Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Perfect as the primary spirit in the Ramos Gin Fizz.

The Dark and Stormy is a helluva cocktail. if you ever find any "Blenheims" spicy ginger-ale -the pink capped one,buy all you can- it will be extra stormy! And true- the layering is very important. Load the straw the same way when inserting it to catch the individual flavors of the rum and ginger.

I find that adding french vanilla torani syrup is best, although I have tried other flavors such as banana and "Italian eggnog". Use sparingly, I add maybe 1/2 oz to the smaller size whiped cream maker. As was suggested, do keep things cold, and if possible, do NOT use "ULTRA" PASTEURIZED" whipping cream. a better texture is produced from regular whipping cream, with 35-40% heavy cream/fat content.

pie crust.

At many times in my life, I've felt like Peter Pan - "I won't grow up!"

Gin always brought to mind older businessmen or politicians and their 3 martini lunch. Other than inclusion in a LIIT, gin never crossed my lips.

In May, while visiting Scottsdale, we met friends for happy hour at Frasher's. One friend ordered a round of Hendrick's and created a monster. I enjoyed the taste...much more refreshing than my norm of raz-&-diet 7-up.

While a little pricey for our everyday cocktails, I have been converted to Hendrick's and gin in general.

But, I STILL won't grow up.

The best Dark and Stormy is served at the River Tavern in Chester CT, they make their own ginger juice, lime and honey mix, with a liberal dose of Goslings topped by a splash of soda. The food is as good as the drink and location.

I don't know much about legal matters, so I believe others when they say this case has no legal merit, but I am confused by people who compare this situation to one where you have restaurants with similar concepts in different cities that are 100's or thousands of miles apart. These places are a mile apart and almost look they could be part of the same chain.

I think I will never go to Pearl Oyster Bar again. I guess until POB opened there wasn't such a thing as a new england seafood shack otherwise some one would be suing her. She really needs to get over herself. Does she really think two more "lobster shacks" are going to hurt her bottom line? She gets plenty of business.

Intellectual Property? I am not a lawyer, but I am an assiduous observer of the evolving definitions of intellectual property.

Is Rebecca Charles arguing that her recipes are a trade secret?

She admits that there is no novelty in the concept behind her restaurant or the cuisine she offers to her guests. To use patent law parlance, there is prior art and, consequently, no enforceable rights in the alleged intellectual property.

I hope that she does not intend to argue that anyone will confuse Pearl Oyster Bar and Ed's Lobster Bar and that this confusion will diminish the value of her recipes, concept, and guest service.

Ms. Charles is not operating a chain and has dubious claims to unregisterd trademark infringement. Ms. Charles would have to allege that Ed McFarland's business is "passing off" i.e. Ed's Lobster Bar is misrepresenting itself and illicitly appropriating the reputation and doing damage to the hard won business goodwill of Pearl Oyster Bar. Trademark is notoriously one of the most difficult forms of intellectual property to defend because of the diligent and often costly defense it requires to preserve.

Restaurants distinguish themselves in the marketplace in a variety of ways, but food quality and service are irreplaceable elements of success in the industry.

To me, Ms. Charles' lawsuit appears to be anti-competitive. It is not unusual in the market for leased restaurant space for exclusivity clauses to appear in the lease contract that prohibit landlords from renting to a competitor selling similar products i.e. a sandwich shop may require a contingency in the lease agreement forbidding the landlord from leasing to another sandwich shop within the same building or a clearly defined trade area.

If Ms. Charles wants to squander the good will she has worked hard to build up in her business venture, she should pursue this case that will surely attract the attention of her guests and her competitors in ways she may eventually regret.

If Ms. Charles wants to enjoy continued success in an increasingly competitive submarket of the restaurant industry in New York City she should continue to offer the same delightful food, service, and atmosphere that her many satisfied and loyal guests value and recommend to others.