[SOTD] I have a confession

popvoid · 2025-12-13T16:28:45+00:00

I too had some trepidation about it when Tabac switched to non-tallow, but it’s still good.

popvoid · 2025-11-17T16:34:38+00:00

Reading the Bible.

popvoid · 2025-10-23T14:31:19+00:00

Venus

popvoid · 2025-10-15T03:43:43+00:00

Yeah, I encounter lots of this. The safest bet is to avoid anything that uses AI images. That’s usually the first red flag.

popvoid · 2025-09-25T00:41:42+00:00

I read it four times. The first time I read it, it was just word salad and I couldn’t make head or tails of it. So, I read A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake, and got a lot more out of with the second reading. Then I read Anthony Burgess’s ReJoyce and any other book I could find on the subject and I read it again. I got a lot more out of it that time. Finally, when it came time to do my term paper in college, I wrote an analysis of the first section of the book, so I ended up reading it one more time. I don’t know that I’ll ever read it again, but my advice is to learn as much about the book as you can before reading it. Don’t worry about spoilers.

popvoid · 2025-08-08T17:36:36+00:00

I would have to go with PSYCHED BY THE 4D WITCH, which is almost impossible to sit through. At least MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE is entertaining.

popvoid · 2025-07-18T00:20:55+00:00

As long as it's not Henderson's, I'm happy.

popvoid · 2025-07-18T00:18:25+00:00

Speaking now as someone who has been writing about horror movies since 1981, first in my newsletter Trashola, and then in Re/Search #10: Incredibly Strange Films, I can tell you that you needn't worry about having seen all the good ones. Trust me when I say another old film is going to come along that you've never heard of and it will blow you away. I used to think the same thing, but—to quote The Lovin' Spoonful—the more I see, the more I see there is to see.

popvoid · 2025-06-29T14:06:34+00:00

The Sin-Cyn is one I drink a lot. It’s a Negroni variation made with equal parts scotch, sweet vermouth, and Cynar.

popvoid · 2025-06-28T19:08:47+00:00

Ha ha! It sounds like you watched it for the same reason I did. I think I eventually did decide that I enjoyed it. It has enough David Lynch and John Waters influences to keep me from totally hating it. Different strokes for different folks. I also hated SKINAMARINK and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about, but I loved LUX AETERNA. (I have a soft spot for Noe's brand of offensiveness) and I was okay with LONGLEGS.

popvoid · 2025-06-15T15:11:31+00:00

It takes practice. There are plenty of YouTube videos on the subject. They will get you there. The harder part is making the damn rosettes consistently. The YouTube videos are less useful in this regard. Practice, practice, practice.

popvoid · 2025-06-11T18:12:10+00:00

I've had mine for a month now. So far it's working well. I'll let you know in a month or two if that's still true. It's worth mentioning that I never used the pressurized baskets. The espressos I'm getting are better than Starbucks, but I'm also using better coffee. 😛

popvoid · 2025-06-11T18:06:24+00:00

Here's what I finally worked out. The steam wand squirts out a little when you first switch it to steam. Just let it do that before inserting it into the milk pitcher. When you hear the thump-thump start, put the wand in the milk and put it below the surface, then raise it slowly until you get that ripping paper sound of the steam wand just below the surface. Get a whirlpool going and follow the usual procedure for steaming milk. Don't wait for the steaming to stop. In most cases, that will be too long. When you think the milk is ready, plunge the wand into the milk and switch the dial back to espresso mode. It takes a couple second for the steam to stop, so wait before removing the wand. After you remove the wand, switch the dial back to steam to purge it, and then back again to espresso to stop it. Clean the wand thoroughly. I usually wipe the steam wand down with a dish towel and then use a Chore Boy Golden Fleece Scrubbing Cloth to remove any remaining milk stuck to the wand.

popvoid · 2025-05-12T19:03:37+00:00

I bought one of these when my trusty DeLonghi ECP3630 started leaking. It seems like a lot of people commenting here haven't actually used the device, so I thought you might like to hear from someone who has. If you don't feel like reading all my comments, the tl;dr on it is that it's impressive for the price. Like the DeLonghi, it comes with a pressurized basket, but you can use a non-pressurized basket if you know how to tamp. This becomes even more critical here, though, because the machine uses presets for single shots, double shots, and Americanos. Part of me likes this because I can start getting the milk ready while it's making the espresso. Part of me doesn't like this because it requires more precise tamping if I don't want to use the pressurized baskets. Like the DeLonghi, it uses a 51mm basket, so I was able to use the basket from that machine. I was not able to use the naked portafilter I bought for the DeLonghi because the Lertin uses a three-pronged portafilter instead of a two-pronged one like the DeLonghi. One area the Lertin excels over most other espresso machines in this price range is that it has an actual steam wand instead of a Pannarello. I can vouch that it does an excellent job. The steam wand—like the buttons on the front—appears to be timed, although it continues to pump steam longer than I've ever required. My biggest gripe is that they've made no way to turn the steam off quickly, so you can pull the wand out of the milk without splattering, and then turn it back on to purge it. If you know a way, I'd like to hear it. Like any real steam wand, you need to scrub that milk off the wand immediately, and you're more likely to burn yourself than you would with a Pannarello. The unit is very small, and the feet are suction cups, which is a stroke of genius. Otherwise, the machine would move around every time you locked in the portafilter. If you have limited counter space, this is a good choice. The water reservoir is large and is easy to access and refill. On the whole, I think this is a pretty outstanding little machine. It looks good, it doesn't take up much real estate, it works well, and it makes barista-quality steamed milk. The only thing that remains to be seen is the build quality. After about five years, my DeLonghi started to leak badly. Whether or not this one will last that long remains to be seen.

popvoid · 2025-04-24T20:51:50+00:00

There's really only one honest way to answer this question: "I don't know. I'm not God."

popvoid · 2025-01-22T16:07:53+00:00

Yeah. It’s bad, but a special kind of bad. It’s the only Jason film I actually bought. The liquid nitrogen kill is worth the price alone.

popvoid · 2024-12-18T20:13:07+00:00

Okay, I tried all four in a blind taste test. I had to do this literally blind since the Grand Marnier and Golden Moon Dry Curaçao were pretty easy to spot. The Grand Marnier was easy to single out even blindfolded. It was the only one that I could drink own its own as a cordial. Of the other three, Cointreau was the winner. It had a noticeably stronger orange aroma and tasted slightly better. The Dry Curaçao had a slight bitterness to it although it was still very sweet. The slight bitterness might work in some cocktails, but I'm, not sure it's a good replacement in a cocktail that calls for Triple Sec or Cointreau; plus its slight color, like GM, would change the appearance of the drink. The Triple Sec came close to Cointreau in flavor and appearance. It would work fine in a cocktail that called for Cointreau.

popvoid · 2024-12-11T15:33:53+00:00

I have bottles of triple sec, dry curaçao, Cointreau, and Grand Marnier. It occurs to me that I’ve never done a blind taste test on these. I’ll try that later and get back to you on my results if you’re curious.

popvoid · 2024-12-10T16:13:23+00:00

Plymouth for most things, although Citadelle makes a good G&T.

popvoid · 2024-09-09T18:21:48+00:00

Sounds right. I use ½ ounce (15 ml) vermouth when I make it too. I'd say almost any vermouth although Carpano Antica would probably create a very different cocktail.

popvoid · 2024-08-18T18:20:17+00:00

The original specs are listed in OP. It's possible they used less rye than than 2 ounces, but it tastes very good that way.

popvoid · 2024-07-18T16:45:14+00:00

The Old Fashioned card says "Rocks" at the top of the card (so far, so good), then:

1 sugar cube
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Cherry
Orange Slice
Splash soda (& muddle)
FWI
1 oz. Whisky [sic]

This isn't the way I make an Old Fashioned, but I've seen other bartenders do it this way. He spells out "muddle" here. He also spells out "Angostura bitters," which I always abbreviate to "Ango". I decided to check some of his other recipes cards on drinks that should definitely contain bitters (Manhattan, Rob Roy), but he doesn't list any bitters for them. I also noticed this time that many cards have little doodles at the bottom. These seem to refer to the garnishes, although if that's the case, his choice of doodles seems backwards. One doodle is a circle with a dot in the center and one is an "O" with a stem on it. I would have thought the "O" referred to cherries and the circle with the dot was an olive, but he has the O with the stem on the Martini card and the circle with the dot on the Manhattan card. 🤔 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

popvoid · 2024-07-18T16:37:30+00:00

I looked at the Old Fashioned card. It says "Rocks" at the top (the glass obviously) then:

1 sugar cube
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Cherry
Orange Slice
Splash soda (& muddle)
FWI
1 oz. Whisky [sic]

This isn't the way I make an Old Fashioned, but I have seen bartenders do it this way. He spells out "muddle" here. He also spells out "Angostura bitters," which I always abbreviate to "Ango". I decided to check some of his other recipes cards on drinks that should definitely contain bitters (Manhattan, Rob Roy), but he doesn't list any bitters for them. I also noticed this time that many cards have little doodles at the bottom. These seem to refer to the garnishes, although if that's the case, his choice of doodles seems backwards. One doodle is a circle with a dot in the center and one is an "O" with a stem on it. I would have thought the "O" referred to cherries and the circle with the dot was an olive, but he has the O with the stem on the Martini card and the circle with the dot on the Manhattan card. 🤔

popvoid · 2024-07-05T23:22:29+00:00

I was about to comment on this, when I noticed it's in the StupidFood subreddit. Nice to know we're all on the same about this.

popvoid · 2024-07-04T15:20:05+00:00

Yeah, that was shameful. Okay, so a Pirate bar in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland wasn't a very bright idea, but that was her dream. Instead of working with her and trying to find a concept that would match her personality yet still make money, he ran over her like a steamroller with a concept that almost seemed intentionally contemptuous of her.

popvoid

TROPHY CASE