If you don't mind me asking, what are you using it for? I'd never heard of beeswax being used in baking so I googled and found that is can be used for greasing baking sheets and also in caneles (sorry, need an acute accent in that last word but can't seem to do it in this forum). Well, how about that!

I did see them at Coop in Crowfoot last weekend.

We walked in at ~7pm on a Tuesday without reservations and were able to sit at the bar along the rotisserie... very interesting to watch the food prep. Overall seems to have good potential, but it was very disappointing that the leg of lamb special-of-the-day was served lukewarm rather than hot. What's with that?

We visited Blueacre recently while on a trip to Seattle. I know it may be unfair to judge from just one visit, and to each his own of course, but I found it very "underwhelming". Crispy razor clams (deep fried, that is) were served with mustard dipping sauce that had a nasal passage-searing amount of horseradish in it. The cioppino came lukewarm, but perhaps the large amount of hot sauce in the broth was meant to compensate - most odd. It contained fish, mussels and clams - not a very interesting selection for a seafood restaurant. It also contained pasta, which seemed out of place and added nothing. I enjoy spicy foods but in this case, the spicing of both dishes overwhelmed any seafood flavors and resulted in numbness after a while. Bad, weak coffee. A disappointing experience.

Thank you all very much for the information. It seems impossible to get a good "sear" on phosphate-treated scallops, and I read somewhere that the treatment was the reason. I will seek out dry pack scallops then!

Thank you for the info, Paulj. I'll do a search on the Greater Seattle forum.

Hi,
I will be spending a couple of days in Everett in early March, then heading to Seattle. Can anyone recommend some places for casual or higher end lunches and dinners in or not too far from Everett? I've searched the forum for restaurant recommendations already, and saw few references to Everett, so I hope no one minds if I post this specific request. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Raincoast Trading brand canned smoked salmon (and other canned fish by same maker) was on sale at Blush Lane in Aspen Woods when I was there on Sunday. By the way, cellophane, the can says "caught in the Pacific Northwest".

I just cracked open a bottle and an savouring it now... I am certainly enjoying it, though admittedly, my palate is pretty unsophisticated, so what flavours/sensations should I be looking for in it? Thanks in advance.

MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Gris 2007 - nice.
Ehlers Estate St. Helena One Twenty Over Eighty 2007 - with winery proceeds donated to international cardiovascular research, second bottle of this; very good.
Domaine de la Mordorée Cuvée de La Reine des Bois Châteauneuf-Du-Pape 2006 - delicious.

Given how much we enjoy the 2006, I can't even imagine how mind-blowing a 1974 must be!

I actually never sample wine at the wine stores... if I could get a case of wine home without driving, though, I might! So, I buy wine purely on recommendation and what I already know I like. But... if I did sample wine, I admit that I would feel honour-bound to also buy wine... (but then I don't go to wine stores without intending to buy anyway.)

"'The Palate' himself"... OK, now I get it! Very good!

Heidi Schrock 2008 Grauburgunder - light and tasty. I like it!

2004 Domaine Gouges Nuits-St. George on the weekend... acidic and unpleasant and very disappointing

I don't believe there is much reason for a wine lover to be lost in Calgary! The selection is really surprisingly good, I agree.
"Best wines", as the query was titled, are not necessarily the cheapest wines, needless to say.
it is only an opinion, of course, and a generality, but I have found Canadian wines to be overpriced for the quality, so if I was looking for bargain wines, Canadian wines would not be my starting point.

More Darioush Napa Valley 2009 viognier - very enjoyable, if extremely alcoholic (14.8%!) A fruity fragrance that reminds me, oddly, of bananas... (that sounds vile, but isn't!)

[Sorry, this should have been a reply to the original post not to the last one.]

Joseph Mellot Pouilly-Fumé 'Le Troncsec' 2007 - crisp and delicious.

E. Guigal Hermitage (red) 2002... nice.

Paras Mt. Veeder grenache (2007) was very tasty with beef short ribs, fingerling potatoes and beets at lunch the other day.

Saracco Pinot Nero 2008 was a mean one, thin and sour (poured out the last of it). It did not appeal to either of us, at any rate.

Opened a Ridge Monte Bello 2006 - now that's more like it!

Gee, as I read these reports from the experienced wine-lovers, how I wish I'd started buying wine twenty years ago!

2003 Domaine A.-F. Gros Vosne-Romanée 'Aux Réas'. Soft and pretty and delicious.

It's usually recommended to keep nuts of all kinds in the freezer.

You may want to be cautious, if you can, about buying pine nuts from China. The Feb. edition of Cooks Illustrated has a column about "pine mouth" - a sensation of metallic bitterness in the mouth for a few days after eating pine nuts. It has been linked to pine nuts from China, which, though cheap, are certainly different species than those from traditional pine nut supply areas.

Domaine Rion, Nuits-St. Georges, "Les Terres Blanches" 1er Cru, 2006... Love this stuff. Very nice indeed.

I'm with you there. Buying wine a while back, I picked a few bottles of sparkling, then blithely grabbed a few from the neighboring bin... dark green bottles, some rather obscure label that I didn't examine closely. So, suspecting nothing, I eventually cracked one of the latter open... oh, the horror. Sparkling shiraz! Unlike you, I had to take 2 sips before dumping it down the sink... couldn't believe how vile the first one was. Thankfully, I was able to exchange the other bottles of it for something drinkable.

I take it the WMF brand is recommended in particular? We have a cheapo plastic version of a similar thing that doesn't work terribly well, so I'll have to hunt down the WMF one or at least something better than what we have. I imagine the wine stores will sell them. It's great to know that these things can work!

I am in full agreement, bulavinaka and sunshine 842. Rather than "lack of occasion", my problem is more the lack of someone whom I could rely on to help me finish the bottle, should I choose to open one on thespur of the moment! On that note, are there sealing systems that work well enough to preserve some fizz for the next day? (That would solve my "problem"!)
I also love prosecco and cava, and just picked up some interesting-looking Italian sparklers (one a falanghina) that I am eager to try.

Wow, I don't even know where I'd get mature/aged bottles... perhaps at the better restaurants that have good cellars... at what I'm sure would be really shocking prices. (Hey, I'm a spendthrift but I do have some limits, LOL! Love eating out but don't get to often enough for my tastes.) Sounds fascinating to look into (notwithstanding that I'm not even sure my palate could detect the nuances).