KatieLoeb

We just got the Birifico Italiano La Fleurette on draught at my bar and I tasted it yesterday. Really interesting stuff brewed with honey, roses, violets, elderberry and pepper. Only three barrels in the country I'm told. Very elegant, floral and delicious.

This literally came to me in a dream last night. It's frightening to think that my mind is hard wired this way, but I suppose that chefs dream about food, so my subconscious is no stranger than theirs. Right? I wanted to create a cocktail that tasted like a Mexican mole sauce - spicy, chocolatey, nutty, etc. What I came up with, using what I had on hand at work was the following: "Hot" Chocolate 2 oz. Absolut Peppar vodka .75 oz. Godiva Dark liqueur .25 oz. Godiva White liqueur .5 oz. Frangelico .25 oz. Spiced simple syrup 2 dashes Peychaud bitters 1 dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters In the end, a spicy and savory cocktail that was reasonably well balanced, if not perfect on the first try. I think a spiced darker (Demerara) simple syrup a little heavier on cinnamon and a house infused hot pepper (Habanero, maybe?) vodka will only improve this drink tremendously. It wasn't quite as spicy heat wise or savory wise as I might have liked, but the blueprint is definitely down. I think I'll try rimming the glass with some Demerara sugar, cinnamon and chile powder that's been buzzed through the coffee grinder to powder it. That might kick it up the notch I'm seeking.

I use the Trader Joe's Raw Demerara sugar in the big bags for my "dark" simple syrup. It's a stand in for the real cane syrup which I don't always have around and works particularly well in rum drinks. I make it just slightly sweeter than 1:1, maybe 1.25:1 or so and it works great and mixes completely.

Awesome. My sincere best wishes for continued good health to you, Chef! This news was a real holiday heart warmer. All best things to you and yours in the coming new year and beyond!

One of my all-time favorites and a perennial crowd pleaser from Epicurious: Savory Mascarpone Cheesecake with Sundried Tomato Pesto Not too difficult to make, spectacular looking and tasting. There's never been a scrap leftover.

A third vote for La Colombe. I'm lucky enough to be local to them, but the fact that several of the finest restaurants in New York and Las Vegas use their coffee speaks well of the quality. It's really good. We use it at work too (as do most restaurants in Philly) so I get to drink it practically every day. The Nizza blend is my favorite.

My condolences Doddie. Emotional swings or genuine sadness combined with PMS attack is about as bad as it gets.

Hellooooooo? Mexican anyone? Is it possible that no one has yet mentioned Taquitos de la Puebla??? 9th Street just below Ellsworth and the very best Tacos al Pastor around. Equally cheap and delicious Mexican can be had at Jose's, a little market at 10th and Buttonwood just north of Chinatown. Great fish tacos, quesadillas and chicken lime soup. Yum. Good stuff for a cold rainy day like this one.

Ladies, please do continue for as long as you're able, for you shall most certainly have an audience! I am certain I am not alone in my praise of the prose and accompanying photos. Your escort throughout this culinary journey has been without par. I can't think of a more evocative foodblog in memory. Brava to all of you for the collective effort. It's been a breathtaking journey.

Isn't it also a bellybutton?

This is fabulous! Almost too good to be true. My very favorite cooks/bloggers all together at once. Awe inspiring. I can hardly wait for the rest. This is gonna be goooood...

Ellen: Thank you for sharing that with us. It's a magnificent story and testament to your father. PJ will one day be proud to read it, even if he doesn't necessarily remember eating the soup. Sense memories are powerful. The smell or taste of certain things can turn me back into a four year old, remembering sharing a breakfast cup of coffee with my father. He got me hooked on caffeine early, even if it was 10% coffee, 60% milk and 30% sugar. It tasted a lot like melted coffee ice cream and I still like that.

What's really awful is that I genuinely don't like junk food most of the time. I don't really like white bread at all, so since all junk food comes on white bread I generally dislike it. But yesterday I was officially out of control. Feeling much better today. Just carbo craving. Dim Sum for lunch and then eggplant parmesan and spaghetti with a side Caesar salad for dinner. Not the most balanced diet, but a bit closer to what I normally eat. I hope by tomorrow to be somewhat back to normal, whatever that means...

I am so ashamed. :hangs head: Today has been my worst binging in ages. I just couldn't help myself. I wanted and wanted and wanted some more. Junk food in its worst forms. Shameless cravings and meager satisfactions. Burger King chili and a Whopper Jr. for lunch. A handful of Hershey kisses to tide me through the evening. God help me. 7-11 Chili Cheese super ginormous hot dog and a Chicken & Jack Cheese thingie on the way home from work. Wheat crackers and peanut butter washed down with my second snootful of Pomme d'Eve Calvados. Forgive me for I know not what I do. (Note to self: Calvados has a wonderfully soothing effect on cramps. And many props and high fives to my wonderful customer that gifted me with that bottle tonight when I needed it most!) I know that none of you will judge me. I find it hard to throw stones from the prone position on the well upholstered Chaise lounge in the living room of my glass house.

How long did you have it? Did you buy it and open it right away, or hold it for awhile? Where and how was it stored? Sounds like it was exposed to some extreme temperature changes. Even on a good day, that wine shouldn't be BROWN. And 2001 isn't old enough to be getting that lovely brick color from aging yet. Methinks you got a funky bottle.

Short Hills Deli or Kibitz Room in Cherry Hill are both good. Kibitz in the City at 7th & Chestnut is related to the one in Cherry Hill. I've always enjoyed my food at either location. Perhaps a lunchtime reconnaissance mission is in order? Have a whitefish salad sandwich and see how you like it. Zeke's Deli on 5th Street next door to the PLCB store has pretty good fish platters too. Maybe go for Sunday brunch and bring someone to help you eat the fish platter for 2. That ought to give you an idea of what they have to offer.

Happy Repeal Day everyone! I'm looking forward to mixing a lot of drinks tonight....

The "surprises" I find in my freezer are never that good. Lucky you. Must be another Hanukah miracle. Latkes that last 300-some odd days. I had a lovely Hanukah meal tonight with my dear friends and their children, my "niece" and "nephew", 8 and 10 respectively. The kids did a great job on the blessings over three different menorahs, one that each of them had made in Hebrew school and one that belonged to their deceased maternal grandparents. Big dinner of fresh homemade tomato soup with Parmesan toasts, latkes from Whole Foods (mom admits they are much better than hers) with applesauce, baked salmon, carrot tzimmes and an arugula and citrus salad. Very delicious. Gelt and spiked egg nog (grownups only) for dessert in front of the fireplace. A most wonderful evening that will remain in my memory for a long time. I really love those kids and they make me really proud.

Nope. I never worked at the Rose Tattoo. My only stop in that area was the London Grill. I don't think the Rose Tattoo is that bad, I just think Bourdain could've done a lot better for his (possibly) only meal in Philly. Sounds like he missed drinking Yeugling.

Brush off as much sugar as you can and stuff them in a bottle of decent quality well bourbon, like Evan Williams. Let them soak for as long as you can stand it (at least a few weeks) and then enjoy the spoils of your patience.

Over in Spirits & Cocktails, I've posted about the Chick's Repeal Day Party. We'll be at it all night. Come and celebrate your constitutional right to party! Woo-hoo!

This chilly rainy night had me craving something warm and spicy so I ordered some dinner from STH for delivery. Hot and Sour soup to start was delicious. While I'll stand by my assertion that Lee How Fook's is still the best in town, this was a pretty close second. Dumplings in Spicy Sauce followed and they were as good as I remember. Eggplant in Garlic Sauce was delicious and definitely something I'd order again. The eggplant was soft and garlicky and there was enough sauce to coat the steamed rice too. Last but not least I asked the woman on the phone for a recommendation of something with "a lot of vegetables and some sort of protein" in it. She suggested the Szerchuan Triple Delight of Chicken, Shrimp and Scallops in Szechun sauce and it didn't disappoint. Lots of carrots, snow peas, water chestnuts and straw mushrooms with abundant proteins. Very delicious. And I have enough leftovers for at least a couple of days. YAY! Delivery was right on time with their estimate of 40 minutes, too. Now that I've had the sense to pin the menu on the fridge with a magnet, I'll be ordering from there more often, I suspect.

The customers that told me that story said they weren't 100% positive, but pretty sure (80% certainty) it was him. I figured it was, because I knew he was in town for the Library event the following afternoon, even if they didn't. But they could have been wrong. Or Tony could've been being polite or not necessarily remembered the name of the place he'd eaten and didn't want to open that particular can of worms. Maybe he's had his discussions veer off topic when those sorts of questions were asked in the past. For a guy with some strong opinions and little difficulty sharing them, no matter how rude or impolitic, I find it difficult to believe he "has no opinion". Sounds like a "lets-move-this-along-so-I-can-get-the-fuck-outta-here" kind of answer to me, but maybe he really hasn't eaten here. Who knows? :shrug:

Yeah - probably not the best thing to say to her in her present condition... Toby, I did enjoy the graphic description of the "Maloney Cure". Grandpa definitely sounds like my kind of guy. Mojoman - the other thing that always helps me is a prescription for Promethazine w/DM cough syrup, called in to the pharmacy by my very sweet doctor of many years, who knows I get URIs twice annual without fail. A couple of days of this stuff and the Theraflu hot toddy cure and I'm generally mobile again, if not completely at 100%. Hope she's on the mend. You're a sweetie for taking such good care of her.

It was FRIDAY night that he was spotted at Supper, not after the event on Saturday. It's certainly possible he stayed overnight so as not to have to travel too early Saturday or perhaps he had a meeting or some other obligation here on Friday. Jussayin'... The customers that told me said they were about 80% certain it was him, and I don't think they knew about the book event on Saturday, as they seemed a bit surprised to hear about it. Bourdain just sort of came up in conversation.