Bites and Bits...

Well, when last we chatted, I had that bottle of Plymouth Gin and the Lillet awaiting.   Since then I have made a “couple” of Clayburn Martinis, and I think I may have gotten it to where I think I like it.  Wound up with about four ounces of the precious gin, and translated the “splash of Lillet” to about a half an ounce, making it a ratio of eight to one, although I may play around with that yet...  I used a potato peeler to get a nice thin slice of lemon peel to float in it.  Combined liquids in the shaker, added ice and stirred (not shaken) and strained into an iced “up” glass.  Classic!  It produced a wonderful drink.  ….almost too wonderful!   I think the cost per ounce helps keep consumption within reason..That Plymouth gin is really nice.. 

 

 

Plethora of “Pla-tha’s”

It seems that the proliferation of Mexican restaurants continues to move forward around here, and the two latest additions curiously enough have “Plaza” in their name (which depending on where you are, might be pronounced “pla-tha”).  The already opened “Tolteca” continues to fill the La Quinta parking lot.  The drawn out re-occupation of the old Damon’s is now sporting a sign proclaiming “Plaza Azteca”.  I still don’t know whether Monterey will shutter in San Souci or this is another version of it.  I would hope they would keep the former open, it is a large hole to fill.  Time will tell.  I rarely eat what we call “Mexican” food, although chips and (mild) salsa are always welcome.  Somehow a plate of sloppy beans, blown out rice, sad lettuce and some sort of tortilla product all smushed together isn’t my favorite.  When in places like San Diego, I have had some very imaginative and creative dishes reflective of Spanish or Mexican Culture.  So I guess we get what “they” think will sell.  And obviously it does as judged by the amount of cars in the parking lots..

And speaking of Italian food – oh, wait, we weren’t.  But anyway it appears that the original team that opened DiGiovanni’s (Dock of the Bay) is now back in command, serving “Authentic Italian Seafood”.  That’s a phrase that always kind of aggravates me.  Who or what judges what “Authentic” is anyway?   Italy is a big place…  Northern? Southern?  What the heck makes it authentic..  Just a thought.

 

Lost your Marbles?

I was reading the May/June edition of Imbibe magazine, and found something I never have heard of before.  It was a little blurb about how to preserve wine (that half bottle you’re stuck with after dinner).  It starts out by saying that “wine preservation is a mega money-making industry with gadgets that range from ten dollar air pumps to inert gas systems that can cost thousands, but one is as easy as a sack of marbles”.  Huh?  Say what? Then it says that for centuries (italics mine) oenophiles have used marbles to preserve wine.  Oxygen is the enemy of opened bottles of wine, so getting rid of a half bottle of air is what it is all about.  Hence the “vac-u-vin” and similar gadgets. The centuries old trick (which I had somehow missed) is to fill up the partially used bottle with marbles, which will eventually raise the liquid level to the neck , and then tightly re-cork it.  Claims it is good for a couple of days.  Then all you have to do use a strainer to collect the marbles, clean and store them.  I will leave it to you, dear reader, to conjure up the mental image of all that.  Worth it?  Maybe just have another couple of glasses.. no thanks on the marbles..

 

Nobody ever went broke… etc.

I subscribe to a few little services that fire me e-news and notes from the food service industry, so I can learn things like Burger King will be introducing an almost exact copy of McRib, along with a Carolina BBQ sandwich, and that McD will be dropping its Angus burger.  Big news like that.  Besides the food notes there are often links to various articles about the business aspects of the industry.  Yesterday there was one that led you to a piece where Howard Shultz’s shared his recipe for success.  There was a more interesting one about servers (one of my pet subjects) and how important they are to a guest’s restaurant experience, so I read it.   Among other things it contained results of a survey on what people "prize" in a server.  One of them was something that you hear me rant about: “Nearly three-quarters claim to be impressed when a server doesn’t “auction off” plates and remembers which dish each guest ordered.”  I might take issue with the “impressed” part, it isn't hard and it’s their JOB for God’s sake..   Anyway it also contained a little statistic about guests that surprised and depressed me:  “Nine out of 10 ask for the server’s recommendation, and 71 percent will take that advice.” NINE out of TEN?  So, when you’re with another couple at the table do (roughly) all of you ask the server “what’s good?” Or “what do you recommend?” and three of the four take that?  Wow.  I certainly don’t.   Uncharacteristically for the Feeder I won’t go off on that although I could rehash a former rant and go into who knows what the server likes and dislikes are and how it relates to me and so forth.  That is pretty obvious.  In a fine dining place that I have not done my research on, I might go so far as to ask the server “what does chef do well?” and hope for an honest answer.  And that is only if I think the server has some experience.  I just don’t like to hear an unsolicited “that’s one of my favorites” from them.  Sigh.

Last Course

And to close, the Feeder and the feeder readers lost a good friend recently with the passing of Bill P.  I worked with him for a long time both in St. Louis and then here at Pax.  Besides being a expert aerodynamicist, he had a good palate and was also a valuable source of information and opinions on various eateries.  Was never shy about expressing his thoughts on reviews of places.  I will not be alone in missing his presence.  Rest well… I will raise a glass..

DFD