in Philly. House made ginger beer, grenadine and lemon and lime cordials along with flavored syrups of various sorts are always behind the bar. The ginger beer is pretty versatile and is used in Dark 'n Stormys, Gin-Gin Mules, Moscow Mules and a couple of original cocktails as well. I make a gallon batch about once every ten days or so. Takes about 20 minutes. Makes everything it comes in taste better and fresher. It's a no brainer and a win-win for the bar and the guests. As for adding that "neighborhood" flavor to the cocktail menu, use local produce when possible, local liquor if possible (in my case I'm a big supporter of Bluecoat gin, made right here in Philly) and name drinks after local places, people and things. The "inside joke" is always good, if the guests pick up on it. I named the Front Stoop Lemonade in honor of the fact that we Philadelphians like to sit out on the front steps for a drink. Besides that, most of us don't actually have back porches, so it's a natural fit. Schuykill Punch is a sly reference to the local tap water. I'm working on a Schuykill Punch for the fall cocktail menu.

If you've admired the stemware or accoutrement at another restaurant, then call and ask the manager what make and model they are and who they purchased their things from. I know that at least here in PA where I have to consider such things, certain lines of glassware might be sold by anyone from one of the liquor purveyors to a salesperson that carries both the glassware as well as the china and silverware, to having to order online directly from the supplier. Depends who carries it where you are. Try and find out who the places that have the nice stuff are buying from. Ask for a catalog. Often the same shape glass comes in several volumes/sizes. Figure out what you want. Ask for samples. Play with the glassware. Put it through your usual washing process (eithe by hand or through the dishwasher) and see how it holds up. Sadly, the elegant pretty things often shatter in a thousand shards if you merely look at them crosseyed from across the room. There's plenty of very nice glassware that can stand up to the sort of abuse it will have to take in a commercial environment. The Riedel "Restaurant Series" or the Mikasa "Open Up" series of glassware can all stand up to some drumming on the tables. careless knocking over and dropping and still look and feel like fine lead crystal in the hand.

I wonder if a toasted nut oil and using the fat wash method (a la the Benton's bourbon) might work? It seems that leaving the fat in the booze would cause that louching or separation. :shrug: I dunno. Just sayin' is all... Perhaps making a toasted nut flavored tincture with a higher proof of alcohol and using it judiciously would be another alternate approach? I do love the sound of pecan infused bourbon...

Have you ever seen so many gorgeous tomatoes in one place?? And there were yet more - big ugly red ones, little tiny pear shaped red ones, orange ones, etc. I just had a mixed heirloom salad that was the most colorful thing I've possibly ever eaten! Delicious. There were tons of zucchini, summer squash, eggplants, corn, pattypans, cantaloupes, watermelon, local peaches, nectarines and seckel pears too. An salute to the end of summer. Lots of good veggies to be had at Maple Acres.

It's too late to edit right into the post, but here's a pic of the Melon Basil Sangria I mention above in post #775 I wish you all could see how pretty the antique back bar is. It's from 1893. A pretty back bar makes the bartender prettier... :

Yeah. That's more like what I was thinking about if I were to do a cooked then layered type dish. I've found several recipes that call for layers of goat cheese or cheam cheese. I was thinking I could maybe cream together some light cream cheese (I'd rather save my calories for what's in the stemware ) and goat cheese, flavor it with herbs or some of the pesto I have saved, and put a layer of that in there somewhere. Line the mold with plastic wrap, start and end with the eggplant to hold it all together, add layers of cheese mixture and then the other vegetables that were sliced longwise then roasted. A few layers of the cheese mixture for color and textural lightness could be really good. What do you think of a parsley sauce on the side? Basically pureed parsley, balsamic, EVOO, garlic and water that's been pressed through a sieve after pureeing. I found a recipe for this as an accompaniment to an eggplant, roasted pepper and goat cheese terrine. It sounds as if it might be quite tasty. I could put it in a squeeze bottle and decorate the plate with it before serving, or for the guests to put a squeeze on their plates.

Adam: Thank you for the suggestion. Actually, I like the idea of using maybe some tomato juice or V-8 along with veggie stock and maybe a little pesto to create the aspic. But I definitely don't have tons of time to be hanging pureed tomatoes and waiting for tomato water! I'd like this to be as simple as possible other than the slicing, dicing and assembly. I have time to cook tonight, tomorrow night and Tuesday AM before I have to be back at work or elsewhere. The tasting is Wednesday evening, so even though I have Wednesday AM and afternoon free, this would need to be done before then to have time to set. That's why I was thinking a terrine would be a good idea because it's better after it sits a day or so. The other thing I failed to mention is that I have a meat loaf pan with a perforated insert that drains. If I coated the insides of that insert with enough oil or cooking spray, I suspect I could get the veggie loaf to drain a lot of excess liquid and that might not be a bad thing. Rather than lining with plastic wrap, but having it be all watery when I unwrap it. I just don't know. I've never made one of these before. I'm a little lost, but I suspect there's probably a bunch of different ways this could work or be prepared. Other ideas? Anyone??

I'd like to cook some sort of veggie terrine to accompany a wine tasting on Wednesday evening. My cohort is bringing a gigantic cassoulet, so there's already something heavy. Ideally, I'd like to make something layered that will be colorful and attractive when I finally unmold and slice it. I have at my disposal: Eggplants - both white and variegated purple Peppers - red and green bells and a single small but deadly habanero tomatoes - a huge assortment of heirlooms of every color Vidalia onions zucchini - both yellow and green Portobello mushroom caps (about 10 large) I cant figure out if I should layer the veggies raw, and then roast the terrine, or roast the veggies first, sliced lengthwise, and then layer them. Not sure if the tomatoes are a good or bad idea because of the moisture content. I don't know if I want to pour a vegetable stock with gelatin in between the cracks and chill it, or just weigh it down with a couple of bricks and call it a day. There's pesto in the fridge too, so that could be incorporated into the aspic or perhaps brushed lightly onto the layers as this is being built. Fresh basil leaves too, if needed. If anyone has a foolproof method or recipe for something like this, or could post a link to a good recipe I'd be most appreciative. We'll be drinking lots of old Bordeaux to accompany.

Jeff: Try the Torrontes with something spicy, but not too sweet. I'd suggest Szechuan or Indian cuisine rather than chili or barbeque if you see the distinction I'm going for. Let us know how you liked it. I'm always up for hearing about a new producer I haven't tried, although it's likely I can't get that up here anyway, since I live in a state controlled environment and anything I read about is usually just a tease...

Finished off the batch of fruit with a couple of glasses of the Melon Basil sangria we've had on the menu this week. New batch tomorrow. White wine, melon liqueur, brandy, fresh lemon juice and Thai basil syrup in the wine portion. Watermelon balls, tiny lime wedges and diced Granny Smith apples soaked in the liqueurs and such at the bottom of the glass. And ode to the end of summer...