Friday, November 26, 2010

Dos Equis Guy


Here's what I don't get about the Dos Equis guy.

(1) Dos Equis guy is NOT the most interesting man in the world. This guy is.

(2) Dos Equis guy says in the commercials: "I don't always drink beer..."

Really? Then why do we care what you have to say? Isn't this a beer commercial?

(3) He goes on: "...but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis."

That's not much of an endorsement. It's like saying: "I prefer Dos Equis, but if there's some Bud around, I'll drink that. Whatever."

Dos Equis, please contact me to fix your stupid commercials.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Review: Il Mulino


Il Mulino is on Northern Boulevard in Roslyn, just down the road from an Aston Martin dealership, where I do my car shopping. [Pause for laughter.] For those of you who don't know Italian, "Il Mulino" means "the Mulino." OK, I don't know what the f*ck it means.

The menu is big. As in "Why is the menu so big?" I get suspicious when menu's have too many selections. Unless there's an army of cooks in the kitchen, how can everything be fresh or made to order? Even the "specials" menu was extensive.

I wasn't able to try anyone else's stuff, but this was my meal:  Escargot in mushroom caps with a garlicky tomato sauce. Porcini mushroom ravioli in a cream sauce. Very northern Italy. The mushroom filling was dense and meat-like, so I imagine the porcini were dried and reconstituted. And for desert a pear poached in white wine and served with (I think) a rich pastry cream and fresh berries. Very French. The pear was cut up and served table-side.

Everything was lovely. No complaints. And the portions were not small. I couldn't even finish dessert.

Another diner loved the artichoke heart appetizer with pancetta (I assume). He also got the ossobucco. That damn thing must have been 2 lbs. Even came with a marrow fork. Impressive.

I didn't pay, so I have no idea what the final cost was. My ravioli was $38, and the ossobucco was $49. The appetizers seemed to average around $15. So not cheap.

I did take pics. I normally don't, inside restaurants. Especially high-end places like this because I feel like a tool. I think my camera settings were off, so the pics kinda suck.

Escargot appetizer


Porcini ravioli


Ossobucco


Poached pear dessert



4 out of 5 stars

Il Mulino
1042 Northern Boulevard
Roslyn, NY

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Good Old Food Network Days

Poor Butch Patrick a/k/a Eddie Munster has checked into rehab for drug problems. I feel bad for him.

Why this is food related:  In the early days of the Food Network, before Emeril Lagasse became famous, I used to try to convince people that Emeril played Eddie Munster. True. It even worked sometimes.



Thursday, November 11, 2010

New York City Chocolate Show Nov. 11 - 14



Featuring two Long Island chocolate companies:
Four days full of dark, milk, white, and bittersweet indulgent confections, The 13th Annual Chocolate Show, taking place Thursday, November 11th through Sunday, November 14th at The Metropolitan Pavilion (125 W 18th Street), will house over 65 fine chocolate companies complete with culinary demos, samples, and Kids' Zone where young chocolate lovers will have the chance to explore the wonderful world of chocolate. 
With local Long Island companies Gotta Eat Sweets (Syosset) http://www.gottaeatsweets.com/ and NibMor (Huntington) http://www.nibmor.com/index.php amongst the exhibitors, Long Island natives will be wowed when they taste these chocolate creations and realize they are made right it their backyard. 
Popular dessert personalities such as Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan's Candy Bar, Johnny Iuzzini of Bravo's Top Chef: Just Desserts, and Martin Howard, award winning pastry chef will also be on hand to show off their pastry skills and love of all things chocolate.

Tickets for the 2010 New York Chocolate Show are $28 for adults (13 and older) in advance and $30 at the door.  Children are free with a two child per adult limit, $8 per additional child (5 years to 12 years). To purchase tickets and for additional information, schedules and exhibitors, please visit the Chocolate Show Web site at www.chocolateshow.com.

Friday, November 05, 2010

24 Hour Restaurant Battle Casting on Long Island Nov. 14

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Mmmmmm....Scalded Beef Tripe


From an ad for Compare Foods.