MatthewB

Man... It's been a long time, but I really used to love that stuff too. lysergic acid diethylamide Ahhhh. That explains a few things, Sam. Flashbacks.

My price range is $7 to $9/bottle. Sometimes under; sometimes over. I can pull it off only because I have a terrific local wine man--& I pick Craig's brain, too. Not sure what this says about me.

Charles H. Baker, Jr. He was well before your time. I believe that he was the T&C food writer during the '20s & '30s (perhaps into the early '40s?). He published two wonderful two-volume sets: "The Gentleman's Companion" & "The South American Gentleman's Companion." Each set includes one volume on cocktails & one volume on cooking. Both sets are out of print but still available on the used market. These, too, deserve a reprinting. I'm not the one to do it but someone should write an article on the T&C food writers. Between Baker, Simons, & yourself, there's a great story to be told.

I dug up a Georgeanne Brennan receipt for Raspberry & Blueberry Gratin. Do we want 2 quarts or 3 quarts? (I can do a 2 qt gratin & a 1 gt gratin.) Ice cream, creme fraiche, or what?

I must admit that I've not read "Between Bites" yet. I will soon. Might you comment on preferring JD over Maker's Mark? And the glorious "French Country Kitchen" . . . In my humble opinion, "French Country Kitchen" & Anne Willan's "French Regional Cooking" both deserve to be reprinted. With "comfort food" as a continued rage, at least according to the mainstream food magazines, your book presents cuisine bourgeoise in an accurate & friendly manner. What about Ten Speed Press? Or, perhaps, Biscuit Books--part of eCookbooks.com? Both publishers reprint French food "classics." On a side note, and still thinking of your cocktail essays, I assume that Charles Baker was well before your time at Town & Country. Any stories about Charles that were handed down in the T&C offices? Any stories to share? Thanks again for participating in this eGullet Q&A.

Here are some ideas . . . Spanish Cava with the Tuna Tartare A good "soave" (like the Anselmi San Vincenzo--can you pick this up, G? I can't find any in GR right now) with the seafood campeche A white Bourdeaux with the vegetable salad (I agree with the red burgundy with the pork) Not sure either on the berry gratin pairing.

I'll pick up Valrhona for the hot cocoa. I saw the wine pairing thread. Nice!

I'll look for a blueberry sweet gratin. Would Flaca & Iris like a cup of Steingarten's hot chocolate? It's dreamy & the weather's supposed to be cooler on Saturday (high in the mid-70s).

Oh good, I was going to pick that one too. Soba's Roast Pork Loin with Apricot-Sausage Stuffing and Rosemary-Garlic Jus. Soba, do you have a recipe? You can paraphrase it if you want. Matthew, you can do dessert. Maybe we'll serve some steamed new potatoes with the pork? All sounds good. Except my pastry chef is out of town until late Friday night, so I'm afraid dessert will be my own. How about a sweet (w/ berries or some such) gratin? If so, I'll dig through Christophe Felder's book tonight.

I'd be happy to address any questions you have regarding my cookbooks or my knowledge of food and cooking, restaurants, opera, etc. In fact, I'm well know for giving my opinion on just about anything, even when it's not requested. I'll dig through "At Table" & "French Country Kitchen" tonight. I'm sure I'll have more questions for you tomorrow. But off the top of my head . . . Your essays are gems. There are few, in my opinion, contemporary food writers that match up to your wit, breadth, & exactness. The essay on the Manhattan cocktail in "At Table": would you make any revisions if you were to republish it again? And, it seems as if "French Country Kitchen" didn't receive the amount of attention it deserved--and it's sadly out of print. Any plans on reprinting this? (All the recipes I've fixed from it have worked extremely well.) Best to you, Mr. Villas!

vengroff's composed salad of diced veggies

Tuna tartare, tommy-style.

Do questions have to address "Between Bites"? What about other Villas' books?

Ostensibly, yes, the point is the wormwood. But, being an American in the US, I figured I would take the gateway drug approach and try absente to decide if I liked it before I attempted to start saving money to go to Slovakia and try the real thing The taste is anise-based. Do you like anise? If so, you'd like Absente. But Absente doesn't contain any "drugs" other than alcohol.

Apparently absinthe with wormwood (&, thus, thujone, the compound in question) is again available in the UK. I've never drank anything with thujone (that I'm aware of), so I can't comment on the experience. Edit: BTW, Barnaby Conrad's Absinthe: History in a Bottle is an interesting read.

I'll tend the smoker. Sounds like Dave would prefer the hayride.

We should be able to get two full prime ribs on my smoker without any problem. I just thought that if we smoke the prime ribs someone would have to watch the smoker and therefore wouldn't be able to go on the hayride. Maybe we could start it on the smoker and then finish in the oven. The way I cook my prime rib (Alton's method) takes about 6-8 hours. If need be, I'll tend the smoker. If it's warm, I need Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. If it's cool, I need Maker's Mark. Everything else is all good.

We should be able to get two full prime ribs on my smoker without any problem.

I knew I should have hedged my language.

Methinks end of day today for vote counting. Polls close at 5 PM EST today. Additional votes?

Steve, I've got your vibe here. However, I don't have Jody Adams. Why should I buy it? I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Don't worry about likes/dislikes/allergies unless guajolote notes something. Post your additional ideas when you return home!

guajolote, BTW, I'm overwhelmed with both Thai basil & Greek basil. Let me know if you'd like both or either for cooking on Saturday. Or if you just want some to take home with you, give to your parents, etc.

Sold out for now.

Sunday night: Tomato salad (shaved aged asiago, a bit of onion, Italian basil, EVOO, & BV) "Pasta from Hell: The Second Generation w/ Curried Chicken" Grilled sweet corn w/ lime juice & roasted cumin seed salt