KatieLoeb

Yup. First thing I noticed was the big 'ol bottle of Maraschino and the Plymouth gin as well. I couldn't really see the flames in the blue blazer (guess you had to be there to really see it) but I thought Conan's reaction was pretty funny. It's a shame the segment seemed so rushed and I think it would've been more interesting had Conan actually asked Dave a few (intelligent) questions instead of just goofing around. The drinks looked really good though. Dave - any chance of posting the Improved Brandy Cocktail recipe here for us? The Blue Blazer seems more like a "don't try this at home" type concoction.

Atta boy, Dennis! Taking one for the team in the name of bourbon research. I respect your intrepid approach.

This be "Big Girl Chocolate Milk." The cure for all that ails me. At least at certain points of the lunar cycle. Oh yeah.

I'd seen this already. My first thought was: "so they're saving the HEAD in the freezer for their first anniversary??" Kinda creepy. Props to the bakers though. It's an awesome likeness. I think my problem is more with the bride for ordering this cake than for the talented crew that made her (bizarre) wish come true.

Morgan: Pictures please! What do those lemons look like??

These sorts of wines are also great with a simply dressed salad.

I think the Jamaican mussels were the other flavor we really liked. I'd have to see a menu to confirm that, but it's ringing a faint bell in my head.

London Grill and Dark Horse are my two go-tos for Fish and Chips. Both versions are excellent.

I enjoyed the "all-you-can-eat" $25 Monday evening mussel fest a couple of weeks back with a few intrepid dining companions. Between the two of us woofing the bivalves we managed to order four different flavors of mussels. Two were absolutely delicious and the other two were totally forgettable. The one we enjoyed most was some sort of spicy coconut milk based broth with some spiciness to it. Those were just delicious. I think if you know which flavors you enjoy you can have a really delicious pot 'o mussels at Zot. None of them were sandy - which I can't say for my last few visits at Monk's. Nothing will skeeve me faster than a gritty bite of sand in my mussels. It just turns my stomach and makes me want to hurl. I've had excellent mussels at Monk's too. But their record is not untarnished. My friend enjoyed her steak with Bordelaise sauce and carrot stoemp. It might be gimmicky, but certainly some folks enjoy it.

Let us know how that works out for you. When you come up for air...

Exactly. But the problem I've experienced is that qualified women sometimes get passed over for the job in favor of some young dude in a suit with a hyphenated name and a French accent, regardless of her qualifications. I have vintage regrets older than some of the twinkies that have been hired for the better jobs in my area that I was qualified for but never even considered for, because of my gender and lack of the accent. :shrug: It is the sexist and ageist nature of the business.

WOW! That's a doozy. I've never understood how some men feel it's their divine right to touch a woman or even invade her personal space without express permission. Most of my stories involve loud voiced patrons. Sadly, it's usually women with incredible shrill voices. I had a lovely group at my bar just about a week ago that were really nice. Except the wife of one of them had a voice like fingernails on a blackboard. She pounded back three glasses of wine in no time flat and it only made her less aware of the volume she was shreiking at (she was clearly unaware of just how much the tone of her voice could make your ears bleed). Mercifully they were the first ones in right after we opened so there was no one else there for most of this, but as other patrons filtered in, I started to grow more concerned. The kitchen and other waitstaff had already asked me what the heck was wrong with her. I kept serving her friends, who were perfectly well behaved and interesting to talk to, and I kept refilling her water glass and ignoring her requests for another glass of wine. As soon as they'd finished eating I dropped the check and got them out. I also had a group of four or five young plastic surgeons at the bar from one of the best hospitals and plastic/reconstructive surgery departments in the country. They were fine to start, but this one particular doctor (a stunningly beautiful and expensively well dressed Asian woman) started getting louder and louder as she drank and had a mouth on her that could make a sailor blush. She was leading the cheering section as a weave pulling/fistfight tumbled outside from the nail salon across the street. (that's a whole other ridiculous story) Unbelievable. I literally saw several customers walk out after hearing her upon their entrance to the bar, and had one of my regulars ask how soon she'd be leaving or else they wouldn't stay either. I'd asked her to please keep her voice down very nicely a couple of times, but it only lasted a minute or two. I finally flagged the whole lot of them. They got belligerent and tipped poorly. No class at all. I have to wear black to work. Anything at all, as long as I'm in black from head to toe. I have a particular black blouse that's a babydoll style. It's quite poofy in the front. I had a customer assume I was pregnant and comment on it. I replied that I wasn't, but thanks so much for asking. She was pretty embarrassed, as I rightly think she should have been. Should that ever happen again, in that outfit or any other, I'll merely reply "I'm infertile" or "No - it's a giant tumor, actually" and really make them feel badly. Hopefully that'll teach them not to make assumptions and comment on things that are completely none of their business, whether true or not.

These are pretty impressive tales of mortification, I dare say. The sugar packet and jelly eating interviewee is mind boggling. Is there such such a thing as an anti-diabetic?? Putting bigots in their place is a favorite pastime of mine, so I'm a big fan of freaking out the WASPy Rhode Island mom-of-boyfriend. Great story. I wonder if she actually learned anything from it or has continued to spew anti-Semitic rhetoric only amongst an audience she's certain shares her views. Feet and toenails at the table are just wrong. Always. Never appropriate under any circumstances. These are the folks I suspect were raised by wolves. I mean, really. Does one leave toenail clippings at the restaurant because they sweep up more often than one does at home?? What was the logic behind deciding that was the appropriate place to do that? I'm at a loss here. Unfortunately, working in the bar/restaurant business for so long, I have oodles of stories about how my guests offend me, but there should probably be a separate thread about embarrassing customers.

Doctor Sconzo's contributions here are beyond measure. He's had a finger in virtually every pie on every thread I can think of. And that's because of his dedication to all things relating to eating and drinking well. I had the rare pleasure of sharing a table and breaking bread with him once in Philly at Studiokitchen. It's one of my fondest memories of a meal well spent with a passionate and devoted fellow foodie. I look forward to my next opportunity to repeat the occasion. It's a rare pleasure indeed. John, I wish you well in whatever endeavors are taking up your time. I hope to have the pleasure of your company again. Please let me know next time you're in close range. I'll happily rearrange my schedule to be able to raise a glass with you again. Cheers!

I hope my friends from Philly (owners of Southwark - the only true dedicated old school bar in this 'burg) can make it in the door Thursday or Friday. I told them to try going early. I hope that works.

Sandy: I do mustards, hot sauces, preserves, pickles, you name it. It's all good. I like my condiments. Sorry I didn't see your survey before. Not on that thread too often.

I can't remember the brand name, but I seem to recall purchasing a really delicious spicy mustard with horseradish in it at Krakus market. It was rockin' on a roast beef sammie. I agree there should be many many mustards. My friends jokingly refer to me as "Condiment Queen" because I have so many varied stuffs in my refrigerator door.

Wow. Ham porn. Never thought I'd use those words together, but there you have it...

So, Mike. How's the 17 yr. old bourbon? I thinking you musta cracked it open by now.... I realized I hadn't posted anything new to this thread in a while and decided to purposefully choose some wine and remember to write about it. I bought a bottle of Cosentino "The Med" 2005 Lodi Red Wine. This bottle is currently a Chairman's Selection for $9.99 and I'd bought it to accompany some rotisserie chicken for dinner earlier in the week. This wine is a really interesting blend of Mediterranean varietals including Tempranillo, Dolcetto, Carignane, Valdique, Alicante, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao, Barbera and Primitivo. So we've got some Spanish, French, Portugese and Italian going on. It's actually very food friendly as a result, with a lot of cooked dark cherry flavors, really ripe fruitiness and smoothed out tannins. It's much more Californian in style however, being very ripe and "in your face" fruit forward. But a pretty nice bottle for the money, seeing as how it's listed on the winery website at $18. It's got a good beat and you can definitely dance to it.

Rich: Philadining and I and a couple of dining companions had a perfectly lovely meal at Black Lab Bistro a few short weeks back. But apparently it wasn't able to be recreated on the next visit. Consistency seems to be the bugaboo here. I would have driven the 45 minutes for a bowl of that perfect French Onion Soup in a heartbeat. But the next time it was ordered it was dead cold. How that is even possible if it sits under the broiler to melt the cheese is a mystery to me. I will say that I applaud Black Lab Bistro for having such a diverse menu. I think if the restaurant were downtown they'd have a long wait list for tables. The service was stellar. But perhaps maintaining a flawless record is difficult with such a wide ranging menu. I'd happily settle for a smaller but consistently well executed menu any day. It's certainly worth a visit. I'd love to hear your opinion once you've had the pleasure.

It's all good input. I think I want to stick with the basic Chile+Chocolate+Nut flavor profile for now. If I get that right I can tweak it from there. I think more than three basic flavor elements tend to get muddled, in my experience. I'd love to be able to recreate the pipian or pumpkin seed nutty element more authentically, but I think substituting another nutty and readily available flavor element like hazelnut or almond might be the compromise.

Andy: Thanks for your thoughts. I ran a beta sample of the drink in its present form past a fellow cocktalian friend and his thoughts were similar - use a dried chile that's smoky (I'm thinking a dried ancho at this point) and perhaps go with a different spirit than vodka. He suggested a reposado tequila, in fact. I'm also considering using a white creme de cacao rather than the Godiva so I can retain a relatively clear drink in the end, although I do like the texture and mouthfeel from using the more viscous cordials. Perhaps an egg white for mouthfeel and a less sticky sweet chocolate element will be the end result. I have to continue to experiment.

So the concensus is I should either tell my friends to plan their trips to New York and PDT weeks in advance and secure a reservation (even if they'd rather sit at the bar), or tell them to go earlier than 7PM or between 11-12PM with no more than two people. Is that correct??

Sandy: Don't miss the Krakus market. There's a whole case of different flavored frozen pierogies in the back that were lovingly hand made by little Polish ladies. They're awesome. Also a great selection of preserves, mustards, etc. as well as some nice Eastern European herbal teas and such.

Having highly recommended a stop at PDT to a few of my friends and bar customers from Philly, I was disturbed to hear they were turned away at the door or (horrors!) found the place closed when they stopped by in the last couple of weeks. Were there days that the bar was closed? Is there some protocol I'm unaware of for those that wish to merely stop in for a round or two? Are reservations required even at the bar? I realize I haven't had these issues myself because I undoubtedly stop by on a Monday or Tuesday when I'm off and it isn't that busy. And perhaps the friendly barkeeps recognize my mug on the monitor. But what shall I accurately tell folks that I'm recommending the place to? Particularly those that may have travelled some distance to check the place out....