Here is an amusing little article from the Wall Street Journal, comparing a restaurant kitchen to an investment bank. It’s worth a read if you are bored and need a few minutes of entertainment.
That Pesky Duck Fat Again! Potatoes Sarladaise
There are many, many recipes for this regional dish, but the common ingredients are potatoes, duck fat, garlic and parsley. And really, what could be better? Supposedly every single one of the 60 plus restaurants in Sarlat, this dish’s namesake, serve Continue reading “That Pesky Duck Fat Again! Potatoes Sarladaise”
Trust Me: Buy This Goat Cheese
I picked this up at The Wine Library, while shopping for uh…wine. In addition to a great selection of wines from around the world (and great prices too), they have a magnificent cheese shop. Really. Great. Fantastic. Wonderful. The best I have ever seen. And I picked up this little gem, mostly because I was intrigued by the packaging…a vacuum-packed flat of six of these wonderful little rounds of ash-coated goat cheese. It wasn’t even that expensive. But it was wonderful stuff. So stop buying crap goat cheese from wherever you buy cheese, and pick up this stuff instead.
She Likes Duck Fat
I promise that this won’t be a rant about how Mark Bitten sometimes minimizes recipes to the point of absurdity. But he did just that with his roast duck recipe. Anyway, one of the people who commented is obviously someone who appreciates the finer things in life, one of which is duck fat. She has an interesting blog that is worth poking around.
Bourdain And I agree About Alice Waters!
Yes, I’m a bit too much like a broken record, but at least I’m not the only one who thinks that Alice Waters is a twit. Skip to the last question, unless you want to read a typical interview.
Small Change, Big Taste — Thoughts On The Sazerac
Late last summer I spent a few hours at Blue Smoke, enjoying the service, the look of the place, and the air of professionalism that permeates it. I didn’t particularly enjoy the food, but maybe I am too picky. What I did take tremendous pleasure in was the Sazerac that Continue reading “Small Change, Big Taste — Thoughts On The Sazerac”
Peter Michael 2001 Belle Côte Chardonnay
There are very few age-worthy white wines made in California. This is one of them. But it tasted like crap, and I am more than a little irritated. This was our New Year’s Eve white, and I was expecting a mature, complex, creamy, buttery wine with some nice fruit and a bit of acid backbone. Continue reading “Peter Michael 2001 Belle Côte Chardonnay”
Baked Penne With Eggplant
Not my typical dish! This is the kind of stuff that I love to pick up at a good deli, expecting that it will be executed well. And it usually is. But I had a nice eggplant just sitting on the counter, daring me to cook it. Why, you may ask, was it there to begin with? Continue reading “Baked Penne With Eggplant”