JennyUptown

I *LOVE* Rumba! Can't wait for that post.

Do you have the address/phone number?

Perhaps I am just not meant to cook with potatoes... Last night, using the expert advice shared in the mashed potatoes thread, I attempted to make some of my own. Big fat bust. I'm sticking to rice.

Is this menu online anywhere?

I grew up in a family that really, really liked buffets of all varieties so now I tend to shun them (short of the quality ones in Vegas). I still have flashbacks about the salad bar at our local Ponderosa. *shudder* That said, the best buffet ever is at the Paris casino in Vegas. We were too hungover to make it in time for breakfast (which I hear is amazing), but lunch was good. I ate at least four desserts including two helpings of bananas foster.

I second this. Had it Saturday night. Perfectly crisped skin and the cabbage was delicious. Thanks John! When I was there (also Saturday so I got to meet both JohnW and Al_Dente) I had the pork tenderloin. OH MY. So good. I also tasted my first oyster. If it hadn't been fried, I don't know if I would have taken the plunge (for, as some of you know, I'm not a seafood eater), but it was ok. I neither loved nor disliked it - come from me, that's pretty good. Other highlights: egg drop soup (yum!), Spanish cosmos to drink and chocolate bread pudding. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality and food, John!

There were at least three of them that I can vouch for. Add one more. How embarassing...

Anticipation... Birthday dinner (Mom's, not mine) at Firefly tomorrow night... Yum.

One star. That's so perfect. There are so many other good spots in the 'hood that I'm glad I haven't bothered.

Show us your piece, Chris. Pretty please?

And Baryshnikov too. *sigh*

For those of us who are not up to the Minibar challenge... What are the Don't Miss dishes at Cafe Atlantico?

Ha! The Flirtini. Wasn't that from the episode where Samantha moved into the meat-packing district and eventually made friends with the tranny hookers on her block? I'm really going to miss that show.

OH. MY. I couldn't help but think of the McDonald's documentary as I read your post. Glad you lived to tell the tale, babyluck!

A [crazy] friend went to Palette on Valentine's Day. I couldn't get much out of her beyond "it was ok." Have any egullet types checked it out?

I'm trying to think of places to get burgers near Metro Center. So far, I have come up with: ESPN Zone (bad, very bad) Fuddruckers Matchbox (minis and full size) Ruby Tuesday Hard Rock (blah) Where else?

Puree 'em, perhaps with some raisins, and use the mixture to stuff a pork tenderloin.

Argh...clumping happened again last night in spite of your helpful tip to remove the pot from the heat when adding the cheese [gradually, not in a big dump]. After I add the cheese, am I supposed to return the pot to the heat at some point or do I just stir until it's incorporated. Even better, do any of you have a really descriptive, step-by-step receipe for alfredo sauce?

Neither. I stopped drinking colas as a teenager (but to that point, I was a Coke girl all the way). The end of my cola-drinking was a function of having mono and the doctor swearing cola would make me feel better. I drank a lot of it, I guess, and an association between cola and illness was made. Now I just can't drink the stuff - it doesn't quench my thirst or anything and the taste is just...eh. I do like the occasional Sprite.

Even I wouldn't eat that (and I love Tang).

That good, huh? How was everyone else's V-Day? For those of you who went out for dinner (or lunch), where did you go? Give us the rundown.

I've always liked Trattoria Trecolori on W 45th Street. Italian, very reasonably priced.

So...what should I do with all of these leftover yukon golds? I had to buy a five lb bag. I now know that they are not the best choice for soup.

Fortunately, I resisted the urge to dump the whole darn pot of soup and am in the process of trying jackal's recommendation. Thanks to all for taking the time to share ideas!

*sigh* I'm trying to cook, but it's not going very well at the moment. eGullet has aided this process (a ton), especially with respect to helping me avoid some rookie mistakes. Alas, I didn't ask for help BEFORE I started cooking this potato soup. Such a shame. The gloppy stuff is still simmering away, but I don't hold out much help for it being edible. It looks kind of gluey, more glutinous than any soup I've ever eaten in a restaurant, that's for sure. And no matter how much salt I add, it still tastes so bland. I think my first mistake was in the type of potatoes I used. The recipe was not specific (I find that to be a problem with about 25% of the recipes I try from that site to which I linked above) so I made my best guess at the grocery store, choosing a bag of Yukon gold potatoes that noted "good for cooking" on the bag, a phrase that made me laugh. I don't know what other people do with potatoes beyond cooking and I'm happy that way. Otherwise, I was confused by the recipe. The way it reads, you simmer for an hour or so, then add chopped baked potatoes and - seemingly - serve. But that doesn't work, of course, so I added the baked potato chunks sooner. Blah, I'm bummed. I enjoyed the process so much - peeling potatoes, chopping onions, using my food processor (new to me), etc. - so I'm sad that it isn't going to end up in a delicious soup. Any thoughts on other soup pitfalls to avoid? Maybe a better potato soup recipe you can recommend? Thanks all. J