Random fashion thoughts - Part II (A New Hope)

[cyc wid it]

Tfw when I hear people at multi star Michelin restaurants request gluten free or vegan. Wtf are you even doing there?

 

[Krish the Fish]

Or when people order wagyu or dry-aged meat well done... There has to be a cheaper piece of meat on the menu that will taste the exact same after being under flame for that long.

 

[double00]

Oregon pinots are good.

my uncle has a place on a western facing slope in the shadow of the cascades in central washington. he grows and makes several varieties basically just for himself (at this point anyways) and the pinot is epic.

 

[Coldsnap]



My mom dragged me to the Ibex store because there was a cute dog inside and I tried stuff on - man, completely blown away by all the Merino tees and longsleeves! I'm sold. Just threw all my Heattech shirts in the trash and replaced them with Ibex. The cool seamwork even makes them look like some Devoa or something!!!

Ibex stuff really nice. I got a full merino wool baselayer during this winter and it promptly became 26*C outside. Oh well, excited to have it for next year.

 

[nahneun]



Tfw when I hear people at multi star Michelin restaurants request gluten free or vegan. Wtf are you even doing there?

special flower snowflakes

You can't really remove food from the experience, though. I wouldn't rate most restaurants on service, but if I'm paying premium prices, I'd expect premium service. We expect the same from clothing. We don't complain about going to Uniqlo or Gap, but if, for instance, you went into one of the higher end boutiques and it took you 30 minutes for an SA to check you out, you'd be damned sure that affects the establishment no matter how nice the clothes are.

I don't review on Yelp, but I would definitely dock stars or whatever the rating is if I'm at a nice restaurant and the service isn't there.

I personally feel that food is heavily tied to the environment and especially your company. Food, for the most part, is good in most places. But it's the combination of atmosphere, your current mood and feelings, your company, etc etc that makes food really excellent.

If I'm making food recommendations for friends, the first thing I think about is whether or not they'd be comfortable and if they'd like the establishment in the first place, and secondary I think of food.

The absolutely best meal, objectively, hands down, for me was a giant pot of mac and cheese and spam that me and my buds made on a mountainside after a 12 hour hike many years ago. The view was amazing with an impeccable panorama of the blue ridge mountains, the cheese creamy, the spam perfectly smoky and juicy, and I wouldn't trade that meal for a lifetime of free Michelin star meals.

Yes, you can review food on its own merits, but where's the fun in that? I don't think that it really applies to most of the population. This is coming from someone who eats alone pretty often. Reviews of service can be iffy, though, as everyone has their off days. Unless it's a long string of bad service reviews, then it's easy to just ignore the bad reviews.

But then again, some restaurants draw people because the service is aggressive and ******, thus making it hip and fuckin rad.

this is all true and fair, but yelpers expect michelin level service at bodega prices. they also have unsophisticated palates in the first place, so all their yelp reviews just make me want to facepalm. i mean, yelp is a helpful resource, but the average yelpers make me rage. everyone is entitled to their opinion, but i'll be the first to tell you if your opinion is ******* ****!

 

[momentoftruth]

Or when people order wagyu or dry-aged meat well done... There has to be a cheaper piece of meat on the menu that will taste the exact same after being under flame for that long.

or when they put ketchup on it (I know, I know... take it to CE)

 

[nahneun]

i put ketchup on my steak to make sure my hands look yuge.

 

[oulipien]

I'm in charge of our reservations in SF but could have a fair amount of sway with Napa. We're going with my girlfriend's parents, and her mom is more of a traditionalist when it comes to food (so it's italian, traditional American, French or bust), so Quince, Benu and Saison won't make the cut unfortunately. We are going to TFL so I'm chalking that up as a personal success, though I would love to eat at one of the many omakase style sushi joints.

We are staying at Bardessono. I think Auberge lunch is on the list for the view. I will look into Californios and Meadowood. Thank you!

Ps: any good spots to get a drink and smoke cigars in either spot? We're staying at the St. Regis in SF if proximity helps

This was years ago but I had an amazing cheese at Quince—it had been wrapped in tobacco leaves. Otherwise it was, I dunno, ok? **** though I haven't been to any fine dining places in years, coincidentally since my sister stopped working as a chef. How weird.

I had some really amazing omakase sushi in a strip mall in Orange County my last trip back there. It was near a Wienerschnitzel.

BTW for bread I would give the nod to The Mill over Tartine in SF.

 

[jet]

Most of the bomb ass sushi in LA is in strip malls.

 

[oulipien]

Yeah I knew that beforehand but that hadn't prepared me for the incongruity in person.

 

[LA Guy]

I'm in charge of our reservations in SF but could have a fair amount of sway with Napa. We're going with my girlfriend's parents, and her mom is more of a traditionalist when it comes to food (so it's italian, traditional American, French or bust), so Quince, Benu and Saison won't make the cut unfortunately. We are going to TFL so I'm chalking that up as a personal success, though I would love to eat at one of the many omakase style sushi joints.

We are staying at Bardessono. I think Auberge lunch is on the list for the view. I will look into Californios and Meadowood. Thank you!

Ps: any good spots to get a drink and smoke cigars in either spot? We're staying at the St. Regis in SF if proximity helps

So, I like rustic food, so take that for what it's worth. I've had good meals at the Bistro Jeanty, which has solid bistro fare, and decent prices. I've stayed quite a few times at Bardessono, starting from when it opened, and while the Italian style restaurant there is quite passable, and I'll eat there with my wife when I don't really feel like going anywhere far, and definitely friendly, I'm mystified that it is getting so many good reviews here. There are tons of restaurants and hotels in Yountville that are considerably nicer, from the "bungalows" at some of the Four Sisters Inns, to some truly ridiculously overwrought spas closer to the middle of town. My wife tells me that the massages are nice, but I never do that stuff.

Seriously, do a bike ride or a long run, or whatever, and then shower and change, and your food will taste that much better.

 

[LA Guy]

Most of the bomb ass sushi in LA is in strip malls.

As are most good dumplings and non-Cantonese Chinese food.

Most good tacos are from places in East LA with open air seating. And trucks.

 

[skitlets]

Late to the party. In my recent visit back to SF, it's surprising how little has changed.

The SOMA/Mission Bay/Dog Patch has developed rapidly. Good to see more density in neglected parts of town. Then I walked around some more, and every other neighborhood looks like it did 15 years ago. NIMBYs!

DC probably tells a similar story, though there's more areas that are developing upwards. From humble roots to now a yupster, my feelings about all of this are confused and conflicted. City living is best living. There's a huge cost to car-heavy suburban living.

The new trend seems to be urban-suburban. All along the end-of-line metro stops, developers are building apartments, bars, restaurants, and grocery stores.

 

[dieworkwear]



DC probably tells a similar story, though there's more areas that are developing upwards. From humble roots to now a yupster, my feelings about all of this are confused and conflicted. City living is best living. There's a huge cost to car-heavy suburban living.

That seems to be one of the benefits of the new migration. As people move from suburbs to cities, there will be greater pressure on governments to develop efficient public transportation systems.

Even in Los Angeles, a city which had its early public transportation plans killed by the auto industry, you see a lot of improvement. Twenty or thirty years ago, only crazy people and the homeless took public transport. Now you see people from all walks of life, and there's plans to build a better train system. Would be great to see less congestion in the city.

 

[cyc wid it]

Bardessono (accommodations, no idea about food) is probably the best for less than $900 a night. Their Lexus fleet for free chauffeured trips around Yountville is useful too. I'm not a fan of the super rustic cottage like places. Auberge is too out of the way and $1k+ I think.