Red Is Life

Absinthe Or Blowfish

"They're pouring Absinthe..." swept the tasting floor - prompting my change of course for a miniscule plastic cup filled with the elixar - sipped then tossed back - interesting - complex - different - just don't get it - though in all fairness - have never set out to do a Toulouse Lautrec - i.e.- total inebriation via Absinthe distilled from the maximum allowable amount of wormwood - consuming beverage - until recently -  "banned world wide" -

With "Forbidden" Absinthe as a base reference - click over to Adam Platt's - To Die For - in New York Magazine this week - May 5, 2008 - where he goes one better - eating - experiencing is a better word - deadly Blowfish (tiger fugu) - in particular - shira-ko - a.k.a. - the engorged fugu sperm sac - you can fee Platt's "numbness" as each bite provokes thoughts of "am I about to die" & "in for a penny - in for a pound" -

Getting paid to be a food critic - may be the fantasy - after reading - To Die For - you'll want to "keep the day job" -

Wildwood

220 seats for BBQ & Bourbon - beer if you insist - 18th & Park Avenue South -

WIldwood's space is large - bar is long - bourbon selection is deep - menu is maturing -

Too cute for hardcore BBQ aficionados - but they will do great -

Planning return visit - if only to work through the rest of the brown spirits -

Charcoal Or Gas

Asked - in Sunday's New York Times Magazine - Which Is Greener ??? - Charcoal or Gas ??? -

Answered - by an Environmental Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratories - Charcoal (probably) !!!

Was there ever any doubt ??? - would Charcoal-aholics have switched if the results had been different ???

Correct Whiskey Pour

Wrong - Grab the rocks glass - drag it through the ice bin until full - grab the requested whiskey - count to four as you pour - allow for the illusion of the ice combined with whiskey to fool the customer into thinking he's getting more than he is - toss in a swizzle stick - place it in front of the customer - wait for the tip - Wrong -

Correct - Put the rocks glass on the bar - select the correct whiskey from the rack - pour the correct amount into the empty glass - add ice with the scoop until the glass is 3/4 full - place the glass in front of the customer - assuring him that he has gotten what he has ordered - don''t worry about the tip - quality service will be rewarded -

Refill - take the customer's used glass - leave seasoned ice cubes in the used glass - add whiskey - add "some" fresh ice - return glass to original position in front of customer -

No - this is not "written" in any bartender's manual that I am aware of - Yes - it was a unique pleasure to watch Walter at the Grand Havana Room prepare my Woodford Reserve and refill correctly -

Not A Plain Jane

Jane is an American bistro on Houston Street - very simple decor - very good food - nice selection of wine -

Casamento's

Among the oyster obsessed - Casamento's is close to the Holy Grail - a must stop on the NOLA circuit -

Driving down Magazine - the storefront is small - if you blink - you'll miss it - and - like any celebrity - access is almost impossible - hours are limited - lunch - tues thru sat - 11:00 thru 2:00 - dinner - thur-fri-sat - 5:30 thru 9:00 - the season is limited - they close for the entire summer - everyone wants to go - there is a line in front BEFORE the doors open -

Tried for lunch on Thursday - missed by 15 minutes - this time - had to make it -

Mandina Redux

Drive down Canal - way down Canal - away from the lights of French Quarter - into what appears to be the deserted part of town - your mental images of the aftermath of Katrina heightening the sense desolation - when the colored lights appear - far off on the left - first as a flicker - then beacons of light - beckoning - finally - the pink box with slight overhang of a building - Mandina's -

BullDog Tavern

Late NOLA lunch - first choice Casamento's - we were too late - second choice - just plain closed - third choice - BullDog Tavern - yes they were still serving -

CDC Copies FEMA

Last July we learned that when confronted with complaints of probable poisoning FEMA's general counsel "advised that we not do testing, which would imply FEMA's ownership of the issue.''

This week we learn the bosses at the Centers for Disease Control thought FEMA was onto a good idea as a Federal scientist testified before congress that they - ignored pleas to alert Gulf Coast hurricane victims about formaldehyde dangers in government-issued trailers and told him last year not to write e-mails about his warnings of potentially widespread health problems. 04/01/08 - AP - Ben Evans

Are the "bosses" responsible for these actions still drawing paychecks ? - Are FEMA and the CDC out to kill the victims of Katrina ?? - Let's hope the House Sub Committee gets to the truth -

Pinot & Cubans

Invited for a cigar - perhaps some wine - maybe dinner - to the Grand Havana Room - used to be Top of the Sixes - 39 floors above 5th Avenue -

Myuge

New to me - Myuge - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa - CA - 2005 - on the list at Ouest - at several merchant shops in NYC -

Very dark coloration - OK - not a terribly distinctive nose - expecting high tannins - asked that it be decanted - still tight - swirls plus 1/2 hour needed - mellowed sufficiently to pass muster with world's toughest tannin critic - i.e. - wife - lots of alcohol - 15% - but no heat - slightly tart taste - final judgment - good not great - too hard for simple dinner accompaniment - nothing that one would go out of one's way for - √√

It Is What It Is

RED IS LIFE is about wine - food - occasional ramblings about issues that are simply beyond comprehension - e.g. - FEMA in NOLA post Katrina -

Recent parsing of presidential candidate language by media commentators - having entered the realm of - "simply beyond comprehension" -

So Little Time For So Much Wine

Major wholesaler's tasting to the trade - thought it was 12 to 6 - showed up at 4:30 - informed "we're going to start wrapping up at 5:00" - needed a plan - New World - one varietal only - aw-shucks - it would have to be a Pinot exclusive afternoon - i.e. - its off to the races -

Pint Glasses

Reidel take note -

Great article - For St. Patrick's Day, A Proper Pint - Amanda Clarke - SeriousEats.com - explaining how -

• British pint glasses -
• Republic of Ireland pint glasses -
• American pint glasses -

Are not created equal -

Wine Notes

We did eight wines - seven grapes last night - Sauvignon Blanc - Merlot - Mourvèdre - Bordeaux - Cab Franc - Riesling - Cabernet Sauvignon - wide ranging tastes - wide range of vintages - 750 & 375 bottles - i.e. - diversity -

More Musical Chairs

More restaurants - closing - rumored to be closing - opening -

$1.30

The price of a single H&H bagel - plain, onion, garlic, whole wheat, everything, sesame, poppy, cinnamon-raisin, blueberry, pumpernickel - $1.30 each -

Enough said -

NY Wine Expo

Attended the First Annual New York Wine Expo - at Javits - in conjunction with the umpteenth International Restaurant and Food Show - advertised 600 wine vendors - a lot but not 600 - limited one glass per entrant - taking care of both red & white - lots of security - the customary trade show directory - absent pages for wine notes - absent pencils - i.e. - a wine tasting to the trade run like a a jewelery show - still - there were some standouts - including Fulcrum - my take home wine of the event -

Classic Pinot

Coyote Canyon - Big Pond - Pinot Noir - 2003 - aroma and first sip - marked it as a classic Pinot - slightly tart - high oak - high alc - rich texture - tasting group split 50/50 on identifying it as a Pinot or Zin - personally would have liked more fruit - low production - $52 list - picked it up for $39.99 at Wades Wines - on the money description from the retailer - have another bottle - going to let it sit for a year or two - 3 click enjoyment - good bang for the buck - will not replenish pending aging outcome of second bottle - 

Prix Prize

Prix - Reserve - Late Harvest Chardonnay - 2006 - low complexity - high acid - 14% alc - absolutely delicious - almost ice wine'ish - $38 for a 375 ml - worth every drop - and its kosher !!!