So this man goes into a restaurant and complains to the waiter that the same wine on the list for $15 can be had for $7 at his grocery store.
The owner comes out, has the busboys pick up and remove the table, linens, glassware, bread, butter and all, asks the man to stand up so the busboys can remove the seat, and then gives the man the closed bottle he mentioned and says, "here, now it's $7. Thank you for shopping."
Buying Guide to Wine, Beer, and Spirits
According to the Chicago Tribune, the oldest written recipe in the world was for making beer. It was written on a clay tablet in Mesopotamia, now Iraq, in about 2000 BC. Here are some good buying guides and resources for info about wine, beer, and spirits, listed alphabetically. For some good dead tree buying guides, click here.
About links on this site. Other than clearly marked ads, links and recommendations on this site are all products, services, and websites I truly admire, and are never paid endorsements. Your suggestions are always welcome. If you would like me to link to your website, click here to read my links policy first. Advertising policy. I do not accept ads from products that I review such as grills, charcoal, etc. Click here for more on my advertising policy.
Drink of the Week. Jonas Halperin's extensive site tells us how to stock a bar, plan a party, mix the drinks, and make the toasts.
Dr Vino. Tyler Colman's award winning commentary on wine news and what to drink. He's a PhD in economics and understands well how the wine industry ticks. His latest book is "Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink."
Imbibe Magazine. News and buying tips on wine, beer, and spirits.
Jancis Robinson. Jancis is an English master of wine, a prolific writer, and a great taster.
Local Wine Events. Find a wine tasting near you. OK, so they don't have wine reviews, but there's an old Talmudic saying: "Let not your learning exceed your deeds, lest you be like a tree with many branches and few roots." In other words, the best way to learn wine is to pull a few corks.
Natalie MacLean. A Canadian, Nat has won tons of awards, knows her stuff, and has great recipes. Her wine and food matcher is good, but her barbecue matching needs some work.
Schaefers. Since the 1930s one of the nation's best wine shops. Located in Skokie, IL, near Chicago, they ship nationwide. I buy from them.
Tastings. A searchable database of thousands of wines, beers, and distilled spirits reviewed by the panels of experts at the respected Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago. They also have an extensive database of beer and spirits ratings. Disclaimer: I founded BTI, sold it in 1999 and left the company in 2000. But I still sit in on their judging panels occasionally.
The Wine Spectator. Home of the leading wine mag. There is a fee to access some parts of the site.
The Wine Institute. The advocacy group for the California wine industry. Lots of interesting data.
Wine Lovers Page. Robin Garr of Louisville, KY was one of the first wine experts online. His site focuses on value.
Wine-Searcher. Enter the wine you want and it will find it for you in a database they claim has inventories from 8,000 wine shops. They also catalog the results from many of the top wine competitions.
Tell Meathead what you think, or ask him a question
But please, please, please read this first:
1) Please use the sitemap or the search box, at the top of every page. There's a good chance the answer is already on this site.
2) Please read this article about thermometers.Chances are your thermometer is the problem! I cannot help you troubleshoot unless you tell me that you are using a digital oven thermometer at meat level (not in the lid), and/or a digital meat thermometer. You simply cannot believe your grill's built-in bi-metal dial thermometer. They are often off by as much as 50°F!
3) Please tell me everything I need to know to answer your question.
4) Please don't ask me "What grill (or smoker) should I buy?" Read my Buyer's Guides and follow the links. I've shared just about everything I know on those pages. I cannot pick the right cooker for you any more than you could pick the right car for me. But I've explained everything you need to know to make your decision.
AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and techniques: Barbecue baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, steak, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, barbecue sauces, rubs, and side dishes, with the net's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and grills. It is written, photographed, illustrated, and coded solely by Meathead.
My philosophy about food is simple. First of all it must taste great. It must be easy to make and emphasize fresh seasonal products with a minimum of processed ingredients. I think that people need to know why as well as how, and that there are no rules in the bedroom or dining room.
About Product Reviews and Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards. Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards are highly recommended products that I have tested personally or that have been tested by reliable sources. Awards are based on features, quality, and value. Rest assured that when I recommend a product, it is really because I like it, not because someone has paid me to say so or because the company is an advertiser or sponsor. I purchase most products I review although occasionally suppliers send me samples.
About links on this site. Other than clearly marked ads, links and recommendations on this site are all products, services, and websites I truly admire, and are never paid endorsements. Your suggestions are always welcome. If you would like me to link to your website, click here to read my links policy first. Advertising policy. I do not accept ads from products that I review such as grills, charcoal, etc. Click here for more on my advertising policy.
Meathead's Personal Privacy Promise.I promise to never sell or distribute any info about you individually without your express permission, and I promise not to, ahem, pepper you with email or make you eat spam. Click here for more details of my privacy promise.
Disclaimer. The information on this website is for educational purposes only. All material within comes without warranties of any kind. I am human, and capable of mistakes, so I make no guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or safety of the information. Under no circumstances am I liable for any damages that result from use of the site (so you can't sue me if you burn your tongue on hot ribs, or get a tummy ache, OK?).
GrillGrates are the best new product I have tested in years and the best thing to happen to beef since salt and pepper. The base superheats, eliminates hot spots, smokes, and blocks flareups. This is the concept behind the expensive new infrared grills. Click here for more about GrillGrates.
The Smokenator:
A Necessity For Weber Kettles
If you have a Weber Kettle, you need the amazing Smokenator and Hovergrill. The Smokenator turns your grill into a first class smoker, and the Hovergrill can add capacity or be used to create steakhouse steaks. Click here to read more.
ThermoWorks Pocket Thermometer - No More Guessing
A good thermometer is why I never serve overcooked or undercooked food. No more guesswork. This one has a very thin tip with a tiny thermocouple so it gives an accurate reading in just six seconds. I cannot recommend it more highly. It will improve your cooking overnight. And it is inexpensive. Click here for more about thermometers.
This link takes you to Amazon.com and tags anything you buy with my affiliate code so I get a small referral fee. It works on anything from grills to diapers and it has zero impact on the price you pay. Low prices, fast delivery (often free), good refund policies, and often there is no sales tax, are the best reasons to buy from Amazon.com, but clicking on that link before you shop helps me devote more time and money to you. Thanks!