fchrisgrimm

America's barbecue capital? I believe you meant to say "And speaking of Lexington, NC-style!"

Are stories as a guest okay? About ten years ago, my SO and I went to Bath, England for a trip. While there, we stayed in a nice B&B. (This was before "Flirting with Disaster" affirmed my dislike of B&B's.) Anyway, this was a beautiful, huge old house owned by an old couple that ran the place. The Mr. was an old British Naval officer - and one of these insufferable people who says "don't call me Mr. Smith, just call me 'Admiral.'" Grrr. So the first morning I get up for breakfast. I'm a few minutes ahead of Leslie so I go down to the dining room table. Nothing on the table but empty plates and a big pitcher of orange juice. I sit down and the Admiral starts regaling me with stories of the history of the table. Family heirloom, survived two wars. He can't shut up about the freakin' table! I'd have thought Arthur himself had chopped down the tree. Finally, Leslie comes to the dining room, bumps a leg (as if on cue), and spills the orange juice all over the Admiral's table. You could almost hear the acid eroding the finish. I thought the Admiral was going to have a stroke (though Lady Admiral quickly had the situation under control). I could hardly control myself as I tried to help clean up. Leslie had no idea what was wrong with me, as I had tears rolling down my cheeks from holding in the laughter. Had to splain the set-up to her later. We were pretty much stealth guests, the rest of our time there!

Patricia Brooks lost me when she described (as I best recall) "well seasoned" vegetables at Thali. I mean, what the f does that mean? Does that give you any idea what the vegetables tasted like? Were they burnt to a crisp, but with just the right amount of salt? Grr....

Had to watch the show if, for no other reason, I had what was unquestionably the finest meal of my life at GR's eponymous restaurant. While I sort of think the show is beneath his talents, I find it hard to begrudge his opportunity to cash out with this thing. Dreadful show (though I'll keep watching)! While GR is entertainingly profane, he isn't especially charismatic, is he? By the end of the evening, I wasn't sure who was going to keep watching, except for e-gulleters! Clearly the "opening night" gimmick to the debut episode was staged - which made it even less watchable. Using (many) untrained chefs left me torn between thinking "this is pointless" and "how did I miss the auditions?" The abusiveness didn't bother me as much as the "staginess" of the abusiveness - like he had an inventory of insults that he wanted to remember to use. As for the episode... Carolann was a lox - good to get rid of her. They sure are positioning Elsie to be the sympathetic contestant. I suspect Michael will be in this for the long haul. Easier to spot the losers than the potential winners.

Wasn't Ibiza (or was it Meigas) given an Extraordinary rating by the NYT Connecticut section?

We used to enjoy (on special occasions) Restaurant Zanghi, when it was at the Inn at National Hall in Westport. Fine place - though many were critical of the steep prices (how are they in Stamford?). Replaced by the comparable Miramar, a Todd English restaurant that was certainly comparable, but now the location has been abandoned for, I believe, a real estate office - what a waste of that location. The Inn is now converting to condos, btw.

Answering my own question, I've found a terrific BYO restaurant in New Haven, Nini's Bistro. $29.95 for a four course prix fixe. Northern Italian. Very good. (Lost my notes, but enjoyed the dinner.)

As a straight man with a long term SO and no kids, I would much rather eat at a "gay/lesbian friendly" (whatever that means) restaurant than an establishment catering to breeders and their respective broods!

"Child-Free"

All of this "foie gras of the Atlantic" talk got me hungry, so I picked up a quite serviceable order of clams at Westfair Seafood, a tiny joint affiliated with a local fish market, here in Westport, CT. Being at the southern end of New England, I'm probably not getting the very freshest clams - though I hope that the other part of the Westfair business means that these will be as fresh as I'll get around here. A lot cheaper than Mansion Clam House, too. Not sure where else to recommend in the neighborhood. Westfair also makes great onion rings!

While I like pickles well enough, I admire Ghostrider's cajones for the broad swipe at this beloved food group. My sister-in-law won a pickle contest in Northern Virginia last year. They were good, but I have to admit, most of my reaction was "they're pickles." As one who was stranded in NYC on the night of the last blackout, I will note that pickle-mongers did a bang-up business when everyone was without electricity.

I drink one cup of coffee in the morning. Otherwise, I generally have one (reasonably large) meal a day, at about 8:00. I sometimes vary from this on weekends, but it is certainly the weekday routine. (My SO is determined to make pancakes on the weekend, which tend to work like a narcotic on me.) While I still have about twenty years in which to die prematurely, I have yet to note any negative side effects from this routine. I'm no scientist, but as far as I can tell, I basically burn the same number of calories every day, regardless of what time I eat. And the food that I eat has the same number of calories that it has, regardless of what time that I eat it. I'm not trying to be contrarian here, but, speaking only for myself, if I eat in the morning, I'm hungry all day. If I eat at noon, I'm sleepy all afternoon. (I have no caffeine after my morning java, btw.) It's 2:15 right now, I am slightly hungry, but it will pass when I get up from the computer. If being hungry gives me a headache, I'll take an aspirin, which will lengthen my life, anyway. So at 6:00, I'll go shop. At 8:00, today - at least, the SO and I will have shad roe, sauteed potatoes, a nice salad, a multi grain roll, and some sort of dessert (been on a pineapple binge lately) and split a bottle of wine and a bottle of Pellegrino. I'll go to bed at 10:00. I'll sleep like a baby. And at 7:00, with tomorrow's coffee, I'll start the process again. As an aside, acid reflux runs in my family, too. Unless I eat immediately before bed, I have not found this routine to compound the issue.

I surely will. Unfortunately, I was too late in planning to get into Django. Marigold Kitchen could only take us early. Being partial to French food, I was pleased how it worked out. But, especially with the cheap sleeps, the BYO's make for a great and fairly inexpensive weekend getaway.

The beverage option was $60. Given the quantity and quality, I actually came away feeling that is a very good deal for the bevs. On first blush, a wine option at three-quarters the meal price seemed a lot, but I was quite pleased. The shiraz and, to a lesser extent, the Pinot were a little big relative to the food. That said, I'm generally a "whites for lunch, reds for dinner" person, so I was fine with them. They certainly fit the general rule of going progressively bigger with the wines. But reds are a tough match with what you get at Morimoto. If I was the chef, maybe I would have swapped the order of the tempura and the black cod/foie gras, serving an off-dry riesling or even gewurtz with the black cod and serving a lighter-style Pinot with the tempura - though you really want something acidic with the tempura. But that is really splitting hairs. Ultimately, the matches were well planned and first rate. I also liked that it wasn't the typical offering of a different wine with each dish, as I especially enjoyed the martini and the sake (I know, it's wine). Bookending the meal with sparkling wine seemed a nice touch. If I was to go there again, I would certainly go with the beverage option again - and I would wholeheartedly recommend that others do the same. I always like to go with the wine option at price fixe dinners - I'd be hard pressed to say when I've been happier with the wine (or bev)-by-the-glass roster.

We had a terrific trip to Philadelphia (from Connecticut) this past weekend (quite a beautiful weekend at that). Many thanks especially to those who steered us toward Pif. We drove in on Friday and checked into the Hyatt Penn's Landing. $60/night via Priceline - anyone not using Priceline, especially via the sound guidance of BiddingForTravel.com, is missing out on bargains. Pardon the shameless plug, but I have never gone wrong when looking for a city hotel bargain (and I've been using for probably five years). After checking in on Friday, we wandered around the historic district for a few hours, biding time for dinner. Morimoto Fine dinner at Morimoto. I had the $80 Omasake with beverage, while Leslie had the $100 with sake. First courses: Me - a mound of yellowtail with scallion and caviar served in a light broth (with Veuve Cliquot gold label). L - basically the same, using fatty tuna. Great, comforting start. Second courses: Me - an oyster ceviche in ginger, sesame, soy (with a Morimoto Martini - sake, vodka, and Japanese cuke slices). L - Striped bass served in a similar fashion. We all but swapped as we preferred eachothers - still quite nice. Really loved the drink Third courses: Me - seared spicey mackerel with something resembling a light chutney (Clos des Papes Sauv Blanc). L - seared red snapper with an aioli like sauce. While notes are blurry, I believe these were both served over mizuna or some such greens. Hey - the more you drink, the blurrier the notes get. Fourth course: citron sorbet. Almost too creamy to be palate cleansing - great stuff. (The break in the action allowed for some contemplation of the surroundings. I love the general set-up. The green lighting by entry and the sushi bar at the other end of this very long room contribute to a sense of elsewhere, completely removing you from the outside world. I know it's an old restaurant trick (like Morton's!), but removing windows and creating the right atmosphere can work to wonderful effect. I enjoyed the wavy wood ceiling and the sculpted walls - which contributed to a feeling both modern and gently ocean like. Though that first sculpted portion of wall looked oddly like a Booda Bone, making us miss our two dogs that didn't take the trip. Finally - what's with the lamps? Sometimes a lamp is only a lamp, but these are both phallic and immovable, being wired through the base of the table. They can be a bit of a distraction to quiet conversation and are just, well, a bit much. Back to dinner...) Fifth course: Me - tempura shrimp with a chili 'sauce' (Witness Tree Pinot noir - being an Oregon PN nut, I was pleased with the offering). L - twice steamed hallibut in sake with ginger, scallions, and ?. Leslie's was terrific. I won't say that mine wasn't, but I have had a mental block on tempura for many years. Even at it's best, a dish like this, to my palate, is near indistinguishable from mediocre sweet-and-sour shrimp. Any sauce makes the whole thing gummy. It tasted nice enough, but so does sugar-laden fast food - and that doesn't make it good. Rather than dis the dish, I would just say that it's not my thing. And Les thought mine was perfectly good. Thankfully, after this, I had no fear of leaving the restaurant hungry. Sixth course: Me - Black cod with foie gras (and an Oz Shiraz that I can't now recall). L - Kobe beef prepped over Japanese sweet potatoes. Loved both dishes. This was probably the highpoint (of course, I'm a foie gras nut) - but the buttery black cod matched perfectly with the foie gras - simply a luscious combo. Seventh course: Assorted sushi (with a reserve Morimoto sake). Sushi was both a terrific course and a palate cleansing offering, at this point. And while I have not really been a sake fan, I have to say that I truly enjoyed both this and what Leslie had. Eighth course (dessert): coconut parfait with mango sorbet and red wine sauce (Veuve Cliquot demi-sec). Also being a huge coconut fan, this was perfect for me. (Leslie's father hates coconut - something that, in ten years, I have yet to fathom!) All in all, we completely enjoyed the well-prepared, creative dishes and the nice atmosphere of the place. While it is not a bargain, I would say that they probably price as close to precisely what they should as any restaurant I have dined at. Service was all but impeccable - only glitch was when we had to tell one of the young servers (kids these days!) that 'pitted' means the pit has been removed! Otherwise, the place ran like the proverbial well-oiled machine. I wouldn't go again, only because I don't like to spend that much at the same place more than once, instead of trying other things. And the singular focus of the place, relative to other top-notch restaurants, made this a stop well-worth making. On Saturday we went to the U. Penn Natural History Museum before lunching... Sansom Street Oyster House (Hi Katie! Would've tried to track you down, but the place was hopping.) Only complaint about Sansom Street - it took 25 minutes to get a half-dozen oysters each. It's not like they have to be cooked! And the shucker didn't seem to be vigorously shucking (and I had a direct view of the bar). But the waitress was very nice and hard working, offering to comp us coffee and dessert (we declined). Once we got our bivalves, things went rather smoothly. I followed with the fried oyster plate, while Leslie opted for the gumbo. The plate was nicely made and the gumbo was top notch. This is more or less standard fare, but they certainly get it right at SSOH. Once the fresh oysters made it to the table, everything else was prompt, so we were ultimately out of there in 45 minutes. But (just saying) the 25 minute initial wait did tend to depress my mood a bit. This was followed by more touristy activities, including a fun stroll around Reading Terminal Market. Saturday night we met two friends from St. Louis who had flown in for the Dali exhibit. Pif I'm still blown away by the concept of fine BYO dining - a foreign concept up here in Connecticut. If you look at the wine in one's basement as a sunk cost (now there's a rationalization!), it makes for remarkably inexpensive fine dining. Wines brought to Pif included: a 1999 Marcel Deiss Englegarten Riesling - wasn't the best for sipping, but was ideal with appetizers. With dinner - a 2000 Testerosa Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chard and a 1999 Domaine Serene Mark Bradford Estate Pinot noir. Both wines were fantastic - though the nose of the Serene was more like black top soil than dirt. I'd also brought a Tokay for dessert, but we opted to sip the Chard, instead. Appetizers for the four of us: Watercress and Endive with Goat Cheese; Charcuterie Plate; Razor Clams with Mint; Foie Gras Terrine. I didn't taste the first two, but our friends seemed to enjoy. Loved the foie gras (no surprise there) - it was as creamy as the Morimoto sorbet. The Razor Clams, chopped and served ceviche style, were, plain and simply, the finest dish that we had all weekend. Splendid. Absolutely perfect. Can't say enough. Main Courses: Cote de Boef with green peppercorns and cognac (x2); Halibut a la Nicoise; Whole Roasted Bronzino. Our friends both seemed to enjoy the beef (those unadventurous St. Louis eaters!). Leslie loved the halibut - probably her fav fish. I think it is simply hard to top whole roasted fish, so completely enjoyed the Bronzino, which was served with sauteed brocolini, a few white beans, and a couple of cherry tomatoes. We split a cheese plate: Munster with Cumin Seeds; Laguiole Vieux; Roquefort Papillion. Desserts: Apple Crepe; Dame Blanche; Chocolate Cognac Fondant; Riz au Lait. There wasn't a lot of sharing of dessert! I loved the rice pudding, one of my favorite things in the world! Pif is a very small place in the Italian Market district. Maybe a dozen tables. It was pretty full from the time we entered until we left (7ish to 10ish). Couldn't be more different from Morimoto - small staff, close quarters - but it is the kind of place that I love. With tip, our half of the tab was about $120. Again, acknowleging that the wine cost me something at some point, I still can't get over what a bargain this is - and it's not like we took the cheap way out at dinner. Great food, great value - I would certainly return on our next trip to Philly. As good as Morimoto is (and it is certainly a finer total experience), we could (bringing wine) eat at Pif three times, for (less than?) the cost of our dinner at Morimoto. It's apples and oranges, nonetheless... And, as mentioned before, Pif did serve us the best dish of the trip. Looking forward to the next trip to Philly - maybe we'll try some of the other BYO's - but I sure hope to be back at Pif.

I think that Mecca is at its best when it sticks with 'one-dish' style stews, etc. (Though the sweetbreads are one of my fav dishes there) In the last year or so, there has been more emphasis on presentation - with an accompanying shift toward small, bright, distinct components to each dish. While this shift makes Mecca a little bit more like Meigas, and more like "contemporary" cuisine, I have a bit of concern that it takes them away from the focus on what made them unique. Nonetheless, if the quality remains high, I'm not going to gripe. The core menu, as it were, seems to be staying about the same. But there's nothing like some of the specials that have shown up in the past - the lamb stew, when it pops up as a wintertime special. Or the scallop, snail, and white bean appetizer. Great dish, one bowl, one utensil!

Chiodo's in Homestead (just off the bridge) for a Mystery Sandwich. It's a nice companion visit to Primanti's!

OK - while this is completely the wrong board, it sort of relates, and it's a fun story. This was shortly after J-G had opened, got the four stars and was the talk of the town. Had to call a month to the day to get in, yada yada. So I make a reservation to take my SO there for her birthday. I'd lunched but not dined there because I worked for a company that did some business with him - though I didn't work directly with J-G. About two weeks before our reservation, our beloved corgi takes ill, requiring some scheduled surgery - alas, on Leslie's birthday - so I cancel the res. Long story short (or, at least, less long) the vet has a family tragedy so calls the day before to postpone the surgery. (Sidebar - Dylan, our beloved, had a dramatic recovery, sans surgery, and continues to charge around to this day - about seven years later, so it was all a blessing in disguise.) So we commute to NY for work on Leslie's birthday, no dinner plans in hand. It's a Friday, too. I call the person at my company who works closely with J-G and ask if there is any chance she could help us get in the restaurant - all I'm looking for is two seats. Later that day, I get a call from the restaurant - they have nothing in the dining room, but we can eat at the bar if we'd like. OK - great, it'll be fun. I get to the restaurant ahead of Leslie, check in, and start watching the time. Leslie's is late, and later, and still later. The hostess comes out and I think 'we've lost our bar seat.' Just then, as Leslie is launching herself out of her cab, the hostess says "we have an opening in the dining room, if you'd like it." Some days you are just living right. So we sit down, and are treated wonderfully, like royalty. Make the mistake of saying that J-G does not need to whip up something special for us. No tasting menu. We just order some terrific grub a la carte and a nice but reasonable bottle of wine. It too far back now for me to remember what we had, but, at the time, it was the finest meal I had ever eaten. And what I especially recall was the atmosphere of the place. Very buoyant, everybody happy, adults being kids, sort of. I may have since had a handful of finer meals, but that atmosphere was the best! All light and buzz. So we have our dinner and our cheese and our dessert and everything is perfect. The service is perfect, the food is perfect. Everything perfect. And since we commute from the 'burbs, we admittedly start thinking about train schedules. And for the first time all night, we can't get the attention of the staff. And as I get slightly anxious about making the train (not what you should be worrying about on the SO's b'day) I have to admit that I started to add up the tab in my head. It's great, but man this'll set me back four bills (and that's 20th century money). Finally, the maitre d', a wonderful fellow who had set us up, sees my flailing hand and comes to the table. "Check, please." With the raise of his finger and the single word "no!" I suddenly realize what's happening. Clearly, my colleague had suggested that I had, well, in my small way, contributed to the coffers of the burgeoning J-G conglomerate. All I could say were the truest words I have ever sputtered out "but I only wanted a table!" I almost felt guilty about what was happening (funny, because knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't!) The maitre d', with what I can only describe as the world's most dignified shrug, replied "sometimes Jean-George, he doesn't let you pay!" It came out in a way that almost suggested a 'guest of the night' program - and we just happened to draw the lucky number! It was the ending of endings to our wonderful dinner. Of course, we thanked J-G profusely, as we worked our way out of the place (and who cares what train we catch?!) To this day, when we have a spell of luck, big or small, one of us will invariably utter the "sometimes J-G..." line. Final lessons learned - when you go out for dinner, always carry enough cash to cover the projected tip, even if you plan to use your credit card! And always let the chef cook for you, if he offers.

Looking back, I only now realize that my last comment was a reply to the owner - I meant no offense! I continue to rank the original Thali (New Canaan) as one of the three best "dining experience" restaurants in the area - with Southport's Paci and Norwalk's Meigas. It is nothing short of top notch. But I still have a block on the second loc. Will try it for lunch or brunch sometime.

Don't apologize! You were treated in a way that a reasonable person might consider appalling. Just because a few of us might have had a more bemused take on the incident doesn't mean that you were obligated to do so. It was your money, you deserved better.

I would have taken it better than most, too. Don't get me wrong. But it is awfully presumptuous for anyone working for a restaurant thinking that they can drunkenly disrupt a meal for which someone is shelling some real cashmoney. I would put that behavior in the category of a fatal mistake, that requires being made good immediately. I might personally chuckle at it, but I don't expect someone else to. For anyone at the restaurant to do anything less than comp the meal is an even worse slight. The gift certificate is a laugh. I'm reminded of the Larry Miller bit about getting back together with exes. It's like taking a swallow of milk, realizing it's sour, and putting it back in the fridge, to see if it's fresh again the next day.

If a drunk employee disturbs your dinner, they should comp you the meal - not another one - right then and there. No question. Enjoy that you have a good story to tell? Are people kidding me? It's a good story if they made good - but they really didn't. If it wasn't an employee, it would be another thing. But the punch line is on the customer, who is out real money for an unpleasant experience. And the drunk employee offered to pay, right? Funny because this was on the list of best BYOB's to consider, as we are visiting Philly in a few weeks. So posting on here helps too, because it keeps away people like me. Now if you want to hear about comped meals, let me tell you about Jean-George! ("Sometime Jean Georges, he doesn't let you pay!") One of our favorite dining stories of all time. But for another board.

Many great recs, thanks - I believe I'll be shooting for Marigold Kitchen first and Pif second. Need a res - so that shuts out a couple of options. Can I ask what the deal is with Philly and BYOB establishments? That is a really nice alternative to inflated wine list pricing and/or unreasonable corkage fees. As I said in my original, there is virtually no BYOB in Connecticut - corkage is even frowned upon in many places (which is a drag when one has a fair to middling size wine basement).

Django is booked for the April Saturday on which we are visiting Philadelphia (for the Dali exhibit). Any recommendations for something comparable? Regional cuisine, fresh/organic ingredients? BYOB would be awesome (it is a rarity, here in Connecticut) - though not completely necessary. Meeting friends. Prefer to not break the bank.

Johnny, your shrimp updates are one of the highlights of my daily e-gullet routine. Now if I could only find a good source here in Fairfield County, CT...