Today’s cheese was a Castelo Branco, which is another raw ewe’s milk cheese, this time from the Beiras region in Portugal. It’s a semi-soft cheese, light yellow in color, pocked with small holes throughout. Some reports I read indicated that it’s sometimes made with a mix of ewe and goat milk, although my cheese monger indicated this sample was ewe’s milk. The flavor is mild, but with a tweak of an acidic sourness, not quite citrus-like, and reminiscent of a goat’s milk cheese (with a much higher fat content). Definitely worth a try although not my favorite of the ewe’s milk cheeses I’ve tried so far.
Integrity
October 5, 2005 by
It’s nice to see some in the music business:
“People lost their virginity to this music, got high for the first time to this music,” Densmore said. “I’ve had people say kids died in Vietnam listening to this music, other people say they know someone who didn’t commit suicide because of this music. On stage, when we played these songs, they felt mysterious and magic. That’s not for rent.”
That’s Doors drummer John Densmore on his refusal to license “Break on Through (to the Other Side)” to Cadillac, even though they offered the Doors $15M for the song. Rock ‘n roll, man, rock ‘n roll.
[Via Boing Boing]
Harriet Miers
October 4, 2005 by
Blah blah blah Harriet Miers blah blah blah.
Let’s do the numbers:
| SCOTUS Judicial Experience1 | ||
| Experience | Number of Justices | Percentage |
| None2 | 26 | 23.85% |
| Political3 | 24 | 22.02% |
| Solicitor General | 3 | 2.75% |
| Attorney General | 9 | 8.26% |
| Governor | 4 | 3.67% |
| Senator | 7 | 6.42% |
| President | 1 | 0.92% |
| State Court Judges | 42 | 38.53% |
| Federal District Judges | 7 | 6.42% |
| Federal Appeals Court Judges | 27 | 24.77% |
| Judical Experience Total | 76 | 69.72% |
1All data from the Oyez Project
2No significant political experience as defined by the category breakout following
3Total based on the category breakout
I have a complete breakdown by Justice in this spreadsheet for the geeky amoung you.
Ossau-Iraty
October 2, 2005 by
Tonight’s cheese was Ossau-Iraty, which is a French ewe’s milk cheese. Wow, it’s good, good stuff. I’m surprised they let it out of France, they usually horde the best stuff. Ossau-Iraty is actually an AOC cheese (that’s Appellation d’Origine Controle) which means that it’s regionally produced under strict quality guidelines. The Ossau-Iraty is one of only 3 AOC cheeses made from ewe’s milk. (Another favorite of mine is Roquefort.)
This is only the third ewe’s milk cheese I’ve had, the second being this Swaledale Ewes Cheese in England. I have to say, I’m a big fan.
Like the Swaledale, the Ossau-Iraty has a heavier or thicker feel in your mouth than a cow or goat’s milk cheese. It has a mild, but distinct flavor, almost nutty, and I thought kind of like a very mild, much softer Parmesan. Another keeper of a cheese.
Zapatista
October 1, 2005 by
There’s a new Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood, called
Zapatista so my wife (who loves Mexican food) and I decided to try it out tonight.
The head chef is from the less-than-stellar Adobo Grill and there are several touches that give that away… like the guacamole made fresh table side. Only in our case, it was made fresh 15 feet away at the bar and brought to us, I don’t know why. We ordered it “hot” (as we are wont to do) and it was anything but. Seriously, I’ve had hotter oatmeal. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good–the ingredients were all fresh and it was quite tasty. But not hot.
My wife had the chilies rellenos which were decent, but nothing special. One was cheese, the other stuffed with chicken, and while good quality, they just weren’t very flavorful. The same, however, could not be said of my fajitas, which were incredible (with one flaw I’ll get to in a minute). The meat was stewed along with cheese and onions in this stone? iron? pot and the flavors were really outstanding. However, their tortillas bite. I mean, they suck. Seriously, how can you have bad tortillas at a Mexican restaurant?! I don’t know, but they do. Awful.
In the end, it was a decent meal (despite my tortillas). A little pricey for the inconsistent quality; however, I might return in a few months after they are more settled-in to see if the minor inconsistencies have been worked out.
Troubled Hubble
September 28, 2005 by
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Troubled Hubble will be playing their last show tonight at Schuba’s. I first saw these guys over four years ago at the Hideout, and let me tell you, they are a blast. Totally infectious pop-riffs and just so much energy it’s impossible not to love them.
They are calling it quits citing personal and health reasons. Let’s hope “health reasons” means they are tired from touring and need a break and not anything more serious. If you haven’t seen these guys, go… they are a fun, up-beat band, and it’s a shame they have to call it quits. Best of luck to all of them in whatever projects come next!
[Via Chicagoist]
Blawg Review #25
September 27, 2005 by
I’m a little late to the game (busy Monday)… but Blawg Review #25 is up over at ai. The theme for this issue is protest, which considering the arrest of Cindy Sheehan and other war protesters this weekend, seems appropriate.
Cowgirl Creamery: Red Hawk
September 25, 2005 by
Tonight’s other cheese selection comes from the Cowgirl Creamery. This was the Red Hawk I picked up at The Cheese Stands Alone.
This is not a cheese for the faint of heart. It’s triple creamed, made from organic cow’s milk, with a rind that’s washed in brine and aged for six weeks. The result is a very full-bodied, salty cheese that is packed with flavor. It’s a soft cheese, with a reddish/orange rind and quite a pungent aroma.
If you are not a fan of pungent cheese, this one isn’t for you. Personally, I love a good strong cheese, so I found this right up my alley. Taking the advice of the cheese monger, I let this one warm up to room temp and it really blossomed. It’s extremely flavorful without being as over-powering as you might think from the odor. A very, very nice cheese. I’m definitely going to try more Cowgirl offerings.
Cypress Grove Chevre: Humboldt Fog
September 25, 2005 by
From the Cypress Grove Chevre I sampled a goat cheese tonight called Humboldt Fog.
If you are a fan of goat cheese I would highly recommend this winner (Blue Ribbon at the American Cheese Society 2005). It’s made from pasturized goat’s milk with a white mold and has a line of vegetable ash in the center of the cheese. It’s definitely a goat’s milk cheese, although the “goat-ness” is very, very mild. It has a really great, lemony tang that lingers very pleasantly. The center is the consistency of a chevre, while closer to the rind it’s creamery (think consistency of brie).
Delicious.