KatieLoeb

This explains where you all were tonight, when I was hoping you'd stop by and have a drink at the bar at M. Looks awesome. Sorry I missed it.

I had a pet bunny growing up. I now eat rabbit as an adult. It's not my rabbit though. I'm certain of it. That makes it OK.

Thyme simple syrup, citron vodka, fresh lemon juice to dial it back.

I suppose I should finally post about my birthday dinner last weekend, eh? Better late than never, I suppose. Miss Claire and I started off with glasses of Prosecco to be festive and have something to imbibe whilst looking over the menu and considering the specials that were expertly recited by our waitress. Madness nearly ensued when Percy came over and brought me a bit of his tripe dish that he insisted that I taste. It was delicious, but I thought the manager was going to have an aneurism when food we hadn't ordered mysteriously appeared on our table. Once I explained all was well again. We finally decided to start with one of the specials, an antipasto of mixed grilled veggies and one of the pasta dishes, the candele with wild boar ragu. The antipasto was great - enough for two and very light and tasty with several interesting veggies on the plate including salsify, something I love but rarely have seen on these shores. The candele was also very tasty, but served at an oddly cool temperature. I don't know - maybe I just like my pasta warm-hot. But it was quite tasty nonetheless. We also got some expert wine advice from one of the managers and tried a really nice glass of a 100% Cabernet Franc from Collio that was perfect with this course. For our main courses I ordered the rabbit and Miss Claire had another special, a rich macaroni dish that was sinfully good. The rabbit was delicious but I'd forgotten how hard rabbit is to eat. It's really bony, with lots of little splinter bones. Very tasty though, although I'm not sure I'd order it again. Again we were regaled with good wine advice and tried a couple of other reds that were quite well paired with our dishes, including an interesting Cabernet/Galliopo blend. The only minor glitch of the evening was finding a wee blob of plastic wrap in one of my dishes. I've worked in enough restaurants to know that stuff like that happens, however mortifying it might be, so I can't bitch too much. I suppose someone else might not be so forgiving. I thought dessert was the best overall course we ate. We ordered that melty-middled chocolate cake and the polenta budino Andrew so highly recommended upthread. Oh yeah. The polenta dessert might be the best dessert I've had in ages. Really creamy and satisfying in a pure comfort food sort of way. The staff was kind enough to send over a tangerine tiramisu-ish dessert for me as well (heck - it was my birthday and my last hurrah with no calorie restrictions. So shoot me!) and that was also really delicious. All in all I very much enjoyed Osteria. It was not an inexpenive evening, but is certainly a place I'd go back to again. I must try the pizzas and make a mission evening of having the steak for two some other time. I didn't notice too much hovering of the staff and thought everything was well handled, at least in my experience there. I suspect that like all restaurants with a large staff, there are certain folks that are simply better servers or have more pleasant personalities than others, and perhaps the folks that had bad service experiences just got unlucky with their server that night. That should take care of itself eventually, and I wish them all much continued success there. It's a gargantuan undertaking, opening a restaurant of any size and scope, particularly one that has this much buzz and advance expectations preceding it. I think things will only smooth out over time and that it will be an unbridled success. I certainly wish that for them.

Bonefish Grill & Cheeseburger in Paradise are owned by OSI Restaurant Partners. The umbrella corporation owns these two concepts along with Outback, Roys, Carrabas, Flemings Steakhouse, Lee Roy Selmon's and Blue Coral.

I should note that my recipe upthread is for a pitcher's worth of Mary mix, not a glass. So the big dollop of horseradish isn't quite so daunting, and the heat and spices go a bit further.

Wow! These all sound very interesting. Having visited Artesa and being a big fan of Spanish varietals, the Albarino sounds particularly intriguing to me. I'll have to snoop around and see if I can dig any up in a <cough> neighboring state. Your insights into the WSET program will be something I'll look forward to.

Phil: Thanks for making everything look so appetizing! It was nice to see you. Chef likes to see your pretty pictures as much as I do, so it really is good to be you sometimes. On the wine and beer selections - we normally have four to five reds and whites each by the glass ranging in price from $8-13 per glass. Every once in a while we'll have something really special by the glass that's more expensive, like a few weeks ago we were pouring a Chehalem Reserve Pinot Noir from half bottles for $17/glass, but that's breaking even in terms of the bottle cost. Our bottle list is full of really interesting and well chosen wines that are marked up far less than at any other restaurant I can think of. Chef David and Dining Room manager Tom are in charge of the wine list. I'm just pouring the stuff, but I'd certainly be here drinking it if I weren't behind the bar. Some serious bargains on that list. As far as beers go, everything is bottled. Right now I have Amstel Light, Corona, Hoegaarten, Yards Saison, Moretti, Pilsner Urquell and Lindemans Framboise Lambic. You can't really tell in the photos, but it's a tiny little bar with only eight seats. It's pretty well and eclectically stocked for such a small bar, but it does limit what I can have at my disposal. Some new cabinets are being built that will have room for some more bottles soon so I'm working on having some more interesting spirits ordered for me (like Maraschino, Chartreuse, an Armangac, an upscale rye, a few more vodkas and gins, etc.) so I can go all old school and mix up some Aviations, better Manhattans, and some other crazy things. The Pomeranian pictured above is the latest round of mad science from me. A cross between a Salty Dog and a Pomegranate Gimlet. Pearl Pomegranate vodka, lime, and ruby red grapefruit juice with a salted rim. Woof! Looking forward to seeing more of you gracing the 8 most comfortable bar stools in the city.

Tonight's efforts: The Pomeranian (kind of a cross between a Salty Dog and Pomegranate Gimlet) edited to add: 2 oz. Pearl Pomegranate Vodka .5 oz. Ruby Red Grapefruit .25 oz. fresh lime juice .25 oz. simple syrup .25 oz. Rose's Lime juice Shake over ice and strain into a salt rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Gilligan's Girlfriend Three small orange wedges 1 Tablespoon Sugar in the Raw (Demerara sugar) 2 Large dashes Angostura bitters 2.5 oz. Pyrat Rum .25 oz. fresh Ginger Juice Sour mix Muddle orange wedges, sugar and bitters at the bottom of a rocks glass as for an Old Fashioned. Top with ice and add rum, ginger juice and fill with sour mix. Pour into Boston Shaker and back into glass to mix. Garnish with lime wedge. This drink is really spicy, but very refreshing. The kitchen had made some fresh ginger juice today for the amuse they were serving tonight and there was a little left over that wouldn't keep until Tuesday when we're open next. I ended up inventing this drink on the fly for staff shift drinks and everybody loved it. I think it's going on the Spring cocktail menu.

I actually thought it sounded horrible! Lamb would make a bit more sense but I doubt either of them would rise. ← Well, see, this is what I was saying. I've never really messed around with souffles before so I don't know if mixing in the sauteed ground meat would ruin it or not. If it stayed the same texture it would be tasty, I'm certain, but if it ruined the "fluffiness" of the dish then you are quite correct, and it would be awful.

She basically gave you what you asked for with the "rocks on the side", a request that a lot of customers make for exactly the reason she detailed. If you want a drink chilled but without ice ask for it "up". If you want it "straight" (i.e. unadulterated) ask for it "neat".

I agree. I don't normally fuss with souffle either, but this one was so easy I decided to give it a go. It was worth it. It's almost like a light and airy baba ghanoush. The idea of mixing some protein in sounds pretty good too. I'd probably vote for ground lamb to keep it more authentic. Let us know if you try this and what your results are.

One of the best eggplant preparations I've had lately was a recipe given to me by a coworker. It's called Eggplant Kuku and is a Persian Garlic-Lemon Eggplant souffle. It's absolutely delicious and farily easy to make. It even reheated just fine in the microwave on medium power. A great side dish.

Jason: They really are good, regardless of their aesthetic appeal. I haven't had one in ages and now Rich has me jonesing for one...

Brooks: I sincerely hope, as others have pointed out, that this merely means you'll have more time to post. I always look forward to your wit and wisdom here, and it just wouldn't have been the same without you. Your post-Katrina coverage was a touchstone for those of us that were merely watching it on CNN with moistened eyes and heavy hearts. You made it real for me, and for that I'll be forever grateful. Should I ever be fortunate enough to make it to your neck of the woods, you'll be the first to know it. I'd enjoy nothing more than your company for libations of your choosing...

Devlin: Try going to your best local cheese shop and seeing if they have it, so you can try a taste first. It's definitely a bit bold, but really creamy and tasty. I love it, but my palate may not be the same as yours.

Try Roccolo. It's a cow's milk from Italy that has a bit more funk/tanginess than straight goat cheese. It's my new favorite. We have it where I work and I'm always asking for another "taste".

Thanks for all the props, y'all. SaxChik, I'd be delighted to shake up the Libation of Your Choosing for your birthday. And the food is marvelous, even if I do say so on their behalf. You can have a tasting menu on a weeknight, and that might be the way to go for the best overview of the menu. At $55/person it's a bargain for the caliber of food. There are paired wines available as well for an additional charge. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about anything.

Funny you should mention this. I was just having this very same discussion with Joy Manning of Philly Style magazine yesterday. She's working on an article about the very same topic - what's new, what's hot, what's really getting people attention and influencing folks. Should be interesting when she's finished with it.

Congratulations to you both! What an awesome idea. That first meal definitely looks like a killer, in every sense of the word. Keep us posted on your exploits. This is going to be fun!

Sandy! You gotta stop! You're killin' me! You're giving me the deadly joneses on the very first day of my diet! The Archer Farms flavors are really good. I just finished (and food journaled/catalogued my calories) the very tail end of a bag of the Parmesan/Garlic chips. I've had some of the other flavors and they're also really tasty. Must avoid thinking about/purchasing oily high calorie snacks for awhile...

*burp* I am much too full to even begin to describe my dinner, but suffice to say I had a very lovely evening at Osteria. I felt like the Mayor of Toontown - I saw so many people there that I knew. Ran into Percyn and Mrs. N. coming in the door. Saw lots of other Philly restaurant folks out and about. Lots of fun. Great food, great wine and very attentive service. I'll report back the specifics after I sleep. I'm very tired right now....zzzzz

<giggle> I got to see lots of folks yesterday. A very fun evening at work, if I do say so myself... Back to the topic at hand - I haven't been to Rangoon in ages either. In fact, the last time may have been with that huge group of eGulleteers for your farewell party documented upthread. As I recall, they were quite accomodating. Need to go back for more of that yummy 1K layer bread in the near future. Mmmmmm....

My Bloody mix is pretty straight forward. Sacramento or V-8 juice A BIG dollop of prepared horseradish Several liberal dashes of Tabasco for heat, but not so much it turns vinegary L & P Worcestershire fresh lemon juice Old Bay seasoning powdered celery seed (I run it through the coffee grinder) Kosher salt Shake liberally and add vodka to dilute appropriately. Serve with a celery stalk if preferred, or a lime wedge and a few skewered olives.

Osteria hasn't been open long enough for the inevitable "post opening shakeout" to have happened yet. But soon, they'll either have folks quitting because they can't hack it, or getting fired because they can't hack it. In the end, there will be less warm bodies hovering, and more serious customer oriented service taking place. But most new places would rather be safe than sorry, and I totally understand that. If the staff is still looking like a herd of deer frozen in the headlights in another few weeks, then the management needs to look at their job descriptions and staff training. And maybe, cull the herd a bit as well...