nickls's Profile
Kika Tapas - decent chow and a chow service question
I recently had a somewhat similar experience. I was at Jerry Remy's Seaport (not my choice) with a few people and the waitress brought out an extra beer by mistake. After confirming that nobody ordered it, she just left it in front of me since it was the type I ordered and said you can drink this one too. I eventually did drink it.
If it had been free, great, free beer, but instead it was on the bill. Mildly annoying since I should be able to choose when and if I want another round, and not be charged for something we never ordered.
A paean to South Boston
Was curious so I checked the beer list. 23 taps of craft beers and Belgians with Narragansett as the only macro-style lager and you consider it mediocre?
Looks like one of the better lists around town to me.
http://www.local149.com/content/bar.html
West Bridge - Kendall Square
According to Grub Street the bar will be managed by Eastern Standard alum Josh Taylor, so I would guess that they will feature some fancy cocktails.
Here is the link to the article which includes the menu: http://boston.grubstreet.com/2012/05/west-bridge-readies-for-opening.html
Could something in Margarita's make me unable to sleep ?
I'm with you ncyankee, but I think the reasoning behind only getting salt on the outside rim is to prevent the massive oversalting that can occur if you just wet the entire rim and then coat it in coarse salt.
I don't like salted rims on my margaritas because it does always seem like too much salt per sip, but at least it lets the drinker control the amount they are getting to some degree. So your method of adding a (small) pinch of salt directly to the mix sounds better. I'll have to try that next time I whip one up.
As far as the original question, best guess is some kind of allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in Mayson's. But as everyone said, life's too short for margaritas made from mix, especially if they make it hard to sleep. Leave it to the alcohol to mess with your sleep. :P
Need North End Restaurant for visiting parents and awful toddler
Just keep in mind that a lot of restaurants in the North End care a lot more about keeping the seats filled than making sure a table is actually available at the time that you show up for your reservation. Probably the earlier you eat the better so they won't try to squeeze in a seating ahead of you if it fills up.
Harvard Square rehearsal dinner restaurant?
I had my rehearsal dinner at EVOO in Kendall Square, and would recommend it. Just two miles down the road or two subway stops from Harvard. They have a private room that would be good for 23 people (we had 27). Their focus is on local ingredients and slightly quirky ingredients or presentations.
Oleana and East Coast Grill are also good ideas. For places actually in Harvard Square, Russell House Tavern would be one of my first choices.
Trina's is very casual and is known more for their drinks than food (I have never ordered food there myself).
looking for simple, good vodka drinks that are not loaded with calories
A Rickey is a great refreshing summer drink and one of the few that can be made with no sweeteners. 1.5-2 oz gin, 0.5 oz lime juice, 3-4 oz soda water. You could swap out the gin for vodka, but I'm not sure what that would do for the flavor of the drink.
Another good summer drink is the Daiquiri, you can make it with very little sugar, half a teaspoon, if you don't mind tart drinks. 2 oz white rum, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1 teaspoon simple syrup, shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. This would be a good one to try in a good bar that uses fresh lime juice to see if you like it.
Staying on the rum theme, there is also the Papa Doble which was supposedly made without sugar to cater to Hemingway's diabetes.
Bachelor Party Diner Options in Boston - Lively, Fun Atmosphere
Island Creek Oyster Bar could work if you like seafood. Big place, usually buzzing, good drinks list.
Craigie on Main is another possibility if they can fit you in. Great food, good drinks, lively place.
Those are the top two I can think of. Russell House Tavern in Harvard Square might also work, although the food is a step down.
Pappy Van Winkles
I've seen Black Maple Hill under $40 as a regular price (not on sale). I like it better than Pappy's because you can actually buy it. I imagine there is also a good chance that you will end up paying above retail if you actually want to get your hands on some Pappy and aren't good friends with someone in the liquor industry.
I think this article sums things up pretty well about how the brand strategy for Pappy is all about making it highly desired through its scarcity: http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/24/smallbusiness/van_winkle_bourbon.fortune/index.htm
I couldn't say for myself how worth it Pappy is, having never tasted the stuff, but I'm not a fan of how the company is trying to boost its cachet just by making it really hard to get.
First Printer in Harvard Square
I went for an early dinner recently. Like Nadeau said, they seem to be aiming solidly at value-conscious diners with low food prices. I had a burger, nicely medium-rare as requested, nice and juicy with some good flavor. It also came with a side salad that filled an entire separate bowl. However, something about the salad said "chain restaurant" to me. Maybe it was the lettuce mix that was used and the dressing.
My DC had the chicken pita sandwich which she seemed to enjoy. Overall, it was refreshing to get essentially a two-course meal for two for under $20 before tax and tip, but at the same time the kitchen didn't seem to be aiming too high. I can also relate to the loudness issue, as the room was quite loud despite being less than half full.
Need recs for spirits for mixing classic cocktails (brandy, cognac, rye, whiskey, bourbon, apricot brandy)
If you are going for historical accuracy, many cocktail recipes (like the Manhattan) should use rye instead of bourbon when they call for whiskey. Try both and see which you like better.
As to rye brands, Old Overholt can certainly work, but won't have the same level of punch as Wild Turkey or Rittenhouse Bonded. It depends on whether taste or cost is your primary concern. The second two can also be hard to find on shelves recently so you might be forced to go with one of the more expensive or newer bottlings if you want something a step up from Overholt.
For brandy, I like to use a VSOP cognac, as it just makes the drink taste a lot better. Pierre Ferrand Ambre has been my favorite so far.
For apricot liqueur the Rothman & Winter is what you want.
For bourbon, I would suggest using what you like for sipping. I like Woodford and have been using that recently, but I have also seen people suggest getting a cheap handle of something like Jim Beam as it will still make for a tasty Mint Julep or Whiskey Sour.
New to vermouth and wanting to pick up a dry and a sweet....which of these brands?
Noilly Prat dry. For the sweet, Vya for something bolder that also makes a nice vermouth cocktail, M&R for something more standard that will cost you considerably less. I haven't tried the Vya or M&R dry yet. The usual rule of thumb that I've heard is that of the classic vermouths, the French make better dry versions, and the Italians better sweet. So by that logic, M&R dry and NP sweet would be the last options to try.
Found it! Hard to find ingredients and where to find them
Stopped by Liquor World in Porter today.
They were stocking:
Laird's BIB ($25)
Lemonhart 151 ($28)
Rhum JM Blanc ($40)
Perhaps they had these due to Dan's orders? In any case, I was excited to grab a bottle of Laird's Bonded without having to special order it.
Must say I am still somewhat mystified by their pricing. A 750 of Agavales that used to be $12 is now $20. It seems like only new bottles they bring in and a few other random things are reasonably priced while many of the other bottles get marked up big from both their initial prices and what other stores are charging.
Sweet Vermouth
There's a recent and pretty extensive website on this you might want to check out: http://vermouth101.com/index.html
As far as my favorites, Dolin, Carpano, Vya, Punt e Mes. M & R is usually my budget option, but currently have a bottle of Cinzano open which also seems to work.
Best Creme de Cacao
There is also Taza Chocolate Mexicano Extract which apparently was formulated to be used in cocktails.
Another option is Meletti Cioccolato, which tastes much more like actual chocolate than MB cacao. Kind of like chocolate and cream, or a really rich chocolate milk.
Not sure how either of these would work as direct replacements in recipes for traditional CdC.
Buying six bottles at once- what would you get?
Campari is great, I would heartily recommend it, but keep in mind it is very bitter and may be an acquired taste.
St Germain, if you can get this for $25 I would definitely pick it up, fun to play around with and usually much more expensive at least around here.
I haven't tried any cheap brandies except some E&J that was left over from making sangria, which was not good in cocktails at all. If it were me, I would pony up the $35 and get a cognac like Pierre Ferrand Ambre.
I love rum. Coruba is my favorite inexpensive dark rum, although their US distribution is not the best. Appleton V/X is also Jamaican but lighter, great all-around rum. Barbancourt 8 yr is another great value. Zaya can be sipped and also used in some cocktails, so if you can get it for $25, I would say it's worth a try.
Applejack or Calvados might be worth a try as well. I just had some Laird's Bonded for the first time this past weekend and really enjoyed it.
Apricot liqueur shows up in a number of classic cocktails. Marie Brizard or R&W Orchard Apricot.
Absinthe (substitute) is also very handy for some true classics like the Sazerac. For $25 you will be limited to something like Herbsaint or Pernod, but I think these will work.
Gen Sushi in Belmont is finally open
Just tried Gen Sushi for the first time, and echo most of the comments so far.
The service is very sweet and they are definitely trying hard. We got some complementary edamame while we waited for a big batch of takeout orders to be finished. I got the sushi dinner, which had some more interesting and expensive types of fish than anyplace else I've been in Boston. Toro, Uni (which they asked to make sure I liked), something which I think they said was white tuna with truffle oil (hopefully albacore not escolar). Complementary pineapple to finish.
Biggest downside was the rice, which seemed too cold and had an unpleasant flavor. To me it tasted more like leftover long-grain rice from the refrigerator instead of sushi rice. The flavor of the rice detracted from the fish. Agree that the portions were generous and the knife work was not the finest. My wife, who mostly eats maki decided that she still prefers Bluefin, which may limit our return trips here.
Restaurant Week Boston, Winter 2012 reports?
I made it to Lala Rokh for dinner as I happened to be in the area and had been wanting to try the place for a while. We enjoyed the food and the room, but the service was painfully slow and absent.
We had an Adass Pollo, which reminded me a bit of a biryani, and a lamb dish that I think was called Ghormeh Sabzi. Some interesting flavors on each and well spiced.
I'm not sure if the service issues were related to the fact that they were also celebrating the Persian New Year Nowruz, but the restaurant didn't seem packed as we were able to walk in and get seated immediately. We were just waiting for our food for ages and couldn't even find a server to check with. We eventually did check with the server, and the owner came over to apologize and comped us a small dish that was a Nowruz special, so that did make up for it somewhat.
need help choosing a cachaca and a rhum agricole to try (list below)
I've had the JM Blanc and thought it was very nice. Neisson Blanc also looks to be a favorite of a lot of people, so one of those two would probably be a good place to start.
Only Cachaca I've really tried enough to comment on is Germana 2 yr, which I would say is good stuff. Based on what I've read, I think Mae de Oro is supposed to be good as well.
Mezcal- Gift
Whoa, Fidencio is light on smoke compared to Del Maguey? How much smoke can you get into a mezcal? I tried the Fidencio Clasico and have a bottle of the Madrecuixe, and I found them both to be very smoky, especially the Madrecuixe. Haven't tried any of the Del Magueys yet for comparison.
Lobster Rolls and Chowder near Fenway Park
Or you could bring some Popeye's chicken into the park and have it with a beer. 2011 Red Sox collapse special.
Can you recommend a cheap 100% agave brand for frozen margaritas?
Agavales is the cheapest one I have found, and it was quite serviceable. I had the silver, I think a 750 cost me all of $13. I also got a bottle of Espolon silver, much milder in flavor, very smooth, and reasonably priced at $20. My favorite was probably Lunazul reposado, you can get a bottle around here for $17 (in NH), struck me as a very good deal for a good solid tequila. 1800 and Sauza Hornitos used to be my go-tos but they got more expensive and there are now cheaper options.
Really anything 100% agave should work for frozen margaritas for a party, so just grab the cheapest you can find. I have heard that El Jimador, El Charro, and Camarena are all decent and can sometimes be found on large discount. See the following thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814477
Movie / drink connections
Thank You for Smoking - Negroni (OK he drank Vodka Negronis, but still)
Tombstone - Tombstone cocktail from Imbibe! (aka shaken Rye Old Fashioned)
Philadelphia Story - Martini or Stinger
Your favorite gin for classic cocktails?
If the money is a big concern, I would start with Seagram's before you try Plymouth. Plymouth became the darling of a lot of bartenders for its mixability, but the fact that they jacked up its price from around $15-$17 to $27-30 says a lot I think. I agree with Striper that it can be hard to pay a lot for any gin knowing that they don't cost much to make and you can get a 1.75L of one of the classics for less than a 750ml of some of the pricier ones. I don't think I will ever buy a bottle of Nolet's for example.
Also, I found the Aviation and Pegu to be tricky to find a pleasing ratio and I never really liked the White Lady, so that might be part of the issue. You might want to try something a bit easier drinking like a Clover Club or a Bebbo.
Maker's Mark bourbon - faux wax seal?
Good reason to try a different bourbon next time. A lot of good stuff out there, and with marketing budgets much smaller than Maker's, you tend to pay less for the same quality.
Your favorite gin for classic cocktails?
Bombay is a nice balance of citrus, juniper, and spices. I found Beefeater to have a more aggressive flavor with juniper and mineral/slate. Gordon's is also strong on the juniper with what I consider a "classic gin taste" but with less complexity than some of the others.
Your favorite gin for classic cocktails?
I second the Bombay White Label as a versatile mixer. I also like Tanqueray as it just screams classic to me with the juniper punch and high proof.
For me the budget option would be Seagram's. It is a bit lighter and more citrusy, so I find it mixes well, especially in drinks with citrus juice.
Those are the three best all-around bang for the buck options that I've tried. At most of the liquor stores around here (Boston), you save a lot by buying a 1.75L, so the bottles usually last a while. I found Beefeater to have more of a mineral character than I like, but it is another classic that a lot of people enjoy.
Rum Recommendations
Well, I believe the Ancient Mariner was Jeff Berry's attempt to recreate the Trader Vic's Navy Grog. Not to be confused with Donn Beach's Navy Grog which does not have allspice dram in it.
But your recipe sounds a lot like this recipe which is circulating online:
Trader Vic's Navy Grog
3/4 oz Fresh lime juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit juice
3/4 oz Allspice syrup (*)
1/2 oz Rock Candy Syrup
1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum
1 oz Gold Jamaican rum
1 oz Demerara rum
However, you said a while ago that this does not taste like what they serve at Trader Vic's. If you have a recipe you think is better, by all means let us know what it is.
How To Spend Money Wisely
Josh,
I've heard good things about Black Bottle which is a mix of Islays and looks to be pretty inexpensive. Not sure where you can find it around here, though.
Rum Recommendations
Look under the name Ancient Mariner, which is essentially a Grog with Pimento Dram.
e.g. http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2009/06/ancient-mariner.html
