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snapshots
2009/05/17 06:00
| misc
Thierry Legault takes some pretty incredible photographs of some difficult to capture events.
His latest shows the shuttle Atlantis and the Hubble telescope silhouetted against the sun, in a transit that lasted only 0.8 seconds.
The really neat thing about Thierry is that he uses a portable telescope and a Canon 50D digital SLR; not a mountaintop observatory and millions of dollars of imaging equipment.
His latest shows the shuttle Atlantis and the Hubble telescope silhouetted against the sun, in a transit that lasted only 0.8 seconds.
The really neat thing about Thierry is that he uses a portable telescope and a Canon 50D digital SLR; not a mountaintop observatory and millions of dollars of imaging equipment.
comments
brilliant
2009/05/15 09:07
| misc
This is just about the best idea I've heard of in quite a while. Eden's mom taught her - and she subsequently taught me - that undergarments are no place to skimp. I don't buy cheap shoes anymore, either. It simply isn't worth it.
My only question is why Blacksocks waited a decade before coming to the U.S. market.
My only question is why Blacksocks waited a decade before coming to the U.S. market.
my kind of place
2008/09/04 09:16
| misc
I'm in Seattle on business, and popped in to a local restaurant for dinner last night. I'd found it via my hotel's intranet site, and it looked interesting, but had mixed reviews:
Sharp's Roaster and Ale House has a banner over the front door which loudly proclaims "No Budweiser". Well, that certainly can't be bad, I thought, and it wasn't.
Their specialties include several types of roast chicken, the standout appearing to be their "Fruitwood Smoked" variety. I tried a sort of sampler platter which included a hind quarter chicken prepared that way, along with sliced roasted turkey and pork loin, served with garlic mashed potatoes and buttered green beans. It was good, though not excellent. I thought it lacked any strong characteristics of smoke, quite frankly, and the seasonings were a bit weak.
I had a lovely amber ale from Mount Hood called "Roaster Antler Ale" which I can't track down on the internet. If you have a clue as to what it was, I'd be thankful for a comment - it was excellent, and a good compliment to the meal.
Just before I left, I got to see one of the staff serve their Pulled Meat Salad, which is built in a 32 oz. beer mug that is upended by the server on to the diner's plate right at the table. Nifty presentation!
Overall, I liked the Sharps Roaster, and would recommend it if you're in Seattle near SEA-TAC. It's even close enough for a layover around lunch or dinner time.
Offensive, obnoxious and annoying employees. "Larry", Davenport.That was just too intruiging, alongside the positive comments about the food, and it was close, so off I went.
Sharp's Roaster and Ale House has a banner over the front door which loudly proclaims "No Budweiser". Well, that certainly can't be bad, I thought, and it wasn't.
Their specialties include several types of roast chicken, the standout appearing to be their "Fruitwood Smoked" variety. I tried a sort of sampler platter which included a hind quarter chicken prepared that way, along with sliced roasted turkey and pork loin, served with garlic mashed potatoes and buttered green beans. It was good, though not excellent. I thought it lacked any strong characteristics of smoke, quite frankly, and the seasonings were a bit weak.
I had a lovely amber ale from Mount Hood called "Roaster Antler Ale" which I can't track down on the internet. If you have a clue as to what it was, I'd be thankful for a comment - it was excellent, and a good compliment to the meal.
Just before I left, I got to see one of the staff serve their Pulled Meat Salad, which is built in a 32 oz. beer mug that is upended by the server on to the diner's plate right at the table. Nifty presentation!
Overall, I liked the Sharps Roaster, and would recommend it if you're in Seattle near SEA-TAC. It's even close enough for a layover around lunch or dinner time.
recipe: the perfect rob roy
2008/08/16 09:58
| misc
This is one of my favorite drinks. I enjoy Scotch on its own, and in coffee with brown sugar (sort of a poor man's Irish), but I've been finding myself reaching for the vermouth more often than not when I'm in the mood for the "King of Whiskeys" (in my opinion, of course).
Starting with the main ingredient, the Scotch itself, presents quite a happy challenge with the quality variety of malts available in the US these days. Both singles and blends are available in many brands that have scarcely been heard of on this side of the pond, so you can certainly spend a good amount of time (and money!) looking for your favorite.
I tend toward blends for my mixed drinks, because they're more consistent in flavor from year to year and so I don't need to adjust the other ingredients to keep my preferred character in the final result. The Famous Grouse is pretty much the only blend I bother with these days; it's reasonably priced, available almost everywhere that sells Scotch, and of consistently high quality.
As for the vermouth, the classic Rob Roy is sweet, but I use both sweet and dry, for the "perfect" Rob Roy. I like my Manhattans the same way, but even with the similarity, that's a cocktail for another recipe (I do not consider them the same drink with different liquors). The sweet side is handled by Martini & Rossi, the original vermouth, and the dry by Noilly Prat, the vermouth used in the original martini. You can use any vermouth that you like, certainly, but if you're looking for a place to start, I'll suggest those. For a bit more economy, pick up a bottle each of sweet and dry Tribuno. They both make good mixers, and as they are of US origin, you can avoid the cost of the famous imports.
You'll also need Angostura bitters, which are generally commonly available, or some other bitters as you prefer. Historically, all cocktails, by definition, contained bitters of some type or another. (The original martini recipe called for orange bitters. If you can find some, and you've followed my recommendation for the Noilly Prat vermouth to make this recipe, you've got all the right stuff save a high-quality gin to make a true classic - give it a try!)
Now that the shopping is out of the way, actually making the drink is straightforward:
• 6 parts Scotch
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• 1 part dry vermouth
Stir with ice, and strain into a cocktail (martini) glass. I like my Rob Roy with no garnish at all, but you can add a cherry, or try a twist of lemon. Add a dash of Angostura bitters, and enjoy. To make mixing easier, I'll sometimes blend the sweet and dry vermouths together, making the final ratio a more handy 3:1, Scotch to mixed vermouth.
You will almost certainly want to play with ratios and ingredients. Finding your favorite recipe is part of enjoying the true classics, I believe. I don't know too many Manhattan drinkers that don't have a strong preference for a particular build process. With the Rob Roy, the differences can be pronounced, since the Scotch you use can vary widely in main flavors, over- and undertones, and type and character of finish.
Do try your Rob Roy on the rocks, as well. It's very popular today to serve many traditional cocktails in a lowball with ice, and for what I think is a good reason - they stay cold longer, and cold is often an ingredient unto itself.
Let me know if you come up with any favorites, and remember that a Rob Roy made right is quite often a "one drink" drink - make sure you're at home when you mix one up, or get a cab afterward.
Starting with the main ingredient, the Scotch itself, presents quite a happy challenge with the quality variety of malts available in the US these days. Both singles and blends are available in many brands that have scarcely been heard of on this side of the pond, so you can certainly spend a good amount of time (and money!) looking for your favorite.
I tend toward blends for my mixed drinks, because they're more consistent in flavor from year to year and so I don't need to adjust the other ingredients to keep my preferred character in the final result. The Famous Grouse is pretty much the only blend I bother with these days; it's reasonably priced, available almost everywhere that sells Scotch, and of consistently high quality.
As for the vermouth, the classic Rob Roy is sweet, but I use both sweet and dry, for the "perfect" Rob Roy. I like my Manhattans the same way, but even with the similarity, that's a cocktail for another recipe (I do not consider them the same drink with different liquors). The sweet side is handled by Martini & Rossi, the original vermouth, and the dry by Noilly Prat, the vermouth used in the original martini. You can use any vermouth that you like, certainly, but if you're looking for a place to start, I'll suggest those. For a bit more economy, pick up a bottle each of sweet and dry Tribuno. They both make good mixers, and as they are of US origin, you can avoid the cost of the famous imports.
You'll also need Angostura bitters, which are generally commonly available, or some other bitters as you prefer. Historically, all cocktails, by definition, contained bitters of some type or another. (The original martini recipe called for orange bitters. If you can find some, and you've followed my recommendation for the Noilly Prat vermouth to make this recipe, you've got all the right stuff save a high-quality gin to make a true classic - give it a try!)
Now that the shopping is out of the way, actually making the drink is straightforward:
• 6 parts Scotch
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• 1 part dry vermouth
Stir with ice, and strain into a cocktail (martini) glass. I like my Rob Roy with no garnish at all, but you can add a cherry, or try a twist of lemon. Add a dash of Angostura bitters, and enjoy. To make mixing easier, I'll sometimes blend the sweet and dry vermouths together, making the final ratio a more handy 3:1, Scotch to mixed vermouth.
You will almost certainly want to play with ratios and ingredients. Finding your favorite recipe is part of enjoying the true classics, I believe. I don't know too many Manhattan drinkers that don't have a strong preference for a particular build process. With the Rob Roy, the differences can be pronounced, since the Scotch you use can vary widely in main flavors, over- and undertones, and type and character of finish.
Do try your Rob Roy on the rocks, as well. It's very popular today to serve many traditional cocktails in a lowball with ice, and for what I think is a good reason - they stay cold longer, and cold is often an ingredient unto itself.
Let me know if you come up with any favorites, and remember that a Rob Roy made right is quite often a "one drink" drink - make sure you're at home when you mix one up, or get a cab afterward.
the girl effect
2008/07/12 03:57
| misc
have a nice day
2008/06/24 07:57
| misc
Looks like that particular video is copyrighted, and was removed by YouTube.
recipe: the margarita
2008/06/22 10:05
| misc
The recent linked article on tequila and the summer weather that's finally arrived in Minnesota got me thinking about margaritas, so I'll share the recipe we've served here at grapefish HQ with great success in the last few years.
1:1:1 version:
• 1 part Rose's Sweetened lime juice
• 1 part fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 2 parts orange liqueur
• 2 parts tequila
Shake all ingredients in a drink tumbler with ice until it's too cold to hold; pour up (neat) into salt-rimmed glass of whatever shape fits your fancy (we use large martini glasses). Omit the salt rim if it's the drinker's preference.
For the orange liqueur, I use Cointreau. You can use whatever you prefer, but if it's Triple Sec, make sure it's the "real stuff" (not the non-alcoholic variety). If all you have on hand is orange syrup or NA triple sec, reduce or eliminate the Rose's lime juice, substituting fresh-squeezed (the NA stuff is sweeter than the liqueurs).
The tequila is another place you can suit your own style, but please do use a high-quality liquor. I personally would never make a mixed drink with a liquor I wouldn't drink on its own, following the cooking rule of never cooking with a wine you wouldn't drink. Better tequila makes better margaritas! My go-to is 30-30 when I can find it, and Patrón Añejo when I can't.
For the more adventurous, there is also the 3:2:1 version:
• 1 part Rose's Sweetened lime juice
• 1 part fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 4 parts orange liqueur
• 6 parts tequila
Same preparation method, but you may want to taste test this one first - it packs a bit more punch.
1:1:1 version:
• 1 part Rose's Sweetened lime juice
• 1 part fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 2 parts orange liqueur
• 2 parts tequila
Shake all ingredients in a drink tumbler with ice until it's too cold to hold; pour up (neat) into salt-rimmed glass of whatever shape fits your fancy (we use large martini glasses). Omit the salt rim if it's the drinker's preference.
For the orange liqueur, I use Cointreau. You can use whatever you prefer, but if it's Triple Sec, make sure it's the "real stuff" (not the non-alcoholic variety). If all you have on hand is orange syrup or NA triple sec, reduce or eliminate the Rose's lime juice, substituting fresh-squeezed (the NA stuff is sweeter than the liqueurs).
The tequila is another place you can suit your own style, but please do use a high-quality liquor. I personally would never make a mixed drink with a liquor I wouldn't drink on its own, following the cooking rule of never cooking with a wine you wouldn't drink. Better tequila makes better margaritas! My go-to is 30-30 when I can find it, and Patrón Añejo when I can't.
For the more adventurous, there is also the 3:2:1 version:
• 1 part Rose's Sweetened lime juice
• 1 part fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 4 parts orange liqueur
• 6 parts tequila
Same preparation method, but you may want to taste test this one first - it packs a bit more punch.
that southern spirit
2008/06/20 11:54
| misc
Bill Bumgarner has an article, 10 years in the making, which attempts to answer the question what is good tequila?
From Daring Fireball.
From Daring Fireball.
akita sushi
2008/04/29 18:57
| misc
Woodbury is home to another sushi restaurant, and Eden and I had a chance to try it recently.
In the new strip mall being constructed at Tamarack Road off I-494, Akita Sushi has both a sushi bar and a hibachi grill area for parties of 6 or more. We opted for the all-you-can-eat menu, which at $21.95 is quite a bargain.
Everything we tried was excellent, and we look forward to going back soon with a larger group to give the hibachi a run.
In the new strip mall being constructed at Tamarack Road off I-494, Akita Sushi has both a sushi bar and a hibachi grill area for parties of 6 or more. We opted for the all-you-can-eat menu, which at $21.95 is quite a bargain.
Everything we tried was excellent, and we look forward to going back soon with a larger group to give the hibachi a run.
patriotism
2008/02/27 01:35
| misc
Daniel Ellsberg, as you may or may not recall, was the RAND analyst who exposed the Pentagon Papers, secret documents relating to the Vietnam War, during Johnson's administration in the late 1960's. This morning on MPR's Midmorning with Kerri Miller, Ellsberg spoke more about dissent and the need for it in today's government. The circumstances are there, he says, but few are willing to risk their careers, as he did, to stand up to their government.
I was struck by these following comments, but the whole interview is worth listening to. You can get it here: Ellsberg on Dissent [Opens in RealPlayer]
This Congress, and I have to say the Democrats, as much as the Republicans, have allowed the President to act in the belief that he is a King; that he is beyond all law ... I would say that congressmen [and women] on both sides of the isle have violated their oath to uphold the Constitution. For example, when they confirmed Mukasey, after - as Attorney General, chief law officer - after he had made clear in his testimony that he believed ... that the president really could not be held accountable and that he did not believe ... that waterboarding was torture, clearly because he was refusing to acknowledge that the President in fact had been breaking the law for some years here.
They had votes to prevent closure, [the Democrats] did have enough votes. They're always saying "We don't have the votes." They had enough votes to prevent him from being confirmed. Every Democrat who failed to filibuster that, I would say, violated her or his oath to uphold the Constitution, and that's every Democrat in the Senate. And the Republicans, too, I don't see why they should be let off. The idea is well of course, they won't go against their President, he's the same party. And, experientially, that's true; Democrats act the same way. But they shouldn't be let off for that, their oath is to the Constitution, not to the party.
a song for a nation
2008/02/09 20:54
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will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, and a host of others, performing a song based on Barack Obama's speech, Yes We Can.
previously forbidden fruit
2008/02/08 10:50
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As of December 27th of last year, the infamous liquor absinthe has been available (legally) in the Twin Cities. You can now get it at both Surdyk's and Haskell's liquor stores in Minneapolis, for about $70 a bottle.
Never had the stuff? Eater's Digest at The Rake Magazine has coverage, but the reviewer isn't impressed. I suspect, however, the newly available hooch will be better received by grapefish.org's readership.
Never had the stuff? Eater's Digest at The Rake Magazine has coverage, but the reviewer isn't impressed. I suspect, however, the newly available hooch will be better received by grapefish.org's readership.
rollergirls results
2007/12/09 09:07
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The
split the All-Stars into two teams to meet the competition last night; Aqua faced off against the Charm City Rollergirls of Maryland, and Army tussled with the Tent City Terrors out of Arizona. The final results: Aqua dropped a nail-biter 69 - 71, and Army administered a solid polishing of the Terrors 87 - 24.
winterfest is coming
2007/11/28 11:38
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, a local brewery sampling event, is scheduled for February 8th. Tickets go on sale December 3rd at the website. We've had a chance to visit this a couple times already and it's always a lot of fun. Great beers to try and good appetizers to munch on. Order tickets early; only 550 will be sold and they go fast.
fancy a fancy cocktail?
2007/11/27 22:19
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Jeff Berry has spent years researching and "reverse engineering" the original recipes for many tiki (or, tropical) drinks. Read the story "
" at the New York Times.
upcoming roller derby bout
2007/11/26 11:12
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The next
bout is on December 8th at the legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium. (Get tickets at
). Come check it out with us!
As usual we'll meet up at Kincaids for an adult recreational beverage prior to the bout. See you there!
As usual we'll meet up at Kincaids for an adult recreational beverage prior to the bout. See you there!
