http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening Casting a little flavor (and a few aspersions) on the world of food, drink, and life Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:06:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-171346 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Asian Q-sine Sun, 05 Oct 2008 03:39:50 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-171346 [...] have been a fan for many years of Anita Lo’s Anissa, which I would sum up as elegant, fancy food, with Asian fusion touches. Bar Q is the reverse - [...] [...] have been a fan for many years of Anita Lo’s Anissa, which I would sum up as elegant, fancy food, with Asian fusion touches. Bar Q is the reverse - [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-8045 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Babette’s Inspiration Sun, 03 Dec 2006 12:37:40 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-8045 [...] The film’s feast finished, if my sources and memory are correct, with a fig tart of some sort. Fresh figs, alas, are not in season yet here. I decided to make a genoise cake - mostly because it’s about the only cake I really make well. To soak it, I used a mix of fig syrup that I found in a local specialty shop and some of Tapaus’ honey liqueur. To serve it, I topped it with freshly whipped cream and some jarred figs in syrup that the cheese shop where I got the Morbier had - mostly for a little color and contrast. Good, but fresh figs would have been even better - and I’d have probably ended up making something like a fresh fig cheesecake, something that they used to serve at The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station, and was worth going there for, oysters aside. [...] [...] The film’s feast finished, if my sources and memory are correct, with a fig tart of some sort. Fresh figs, alas, are not in season yet here. I decided to make a genoise cake - mostly because it’s about the only cake I really make well. To soak it, I used a mix of fig syrup that I found in a local specialty shop and some of Tapaus’ honey liqueur. To serve it, I topped it with freshly whipped cream and some jarred figs in syrup that the cheese shop where I got the Morbier had - mostly for a little color and contrast. Good, but fresh figs would have been even better - and I’d have probably ended up making something like a fresh fig cheesecake, something that they used to serve at The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station, and was worth going there for, oysters aside. [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-6334 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Another Spirited Evening Sun, 05 Nov 2006 14:46:01 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-6334 [...] Buenos Aires - About a month and a half ago here at Casa S we put on a dinner featuring spirits and liqueurs from what is arguably Argentina’s finest distillery, Tapaus. The food was received to rave reviews from the dozen folk who attended - in fact the evening had been booked out by one of my regular readers and friends, who loved the idea. The owner of the distillery, Sergio, and I had continued to talk about putting on another event where he could come and talk to the folks at hand a bit about his ideas and perhaps offer a bit of education, or reassurance, or, simply answer questions. We ended up with only a half full house last night - unfortunately my friend the wine writer had to head off a day earlier than we thought, so couldn’t make it (though he did get a chance the day before to sample the wares of the distillery and Sergio’s homemade feijoada, a meat (tongue in this case) and black bean stew that is the national dish of Brazil); and two other folk cancelled at last minute - the wife apparently feeling that her husband appearing to be having a minor stroke or something similar was more important than dinner. (We’ll give her that as a reasonable excuse, or at least certainly creative - and, when she called again later, he seemed to be doing okay.) [...] [...] Buenos Aires - About a month and a half ago here at Casa S we put on a dinner featuring spirits and liqueurs from what is arguably Argentina’s finest distillery, Tapaus. The food was received to rave reviews from the dozen folk who attended - in fact the evening had been booked out by one of my regular readers and friends, who loved the idea. The owner of the distillery, Sergio, and I had continued to talk about putting on another event where he could come and talk to the folks at hand a bit about his ideas and perhaps offer a bit of education, or reassurance, or, simply answer questions. We ended up with only a half full house last night - unfortunately my friend the wine writer had to head off a day earlier than we thought, so couldn’t make it (though he did get a chance the day before to sample the wares of the distillery and Sergio’s homemade feijoada, a meat (tongue in this case) and black bean stew that is the national dish of Brazil); and two other folk cancelled at last minute - the wife apparently feeling that her husband appearing to be having a minor stroke or something similar was more important than dinner. (We’ll give her that as a reasonable excuse, or at least certainly creative - and, when she called again later, he seemed to be doing okay.) [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1630 rstarr73 Thu, 21 Sep 2006 02:44:27 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1630 thanks for the help thanks for the help

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1629 ksternberg Thu, 21 Sep 2006 01:24:49 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1629 Yes, it is a good quotation. It also fits the wine world in general. Yes, it is a good quotation. It also fits the wine world in general.

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1628 dan Wed, 20 Sep 2006 22:25:29 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1628 Irrelevant, the quote still fits! At least in relating fancified liqueurs to the usual rotgut. Irrelevant, the quote still fits! At least in relating fancified liqueurs to the usual rotgut.

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1627 ksternberg Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:13:00 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1627 Andrea Dworkin was an obese, ugly MF who quite obviously never learned to have fun. She was in my sister's graduating class at Bennington. Although I was only about 10 when I attende the commencement, I don't think I liked her even then. Andrea Dworkin was an obese, ugly MF who quite obviously never learned to have fun. She was in my sister’s graduating class at Bennington. Although I was only about 10 when I attende the commencement, I don’t think I liked her even then.

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1619 dan Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:15:06 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060917/a-spirited-evening#comment-1619 Not really - the whole "organic" movement is a very European/North American thing. It doesn't mean that organic stuff doesn't exist here, it exists all over the place, there's just no big deal made about it and no labelling regulations. I know that the chain of coffee shops, Gen. Est. de Cafe has a couple of offerings that are specifically noted as organic. There's a shop in Chinatown on Arribeños that specializes in organic and macrobiotic stuff, much of it imported (address in my "shopping" link on the right. But for the most part even stuff that could easily be labelled organic in, say, the U.S., just isn't labelled that way here, as other than for export, it's not a big issue like we tend to make it. Not really - the whole “organic” movement is a very European/North American thing. It doesn’t mean that organic stuff doesn’t exist here, it exists all over the place, there’s just no big deal made about it and no labelling regulations. I know that the chain of coffee shops, Gen. Est. de Cafe has a couple of offerings that are specifically noted as organic. There’s a shop in Chinatown on Arribeños that specializes in organic and macrobiotic stuff, much of it imported (address in my “shopping” link on the right. But for the most part even stuff that could easily be labelled organic in, say, the U.S., just isn’t labelled that way here, as other than for export, it’s not a big issue like we tend to make it.

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