markabauman

We also will be travelling to Seattle, however, in mid-May for a wedding. Will be there almost a week. My first time back in Seattle in over 25 years, and her first trip there ever. Thanks for all the great suggestions already. We are particularly interested in seafood, of course. We don't eat red meat. Asian, Northwest, Pacific Rim, Pan-Asian suggestions also appreciated. I won't say that price is no object, but we can swing some higher end places as well. Thanks!

Say Wat? Hue To Go (take out) Out To Pasteur Nguyen In Rome (Viet/Ital fusion) PhoGeddaboutit (only in Brooklyn)

Here's the link to an article about "Goats do Roam". The French, alas, are not amused.: http://www.decanter.com/news/47909.html

Check out Jasper White's cookbook "Lobster at Home"

The restaurant was Le Bernadin. Normally, I'd do the same

We had the opportunity this past weekend to dine at one of New York's 4-star restaurants. When I presented my credit card and received the form to be signed, rather than just where you fill in "Tip", it had separate lines for "Tip" as well as a second, separate line for "Captain's Tip". We certainly had a significant number of people serving us that evening- I lost count. The captain, of course, did much of the consulting with menu choices, overseeing, etc. However, since this was our first experience in a restaurant of this caliber in New York, I was a little uncertain as to what, if any, customary breakdown, division, etc. of gratuity is given between general staff tip and for the captain specifically. We have dined in other (not many) restaurants of near this level in other cities, but don't recall seeing this on the credit slip before. Any advice greatly appreciated from those more accustomed to dining in such places.

On the nightstand: "Feeding a Yen"- Calvin Trillin; "Cooking by Hand"- Paul Bertolli; "Best Food Writing-2003; Bistro Cooking at Home-Gordon Hamersley; Zingerman's Guide; "Rustico-Micol Negrin.

If you look at the dedication in the beginning of "Letters to A Young Chef", Daniel Boulud refers to Alex Lee in terms of the dates (not sure of the beginning, don't have the book in front of me) -2003. Sounds like past tense.

Besides all of the above, I like to grill thicker slices of fennel along with other vegetables for an antipasto-drizzled with evoo and shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Found some blood orange vinegar at Salumeria Italiana in Boston's North End- I mix it along with some of the blood orange juice for the dressing for the shaved fennel-black olive-blood orange salad. Don't forget to reserve and chop some of the fennel fronds as a garnish.

I recently acquired some fig preserves from Italy. Besides the obvious-spread it on some toasted bread- does anyone have some suggestions for its use? The first thing I did with it was spread it on some crostini with some chevre and topped it with some toasted chopped walnuts-a drizzle of Italian acacia honey. Yum. Any other ideas?

I will also be going to Rochester next month for a conference. Any info on Mario's Via Abruzzi or Rio Bamba? For what it's worth, both Wine Spectator awards restaurants.

Quite often add a pinch of lavender when brewing tea. Saw a chef add some lavender when making parmesan crisps/tuiles/frico- added a nice savory touch.

Very much agree with all of docsconz' recommendations. May I add: 1. Eartha's in Saratoga Springs. Max London is a very creative, exciting young chef. 2. Cafe Capriccio in Albany. Many Tuscan specialties, with some Sicilian additions. However, I feel both could use a little help with their wine lists. Purveyor: Mantis Farm- wonderful organic veggies. Stillwater, NY. Sells through the Saratoga & Troy farmers' markets.

Sometimes I use one of my cast iron skillets to hold down and press panini which I grill in a ridged grill pan, or use to press chicken ("pollo alla mattone") on the grill

Will sometimes shred or use a Benriner "green machine" to create strands of horseradish along with a potato to encase a fish fillet, then saute.

First trip to New Orleans this October. Got some restaurant recommendations from some New Orleans natives and self-proclaimed foodies (I get the feeling that everyone there considers themselves experts). They recommended the following-some of which were not mentioned above)-any comments?: -Upperline -Peristyle (a top pick) -Brigtsen's -August -Dick & Jenny's -Gabrielle -they generally didn't care for Emeril's places, but did suggest Delmonico (I'm still skeptical) -simple places-Uglesich's, Mandich, Elizabeth's, Camellia Grill, Bluebird. Domilise's for po-boys. Any place other than Acme for fresh oysters? Anybody been to Casamento? Any comments, criticisms, suggestions greatly appreciated.

I recently came across some smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton). Anyone have any suggestions how to use it? I assume in paella. Other dishes?

I have not eaten at Babbo; just recently read the Babbo cookbook which I have since returned to the library. I believe even Mario himself in the introduction has a disclaimer stating that Babbo is not truly authentic, whatever that means. I believe he stated that the cuisine is authentically-based with emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients as close as possible to what one could find in Italy, based on authentic Italian dishes but with his interpretative twist. So even though Mario might be the most "authentic", maybe he realizes what Fat Guy is stating about Italian food not traveling well away from place/ingredients and that his statement is actually a very honest one.

We will be visiting NYC in a couple of months and are planning to dine for the first time at Jean-Georges. Scheduling may dictate having lunch rather than dinner this time. Could someone comment on lunch there versus dinner? Thanks

Some observations-one of the reasons (among many others) that keeps us upstate New Yorkers returning every summer to Cape May, NJ is the plethora of good restaurants that happen to be BYOB's. Many of the wines we bring may not be available in restaurants (not necessarily costly wines) and wines of equivalent quality would be more than I would probably be willing to pay for in a restaurant. We usually bring both red and white wines, therefore we don't have to order invididual glasses of wine or choose one "color" and possibly limit our menu choices (despite my contention of pinot noir with everything). We possibly actually wind up spending more on food and being more adventurous, since the perception is that we are saving money on the wine side. So everyone wins.

I don't know if your friend has left already; we go to Cape May every year- a favorite dinner is takeout from the Lobster House fish market, a bottle of champagne, al fresco on the beach. There's the usual upscale places- 410 Bank, Frescoes, Union Park, Daniel's, Ebbitt Room, etc., but for much less money try Tisha's on the boardwalk overlooking the ocean, or Louisa's in town.

I wanted to relate a dining experience recently during a trip to Chicago. I know the discussion pertains to New York, but this was related to solo dining. I made a reservation at Topolobampo, upscale Mexican, for one. They indicated no problem for one. As it turned out, plans changed and I dined with an associate that night. Out of curiousity, I asked whether or not I'd have been seated at the same table for one as two and they indicated (if you could believe them, which I did), that the reservation was for a specific table, regardless of number of diners. Had the tasting menu with wine, which was excellent, by the way. Granted this was not prime time Saturday night, but it appears some places are solo-friendly

Had an interesting experience recently while visiting Chicago, although the principle could apply to NYC. Friend and I dined at Rick Bayless' Topolobampo, "haute cuisine Mexican". They have a tasting menu (with optional wine pairings for each course) that changes daily. I was looking forward to trying the tasting menu (as I would in most restaurants that offer them)-there's an interesting discussion of same in the book "Culinary Artistry". However, when I heard the evening's selections, I had a slight problem-one of the dishes was a pork dish and I don't eat beef, veal or pork. I respectfully asked the server if a substitution could be made based on my dietary limitations, since I didn't want to contravene the whole concept of what the chef wants to give you, not what you are chosing. He returned shortly and said there would be no problem if he could subsitute another dish as long as both of us made the switch, which my friend was happy to do. We had a fabulous duck dish in instead. Everyone was happy. I wouldn't have made a fuss or been resistant if the chef didn't want to make a change. As long as the diner and the establishment are courteous and reasonable, it can work out.

I've added an extra yolk but also sometimes have added a little saffron to the mix, especially when not using a red or white sauce, e.g. just dressing the pasta with olive oil and perhaps some green veg like peas. Color really stands out.

You didn't mention what type(s) of flour you are using to make the pasta. Lots of people just use regular, unbleached flour with eggs. I think this type of pasta looks a little more white when cooked. I tend to use a blend of fine durum semolina( which is yellow) with white flour (I like to use Italian "00"-under the DelVerde name-found in better Italian food markets), but regular flour is fine, as well. This tends to cook up a little more yellowish- if this is what you're looking for.