Stone

Brando, right?

That could be the place. There were a lot of tacky, handwritten signs all over the place. I had a number of people vouch for the cheese. Can't say I'm qualified to review the freshness or selection, but I was happy with everything I bought there.

I recall an excellent cheese shop on 3rd Avenue near 9th street.

gravity and air pressure.

According to 7x7 (San Francisco's new trendy mag) article: "Put A Cork In It: Who will win the wind industry's latest wrestling match" about the fight betwixt corks and screwtops: 1) Up to 10% of all wine bottles are corked. 2) Cork trees are not injured when their bark is harvested (I know you'll all drink easier now). 3) Nothing much else that hasn't already been written above.

this seems like a good packing method. Can you ship me some? But you can leave out that pesky middle layer of lobster.

No.

No one can doubt that lobsters, like brain-damaged humans, are alive whether or not they are conscious of pain. Even if you feel that you have to eat them, they have a right to be treated humanely. (I once stuck a chefs knife through the head of a lobster and a lot of water squirted out. Kinda gross. Now I just grabs 'em by the tail and bangs 'em against the floor until they're good and stunned.)

That's a lot of effort. Good luck. I've never heard of anyone germinating their own barley. But don't you think you could get the same results by smoking the malt itself?

I wasn't trying to chastise you. Just to push you so that you could achieve your glorious potential. Don't buy barley. Buy malt. It makes a big difference.

Either Hue or 33. Both from Vietnam, one is o.k., the other is terrible. I can't remember which, so it's a crapshoot every time I go to a vietnamese restaurant. Harpoon made (makes?) a Winter Ale that was flavored with a little pumpkin, cinnamon and clove. Very subtle. I really enjoyed it.

Just a little more info (very general): Lager yeast (there are, of course, many types of yeasts, but they're generally separated into two categories -- lager and ale) is a bottom fermenting yeast. This means that the yeast does it's business sitting towards the bottom of the fermenting vessel. As mentioned, the yeast generally performs better at lower temperatures, which is also good because since the top of the liquid is relatively inactive, it's a good place for contamination to set in. The process of conversion is known as lagering, and takes a bit longer than with ale yeast. This is the method used most frequently in Germany and other Northern European countries where the beer barrels were stored in cold caves. Ale yeast, on the other hand, is top fermenting. Because the yeast does its business on the top, it's more active and less prone to contamination. This allows the beer to ferment at higher temperatures, which in turn encourages the production of more esters and other flavorful compounds. Ales are usually darker, a little sweeter or fruitier. Once fermentation ends, all beer should be stored in a cool dark place. I've never heard of any benefit gained from aging beer. You often see the term "real ales." Although there is a bit of confusion, my understanding is that real ales have not been pasturized and still contain live yeast (there's usually a mist of sediment on the bottom of the bottle). (I've also heard that real ales are "primed" with malt/wort, as opposed to sugar or pressurized gas.)

I've read a number of places that the connections lounge at Narita Airport (Tokyo) has some of the best Udon soup in the country. I have a vague recollection of eating some in 1996, but alas, they were out when I just passed through yesterday. However, I did have 10 hours to kill in Bangkok airport, so I ate a little. I started with Pla doong Foo at the upstairs "Silom" restaurant. Better than at Sriphaiphai (the only other place I've had it.) As described eslewhere, this is cooked catfish, shredded and deep fried. The results is a brown, crunchy, almost waferesque texture. The one at the airport was pancake style (as compared with a broken up style at Sriphahahaha), and a little more greasy. However, it exploded with fish flavor that I thought was missing at Sriphahahtatata. Served with an excellent dipping sauce of vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, onion, leek and, of course, chilli. Tom yum gung. Again, terrific. Harking back to an earlier post about why food in Thailand is different from America -- it's the chilli's, stupid. First, the soup definitely had more of every ingredient -- lemongrass stalks, galanga, kaffir lime, chilli -- along with the shrimp. This is probably avoided in America, because if Americans get a bowl full of inedible stuff (like LG, galangal, lime leaves) they'll probably sent it back (I'm picturing something like the risotto scene in Big Night) or choke to death on a lemongrass stalk. The added stuff, of course, adds the flavor. But separately, is the chillis. This Tom Yum appeared to have a little coconut milk in the broth to add body, but it had a film of bright red chilli oil on top, and bits of chillis (the little Thai ones -- prik kee nu) througout. Somehow, they managed this without making the soup painfully hot (when I add one chilli to my pots of TYG, it's deadly) -- I assume they removed the seeds. When this is achieved, the chilli's add a surprising piquant, peppery zing that is definitely chilli, but definitely not pain. It's terrific, and missing from most American food. Disappointing about the airport is that there is one Thai restaurant, and 2 burger kings, KFC, Ginos, etc. (I snuck into the Cathay Pacific lounge and swiped some auto-brew espresso and parked at their free Internet terminal. I'm getting some leery looks from the folks behind the desk. Gotta go.)

Do you leave the bread in to break down in the sauce?

Interesting that it lists Kashmir and Palestine as a countries.

Happy Birthday.

The problem with Eastside West is location, location, location. I can't think of many corners in the city I least like to frequent. (Less like?) But the food I've had there has been pretty good, and the staff is terrific. (I sat out there last Friday, pissed off that the city devotes about five police cars to making sure the no one from the overblown frat-parties (viz: Balboa, Matrix, etc.) steps on the sidewalk with a redbull and vodka, yet people sell/use crack and heroin all over the Mission and there's hardly a cop to be seen.)

With forwards by Henry James, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, and Noel Coward

I recall a great deli nearby, on par with Carnegie (in portions, at least). I'll try to find the name. (oops. I guess the deli is not upscale. But it's damn good.)

Peter Lugar? Bah. And with a 1929 Chateau Petrus? Wrong. You deserve to be put to death.

Did you notice they're not allowed a last cigarette though??? That is just plain mean! Those Texans like to protect the health of their executees. Someone brought a lawsuit to enjoin lethal injections because the drug used had not been approved the FDA. The case went to the Supreme Court.

Sunflower is my favorite (I started a thread on it). It straddles 16th and Valencia. I think it's at least as good as SD, at a much lower price, with a lot less hassle. Since I live a block away, it's where I go for vietnamese food. I also love Tu Lan at 6th and Market. Although I guess I'll admit that at some level my appreciation of Tu Lan stems from its seediness, which is the analogue to those whose appreciation of SD is based on its trendiness. (see thread on reverse snobbery.) Best is to try random places in the Tenderloin and out in the avenues.

I got mine free with some other purchase.

Um. What the fuck. That's 15. I guess it's o.k., I only listed one, and found out that I use it incorrectly.

And on other news, the Korean War Memorial Committee all resigned in embarrasment when they realized the memorial statutes were installed facing the wrong direction.