Food and Drink

So I need to enlist the help of some of the LA folks in making a couple of recommendations for good, reasonably priced restaurants in the LA area. My sister lives out there and every year for Xmas I try to get her a gift certificate to a place she might not otherwise know about or feel like she can afford. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

The beloved Mattnog recipe and the various iterations made over the years are sprinkled around in various parts of HC. This year, I thought we should establish a thread to keep it handy, and to remind people to make their batches early. Matt made his at the end of August when he first posted it. I made mine today and I think that is plenty of lead time even though six weeks is the bare minimum I would suggest. Mattnog Recipe by Matt NightWoundsTime Dunlop: In a one gallon container or two half gallons, such as glass milk bottles. 14 egg yolks 1 cup cane sugar 6 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 1 750ml bottle of Rebel Yell bourbon (or …

I figured I would start a thread on the subject since it comes up from time to time. As at least some of you know, I like to cook, mostly involving bbq and smoking. I have been thinking about getting some higher quality knives then the ones from Sharper Image I have been using that were a gift from a couple of years ago. I started to do some research but have a lot more to do. I have a big birthday coming up and my wife tells me that some others (in laws) want to buy something nice for me (first time for that but that's another story). I suggested knives for the kitchen. I have been considering some Shun Classic, starting with a chef, paring and slicing knives. A…

All these "This topic has been moved to Drink" has moved me to drink. I have a very small window of opportunity to drink tonight at midnight, so I shall have one drink. This is a bar at a rock'n'roll nightclub that plays mostly metal and hard rock outfits. What should I drink? Last time this happened, I had a vodka sour. They do have a well-stocked bar, with plenty of liquors, but I have a feeling a fuzzy navel might be asking too much. I could be wrong. Perhaps a tequila sunrise? Ah, shit, never mind, I just remembered -- I took a 24 hour medicine instead of 12, I can't drink shit.

Today I decided to buy a slightly better Balsamic Vinegar than my usual: Leonardi "gold seal" It is fantastic. I know this isn't the super great fancy expensive stuff but it is still good. My read into balsamic is that the very expensive stuff is very sweet and only to be used for desserts. This seems to be pretty thick and sweetish with enough bite that it can still be used for salads with good olive oil. What is your favorite balsamic and what you use it for? I am now very curious about buying some "tradizionale" balsamic vinegar but don't know where to start. I guess I should find a place that has tastings.

Budget flexible, the more idiot-proof the better -- for obvious reasons. Pellet seems like the lazy fucker's way to go and MAK and Cookshack get good reps online. Opinions?

I'm thinking some of you good ole boys might just like this here thing here! I know I do. http://dropandcatch.com/ I'm thinking about ordering the Amber Ale with 60 pounds of pull force. Don't know if I'm manly enough (wallet-wise) to swing the 100 pounds of pull force model.

Post your favorite Scotch(es). Laphroaig 18, Quarter Cask Talisker 18 Ardbeg Ten, Oogie Springbank 12 Cask I like peat. Original post:

A friend who I mistakenly turned onto bourbon has found a supplier of the 2015 release at $115 a bottle with possible free shipping to him/me. Any interest in a bottle, keeping in mind they are the UK 700ml bottles vs the US 750ml?

My buddy turns 50 on Saturday and he really likes Irish whiskey. He usually drinks Jameson and doesn't spend exorbitant amounts per bottle. I'd like to get him something really special that's going to make an impression and that he's going to remember. I know Jameson makes some higher end bottles like 12/18 Limited Reserve and Rarest Reserve, but honestly, I just don't know. Do any of the Irish whiskey aficionados here have any experience or suggestions for me in the $200-$300 range, even if it's not Jameson.

Have we had this thread yet? I found humanflyz' short whisk(e)y one, but not a whole lot of talk. I need to expand my palette, so where should I go? Also, any recommendations on reading/online sites? Wine Advocate/Spectator? Others?

Sadly, not served in the taxidermied corpses of small animals..... http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/10/24/scottish-brewer-unveils-brewmeister-armageddon-world-strongest-proof-beer/ I really have to wonder how GOOD this actually would taste.....

I'm looking to fill my Xmas list with items that are no more than $50. Would you please suggest your favorite ryes, bourbons, scotches, irish, etc. in that price range. I'm pretty set for scotch right now so am more interested in others choices. I'll listen to scotch suggestions though. Thanks.

With all the drinking threads here shoulden't we have a "Peeing" thread too? After all, you can't do one without the other. What is your favorite peeing stance? What urinals do you prefere? Do you play games with your pee stream? ect.

Did my first, hopefully annual, crawfish boil yesterday. It was a busy day of cooking, 140lbs of the little buggers, but tons of tasty fun. Good call on the limes Dan! Cleaning them up Ready to cook Cooking Time to start eating Don't bother me when I'm stuffing my face Our sole survivor. Found him crawling toward the liquor cabinet.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/stew/chi-hot-dougs-closing-20140506,0,7406836.story

Looking to get a single portable induction cooktop since I am tired of cooking on the crappy electric stove in my apartment. I have several cast iron pans that I use so there should be no problem switch. Anyone have any suggestions? Do a quick look, there seems to be the HC version (at $1,800) but maybe I don't need quite that much precision. It is very tempting though! https://www.brevilleusa.com/collections/commercial/products/the-control-freak?variant=34041893841 There is also one for $60 that they recommend here: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-portable-induction-cooktop/

A friend of mine in denver was telling me about his neighborhood tradition, and I thought it was a good one. Candy for the kids, shots for the parents. Just have a few shot glasses and a bottle of your favorite libation available for the parents who are walking around in the cold. It'll make their night!

Making a batch for some friends tonight so thought I might document it here. I made a batch for one of the MoAs where it was well received. Depending on your ice/water adding strategy it makes ~5.5 quarts. Scale accordingly. The finished result is a deliciously complex florally sweet punch that isn't too cloying where I personally cannot pick out any of the individual ingredients they just integrate to something magical. It's based on this recipe: https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/vacuum-seal-oleo-saccharum/ With a few ingredient substitutions I've adopted by way of my cocktail guru friend Dave who intro'd me to this. I've appended the substitutions to the r…

A friend of mine just moved to Campo, CO (population 109 in 2010). She really likes it there except that she can not find decent wine within reasonable driving distance. It seems to me that ordering wine on line or by phone for delivery is a good way to solve this. Since I have no experience ordering wines remotely, I'm hoping people here could recommend any of them, both for and against. Thanks in advance for your recommendations. I'm sure that my friend will appreciate them.

Dinny's daily Smoothie pics to which I have subscribed has gotten me interested in putting the Vitamix back to use. I know there are many Smoothie people here so I thought a thread to share interesting recipes might be nice. I have done most of the basic things but I am looking for ways to incorporate more healthy things into my smoothies. I will start with one that I think is a bit of a failure, mostly because I do not like the flavor of chocolate Muscle Milk. 2 small containers of Muscle Milk Light Chocolate 8 Peach Slices 12 Strawberries 2 Tablespoons of Peter Pan Peanut Butter Ice While far better than straight Muscle Milk, it was still not a grea…

For those near a BevMo, may be time to stock up. This isn't their super, twice a year, $.05 sale, but still a decent selection. Beverages & More! - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Champagne, Port, Dessert wine

I want to get a Thermapen. Which one should I get? Also, will this work to measure of the surface of the pan? If not, what works best for that? Infrared thermometer? What kind? [I need to start cooking again or else I am going to turn into a blimp.]

Thought this may be fun and useful: I'll start with my Sazerac Recipe: 1 tsp Cane Sugar (I prefer Turbinado) 2 drops Peychaud bitters 1 tsp Water 2 drops Angostura Bitters 1 cup Cracked Ice 2 oz Rye (or Bourbon in a pinch) 1 tsp Herbsaint or Absinthe (I prefer Herbsaint) Lemon Twist In a shaker, muddle the sugar, water and Peychaud bitters. Add Angostura bitters, ice and rye (bourbon). Shake gently until well chilled. Pour Herbsaint or Absinthe into an old fashioned glass. Swirl to coat glass insides and bottom and pour out excess. Strain drink mixture into glass and add lemon twist. Sit back in the rocking chair on the front porch ad enjoy. If you get rea…

Hey guys! Can I come in? I brought beer!