Where are you going tonight?

[boltonboris]

Grill on the Alley in Town tonight. Carpaccio for starters.. Not decided on a main yet!

Can't wait

[Lofthouse Lower]

Is that place any good? Went by about a fortnight since and couldn't get in - apparently D-Beck was in there too

[boltonboris]

Yeah it's nice. They do Kobe steak too.. £50 quick for a steak on it's todd! Nat's had it, I had a try and it was magnificent!

Holden and Klasnic are there quite regularly too. But I'm not really one for Celeb spotting.. So i couldn't give a fook about that. I'm interested in the nose bag.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Yeah it's nice. They do Kobe steak too.. £50 quick for a steak on it's todd! Nat's had it, I had a try and it was magnificent!

Holden and Klasnic are there quite regularly too. But I'm not really one for Celeb spotting.. So i couldn't give a fook about that. I'm interested in the nose bag.

Kobe steak? Why is that worth that much then? Sounds a bit daft that.

[boltonboris]

It's a japanese cow, massaged by Virgins and fed on a diet of beer.

They're rare as rocking horse shit and valuable because of the quality of the meat. If you got a fillet from your local butchers then compared it a kobe fillet, you'll see the difference

[Bruce Rioja]

It's a japanese cow, massaged by Virgins and fed on a diet of beer.

Lucky bastards!

[clapton is god]

How was the nosebag at Las Iguanos, Clapton? Still good?

El Rincon tomorrow for me. Get in!

Food excellent as always in there. I love the place.

Love El Rincon too but we've done it to death over the last few years so are leaving it for a while. Dimitri's is another firm favourite on Deansgate.

[Lofthouse Lower]

That goat curry is nice at Iguanos

[hisroyalgingerness]

I like Grill on the Alley, I occasionally get treated there by clients and as such have enjoyed their posh steaks (not the £50 one!)

Tonight though, is slightly more lower key - The Coral's acoustic gig at Ruby Lounge

[Bruce Rioja]

How was the nosebag at Las Iguanos, Clapton? Still good?

El Rincon tomorrow for me. Get in!

Food excellent as always in there. I love the place.

Love El Rincon too but we've done it to death over the last few years so are leaving it for a while. Dimitri's is another firm favourite on Deansgate.

Couldn't get in at El Rincon - despite showing up at shortly after seven it was mobbed. So, given your comments, Clapton, we pitched up at Dimitris where they managed to sneak us in fairly quickly, and what a triumph!
Had dips and pittas to kick off (Tzatziki, Taramosalata and a tapenade) served with a feta salad and fresh anchovy fillets. For main we split a quite magnificent seafood mezze. It was that good that it's even made me revise my opinion of squid. Obviously I just hadn't had it cooked quite as well before. Oh, and this came with an accompanying bowl of the plumpest, juiciest, tenderest mussels that I've ever eaten served in an absolutely magnificent sauce (cream, garlic, white wine and shallots - but in what order? LK?). Even had pud. I just had a simple Greek yogurt drizzled in honey with a few raisins on. Love it.
Only down side (my fault) I picked the (white) wine and chose quite badly, I'm afraid. I've never before seen Lebanese wine on a menu and curiosity got the better of me. Still, it's how you find these thinks out, I suppose. Precious little by way of flavour and highly acidic. Best avoided really, well, for me anyway.
Just over £30 a skull all-in. Will definitely be going back there soon.
Thanks for the heads-up, Clapton. A superb call, my friend.

[William the White]

Only down side (my fault) I picked the (white) wine and chose quite badly, I'm afraid. I've never before seen Lebanese wine on a menu and curiosity got the better of me. Still, it's how you find these thinks out, I suppose. Precious little by way of flavour and highly acidic. Best avoided really, well, for me anyway.

I've never had Lebanese white wine - but I've had red of startling quality from the Beka'a valley - though this was very many years ago.

But, should you find it, I reckon it's worth a try...

[Bruce Rioja]

I've never had Lebanese white wine - but I've had red of startling quality from the Beka'a valley - though this was very many years ago.

But, should you find it, I reckon it's worth a try...

Isn't the Beka'a valley where Hezbollah hang out, Will? Still, never let middle-eastern politics get in the way of a decent plonk. I'll look out for it thanks, fella, but can honestly say without fear of contradiction that I haven't come across it to date.

[Lord Kangana]

Chateau Musar Bruce. Its pricey (£16?-£18? a bottle), though its certainly different. Some years they can't declare a vintage because of the fighting stopping the harvest.

[Bruce Rioja]

Chateau Musar Bruce. Its pricey (£16?-£18? a bottle), though its certainly different. Some years they can't declare a vintage because of the fighting stopping the harvest.

Cheers, N'Diwa. Aye, the white we had was getting towards the thick end of dear.

[William the White]

I've never had Lebanese white wine - but I've had red of startling quality from the Beka'a valley - though this was very many years ago.

But, should you find it, I reckon it's worth a try...

Isn't the Beka'a valley where Hezbollah hang out, Will? Still, never let middle-eastern politics get in the way of a decent plonk. I'll look out for it thanks, fella, but can honestly say without fear of contradiction that I haven't come across it to date.

Given Islamic prohibitions on alcohol I've always presumed that it must be a Christian area. Don't know for sure, though.

[Lord Kangana]

I don't think theres a problem with the production of alcohol William. Morroco certainly produces. You can even cook with it, as long as the alcohol is boiled or burned off.

Its no coincidence that many of the Middle East/North African wine producing nations have a French Colonial heritage or influence though.

[William the White]

I don't think theres a problem with the production of alcohol William. Morroco certainly produces. You can even cook with it, as long as the alcohol is boiled or burned off.

Its no coincidence that many of the Middle East/North African wine producing nations have a French Colonial heritage or influence though.

Bet Hizbollah wouldn't agree...

Though I take your general point...

[General Mannerheim]

Memorial Ground, Gas v's Hartlepool. Champagne football, oh aye!

[Winter Hill White]

I don't think theres a problem with the production of alcohol William. Morroco certainly produces. You can even cook with it, as long as the alcohol is boiled or burned off.

Its no coincidence that many of the Middle East/North African wine producing nations have a French Colonial heritage or influence though.

When England played Algeria in the World Cup, we did an Algerian-themed meal, including a few bottles of Algerian red - had to get it over t'interweb from France. It wasn't brilliant, but by no means the worst wine I've ever had, and not very expensive from what I remember.

Coincidentally, there was a programme on the radio about Lebanese wine production last week. I heard the trailer, but didn't get to listen to it - I'm sure it is on the i-player thing for a few more hours. There is a linked article:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12153124" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lord Kangana]

I don't really know enough, and I certainly don't drink the stuff (not through choice but difficulty in procuring it) but I've heard it said that wine production is on the slide in the Maghreb. I think that this may be because of political retrenchment across much of the world, and particularly Arab states (and therefore bowing to pressure, as William alludes to above). Its a shame really, but we are in a state of regression at the moment, and it affects so many aspects of all our lives.