Steel Kaleidoscopes

Quote of the Day

"I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food."

— W.C. Fields, Comedian/Actor

17th Century Harvest Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner at Plimouth Plantation is a unique experience.

But after spending Friday evening with "the pilgrims" and our fellow diners, observations reveal five opportunities for improvement.

1. Be clear with the location of the dinner.

While we were in the main lobby of the plantation, there were no directions on the location of our dinner. With two dinners in progress, it was easy to attend the wrong one. And when we buy a bottle of Cabernet at the location of what we thought was our dinner location, don't make us shiver in the cold at the second location holding our bottle and glasses like some derelict teens outside the senior prom waiting for the doors to open.

2. Provide more education.

The allure of this dinner is to enlighten diners on what dinner was like for the pilgrims. Before each course is served, have one of the actors provide some brief comments on what we're about to eat and how the food was originally gathered. This may have explained why we are served scrod after our rice pudding and why there are no forks.

3. Dim the lights.

There was no electricity in 17th century Plimouth. Granted, candles only would be been an extreme, but at least soften those recessed lights. The dining room was lit up like a high school cafeteria.

4. Have a modern alcohol policy.

There was no wine in 17th century New England, but if we purchase a bottle at the bar for our table, let us keep the wine with us at the table. And real wine glasses would be nice, instead of plastic cups. 

5. Open with song.

We sat at a long table as one big family, strangers on our right and left. Instead of simply presenting a salad to complement the cider in complete silence, open the evening with a festive song to help inspire a mood. The songs came later during the dinner, but just one of those diddies would have set a festive tone from the outset.

Ice Cubes

Was there a better chocolate than Ice Cubes as a 12-year-old?

I know when you get older it's more appropriate to nibble Lindt and Godiva, but there was that small capsule in time when Ice Cubes was the guilty pleasure, a chocolate treat that was irresistible as a point-of-purchase snack.

They would stare at you on the counter top as you were buying a Grape Big Buddy and a Yoo-Hoo, gleaming like the golden ticket inside a Willy Wonka bar.

In the early '70s, Ice Cubes cost 2 cents. It was a penny more than a Fireball, but they really did melt in your mouth and that magic square was worth the extra spend.

Heck, a dime bought you five.

Ice Cubes.

Nostalgic chocolate.

This is Nuts

There's a new dining concept called Dinner in the Sky, which recently debuted in Orlando, Fla.

Twenty-two guests are hoisted by a crane 165 feet into the sky and served dinner by a chef and two helpers.

There's even a piano player (top photo) to set the mood.

Not sure how they handle bathroom requests.

Crazy.

Chocolate Cookie

One of the best cookies in the world can be found in upstate New York — at St. Andrew's Cafe at the Culinary Institute of America.

There are chocolate cookies and there are chocolate cookies.

This one blew kisses at me from behind the glass, effectively inciting a dreamlike trance as I reached for my wallet to buy the cookie.

The chocolate cookie was almost as big as my hand, and had the texture of both a brownie and chocolate cake. Biting into it, there was a splurge of chocolate mousse.

Clearly, this could have sufficed for lunch as it was too substantial for dessert.

And I used to think Ring Dings were a treat.

Amazing Meals

This is the time of year to eat good food and drink fine wine.

We're doing it.

Sunday's menu was stone crab with Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon and Zenato Valpolicella .

Monday we had grilled sirloin steak with Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon.

Last night we had prime rib with Montoya Cabernet Sauvignon and Cambria Pinot Noir.

Tonight it's dinner out at Tomato, one of Naple's finest restaurants and a unique wine experience.

And tomorrow night, after hitting the links in 80-degree temps, it's lobster, spaghetti with lobster sauce and Stag's Leap Chardonnay (a white will be a nice change).

And I'll avoid the scale for a while.

Absinthe

Absinthe is back in Boston.

Absinthe has effectively been banned in the United States since 1912, but earlier this year two absinthes made with grand wormwood, Lucid and another called Kubler, were allowed into the U.S. market and they began arriving in Boston bars and liquor stores about a month ago.

Legend has it that absinthe promotes creativity, much like the hollow viral marketing of LSD in the '60s. Writer Ernest Hemingway and artist Vincent Van Gogh were known to indulge in the sticky drink. Currently, actor Johnny Depp and singer Marilyn Manson say they enjoy an occasional sip.

Interesting that absinthe is making a comeback, with several publications describing it as the new martini.

Looks and sounds a little scary for my taste.

I'll stick to a glass of Petite Sirah, thank you.

Who's Paying for this Research?

Nutty stat of the day:

According to a Middlebury College economics professor, women will stand in line for 20 seconds longer than men for a cup of coffee.

The survey was conducted at eight Boston-area coffee shops and 295 transactions were observed.

Odd.

Lunches and Dinners, Post-Thanksgiving

Shredded white meat turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce (x4).

A side of stuffing (x2).

Mashed potatoes and gravy (x2).

Warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream (x4).

The endless meal.

Suezero.com

I actually thought this was a clever marketing scheme by Coca-Cola but it turns out to be a nutty ambulance-chasing lawyer.

Do we really suffer from taste confusion?