eG Foodblog: Verjuice - Red, Green or Christmas?

[SuzySushi]

At the end of the day, I'll go for Oban, but the only ones in my collection that I really can't stand are the Ardbeg and the Highland Park. They don't do it for me at all; too peaty.

Oh- and that bottle of Glenlivet Nadurra featured earlier in the blog? A big fat no.

←

You can send the Highland Park to me.... that's one of the few single malts I like! Different strokes & all that!

[prasantrin]

I'm in love with your life and the way you live it!

I can't believe you and your friends were able to produce a meal like that with a fridge as empty as yours.

Did the brik master make the pastry from scratch? It looks a bit like a spring-roll wrapper to me, which would be great because then I could make it, too.

[Verjuice]

At the end of the day, I'll go for Oban, but the only ones in my collection that I really can't stand are the Ardbeg and the Highland Park. They don't do it for me at all; too peaty.

Oh- and that bottle of Glenlivet Nadurra featured earlier in the blog? A big fat no.

←

You can send the Highland Park to me.... that's one of the few single malts I like! Different strokes & all that!

←

I think it must be that iodine smell; as with cilantro, there's something about it that is ambrosia to some and anathema to others.

I suspect that the reason I disliked Highland Park (which I bought after reading about it here on eG) when I tried it has to do with the fact that it was the first single malt I attempted to drink after Ardbeg put me off scotch for two months. Even though it as not nearly as peaty as the Ardbeg, the merest whiff of iodine was enough to remind me of it. My eyes began stinging and tearing up like crazy. Bizarre!

[Verjuice]

I'm in love with your life and the way you live it! 

I can't believe you and your friends were able to produce a meal like that with a fridge as empty as yours.   

Did the brik master make the pastry from scratch?  It looks a bit like a spring-roll wrapper to me, which would be great because then I could make it, too.

←

Thank you! I feel very fortunate.

The brik pastry (it's called warka, which means paper) was brought here from Tunisia by one of the guests. I found this recipe for you of exactly what we made that night, brik bil tunn (brik with tuna), from eG's very own ChefZadi, and he says you can sub spring roll wrappers for the brik if that's what you have access to!

I shop for food every day (often twice a day, if my clients need any specialty foods), and only buy what I need for that day, so my fridge is always empty by the end of it.

I went shopping at 6 pm for the NYE dinner. The fridge was packed to the gills after I unpacked my groceries (I thought about photographing it, but didn't!). Leftovers were taken away with guests, so my fridge was empty again by the time it was over. Sometimes it amazes me, too.

Edited January 3, 2008 by Verjuice (log)

[Verjuice]

Thank you.

At the end of the day, I'll go for Oban, but the only ones in my collection that I really can't stand are the Ardbeg and the Highland Park. They don't do it for me at all; too peaty.

Oh- and that bottle of Glenlivet Nadurra featured earlier in the blog? A big fat no.

Ever try any of the COMPASS BOX SCOTCHES ? I just bought the Asyla (OK) but am dying to try the Flaming Heart. Unfortunately, our BevMo doesn't carry it.

Wonderful blog, I haven't been to Santa Fe for way too long. It may be a project for 2008 !

Thanks ~

Kathy

←

Thanks. I just checked out the Compass Box site-- very pretty. Love that one of their whiskies is called 'Peat Monster'!

[dvs]

stunning blog! i am sooooooo jellus! i mean, i live in the land of french laundry, bouchon & bistro jeanty and this blog has left me feeling utterly deprived of good food!!

you're a lucky woman!

Cheers& happy new year!

[Flotch]

That sounds awesome! I only hope I'm still around then :-)

BTW - Loved your blog. The New Year's yummies looked fantastic.

Hey Verjuice,

Nice to see that you'll be having a homey New Year's celebration.

As usual anything half-decent in Dubai is completely booked up and for ridiculously high prices (read Dhs8,888 per person at the new Raffles China Moon Champagne Bar).

Needless to say going out won't be possible unless you're ready to fork out a minimum of Dhs300 per head for a tasteless buffet - no alcohol included - and hope that someone decides to buy bubbly for the entire restaurant :-)

Happy New Year!

←

F,

That's obscene but it doesn't surprise me.

I just talked to my family about their plans for New Years. As you probably know, very few people in the U.A.E. born before 1971 have any record of their birth, so to simplify things they were all given January 1st as a birthday. Since it's my dad's mock birthday we usually do something special, with a magnificent and often inedible cake, fireworks, and Michael Jackson's Thriller on the stereo.

Next time I'm in town, I'll invite you over and we'll reenact New Year's Eve properly without the gross opulence and bad food. What do you think?

←

[Margo]

Loved spending the holidays with you!

Thanks so much for sharing your life. Terrific blog.

[insomniac]

Verjuice, what an exotic flower you are ... which train of thought leads me to ask you, did you chose where to live in the States, as it seems to me that where you live now is, in a way, like the Gulf of old, hmmm I mean the desert-like environment, relaltively low population density and extremes of temperature. I'm speaking from the point of view of having had family in the Gulf for many years some 30 yrs ago....our local friends with a stunning, simple beach place like you and we spent time in the desert with them regularly...Dubai was small and we crossed the creek in a funny little taxi boat.....just curious as it's hard to come from a place that suddenly 'modernises' and westernises.

ps hope not too personal a query

[Verjuice]

Verjuice, what an exotic flower you are ...  which train of thought leads me to ask you, did you chose where to live in the States, as it seems to me that where you live now is, in a way, like the Gulf of old, hmmm I mean the desert-like environment, relaltively low population density and extremes of temperature. I'm speaking from the point of view of having had family in the Gulf for many years some 30 yrs ago....our local friends with a stunning, simple beach place like you and we spent time in the desert with them regularly...Dubai was small and we crossed the creek in a funny little taxi boat.....just curious as it's hard to come from a place that suddenly 'modernises' and westernises.

ps hope not too personal a query

←

You pretty much nailed it. I didn't fall in love with this town for its dreamcatchers, kachina dolls, adobe Taco Bell and crystal healing workshops, that's for sure.

After Lebanon, which would be a very difficult place for me to make a life, Santa Fe is the place where I feel my identity is most integrated as someone living suspended between two cultures. I think that's why I missed it when I left. It reminds me of the old Gulf in many ways. I love that Northern New Mexicans maintain such strong family values. (And, to be blunt, my dark skin is less of an anomaly here than it is in Dubai! )

As much as I love the U.A.E., it has undergone such an extreme makeover that I barely recognize it anymore. I would live in Ras al-Khaimah if I could, but it's not really a viable option for various reasons.

I mean, I'm blown away by the fact that this city is 400 years old:

Whereas this one is only 36 years old:

Edited January 3, 2008 by Verjuice (log)

[birder53]

Actually, I wondered if the crane was in Santa Fe or Dubai. Even 400 year old cities have construction.

[Verjuice]

Actually, I wondered if the crane was in Santa Fe or Dubai.  Even 400 year old cities have construction.

←

That's true, but there's no comparison: the last reliable estimate showed that between 20 and 30 percent of the world's cranes are in Dubai.

[Smithy]

By a strange coincidence, I was in Santa Fe on the night of the 29th. I wish I'd known you were blogging then; I could have used this wonderful blog as a city guide for the night! Thanks so much for showing aspects of the city that we missed that night. It gives us something to shoot for on our next visit.

If it isn't too late to ask another question: do you know if your sink basins were made locally? I've seen a similar basin in a blog out of Utah. Now I'm wondering what it would take to get one up to Minnesota. Wouldn't THAT be startling, against our North Woods architecture?!

Thanks again for the blog. I'm sorry I came at the very last moment of the party, but I've enjoyed this glimpse into a lovely cross-cultural life.

[Verjuice]

Hi Smithy,

They can be found at Jackalope, here in town, but not until spring as they have sold out for the season.

I called them and they will be happy to ship them to you.

Some are made locally and others are made in Mexico. They are priced (very affordably, I think) at around $24 to $60, depending on size and make, according to the manager I spoke with.

Hope that helps.

[Alisuchi]

Shookran for your beautiful blog, Verjuice, and for the drool-inducing photos of my very favorite cuisine in the world. I grew up in New Mexico, albeit relatively far from Santa Fe, and very much relished your perspective on the area and its food.

My best wishes for you and your loved ones in the new year!

[SuzySushi]

Some are made locally and others are made in Mexico. They are priced (very affordably, I think) at around $24 to $60, depending on size and make, according to the manager I spoke with.

←

>>>>fainting<<<< I would've thought $500 and up!!!

[purplewiz]

Purplewiz, I realized this morning that I had enthusiastically recommended Ohori's without taking you there myself. What was I thinking?

←

You were maybe busy doing everything else ?

Thanks for the photos and the blog - now I know what to look for when I'm headed there! Your last dinner looked so incredibly good - thank you for sharing it with us!

Marcia.