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That's some nauseating sales copy. I don't think I'd want tasting notes from a man who talks about "insanely bright" olive oil, or "game plans", come to that. What a cheeseball. In the linked discussion, someone commented that their olive oil, picked up on a trip to Tuscany, was better. It's certainly worth looking into ordering direct from producer countries. That's how I've been getting it. The stuff I bought is FedExed, so it only takes 3 days to arrive in Japan from Italy, it's about 110 euros for 6 litres, shipping included, and the quality is fantastic. It's from Abruzzo, not Tuscany, but I can slum it. ← I'm the one who wrote about the Tuscan oil; I've written to the producer (Fattoria del Cerro), but it doesn't look like they ship to the US. It was only about 12 euros over there and the reason I bought it was that it was available directly from the producer and labeled DOP, which I hoped would indicate a better oil. Would you mind sharing the name of the oil you get from Abruzzo? If I knew of reliable places to order direct from, I'd be happy to try them.

We received a subscription as a gift. Got several small bottles of nice olive oils. Most were very fresh and mild, I like mine a little heartier. They all seemed similar to me, nice, but not much variety between the different ones, I guess Rosengarten likes light olive oil. Not sure what it costs, so can't comment on the value. ← I've gotten several shipments of these oils and I've finally decided to cancel (which I should have done a while ago). I was hoping for oils as amazing as the one we brought back from Tuscany a few years ago, but I've been disappointed. Overpriced and, like you said, very light. I'm looking for a more robust olive oil. They are very fresh, though, which is more than can be said for most of the oil I can find locally at Surfas and Williams-Sonoma. Often the harvest year isn't labelled and when it is I usually find it to be two years old. I noticed that Zingerman's has a wide range of oils. Anyone tried these?

Our house was built in 2000 and our only choice was GE products so we upgraded to stainless steel GE Profile, except for the microwave and wine fridge, which are both Monogram. We have a GE Profile refrigerator, 5-burner gas cooktop, double ovens (one convection) and dishwasher. I haven't had any problems except for the water line in the fridge drying out and cracking. Replaced for approx. $70. No big deal. I have heard others in our neighborhood complain about the ovens giving an error reading, which can be expensive to repair. I use our ovens a lot and have had no issues. The maximum output burner on the stovetop boils water fairly quickly. One annoyance I have is that our model didn't come with the continuous grates (we have 5 separate round grates), but it looks like continuous grates are more standard now. I've had a small problem keeping the grates looking like new (I'm kind of anal, I know), as they tend to dull over time with repeated cleanings. Overall, I'm pretty happy with what we've got, although I'm a little envious when looking at higher-end appliances.

We ate at Ding Tai Fung (Arcadia) once and my SO also said that it wasn't as good as the one in Taiwan. I read somewhere that the owner even admits the quality differential and blames the pork that is available in the US. Taiwan pork is apparently more fatty and flavorful than most of what we have here, which isn't surprising.

I received a positive reply on November 17.

For what it's worth, I sent an email at noon PDT last year on Oct. 13 and got a reservation.

Interesting that you say this. I usually reduce the sugar a wee bit when I use her recipes and have enjoyed the results very much. I bought several jars of Ferber's in Paris last year and I found them too sweet and, if I may say so, not as good as my results.

We just got back from a visit to Boston. I really enjoyed No. 9 Park; make sure to try the cocktails. One thing I'd do differently: 7 course tasting instead of the 9 course. The additional foie gras dish was disappointing and I love foie. Standout dish was the raw hamachi with aged soy (eye-opener, unlike any soy I've tasted, added a smoky quality to the dish), sesame oil, olive oil, and lime. Didn't care for B&G Oysters that much. Lobster roll wasn't my style. I've determined I prefer some mayo and added flavor components, along with a toasted bun. I guess I just don't like the naked taste of lobster all that much. Cannoli from Modern Pastry in the North End ~ preferred it over Mike's as it had more of a fresh ricotta flavor. Best cannoli I've had. I can't believe I didn't eat these more when I lived in Boston. Next time I'll have to try Maria's.

I'd love to watch this, but it's not showing up on local listings in the LA area. I'm wondering if it's possible it hasn't been picked up here.

Um, yeah, I'm totally serious. My mom never bought it while I was growing up and I've never been offered it before. Looks like I'll try seeking it out locally. It seems to be similar to a pate.

I've heard this a lot and I wish I'd known about it years ago. My mom had a KA mixer from the early '70s in an avocado color that serviced us well when I was growing up. I used it in college, but gave it back to her (as I thought the color atrocious at the time) and bought a new one in 1999. Mom bought a new black one as well and donated the avocado one. I'm now guessing that the old one was manufactured by Hobart and probably a better machine than the new ones. Sigh. My Ultra Power 300W has done pretty well, but it does "walk" across the counter when kneading pizza dough. I recently bought one of the professional 600W machines but haven't used it yet.

I believe I saw pork belly the last time I was at the 99 Ranch.

Re the lobster At our meal at Per Se in June, we had a side-by-side comparison of the Nova Scotia lobster cuit sous vide (on the menu) v. butter poached as one of us requested the latter be substituted. No contest: the butter poached won hands-down with the cuit sous vide version being much more tough.

We had dinner in the Bar on September 19. Here are some of my impressions on what we had: Tarte Flambee: pretty good. Frankly, I would have liked it a lot more if I weren't comparing it to.... Trader Joe's Tarte D'Alsace. Seriously, the latter is more flavorful than the version at the Modern with a better crust. At least I think so. And it's only $3.99. We even told our waiter about it, although I'm sure he was smirking to himself. Liverwurst: excellent! I'd never tasted liverwurst before, but ordered it due to the recommendations here. I'd love to be able to make this at home, since I doubt store-bought liverwurst will be as good. Any recommended recipes? Wild Mushroom Soup: another winner. A lighter version of others I've tried but with an intense mushroom flavor. Sorrel Soup: a bit of a disappointment. Given some of the raves here, I was expecting more. Came across a little dull to me and certainly paled compared to the mushroom soup. Charred Octopus: another disappointment. At this point, I can't remember much about it, except it just didn't do anything for me and I left most of it uneaten. Sirloin au Poivre with spaetzle: a standout dish. Maybe I haven't been getting enough beef lately, but this dish really hit the spot for 2 of us. Perfectly cooked. The spaetzle (which appeared to be fried in butter until a bit crispy and nicely salted) elevated the dish even more.

From what I recall, they're not the same thing at all. In fact, I seem to remember reading somewhere that, in England, they peel back the husk and dip the "cherry" into fondant so that it looks like a little winged bon bon. Ah, here is some info, with a reference to the fondant-dipping. ETA: they ARE related, but the ground cherry is sweeter.

They carry whole bags of candied violets? I've been to NY twice in the last three months, each time promising myself I'd get to Kalustyans, and never made it there. Your pictures have convinced me that it's a must-do next time! I love the pictures of your kitchen remodel ~ the clean white tiles, the color of the wood cabinets... it looks great.

We at at TFL in April 05 and at Per Se this past June. My general impressions comparing the two restaurants are that I much preferred the setting (town, building, decor, etc.) at TFL while slightly enjoying the food more at Per Se. A few more misses at TFL, which might simply be due to what was on the menu that night. For instance, the salmon dish at TFL was a bit mushy and quite flavorless. I didn't have any similar issues at Per Se with the added bonus of the cheese and dessert courses being much more memorable. That being said, I found the wines selected by the sommelier at Per Se a disappointment compared to those we sampled at TFL. Of particular note at TFL was the house label Cabernet, "Modicum", made at Harlan Estate. Perhaps not a fair comparison and worth noting that it is not available at Per Se.

What time were you there? I stayed away from the cheese course, because I anticipated eating well again that night (which I did) and somehow missed the chamomile chocolate. Oh well, more reasons to return. ← Reservation was at noon, but we were there for quite a while (until Usher -- I believe -- showed up ). Ah, I see now that your reservation was at 2:15, so we most likely missed each other.

Doc: great report! We had lunch last Wednesday at JG, as well. I had wanted to try the charred corn ravioli, but didn't... sounds like I should have. Both my foie gras with fig jam and garlic soup with frog's legs were quite delicious, though. One note on the chocolates: the chamomile one was an eye-opener for me, as I'd never tried that combination before. It really brought out something in the chamomile. The cheese course was beautifully presented with dabs of bright jelly (can't remember what kind) separating the cheeses and walnuts lined down one side of the plate. I've really enjoyed my lunches at JG and look forward to another the next time I'm in NYC.

Two more: The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle by Kate Zuckerman Publisher's Weekly's review has me intrigued: The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa by Marcus Samuelsson From Booklist

I kept thinking I should hold off and see whether this is published in the US rather than shipping it from the UK, but I couldn't wait. It's on its way and I hope it turns out as beautiful as the previews lead me to believe it is.

My favorites are melomakorona (semolina cookies flavored with orange, cinnamon and clove and dipped in honey syrup and sprinkled with walnuts), kourabiethes (almond shortbread cookies covered in powdered sugar) and karythopita (walnut cake soaked in syrup).

Ummm... I love Roscoe's. I agree the cornbread is boring. The greens are really good, though. I even enjoy their fake maple syrup though I usually stay away from the stuff. The filling in the Europane macaron looks tasty. One of my favorite macarons is the pistachio from Bouchon Bakery. Pure, unadulterated pistachio flavor. Boule has some good rotating flavors like pumpkin... they seem a bit too gooey to me, though. The passion fruit eclair I bought at Boule last weekend was disappointing -- the choux was too soft and bready. Glad you liked your boysenberry pie. Great report so far!

This should be one hell of a trip report!

Was there a difference in flavor and/or texture when made with the lemon juice v. citric acid? I'm thinking about making ricotta for the first time to use in cannoli, but I don't know whether to go the citric acid or lemon juice route. I read that buttermilk and vinegar don't work as well. This ricotta mousse at Lucullian Delights looks really good.