Oysters

Favorite Oyster Features:
medium to large size, plump, creamy yet firm, moderately briny, plenty of liquor;
off white and opaque (creaminess and texture indicator), generally prefer Pacific, open to merroir.

Very Good Ones:
Konbo Mori (Hokkaido, JPN) - soft, creamy, minerally, low brine, medium finish; M-L (9)
Hiroshima (JPN) - sweet, medium creamy, firm, medium brine, M-L (10)
Senpoushi (Hokkaido, JPN) - very creamy, minerally, earth tones, long finish, M-L (10)
Namibian Pacific (SA) - very creamy yet firm, sweet, medium brine, M (9)

Good Ones:
Isigny Speciale (FR) - creamy yet firm, briney, a lot of liquor, M (7.5)

Favorite Cheeses

France:
Fumaison (smoked, raw sheep's milk)
Pont l'Eveque
Vieux Pane
Langres
Morbier
Saint Nectaire
Reblochon
Banon
Fourme d'Ambert
Bleu d'Auvergne
Chevres (various)
Italy:
Taleggio
Gorgonzola (dolce and naturale)
Pecorino Sardo
England:
Neal's Yard St. James (raw sheep's milk, funk)
Stilton
Cotswold
Mature Cheddar
Scandinavia:
Swedish Farmer's Cheese (Scandic)
USA:
Humbolt Fog
Cremont
Schloss

Coffee

On the British scale of 1 (weak) to 5 (very robust), I tend towards number 4.

Favorites are tropical Southeast Asian - Sumatra and Papua New Guinea.

Disappointing: Peruvian (too mild)

Best method - pour over with unbleached filters in a Hario ceramic cone.

Dinner of the Year Award

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

Nishiazabu Taku - Tokyo

2018
Le Bernardin - NYC

2017
Genus Atelier - Dresden

Noteworthy Recent Wines

Black Kite Pinot Noir, Soberane Vineyard, St. Lucia Highlands, 2012 - complex, very deep and layered, one of the best PN ever tasted.

Ernest Chardonnay, Sonoma, 2014 - an amazing, refreshing, complex Chardonnay that is on the outermost fringes of expectations for the varietal

The Five Mother Sauces

Bechamel - white roux with milk, base for many sauces; served with eggs, fish, and poultry

Tomat - tomato, pork fat, and sometimes a roux; served with pasta, fish, poultry, and dumplings

Veloute - white roux with light stock; served with eggs, fish, poultry, vegetables, and pasta

Espagnole - brown roux wih meat stock; served with roasted meats

Hollandaise - egg yolk, lemon, clarified butter; served with eggs, vegetables, fish, and light meats
 --

Roux: mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces
White Roux - butter and flour
Brown Roux - butter and flour, cooked longer; sometimes animal fats replace butter

More Fine Dining Terms

Prix Fixe - an entire meal offered by a restaurant for a set price, often three courses (app, main, dessert), substitutions not usually permitted. Pronunciation 

Haute Cuisine -"high cooking" - that is, cooking of an elevated level - fine dining. 17th c. French origin. Pronunciation

Cuisine Classique - modernized Haute Cuisine associated with Escoffier (1846-1935) in which service russe and reliance on sauces are characteristic.

Nouvelle Cuisine -  "new cuisine" that emphasizes fresh ingredients, lighter compositions, and avoidance of the overly complicated. Term as used today originated in the 1960s. Sometimes framed as a reaction against Cuisine Classique. Pronunciation

Services and Courses

Service a la francaise: serving all the courses of dinner at once
Service a la russe: serving the courses in sequence, one after another
("buffet" is a version of the service a la francaise; "family style" is a variant for main dishes)

the traditional three course - soup and fish, roasts, desserts
(multiple dishes per course for formal meals)

Current Multiple Course Arrangements
3 course: appetizer, main course, dessert
4 course: soup, appetizer, main course, dessert
5 course: soup, appetizer, salad, main course, dessert

Top Wines - most widely available

Pinot Noir    
Artesa $$$                          
Saintsbury $$$           
Merry Edwards $$$          
Hahn $
Black Kite $$$
Argyle $$
A by Acacia $
Acacia Carneros $$

Zinfandel
Redemption, Alexander Valley Vineyards $$

Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate Reserve, Alexander Valley Vineyards Reserve $$$

Mourvedre 
Cline $

Port
Heitz $$

Sauvignon Blanc       
Foppiano $$                  
Joel Gott  $$                 
Merry Edwards $$$

Chardonnay
Heitz $$
Ernest $$$

Viognier
Cline $

Chenin Blanc
L'Ecole No. 41 $

Champagne
Veuve Cliquot $$$
Ruinart $$$
Mumm's Napa Brut $