KatieLoeb

We used to drain the barmats and dare people to do the resulting shot. Sounds fairly similar to me... I doubt it was merely an allergy to alcohol. I'd hope that wasn't the first drink she'd ever ordered. She really ought to find out what caused that severe reaction. Anaphylactic shock casts such a pall over a nice night out.

What's even more amusing/ironic to me is that the staff at my current place of employ bust my chops for making things that are too tart. Clearly subjective.. Can't win for losing...

Sam: And I thought my cocktails were well balanced... On the list of things I shouldn't like, only unsweetened coffee, tea and quinine stand out. I love cruciferous veggies, asparagus, artichokes, etc. And clearly alcohol isn't an issue, at least now. However I did come to drinking a bit later in my life than most folks, and definitely started with the sweeter "training wheels" sorts of cocktails, so I guess my palate continues to evolve. I'm down to only one packet of Splenda in my coffee too!

Sam: Thanks for the suggestions. But this is what makes even less sense to me. It would seem, (after being tested on such things) I have a very sensitive or "supertasters" palate. More tastebuds per square inch, apparently. Bitter flavors are particularly off the charts in my mouth. Can't handle unsweetened coffee, tonic water, many digestifs (Fernet Branca, which intellectually I understand is delicious, is just horrid to me), etc. Nonetheless, I love Bitter Lemon soda as a mixer. Now that I think it through with more of an analytical bent, I suspect it's because the drinks I tend to make with it have some sort of sweetening agent included. Usually an herbal simple syrup or something to take that bitter edge off. It must just be me. But I suppose knowing one's own palate is definitely a good thing.

Lou! So sorry I missed you. And thanks to Jo, our friendly Aussie bartendress for entertaining you on that side of the bar. But I'm so sad we didn't have the pleasure of finally meeting in the flesh. Next time for sure...

It must be the pears you're getting. There's an orchard near me that has the world's best Asian pears. One variety tastes like pure butterscotch! The dehydrating sounds like a good start.

Do report back on that one. It sounds like it might be quite tasty! I love almost anything with Bitter Lemon. Bourbon especially. Maybe because it sweetens it up a bit? Oddly, I can't stand tonic. Too acrid. But Bitter Lemon, which is essentially citrus flavored tonic, I love. Go figure.

Ewwwwwwww.....they "evacuate" when you cook them?? Blech. Sounds like one of those things best left to a capable professional who knows how to deal with them. Like Fugu.

Ditto. The bottle of Stoli Elit that I have is a gift from an event. I'd never pay that much for vodka. It's just nt worth it, especially at that end of the scale. My house pour vodka lately is Sobieski from Poland. Inexpensive and quite delicious. Made from rye and actually has a flavor - a good one! And doesn't have the isopropyl nose that most of the "hyper-filtered" vodkas do. If I don't have it, I go with Smirnoff, Luksosowa or Denaka from Denmark.

In addition to the other fine lists already suggested, I'd add: A gimlet with homemade lime cordial as well. Caipirinha Cocktail a la Louisianne

Homemade Lime Cordial The below recipe will make about 5 cups of lime cordial. This works in gimlets (vodka or gin) for cocktails, or as a base for limeade, or with ginger beer for a non-alcoholic ginger-limeade with a bit of club soda splashed in with the cordial and ginger beer. 3 c Water 1-1/2 c Sugar 1/2 T Citric Acid 1 tsp Tartaric Acid (available at homebrew shops) 1-1/2 c fresh lime juice +juice of the four peeled limes Rind of 4 limes, cut into pieces 6 Kaffir lime leaves, shredded 1 tsp Rose flower water Stir sugar, citric acid and tartaric acid together with a whisk. Bring water to a boil, then add sugar mixture. Stir thoroughly to dissolve sugar mixture into water. Add lime juice, lime rinds, kaffir lime leaves and stir. Heat mixture for 10 minutes on high heat, turn off heat, cover and cool overnight. Strain out lime rind and add Rose water. Refrigerate for another day before using (the flavor continues to change a bit). Stored in the refrigerator, it should keep better than simple syrup. Keywords: Non-Alcoholic Beverage, Cocktail ( RG2144 )

There's always Pete Lorenzo's Cafe, right across from the train station. That's been around forever and is a very old school steak house, from what I've been told (I haven't had the pleasure). I don't think there's a whole lot of fine dining in Trenton proper, but there's always Rat's in nearby Hamilton. Great sculpture gardens too... If fancy isn't necessarily the criteria, but just plain good food, then no doubt a trip to DeLorenzo's Pizza on Hudson Street or the new location in Robbinsville is in order. That pizza is definitely worth a drive.

gfron: Are you purposefully trying to keep the dish vegan? Is that why squid ink won't work? Or is it just that you don't have any? A quick Googling reveals there are many types of vegetarian/vegan caviar available. Seems a whole lot easier than trying to dye the couscous...

I've always shucked the ears, removed the excess silk, run them under cold water and wrapped each individually in plastic wrap with the water that's clinging to the ear. Microwave for about 4 minutes, eat at least two ears, buttered and seasoned, and then cool and store the cooked remainder to eat over the next week or so. A quick reheat in the nuker, butter, season, eat, repeat...

Until Capogiro makes a "sweetened condensed milk" flavor it won't be quite like a frozen Vietnamese coffee, but those other alternatives sound delicious!

I put my bottle of Fee Rhubarb bitters (also cajoled out of Joe Fee's cargo shorts pocket) into my checked baggage and managed to get it home. The rhubarb bitters are top notch. They're particularly tasty in my Rhuby Daiquiris, a twist on a Hemingway made with rhubarb syrup and Ruby Red grapefruit juice. I'll report back on any other successes with them.

Not sure who'll be serving you at Coquette. Seems the whole staff defected to La Minette.... I have sort of an unspoken rule about food pricing in restaurants. I don't begrudge anyone their profit margin, heaven knows I've worked in restaurants long enough to understand that arithmetic, but I really have a problem being charged more than 5 times what something cost them to make. There's no way that Salt Cod Brandade cost more than $1.50 to make that plate. Maybe $2.00 on the outside. The salt cod is cheap (and doesn't go bad) and potatoes are cheap too. $18 for a plate of salt cod and potatoes is usurious.

Aw shucks, U.E.! You're the one that did the diving on the grenades. Sheesh! I don't know how you manage. I'd be curled up in a corner with every part of me feeling like an appendage of my stomach...

I saw an early copy of the menu and thought it looked good. But $27 for lamb SHANKS is a bit outrageous. Chops perhaps, but not shanks. $23 for Trout is pretty steep too. Looks pretty inside, but pretty pricey as well. $18 (!) for salt cod brandade?? Really?? I thought a bistro(t) was supposed to be: A bistro, sometimes spelled bistrot, is a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. The concept developed in Paris, France. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. Slow-cooked foods like braised meats are typical. The word bistro may derive from the Russian быстро (bystro) which means quick. According to an urban legend, it entered the French language during the Russian occupation of Paris in 1815. Cossacks who wanted to be served quickly would shout "bistro." definition courtesy of Wikipedia It seems that no one seems to be getting it right any more. Brasserie Perrier isn't a brasserie, and all the places claiming to be bistros are just overpriced small French restaurants. A bistro in this town seems to be more about decor than about what you're serving and the price point. All I'm saying is if you're going to call it that, then get it right. It isn't just about the gilt mirrors and soap dispensers.

I've been working on some new fall cocktails. The pastry chef did a peach dessert trio earlier this week and asked for a suggestion for a liqueur to put into the cold peach soup. We decided on St. Germain. It was delicious. Which of course got my gears whirling... Le Pêche Mode 2.5 oz. Peachka vodka 1.25 oz. St. Germain 1 oz Ruby Red Grapefruit juice .75 oz. fresh lemon juice 2 dashes Angostura bitters Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Chris...I bow before thee. You are a brave (and crazy) dude. FIVE pigs heads?? Wow. I'm truly impressed. And you thought you wouldn't find any food in K.C.

My "house pour" this week has been a bottle of that Clos la Chance Glittering Throated Emerald Unoaked Chardonnay, and I must say that I've been enjoying it immensely. It was a bargain at $7.99. I've just been having a glass of it when I get in from work, to wind down, but I imagine it would be really delicious paired with a good meal. It has a lot of those New-World tropical type flavors you don't really see in French chardonnay. Long finish too, despite the lack of oak. I would love this with some richer seafood like scallops or monkfish with a sweeter sauce on it. I originally bought it to drink alongside our Porturuvian rotisseried chicken feast, but they wouldn't allow us to pay corkage, so it came home. It would undoubtedly be a great accompaniment to that as well. I found my bottle at the Society Hill shop on 5th Street. I might have to go back and look for more! edited to add: I stand corrected. Having found the receipt, it's actually $7.99/bottle. I've fixed the post to reflect the correct price. The other bottle I bought on the same buying excursion is the Nederburg "Lyric" 2006 from South Africa. A lovely blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. The slightly sweet residual flavor was the perfect match for barbeque at Sweet Lucy's. Would've been good with more spicy fare as well. Same silly bargain price of $7.99.

Fair enough. I'll try that next time. I purposely didn't reheat the chicken, for fear of drying it out. It was the best leftover cold chicken gnawed off the bone, ever. Still trying to figure out what's in that marinade. My sensitive palate usually allows me to be pretty good at deconstructing these things. I'm definitely feeling light brown sugar, an acid (either a mild vinegar or lemon juice), salt, pepper, garlic, paprika or ground chile, and that crazy herb Philadining mentioned, that I believe gives it that earthiness. Although I'd have never known that if he hadn't told me. The rest? Still sussing that out...

That chicken is even better than it looks. Even cold leftovers for lunch the next day remained incredibly moist and delicious. My coworker that I shared with was totally down for the next Porturuvian chicken run. The frites don't fare quite as well on the second day, but aren't awful reheated in foil in the oven for a couple of minutes. But the chicken is the holy grail of rotisseried birds. They must be brining in addtion to that flavorful rub, because the meat is just too moist for any other explanation.

I never liked Oreos or Hydrox. But I recently tried the Newman O's from the Paul Newman product line and they were delicious! I think the creme stuffing tastes better. They also come in vanilla as well as chocolate. Anyone else tried these?