I wholeheartedly disagree. Part of being a good host is catering to the preferences of your guests.

I use the boxed brown sugar, but place a moist paper towel inside a snack size ziplock bag, left"unzipped", before closing the box. I replace it when it dries out, which takes weeks...if not longer. Acts like a humidifier (I do the same thing with Cigars :))

There is no question of his television motives, but the guy is much more than a temper. A philanthropist of sort. He has used his success to launch the careers of many, while saving others. Try researching some of his "kn" restaurants and although not all survive, many have taken off.

Furthermore, Can you cite your sources of no industry professionals respecting him? That is not the sentiment of several of my close friends / colleagues who have worked for (and against) him. Aggressive and abrasive, perhaps, but highly respected.

Lamb stock risotto with crumbled feta and oregano

The variety escapes me, but there are a few different beers on the Coca-Cola deck that you can not find elsewhere in the park. Nothing crazy, but not Bud. I do recall, at the very least, Harpoon UFO.

Head down the Yard House for beer before and/or after. They have an excellent selection.

Although I have not yet had Pita Thyme, Falafel King is not even in the same zip code as Amsterdam Falafel (Davis). Time for a Falafel challenge!

Can't wait to check it out.

<quote>It's a double boiler, though it could also be used as a bain-marie </quote>

What is the difference between the two?

Great. Thanks.

The smell was so off-putting that I admittedly tossed it!

I just read the moldy cheese sticky thread and although it was insightful, it didn't quite answer my question so I thought I would post.

I bought a small block of Talleggio from WF about a week ago. When I cut a larger piece this afternoon, I noticed a large deposit of blue/green mold. I am usually comfortable with rind mold, but this mold gave the cheese a rather unpleasant aroma. I buy Tallegio often, but I've never experienced this. Is mold inside Tallegio cheese normal?

I think the Magic Bullet has taken on a life of it's own. I don't own one, but if I did I'm sure I would eat a whole lot better and be a more well rounded home cook.

Customs and Cabin Pressure are the unknowns to me, but time out of water should be fine.

Every Thanksgiving I pick up 2-3 lobsters here in Boston and take them on a 6-7 hour drive home. The lobsters chill out in a paper bag for around 8 hours in the car, then another 24-36 hours in a fridge (Still in the bag). When I pull them out of the Fridge for their annual Thanksgiving day photo op, they are lively as ever. (They then go into the Freezer for 10 minutes to put them to sleep, but that's a different life story... Great tradition.

MONTHS/YEARS ON THIS BOARD: On/Off 3 years

CURRENT CITY

From Upstate NY, Currently in Boston, Lived in Indianapolis and Adelaide Australia

PROFESSION/FIELD OF WORK

Software Sales

CHOWHOUNDER SPECIALTY
Vino

FUN FACT ABOUT YOU

I spent several years in the distribution channel of a major US winery, I graduated from Uni Adelaide with degree in Wine Business and Oenology, I would love to apply years of training, education, and experience to open a concept wine store and yet I can not escape the wrath of technology sales :)

I recognize that you are being facetious, but the real reason has to do with introducing carbonic maceration to grapes that have yet to fully develop as they are being picked too early. Not a wine designed to age, but the classification in general doesn't equate to fail if done properly.

Spot on.

Haha. That's awesome.

It's a fun tradition. I don't take part in the festivities, and it's usually not great wine, but I do buy one every year.

I'd likely just eat them on the spot.

You are right Gforce, but I can actually see what cresyd is saying.

Take one of your top wine critics and have them do a review of a popular box (not boxed) wine. Anything less than a snark pithy review and they'd be laughed off their wine barrel.

Box wine is simply a volume play. Can't imagine an American Fare Food Factory in Times Square is any different...

I would have likely never eaten there, but the review was ridiculous and sophomoric.

Have any of you had polished stainless cookware brushed? And if so, did you do it yourself?

As long as my stuff is well maintained, I don't mind it looking "experienced", but polished stainless looks unkempt and smudgy if not meticulously maintained and it just about drives me crazy. Actually, it gets smudgy even if meticulously maintained.

This would primarily be for my daily use clad. I have a few limited use pieces that will definitely remain polished.

Its as if a Manhattan married a Sazerac. This variation sounds very interesting to me.

Calculated. Simple. Happy.

Yes, I bought it at Savenors in Boston (apparently they are raised on "federally inspected and sustainable farms".)

Its not a big steak, but I am thinking about cutting it in two to try two different cooking techniques. I've read in a few places that the meat may be tough so I was thinking about pounding one piece out to create a cutlet, the other piece maybe a slow braise

I brought home a black bear steak today (a bit of an impulse, but excited to explore it). Any interesting recipes or cooking techniques?

engh - if the reference was to a wet stone, then you are right, but something tells me the reference towards those big, bulky, ceramic tools. A proper knife wielder should have a honing steel to tru edges. Since I only sharpen my knives once every nine to twelve months, I send my knives away. I will be exploring a wet stone next round...

A spritz of oil in a sautee pan; kale + water and saute until tender. No foreign flavors so can't do it all the time, but it does taste fresh, and really... nothing makes me feel healthier.

Cool question... it really made me think

My ice cream, bread, pizza, and beer are all better (or at least more satisfying) than anything store bought...

I won't often screw around with:
Tortilla and potato chips, much better bought; Mayonnaise, far too perishable;
Although I studied Oenology in post grad, I prefer to buy wine; and don't laugh but I prefer MickeyD's Egg McMuffin

Well yah, of course, lol.

You can't imagine drinking it? Have you tried it? Wait... have you developed a pre-conceived notion about something you haven't even tried? Why? Because other people say they didn't like it? Seriously?

This isn't directed specifically at you, rather a general statement, so please don't take offense. This attitude about wine is whats wrong with it. We rely too much on others opinions, writeups, publications, shelf talkers, bottle neckers, Robert Parker this, Steven Tanzer that, Gary Vee says, Jancis Robinson says, etc. Sure they may point us in the right direction, but people get so caught up in the 'snobbery' (I know hounders love that word) of it that they fail to trust their own taste - which, like everything else on a human, varies from person to person.

I'm not saying you'd like it, in fact my educated analysis of sparkling shiraz is above should you care to read it, but without trying everything, you'll never know what you like. The best wines aren't always expensive, the worst wines aren't always cheap.

Bottoms up

I can't point you to one specific recipe (I'm trying to dig it up), but I've found the recipes with more eggs tend to come out the best - souffleish on the outside and hot and custardy on the inside versus most other recipes that give you a small chocolate cake with uncooked batter on the inside.

With a name like wineglas, you would think you had a bit more understanding of what Blanc de Noir is. You couldn't be more wrong. I mean the translation alone means "white from red"...

Depending on how it is made, the quality of a sparkling red wine can be very hit and miss. They are often mass produced, fake sweet and carbonated. (carbonating is a cost effective way of adding bubbles to wine vs bubbles forming through natural fermentation) If you want sparkling red wine that has been done right, look for one that has been done in either traditional method or transfer method. Traditional Method (also known as Method Champonoise) is a process that involves the conversion of sugars to alcohol in THE bottle. Its a process too cool for words.

In addition to a good fruit structure usually sourced from Shiraz grapes, there are some other things that are needed with sparkling red wines. One is proper ripeness; picking too early could reveal some very phenolic tasting compounds. The other is sufficient acid, which is often related to when the grapes are picked - Acid is a challenge in some warm areas such as Australia. If, however, the winemaker can get the combo right the wine will reveal dark dry fruits with a soft yeasty palate (think traditional paczki), acid that keeps the wine balanced, and a bright pink voluminous stream of bubbles.

As for recommendations.... If you can find them, look for...
Barossa Valley Estates EE Sparkling Shiraz and Samuels Gorge Sparkling Red. This year was SG first vintage but it was brilliant. BVE is an old staple - could be tough to find, but quite good.

If you can't find them then I say keep drinking what you enjoy or try some of the other recommendations on the board.