Steve Plotnicki

May I suggest a different approach that isn't necessarily instead of but maybe in addition to. And this depends on what you intend to do with your knowledge. The best way to learn about wine is to go to organized tastings that revolve around a theme. For example in NYC, Executive Wine Seminars runs tastings throughout the year that feature certain grapes, or vintages or regions. The wine shop Acker Merrall Condit has a similar series. If you go to something like the International Wine Center, or Andrea Immer, I am certain that when you are finished with the course that you will probably have the skill to decipher a chenin blanc from a sauvignon blanc. And if you wanted to work in restaurant wine service, that would be a good starting point. But what you won't have learned is what makes a wine great, or what a great wine is. A wine shop is like a bookstore, and the grapes are like different types of books. Drama, biography, sports, fiction, etc. And what you will do at IWC or Immer is that they will go over every type of book and allow you to sample them so you have a reference point. There's a difference between knowing the difference between wines, and knowing wine. It's like our beloved Jinmyo says, there is pie and there is PIE! Just like literature, wine has its own Catcher in the Rye, it's own Catch 22, it's own Grapes of Wrath. Special bottles that are seminal efforts of their regions, or of their varietal. In my humblest opinion, you can learn more about wine by going to a tasting and drinking 10 vintages of Chave or 12 1998 Chateuneuf-du-Papes then you could learn by slowly and methodically going through each varietal and every important wine region in the world. Not to put you off taking a course where you will learn the basics but, if you want to learn wine, you need to find a way to drink those great bottles and it isn't really that difficult to do.

The better white wine to drink from the Basque region is Txakoli which is the tapas wine of choice (acid bath), but by far the best white wine in Spain is Alberinho from the Northwest Atlantic coast. Fruity and it sort of reminds me of Condrieu.

Two things. Ate at Ouest recently and the menu read better than the food tasted. Had the house smoked sturgeon served with a poached egg, frisee lettuce and lardons. Sturgeon was superior and the way they had it coddling the egg was good presentation and worked well tastewise. The frisee was, well frisee. I've been over frisee for years. And the lardons were overcooked to the point of their being almost black, which made them extremely chewy. Mrs. P complained that her salad was out of balance with too much roquefort. My roasted, lightly smoked salmon was a thick piece that because of it's shape was overcooked on the edges even though it was rare as I requested in the center. But I couldn't taste the smoked flavor. And it was served with fingerling potatoes which weren't cooked to be as soft as they should have been to compliment the salmon. Salmon since it is a firm and flakey yet silky fish needs a softer potato like mashed or maybe just smashed for the textures to blend. These fingerlings were sort of "al dente" and I had to work too hard to get a forkful. And there were small slices of braised green onion served in the dish that just didn't blend with everything else. The whole thing just didn't work. Oh well. Mrs. P ordered the soft shells and two teeny weeny crabs the size of two silver dollars showed up. She wasn't impressed. I had the "Lemon Chiboust" for dessert. It was sort of a combo lemon meringue pie/creme brullee. It was really sweet, like my teeth were hurting. It might be my first and last chiboust! I would go back to try the place again, only because so many things on the menu looked interesting. But it wouldn't surprise me if they were busts as well. Maybe I'll try some of the meat dishes when it cools down. I have to add that I brought a bottle of the 1999 DRC Vosne-Romanee Duvault-Blochet. For those of you who do not know the provenance here, 1999 was such a large harvest in Burgundy that Romanee-Conti declassified grapes from Grand Cru vineyards, blended them together and made a bottling with a 1er Cru (that's premier cru) designation. Supposedly, most of the juice comes from the La Tache vineyard. Maybe someone whose a big wino like David Russell could add to this and post about what the exact blend is. Anyway, I had heard the wine was delicious from multiple sources and I'm glad to report they were all correct. It had the same type of balance and flavor profile that reminded one of La Tache. It was a bit tannic, but after being open for about 45 minutes the wine came together beautifully. It ain't cheap selling for between $110-$150 a bottle but, it's a keeper and will give superior pleasure in 8-15 years. Worth splurging and laying a few away especially since the 1999 La Tache is selling for $800 a bottle. As for Blue Smoke, the story about not enough sauce coming with the food doesn't make any sense. How about just asking for more sauce?

Olives and raisins in picadillo seem like a natural fit. I don't know why. Sort of like raisins and anchovys in Sicilian cuisine, or raisins and garlicky roasted tomatoes in Catalan cuisine. It's just one of those sweet/salty combos. But my favorite olives are at the olive oil shop in Nice, Alizari. They sell small pitted olives that are stuffed with a tiny rolled anchovy. Phenomenol. Can't leave the shop without buying a 100 gram bag.

"and nice wine list chock full of Dujac and Roumier." Oh how I love a nice wine list chock full of Dujac and Roumier.

I don't use their services but I have friends who do and who seem very happy. I hear the storage facility and things like temperature and humidity control are great there. I believe that they rent lockers, and you can go down there any day they are open and play with your wine. I'm not sure if they offer services that are more extensive than receiving wines. I use NY Wine Warehouse and they are the type of facility that does everything for you including delivering indivdual bottles of wine to your house for dinner.

There are a number of places in the city that do this. It normally runs about $1.50 a case a month. Where do you live? The wine shop in Chelsea Market offers this servce. Then there is New York Wine Warehouse in Long Island City, and New York Fine Wines (Zachy's) in Westcheter.

L'Arcchiado is still there. Not too far in from the Palais de Justice on the rue Parioliere. Some other guide recommended it as having the best soupe de poissons in town. Maybe the Guide Gantie. But although I have walked by it a dozen times, I never stopped to eat there. It always had an air about it that made it seem too touristy to me.

Robert - Sorry about a bad Boulliabaisse. Nothing is worse than bad fish. I wonder if Chez Michel is the restaurant owned by Jacque's mother (he is the son/owner at Tetou. He must be around 40.) About 15 years ago his parents divorced and his mother married one of the owners of the Juana Hotel. Jacques told me that his mother had a restaurant in Nice somewhere. This sounds like it might be the place. For those who might remember her, Jacque's grandmother used to run the front of the house at Tetou. I forget her name. When I first started going there in the mid 80's, she must have been around 75 years old. She was one of those old school French women they don't make anymore and was the epitomy of class and dignity. She used to stand at the front door dressed immaculately in a beautiful sun dress or her little cashmere sweater set in winter, hair pulled back, always looking radiant. She always gave a warm greeting and made you feel special. Another thing people don't realize about Tetou is that they have a beach there. You can go spend the day on the beach (for a charge I forget what) and have lunch in the restaurant. It's a lovely way to spend the day. Robert, next time you go, ask Jacques to tell you the story of Tetou during WWII. I can't remember the details now, but it was something like the Nazi's landing on their beach etc. His great grandfather who started the restaurant was somehow involved in the story. Which had to do with the resisitance or some other aspect of the war that the "good guys" in France were involved in. Or maybe they knocked the restaurant down. I can't remember. But Jacques is a sweet guy, and speaks English well. He went to university at UCLA and after he graduated he opened a restaurant in Costa Mesa, California I believe. The restaurant didn't make it, and he returned to Golfe-Juan somewhat dejected since I think he was looking to esacpe the provincial Provencal lifestyle. For years it seemed like his spirit had been broken. But when I saw him during the film festival in 2000 (or maybe it was 1999,) he had gotten married and had a child and settled down and seemed happy. So chat him up. He's a good schmoozer if he has time to talk. They used to close Tetou down from November-April but they would open for the X-mas/New Years holiday and they used to open for the music industry convention in Cannes which takes place the third week of January. But they stopped doing it because Jacques told me that business during the holiday had slowed down over the years and with the music industry in serious decline for the last five years, they weren't getting enough business to warrant opening. So now he spends the winters in St. Barts. Not such a bad life. But it's too bad because they used to make fantastic homemade confitures to hold them over for the winter. When I used to visit in January the classic Tetou dessert that everybody ordered was "Confiture." They used to bring between 8-12 large glass jars that were filled with various jams. Besides the obvious ones like fraise, framboises and peche, they used to have things like rhubarb, tomate verte, cumquat etc. They would serve it with a big basket of fresh beignets and a large pot of cool creme fraiche. It was a fitting finale to the bouillabaisse, both tastewise and visually. As for the infamous hamburger, I have to say that I'd be quite prepared to speak the truth about it if I thought it tasted bad, or was a bad idea, even if there were gold nuggets inside it. But it happens to taste terrific. And those who would object to it merely because it is called and mimics a hamburger, I would categorize in the same category as those who object to high-heel sneakers as a fashion accessory. Whimsy should not to be viewed through a serious lens.

Mark - I used to LOVE Ambrosia. Dance with me George and all that. I actually saw them play live at My Father's Place in Roslyn. God knows that the year was.

Lesley - Do you think the Chocolate/Banyuls rule goes for something cakey like brownies? Or is it just for "chocolate?" I think the thing you drink with a big slice of chocolate cake is Champagne. And I think the same holds true for brownies. In fact I can close my eyes and taste the pair and it tastes pretty good to me Not a champagne with a tight mousse and not a yeasty type that tastes of pain grillee. You know relaxed bubbles. with maybe the slightest hint of oxidation. In fact "Cristal and Brownies" sounds perfect. Like something they would serve at The French Laundry. Yummy.

We use the "Gratin Dauphnois Madame Laracine" recipe from Patricia Well's Bistro Cooking. You cook the potatoes in milk first before baking them in the gratin dish with the rest of the ingredients.

Nina - What's with the clafoutis for dessert? Why not some of those Indian desserts made from lentil flour, chickpea flour or funny cottage cheese that people hate so much, and which I love. Didn't your Tante Gussie make Ras Malai?

Fat Guy - We are speaking about two different things. "Glatt" might very well mean smooth, and as the article states, all lamb and chickens etc. are glatt kosher. But I am describing a butcher shop that describes itself as only selling Glatt Kosher food and what that means in the orthodox community. As a practical matter it is as I stated and I know this from my father's business, where he toyed with the idea of it becoming Glatt. He never did it because he decided the location wasn't right for that customer base but, places like Brach's on Main Street in Flushing and Little Neck Meats (who was my father's old partner) have more than one rabbi on staff full time to ensure that everything is perfect. This issue came up last week when my wife and I were paying a shiva call. Even though the mourner wasn't extremely orthodox, he had lots of family that were. So sliced fruit platters were sent up from Park East Butchers that were sealed in plastic and had a rabbinical seal on it. They must have a rabbi on staff who supervises the preparation and places the seal on the platter. Then anyone who is orthodox could check the seal and break it themselves to ensure that what they ate was kosher. But some people sent fruit baskets (like me) which didn't have a seal and the orthodox who were visiting wouldn't eat that fruit. Remember, we are talking about fruit not meat. So the daughter of the mouner, who goes to school with my kids asks her father, is there such a thing as non-kosher fruit? And the answer is, no all fruit is kosher. But the way it is prepared might not be. For example, if someone used a knife to cut non-kosher cheese to slice the fruit, that would contaminate it. So "Glatt Kosher" has come to mean *under rabbinical supervision* at every point along the way. This is why when you are on airplanes, or are at a non-kosher wedding where people have orthodox family and special meals are brought in for them, the plates have a rabbinical seal on them that the diner himself can break to be assured of certification.

Bux - Aside from food, do you really think they stoned people to death etc. Do you think any of it is true, or do you think it is all made up? "If there is anybody with an Islamic background or even some basic Islamic education I'd love to see mention made of an equivalent source where we could all go to do some learning about Halal." Fat Guy - Yeah where's Sweetpea when we really need her.

Jin - No ribeye is fine. Because it is below a cows shoulder. Don't ask me why that is. We have to ask a zoologist. But Prime rib is the main dish of choice at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. Fat Guy - Oy so much reading. There are basically three levels of kosher that have any signifigance in America. The first level is for meat to be raised, slaughtered and prepared in a way that conforms to a kosher standard. All kosher meat meets this minimum and you will find this type of meat in Conservative Jewish homes. The next level of kashruth is "koshering the meat." This is usually done at home by people who buy meat as described in the first example. Depending on how religious you are, you will soak the meat/chickens anywhere from 2-6 hours in a salt water solution in order to remove the blood. The third level is Glatt Kosher and it is still the same meat as the first example. Except the butcher will have a full time rabbi on staff to supervise the koshering of the meat (as described in example two.) So when people shop "Glatt Kosher," that just means the butcher bought certified kosher meat and had a rabbi from the local rabbinical authority supervise the process of the meat soaking in water for 6 hours. This "supervision" process has sort of been compared to the mafia these days because the cost of having a full time rabbi to supervise is expensive. I know Toby wrote that lovely story about his great-grandfather but these days kosher meat, along with the certification process is a big business. And rabbinical supervision has extended to other areas as well. There have been a few kosher sushi restaurants that have opened where World War 3 broke out between the rabbi on site and the owners of the restaurant with the rabbi refusing to certify certain fish as kosher (even though they should have been.) The rabbis supervise every little detail. From making sure you have washed your hands, to the type of knife you use etc. Obviously, like with anything else, there must be ones that cheat and who allow businessmen short cuts for a schmear.

"What if there are no non-kosher butchershops to sell the rest to? What did they do with it?" Jin - I'm not sure what years the laws of kashruth came into being. Meaning being practiced by everyone. But aside from the time when the Jews lived in Israel before the Romans got there, both before and after, the Jews have always been guests in other people's countries. So there was always somebody to sell the rest of the cow to. In fact, if you believe that most religious laws were originally created as a practical way to control people (as I am,) I doubt that the laws of kashruth would have been instituted without a willing buyer for the rest of the cow.

Hopleaf - I have checked for that book and it appears to be the same as the one muonim suggested. The full title is "New Food of Life, Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies" by Najimah Batmanglij. It is published by Mage and the ISBN number is 0-934211-34-5. It;s quite a beautiful book, and by far the best book on Persian cooking I've seen.

Jin - Because only the shoulder and up on the calf is kosher. That is why rib steak, or mush steak as they call it is the big ticket in kosher restaurants. Fat Guy might be right about the sciatic nerve thing, but I never heard that before. But for some reason, the calf's feet are kosher as well and there is a dish based on cooking them and then chilling them in their own aspic. Sandra - You are 100% correct. It's the same with not being able to drive on Saturdays. It assured that a congregation lived within walking distance of the synagogue, butcher etc. and it greatly increased the odds of Jewish boys and girls marrying each other.

Rachel - I can get a good one off on occassion. I think Nina meant Jews that bother to keep kosher (a horrid tradition but that's for another day.) Jews who don't keep kosher would eat anything, halal or not halal. I wonder, are certain cuts of meat restricted in halal. Like in kosher law, there are no sirloins, strip steaks, etc. What about halal? Can I go to Mohamad Luger's and get myself a Porterhouse which I can't do at Moyshe Luger's?

Why did they close Bid, not enough business? The two times I went the food was good, not great. But certainly well beyond that standards that at most restaurants in the city. And the space was comfy, and there is a dearth of good places to eat on the Upper East Side. And it would figure that it would be a good draw for the gallery lunch crowd. What happened?

"One school (Univ of Michigan?) sources both meats from the same packing house, cooks them in separate but equal university kitchen facilities, and serves them from separate but equal stations in the same facility. " Is the Islamic version of Hillel House called Halal House? (Nina are you laughing?)

Nina is right. Jews would never find halal meat acceptable. But that is probably because they won't eat anything that doesn't have a rabbinical seal of approval on it rather than the method of raising and slaughtering not conforming. But as I pointed out, it's not the same for Muslims.

To add to what Fat Guy said, there are things about raising kosher meat, as well as Halal meat at every step of the way. If there weren't, how would the rabbinical societies make money from that phase of it? But John is correct about kosher meat. The slaughtering process is done by slitting the throat of the animal. Then the animal is hung to allow the blood to drip out. And the process of making something kosher means that it is then soaked in salt water to ensure that all blood is removed before preparation. Anyway, try this link for an explanation about Halal Halal case study

Mike - It's similar to kosher meat. I can't tell you the differences, or exactly how meat is certified halal, but I can tell you that when my father had his kosher butcher shop out in Westbury back in the 70's, Muslims would buy meat from him. That was back in the days when the Islamic community was much smaller, and there weren't anywhere as many shops selling halal meat as there are today. Maybe someone of the Islamic faith can fill in the details of why meat becomes halal.