adegiulio

Ooh, I disagree with that. While I prefer prime to Wagyu, my opinion is that American Wagyu is indeed much more marbled than prime. For me, too much of a good thing (fat) makes Wagyu over the top. The only people I would trust to give me American Wagyu is Lobels. Check out their site at Lobels.. Call the bank first, you may need a second mortgage! By the way, they are located in NYC, if you are in the mood to make the trip...

Having not received any responses to this thread in a while, I decided to re-read it. While I saw this statement the first time through, a second reading highlighted it for me. While it is true, I did mention "profit" multiple times (twice), I'm not obsessed with it. I understand the business and all of its difficulties. And, of course there are the cliches about the restaurant business being the most failure ridden of all businesses. It's important to note, however, that my questions relate to financing, making the discussion of profits quite appropriate. More significant, though, is a principle an old baseball coach instilled in me...You have a better chance of winning if you believe you can. What's the point of opening a business if I don't truly believe I can make it a success? Again, thank you for your comments.

For recipes and techniques, Cooks Illustrated is definately a nice gift. For a more cultural view of food and society, check out Gastronomica. It is essay based, and you will have a tough time finding any recipes, but the articles are thought provoking and quite interesting.

Great post for a great thread. Thanks for both.

Well, the farm I am getting this years turkey from is not on the site. Nor is the old farm I used to get our turkeys from in NJ. But, it's still a cool tool. Hopefully some people will realize how much better a fresh local turkey is compared to those frozen factory turkeys... gobble gobble...

Thanks to everyone who responded. You make some excellent points and offer good advice. Sorry, can't let the cat out of the bag yet!

A-freakin-men...My sister and sister in law feed our nieces and nephews the same food over and over again. "It's all they will eat" I hear. I don't remember having that luxury as a child. I got stuck eating whatever mom and dad were eating, and I assure you, it wasnt mac-n-cheese or chicken nuggets. My one niece is so picky, I made her chicken nuggets once (at the instruction of her mom) and she wouldnt eat them. When I asked her what the problem was, she sobbed "These are different than the ones I get at school!" My brain hurts thinking about it... ← I agree. Just because you have to share five or six thousand meals with your kids is no reason to give them a say in what they're eating. Plus, I personally relish the opportunity to turn the too-few minutes we have around the table as a family into yet another power struggle with my children; school, dating, television, money and cleaning their damn bedrooms just don't provide enough opportunities for conflict. "You'll eat your mung beans and you'll like them!" I often find myself yelling across the table. "And put that napkin in your lap!" That'll teach the punks the joy of cooking. ← I hear what you are implying, however, there is a wide area between eating chicken nuggets everyday and forcing your kids to eat things they hate everyday. I don't think letting children dictate their nutritional needs is an area we should give up the fight. I think a bit of power struggle is in order to get children to eat more wholesome food. Maybe not mung beans, but would grilled chicken kill anyone? Brocolli? It need not be "parents have total control" or "kids have total control", but somewhere gently in between.

A-freakin-men...My sister and sister in law feed our nieces and nephews the same food over and over again. "It's all they will eat" I hear. I don't remember having that luxury as a child. I got stuck eating whatever mom and dad were eating, and I assure you, it wasnt mac-n-cheese or chicken nuggets. My one niece is so picky, I made her chicken nuggets once (at the instruction of her mom) and she wouldnt eat them. When I asked her what the problem was, she sobbed "These are different than the ones I get at school!" My brain hurts thinking about it...

Wait, so you're saying that it is possible to destroy the toxins produced by the bacteria? I have not heard that before. I thought the toxins were fairly safe from the effects of heat.

Yeah, I figured it was safe, just thought I would ask first...We gave the soup a good home.

I made some bean soup yesterday (beans, bacon, chicken stock, seasoning). I left it on the stove to cool a bit before sticking it in the fridge, but of course I forgot about it. It was covered. Is it still good to eat today?

We have a terrific idea for a restaurant in a nearby town. The location is perfect, the concept is proven, and we love the business. I have many years working in the business, but never got much of an education on the financial side of things. Thus, I have a bunch of questions dealing with the financial structure of a resto. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look for info regarding the following... 1) One contradiction I keep coming across is the one of self funding. I hear everyone saying "never start a restaurant with your own money". On the flip side, I hear people saying that nivestors and lenders want to see a personal financial stake in your business.. I personally want control, but don't mind giving up a portion of the profits. What is the right approach? 2) In choosing between lenders and investors, which is the common way to go. Both have pros and cons. I don't mind paying interest to a lender so that I can retain and build equity, but I am also not against paying a portion of profits to investors, so long as I retain control. Is there an "optimum" split between debt and equity? 3) With regards to a lease, how do I know that the price demanded by the landlord is considered fair? I can't just go to nearby restaurants and ask them (or can I). It seems like I would be laughed out of the place. Is this kind of information readily available? It's stuff like this that is weighing on me. If anyone has any suggestions (or any answers for that matter) please fill in the blanks in my brain. Thanks!

I just saw a video clip on the NY Times website about Press. It seems like a while since anyone has posted on it. Any new opinions/impressions?

A stamp on the bottom...As someone who owns both the real thing and knockoff, I can say without hesitation that the knockoff is just a good as the real thing. The only difference is that I can buy twice as much of the knockoffs as I can the real deal. ← My friend with the knock-off swears by them. He bought them in FL before he moved here and doesn't remember the brand-name or model. Is there a specific brand or are there several knock-off versions? Anyone know where to find them? Thank you again. Eric ← I just looked at mine. There are no markings or stamps on them. I bought mine (in all places) Quebec City. Honestly, I have not seen them in many places...

That's cast iron...quite brittle stuff. I've broken the small handles off of several terrines trying to remove pates.

I would hardly call my basement 'deplorable conditions'...

I have the KA attachment, but went out and bought a dedicated Waring meat grinder. I'm glad I did. I grind most of my own meats, and I find its just easier with the waring. It has a bigger hopper, bigger choice of dies and stuffers, and is all metal. As another poster put it, the stuffer on the KA is completely useless, but then I find the stuffer on the waring equally useless. If you plan on making sausage, I would invest in a sausage stuffer. Manual ones made by Dick from Germany seem to be the best. I love mine... For meatballs, I use chuck and pork shoulder. Everything should be extremely cold (including the grinder pieces). Brisket does sound like a nice idea, I am going to try that next...

A stamp on the bottom...As someone who owns both the real thing and knockoff, I can say without hesitation that the knockoff is just a good as the real thing. The only difference is that I can buy twice as much of the knockoffs as I can the real deal.

One way to get cheap LC is to join Direct Buy. You have probably seen the infomercials on TV. LC is about half the price there as compared to Amazon.com prices. Or just buy knockoffs like me...

I'm sorry, can you explain this? Is there a way to eat a twinkie that makes it "good"? I disagree quite strongly with your comment, but maybe I'm just not getting your intended meaning.

I bought some Le Crueset knockoff gratin dishes and such on a trip to Quebec City. They were beautiful cast iron and enamel, at less than half the price of the real thing in Canadian Dollars!!, and that stuff isn't even real money!! The point I'm making is that LC is ridiculously overpriced (though I admit to loving it and owning some). Seeing it discounted at Costco or any other store doesn't surprise me... Now, what is Costco Home??

And, at least in my experience, very long lasting. I can still taste this horrible stuff in the back of my mouth for 10-20 minutes after eating...

I'm sure there's some kind of joke or point here, I'm just not getting it..

Good question. I think it has to do with a combination of two factors. One, consumers haven't been educated about the differences between good ingredients and the mainstream ingredients they can find in the supermarket. Second, Americans have been brainwashed into thinking they are too busy to go to different stores to get those top quality ingredients. The convenience of shopping in one store fits into everyone's so-called "busy lifestyles"

We go all the time. Huge selection of knives, not to mention all kinds of professional cooking tools. They cater to CIA students, so they tend to the more functional, less gimicky tools. Though I don't bring my knives in for sharpening, I always hear them sharpening when I go in. The selection of knives is larger than pretty much anywhere else I have been. In addition to kitchen knives, they sell hunting knives, carving tools, decorative knives, pretty much everything. If you are up in the area, they are worth the trip for sure.