French Laundry via OpenTable.com

Two of the French Laundry's 17 tables are now bookable via OpenTable.com, according to this SF Examiner article. The phone reservation process is still in place for the remaining 15 tables. [via Sauté Wednesday]

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Tea recommendations

Caterina's wonderful tea recommendations make me wish I drank the stuff more often. Alas I find tea to be one of those beverages that sounds exotically different depending on blend and leaf ("deep overtones of amber and mint", "a mellow fruitfulness", etc.) but ends up all tasting like, well, tea to me. Perhaps my palate is just not refined enough? After all, for a long time I thought wine tasted like, well, wine. And I know that's no longer the case.

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Stilton, and Gruyere, and Pont L'Eveque, oh my!

A cheese FAQ from Murray's Cheese Shop in the Village (257 Bleecker, NYC). It addresses cheese types, how to serve, how to store, and pairings with wine.

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Taillevent on top since 1973

In the article Taillevent stays on top Patricia Wells writes about Paris' Michelin 3-star restaurant Taillevent.

[The] remoulade of truffled celery root topped with paper-thin slices of scallops and truffles is fantastic. This pristine and elegant first course arrived like a pastry shop millefeuille, a neat, crisp-looking rectangle with tiny chopped celery root laced with truffle bits. Atop it, alternating black and white disks of fragrant black truffle and sweet sea scallops added a cool, refreshing balance.

Oh yum yum yum. [via The Morning News]

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The true drink of love

If Champagne isn't your thing for Valentine's Day, why not try Madeira? "Madeira truly is the drink of love," writes Richard Ehrlich in the (UK) Independent.

We Must Drink Champagne. It Must Be Pink. This is the drink of love. Well, to hell with that. If I'm going to buy my true love something special for Valentine's Day, I want it to be something she'll remember. Which is why I'm proposing Madeira.

Props to viticulturally-inclined Nick for the tip. Perhaps I will revise my menu.

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Valentine's Day is coming

February 14th is right around the corner, and the restaurants (at least here in NYC) would have you believe that $75 is a perfectly reasonable price to pay for three-course meal if you really care about your special someone. But if you're really willing to throw-down that kind of cash on a meal, why not cook at home and do it up right? Let the web be your assistant as you plan the meal of your dreams.

Your fois gras questions can be answered here. Caviar tips and recipes are available here. Manhattan wine store Sherry-Lehmann can set you up with any number of exceptional wines (Champagne, amazing Bordeaux, etc.) and they'll deliver to most states. Buon Italia, in the Chelsea Market, currently has black winter truffles. At $35/oz. it's really a splurge, but they can overnight them to you wherever you are. I know Valentine's Day isn't supposed to be about economics, but you can eat much better food for the price if you stay home and make your own romantic dinner for two.

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The Man Who Ate Everything

Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, I started reading The Man Who Ate Everything: And Other Gastronomic Feats, Disputes, and Pleasurable Pursuits by Jeffrey Steingarten and it is hysterical, perhaps even the best thing I've ever read. I was laughing out loud as I read it last night, wondering why it had taken me all these years to discover him.

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A cooking column

I'm going to be writing a cooking column for the "new Web magazine about enjoying new media and creating beautiful software," TEKKA. A cooking column in a software magazine? Well, there's an art to programming and to cooking. I'll write for people who code by day and cook by night, or as the publisher said, "Food hackers." Right-on! I can't wait. A TEKKA charter subscription is $50 a year.

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