KatieLoeb

That really sucks. On the upside, they should be happy no one was hurt. If someone is enough of a scumbag to rob the place, violence isn't a far leap. I hope they had most of the money in an inaccessable safe or something, and the robber only got away with what was in the register.

Patrick: My understanding is that cruvinet sytems tend to need a lot of cleaning which may not get done as thoroughly or as often as needed. We have a scuba tank of argon behind the bar that I fill any open bottles that have been opened/served that evening with at the end of the night. It's easily refilled at the local gas sales place. Keeping the whites cold and the reds cool (we have a small two zone wine fridge for the reds that I keep at 59 degrees) helps a lot. And of course it depends on your turnover. If you're serving stuff often enough so that it isn't staying open for an eternity, you should be fine. You need to choose wines for your glass list that you know will move. That's a hell of a lot more important than anything else.

Go bubbly or go buttery. You can't go wrong in either case. A nice chardonnay/white Burgundy would be delicious. As would the finest bubbly you wish to spring for. Report back. The menu looked great but I had other plans this week and couldn't take advantage.

Anyone that can publish and recreate that many drinks consistently has my hat off to them. I know from my visits to D&Co. that everything is measured and standardized (or at least from outward appearances, seems to be), so more power to 'em. I usually have only eight specialty drinks on the menu at any given time, but that's usually a matter of space since it's on the same page of the menu as eight draught beers, and a large selection of small and large format bottled beers. But I'm always happy to make stuff "off menu" or from a prior season's menu. That's a lot harder to do in a larger place with a bigger rotating staff than at my bar. I keep a card file with the drink recipes under the register for the night's I'm not working, so that consistency is maintained. Again, a lot easier to do with only one other person bartending on my nights off. How does a place like D&Co. manage to do that? Are the drink recipes all saved in a place that everyone has access to them? What happens when the creator of the drinks is off/out of town? One has to presume that everyone is both properly trained and has recipes available to them so that recreating the more obscure/less frequently ordered drinks is seamless.

Offended? That's the best advice he could've gotten -- otherwise, he would've been gone. He's stiff as a board because he isn't being himself, and if he isn't himself, he isn't going to be able to be personable or engaging. ← I agree with Reignking. I'm not so sure there was anything nefarious or prejudiced about the criticisms of Aaron. When he's on camera or even just speaking in front of the judges, he's paralyzed with fear. He isn't talking like himself or acting like himself. He isn't acting like an animated human being. He's worse than a robot. Don't forget there's hours of edited material we haven't seen. If he was always that stiff and tongue-tied he wouldn't even have made it to the show. I think the judges have seen at least some of what the real folks are like and are disappointed when they aren't performing up to their potential. That said, I suspect Aaron's on camera discomfort will be his undoing eventually. As will Adam's choking under pressure. I hope Lisa is gone before the final because I just can't stand her. The last thing the world needs is another Martha Stewart bitch-on-wheels, but in heels and coture. Blech. Kelsey is like Rachel Ray on meth. But with no food knowledge whatsoever. At least Rachel had some retail gourmet/real world experience to call upon. I think Shane is going to take this. He's doing really well and has surprisingly good chops for such a young man. And he's a pleasure to watch. He pulls off the balance between personable and authoritative very well.

Thanks Sandy! Your friends are quite charming and sweet. The lemony concoction you drank was the infamous Front Stoop Lemonade. The White Peach (as I'm calling it, since the colors don't differentiate like a Black & Tan) is a way for me to tame down the slighty-too-sweet-for-my-taste Von Honsebrouck St. Louis Peche lambic we currently have on draught with the Reading, PA-based Legacy Midnight Wit that's also on draught. An interesting cross cultural mix of Belgium and the Susquehanna Valley, no? And I'm also trying to move more of the Peche that way so the keg stays fresh. Normally it's served alone in a 6 oz. champagne flute. Folks that enjoy a sweeter brew are liking it that way too.

I will second the butter poached lobster. And most definitely the bottle of Pol Roget Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill - any vintage at all. It's glorious. A really good soup or braise that your guest knows took a lot of time. Doesn't even have to be fancy ingredients - it's the time frame of preparation and the perfect end result that are important. Home made charcuterie works that way too. Duck prosciutto, perhaps? Or some sausages you've made yourself? I think the fact that you're going to so much effort will convey your sincerest love and friendship. You're a very good friend.

Toby: Congratulations on the anniversary of TVH!! Mad props to you and everyone that works there. You remain one of my heroes. Looking forward to a trip to Chicago specifically to check it out.

My housemade ginger beer in a very tall glass with a wedge of lime is always well received by pregnant guests at my restaurant. The other thing to do is make a virgin Madras and put it in a cocktail glass with a cherry. Doesn't taste like, but feels like a cocktail in hand. A dash of bitters would likely cure the former issue.

Todd: There was a huge table of books in the lobby of the Monteleone all during Tales last summer. Can't imagine they'd change that since they seemed to be doing a brisk business last year. I know I picked up a few books myself.

Make sure the albarino is from Rias Baixas. That's the highest quality albarino region in Spain. The Martin Codax albarino is quite delicious. It's been on the wine list at my restaurant for months and remains one of our best sellers.

OK - I hadn't thought about that aspect of it. If you have lots of gin, lemons/lemon juice and are in Italy, find a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino and start making Aviations! When life gives you lemons, make a cocktail!

Afraid so. Almost everything has at least a splash of fresh lime juice in it. Have you looked into mail order frozen fresh lime juice? There's a company called Orchid Island Juice Company that bottled fresh frozen juices that are excellent quality. Don't know if they ship to Italy, but it might be worth a shot.

My first thought when you mention the orangey flavors and bitters is howzabout a Crusta variant, with the obvious substitution? Sounds like it has potential to me...

I'm fond of a Manhattan made with Redbreast 12 Year old Irish Whiskey. It's a subtle and less sweet variant of one made with bourbon or rye. Even better perfect with a twist.

Inside buzz on the cocktails and wine look promising. I can't reveal my source, but I have no doubt there will be interesting choices.

There is no credibility, not even a shred. Specifically because she doesn't get what a hazard Jimmy Choos are in the kitchen. Or her flammable $300 blouse.

Thanks Andrew! I'm pretty pleased with that little mention. I'm hoping some more folks come in to check it out. The Electric Blueberry Lemonade isn't really on the menu. Just something I made for you. But I think there's still some blueberry syrup left so I could make more if anyone wanted to try one. I've been selling the Rhuby Daiquiris quite a bit, as well as the Bluecoat based Front Stoop Lemonades. It's summer time, so the drinks have to go down easy...

I have paralyzing cramps and am miserable. I've eaten a pepperoni and cheese filled croissant, a gigantic french vanilla iced coffee, mixed seafood sauce on whole wheat pasta and almost an entire quart of strawberries drizzled with lavender honey and plain yogurt. Nothing I crave makes sense. Nothing I eat seems to satisfy.

Thank goodness Nipa is gone. I've never seen someone so unqualified with such a sense of entitlement and arrogance. Her butchering of the squid and pathetic attempt at filleting the fish were an embarrassment. I can't believe she hacked a tiny little piece of fish off and then tossed like 98% of the fish into the trash can! She was the worst contestant in any season I've ever seen. And she lasted several weeks too long. edited to add: Did anyone else bust out laughing when the Romulen took a header in her Prada shoes? And her complaining about her sauce soaked $300 blouse? WhyTF would you wear something like that into a kitchen? She's ridiculous. She might be able to cook, but she's cold as corpse and hasn't a clue about professionalism. I own a coffee table less wooden than she is.

I've never been disappointed with anything I've ever purchased from Varallo Brothers Bakery at 1639 South 10th Street (@Morris). Cakes are fantastic, cookies all delicious and the cannollis are better than any of the more "famous" ones around town that I've tried. The "special cannollis" have Strega-laced filling and the ends of the shells are dipped in dark chocolate. Oh yeah. These guys beat Isgro's and Termini's by a mile. And at a fraction of the price.

If you don't mind a short drive northward, I've heard good things about Gertrude's in Ventnor. It's BYOB to boot. Chef owner is Neil Elsohn, formerly of Water's Edge in Cape May. If you ever dined there, some of the old favorites are on the menu at Gertrude's.

I tried making mojitos with Pineapple mint and was surprised at how vegetal the outcome was. It's OK to mix a little in, but you need really "minty" mint for a proper julep or mojito. I'll stick with spearmint or peppermint in the future. The best mint available around here commercially seems to be grown in Israel. If you have access to a garden or generous gardener, all the better.

Actually, it sounds good! So good that in fact I think I'm gonna have some really soon. Maybe even tomorrow. Thanks, Katie. ← sparkling lambrusco is suprisingly good also. ← Actually, that's what I meant. The slightly effervescent red that's slightly sweet as well. Picks up on the flavors in BBQ sauce really well, in addition to having enough oomph as a red wine to stand up to pork or beef over fire. The first time a very well trained sommeliere friend suggested this to me, I laughed out loud. But it totally works. Really truly.

Don't laugh, but Lambrusco and BBQ go great together. Seriously. I thought the same thing until I tried it. Delicious and a completely surprising pairing.