see my post above, as well as a great honeymoon post from some time ago-- he pans charleston grill pretty hard at the end of it.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/322949

i'd go with cordavi or peninsula over charleston... not a tourist trap, per se--the food's too expensive for that moniker. the food just isn't on par. really great service, though.

I think that that should be the ultimate import of my post. I was, I guess, under the impression that if you like this person enough to be giving them a bottle of wine such as the ones mentioned as a birthday present, that you would be getting a chance to try it too. I need more friends like you, I think! *grin*

not with the shipping tacked on, no. i think it's maybe worth paying that flat out for retail, but i probably wouldn't go higher. another time, perhaps... but there are some other excellent suggestions on this thread.

yeah, i was gonna say garnacha of some sort too-- maybe navarra? Rioja often has a little too much oak to make great sangria, IMHO.

96 is widely considered to be one of the great vintages of the last 50 years. I'd agree with several of whiner's choices, though not all-- the Philliponnat, Krug, and Pol Roger are all excellent. That's not to take anything away from Veuve or the others, but they're not on the same level as the ones I mentioned, IMHO. I'd add Jacquesson's Avize 96--spends 10 years on the lees... closest you'll find to a single vineyard in Champagne. Creamy, smoky, delicate, and delicious. Also if you can find Salon (and if you can find P.R. Winston Churchill, I'd wager you can), it's worth every friggin' penny more than your $180 that you'll spend. *grin* I think that the 95 is the more readily available Salon at the moment.

A to Z makes a gorgeous non-oaked chard, as does Four Vines (which they call "Naked"). Both are definitely inexpensive, and well made.

very much so. assembling the report as we speak-- should be up soon.

It's Chapel Hill Wine Co.-- they do tastings from 1-5 on Saturdays. GHF is a great idea for assembling flights, and Jim and Mickey are very knowledgeable--they should be able to provide you with some good info on whatever you're drinking.

I'd love to do an Alice Waters/Chez Panisse survey, much as you guys are doing with Doc and Chris this month. (kudos on that choice, btw-- Let the Flames Begin is one of my all time faves)
I have the Chez Panisse Menu book, and have access to CP Fruit and CP Vegetables. Neat, well written recipes, and her whole philosophy is keeping the food chain short--admittedly in vogue these days, but she did it a long time before most.

Would add Four Vines' zin "port" to the list. Totally delicious, and a touch drier than some other fortified zins i've found.

I don't know if it technically counts as the Triangle, but the one at the Buckhorn fleamarket on Saturday and Sunday (Taquito d'Oro, I think it's called--it's the one on the left as you're heading toward the parking lot, and always has a massive line, whereas the other one has none at all) is absolutely fantastic. Amazing conzome de borrego (which is not a consome at all, but more like an all-lamb pozole), great tacos (tortillas made to order...), and really really good horchata. Totally righteous. Buckhorn is off 85 between H'boro and Mebane.

See my above recs for Rome, and add an emphatic rec for Il Drappo, near the Piazza Navona. Without question the most romantic meal we've had thus far. We're heading to La Pergola tonight... will report back in more detail later. internet cafes are expensive...

Grazie, mbfant! The not-so-great meals were at la buvette, near the spanish steps (used to be brasserie la buvette...) and the tourist pizza place by the colosseo, the name of which escapes me at the moment. to add to the nice meals, we ate at pizzeria amore e fantasia in irteria (sp?)
anyway, thanks for the recs. we are on the waiting list at pergola for tomorrow night, and i think we will prob. reserve at il convivio for a backup. thanks for the rec on l'altro mastai--we'll have a look at that as well.

Hey Italian travelling hounds-- I am at an internet cafe in Rome, a third of the way through our honeymoon. We have had some great meals (Enoteca Cavour 313, Fontanone in Trastevere, Il Piccolo Enoteca by the Piazza Navona) and some not so great ones. For Tuesday night, before we head to the Cinqueterre, we are looking for a blowout, byebye Roma meal. No holds barred--we are getting dressed to the nines and going out on the town. I have heard mixed recs for La Pergola, Il Giusto, and Agata e Romeo, but they sound on the par with what we might be looking for. We have done (and will continue to do) the local trattorias, pizzerias, etc, which are great, but we would love one really extravagant kickass meal.
The other thing we could use help with is recs for the Cinqueterre-ish areas (not nec. fancy) and Tuscany (accessible by train from Florence or Siena). Molto grazie a tutti!

Hey LulusMom--fancy seeing you on this board! <grin> My wife and I are actually in Italy right now, trying to figure out our blowout dinner before we leave Rome on Wednesday for the Cinqueterre. Any recs from you (or anyone) would be appreciated

rock and roll, ross... that was a blast worthy of praise, my friend. as far as answering the question:
Vietnamese, esp. pho: 9N9 on Miami Blvd. in Durham (in a strip mall, no less...)
Eclectic Fine Dining: http://www.chowhound.com/places/1071
Elaine's On Franklin
Agree with Piedmont and Rue Cler recs, as well as the Durham Taqueria recs
a wierd one: http://www.chowhound.com/places/1072
Cinelli's Pizza : The Grandma's pizza is totally rockin. Everything else is horrible. literally. I don't get it... I guess Grandma didn't teach her kids how to cook.
Excellent Mexican, NOT taqueria style (which is excellent in its own right, but not always what you want): http://www.chowhound.com/places/1073
Fiesta Grill try the whole fish and the caldo siete mares,,, excellent.

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Elaine's On Franklin
454 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Cinelli's Pizza
607 Broad St, Durham, NC 27705

Fiesta Grill
3307 Nc Highway 54 W, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

NOT boil, bro... simmer. A bare, simmer, at that. Don't boil it hard, or you'll defeat the purpose of simmering in the first place-- to tenderize. It is true that that cork trick works... and I totally dig it. After simmering in a court bouillon or some such flavored broth, rub them with a spice mixture conducive to grilling and throw them on a HOT grill for a couple of minutes, just enough to firm and crisp them. serve them with a panzanella salad. totally righteous.

First, welcome to the area!!! A couple of quibbles-- Driade is in Chapel Hill, not Durham. This will become more apparent during basketball season (not sure your point of origin, so to speak). CH and Durham don't much like being confused, or at least their denizens don't. For grilled hot dogs, there isn't much of an option, but Roast Grill on West and Morgan does 'em on a rotisserie, with homemade chili and no f'in ketchup allowed. one of the best deals on lunch in the triangle. Sad about your experience at Guglhupf... they are not super high on the service bracket, so to speak. Food's pretty good-- give them another try for lunch, esp. while the students are gone. Also, instead of going to 18 Seaboard, which I presume is what you're talking about, belly up to the bar at J. Betski's in the same shopping center. Totally killer. Lastly, thanks for the report. Refreshing to hear a totally outside perspective. Cuidate--HSH

I grind them in a spice grinder for a porcini powder of sorts; it provides a great pervasive flavor to soup bases (ie, mushroom soup), risottos, anything where you're sweating mirepoix/other roots before adding a liquid. trick i learned from a chef buddy of mine.

add lime lime and fresh hot chili, a healthy slug of good tequila, shake, strain into a martini stem. salted rim. righteous.

Avinyo's Vi D'Agulla is one of my absolute favorite summertime whites. Drank quite a bit of it yesterday as a matter of fact... also noticed that no one's mentioned Penedes! Can Feixes makes absolutely fantastic Penedes table wine--minerally, high acid, and totally delish.

Allen & Sons is probably the Triangle's most famous cue at the very least... and pretty darn good too. Take the 86 exit off of 40 (exit 266) and turn right; it should be down on the left about a mile and a half.

again, note that i didn't decry the grilling, just stated my SLIGHT preference for fried. bottom line--softies are my absolute fave late spring/summer food.

thanks to both of you...

I've recently been enjoying Ch. Basty's Regnie, one of the newer Crus. Really aromatic, great juicy fruit, and a touch of that graphite you mentioned in the OP. Delish with a slight chill (if only because it's almost July in NC, and that keeps it drinkable for the whole bottle if enjoying outside...).

word to that. (keeping it short today--no coffee yet.)

corked and oxidized are NOT the same thing, and it's very easy for a poor seal to create oxidization in a relatively young wine.
"corked" is a term referring to TCA or cork taint, a fungus found in cork trees that literally taints the wine when a plug from that tree is placed in the bottle.
Oxidization is what has been described here, and from the description of the smell, it sounds as though that is what happened to this wine.
Furthermore, cork taint is not only something one can smell, it's a pervasive aroma that eventually ruins the wine it affects.

BRAVO!!! I was enjoying this as an observer, but had to pop in on that one. and sjb gave the most concise, and, btw, correct answer. incidentally, how are you guys getting accents to come up on your screen? keystroke shortcuts are not the same as word processors, and i don't know any html.

We quarter large bulbs length wise, splash some olive oil and sherry vinegar, and hit w/salt and pepper, and throw it on the grill. Goes great with grilled fish, pork, some poultry...

that works well with bok choy, too.

You might be SOL, then... I was reading your post and saying "why doesn't he just buy them live on the 3rd?" and then got to the last sentence. not sure what to tell you, bro. also, have you grilled softies before? they can be a bit of a pain to grill, and they're not *quite* as tasty that way... note i said quite.

To answer your original question--I myself wouldn't be too keen on cooking dead softies the next day. Shellfish decompose faster than any other organism you're gonna find... and while it might not hurt anybody, they may taste pretty fishy.