docsconz

This thread is Simply Irresistable. Sweet Dreams are Made of Parties like this. U2 can drink white zinfandel and eat Chimichangas. Your party sounds like it will be a real Thriller, especially for those who would dress Like a Virgin and he who would be a Sharp dressed Man. Would we be invited if we traveled there on a Vacation/Holiday, after all We got the Beat? Unfortunately, it would probably Clash with other plans for halloween. If Frankie goes to Hollywood, I might go there. That's what I like about you though, you could accept that and not strut like a stray cat and scream Sunday, bloody Sunday. If it is a costume party, I hope someone goes as Alf. ah, the memories...

Luna, welcome to eGullet! You obviously enjoy quality.

Half the wine of the Inn's vaunted collection was sold to the new owners with the Inn. The full wine list is represented, although the cellar will not retain the full volume of those wines that it had. The remainder of the wines will be sold by the Taylors. For those who may not know, The Friends Lake Inn has been known for an exceptional wine program, getting the highest Wine Spectator Award for a number of years. It will be interesting to see how the wines get sold, whether by auction or in lots to individual buyers. Apparently the new owners intend to maintain the style and quality of the Inn, although over the years much of the kitchen and wine output had Greg Taylor's stamp on it. That will surely change with time.

The Frog Hollow Fruit is expensive, but at least I am able to show my boys what archetypal peaches, nectarines and plums are like.

eGullet's day at The Races in Saratoga is coming up fast. The roster so far docsconz and family (5) JosephB and family (3) SLKinsey and Bergerka (2) Phaelon56 and Guest (2) GGMora and Husband (2) possible: MarkABauman (?) Others? I will provide plates, silverware and cups as well as drinking water in addition to my grilled lamb summer salad and a dessert. we will need some more mains and any special beveredges anyone wishes to bring. I'm working on trying to reserve a table or 2, if I can.

The Inn at Erlowest is located on Lake George off Rte 9 a mile or so above Exit 22 of the Northway. There is a large sign for Sun Castle and The Inn at Erlowest, but the entrance is otherwise nondescript. The road that leads down to the Inn is difficult to spot at the back of a lot that appears to be a dead end. It is narrow and winding leading down towards the Lake. The first impression for me was a bit of disappointment . The Castle (this is not an exaggeration) is a marvellous old building from Lake George's glory years, but it is surrounded by a bunch of unremarkeable townhouses that certainly detract fom the view and the overall ambiance. Once inside the building, however, that disappointment becomes a distant memory. The building had most recently been the private home of one of the area's wealthiest and well-known residents, but was sold a few years ago to David and Cheryl Kenny of Lake George. The new owners apparently spared no expense in refurbishing the building and bringing in top-notch kitchen talent, equipment and ingredients. The inside decor is elegant Victorian. The tables are well spaced and well appointed with comfortable chairs. Service overall was friendly, attentive and efficient, although it lacked polish. Most of the servers were young men and women from Europe, who while enthusiastic appeared to still be working on their skills. Given the overall experience of the evening and the outstanding value presented, this criticism is quibbling, indeed. We were offered our menus and the wine list. The first decision we had to make was whether to order ala carte or go with the Chef's Tasting Menu. either everyone did a tasting menu or no-one did. There were actually two tasting Menu options, both $79/person with an additional $55/person for per course wine pairings. One was the "Grand Tasting Menu" with principle proteins consisting of seafood, fowl and meat and the other was the "Vegetable Tasting Menu". Given that one of our party does not eat seafood (although she cooks it wonderfully), we were torn until Chef Secish came over and offered to substitute meat dishes for the seafood for our friend. that sealed the deal and we never looked back. The dinner started with an amuse of lobster salad en gelee that was refreshing and tasty. Rolls and butter were also top-notch. The first course of the Menu was Seared Saint-Jacques Scallops and Scallop Roe served with Gaston-Chiquet Brut, Carte-Verte NV. Our friend was served Chilled Sorrel Soup with Lavender Ice Cream along with a glass of Raventos i Blanc Brut Cava NV. The soup was the only dish of the evening I didn't taste, although she reported it delicious. The scallop was perfectly seared and served with a brunoise of caramelized vegetables and thyme. The roe was a nice touch that added some complexity to the dish. we were off to a fine start. Seared Hake, Eggplant, Crawfish and Tarragon Oil followed with a Sancerre from Domaine Pastou, les Boucaults 2003 for us and Nebraska Conservancy Bison Tartare with fresh Wasabi and Quail Yolk for our friend. The hake was perfectly cooked, flavorful and delightful with the crawfish and the eggplant, which consisted of little eggplant pellets that appeared either to be sauteed or fried in some fashion. The dish worked beautifully. The bison tartare comes from free-range bison herd in Nebraska. apparently the chef buys the entire production of tenderloin from the herd as it is thinned. It too was delicious. My favorite dish of the evening was next and it was spectacular. Butter Braised maine Lobster with Confit Tomato and Wild Thyme served with Macon-Villages, Domaine Bourdon, les Pierres 2002 Burgundy. Our friend had seared veal sweetbreads. I have almost become bored with haute cuisine lobster, but this dish made my tongue come alive with every bite. this was the one dish that made me almost regret the Tasting Menu instead of ala carte. I recently had tasting of butter braised lobster at Per Se and this dish was at least the equal of that. Magnificent. The sweetbreads were also delicious. Seared Fois Gras, Lavender Ice Cream, Mango and Coca-Cola Reduction came next served Chateau Coutet, sauternes-Barsac 2000. This dish was very good, although it it did compare to the very best fois gras preparations that I have had, most memorably at Toque in Montreal. As would be expected, the pairing worked nicely. While still quite good, the least succesful dish of the evening, Pheasant en Casserole with Pearl barley, Oyster Mushrooms and Port Cream, followed. The dish was more subtle than the others and might have benefitted from slightly more seasoning. Once again, I am quibbling, though. The wine was Bourgogne Rouge 2001 from Jean-Marc Boillot. Another great preparation, Seared Lamb saddle, French Flageolet Beans and Roasted Red Pepper , was the favorite course of a couple of members of our party. The meat ws perfectly cooked and scented with some spices that I could not precisely identify. The beans added textural complexity and flavor to the dish, which was completed with a sauce of the roasted red peppers. This was served with 2001 "Saint-Esprit" Cotes-du-rhone from delas Freres. Once again, the course was magnificent. Desserts were prepared by an imaginative and highly talented young Pastry Chef, Sabrina Guttridge. we had a pre-dessert of a pistachio custard that cupatureed the essence of he nut. The principle dessert was Moscato d'Asti Gelee with Fresh Garden Plums served with Moscato d'Ast 2003 from La Spinetta. This was a delightfully refreshing final course, the highlight of which were perfect blueberries in small cubes of the gelee covered by candied orange peel. Wow! Petit-fours followed and were tasty. Although I don't drink coffee, failure to offer any was a curious omission. At the end of the meal, Chef gave us a tour of his kitchen (remarkable facility, similar to though considerably smaller than Per Se's. The kitchen is extremely well staffed to service the approximate 50 covers per evening. Chef also introduced us to Chef Guttridge and her staff. She had us try several different ice creams including Basil and Chevre, both exquisite. There is an 8 person table off the kitchen for which the kitchen will create special meals for those guests. Chef Secich, a man extremely passionate about food, said that he most enjoyed preparing something that a guest normally doesn't eat in a way that the guest loves. I have no doubt of his ability to do so. He came to the Inn at Erlowest from Jackson, Wyoming. He has had previous experience with Pierre Gagnaire and The Inn at Little Washington. IMO, this is a fantastic addition to the upstate restaurant (and Inn) scene. If they can keep up this level of food preparation they should become a destination restaurant worthy of travel for its own sake. I plan on going as often as I can.

More details will follow, but for anyone in or near Northeastern NY or even thinking about visiting NENY, run, do not walk, to dinner at The Inn at Erlowest. Chef Matthew Secich and his superb staff is passionately creating world-class quality food in a beautiful setting at very reasonable prices for the quality offered.

Great post! Thanks, Victor. I'll be looking forward to some fine Spanish shellfish this fall in Catalunya and San Sebastien.

I was turned on to Pimm's on my honeymoon at Little Dix Bay in the BVI in the 80's. Great stuff, although I haven't had it much since.

I have found that the addition of cinammon to watermelon and /or watermelon sorbet adds a nice touch. The flavors really go well together and make it a little more unique.

Wine is always a good gift to a wine enthusiast so long as it is an interesting wine to which some thought has been given. It doesn't really matter if they already have a ton of it. If it is a really good, well known wine or something unusual and interesting it will be appreciated. If it is a bottle off the supermarket shelf, it will most likely be re-gifted or relegated to cooking. In this scenario, a target of $50-100 is appropriate, although interesting wines can certainly be found for less. The kind of dinner party also is important. If it is a more formal, sit-down dinner, the gift should be more elaborate than if it is a casual, spontaneous breaking of bread. I too would never mind being on the receiving end of a top-notch evoo or balsamico, but once again, if these are going to be given as gifts they should be good ones.

Great questions, Simon. I, too, am looking forward to Victor's replies to these.

I'm not sure he is against the concepts. My impression is that he does not consider them well made technically, that packaging is particularly important and that they resort to exoticism in lieu of quality. As I said, I have enjoyed the products I've had, although I am no expert on chocolate production.

Check out this topic for a discussion on chocalatiers that includes Vosges. While I have enjoyed the Vosges chocolate products that I've had, Steve Klc has a different opinion expressed on that thread. He calls them gimmicks. I call them interesting and tasty. Their hot chocolate mixes aren't bad either.

I also try to have a bottle of wine from my child's birth year on their birthdays. That is beginning to get scarce.

My family has always had the tradition of the birthday celebrant choosing dinner either at home or a restaurant. When I was a young child my favorite was raviolis. As I got a little older I would ask her to make her perciatelli with crab sauce. To this date this is my all-time favorite. Since then my most notable birthday was my fortieth spent in Paris. My children get to pick their birthday meals. The current favorite is fettucine alfredo - no holds barred. I make that, while my wife bakes the cake.

They sell it at Whole Foods too. It's yummy, esp. the version with sea salt. In upstate NY it is sold in Price Chopper Supermarkets. After spending much of the past year trying all the different European and European style butters I could find, Vermont B&C along with the Canadien Lactantia are my favorites. I agree with those who said that the freshness makes a difference and that those same butters in Europe are more exceptional.

Rogelio, Thanks for the information. It would seem that when I get to El Bulli (whenever that will be!), I'll be better off not spending a lot of money on wine, but maybe sticking with sherries, cavas or Spanish whites such as albarinos.

Great post! The pics of Ai Caiscinari and Foccacceria San Francesco really brought back memories. Ai Caiscinari was the highlight of a great food trip.

Yet another area of Spain I need to explore! Thanks Victor for the wonderful report. Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest.

What did you drink with your meal?

Greg and Sharon Taylor have just closed on selling the Inn that they built up from a shell in the 1980's The FLI has become one of the premier destinations for food and especially wine in the Adirondacks. The Taylors plan on down-sizing a bit with a brand new B&B on the shores of Friends Lake. More info on the new ownership of FLI and the Taylor's new B&B as it becomes available.

So far I have heard good things only at the ambitious new restaurant/ Inn on Lake George. I will be dining there on Friday and report back.

I think it really depends on how distracting it is to the primary purpose of the restaurant and how much it stands out. I generally go to a restaurant for the food. Sometimes I go to a place for a particular ambience in addition to food. If that ambience is more casual and avant-garde and it is the case where most or all of the servers are such that they fit into the overall atmosphere of the restaurant -fine. If, however, the body art is distracting from eithe the food or my dining companions it is more likely to not be appreciated. So to me, it is not the body art, per se, although if I were at Per Se it would detract from the experience

Interesting reading indeed. I wonder how much of an effect the pants episode may have had on their palates? On the othe hand, the review rings true.