The best sort of meal

Colors and hues, lost and confused. One thing on the mind with so much in front of you.

Restaurant David Drake

This was good. I'd been dying to get over here since they've opened. The Chef de Cuisine (Alex Stotler) has been a favorite friend of mine for almost 20 years. It's shameful I havent been in already to show support. Not that they've needed it from me. It's well known by anyone with a frickin clue about food in New Jersey that this place is the real deal. Whenever you throw experience gleaned from places like the Stage House (see previous post) or Ryland Inn, or Frog and the Peach you know you're dealing with some heavy hitters. These cats rock hard. I can't think of any other way to describe it.
We had the tasting menu. Tom suggested we get the opposite choice of the two offered for each course. He's a genuis. It was that good. I'm not even going to begin to describe the dishes, I fear I'd fall short of doing them proper justice. It wasnt long before there was no formality between the two of us as we'd reach over the table and into the opposite plate. Neither of us waited to be offered the last bite of anything. This is my idea of a good time.
Rahway isnt really famous for anything. They have their own incinerator. It has potential as a commuter town, but I really dont care. All you need to know is David Drake is one of those places you can skip lunch for. You're going to get great service, your going to have a shot at some above average wines, and you'll know when that first course comes and you start to tuck in
that you made a very wise decision.

Clayhouse Vineyards

I dont make it a habit of bashing a boutique winery. I dont recall Alan ever beating anyone up either. There's just too much good to be said about the people who dedicate their lives to their passions. But an exception must be made for the above mentioned producer. You're not going to have an epic experience every time you pop a cork *or twist a cap ;), but there should be something about the juice you can respect. No trace of that here.

You'll notice there's no place on avawine.com to buy Clayhouse. I can buy bug and tar remover at Sears.

Benedict Arnold

I should feel guilty. I dont though. Staying at the W Hotels makes me happy. Staying at a regular hotel doesnt make me feel like anything. Usually I'm tired, but that's about it. When I stay at the W I'm seldom (if ever) tired, usually not tired at all. I dont watch much TV while I stay at the W. I can sit around and do not much of anything at the W. There are not many places I can just sit around and do nothing. W Hotels Worldwide happen to some of them. I've constructed a list of some of the others:

Guggenheim Museums. The Beach. The Short Hills Mall.

That's all that comes to mind.

Fully Aware of the Consequences

Can you ever be fully aware of the consequences?
Do we just say we're fully aware of the consequences as
an effort to empahsize that we're completely giving up
and subtley asking the hand of justice for consideration?

I posed this question to a well respected Novelist.
His response?
" I don't quite know."

Like Sam the Butcher Bringing Alice the Meat

I just spent $14 on a Rib-eye steak at this joint in Margate that rivaled even Ruth Chris in quality, taste, and flavor.

Sat at the bar, drank Heineken that was just about ready to freeze. I watched Sportscenter, and then left.

Hard to remember the last time a steak tasted that good. Somewhere along the way all the places that had awesome steaks went cheapo or something. Even Kelly's in Neptune (world famous for their Steak n' Eggs / Bloody Mary / College Basketball Sunday Brunch) seems to have substituted what used to be a great cut of meat with something seemingly less in quality. Perhaps they change purveyor? Maybe the USDA instituted some whacky new guidelines that prevent us from getting food like we used to? Could it be preservatives?

Either way, it took a $14 dollar steak at this little dive joint in a deserted beach town to remind me of what they're supposed to taste like.

Cork, Screw Cap, or Glass Stopper?

I liberated the below article from Robin Garr. If you dont read his winelover's page, you should.

It has been almost a decade now since alternative wine-bottle closures started to gain traction in the marketplace as potential solutions to the enduring problem of musty, moldy "taint" caused by defective natural corks.
The once-maligned metal screwcap has become so widely accepted that only the most recalcitrant wine snobs still resist it; and synthetic plastic stoppers have also found a significant niche, particularly among wines not meant for long aging.
But one particularly elegant solution still remains far enough out on the fringes that I finally encountered my first specimen just the other day: The trademarked "Vino-Lok" closure, developed by Alcoa Co. with support from the German government, is a modern variation on the ancient glass stopper used in old-fashioned apothecary jars.
Made to ensure that the wine in your bottle never encounters anything but pure glass (a plastic liner seals the stopper-to-bottle interface but does not appear to touch the wine), it may be the "cleanest" alternative yet.
At first glance, the bottle of 2006 Schloss Vollrads Rheingau Riesling appeared to be closed with a very short metal screwcap; but a quick turn broke the seal to reveal that the metal cap is there simply to protect the clear glass stopper. As noted, it's very much like an old-time apothecary jar stopper, with a more modern neutral plastic lining to make a tight seal. The stopper pries out easily to reveal a fresh, clean wine untouched by cork.
The wine? Well, it's okay, a decidedly modest Rhine Riesling from an old-line Rheingau producer that's now under the corporate umbrella of giant Schmitt-Sohne. There's nothing wrong with the wine, at least in its 2006 edition, which is simple and fresh, clean fruit nicely shaped by crisp acidity and lightweight alcohol. It may not show the subtle minerality and singing acidity of the fancier Rieslings that make German-wine aficionadoes moan with pleasure, but it's a decent "entry-level" Riesling that offers a benchmark sample of the Rheingau.
For more about Vino-Lok, read the manufacturer's press brochure online at http://www.vino-lok.de/