wolverine

Next time, I'll stick with simple black beans, medium-hot green sauce, and hopefully something resembling jack cheese (I still don't know if the cheese today was yellow or orange). As much as I want to like the Goose sauce, it works for me only on paper.

Today I had the black blean burrito in a chili tortilla with fresh salsa and the goose sauce at level 8. I agree that the guacamole and sour cream can be too much, but I really like the sweetness the goose sauce provides. Maybe have him try a different hot sauce with the goose sauce next time. And man, Rider works hard.

Anybody go later in the afternoon and see a smaller line (15 people or less)? Just trying to time it right so that the wait isn't 45 min to an hour.

Anybody been recently?

Eric Ripert seems to like McDonald's...

http://www.gourmet.com/restaurants/2008/07/ripert_burger

If there is not much of a wait, Jaleo is very quick.

I believe Clyde's has a number of rooms.

The deep fried olives were, however, the ideal post-modern bar snack. A Goldfish™ for the aughts.

I like the sound of this. Are they black or green olives? Anything inside? I used to love the fried green olives at Jimmy Kelly's Steakhouse in Nashville.

Any advice on restaurants on this island would be appreciated. The travel guides I've read don't seem that helpful.

Hit the bourbon trail this weekend and was not disappointed. Unfortunately, many of the recommended tours are not offered during the summer months when production at most distilleries comes to a halt. In any event, my group hit Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, and Heaven Hill. The standard tours at Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill were good. At Buffalo Trace you spend some time roaming the grounds, which are very nice, and also get an extensive presentation with a good amount of history and facts about the bourbon and whiskey making process. Then, you tour Buffalo Trace's small batch/single barrel (low volume) bottling line (not in operation though when we visited) where they bottle Blanton's (the U.S. and several international versions), the Van Winkle line, and several others. Following the tour, the tasting includes samples of Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Rain (Buffalo Trace's organic vodka), root beer (quite good), and a bourbon ball.

At Four Roses we watched a short DVD (required, but not great, especially when you get more descriptive information from persons at the other distilleries) and then tasted the distillery's large volume, small batch, and single barrel blends. The outside of the main building is very nice, but unfortunately we did not get to see much of the grounds. That being said, I think we were fine with the in-and-out tasting and not having a third tour/history session that day.

Finally, Heaven Hill took us through a warehouse, which we hadn't seen from the inside at the prior distilleries. As with Buffalo Trace, the tour guide was very informative and entertaining. Afterward, we sampled Evan Williams Single Barrel and Elijah Craig 18 year in the bourbon barrel tasting room. The visitors' center at Heaven Hill is the nicest and offers a variety of products, including Evan Williams 23 year (offered only in Japan and at the distillery) and Parker Beam's Heritage Collection.

For those who like bourbon, I'd make a pilgrimage. You may want to time it during months when the more extensive tours are offered (the hard hat tour sounds great), but I wouldn't hit too many of those as they probably could be quite repetitive. Planning is also important -- I would not wing it once you get to Kentucky -- as some of the distilleries are quite a ways part. Thanks to jparrott and ol_ironstomach for the advice and helping me with my tour.

Wolverine, where did you end up going while you were visitin Atlanta? I'd love to hear your report!

Sorry for the delayed report.

We ate at JCT Kitchen the first night. The atmosphere at the restaurant is fantastic. Hard to describe in words but it is fairly stark (lots of white), yet comfortable (that doesn't really make sense, but it is). Lots of people in the restaurant, including couples and large groups. As you may know, the menu has a southern flair to it. The bar (also nice, although it has an obstructive fixture in the middle of it) has a great selection of hard alcohol and beer. I didn't review the wine selection. I chose a gin that I had never had before -- No. 209. It was nice, a bit on the sweeter side. I believe the bartender said it was from SF, CA.

For my appetizer I had the Angry Mussels, which was supposed to have a spicy broth with bacon. It was good but could have used more spice. I hit some sort of pepper towards the end (which had a modest kick to it) that gave the broth the intended kick, I believe. So I can see where they were going with the dish, but it just wasn't there for most of it. My wife had the truffle Parmesan fries -- really good. Up there with Poste.

For dinner I tried the special -- a salmon dish. I can't recall all of the details (which may lead you to believe that I didn't like it), but it was quite good. I want to say it was a white salmon. In any event, my wife had a sweet corn and goat cheese ravioli with (the menu says it was a) brown butter-veal jus. I thought this was the star of the night. The goat cheese provided a very nice balance to the dish. It reminded me of a butternut squash ravioli, but I liked it better.

The staff was excellent -- very friendly. There may be better restaurants in Atlanta, but JCT Kitchen was very enjoyable and in a really nice setting.

The second night we went to Bone's. Not much to say other than it is a great steakhouse that holds it own against the best in any other U.S. city. Great wine selection too.

For brunch on Sunday we hit the News Cafe (New Orleans brunch) in Little Five Points. The bloody mary bar is a great concept. There are a few different kinds of bloody mary mixes -- Whiskey Willy's, Major Peters (I think), and V8. You can add olives, horseradish, pepperoncini, worcestershire sauce, 50 or so hot sauces, etc. You make a good one and you feel like a star. You make a bad one and you got no one else to blame but yourself. The food is good brunch food, but it seems that most are coming for the bloody marys -- and the Sweetwater 420 on tap.

Heading down to Atlanta this weekend. We're thinking about going to JCT Kitchen one night (looking for good food in nice, but casual setting), and Bone's the other (looking for a steakhouse). Any thoughts on these restaurants?

We had that problem too. No drinks, even! And they want people to stay? That said, my mango sorbetto in the first inning was really good.

They serve drinks at the bars -- not the regular food places where they stop serving after the 7th -- during the extra innings.

BLT Steak

Any suggestions about which distilleries to hit? Also, how many are feasible to do in one day? I'd like to do one or two in the Bardstown area and two to three of the distilleries towards Frankfort.

This raises a good question. The patio at Poste is large; if there is rain, and assuming the inside isn't totally empty, there isn't enough table space in the bar to seat everyone coming in out of the rain if they all have food at their table. As the above anecdote (and my personal experience) suggests, flexibility or clear communication with patrons about seating policies does not seem to be their calling card. I'm curious to hear what those experienced in FOH matters might have done differently. Do the historic preservation/aesthetic police prohibit a canopy back there?

Not from an FOH perspective, but why don't they let them drink in the hotel lobby? I know Kimpton has a happy hour for its guests, but certainly the waiters serving the patio could take a few of the couches in the lobby and serve them there.

For those who've been, does this seem to be a place where you can walk in for dessert and drinks, or are they expecting you to go for a full meal?

And it's worth reiterating that the old blended product is absolutely nothing like the current Four Roses whiskeys (now under Kirin ownership), which are superlative straight bourbons.

Interesting. I haven't tried Four Roses since attempting to drink it abroad around 2000 -- it seemed to be the only bourbon served in Spain and sparked my appreciation for gin.

I suppose it's touristy, but I really enjoyed my meal at Casa Botin. It is the oldest restaurant in the world, Hemingway wrote about it, Goya allegedly worked there, and they have great cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig). Cooked in these crazy old wood-burning ovens! A very cool experience, in my opinion. Expensive.

I second the Botin's recommendation. Don't be scared away because it's touristy. The suckling pig is a must if you dine here.

It's a great event. Many DC-area restaurants participate (see for yourself: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEve...ntList2008.cfm), as do some wine vintners.

Tickets are $125 for members of FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) and $125 for non-members. Food and wine are included.

I believe tickets are still available at the following URL: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEve...ations/ZooFari/

My family and I are going to ... Barcelona ...

My best seafood eating experience ever was at Botafumeiro in Barcelona. They had an array of seafood. I split a gigantic cold seafood platter for my meal. If memory serves (and it has been eight years), it had great prawns, lobster, oyster, crab legs, etc. Another person in the group ordered the Spider crab, which was enormous but also delicious. It's a bit crowded and pricey, but I'll definitely head back when I (some day) return to Barcelona.

http://www.botafumeiro.es/indexen.htm

If you're up in NYC and want a great sandwich, try Wildwood BBQ (opened recently). I had the smoked brisket sandwich, which is topped with slaw, two fried onion rings, and cheese. I was surprised to get such flavor on brisket in NYC. I also added smoked jalapeño sausage for $3.00 (which was not necessary but delicious). It comes with salt and vinegar potato chips and bread and butter pickles. For $10.95 (excluding sausage), I thought it was quite reasonable for a place in Manhattan. They've got a good beer selection too. Next time I'm going to try the ribs, which are supposedly great.

I'm in that area alot, but have never been. What are some of the good menu items?

I actually do like the Booeywraps quite a bit. The hot subs are also pretty tasty. For breakfast, try the Box Car -- open-face egg, ham, and cheese bagel sandwich with mustard (add tomato).

Wednesday -- Booeymonger (Georgetown). Ordered the Booeywraps. The green tortilla was perfectly wrapped around delicate and succulent grilled chicken. The chef's marinade was a welcome flavor and he finished it off with feta, lettuce, and tomatoes. It comes with fried potato wedges that seemed to have come right out of the fryer. I paired it with a well-balanced and refreshing Diet Pepsi.

We're heading down to Marco Island for the in-laws' 60th birthdays. Looking for a couple of places to eat -- mainly somewhere casual and relaxed, but still nice. They'll be 7 of us ranging in age from 0-60. Something on the beach/water would be nice, but it doesn't have to be. Any suggestions?

I've never been to Marco Island, but I think we'd prefer to stay on the island, if possible. If you think our best bet is to eat off the island though, please let me know. Thanks.

Anyone been here around happy hour time? Do they have any kind of food or drink deals?

They have some food specials on appetizers -- our hummus was $4.50 (not bad and a large portion). I don't believe they have any drink specials, unless $7 for a Sam Adams or Stella is considered special.

On the other hand, I thought the seafood paella on the menu was average...at $30/person (2 person minimum), I expected more.

Taberna is very hit and miss. I find the restaurant generally misses on paella, but can be quite good with tapas, the gazpacho, and entrees.