I wasn't crazy about a bacon wrapped sweet breads app. The sweet breads were a bit too chewy. I also agree that desserts were fine but not all that exciting. But yeah, go back for the pie.

It sort of seems like a no-brainer that the new Batali/Silverton/Bastianich project let by Chad Colby focusing on meats would be amazing, but it is. Located in what is fast becoming a Mozza mini-mall, Chi Spacca is a small space with amazing meat.

Charcuterie plates are beyond cliche these days, but Chi Spacca's sampler is extraordinary. There's copa, one of the best specks I've ever had, two salumis with gloriously large chunks of fat and, my favorite, two country style pates. One pate was pork with pistachios wrapped in bacon. It was smoky and ham-like. The other was a pork liver and kidney pate that was unctuous and livery. This was fantastic stuff.

But the tour de force on the menu I ordered was the beef and marrow pie. A small, but very deep pie of braised beef with a marrow bone stuck in the middle. The braised beef in this pie was black as night with a syrupy thick jus. It was the best of braised meat and soaked beautifully into the flaky, perfectly done pie crust. Eat some of the marrow by itself on bread, but then spread some on the beef and pastry to get an ultra-rich bite. (You may need to use the back end of the spoon to get all of the marrow out.)

There are lots of great things on this menu, including huge steaks and pork chops, that would have been better for a larger crowd, but don't miss that pie.

The wine program was also impressive. Rather than offering bottles, wine is offered from a limited selection by the glass or carafe. Alternatively, they offer three levels of wine pairings, selected to match your particular meal (even though it isn't a tasting menu). We ordered the cheapest one ($25 per person) and were delighted with the diverse choices, which included a sparkling red and a sour beer among the four selections.

If you're a meat lover, this should go on your must-try list.

http://www.recenteats.blogspot.com/20...

That's right, but it effectively applies to nearly every company making Tennessee Whiskey since they are almost all located in Tennessee.

According to the new definition of Tennessee Whiskey signed into law yesterday, Tennessee Whiskey also must be at least 51% corn. In fact, the definition is that exact same as the federal definition for bourbon except that it must be made in Tennessee and filtered through sugar maple charcoal.

http://www.recenteats.blogspot.com/20...

I haven't been in a few years and will be returning soon. I remember loving the sausage and pork blood. What are your favorite dishes?

I made an inquiry with Buffalo Trace and was told that AAA is not being discontinued but because sales have been declining, some sizes are likely to be discontinued (they don't know which but my guess would be either the 1 liter or 1.75).

I'm not sure what you mean by Dickel being discontinued. As you may know, George Dickel is a distillery in Tennessee owned by Diageo. Cascade Hollow was a younger whiskey brought out when the had a shortage of No. 8. Now they have enough No. 8 which is why they discontinued Cascade Hollow. AFAIK, the brand is in no danger of going anywhere. Oh, and if you liked Cascade Hollow, do try the No. 8 or even better, No. 12.

As for AAA, I haven't heard that, but it's possible. It's really only a regional brand and aged whiskey is at a premium, but given the other second hand information this person gave you, I wouldn't give it any credence until you hear it from a reliable source.

I wouldn't expect the TTB to say anything. There could be the possibility of a lawsuit arguing that the federal regulations preempt this kind of law, but the TN law doesn't directly conflict with anything in the regs since the TTB regs don't define Tennessee Whiskey.

A little update to this long and winding threat. The Tennessee state legislature has passed a bill which defines Tennessee Whiskey. The definition is the same as the federal definition in bourbon with two additions: 1. It must be made in Tennessee and 2. the whiskey must be filtered through Sugar Maple Charcoal (i.e. the Lincoln County Process).

http://www.recenteats.blogspot.com/20...

I'm intrigued. What are your rare spirits?

I visited this place recently and really enjoyed the sandwich capaira (spelling might be off), stir fried beef, onions and peppers on a soft roll. It was very good.

Thanks all. I tried Filter and Dolcezza. I liked Filter better for the coffee but loved the gelato at Docezza.

Not me, I don't think I've had Old Bardstown, but I'm generally not a fan of those KBD bourbon blends.

There are a lot of great cheap bourbons that are only sold in the Kentucky area: Very Old Barton, Heaven Hill BIB, Evan Williams BIB. Outside of there, I would echo George Dickel, also Pikesville Rye from Heaven Hill. Ten High Bourbon (not the blended whiskey) in another.

Anything?

Thanks Servorg. New to me is fine, but I wanted to avoid listing every place I've been to. Lately, I've been lazy about researching so I'll just hit Mozza, Craft, Melisse, Church & State or another old haunt for special dinners. I figured I'd branch out. Mozza's new place is an option, but I'm also woefully ignorant of the new downtown scene and I figure I've missed a lot of good places that have opened more recently.

The new Myers place looks great.

First there was the Kogi Truck, then Kalbi Burger. Now, the latest in the wave of Korean fusion is King Hot Dog, a hot dog shop on Western and First.

I love hot dogs, but I've never been a huge fan of the Korean fusion movement, so I was both excited and skeptical on my first trip to King Dog.

Let's start with the hot dogs themselves, since dog meat is important to me. The dogs are huge, one -third pounders. Their flavor is very good with some nice spice, but they don't have any snap at all. These are pretty much no-casing dogs. They are served on a toasted sweet-Hawaiian type bun, which is soft and buttery and goes well with the dog.

In typical Korean-fusion style, they are loaded up with toppings and sweet sauce. In fact, the things are so big and messy that they give you plastic gloves to eat them with. The Kalbi Dog (spelled with a K on the menu but with a G on the wall) has kalbi, cheese and sweet sauce. The kalbi is very good and despite being a bit overly sweet, the whole thing works pretty well. We also tried a Kogi Dog, with bulgogi on it which had a nice spice and was a little less sweet than the Kalbi Dog.

Sides were a bit lackluster. Fries were thick and hand cut and looked great, but weren't crispy enough. Onion rings were pretty standard. They also have tater tots and spiral potato chips, and they serve burgers as well as dogs.

Overall, despite the sweet sauces and snapless dogs, the things came together pretty well. Given that it's in the neighborhood, I will likely be back. It's not destination dining, but if you're in the mood for a hot dog in Koreatown, it's a good bet.

King Hot Dog
151 N. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 460-4744

http://recenteats.blogspot.com/2013/0...

Hey all, I'm looking for a nice place for dinner for a couple of birthday celebrations and want to try someplace new. What are the best fine dining type operations that have opened in the past two years...any type of food, any price, preferably east of the 405 to (and including) downtown. Thanks!

They are still around and have had a number of revamps recently. It may be that they don't have consistent distribution in the US, which is true of many Armagnac houses.

It sounds okay, but you should really replace the lemon juice with sweet & sour mix, and a splash of whipped cream flavored vodka wouldn't hurt either.

I think they are exclusive bottlings for Julio's Liquors in Massachusetts.

My favorite is Little Ethiopia restaurant, and I believe they are open for lunch. I find their flavors to be a bit bolder and more interesting than the rest of the pack.

I recently put together a list of all of the high proof (110 +) American whiskeys that are currently available. You might find it helpful in your pursuit: http://recenteats.blogspot.com/2013/0...

Well, what do you like. What do you think of the ones you have so far? Looking at your collection right now, half of them are Buffalo Trace/Van Winkle products, so you may want to diversity a bit. Here are some suggestions.

Four Roses Single Barrel
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
High West Rendezvous Rye
George Dickel 12
Elijah Criag 12
Sazerac Rye

See also, the 18 American whiskeys everyone should try (though it's a bit dated): http://recenteats.blogspot.com/2011/0...

Lucky you. It's great stuff and no longer in production, I believe.

Vintage Rye is made by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. Despite its name, KBD does not distill (they do now operate a distillery but have yet to release anything from it). They buy whiskey from other distilleries and bottle it under their own labels, such as the "Vintage" series. That means that we don't know what distillery (or distilleries) made the whiskey in the bottle, except that it's from Kentucky as the bottle specifies Kentucky.

It's especially special now given the dearth of aged rye whiskeys on the market.

I'd definitely go for Evan Williams before TJ's.

Absinthe people...now, they're crazy.

The most important thing that the NAFTA definition tells us is that Jack Daniel's likely agrees that Tennessee Whiskey is bourbon, since there is no way that definition would have made it into the treaty without their approval.

In Scotland, a "single malt' is a distillery that came from one distillery and is made from 100% malted barley. There is no equivalent in American whiskey and the term is not a legally defined term in the US. That being said, some American products do use the term. Old Potrero, reverst t otheir malted rye whiskey as a "single Malt" and some distilleries have used the term of Scotch style, barlety malt whiskey.

And yes, you can do a 100% corn bourbon, using enymes for fermentation. I believe the Hudson bourbons from Tuthilltown are 100% corn. That of course, would not be a single malt, as corn is not malted.

Oknazevad, I disagree with your interpretation with regard to malt whiskey. The treaty is indeed a definition approved by the federal government, but for trade purposes only. The real purpose is to provide international protection for Tennessee Whiskey and prevent other nations from using that term. It does not affect the labeling classifications used by TTB since it does not appear in TTB regulations. Therefore, there is no reason that a Malt Whiskey made in Tennessee for domestic consumption could not call itself "Tennessee Whiskey," since the TTB would be the agency approving that that label and Tennessee Whiskey is not a defined term under TTB regulations. The place where the whiskey could run into problems is if it attempted to export to countries where the treaty was applicable, though again, the purpsoe of the treaty isn't to require Tennessee producers to adhere, it's to prevent other countries from using the term.