Iotn 7/17/06 - 7/23/06

[Scotto]

After a dizzying array of Havana cigars, great meals and drinks last week, let's see what the summer heat has in store this week. Post away!

[Scotto]

Well, went to Masa in NYC last night. Words cannot even describe the meal; it was a transcendant experience. You can read the reviews to get a sense of it.

here (http://www.gayot.com/restaurantpages/NewYorkInfo.php?tag=NYRES040701-01&code=NY)
and
here (http://events.nytimes.com/2004/12/29/dining/reviews/29REST.html?ex=1153454400&en=cd78916a9e4584ba&ei=5070)

[moses]

Masa is supposed to be amazing. For the most truly authentic and unbelievable sushi experience (for somewhat less money, to) try Sushi Yasuda, on 43rd st, holder of the coveted 28 rating from zagat, and with a chef owner who has personally made every single seating since the restuarant opened.

[Scotto]

Sushi Yasuda is very good also. What you get at Masa is a revelatory experience in what the simplest ingredients can do. In the course of three hours, we experienced combinations of tastes and textures that were so surprising and wonderful that you wanted to cry. At the end of something like 25 pieces of sushi, out came a perfect ball of sushi rice rolled in shaved white truffles -my head almost exploded.

[boboakalfb]

Wow...I can understand your comment that it was a transcendant experience. I was able to dine at The Franch Laundry (http://www.frenchlaundry.com/) a couple of months ago for my Birthday. I had tried getting reservations there for 6 years so we were very excited when we finally got them. Being touted as the Best Restaurant in the US I started to wonder if it was going to live up to the reputation and the bill. All I have to say is that it was an unbelievable experience...definitely something I would recommend. I know that Thomas Keller just opened Per Se in New York City, if you can't make it to the West Coast.

[Scotto]

Per Se is right next to Masa. Go figure.

BTW, since I was an hour early, I ended up dropping a bunch of money on shave creams and cologne in the mall there. An evil, evil place.

[ouch]

I'm so friggin' jealous!

[Harkonnendog]

This wasn't so much an indulgence as an act of gluttony. My uncle's 70th birthday party was on Sunday and the chef he catered put out 3 snow-tire size platters of Ahi sashimi for pupus- no stomach cuts, no white lines snaking through the purple- just high grade sushi, caught that morning somewhere between Kauai and Niihau I suppose.

Most of the guests were the same age as my uncle and from the mainland, so sashimi wasn't their thing. My wife and I ended up with a platter to ourselves... which we finished, to my eternal shame. Lol.

[moses]

Scotto,

The Masa experience really does sound amazing. I suppose I will have to pinch the pennies and somehow convince myself to drop that much $ on one meal eventually. Either there or a Keller establishment. I love food enough, I really owe that to myself eventually....

[Nick]

Wow...I can understand your comment that it was a transcendant experience. I was able to dine at The Franch Laundry (http://www.frenchlaundry.com/) a couple of months ago for my Birthday. I had tried getting reservations there for 6 years so we were very excited when we finally got them. Being touted as the Best Restaurant in the US I started to wonder if it was going to live up to the reputation and the bill. All I have to say is that it was an unbelievable experience...definitely something I would recommend. I know that Thomas Keller just opened Per Se in New York City, if you can't make it to the West Coast.

Bob,

You lucky dog! One of these days I'm going to finally take the hour drive north. Ever dined at Gary Danko? Also a very memorable place. Right down to the cherries they used in their Manhattans which weren't the died red colon blocking maraschinos. (And while on the subject of Zagats, it's hard to beat a 29. :wink: ).

The best sushi I've had the chance to experience was Nobu in Vegas. We had a very knowledgeable Itamae and thanks to some high quality, fear-killing sake, we left the choice completely in his hands. He came up with some mind blowing dishes. The fish was all top rate, but what made the night so unique was his choice of sauces and flavors for each dish and how well they married with that particular piece of seafood. We even had the opportunity to taste a dish he had just created as a possible addition to the menu.

-Nick

[ouch]

You guys are killing me.

[Tito]

Wow...I can understand your comment that it was a transcendant experience. I was able to dine at The Franch Laundry (http://www.frenchlaundry.com/) a couple of months ago for my Birthday. I had tried getting reservations there for 6 years so we were very excited when we finally got them. Being touted as the Best Restaurant in the US I started to wonder if it was going to live up to the reputation and the bill. All I have to say is that it was an unbelievable experience...definitely something I would recommend. I know that Thomas Keller just opened Per Se in New York City, if you can't make it to the West Coast.

Bob,

Consider yourself very lucky. I work with a very close relative of Chef Keller and I have been begging for just a couple of autographed French Laundry cookbooks and I've gotten nowhere. BTW how big a dent did that meal put in your wallet?

[Dispatch]

I cant speak for Sushi, but, on my last trip north to Montreal, my girlfriend and I stopped off at the Black Angus, right by the Molson center. Excellent steaks and Wines. started with a Fromage platter followed by a 38oz Porterhouse for myself a 12oz Filet two bottles of red for dinner. a Tiramisu and Some Chocolate Fondue with fresh Fruit for dessert. and some Sweet port on the house, put me back about 280 Canadian.

but omg so worth it. and even if you dont normally like it. get the meat Rare.

[boboakalfb]

Bob,

Consider yourself very lucky. I work with a very close relative of Chef Keller and I have been begging for just a couple of autographed French Laundry cookbooks and I've gotten nowhere. BTW how big a dent did that meal put in your wallet?

Well Dinner was $850 for my wife and I...but that could get much higher depending on how you handled the wine pairings. The wine list was 96 pages and quite a few bottles would have been more then our complete meal. The good thing is they have a very good selection of half bottles which worked out great for the 2 of us. He paired 2 glasses of champagne with a cannape and the oysters and caviar course...a half bottle of a German/Austrian Reisling (can't remember) with the next couple of courses...a half bottle of a Pinot for the next 3 and a half bottle of a Bordeaux for the last 3. The somellier did an excellent job in pairing one wine that worked with multiple courses.

I have a friend who is an executive at a Napa winery and he was being entertained by an industry Mag who happened to know one of the sommeliers. Chef Keller did a 12 course tasting for them. The sommelier would pick a wine and Chef Keller would pair a course. Now that would be an experience...

[boboakalfb]

Bob,

You lucky dog! One of these days I'm going to finally take the hour drive north. Ever dined at Gary Danko? Also a very memorable place. Right down to the cherries they used in their Manhattans which weren't the died red colon blocking maraschinos. (And while on the subject of Zagats, it's hard to beat a 29. :wink: ).

The best sushi I've had the chance to experience was Nobu in Vegas. We had a very knowledgeable Itamae and thanks to some high quality, fear-killing sake, we left the choice completely in his hands. He came up with some mind blowing dishes. The fish was all top rate, but what made the night so unique was his choice of sauces and flavors for each dish and how well they married with that particular piece of seafood. We even had the opportunity to taste a dish he had just created as a possible addition to the menu.

-Nick

You have to do it Nick...you live in SF? I haven't been to Restaurant Gary Danko YET...kind of funny that is on my list. A friend of a friend works there so I have been trying to get up there with them. I have eaten at Viognier in San Mateo that he opened.

Another Restaurant I would recommend if up in the Valley is The Martini House in St. Helena...Food and Service was excellent.

[letterk]

Grilled up some of Scotto's quesadilla's with asparagus. Delicious. These sure didn't last long.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=3095

[Nick]

Tonight the kindly room service attendant dropped off from Porter's Steakhouse:

Lobster Bisque
Filet Mignon with Hollondaise
Two world famous Doubletree chocolate chip cookies with ice cold milk.

Not the best lobster bisque I've had, but definitely not the worst, and the filet was shockingly good for room service faire.

-Nick

[Scotto]

Mmmm. Quesadillas..... :drool:

[Wolfman]

Day off today and it's 103 degrees in the shade in my back yard. What's a man to do?

To start because of the heat I decided it was a PRORASO day! Sitting in the yard now with a mint julep and an ACID Yellow 'Cold Infusion Tea' cigar (http://www.drewestate.com/acid/acid_tea_page.html). I quit smoking over a year ago, but still enjoy one of these or a Blue 'Blondie' one in a while.

[ouch]

I'm stuck at work tonight. I'll be all alone, and can pretty much do whatever I want. :biggrin:

I'll try to grab a nice meal at around 8PM. I only have two things on hand to wash it down- a 22oz bottle of Stone Brewery Arrogant Bastard and a 750ml bottle of Ch. Cheval Blanc, '61. I honestly don't know which one I'm going to crack open. :confused:

I'll entertain suggestions for another hour or so, and I'll post a pic of my IOTN here on Monday.

[Scotto]

Drink the beer and save the wine for when I come down. :lol: :lol:

[javyn]

This (http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=BA12&from=searchResults.asp&searchString=rooibos+pretoria&searchOptionMatchAll=1&searchOptionCategory=1&searchOptionItemName=1&searchOptionItemDescription=1&searchOptionDocuments=1&searchOptionLimitCategory=&searchOptionPriceRange=0&sType=new&begin=0) is my indulgence tonight. Great stuff. I steep 2 heaping teaspoons for an hour in a big 16oz mug, very relaxing.

http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/images/items/BA12-@DFL-rooibos+image.gif

[TraderJoe]

Drank This right now while reading/posting on B&B;
1117

Some info from globalbeer.com:

JOSEPH is a WIT, a real Wheat-beer. It is brewed from SPELT. Spelt is "poor-man's wheat". Spelt is a very old member of the wheat family.
New interests in health-food are reviving the demand for Spelt. The fruity, slightly acid taste of a real WIT-beer is here present, and it is enriched by an exclusive taste and aroma, that you don't find in any other WIT-beer.
The color is yellow, and cloudy, because of the nature of the beer (Wit, unfiltered) and the refermentation in the Champagne bottle. It is a very light and refreshing beer, 100% natural, brewed along the finest artisanal Belgian traditions. Maybe the only spelt-beer in the world.

Roll the bottle before opening!

FOOD-COMBINATIONS: It is a very light and refreshing beer, for 100 % natural, brewed along the finest artisanal Belgian traditions. Seafood and Salads.

[NMMB]

No photo tonight (SWMBO is off someplace with the camera) but I'm about to enjoy a nice cold Kilkenny and a fine Romeo Y Julieta cigar. This, my friends, is relaxing.

[Scotto]

Went out the the garden this evening and picked a nice red pepper, some parsley, and some cherry tomatoes. A few minutes later: garlic shrimp!
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/files/1/8/IMG_2511_1_1.JPG
Note the toasted garlic chips on top. :drool:

[NMMB]

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/files/1/8/IMG_2511_1_1.JPG


Holy hell Scotto, that looks fantastic!

[TraderJoe]

garlic shrimp!

:drool: :o16: :drool:

[Jonnybc]

Went out the the garden this evening and picked a nice red pepper, some parsley, and some cherry tomatoes. A few minutes later: garlic shrimp!
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/files/1/8/IMG_2511_1_1.JPG
Note the toasted garlic chips on top. :drool:

It's 8.45 in the morning ant that has made my mouth water!