So the birthday menu will consist of a bottle of Redwood Ranch Syrah, an aged ribeye, broccoli, squash, and a salad with some crumbled blue cheese.
I’m quite excited.
This post is in: Open Threads
So the birthday menu will consist of a bottle of Redwood Ranch Syrah, an aged ribeye, broccoli, squash, and a salad with some crumbled blue cheese.
I’m quite excited.
Comments are closed.
psychobroad
Yummy! I take it the menu items are listed in order of importance? :-)
Alice Blue
Sounds scrumptious. Hope you aren’t dining alone!
Mike Kay
digya get any presents?
demkat620
What’s on the menu for Lily and Rosie? Same thing?
Happy Birthday John!
JGabriel
Happy Birthday, John! The menu sounds delicious.
.
Paddy
Happy birthday John!
tesslibrarian
That is almost exactly what I told my husband my ideal birthday dinner would be–no cake, a good steak. I think that means more birthday dinners at 5 & 10, but that’s okay; their wine list is typically better than my own.
Happy Birthday!
demo woman
In honor of your birthday, the gov of SC went missing again just like last year. Don’t drink and hike.
FoxinSocks
Happy Birthday!
beabea
Happy birthday, John!!
From an infrequent commenter but daily (at least) reader of your fine blog. Thank you for the efforts that make this blog possible, and of course for sharing your pets with us. Coming here and finding a picture or video of one of my virtual pet overlords, brightens any day.
And besides rescuing Tunch and Lily from the kitty prison, and Rosie from the street, who knows how many other pets you have helped by inspiring your readers to adopt/rescue, from the Little Bitsy campaign, and funds from your Ballon Juice store.
You are a good man. Enjoy your birthday dinner.
John Cole
@Mike Kay: A brand new weed eater!
Keith G
Thought you might be roasting some wascally wabbit.
Wishing you a happy and peaceful night and rest of week.
Oh, and Gov Sanford is missing again. Wonder what’s on his menu?
licensed to kill time
Crap, now I’m hungry. Enjoy your old ribeye (can’t you afford a new one? i keed i keed…) and Syrah, birthday boy.
EconWatcher
Happy birthday! As you reflect on your accomplishments to date, I hope you take satisfaction in the fact that you’ve created a community. A grumpy, roguish, misanthropic community–but a community nonetheless.
CynDee
We all lift a glass to you, John. Wine and ribeye. Wow!
Also, hope it doesn’t storm tonight. May the furry ones stay asleep so that you get a peaceful and well-deserved rest.
Maude
You already got yer present. Rosie.
Save us some cake
Niles
You know who’s got the bomb ribeye? McGinnis Sisters.
elmo
Ohhhhhh…mmmmmmm. And I was just trying to figure out what to cook, too. Have leftover lamb, but no yogurt or rice. Have shrimp and bell peppers, but no cilantro (shut up, haters, I love the stuff).
And here you come with the perfect meal. Wet-aged or dry-aged? Never mind, doesn’t matter, RIBEYE!
Oh, and I recommend Gnarly Head cabernet sauvignon. Inexpensive and so yummy.
Rosalita
Yum! Sounds wonderful. Enjoy your birthday repast.
Mike Kay
@John Cole:
You got a goat! Cool!
meh
other than the broccoli, squash and salad (leave the bleu cheese), that sounds delicious.
Josie
When I have my pre-dinner glass of wine tonight (medicinal purposes only, you understand), I’ll toast you, your birthday and your lovely family. Happy birthday.
qwerty42
@tesslibrarian: dinners at 5 & 10
??? Perhaps I missed something? “5 & 10”? (ok, there happens to be a restaurant in this town with that name, but …)
Quaker in a Basement
Rare? Medium rare?
I got a buck that says Cole is a sensible Medium type of guy.
Svensker
@elmo:
Go cajun, son, you can’t miss. Some jambalaya or some gumbo or some etouffee. Personally, I’d go for the shrimp etouffee cuz it sounds real good right now and it’s so easy. Yum. (If you don’t have a good etoufee recipe, google Emeril’s — it’s teh delish.)
John, the only thing about your menu I’d change is I might add the bleu cheese to the steak instead of the salad. Otherwise, I’ll be right over. What kind of cake?
elmo
@Svensker:
I would love to — but no rice. I have no idea how that happened, either. I never run out of rice.
TaosJohn
Well, Happy Birthday, John!
And BTW, does everybody know now how Obama blew up the Gulf of Mexico instead of Iran? Not making this up: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Obama-Administration-Knew-About-Deepwater-Horizon-35000-Feet-Well-Bore.html
The White House approved the well and waived safety tests (to save time) in late 2009 in what can only be interpreted as preparation for war. I’d say somebody oughta make a big stink about this, except the Earth already did.
elmo
@Quaker in a Basement:
Sensible? There’s nothing sensible about cooking a beautiful steak until the blood boils away. It’s disrespectful.
Svensker
@elmo:
Yeah, I just saw that. Can’t have etoufee widdout da rice. I was gonna say Brazilian Coconut Pepper Shrimp, but that needs rice, too. Actually, you could do mashed taters with the etoufee. Hmmmm. I’m just hungry raght now.
Gina
Happy birthday John. What about cake?
David in NY
@TaosJohn:
Heh, heh. Bet you didn’t notice that that link and story you are touting was totally unsourced except for a reference to the Wayne Madsen Report. And Wayne Madsen is batshit crazy.
Just thought you ought to know. Nice to meet you.
Mike Kay
Looks like we had a brisk newsday (just finished reading the posts). Looks like someone pickd the wrong week to throw a “let’s start a 3rd party” tantrum.
geg6
@Quaker in a Basement:
Medium rare is acceptable, though rare is best if I’m the one determining what “rare” is. Any other doneness is the equivalent to shoe leather, especially with aged beef. So says me and my sister with 35 years in the fine dining biz.
Sounds delicious for a birthday dinner, Mr. Cole. Especially the syrah and steak and bleu cheese. Three of my favorite things. I’m jealous. But then, I’m sitting on my tiny third floor apartment deck, sweating bullets, because my apartment is even hotter. Seems the electricity is off for no discernable reason. Must have been a storm, but nothing is wet. Electric company says it will be back by 7:30. I sure hope so.
Patrick
The obvious response to the activist judge who overturned the moratorium is to simply review and pull all existing permits. That will end drilling until the permits are re-approved. Since we know that no existing permit application has a plan that could stop a leak, they can all be pulled.
cleek
i could eat ribeye morning noon and night – in the magical world where there are no consequences.
elmo
@geg6:
Anything at your local cineplex you’ve wanted to see? I used to go to the movies all the time during the summer back when I had no air conditioning, just for a break from the heat.
Jager
Happy Birthday John,
Mine was this past weekend and friends did prime rib, garlic mashed, wildrice with sausage, about 3 veggies, wedge salad…cake, ice cream and we ate for an hour before we sat down to eat, oysters, cheese from many lands oh, and the 6 of us drank 11 bottles of wine, can’t remember the names, they were all good…didn’t recover until late Monday.
David in NY
@Patrick:
I was wondering if just pulling them one at a time applying some appropriate criterion might be simpler than winning an appeal in the Fifth Circuit.
Mike Kay
@David in NY: Obama bashing is a long time internets tradition, especially for sore losers from the 2007 primaries.
If you go to PUMA blogs, they still insist obama somehow stole the nomination from Hill.
Kered (formerly Derek)
@elmo:
Fuck yeah. Medium rare or bust.
kommrade reproductive vigor
That doesn’t sound like a ReaLAMErican birthday meal to me.
Violet
Yummy sounding dinner! I’m a big fan of syrah. Are Lily, Tunch and Rosie getting a special meal too?
@John Cole:
You are livin’ large, John Cole!
ChrisNBama
Happy Birthday, John!
David in NY
@Mike Kay:
Yeah, I know. I just like the way they come around here, acting polite and all (“Well, Happy Birthday, John!”), dump a shit, and then leave.
Edit: No, not that guy just above me! He’s OK. I’m referring to Taosjohn and his delusional post.
SiubhanDuinne
@Keith G: @Keith G:
Soul(mate) food?
Carrie
I absolutely love blue cheese. You should try that salad with a handful of walnuts tossed in.
Great, now i have a craving.
Quicksand
NEEDS MORE CARBS.
Happy birthday!
geg6
@elmo:
There hasn’t been anything at my local cineplex that I wanted to see since “Star Trek” and “Julie and Julia”. There aren’t many mainstream films made, especially in the summer, for women over 50 who hate action films, horror movies, animation, and romances starring anyone under the age 40 or so. My choices are limited. :-(
John Cole
Extremely rare. Sometimes my steak is so rare you would think branding the steer was enough cooking for me.
John Cole
@Gina: Not a cake man. Dessert is the other half of the bottle of wine.
TaMara (BHF)
Steak without a well baked potato? I think not! I hope the ‘kids’ all treat you well tonight.
Now I have to go find out about Sanford (since no one has linked to it) and have a good laugh.
Edit: @John Cole: THIS
jeffreyw
I’m workin on a lamb recipe. Red wine, chicken stock, tomatoes, buncha garlic.
Violet
@John Cole:
I’m impressed with your tolerance level. I’m such a lightweight that after a glass and a half I’m completely loopy. Apparently I’m very entertaining after a strong margarita.
David in NY
@John Cole:
Hey, I thought I had patented that system!
Jay in Oregon
… OK, 50 posts in and no one has shouted “elitist!” yet?
Seriously, have a happy birthday, John.
elmo
@John Cole:
I would ask you to marry me, but I think my partner would object. Then again, if you shared the ribeye and bleu cheese, she might just throw me aside.
Tunch
Is Richard Cohen’s op-ed today the stupidest op-ed ever, or of all time?
Those inscrutable foreign types are so hard to read.
Now open me up a can of tuna-fish bitch!
TaMara (BHF)
@Jay in Oregon: Well, to be fair, he didn’t say the salad was made with arugula.
freelancer
@David in NY:
“I saw this bum, he was eating grapes. I was like “DOOD, You have to wait!”
Keith G
@TaMara (BHF):
Sorry
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/22/96336/gov-sanford-wanders-off-again.html
Yes John, rare ,actually very rare, is the only way to honor the bovine that gave up its life.
elmo
@geg6:
Oooo. I feel your pain. I made an exception for Sherlock Holmes, though, and was so glad I did.
John Cole
I’m almost 6′ 1″ and lost my girlish figure a long, long time ago.
Lysana
That sounds like an awesome meal, John. I admit I’m no blue cheese fan, but that’s my kink. And you cook steak the right way, too. Extremely rare.
Happy birthday!
John Cole
So the little piggies got a little kibble, a little bit of canned food, the diced up remains of the steak, and I poured the juice all over both. I’m lucky I did not lose a finger while putting the bowls on the ground. Lily was doing her happy/gotta potty dance while Rosie was standing up on her hind legs while I was making it.
schrodinger's cat
@John Cole: How about some Mango ice-cream from Haagen Das (sp?) for dessert?
schrodinger's cat
@John Cole: What no steak for Tunch? My boy kitteh loves raw beef, once as I was unloading the groceries, I found him with some steak I had brought for dinner, he had managed to get it out of the grocery bag and had dragged it to the bathroom, and was proceeding to open the package when I caught him in the act!
paradox
Happy Birthday!
Tank Hueco
This is akin to stating, as someone did in the previous thread, that they are the only straight man in this country who doesn’t find Sarah Palin attractive. Here goes: I am probably the only person in the state of Texas who does not like steak. I’m not a vegetarian. I’m not anti-meat. But it’s too rich and fatty for my taste. :-/
In any event, happy birthday, John! Besides Sully and Coates, yours is the only blog I read, and it has some of the best commenters anywhere.
TaMara (BHF)
@John Cole: So this weekend, trying to find some good salmon for my one cat that I always feel gets the short shrift, I stumbled on pouches of shredded fish for cats. Fish with shrimp. Fish with Salmon. Fish with snapper. I thought I was going to lose a hand when I tried to put their bowls down with a small scoop on their dry food.
Basically I’m screwed. They get expensive kibble, but I was getting away with a really cheap spoon of canned food. That’s not gonna fly anymore.
kommrade reproductive vigor
And for dessert, a fine fReichtard Catfight.
schrodinger's cat
@TaMara (BHF): Try raw shrimp, my kittehs go beserk for shrimp.
Ailuridae
@John Cole:
That Redwood Ranch Syrah is excellent (and consistently underrated)
Mnemosyne
This must be a steak kind of year, because we went to Ruth’s Chris for my birthday last week. I’m a wimp and got it medium, though, not medium-rare.
David in NY
@Tank Hueco:
I believe that is its appeal to many, but I know what you mean. Especially if it’s a ginormous not-very-good piece of meat. Which as I recall, on my brief stay in Texas many years ago, was a specialty in the places where I could afford to eat.
I absolutely love the little, expensive steaks I get from a farmer near my place in upstate NY, grass fed and all. Gotta be careful not to overcook, because they don’t make as much fat as the corn-fed cattle and can get dry, but done right they are not fatty and they have a wonderful beef taste.
Also, any steak at Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn is terrific. Also.
Elisabeth
@schrodinger’s cat:
I had a cat who ate the better part of the pound of ground beef I once set on the counter to thaw. He wasn’t hungry for the rest of the night. Luckily, it didn’t make him sick, either.
geg6
@elmo:
That’s in my Netflix queue(sp?). Robert Downey Jr. is my exception that proves my rule. Though, based on the reviews from actual reviewers and friends who saw it, “Ironman 2” will not be making my exceptions list.
AlanDean
@Jager:
“6 of us drank 11 bottles of wine, can’t remember the names,”
one bets you can’t, wait, were those the wines or the guests?
Rosalita
@jeffreyw:
Rosemary is good with that too…
Litlebritdifrnt
@John Cole:
“a brand new weedeater”
Oh Lawd the humanity.
Ailuridae
@Tank Hueco:
If thats your objection but you otherwise like beef, go the meatier, leaner cuts. I have no interest in filet but I love a well prepared london broil from a cut of top sirloin, Added bonus: they actually taste like meat and are 1/5 the cost. You can’t order them often at restaurants but for home preparation they are outstanding.
kc
Happy birthday!
Svensker
I’m feeling sentimental tonight and got all weepy over this blind doggie playing fetch over at Sully’s place. Such a good doggie.
Bhall35
Happy Birthday, John!
Napoleon
Happy B-day!
Tank Hueco
@Ailuridae: Thanks for the advice from you and David in NY. The funny thing is, my fiancée is a woman who can down a so-rare-it-moos ribeye like it was a Snickers bar. But as she says, my steak aversion just means that there’s more for her. :)
Litlebritdifrnt
Okay gang, I need advice. Samantha several weeks ago had an accident with her cat door and she scraped her back. The wound is now healing and the fur is growing back (I kept it clean and everything) but she is now terrified of her cat door and will not go into the sun porch to eat. As a result I now have to feed her at the front door, which of course leaves the food available for whatever other critter is out there (possums I suspect) so that by the time I get back down there she is without food. I hate it. She actually let me pick her up today, so I figure that I can now get her in my soft cat carrier. However, Aunt Marie can no longer take her for some reason (I think since she lost her husband), Carolina Animal Protection Society is not taking any cats at all for adoptions as all their foster homes are full. I cannot bring her here as I am convinced that while my other cats might take to her, I am sure the boxers will not. Short of going down and feeding her seven days a week (and going through several bags of cat food a week) I do not know what to do. She is 19, she has obviously not got much time left, I refuse to have her put to sleep (as the boss suggested today) but I don’t know what else to do. Thoughts?
Keith G
Two news stories:
I am glad that homelessness is back on minds of policy makers. I hope Obama can keep this going.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/22/96322/obama-administration-vows-to-end.html
Also, do not hate me, but I am glad that the drilling moratorium has been lifted by a Federal Court. I can’t help but wonder if there are folks in the administration who feel the same way. They would be silly if they didn’t.
Jennifer
A birthday video for you JC, repurposed from my co-bloggers b-day, but entirely appropriate for this milestone. Enjoy!
JGabriel
@John Cole:
A man who shares my philosophy on dessert.
Except that I would cut the words, “… half of the …”.
.
JGabriel
David in NY:
And soaked in butter.
.
4tehlulz
Since this an open thread, this one’s for Dennis G.
Tov Pizza was nicknamed “Lo Tov” when I lived there; I guess it’s nice to know that some things never change.
Michael D.
How to cook a perfect premium cut of steak:
1. Let it dry to a point just before it dries to a crust. You don’t want that. Do not cook a steak right out of the package it came in. You can put it in the fridge, covered, overnight if you like.
2. Bring it to room temperature (can take two hours.)
3. Season it with plenty of salt & pepper before you put it in the pan and rub it in. Do not season while cooking.
4. Heat the pan until a drop of water put in the pan doesn’t go all over the place, but stays in one ball till it evaporates.
5. Wipe out the pan and put oil in it.
6. Just as the oil starts to smoke, put the steak in the pan and turn it down to medium.
7. Turn the steak every minute until it’s done as you like it. See below for “done”ness test.
8. DON’T use a fork – us tongs or you’ll allow juice to escape.
9. Let the steak rest for
5-7(just re-checked my notes) 10-15 minutes before you eat it. If you cut into it before it’s ready, the juices will run out.Here’s how to tell how “done”a steak is by touching it. Relax your hand and touch the fleshy part of the palm at the base of your thumb. That’s what raw feels like. Now, bring your thumb to each of your fingers and feel that same spot…
Thumb to forefinger: Feels like rare.
Thumb to middle finger: Feels like medium rare to medium.
Thumb to ring finger: Feels like medium to medium well.
Thumb to pinky: Feels like well done.
Trust me, of all the things I’ve said here that people don’t agree with, I swear you will think I am a steak god if you follow these instructions.
Personally, I prefer to fry a steak in a cast iron skillet. It just cooks better. But you can follow the same process on the grill.
If you like “grill marks” do this:
1. Put the steak on the grill for a couple minutes, then turn it 45° to get the cross marks.
2. When you see beads of blood coming up through the steak, turn it over.
3. When you see blood coming up through the other side, you can take it off for medium or leave it a little longer for more well cooked.
Again – tongs, never use a fork.
Michael D.
If you like a topping for your steak, try this:
Melt and mix together 3:1 salted butter and Roquefort cheese and spoon it over the top! YUM!
Kered (formerly Derek)
@Tank Hueco:
You disgust me!
Michael D.
@Kered: Because he doesn’t eat steak or because he reads Andrew Sullivan? :-)
Kered (formerly Derek)
@Michael D.:
Why would you turn it every minute? It won’t develop a proper crust.
Kered (formerly Derek)
@Michael D.:
lol! The former.
Michael D.
@Kered (formerly Derek):
I promise you, it will develop an awesome crust and it will be amazingly tasty.
Kered (formerly Derek)
What’s the point of flipping it every minute rather than just leaving it for five minutes a side?
EDIT: Not trying to be a dick, here. Just curious.
Michael D.
Because if you leave it for a long time on either side, the blood will move to the bottom each time. When you are turning it consistently, it cooks perfectly and evenly each time. Oh, and your steak will maintain its thickness if you do this. It will also be juicier. I promise you.
Every time.
I tell ya what. Waste $7-$10 on a good steak, try it, and come back to tell me it’s better another way! :-)
I don’t think you’re being a dick. I had to learn this, too!
Kered (formerly Derek)
Also, this is relevant:
http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/how-to-cook-a-fucking-steak
JenJen
Sound scrumptious!! Bon Appetit, Cole!
Michael D.
“Flip once” is a good steak. Just the way he said it.
“Flip often” – the way I described – is an order of magnitude better, you assbag motherfucker.
Annie
@jeffreyw:
Interesting. Last week I was watching TOP CHIEF, and all four chiefs screwed up cooking lamb. My husband and I just laughed. He is Bosnian, and Bosnians eat lamb, lamb, lamb and lamb. And, for dessert they have lamb.
Once when we were still living in Sarajevo, I woke up in the middle of the night to get a drink, went into the kitchen and screamed. There was an entire lamb — dead of course — on our kitchen table. Seems my husband forgot to tell me about the lamb BBQ-rotation we were having in our garden the next day.
Happy B-day John. Enjoy the evening with the family.
Michael D.
@John Cole: Only because it’s your birthday will i not judge you for feeding animals human food.
Tank Hueco
@ Kered, Michael D.
Talking about ‘crusty’ meat isn’t helping change my mind, guys. :)
Kered (formerly Derek)
@Michael D.:
Interesting! Thanks. Kinda feel like heading to the butcher this weekend to pick up a couple steaks and test this out!
Kered (formerly Derek)
@Tank Hueco:
If that’s how you feel, you just don’t know dick about food.
Quaker in a Basement
@elmo: Sorry, elmo. I’m running short on irony quotes. That should have been “sensible.”
jnfr
Happy Birthday John! I hope you have a lovely evening.
CaseyL
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I’m trying to figure out the layout. Is the sun room an enclosed porch, accessible via the cat door? Does the front door have an area that could similarly be enclosed, even if it’s only a stoop?
Could you possibly replace the cat door with a different design, one she would not associate with being injured?
Or: do you have a room that can be blocked off from the doggies, that Samantha can stay in (and I do mean stay” i.e., food and water dishes, and litter box)?
kommrade reproductive vigor
God damn you Michael D.
I was in an “anything will do for dinner” mood and now all I can think of is a giant ass steak.
dan
What’s a blo ghost?
ErinSiobhan
Happy birthday.
Have two bottles of wine.
El Cid
The inevitable lightness of LiberTeaTardia.
In a sane world, there would then follow howls of ‘flip flop’ or ‘waffler’, but, no, he’s a principled libertarian.
Nicole
Late to the party, but happy birthday, John! I wish you a year filled with things that bring you as much pleasure as this blog brings its readers.
And thanks to all the comments, I’m craving rare steak and I’m not even much of a meat eater. Thanks guys, thanks a lot.
Michael D.
@kommrade reproductive vigor:
Don’t hate!
El Cid
My favorite fresh (i.e., non-aged) steaks are big-ass ribeyes, an inch and a half or so thick, seasoned with salt and pepper and maybe red pepper and olive oil, and it is put on a charcoal grill so hot that it immediately bursts into flames beneath, literally flame roasting them, and both sides get crispy carbonized black, and then we move them to a higher level or onto a pan on the grill with butter to cook more slowly, and then rested for 15 minutes.
It’s not the Alton Brown way to do it, but god, is it good.
Michael D.
@Michael D.: Dammit, Michael, you forgot to tell people to rub olive oil all over the meat before they seasoned it!!
Sorry. Rub olive oil all over the meat before you season it!!
Laura Clawson
Happy birthday! Also, yum.
stinger
HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY
WOL
Mary
@John Cole:
Hi John, a VERY happy birthday to you! Your stories about your little furry friends bring me much joy. And more than once your political commentary has helped me to keep my sanity.
You are a very precious national resource.
Very fondly,
Mary
OC
Happy Birthday!
Jager
@AlanDean:
Well, it was at Bill and Pat’s house and we stayed there for the weekend, that I know for sure….the rest, hmmm
hamletta
Late the party, as usual, but I wanted to wish our host a happy birthday! Thank you for all you do!
asiangrrlMN
Happy birthday, Cole. Sounds like a good time was had by all.
@Tank Hueco: I’m with you. I don’t care for steak at all. Then again, I’m not much of a beef eater in general.