cockscomb's Profile
only 3 Meals in Boston.....
three things i would find special in boston
oleana; in cambridge, i've always had nothing less than great food and wine experiences. great chef and an excellent wine list well suited for the menu
toro - south end, jamie bissonet (chef) is on the top of the nose to tail food ladder right next to fergus henderson
silvertone-downtown; grilled cheese and tomato soup, a shot of fernet and a high life.
Good (and bad) Restaurant Week experiences
agreed... concept sounds interesting but fails miserably.
How is the "new" L'Espalier?
in terms of the pairings, i often find it to be the best way to go at a restaurant at this level and trust the wine professional. i found the pairings at l'espalier to be safe and uninteresting so opted for bottles.
Best in Boston if hubs does NOT have a jacket
really??? i have never needed a magnifying glass and have never left hungry. what is it with the large portions? there are plenty of places serving heaping plates of swill. the quality of the food is what you pay for, not the gorge effect.
How is the "new" L'Espalier?
unfortunately never made it to the old l'espalier. i think the new l'espalier is fine. the food is good but more often a little too rich and portions tend to be large on the tasting menu. i'm not a fan of the service, it's akward. i also didn't get a sense that all the staff were well versed in all aspects and certainly not in tune with everything going on. someone in a suit approached my table and offered a cocktail. when i asked what bourbons were available his response was "i'm just a manager".
i do however like the lounge for a cocktail and a little bite. for boston, it's good but if you look at it on a global level, for pricing, quality of food, and service, it falls short.
i think a lot of others on here will disagree vehemently...
Mysterious Sicknesses at Fat Duck affect 400
this won't ruin hb's reputation in my book. had a couple of my best dining experiences of my life at the fat duck and other places eating his food.
Durian cake at Eldo
durian is king... i'm a defender. had it only once and always looking for it!
What you drank at "Drink"
scuba steve... the del maguey mezcals are available at a few places around town. try toro. they have the tobala and crema. awesome stuff. they are an interesting base or additive to a cocktail but i think best enjoyed neat.
there a few single village, a tobala (a higher end moutain variety of agave plant which only the heart is used) and a crema. all hand made mezcal and aguably the most expressive and interesting clear spirit.
I need to find killer buffalo wings
as much as i agree with buffs in newtown the best place in this state is in chicopee. quicky's wings are the best. if you haven't had them please do. i actually paid a cab service to deliver them. 20 bucks for wings and a 90 dollar cab fair was still worth it.
i know you said boston but jast had to throw in quicky's cuz it is that good although it is further away
Interesting Scotch Recommendations
if you like laphroaig, ardbeg is definitely the way to go. while i love the others mentioned by davidt, lagavulin, caol ila and bowmore have a sweeter component than the other two. if you can find independents of port ellen, try that as well. port ellen continues to do the maltings for a few of the other islays but will be really hard to find any distillery bottlings as they stopped production years ago. i would also suggest going to campbeltown and try springbank or longrow (one of the other wharehouses that springbank intermittently operates)
as much as i am a fan of all the islays, i have found caol ila, lagavulin, and bowmore to be less appreciated by other islay followers who love laphroaig
i think it really is a geographical and a style thing. the southern distilleries in islay are even more distinctive for their medicinal qualities compared to the northerners or those who impart more of the sherry barrel aging on their whiskies.
i do often drink jw black for it's high percentage of caol ila for a less expensive sipper as well
ardbeg 10 is great. the uigedail as i mentioned above is the one ardbeg whisky that is done in sherry so it too has a little richer body than the others.
i have to say that my all time favorite is the provenance from ardbeg bottled at cask strength. unfortunately it is one of those collectors items that will cost a few hundo but ultimatley worth it.. the last time i was at the bar at the peninsula in chicago they offered it (not sure where you are though)
Any word on Restaurant L?
it's the 4th one down on the list. scroll down to the photographs below, the 4th photo down is the bar
Chicago Style Dogs
thanks volleydolly. is the customer service at windy city as gracious as wiener circle?? is there any place like that in boston???
Chicago Style Dogs
how do they compare to places mentioned in this thread?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/364427
my personal favorite includes wieners circle and hot dougs
Wines owned by corporate giants : yay or nay?
pasqua in fact is one... definitely not suprising , just wondering. dievole is a tuscan property that has a little sicilian project.
Wines owned by corporate giants : yay or nay?
wineninja... i don't think ricrios is kvetching. it's a choice. i think a lot of people care for a lot of different reasons.
it's never a guarantee of quality choosing between large corporations and small family run operations but more of a moral choice
as well to say life is too short and you're going to give yourself an aneurism is a little over the edge. we have a choice. "what's yours" is what ricrios is initially asking. you don't have to agree with the other side.
this thread is about which side do you choose when it comes to wine. nothing mentioned above of how you live your everday life.
i find bigger companies useful for a lot of things however, when deciding what i want to sniff, swirl and sip, i'd rather go for a wine that wasn't mass produced. that's it
Any word on Restaurant L?
according to bostonrestarauntgroup.com pigalle is also for sale
http://www.bostonrestaurantgroup.com/Rest4sale.pdf
Another No. 9 Park Review (it's long)
bostonzest... the cheese is available at the bar as well. had some the other night and i'm always happy with the selections.
Best Cheap Beer
if you are one of the lucky states yuengling lager can be bought for 6 bucks a six pack
carnaroli, baldo, arborio?
what's your choice when it comes to risotto? i much prefer carnaroli when making risotto. it seems to have a bit longer cooking time but a greater window for perfection than the others but i find it to be my favorite for it's silky texture. any others to add?
Best in Boston if hubs does NOT have a jacket
ha! that's good to know mc slim... i went into the bar one night to meet a few friends who were finishing dinner. i was told i could not stay in the bar because i was wearing jeans. i don't need to go into detail as to what i was wearing but i definitely would not have been turned away in any other place in this city. i was wearing shoes, not trainers, and a jacket but apparently not up to managements standards. too bad, cuz being in my neighborhood, it is certainly a place i want to support. i have no desire to hurry back plus, my ascot is still at the dry cleaners
daughter's 21st birthday
the chef's table at l'espalier is not the place to be pampered... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/589953
for pampered service #9 is your best option. it's a grown-up experience that i don't find to be too pretensious and the service is in my opinion the best in boston, although they did just lose their great maitr d joe.
everything from cocktails, wine list (which seems to be mentioned second to troquet on here all the time which i never understand), cheese cart and menu are amongst the best that i have had in boston.
hope your daughter enjoys her birthday
Where to Buy Hungarian Wine in Chicago?????
mmi- monarchia matt http://www.monarchiamatt.com is an importer with a range of hungarian producers. they distribute in illinois so my suggestion would be to ask your favorite wine shop to order some specific wines that you would like from their distributor.
Pairing suggestions, please
i second pantelleria. in fact, it was my first thought when i read almond financier. i think you want something with it's own nuttiness so as much as i love kracher, i wouldn't put it first.
London Suggestions?
UMU for sure.. Zuma is outstanding but, UMU is the best Kyoto style restaurant outside of Japan that I have experienced.
Just as a note to be fair however, our reservation was made by another Michelin rated chef so we were taken care of very well. The food was thoroughly imaginative, interesting, and delicious. So many omakase options. I would not miss UMU. Zuma is a very strong second.
hungry mother suggestions
thanks sallyt... one of the group eats fish but no meat. any other good fish items on the menu. i see some catfish.
james beard award semifinalists..... thoughts?? -moved from Boston board
any insight as to why orfaly (and pigalle) is even a nominee? from my experiences as well as all that i have read on chowhound suggest that orfaly should not even be mentioned.
and andy husbamds at 647??
Wines owned by corporate giants : yay or nay?
zin... look above. my uraguay comment was in response to northpark's comment: "Almost anything from Chile or Australia, for example." had nothing to do with latour.
as well, when the original post is not soley about first growth bordeaux, i think it's fair enough to speak about other wines such as ricrios also mentions in his original post:
"So fast forward to the other day, when I couldn't resist getting a case of the 2005 Languedoc Mas Belles Eaux "Les Coteaux". One star Hachette 2009, $17, "full of finesse ... aromas of smoke, fruits and spices ... with the required smoothness to accompany a lamb shoulder or a roasted hare". I didn't pay attention to ownership at the time. Who'd care about a small ( 30 Ha, 90K bottles ) property in 34720 Caux ?"
so i'm not sure why your apples don't quite match up with my apples?????
