We don't use "day" as a measurement of time here, since a unit limited to 24 hours is pretty useless. And it matters as to why some of our budgets might be different from yours.

I think the main reason for the budget difference is my poor, starving student status, and the fact that if I recall correctly you're long since done with school and are working as what, a lawyer? As long as Obama doesn't completely cripple the oil industry (unlikely, as we will still need oil for a long time, and he's already overreaching), I should have a pretty good budget once I get my master's degree in a few years. I'd rather not live out east and deal with the cost of living you have there. Besides, I feel much more at home in the Rockies.

Recently traveled through Lyon, France, and had a Tartare au boeuf that was unadulterated awesomeness.

So....raw.

Mmmm, steak tartare. Nice caper-y, pepper-y, quail egg-y goodness. I feel a trip to Balthazar coming on after this brief is done.

Although, Landmarc has both tartare and marrow bones...

wine is not for ninnys it's for Italians like myself and it tastes good if made by the right people.

as for meat, what is this cooked you speak of?

im not much of a wine drinker myself (unless you count uber cheap crap like boons farm, and manachevits wine, I don't). but I'm with alxkline on cooking, I consider it optional on meat who's quality im confident in.

One of my favorite approaches to outdoor cooking used to be a huge, and I mean too thick to even cook properly, ribeye + a good pointy stick + a set of salt and pepper grinders. I'd roast the steak over the fire's coals, season it, grab it like fingerfood and gnaw down to raw, start over.

Last time I tried that approach, though, I was a good bit older and I washed it down with a 1982 Petrus--which was a big step up from the A&W root beer we used to drink on campouts.

So. Good.

try soaking it in meat tenderizer for a couple days in the fridge, then cut it to strips, let it air dry a bit, or on a food dehydrator, till its just dry enough not to be messy to pickup. that's all that needs be done.

Haha Lecter, my friends and I call that "Caveman Style" as in "Look at Leebs he's going caveman on that roast!"

I don't know what's more disturbing: That we do the "heat, eat & reheat" enough to name it "Caveman Style" or that I keep sticks around from last time that I won't let the wife throw away. Always a good use for a pointy stick, I always say.

yes, you never know when you might need a pointy burnt stick.

Pitiful humans,

This crust you speak of is a grilled rub in, not charcoal from fucking up your steak. Blood is the flavor of awesome, stop ruining meat mortals.

If I order a steak at any decent steakhouse, I'll smile at the waitress, and respond "barely" when she asks how I want it cooked..

"barely.. just wave it thru the smoke a few times"

To which my wife goes "ugh, well done for me please" and I just look at her and shake my head.

Of course, when I grill em for her, she loves it just around medium well.. but when she eats out, its gotta be damn near burnt... breaks my heart to see a 30$USD porterhouse cooked to a little sliver of it's greatness.. but thats the way she likes it

When i was younger i only ate meat well done. Now med-well. I'm a poor student too so i'm not going to really hi class places that often.

And i really don't like wine. So I usually have Budweiser !!!

-- flaming can start now :)

The problem with wine is that there's so much snootiness attached to it that people are afraid to ask what might go well with a particular menu item. I'm pretty familiar with wines, but sometimes I'll go somewhere and won't see a thing I recognize (some of the more obscure Italian wines, for instance). So I ask the server. Some places expect the server to push the wines, so I generally ignore their initial advice if they suggest only the most expensive wine and nothing else. In that case I'll say "You know, I've had ___ and I'm not really a fan. What else would you suggest?" which often results in the appearance of somebody who actually knows the wine. Remember that "good" wine is wine that you enjoy. For instance, one of the most frequently planted grapes in the world is grenache. I hate grenache both alone and in blends, and can tell if somebody is drinking it near me. I know many people enjoy it, but to me it smells like rotting fruit.

As for Bud...I dunno man. It has a cleaner finish than a lot of the cheaper beers. That may be the better beer in your price range. If you can find it, try Czechvar - the original Budweiser recipe. You could also try Sam Adams Light. You might even try Budweiser American Ale, which I hear is not bad. You might like pilsners.

Getting back on topic - I ordered a sushi-grade tuna steak seared but rare a few months ago. It was still cool in the middle - shoulda specified "warmed through" for fish I guess.

Pilsners ftw.

as far as cheap beer goes, and i mean REALLY cheap beer, try lions head, its about 10-12 bucks a case, is reasonably tasty, and there's cool little puzzles on the inside of each bottle cap.

I couldn't agree more with whistler about what a good wine is. I drink whatever I enjoy, not whatever is popular with XYZ crowd.

Thanks Wistler i'll look for Czechvar. I tried Sam Adams light and i just don't like it though.

-- jest bess

Wine really is about personal taste, which is very good because it makes comparing tasting notes fun.

As for cheap beers... PBR for the win! It is the top of the lower tier of beers, IMO.

divisionbyzero are you some hipster douche bag or something? pbr sucks :P . and jestatis i hate you but if you like budwieser it is a corruption of the pilsner style which is the basis of the "american lager" i would suggest you try stella artios

I have a friend who loves PBR, but I find it too sweet on the finish. I always feel there's a headache in my immediate future. He has a real Southern sweet tooth though, and I can't imagine another beer that would go as well with Skittles.