Monthly Archives: April 2015

Explorations in Martinis

Posted on by under Drink

My taste in booze has gradually developed since my college days, when my tastes ran to the sweet and sparkling. Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers were a mainstay, and I remember the summer I discovered Boone’s Farm. What a bargain! $2.99 for an entire bottle of syrupy alcoholic goodness! My  tastebuds curl (if tastebuds could curl) when I recall my initial boozy explorations.

As I matured, so too did my taste in booze. I eventually migrated towards the cocktail. These concoctions of various spirits, liqueurs, tinctures, amari, bitters, cordials, elixirs, et cetera, fascinate me. I learned the difference between a mixed drink and a cocktail – a cocktail consists of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters – and my journey began.

One evening I approached the bar, glanced over the cocktail list, racked my brain, and came up empty. Nothing appealed. And so I found myself choosing just… booze. No elixirs, tinctures, or syrups. Since I like a nice Hendrick’s and tonic, I started there, with a Hendrick’s gin martini.

Apparently I had choices! Olive/twist of lemon; dry/not dry/slightly dry; dirty/not dirty (clean?); up/on the rocks. Since I didn’t know how completely dry a dry martini would be, I went with slightly dry, with a twist of lemon, clean, up. A took a tentative sip. And another. Man, was it good! Quite tasty. So now, the Hendrick’s martini is my go-to. My next task is to find the best in town. So far, Lot 10 is ahead, with the Regent Lounge at the Statler Hotel a close second. Stay tuned for more on my explorations in martinis.IMG_1581

 

Nachos

Posted on by under Food

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I have strong opinions about various foods, including (but not limited to) nachos. The super nachos at Viva Tacqueria in Ithaca, NY are what I consider the quintessential nachos. The chips are crisp when the plate arrives, and stay crisp for a reasonable amount of time (toward the end there will be some soggy chips – this can’t be avoided). What I especially like about Viva’s nachos is the generous helping of jalapeños. They appear to be bottled, not fresh, which is actually a better choice, I think, as the peppers don’t dry out or burn during preparation. The toppings (cheese, refried beans, and jalapeños) are distributed and layered evenly over the chips, so that nearly every chip has some form of topping on it. The sour cream, salsa, and guacamole are not essential to the dish, but give you something to dip the chips into. I usually prefer the sauces on the side for that purpose, since they don’t really belong on top – they contribute to sogginess – but kept them on top to show what the Super Nachos usually look like.

Culinary Explorations

Posted on by under Uncategorized

I am passionate about food and drink – there is usually nothing I enjoy more. There are some dishes that merit exploration, since their preparation varies from establishment to establishment, sometimes with delicious results, and sometimes not.

The dishes I have in mind include French toast, nachos, grilled cheese sandwiches, and burgers. More will come to mind during the course of my wanderings, I’m sure.