wmsmurray
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Posts posted by wmsmurray
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"...Jose Andres, of Washington D.C., who since signing up with the California Avocado Commission has increased the number of dishes with avocado in them on his menu to eight from two."
I will write for first time on egullet. More than 2 Years ago the California Avocado Comission asked me to cook on an event in Baltimore. Because I was a speaker during a Conference there in a panel I agree to do it. They pay me $500......for 2 long hours of work with 2 of my best guys, Money I used as always to take my cooks for dinner to a new restaurant or used in a trip to Spain..........I never signed any long term contract with them. Was a one time thing.So when the WSJ was writing this story last week they try to listen what they want it to listen. They asked me if I have more avocado dishes than before and I said probably yes............Yes because I love avocadoes not because I get paid to include them.......I have a Latin American restaurant. I have a Mexican restaurant. Avocadoes belong there. Do you see avocadoes in Jaleo or Zaytinya or in my incoming cookbook?......Anyway I'm in an Spanish Olive oil promotion......If you know me you know that I have two loves...Olive oil and Spain....Jaleo is full of both things so is a natural match for me to be part of a promotion that involves the country I love so much..no?..........And as you imagine Monday I will write the editor of WSJ for such an inacurate piece...........Gracias
Chef Andres,
Thank you for your response to this. Hearing this from you, it makes perfect sense. Yet another example of media spin changing the meaning of the story. Keep doing what you're doing - I (and my wife) enjoy your restaurants very much.
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You missed my point. I was responding to your statement that Jose doesn't need the money because he has all these restaurants. My point with the Shaq analogy was that even multi-millionaires always seem to want more money.
On the other hand, what if all of Jose's avocado dishes are wonderful? What if his menu is BETTER with more avocado dishes. What if he was planning on using more avocados anyway, mentioned it to the dude from the Avocado Board, and the dude says, Great! We'll give you free avocados and $10,000? I stand by my statement-money is money-whether it comes in the front door, or the back door.
OK. I get your point and I agree with it totally. My only objection is when the chef is told what to do by his sponsors and it results in an inferior product. I don't frequent Jose's places enough to be able to judge if this is having an effect yet so this is all hypothetical on my part.
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Andres is running more restaurants in DC than Pizza Hut, so I'm not sure he needs bakshish from the avocado trust to make ends meet.
And Shaq makes $15 Million a year and does Icy-Hot commercials. Money is money.
Not to add fuel to the fire but an athlete endorsement usually does not have an effect on his/her game while a chef endorsement (a la Jose Andres' avocado deal) usually does.
Shaq gets paid to put balls in the hoop. None of his sponsors are telling him how to play basketball. Andres gets paid to cook dinner. His sponsors are telling him how to do that. That's the difference.
Exactly
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Andres is running more restaurants in DC than Pizza Hut, so I'm not sure he needs bakshish from the avocado trust to make ends meet.
And Shaq makes $15 Million a year and does Icy-Hot commercials. Money is money.
Not to add fuel to the fire but an athlete endorsement usually does not have an effect on his/her game while a chef endorsement (a la Jose Andres' avocado deal) usually does.
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While I stick with my recommendations earlier in the thread, it occurs to me that I haven't mentioned a couple of stores that I enjoy going to in addition. The first is The Curious Grape in Shirlington. Small selection but friendly, knowledgeable staff and most of the selections are not the mass market stuff you see in a lot of places. They seem to put a good deal of thought into their inventory and the prices are good as well. The other store is a store that may be more for wine novices but I still like to check it out. It is a chain called Best Cellars - I usually go to the one in Clarendon but there is one in Dupont as well - friendly staff, usually good knowledge, great prices and definitely interesting selections.
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I've found myself at Bell Liquor on M Street and Schneiders most often. I especially like Bell for the friendly people and their selection of wines from the Sierra Foothills and El Dorado County in CA. Schneiders just has an incredible selection and very knowledgable people. Lately I've also been going to Arrowine and really like them as well.
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Alexandria , Va: Hi Tom ,
How should we answer a customer, when they ask a glass of red chardonnay and they insist such a grape is available ?
Tom Sietsema: Carefully!
I wonder if said customer is thinking of a blush wine?
Anyone aware of this grape ? A lady kept asking for this , I just couldnt explain to her.
Why?
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The parking was a nightmare but the nice thing was they had guys with flags at each row and only let you into rows that had spots and waved you in. Made the situation a little better. I wasn't at the Dulles opening but how crowded it was depended on where you were in the store. The section with meat, seafood, prepared foods, etc. was cheek to cheek. The section with things like table linens, stemware, etc. was empty and other places were in between. Nice to have one of these closer to me though. The only thing that dismayed me was the apparent lack of a wine section. It may just be that I missed it in the crowds but all I saw was a wall about 10 feet long with a few shelves of random wines. Nothing like the Dulles section which I think is pretty good for a grocery store.
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I was lucky enough to get called for jury duty for the City of Alexandria yesterday and then get struck from the jury pool. I'm guessing the defense attorney didn't like the fact that I was related to a law enforcement officer. Anyway, with $30 bucks (courtesy of the City of Alexandria) burning a hole in my pocket and it being only noon, I decided that lunch at Eve would be an ideal way to spend the early afternoon. I had been to Eve once before - my wife and I had dinner in the tasting room. Ever since then I had meant to come back and try the bistro. I am glad I did - everything was great. I decided to eat at the bar and there were only two other people there at the time, so it was quiet and the service was perfect. I had the pork belly and what a revelation! I've never had that dish before but reading about it here, I wanted to try it. The skin was perfectly crisped and browned, the meat was juicy, the layer of fat was just the right thickness and the sauce was (for lack of a better word) yummy. I have no idea what was in the sauce but it was such a perfect accompaniment to the pork and the veggies. I had a glass of pinot noir (OK - I had two) that fit perfectly with all the flavors. A great way to spend the afternoon. Thanks again all those at Eve for a wonderful experience.
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Classic sidecar:
1.5 oz : cognac or cognac-like brandy
1.0 oz : Cointreau
0.5 oz : fresh lemon juice
lemon twist for garnish
Take a lemon wedge, notch a slice into the middle and use it to moisten the rim of a chilled cocktail glass. Frost the moistened outer rim of the glass with superfine sugar.
Shake ingredients together with cracked ice and strain into prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Thanks for this recipe Samuel. It is perfect - exactly how I like it. I tried making them once before using generic triple sec and the Cointreau makes ALL the difference.
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Had lunch there this weekend and was pleasantly surprised. I figured it would be on par with a TGI Fridays or something. The interior was pretty much what I expected - dark wood, paintings of the west, a bison head. I had a bison burger and it was much better than I expected. As was noted above bison is a much leaner meat than beef and is easily overcooked. I asked for medium and it came perfectly pink throughout. The burger didn't crumble on me and was very juicy. They had an OK beer selection, good service and I enjoyed the fries. All in all, someplace I would go back so that I could try other items on the menu.
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Jack in the Box Sourdough Burger. I haven't lived in a state with one for almost ten years and still get one everytime I get the chance.
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Anyone been to the Bistro lately. Is the menu that is online pretty close to what is currently being offered? What is Thrashers drink du jour?
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I just hope that this glut does not produce the French equivalent of Two Buck Chuck. *shudder*
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Dare I hope that they might concentrate on Sonoma wines?
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"... referring to the White House's ban on béchamel and beurre blanc after France refused to support the administration's decision to go to war in Iraq."
Good lord. Thats just about THE silliest thing I have heard in a long time.
I'd say its juvenile but its more infantile.
I'm certainly not disagreeing with your point but perhaps the stupidest/most infantile food related item that comes to mind is the Congressional decision to change french fries to freedom fries. I'm sure it's changed by now but still...
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My wife and I went here last night and really enjoyed the place. As soon as we drove up I was reminded of why the Mandarin Oriental is one of the, if not the top-rated chain in the world: friendly, helpful staff; elegant decor - only wish we could afford to stay a night in the rooms there.
I'll start with the few, minor quibbles we had with Cafe Mozu. The noise level-we had 8 pm reservations and the place was not full but was pretty full and it was hard to talk to and hear my wife with less than 2 feet between us. It did quite down by the time we left though. The service, while attentive and not intrusive was not as polished as it could be. Nothing specific - just seemed a little disjointed. But these were all minor to us and would not stop us from coming again.
Everything else was great. While they didn't have their entire menu for RW, they did have a good portion available. My wife started with a beet and goat cheese, while I started with the spring rolls. Both were fantastic. The spring rolls were crispy but not greasy and came with a tasty dipping sauce and a small condiment dish of diced melon - an interesting combo but it worked. The wine list I loved. My wife and I almost always order by the glass so that we can each get something different and each try it and, if we are having multiple courses and not driving, different wines to complement each course. The list here was great. The champagnes/sparkling wines by the glass alone was incredible. It was not your usual lower-end Moet, cava, etc. Cafe Mozu offered Veuve Cliquot Yellow Lable, Nicolas Feuillatte Rose, Krug NV (I think or something just as good), a Prosecco and one other. My wife has the Nicolas Feuillatte Rose and I ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon (unfortunately the name escapes me). For our entrees, my wife had the risotto with asparagus and crispy fried tofu. This was done very well - the tofu was great (I haven't found too many places in the States that can do it well) and risotto was perfectly al dente. The taste, while not bad, was not for me. It had a sake vinaigrette that was a little sweet for my taste but it was well done and the flavors complemented each other nicely. I couldn't pass up the Kobe Ribeye with goat cheese polenta and citrus soy sauce. It was fantastic. I ordered it medium-rare and it was like butter. I barely even needed my knife and the flavor was amazing. Surprisingly (I was a little leery) the goat cheese polenta and citrus soy sauce worked well with the beef. I knew one or the other would but wasn't sure about both together. For dessert I had the black and white shake in a martini glass that was very nice. It was vanilla bean ice cream surrounding a light chocolate moose with caramel crisps and the bottom of the glass a richer chocolate moose type thing in it. Very good as I love me some chocolate. My wife, who never met an apple dessert she didn't like, had theirs. I didn't try it and don't remember it exactly except that it had cream cheese ice cream (I did have a bit of this and it was decadent), part of a poached apple on top of what looked like a puff pastry crust. It certainly looked good. I finished with some tea and Cafe Mozu lived up to my expectations there. Instead of the wooden box of tea bags that is usually brought out, it was a box of loose leaf teas that tell you the name of the tea (I had the Dragon Well), the type of tea (black, green), a short description and how much caffeine it had. Good stuff. I didn't pay as much attention to my surroundings except that it was gorgeous - a modern take on Pan-Asian with elements of China, SE Asia and lots of light and dark wood and A gorgeous view of the Potomac.
All in all a great experience - one that we hope to repeat. On a value note the RW menu was an amazing value. Most of the appetizers were $8-$12, most entrees in the high $20s (the Kobe steak was $32) and desserts around $10 I think.
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Actually I happened to be looking for the same thing recently and Wine.com does have the Perrier Jouet gift set with two flutes.
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OK - I'll throw my answers into the mix
1. Which is more important to you in wine?
(b) secondary elements
2. Which rules?
(a) nose
(b) palate
3. Choose one...
(b) Bordeaux (I've not had enough of either to have a clear preference)
4. My attitude to new oak is...
(e) Why does it get so much attention? Some people use it, some people don't
5. Which is more critical to balance and development (and I know they're both important, but play along and choose one)?
(a) Tannins
6. You can only have one of the following. You choose:
(b) Lytton Springs
7. At what price point does a wine need to be able to age (improve with, not just hold) to earn your interest and dollar? (Please exclude wines like Condrieu, which obviously just don't fit the question.)
© Over $40
8. Super Tuscans are:
(d) A good idea gotten carried away
I've found this discussion to be really interesting - thanks to all for their thoughts. As much as I enjoy (and drink) wine, I wouldn't consider myself an expert or even as learned as most of the posters here. I moved to the EC (DC) in ''96 after growing up and living in the SF Bay Area. I spent as much time as I could in wine country (Napa mostly at that time - but have come to enjoy Sonoma more) and I had definite opinions on what I liked and didn't like that were likely a result of exposure only to WC wine. I was initially quite disappointed when I moved here in terms of wine knowledge and selection available. Of course I was in grad school at the time, didn't have a lot of money, etc. I had read a bit about wine in VA before I came (it was the new Napa, up and coming) and was sorely disappointed when I started trying the wines. With a few expections (at that time), most of the wines were too-sweet "blends" that seemed to cater to the white zin crowd (don't get me wrong, it can have its place, just not one of my favorites). In addition it seemed that all of my favorites from the WC were either unavailable or marked up ridiculously. Over the years though, I have come to appreciate the much greater selection of Old World wines, the real depth of knowledge of wine among some purveyors and the gradual improvement of wines from VA wineries. As I read the posts here, I realize that had I stuck to only WC or even CA wines, my palate would not have developed as it has and my appreciation of wine would be narrower. I suppose the (convoluted) point here is that there is a difference in both attitudes and palates on the coasts and that each have their place. I know that I have personally benefitted from being exposed to both.
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My wife and I are going to Cafe Mozu on Thursday. Can't wait!
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I just made a reservation for next week. Has anyone been recently? Have some of the issues mentioned previously been worked out? What are people's favorite dishes?
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I agree on Mie N Yu. As soon as you walk in the door you feel as if everyone takes out a pen and paper and starts judging your clothes. Way too eurotrash for me.
And aside from that (and more importantly to me) the food is horrible, especially for the prices they charge. I went once with a group of friends who really wanted to go and we walked out of there feeling like we didn't even get kissed before they bent us over.
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Thanks for all the suggestions. I haven't had time to read through the thread yet but will hopefully get to it over Christmas.
Here's the long Champagne thread that we had about 2 years back. It eventually dovetailed into RMs, as well as other types of good sparklers.
Fork
in Pennsylvania: Dining
Posted
My wife and I are going to be in town President's weekend and Fork was recommended. Anyone been lately?