MxMo: Princess Alice Cocktail 2008

I'm a late arrival at Mixology Monday*, but I hope I'll be forgiven. I found out today I'll be traveling tomorrow with my boss' boss and hoping to be helpful at meetings with customers on Wednesday. So, I certainly could use a drink tonight. Joe, poor/lucky devil is in Chicago for work so I made a very tiny drink.

I stopped by at Nopa on my way home for dinner & a drink or two. (Note: there are no slow nights at Nopa so I was lucky to walk right up to a bar seat). Along with my New Ideal and an unnamed Manhattan variant using port & an absinthe rinse, I got a taste of the end of the shaker of a variant on the Last Word which Neyah was mixing for another patron.

As I was marveling at the way it evoked C. Howard's violet candies without any violet in it, Kitty enlightened me. "Oh yes, Maraschino liqueur and grapefruit always brings out those flower tastes, violet, lavender."

Well I never knew that and it was an astonishing effect, so when I arrived home and started looking in the 1908/1914 edition** of good ol' San Franciscan William "Cocktail" Boothby's The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them, this jumped out at me:

Victoria
From the recipe of my old associates, Jim and Joe Marshall, The Strand, London

Place half a pony glassful of Creme Yvette (Violette) on the bar-top; then shake up about two teaspoonfuls of absinthe with a little cracked ice and strain the same over the cordial in the pony-glass. That's all.

I don't know if it evokes Creme Yvette quite, but  .75 oz of grapefuit juice to .25oz of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, with a tiny dash of Creme de Violette seems to work just dandy for my purposes.

I'm not quite singin' about badgers tonight like Some People I Know, but I have listened to Jug Band Music by The Lovin' Spoonful about eight times to my intense pleasure.

* Yes, yes, local angle a bit weak, but it is a 100 year old cocktail book published in my fair city, photographed in the historical collection of the San Francisco Public Library, and I did use a local Absinthe and a grapefruit from my produce delivery box. Also, hey, props to local bartenders counts for something, right?
*I'm not looking in the appendix so I believe they're the same.

Gary Vaynerchuk & Wine Library TV 2008

After seeing him speak in Kathy Sierra's session at SXSW Interactive this spring and hearing the buzz about how much he opens wine up as a topic anyone can be knowledgeable on without being a snob, I decided to give the show a try sometime.

It's a testimony to two things - my overall bias toward spirits & cocktail mixing and how stupid goddamn busy I've been since March - that I didn't get around to it until last night.

He has a reputation for a great, approachable show, and being a bit fussy about liking to begin at the beginning I figured I'd go back to the first episode and put up with watching him work up to speed. They're currently up around episode 500 so I thought this was a bold move when it comes to podcasts and might take lot of watching. Nope.

Episode #2, he's clearly in stride, rockin' the house, and I totally understand his reputation.

If you like wine and want to be smarter about which wines to drink and buy, check Gary Vaynerchuk out.

Sneak Peek 2008

We're still making it pretty and there's lots more writing on cocktails to come, but you're welcome to step on up to the bar at bibulo.us, the new site Joe & I are making together.

New link in the sidebar here on MetaGrrrl.com!

Mixology Monday's Repeal Day theme: Ruby Cocktail 2007

There's a fine cocktail geek writing project called Mixology Monday in which everyone is encouraged to write on a particular theme each week. Often it's an ingredient, but this time, it's pre-Prohibition cocktails, in honor of Repeal Day (which is December 5th).

As my first foray into MxMo, I'm pleased to present The Ruby, which Joe & I found in a cocktail pamphlet from 1908 called The World's Drinks And How To Mix Them by William "Cocktail" Boothby. It's unclear if the recipe has appeared anywhere else. It's certainly not the same recipe as others going by the Ruby name.

"Ruby Cocktail

Into a mixing-glass place a lump of ice, a dash of Orange bitters and a dash of cherry cordial. Add half a jigger of Sloe gin and half a jigger of Italian vermouth; stir until cold, twist in the oil from a piece of lemon peel, strain into a cocktail-glass and serve."

Sadly, the thing we forgot to buy in London was really good sloe gin, so I can't really say I've yet tasted this as it's meant to be tasted. However, even with cherry Heering and DeKupyer Sloe Gin, it's a charming drink. We celebrated with it last New Year's Eve (photo left by my friend Ann Larie).

It's tart and sweet and fun, and as you might guess from the name, a gorgeous color.

The Bar, Bartender and Cocktail Guide 2007 2007

Given all the cocktail discussion within my London travel posts and our intense cocktail geekery over the last year, it seems time to start pulling it all together in one place.

Bars:

San Francisco:

Absinthe, Hayes Valley
[Not to be missed; recommended bartender: Jonny Raglin; recommended drink: consider whatever's up on the chalkboard tonight]

The Alembic, Upper Haight
[I need to give this one another try; had a suboptimal first experience, but am assured that's not typical]

Bix, Financial District
[recommended bartender: Bradley]

Bourbon & Branch, Tenderloin
[Gorgeous space, fantastic drinks]

Citizen Cake, Hayes Valley
[recommended drink: The Bravo]

Nopa, Divisidero & Hayes
[recommended bartenders: Neyah White, Matt; recommended appetizer: the flatbread]

Range, Valencia Street/Inner Mission
[recommended for dinner as well; recommended drink: 1794; recommended bartender]

Rye, Nob Hill
[Need to visit again - only tried once at a very quiet time and think it may not have been a lead bartender on duty]

New York City:

Campbell Apartments
[lovely atmosphere]

Pegu Club
[not to be missed and a serious contender for my Best Bar in the World vote - certainly by far the best cocktail/food pairings in the world, try the Little Italy; recommended drink: 19th Century]

WD-50
[recommended drink: Rye & Quince]

London:

Artesian at the Langham Hotel, Regent Street
[recommended drink: Jerry's Medicine]

Baltic, Southwark
[nice enough, but not top of the list]

The Bar at the Dorchester Hotel, Mayfair
[not to be missed; recommended bartender: Paulo; recommended drink: Martinez with Old Tom]

Lobby Bar at 1 Aldwych, Strand
[recommended drinks: Caraway Maker, The Gentleman; appetizers merely adequate as of Nov 2007]

Montgomery Place, Notting Hill
[not to be missed - my current vote for best bar in the world; recommended bartender: Marian Beke]

 

Favorite drinks of the year:

The Bravo [invented by Matt of Citizen Cake & Nopa in San Francisco]

The Gentleman [invented by Giovanni, formerly of Lobby Bar at 1 Aldwych in London]

Old Potrero Hotalings & Carpano Antica Formula Manhattan

Cynar-washed Negroni [specialty of Kevin of O'Reilly's Holy Grail in San Francisco]

Martin Millers & Carpano Antica Formula Negroni [called by Joe Gratz and now my favorite version]

Bars on the to-be-tried list still:

London: The Blue Bar at the Berkeley (NYT recommended), Claridge's Bar (NYT recommended), Cocoon (bartender recommended, but just for drinks), Connaught Hotel (NYT recommended), Dukes Hotel (Negroni recommend by Jonny Raglin), Fat Duck (mentioned in NYT article), Green & Red (bartender recommended), Hakkasan (bartender & NYT recommended), Library Bar at the Lanesborough (bartender recommended),The Lonsdale (NYT recommended), MatchBar (NYT recommended), Nobu (bartender recommended), Roka (NYT recommended), Shochu Lounge at Zuma (NYT recommended), Trailer Happiness (NYT recommended), Whisky Bar at the Atheneum (bartender recommended).

New York City: Employees Only (friend & bartender recommended), Flatiron Lounge, Milk & Honey (bartender recommended), PDT (consultant Jim Meehan tends at Pegu Club).

San Francisco: Cantina (recommended on eGullet forum), Elixer (keep running into barkeep H at various cocktail geek events)

***
[Edited Dec 24th, 2007, after finding that Matt is back behind the bars at Citizen Cake & Nopa and that the Bravo is indeed his creation]

Cheese du jour 2007

Also from our visit to Jardiniere last night, we recommend the Fenacho semi-firm goat's milk cheese with fenugreek* from Bend, Oregon, and the Epoisses washed rind cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, France.

*A stellar example from the genre my cheesemonger friend Gordon describes as "cheese with stuff in it".

Setting up a home bar 2007

I put together the following tips for a friend, but thought others might find them interesting too:

Starting (snob-friendly) bar supplies:

good fresh ice (you can store fresh cubes in tupperware in the freezer so they don't pick up flavors from other things)

shaker
I have both a lidded kind and the combined glass/metal kind. I haven't got the hang of shaking with the latter yet, but the big metal base is great for stirred drinks. My lidded one is kind of like this one but a bit more squat

cocktail strainer

measuring cup
I much prefer these little cups to traditional jiggers. As with all your mixing gear, just rinse right after you serve the drink and they stay clean and nice (sticky liquors are a pain to scrub later when they've started to dry).

bar spoon
e.g. something like this

channel knife (for making twists)
e.g. something like this

(And you'll also want to have on hand a cutting board for citrus, a good paring knife, a bar towel to wipe spills, and some means of extracting the juice from fresh fruit).

The booze.
Think about your & your most frequent guests' favorite drinks. You'll want to start your cabinet around these.

Say, for example, the drinks are Manhattan, Martini, Margarita, Lemon Drop, and Cosmopolitan.

The Manhattan is most usually made with bourbon and sweet vermouth with a dash of bitters, but the correct spirit for it is rye which really makes a much better drink (IMNSHO). It is garnished with a cherry.

The Martini can be made with either gin (traditionally) or vodka, a breath of dry vermouth, and garnished with an olive, onion, or lemon twist.

The Margarita calls for tequila, triple sec (preferably Cointreau), and fresh lemon and lime juices. It is garnished with a lime wedge or wheel.

The Lemon Drop calls for citrus-flavored vodka, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. It is garnished with a lemon wheel.

The Cosmopolitan is made of vodka, triple sec (preferably Cointreau), cranberry juice, and fresh lime juice, with a lime wheel garnish.

So here's the shopping list (to be accumulated as funds permit in order of frequency with which you'll want your handful of featured drinks).

1 bottle bourbon - Maker's Mark or Wild Turkey 101 will do, Knob Creek is preferable.
***upgrade: Bulleit
***variant: Old Overholt rye

1 bottle sweet vermouth - Martini & Rossi is good
***upgrade: Carpano Antica

1 bottle bitters: try to get Orange Bitters (preferably Fee's) but settle for good ol' Angostura
***trick: a few dashes of bitters in a pint glass of soda water will settle an upset stomach

1 jar cherries: the best you can afford, ideally getting as far from those alarmingly bright colored ones for Shirley Temple drinks toward the less sugar & red dye #2 end of the spectrum.
***upgrade: Luxardo brandied cherries (We got a jar of these at Dean & Deluca and they are the bee's knees).

1 bottle gin: I favor Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray.
***variant: Hendricks (with which you should garnish martinis with a cucumber slice rather than an olive or onion for best results).

1 bottle dry vermouth: Noilly Prat
***variant: Lillet Blanc

1 jar cocktail olives: quality helps, but you can be less fussy about these than the cherries
***variant: cocktail onions

1 bottle tequila: Herradura Silver

1 bottle triple sec: Cointreau. Yes, it's pricey, but nothing else is as good and you'll use little bits in lots of drinks.

1 bottle vodka: given the Lemon Drop in our hypothetical list, I'd start with the Citron version of your favorite vodka. Absolut is always safe, but if your crowd is label conscious, buy the damn Ketel One.
***variant/upgrade: Grey Goose unflavored, for martinis with a lemon twist.

Small bottle cranberry juice

Simple syrup? Make it in small amounts & store in the fridge, it's comically easy:
(I don't agree with Alberta all the time, but this is a good video to show just how damn simple this syrup is).

Fruit? Buy it fresh, with a good-looking rind for zesting & garnishes.

Where to go after these? Try cocktails from good bartenders and see what else you like. Also note what your guests ask for. Probably some scotch is the next on the list; I recommend the Balvenie Doublewood as a good place to start with single malts.

Glassware
All these drinks look great served in cocktail glasses (or what is commonly called a martini glass), but they taste fine in any glass which is as wide or wider at the top than the bottom and which has about a 6oz capacity. (Yes it's more work for the bartender, but almost all cocktails should be enjoyed while still quite chilly so smaller servers are better. This is also why cocktail glasses - with their long stems keeping the warmth of your hand away from the drink - are ideal).
Joe and I are partial to the Luminarc 5oz which we were able to get in bulk at a restaurant supply place. Here's a picture 
Their 1/3 bowl, 2/3 stem proportion is very elegant and makes for a good (small) drink size and nice presentation.

Putting some spin on it:
Manhattan - make it with rye and orange bitters for a proper one; substitute scotch for a Rob Roy.

Martini - 2oz gin, 1oz vodka and 1/2oz of Lillet Blanc garnished with an orange wheel will give you the delightful Vesper, of Casino Royale fame. Or try out the ancestor of the Martini, the gin-based Martinez.

Margarita - get a bottle of light rum and you can offer Daiquiris instead.

Lemon Drop - this is basically a Daiquiri with vodka, you can also jump off from here to a Delilah by substituting gin for the vodka, adding 3/4oz of Cointreau and leaving out the simple syrup.

Cosmopolitan - described as a "juice box for yuppies", it's not actually as bad as its reputation, provided you do not put simple syrup or Rose's "lime juice" in it. Still, you could try to up the ante by introducing your guest to the Sidecar (which does require a decent cognac in your bar).

Happy hosting!

The anti-recommendation 2007

I do wish Yelp (and sites like it) had a way for you to mark a review as "not tall enough to ride this ride" or "not for you" or "antithesis" or something to indicate that the negative review indicates exactly the kind of person who one is trying to avoid and who will therefore not be so likely to be found at this particular place.

The reviews of Bourbon & Branch by clueless party kids ("My girlfriends and I couldn't talk at the top of our lungs or people told us to quiet down, that's soooo WACK!" "They told me the smoking area isn't inside, it's O'Farrell Street! What the hell?") are prime illustrations.

I marked a few as "useful" but then realized I might be giving props to bad writers so have stopped.

What a friend we have in cheeses 2006

On the first day of Cheesemas...

Le Chevrot with Ash, French goat cheese

On the second day of Cheesemas...

Irish Cahill's Porter

Istara Ossau-Iraty sheep milk

On the third day of Cheesemas...

Australian Marinated Feta sheep & goat milk

Zingerman's Bridgewater Round Triple Cream with Peppercorns

On the fourth day of Cheesemas...

Great Hill Blue raw milk

French Fromager Des Clarines

On the fifth day of Cheesemas...

Hope Farm Tomme de Brebis raw sheep milk

On the sixth day of Cheesemas...

more of the ultra creamy Fromager Des Clarines

a quesadilla at Taqueria Can-Cun in the Mission

On the seventh day of Cheesemas...

more of the peppery delicious Zingerman's Bridgewater Round Triple Cream with Peppercorns

Welsh Red Dragon with Mustard Seed and Ale

Palak Paneer at Naan N Curry

On the eighth day of Cheesemas...

tomato & brie sandwiches with my tea at Leland Tea Company

On the ninth day of Cheesemas...

spicy Algerian crepe with cheese at Cafe Grillades

more of the peppery delicious Zingerman's Bridgewater Round Triple Cream with Peppercorns

more of the Welsh Red Dragon with Mustard Seed and Ale

more of the Hope Farm Tomme de Brebis raw sheep milk

Parmesan on shaved fennel salad at Chez Panisse Café

On the tenth day of Cheesemas...

spicy Algerian omelette with jack and creme fraiche

the last of the Welsh Red Dragon with Mustard Seed and Ale

Trader Joe's Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina with Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese

random Manchego at a party

random Brie x2 at a party

popovers with pear, leek and cheese (yummy party food!)

On the eleventh day of Cheesemas...

the last of the Zingerman's Bridgewater Round Triple Cream with Peppercorns

oh and then I lost track... but there was more cheese after that too.

Tea Time 2006

Someone (Megan from notmartha maybe? Hmm, no, maybe it was in Selva's flickrstream) mentioned liking Adagio Teas and enjoying their link rewards program. I'm don't know yet what the tea tastes like, but it sure sounds good and if it's even half as tasty as their website design, I'm sure it's worth checking out.

First on my list to try would be Cha Cha:

Much like the Cuban dance for which it is named, famous for its three quick steps ("cha-cha-cha"), Cha Cha deliciously mingles soothing Chamomile, refreshing Peppermint and zesty Lemongrass into a wonderful herbal concoction sure to send your taste buds dancing with delight.

I bet Silver Needle is good too. I've had white teas that were stunning; a zen garden on your tongue.

And in the category of "household items to covet" I give you the Wagenfeld teapot. Ooo, sexy.

How to Order a Drink at a Bar 2005

*****

An updated version of this advice is now available on the cocktail blog Bibulo.us which I write with Joe Gratz. Enjoy!

*****

With the approach of another New Year's Eve, I face my annual debate: should I go out to a public venue? And as ever, I conclude it's just not worth it.

New Year's Eve brings out the newbies, the folks who never visit clubs any other time of year and who have no clue about how they work.

In the hope that education might be the answer, I offer the following information. Perhaps we can get some kind of public communication project going next year to promote these principles on colorful posters with cartoon mascots named "Bobby Booze" and "Cindy Cocktail".

How to Drink in Public:

- Have your ID out when you get to the front of the club. They will almost certainly check it. Don't make a big deal out of it.

- If you don't like cover charges, don't go to the places that have them. There are plenty of alternatives including, in many cases, coming in earlier. New Year's Eve can be an exception; the club spends a bunch on decorations and bringing on extra staff, so do a little homework first and go somewhere you can afford.

- Decide what you will order before you approach the bar. Don't ask the bartender to recite the beer list - look at the goddamn taps or the bigass menu behind the bar. Don't shout back to your idiot friends at your table asking what they want.

- Know that you can only order and carry two drinks. If four friends want drinks, two of them should go to the bar. The bartender needs to see an appropriate number of drinking age patrons to go with the drinks.

- It's really easy to see what's happening at a bar and gauge when the bartender will get to you. Don't wave your hands at him or shout. Just stand there with your money in your hand, chin slightly raised and watch him until he makes eye contact. Raise and lower your face quickly while smiling slightly (the same gesture you make when passing a co-worker again in the hall and asking a rhetorical "hey, how's it going?"). The bartender will acknowledge this with a similar gesture or a wave. You should now stop staring at his every move, relax and enjoy the ambiance of the bar. Stay attuned to things so that when the bartender approaches you are immediately ready to order. It might take a little while, but a patient and friendly patron brightens the bartender's day and tends to get very good service.

- When the bartender says "What will you have?" state your answer clearly and if you are ordering more than two drinks, gesture at the person(s) with you as you order the third and fifth drinks. Good patrons who like the same drinks will order them in rounds so that the bartender can mix them together. For example:

"A Guinness, two Sam Adams, and three Lemon Drops, please."

- If you care about the alcohol in your drink, name it in your order. Otherwise you will receive the "well" or "house" version of that alcohol. For example:

"Sapphire and tonic, and a Grey Goose Martini, please."

- If you want to order something obscure, have an easy fallback order in mind. Do not order difficult drinks when a bar is very busy. Always look for the bottles for the ingredients to your drink; you shouldn't ever need to ask "Do you have Campari?". A scan of the bottles and of the drinks being served will usually tell you how complex your order can be. It is best to work up to a complex drink by ordering a simpler one in the same family first. For example:

Round 1: "A Manhattan, please."

Round 2: (noting the bottle of Pernod and being satisfied with the mixing of the first drink) "How about a Sazerac?" If the bartender unfortunately says "What's in it?", respond with "Actually, another of your good Manhattans would be fine. Thanks."

- Order appropriately for the bar you are in. Don't have a martini in a poolhall in a Texas college town; you might think that no one could screw up a martini, but you'd be wrong. Get a beer or a Jack & Coke.

- If the bartender asks to see ID, show it without comment or rolling your eyes. They can lose weeks of pay when a bar gets closed for serving someone underage; don't endanger someone's rent payment for your drink.

- When the bartender comes back with the drinks, have your payment ready. Do not start a tab on a credit card unless you will be ordering more than two rounds. ATMs are plentiful, just bring cash for god's sake.

- Tip your bartender. If you can't just hand over the right amount for drinks and tips, after you get your change, set the money on the counter nearer to the bartender's side than yours. A dollar for a couple beers is fine, but mixed drinks call for a bit more. Complex drinks such as Mojitos or Bloody Marys deserve an extra dollar beyond that.

- Always make room for barbacks to move through the crowd bearing their heavy loads of ice, bottles, or glassware. They have a hard job; treat them kindly.

- If you need to leave your drink momentarily (e.g. to go to the bathroom or step outside for a cigarette), set a coaster on top of your glass. The bartender and barbacks will know it's not abandoned and will leave it for you. Do not abuse this courtesy by leaving it for more than 15 minutes.

Bartenders and barflys, what have I left out? Belly up to the bar in the comments!

Occupational hazard? 2005

Last night I hung out with a cheesemonger and today I have so far managed to consume 8 different cheeses. Does this happen to everyone they spend time with? Sneaky devils.

Cheeses of the day:
- French St. Agur Blue
- Valbrie Brie
- Dutch 1 year aged Gouda
- Bravo Farms Sage Cheddar
- Irish Cahill Porter
- some Irish sharp Cheddar (paired with a good fresh fruitcake)
- generic smoked Gouda
- unknown super yummy light & fluffy Mozzarella

Fromage du jour 2005

I am giddy with carnal delight over tonight's cheese: French Fromager D'Affinois Pepper Brie. I'm smearing it on slices of Semifreddi's bread (the Sour Batard to be precise) and basking in the creamy, peppery goodness.

Lest you think I'm completely clueless about nutrition, I should note that the rest of dinner consisted of some yummy pan-cooked kale, baby carrots, and a Reed's Extra Ginger Brew (All Natural Jamaican Style Ginger Beer).

All natural, baby.

Cheese Month Continues at MetaGrrrl Dot Com 2005

I think if I was to start over today, I might just do a LiveJournal instead of a blog. I know many of you may be shocked to hear me say it, but reading a couple years of one has given me a clear sense of how good they are for making a community. The regular commenters, the interplay of conversations and memes, I like it all a lot.

It helps, of course, that Gordonzola's a really good writer and has a fantastic group of regulars in his comment threads. Plus with material like memories of childhood, thoughtful analyses of 20th century political theory, stories of retail hell, punk this & that, and YES! cheese, it's hard to go wrong.

Plus these comment threads. Too fun! This is from a discussion of Asiago cheese:

"Wake up, people!" says Anarqueso, "Gordonzola said 'It’s sharp, salty and has that slight vomit aftertaste of an Italian provolone. Oh, I’m not supposed to say vomit… is that what piquant means?' God, is anyone even reading this? Yes, he said vomit, and yes, it does taste like it, and, hello?! that's a bad thing. Bad, not good.

Spoonfeeding replies "yes, but so does blue cheese, and does that gross me out? no, I fucking love it. if you encase a cat in it, I'll eat it. I don't care."

These are my kind of people. Cheese freaks.

 

Cheese of the day 2005

Today's tasty bite is Mimolette, a French, 6 month old, bright orange cheese. Very nice with crisp green apple and sourdough bread. The Rainbow Grocery staff were apparently feeling rather romantic when they wrote the info card for this one since it was all about chedder and gouda's eyes meeting across a crowded café one night, but they're certainly right that it evokes both.

Food Porn 2005

I was getting quite steamy reading Gordonzola writing about his favorite sheep's milk cheeses - hott! - until I got to the bit about bad Perail. Instant cold shower. But I'll definitely remember the warning now!

I don't know most of these - ah, lovely cheese explorations ahead! - but absolutely agree with his comment that you must try Pecorino Ginepro.

Thursday flavor 2005

It was a joy to pull down the big stockpot from it's place and start cooking split pea soup tonight. Winter is soup season; the time of the warm kitchen and steam and good smells in the house.

While it cooks I'm saute/steaming some zucchini, having a small Manhattan (1oz Rye, 1/2oz Sweet Vermouth, dash of Angostura Bitters, over a maraschino cherry in a chilled cocktail glass) and letting some cheese lose the chill of the fridge before I eat it.

Tonight's cheese was a surprise last minute purchase. I'd already spent quite a while choosing three cheeses from Rainbow's selection when The Bearded Cheeselord* appeared bearing a fresh sample plate. I do not neglect the bounty when it is granted and waited for the first scurry around the bowl to abate before taking my toothpicked share of Italian Cacio de Roma Sheep Milk.

"Hm, creamy, sheepy, nice but simple," I thought as I moved on away from the cheese department and then the finish taste just kept going and getting more luscious and bringing in hints of other flavors. This one comes in under the radar and made me turn right around and grab a wedge.

They're so good at picking great stuff, why resist?

*Sure he's benevolent behind the counter, but I bet he could wield a mean broadsword if need arose. Some of those cheese knives are pretty big too, so be polite.

All of me is back now 2005

My jetlag ended suddenly yesterday between 5 and 6pm. I was commuting home with friends from work and one of those bizarre Dinah jokey comments burst out of my mouth - don't remember what wacky notion it was now, alas - and with my sense of humor also returned my brain power.

I had spent the first two days back at work feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Hardly encouraging after a three-week vacation and a fairly cushy week of work attending a conference the week before that. Turns out it was just jetlag; today was MUCH better and I am no longer wishing desparately for some escape into a non-work world.

I didn't do much last night except cook myself a good easy dinner, chat with friends online and carry on reading websites.

Tonight I am somewhat more energetic and might actually do some cleaning up and putting things away. I'm cooking rice and I haven't yet figured out what I'll have with it. Might just steam some zucchini since my tongue is currently getting a great deal of satisfaction out of a cheese plate with hazelnuts, dried tart Montmorency cherries and Harley Farms five peppercorn goat cheese. Also I have a fantastic Meyer lemon which so far I've just been cutting wafer thin slices of and eating rind and all. Flavors, I am all about the flavors, baby.

Last night I had a bit of Bravo Farms chipotle chedder which is fine, but doesn't make me happy the way their sage chedder does. Interesting, but given the number of other cheeses out there waiting for me to try them, I probably wouldn't buy it again, hmm, heh, yeah, except perhaps for grilled cheese sandwiches. What would be set off nicely with the spicy smoky chipotle flavor and toasted bread? One of my dads makes a great ceviche-like salad with shrimp, that might work. (Paul, are you willing to share that recipe in the comments?)

I still haven't gotten my pictures from my trip sorted out into any kind of slide show, but I may start putting a few up. About time I figured out how to do all that perfectly easy stuff that Flickr supports...

Goat-themed Post 2005

Okay, if I can't rouse myself from the bed, I can at least clean up my browser window.

While in London it was my great pleasure to visit Neal's Yard Dairy to partake of sublime cheeses. I unfortunately didn't take enough notes and only remember the name of the last cheese I tried: Childwickbury. It was a very fresh - four days old! - goat cheese with a lovely texture and delicate flavor. Simply sublime. And, as with other cheeses I tried, delightful with crusty sourdough bread and a richly-flavored Jonard apple.
Here's an article with a picture of the happy goats behind that cheese. All goats deserve a climbing folly in their yard.

I've given goats as holiday gifts in the past, or more precisely, given the gift of a goat to someone who needs it in the name of a non-goat-needing friend or family member. This Guardian article follows up on what happens with gift goats.

(Oh and while we're at the Guardian, here's an interesting survey of the 20 best geek novels. No goats, but Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is #4. I know I've read 12 of the 20, with another possible 1 or 2 that just might have been so long ago I've forgotten. I was a big time SF reader in my late teens).

And I'll round this out with a nice portrait avec la chèvre which my cheese pusher Gordon posted in his journal. He calls it "Goat Empathy".