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How about The Ivy on Robertson ? A true Hollywood "scene" even at Saturday lunch and while some feel the food to be not great in the Spago sense, the crabcakes ARE excellent. A nice bottle of white wine, sit outdoors, weather permitting; I could do it !

I don't think the Fechin Inn in Taos is a "chain" property; it was built by Joe Shepps of Santa Fe who restored/developed the Sanbusco Center in the Guadalupe district of Santa Fe. He also owns the Inn on the Alameda, a small hotel in Santa Fe near Canyon Road. And, just a minor point... Maria's restaurant while very good is not New Mexican but Mexican. Margaritas are very worthy. Finally, Cowgirl Hall of Fame is (imo) ordinary at best. It is popular so I know I'm a dissenting voice but there are many far better places in town for this type of casual dining. Part of its popularity, I believe, is that it is very family friendly; loads of kids there.

Chowguy said: "What makes IL Piatto great is the price/ value ratio. I have friends that eat there several times a week. Nothing fancy just plain good. It's not in the same league as Geronimo." Just to clarify, I never said Il Piatti was as good as Geronimo or in its league; it is indeed excellent QPR. That said, The Palace is charging Geronimo prices and in my opinion is not even close to Geronimo for quality/execution of what they do.

The "new" Palace is now as pricey as Geronimo but the food isn't nearly as good in my opinion. The menu is much more ambitious; in keeping with everything these owners attempt. The satisfaction level just isn't there. Is it better than, say, Il Piatti ? Yes. I'd be more forgiving if they were not charging as though it is "Nirvana" however. The old-timers in town who loved the old Palace hate it (particularly the old crowd that were regulars in the bar); all understandable to me. Most of the new guests seem to be pleased if not as ecstatic as the guests at Geronimo.

Read your note elsewhere as well but did not comment... I really agree that this is a terrific wine, good QPR and very food friendly. Everything Chappelet (IMO) does is always good though often not something that "makes" the radar as we (maybe too often) chase the spectacular.

You might find these two articles in today's San Francisco Chronicle (Thursday Wine Section) interesting... Dry Creek Valley Tasting Panel Notes/Choices A related article discusses food with Dry Creek Valley zinfandels and has comments on the style and flavor characteristics of these wines... Israeli Couscous With Roasted Beets

That's really funny. As to Union Pacific, a couple of meals there about a year before the whole Restaurant debacle had me simply scratching my head. Things were good; maybe very good but not quite as good as what I expected and the overall attitude of everyone non-kitchen was simply excessive and annoying.

I go either of two ways... old favorites scaled back for one with a new/different wine I've been eager to try or, more often, try new things I've not made before; sometimes an item, somehing familiar, made two ways (two sauces. two glazes, one sauce and one dry rub etc) to focus on how I really like something... all for future reference.

Agree with Fifi about getting that last section out by sucking on the tail section... not always; if only. And, I agree with the general "gist" of the thread, shrimp with tails left on in a stew/pasta dish is a visual affectation I think; no real purpose to do it. That said, I just leave the last section of each shrimp on the plate and later, after dishes are cleared, all the tails are gathered and that last bit of shrimp is manually removed to a saucer for the eagerly waiting and already purring feline. Not a big deal and if it makes for a happy cat, well...

I've liked the Cain Musque, too. I believe it is made from fruit sourced in Monterey County. If memory serves (might be wrong), I think Cain Musque is all sauvignon blanc. Agree, it tastes like there is a bunch of other stuff in it; and, that's not a complaint.

Interesting reading and thanks to both for the thorough posts. When responding to people planning visits to Santa Fe - people often asking what "the best restaurant in town is" - I've said that Geronimo is arguably the best but then ranted about the outrageous wine pricing. When I start trying to select menu items based on all of the wines I won't order, something is wrong. I'm not unwilling to spend money but feeling "raped" is something else again. Geronimo, IMO, is the worst in this regard. And, if you think the wine list (choice) is mediocre, you should have been visiting restaurants here ten years ago when the lists were rarely more than a single page (Casa Sena being the exception).

As far as the number of single malts available in the US, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society lists 121 distilleries, 25 pf which are closed, mothballed or dismantled. Of the 121, 3 are Japanese, 2 are Irish. Given that each distilery may use different casks and ages casks differently, there is no doubt that there could be hundreds of different bottlings. And, because a distellery is closed does't mean there is no supply of their product. independent bottlers, like Cadenhead, own casks which they bottle for sale. In addition, closed distilleries may contain large amounts of whisky as was the case with Ardbeg when purchased by another active distillery or company. Don't forget that the decline in the dollar against the pound sterling affects scotch prices.

Scotch, like many other things is a matter of taste. If you are serious about single malts join the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America (www.smwsa.com). For a tasting try malts from four different regions of Scotland and of varying ages. Crackers and a mild cheese go well and don't interfere with the tasting. My favorites come from Islay with the exception of Laphroig which I think tastes like Iodine. Caol Ila, Bowmore, Ardbeg and Lagavulin are each different and very good.

I, personally, love escolar; one of the very easiest fish to cook or grill and wonderful with a simple mango or pineapple/chile salsa. As to the "gastric" distress, I thought it was a result of an allergic reaction unique to certain people meaning some people will always have a problem and others (most) won't. I'd also heard that portion size could be a contributing factor and that many restaurant kitchens kept the size at four ounces as at that size a reaction was highly unlikely. Either way, escolar is not easy to find now either on a menu or at the fishmonger... fear over the "sensitivity" and the unpleasantness of disclosing it and, apparently, the fish has made it onto the list of over-fished varieties; a double-whammy.

Add me to those who first want to sense that the writer is feeling some passion for his/her topic; not simply completing an "assignment". Then the all-too-often missing prerequisites of knowing grammar as well as structure/style.

The only reason to make meatloaf, in my opinion, is for the leftovers as sandwiches. While I've never had a ham-and-cheese type meatloaf, my sandwiches are typically on egg bread or soudough with mayo on the bread and ketchup on the meat; single piece of good lettuce and a bunch of salt. Meatloaf should be (for me) , cold; not warmed. A real favorite. God, Jinmyo... that picture looks SO GOOD !!! Got a FedEx office nearby ? I'd pay big bucks for that sandwich. An onion roll; what a good idea.

Embarassed to admit it, but scrambled eggs. Tried low heat and high heat; cream/half-and-half/whole milk/water; quick cooking and very slo-o-o-w cooking and have not once gotten them the way I'd like them.

Sarah Moulton... If only she were not happily married.

Question for Tommy... I'm born-and-raised New Jersey (northern) but I don't know what a "Pork Roll" is; ate plenty of hot dogs including the deep-fried versions.

I actually prefer some age on chardonnay, not that it improves most of them all that much. You mention Kalin and the Chateau Woltner wines from the late 80's. Don't forget the wonderful Stony Hill Napa chardonnays; fifteen and twenty year wines. Kalin offers a Potter Valley Sauvignon Blanc, too, that is rarely released earlier than four or five years after vintage; an exceptional wine.

I looked at all of them and ended up choosing Wolf. My concern like that of your friends was to get the highest BTU's possible as I am in a location where propane is the gas and altitude is a factor. Both reduce the "real" BTU's possible. A thought/note for your friends... the manufacturers (Dacor/Wolf/Viking) all make 4/6/8 burner models that are "rangetops" that look like professional, restaurant kitchen cooking stations. These are the ones with the highest BTU's and all burners usually yield the maximum heat. These same manufacturers also make 6, 5 or 4 burner configurations that look less like restaurant equipment but more "designer"-ish. While attractive, these units I found to offer assorted levels of BTU's; i.e. one 16,000 BTU burner, two 11,500, one 8,000 and one 7,500 BTU. I would be wary of these unless their needs are not really for that much heat. And, finally, be careful to find out what a "simmer" really is on the unit they like. Thermador has a method of turning the burner on then off repeatedly that drives many cooks nuts. First, the temperature never really stays constant and the sound of the igniter "clicking" on over and over again; well, you know what I mean. While you did not mention ovens, note that Dacor is best known for their ovens which I chose. Thermador ovens seemed to have the largest interior with Viking the smallest inside; all measuring the same outside. Go figure. (A friend was shocked when she tried to put a large turkey roaster in her new Viking oven and could only get it in on the diagonal... with guests watching.) These things are said only to illustrate that the details can be important. All of the brands they've mentioned are first-rate. I'm very happy with my Wolf though it is a pain to keep really clean. I was very interested in DCS and only ruled it out because it was not easy to purchase in my location; something that is no longer an issue here.

You're right; don't see much discussion of South African wines. Guess it's hard to do when so much is being said about Turley this or Loring/Siduri that. And, generally the South African wines are so inexpensive. Here's a couple I've had lately that I really liked... - 2000 Muddy Water pinotage (Stellenbosch) - 2000 Steytler pinotage (Stellenbosch) - 2001 Lavenir pinotage - 2001 Morkel Bellvue Estate pinotage (Stellenbosch) Since there are rarely more than a couple at any one time at retail (Whole Foods here keeps a few on the shelf), I tend to buy them from Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach, California. They're importers of loads of South African wine as well as wine from Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. Southern Hemisphere Wines Then there's the always terrific South African sauvignon blanc, Mulderbosch. I probably buy four assorted cases a year for every day, good drinking.

To the California viogniers mentioned I'd add the Calera Mt. Harlan. Always a favorite, it is pricey at about $36 full retail. And, Calera specifically suggests that it be drunk young. A recent example of an aged viognier that I quite liked was the '96 Terre Rouge (California/Shenandoah Valley). And, finally, on the QPR side look for a French viognier, '02 Les Salices from Jacques et Francois Lurton. Whole Foods here in New Mexico had it for about $10 and it was a very good example of what viognier should taste like and at a price that (to me at least) approached stealing. Distributor responsible for it here is the Guigal distributor so possibly someone who retails a lot of Guigal might have this. Note, too, that another Lurton available - a pinot noir - was not good at all.

Hoping to see some responses here on this topic; lobster tails are a personal favorite that always intimidate me. I've done them in the oven, under the broiler and outdoors; all only to modest success. My problems have to do with properly cutting the meat out of the shell before cooking (there is a "name" for this which I cannot recall). By cutting the meat out and simply setting it back inside the shell to cook the meat it supposedly cooks more evenly (important as lobster tail is a relatively quick-cook; 6-8 minutes) and makes presentation easier. I, of course, "butcher it" trying to detach it from the shell. More than annoying if the ultimate goal is lobster medallions for a soup/chowder or for a salad or simply to lay in a sauce as a pretty but simple entree.

Yes, I've got a couple of All-Clad saute pans that are not non-stick; just guess I grab the non-sticks out of habit and, too, I'm often doing fish. Either way, it is a habit I'll break. I had no intention of making duck anytime soon but now with this discussion I'll do these breasts soon after the holiday. The business about the various non-stick coatings "breaking down" and possibly being dangerous has been discussed for a while. The danger point is between 500 and 550 degrees I think.