alanamoana

i don't think there's necessarily a learning curve. he's given (or through common sense knows) the general guidelines for star ratings and he begins to rate the restaurants the way he feels they should be rated. no collateral damage, etc. to reiterate, this is a SUBJECTIVE post he has accepted. we as the reader have as much input in reading his reviews and deciding what we want to accept or reject based on our knowledge of the restaurant scene, etc. so i guess this thread is as much advice to the new critic as it is advice to the readers of the new york times.

nowadays they have these silicone coated whisks...they have them here in nyc at zabars...maybe that will help? that is a great deduction as i was baffled when wendy said she used a glass bowl. p.s. wendy, i feel the same way about the metallic flavor. for a long time, i felt that lemon curd tasted like turkey drippings (don't ask, it doesn't taste like that anymore to me). i wonder if it is hormonal (that's only a small joke).

well, they were aiming for two stars from the get-go. they got excited by the three star review of spice market...thinking, hey maybe we have a chance at three stars! she gave them two stars which isn't bad at all and probably what they deserve. laurent is in control of the desserts. they are all "his" recipes and everything that goes on the menu goes through him first. but, he is the first person to give credit to the pastry chef when it comes to press, etc. so, if amanda hesser called to fact check, then laurent would certainly give credit to johnny who worked for him before at cello.

regardless of having zest to strain out of your curd, you shouldn't skip the straining step...and through a chinois, something with a fine mesh. egg coagulation is not the most even thing and you're bound to have some bumps and chunks. so, unless you're making curd using the french method of burr mixing the butter in at the end for a full five minutes, i would recommend straining it. when i worked for my first boss, it was a thomas keller-esque experience (i had yet to read interviews with him and realize this in hindsight); nothing left the pastry kitchen without having been through a chinois at least once! i'm sure that's the case in most kitchens today. it's just a good habit when there are egg shells, zest, other things involved. fortunately, in a restaurant we have dishwashers...

that's only 2 tablespoons to 10 cups of flour...not too much baking powder in my opinion. i have a biscuit recipe (granted, biscuits are meant to rise more than cookies), that calls for 4 tablespoons of baking powder to 5 cups of flour. yeah, give it a try. i wish it stood for "browned butter" just like bacon, everything's better with a little browned butter, b.b. affectionately.

i ate there a couple of years ago when ron siegel was still the chef and reeling from his iron chef win. the japanese tourists were flocking to the place! we ate at the bar and received great service. although we only ordered some appetizers and desserts, we were served an amuse and were treated well, as if we were dining in the dining room. since ron left to work at masa's, the chef is a woman who was ron's sous chef (i believe). she has gotten decent reviews. she's fairly young which is interesting because as stone posted, the crowd there is different (possibly meaning older) than other restaurants in sf. the space is interesting as it is in a residential building in a fairly quiet neighborhood (near grace cathedral/masonic hall on nob hill...statement of the obvious). the room is quiet and rather old school in decor, but not without some modicum of taste. pretty quiet ambiance. hope that helps a little.

the san francisco chronicle, at the end of each review has the categories listed like this: overall: three stars service: two and a half stars food: three stars atmposphere: two stars etc. it is still subjective, but it gives the reader a chance to see how the critic views the importance of each of these items and how they total up in their opinion. i think this is a relavent way to use the system. unlike other critics/reviewers in different genres (movies, books, theater, etc.) and specifically with regard to the new york times restaurant critic, people are more likely to take the stars to be rather objective definitions of the quality of the restaurant as opposed to subjective which is in reality what they are. as fat guy says, a three or four star rating means money in the bank to a restaurant owner. sometimes, a no star or a one star review can mean a complete shake-up of the restaurant (firing the chef, etc.) or even the restaurant closing due to lack of business.

invert sugar Invert sugar is created by combining a SUGAR SYRUP with a small amount of acid (such as CREAM OF TARTAR or lemon juice) and heating. This inverts, or breaks down, the SUCROSE into its two components, GLUCOSE and FRUCTOSE, thereby reducing the size of the sugar crystals. Because of its fine crystal structure, invert sugar produces a smoother product and is used in making candies such as fondant, and some syrups. The process of making jams and jellies automatically produces invert sugar by combining the natural acid in the fruit with granulated sugar and heating the mixture. Invert sugar can usually be found in jars in cake-decorating supply shops. © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst this was taken from epicurious which took it from "the food lover's companion" am i allowed to cut and paste like this if i cite the reference? or should i just post a link?! i'm not too sharp on copyright infringement.

invert sugar would be products like: glucose corn syrup isomalt? etc. caster sugar can also mean "superfine" (granulated, but extra small), i think

sobaAddict70, you're right. my s.o. and i read the review and he (who isn't in the restaurant business) noticed the difference as well.

based on your argument, fat guy, is it really necessary to have a weekly review? how about cutting back to twice a month? this would be justified with your argument that "only a small percentage of people go to nice restaurants", thus with fewer people dining out (vs. seeing movies) + not very many interesting restaurants out there (locally) + fewer reviews = less money spent on critic/s' dining out. you could alternate the under $25 review and the regular restaurant review each week. the restaurant critics could share responsibility for reviews. that's why i think a system where you have two people independently eating at the restaurant and then co-operatively reviewing the restaurant might be the most balanced. you get to see two people make their arguments and justifications at the same time. it also takes away some of the "power" that people close to the industry feel the critics have, particularly when they've held the position for a long period of time. i'm just thinking that a system of checks and balances (i know, i know, that's what editors are for) might make for even more interesting and balanced reviews which still express the subjectivity of the subject matter. consistency is a good thing...but being consistently bad and off kilter isn't exactly desirable, is it?

definitely agree with bourdain on this one. although i used to live/work in san francisco and michael bauer seems to be mellowing out which just shows how subjective the reviews are. if i can look at them from a geographical and emotional distance and feel that he's fair and reasonably balanced, what the hell happened with all of my anger and hatred toward him when i was in sf?! i think the argument that mongo_jones is making relates particularly to the "average reader", that is someone who isn't directly related to the restaurant industry who knows all the gossip, names, etc. (someone not involved in eGullet ). the "average reader", namely friends of mine who aren't in the business and who go out to enjoy a meal on the town, can't make the judgement calls that we in the business can. not because they're stupid, but because it just isn't as close to them as it is to us. i've always questioned the logic as to why there has to be ONE reviewer for the restaurant reviews. is this a matter of budget? if they can have multiple critics for movies, books and such, why is it such a big deal with the restaurant critic? it would even, in my opinion, make for keeping the identity/ies secret even easier. as the observer pointed out, having these mulitple personalities critiquing (sp?) the movies, etc. makes it easier for the reader to adjust their assessment of the review based on the person who wrote the review. i think it just makes sense. it seems to me that the star system would be more balanced as well. if you have two or even three people reviewing restaurants, it would be unlikely you'd have huge discrepancies between restaurants. an idea i had years ago would be to have a "siskel and ebert" approach to the restaurant review or even a "he said, she said" review format. two people go eat at least twice, but separately and they compare and contrast their experiences at each restaurant. you could have a one thumb up and one thumb down, but they'd have to qualify their opinions in their review.

Hi Soba! As my achilles heel at the moment is baklava, I would be very interested in learning the whereabouts of Omonia otoh. How does it compare with Poseidon Bakery on 9th Ave. and 44th and 45th in Manhattan or the Oriental Bakery on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn? mascarpone i think omonia is off the broadway stop on the n or w (the never and the whenever, i affectionately call them). i don't know my directions, but if you get off the subway and walk on broadway toward steinway avenue, omonia is on the right hand side around 34th street?! i just walked by the other day. they supposedly made the wedding cake for "my big fat greek wedding", they have a poster in the window of the movie. i think this is the place you're talking about.

fitz of fitzgerald farms peaches. i used to buy peaches from him all the time. he's always trying to get people to eat the peaches to see how good they are. he'll also try to help with regard to choosing for acidity, sweetness, ripeness, etc. fun guy.

a true new york girl, doesn't drive . napa and sonoma are great, but they can constitute their own long weekend. you should strive to get the best in sf and berkeley as you won't have to do any real driving and can "bart" it between sf and berkeley. i'm jealous as i haven't been back to sf in about a year. i moved to new york and the "out of sight out of mind" mentality took full effect with regard to san francisco. when i went back last year though, i was reminded of what a great little city san francisco is and how much there is to see and do around the city (if you're willing to drive a bit). have a good time on your trip! let us know what you ate.

do the japanese actually spell it "shoe" cream? when i first read your post, i was a little put off as i was just reading how everyone thought the flavor could use a little push...i mean if you're infusing shoes in the cream...hehe "choux" meaning "cabbage"

be cautious with the gelatin! i have a recipe from the "time/life" series book on candy making. it sounds pretty similar to the french laundry one linked in tchorst's post... you can probably cut the gelatin in half (or at least reduce it a little). i made mine following the recipe to the letter and when they had set up, i had little super balls...you could barely bite into them without your teeth bouncing back and causing your jaw to dislocate when they're good though, homemade marshmallows are great! p.s. if you want the time/life recipe, i can pm it to you...i guess there are issues with copyright

although swan's is a great place for "history" (been around a long time, run by brothers, etc.)...it is rather over priced for what you get. you can get better crab - believe it or not - at fisherman's wharf, and cheaper. but you go to swan's for the "atmosphere" i guess... i lived across the street from swan's for a few years. merle: the wraps at truly mediterranean don't really have lettuce/tomato, etc. they have fried potato, creamy sauce, falafel, and some other stuff wrapped in lavosh and then grilled so it is warm. i think you can get them with meat as well. p.s. bond girl, i never ate ethiopian in san francisco...can't you get really good ethiopian in new york?!

i wish i had seen this thread a few weeks earlier...a good friend of mine took over his dad's restaurant "yoneda's family restaurant" or something like that. home style japanese food. from what i understand, very good quality. my friend did his externship at union pacific in nyc (before rocco became a joke). then worked in sf. he's a great cook/chef. but he wasn't making money, so he just sold the place. i think it is still open, but is being run by a korean family now.

truly mediterranean (16th? street) makes a great falafel type burrito thing which you can't get the likes of anywhere else...boy i miss those. and if you're in the mission, el farolito for a great burrito "al pastor" (barbequed pork).

i think it was in the post (but i could be wrong) but there are also plans in the works for a "BLT-Fish" in the old AZ space...(BLT-Steak is in the old Pazo space) both owned by the same person. i think it is a little bit of a play on words implying casualness, but blt-steak isn't really as casual as smith & wollensky or some of the other old school steakhouses in my opinion. and believe me, laurent is definitely a stickler for quality.

not to mention the fact that you probably tipped on the total amount which included the added $8...if you are like many people who tip the "accepted" amount regardless of service given, then you are getting ripped off on more than one count. it is really frustrating to receive bad service and then somehow being guilted into tipping a standard amount!

Larry Finn is the Executive Chef

you should definitely be following the cafe gray thread then ...ahhh, swiss men... yes, get a clearer idea of what he wants. seems to me when savory chefs want to make a sorbet or something like that for an intermezzo, they seem to think you can throw anything into a batch freezer and it will come out beautifully. rarely the case in real life. if you are using a paco jet, it would be more likely to work than in a regular ice cream freezer, but still iffy without another liquid. just watch the sugar.

i wouldn't increase the sugar as it also won't freeze. your best bet would be to introduce some other type of juice/water mixture as your base and use the alcohol as the main flavoring, but in small amounts. is this for a dessert or for an intermezzo/palate cleanser type of thing? sounds like the latter when i read the types of herbs/spices you're thinking of using. i think that makes a difference when asking for ideas for flavoring.