MitchW

Lamb rib chops marinated in olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, lemon juice. Broiled. Served with roasted potatoes and carrots, green salad, and celeri remoulade.

Are you here all week?

Sure, but when they were experimenting with the drinks we can call classics (Martini, Manhattan, Old-Fashioneds, et al.), I'm pretty sure bar chefs bartenders weren't playing around with Roto Vaps, Spinzalls, Searzalls, sous-vide equipment, etc. etc. They probably weren't even fat washing.

If it is, thank the fucking lord. Because according to Robert Simonson, one of my favorite writers about drinks and drinking, it is. Sort of, I guess. As someone who pretty much only orders classics, I welcome the day. I am in no need of some bartender's fantasy of what might taste good. https://www.grubstreet.com/article/new-cocktail-bars-with-cheap-normal-drinks.html

Clem Burke, the long-time drummer for the seminal band Blondie, has passed away at the too young age of 70. He could carry the beat - RIP, Clem. The Heartbeat of Blondie

A fantastic show at The Town Hall last night. T Bone Burnett, touring for the first time in nearly 20 years, in semi-support of his first album (The Other Side) over that same time period. All strings, lots of bluegrass, just great - as is the album. The strict no-photos policy was being enforced...with a light hand. So I waited until the final song to take a crappy pic... The album is well worth a listen...or ten.

Yeah, from my friend Thomas. At my local, on sale at $2.99 a six-pack, so I snatched 2.

French McMuffin. Oeuf, Jambon de Paris, Comté, beurre, muffin.

A few more dinners from your laundry room, and you'll have covered the cost! Back in my catering days, it was the very early days of The Knot...at that point, most of the people (i.e.: brides to be and their mothers (oy)) had not even heard of it. Didn't realize it turned into such a shit show.

Asparagus blanched (till done), shocked and then plated. Thanks - you're too kind. Speaking of being a happy man...

Asparagus with Dijon vinaigrette. Coq au Vin. Using a whole bird, cut-up into parts (but leaving the breast whole), salted and rested since the day before. After cooking, I "carve" half the breast off for Significant Eater, as she likes it. My plate consisted of wings, back with oyster, neck, one thigh, and some other really good parts. Hard to see, but mushrooms, pearl onions and lardons are all in there. Parsley potatoes and baguette served with, and we're almost in Paris. Except for: Our favorite California Pinot Noir, as I didn't feel like searching for a Burgundy, though I know I have a couple of bottles here.

The Pegu Club recipe (Phil Ward's) is/was: 2 oz. Plymouth 1 oz. Lillet Blonde (Blanc) .75 Oz. suze Lemon twist Dante's is quite different...https://imbibemagazine.com/recipe/dantes-negroni-bianco/

He's saving it for Ana or Carlotta.

That's pretty much the going rate at retail. $46 via Fresh Direct.

Which platter - the pigs in blankets?

It's been an amazing Nantucket Bay scallop season, which led me to do a quick sauté the other night: And served them over rice, with a side of well-cooked broccoli. And I was a guest at a dinner party the other night, at a friend's home. Food was cooked by a pro. My contribution was 3 batched freezer cocktails (Negroni, Manhattan, and a wet Beefeater Martini), along with Union Square bar nuts, and house-made pigs in blankets: Classy, huh?! Also served: Cucumber salad. Nantucket Bay scallop ceviche. Asparagus with morels (or vice versa). Dover sole. Much wine.

All I can do is offer this quote from the greatest NFL receiver of all time, when asked why he didn't do anything crazy or demonstrative after making a catch or scoring a touchdown:

And for what it's worth, I love dining solo at the bar. Or even dining duo - at the bar.

Priya should take a fucking Ativan, and get on with it.

Didn't most people give up the British food is a joke stuff like 25 years ago?

Looking forward to this... Member Evening $0.00 2 Members at $0.00 each Tue, Mar 25, 2025 07:00 PM EDT

One of the greats. Both in the ring and out He got a lot of dough when he sold the rights to that grill! And the fights in the 1970's, between and among the 3 great heavyweights, were unbelievable. RIP, Champ.

We were in Chicago last week to see a couple of shows; since we wanted to arrive at the venue (Park West) early-ish in order to get the seats we wanted (how annoying is GA, seated?), it left little time for good dinners. On the one night we didn't have a show, we went to Publican, which now I think has seen better days. Don't get me wrong: The charcuterie and cocktails were just fine. Should have left it at that, or ordered cheese next. Oh well. This had to be done, and came from a recommendation from our AirBnB host: Quite good. We did take a drive out to a neighborhood called Belmont Heights. Santa Masa Tamaleria The special tamale: Carnitas, chicharrones, pickled veg, etc. etc. And a couple of fantastic tacos: barbacoa and tinga. As I'm driving past DePaul University, what do I notice? And then, yes, I remembered that he opened in Chicago like a decade ago. So, without having to travel to Rome: Just a beautiful, light crust; any of 12 to 15 varieties available at all times. Obviously, al taglio. The original.

Shrimp cocktail with avocado. House-made cocktail sauce, poached wild gulf shrimp (in a court bouillon enhanced with shrimp shells). Nantucket Bay Scallop linguini. Sauce of butter, shrimp/scallop court bouillon, garlic, scallions, white wine, lemon. After dinner, I went down to the grocery store and scored 2 pints of Häagen-Daza, on sale at 2 for $9!!

I actually attempted to, and was successful in, renewing our passports online. That included taking the photos and submitting them digitally; on the website, they have so many different requirements for the passport photo that I was certain they were going to be rejected. But - they weren't! (I used a "real" camera and a tripod, as I was not having great luck with the iPhone).