mikeycook

The worse coffee I have ever had was in a restaurant chain called "Silver Spurs" in New York City. It is a chain of diners meant to emulate the fifties and their coffee is terrible. I am a true coffee junkie and whenever we go back, I am tempted to try again. I am always sorry I did.

It sounds like you are the right person to ask a related question. I bought an old (1820s?), large copper sauce pan (actually I think it is a fireplace pot) and it was made in the older style of fusing two pieces of copper together (the bottom is one piece and the sides are another piece.) While cleaning it out, it became obvious it had been repaired (some kind of putty? in the bottom) and when I removed some of the repair material (it was falling out anyway), it became clear that the pot now leaks. Is this something I can repair myself? What should I use? Should I fill the gap with tin or something else? I will need to retin it anyway and may choose the self-help option you describe. Any thoughts? I have been told I might not want to repair it if I feel it has more antique value, but I have little value in copper I can't use.

From everything I have read, the chemicals used in copper retinning are not the type of thing you want to play around with. I live in New York and had some pots tinned by a place in Newark, NJ (that used to be in New York). It took me several months (4) to get the pots back, so this time I am going to try Fantes in Philadelphia or Metal Man in Westchester County, NY. At one point I found a list of other places online (I know there is a place in Denver, Rocky Mountain Retinning, as well), but I can't seem to find it right now. I will keep looking.

I know Charlie Trotter's has had one for a while, but I have never sat there. They seem to have a separate menu for it. Kitchen Table Kitchen Table Menu

Surprisingly untouristy?!?! You must be joking! This establishment wins top prize for the most touristy restaurant in Paris! Have you actually been there?!? Although I admit much of this is my fault, being responsable for sending them more clients than about anyone else in Paris, in a very consistent manner! [edit: removed extraneous code --bux] Yes, in fact I was there in July. Of course, the Eiffel Tower is touristy (if your point is that it is the most touristy because of where it is, I can't argue with that) and, yes, you can look down from near the elevator and see those who are headed to the observation deck, but I was expecting something other than a top quality meal (ok, Lucas Carton and Pierre Gagnaire it is not, but then again it is more in line with U.S. expensive than Paris expensive.) We had the tasting menu and I was surprised how good it was. I will grant you that the ride up the private elevator is a bit touristy, but I found it surprisingly not so when we actually got into the restaurant. And it was pretty quiet and a good place for conversation (I went with my wife and mother-in-law). I would not recommend it as the first place to go if you are a dedicated foodie, but it offers a lot in terms of spectacle, view, and the food is solid. Seeing darkness fall over Paris was one of the best experiences I have had in my dozen or so trips. Particularly for someone who has never been to Paris or only been once, I would recommend it (unless they suffer vertigo or fear of heights.) Now, perhaps my preconception of the place was even worse than it should have been (I was sort of picturing the scene at the Eiffel Tower in Nat'l Lampoon's European Vacation, replete with french flags in the food). It sounds like you have recommended them extensively in the past. Have you had a falling out? What is it about it that you would now not recommend? I will also admit it will test the bounds of your stated budget.

Jules Verne, the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower (123m up), is open on Sundays, has one Michelin star, is surprisingly un-touristy, and has an unbeatable view (even for someone who has been a number of times, seeing the sun set over Paris is a great experience). It will probably meet your price limit per person, but is not expensive by Paris standards (certainly not for restaurants with Michelin stars.)

The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence by Georgette Brennan provide a recipe for Le Grand Aioli that contains (apart from the Aioli): Boiling Potatoes Carrots Beets Young, Tender Green Beans Eggs Salt Cod The salt cold is poached. Everything else boiled. The vegetables, eggs, and salt cod are served on individual platters and the Aioli in several bowls.

How about vanilla? I've had excellent savory vanilla dishes.

I have seen a technique where several empty pans are heated and the liquid is transferred between each one, causing a rapid reduction. I have heard this works, but have only done it with a couple of pans (harder to accomplish in a home kitchen). Can anyone verify this?

I thought I heard they were making a movie bio of his life. Does anyone know about this? I saw this brief mention in a column at Powell Books by Tim Sandlin: The last three projects I worked on, before breaking back for fiction, were bio-pics of Gorgeous George, Ron Popeil, and Brian Zembic. Ron Popeil bills himself as the "World's Greatest Salesman" and I believe him. He has created hundreds of products, from Veg-O-matic to the Pocket Fisherman to that black stuff you spray on your head to fool people into thinking you have hair. He invented the infomercial. Local TV wouldn't exist between two and six a.m. if it weren't for Ron."

My first cookbook was Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Cookbook:Favorite Recipes from Mickey and His Friends. It is still at my parents' house. After that I played around with my mother's Joy of Cooking, then finally got my first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I, which I still have and use a lot.

Hmmm... I'm not sure I'm entirely convinced of that, but I can accept that it's a possibility. I'll have to do some reading before I am totally convinced. That said, I don't have a hard time believing that pounded garlic/oil sauces were made before egg/oil sauces. As to whether or not mayonnaise was derrived or evolved from these sauces... I don't know. If it helps add any texture to the debate, another Casas book, Delicioso!, refers to Allioli... "Alioli (allioli in Catalan), a garlic mayonnaise which most likely originated with the Romans..." Not sure of the accepted origin of mayonnaise, but this might shed some light on the pounded garlic/oil sauces vs. egg/oil sauces timeline.

Is Allioli native to Catalan? Penelope Casas' The Food and Wine of Spain lists its version with egg. I had assumed the lack of egg in some areas was to increase shelf-life. Do most Spaniards leave out the egg in theirs or only those in Catalan (I know, I know... Catalan is not Spain )?

I think you answered my question when you mentioned the Dijon mustard. I have seen it in a few other recipes, but not in the ones I've used. I have also seen a lot of other "Aiolis" referred to that may be mayonnaises, but don't seem to hold to the strict definition of Aioli. I have seen "Rosemary Aioli", which includes rosemary and parmesan cheese, seafood Aioli, which includes lobster stock, and chipotle aioli, which includes not only chipotle sauce, but sour cream as well. Do these really qualify as Aioli?

I recently made Penelope Casas' recipe for Alioli in The Food and Wine of Spain (as part of the Broiled Rabbit with Alioli recipe) and had a couple of questions: 1. In the recipe for Broiled Rabbit with Alioli, she says you should make the Alioli ahead of time and leave it at room temperature. I sealed my Alioli with plastic wrap and let it sit for a couple of hours, but doing so went against everything I thought about making mayonnaise. Is it really safe to let Alioli sit out at room temperature? For how long? Does the amount of garlic make Alioli more forgiving (in terms of going bad) that a homemade mayonnaise? 2. I have made Alioli with a whole egg and with egg yolk only. As I was making it, the version with whole egg seemed to have a different consistency (creamier/frothier), but once all the oil was added, it seemed almost identical. It also seemed to be more resistant to breaking down (because of the whites?) I have also seen Alioli/Aioli products for sale that contain no egg (similar, I assume, to mayonnaise that is made without egg.) How do people feel about the adding of egg (whole, yolk only, none). 3. Does anyone have anything else they add to their Alioli other than garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, oil, and egg? (I happen to use 100% olive oil in mine despite suggestions of using half canola or other tasteless oil.)

Went to the market in Union Square on Saturday and got a number of nice things to make two meals. Sunday (Brunch for 6): Made a gruyere souffle (my first cheese souffle) and served it with english bangers (from the farmer's market) and duck bacon. Got a couple of fresh canteloupe as well. Also, fresh baked baguette and croissants from the local boulangerie, served with butter from Ronnybrook farms (also used their milk and butter in the souffle.) Monday (Dinner for 2): Broiled Rabbit with Alioli (Penelope Casas recipe from The Food and Wine of Spain) - Rabbit was at the farmer's market (same guy I bought the bangers from.) Haricot Verts w/Chanterelle Mushroom Heirloom tomatoes (also from the farmer's market) with just a little salt The rabbit was delicious, particularly with the Alioli. I seemed like a long time to cook the rabbit pieces (10min each side in broiler, then 15min in 450 deg oven), but was perfect. Have a lot of Alioli left over. May use it on the some fish in the next day or so.

Be careful. I used to actively take wine and check it as baggage (wrapped in bubble or clothing or both), but on a particularly turbulent flight had one of the bottles break in my luggage. You never know what state your baggage is in the baggage hold (or how much may been stacked on it) and you never know how it is going to be treated by handlers. If you decide to, make sure anything that is packed in the suitcase will not be damaged by wine (which essentially rules out clothing.) I recommend buying one of the six-bottle carriers that Wine Enthusiast sells and using it as a carry-on (unless you are carrying pottery or glass, most other things should be able to go in your luggage. If you don't fill the carrier, put other things in it (great for food or other beverages you might bring.)

Paula Wolfert has some good bits on cassoulet in The Cooking of South-West France, including a search for the best cassoulets in the Southwest. She includes at least two recipes, one for a toulouse variety, and, my personal favorite, a version with fresh fava beans that was given to her by Andre Daguin (no lamb in this variety -- in some areas lamb is really frowned upon). If you want to really make your cassoulet from scratch, the Wolfert book includes recipes for various confits (duck, goose, pork) and Toulouse sausages.

If you are going to Porto, stop by Taylor Fladgate and Grahams in Vila Nova de Gaia (across the Douro to the south). Both have extensive tasting rooms and you can buy older vintages (if I remember correctly you can buy Fonseca at Taylor as well.) If you don't get across the river, there is at least one excellent store near the Praca da Liberdade in downtown Oporto. Taylor sells a white port that is very nice and not for export (in addition to the chip white they export.) The actual wineries start a couple of hours east (Taylor is near Pinhao). We stayed at a nice Pousada in Amarante (30 min. east) and didn't get that far, so I am not sure how many you can visit, but if it is like Ribera del Duero, don't expect many tasting rooms and even fewer tours (has anyone been tasting along the Douro?) In either case, there are both port wineries and regular wineries along the Douro. The drive east along the river is beautiful. The vineyards are heavily terraced due to the steep hills around the Douro. I have been racking my brain trying to remember the names of specific wines, but, in general, we found some of our best wines in restaurants. Particularly in Lisbon it is worth trying older examples of Portuguese wines, something that is almost impossible to get in the U.S. Most of the best wines we tasted, old and new, were from the Douro region. I remember a 1986 being good (will try to think of some names), but older examples tend to be quite oaky (a style similar to most pre-90s Riojas) If you are travelling around, I would recommend a Michelin guide and ask for recommendations at the better restaurants. I must confess to not being a fan of Vinho Verde. Perhaps I got a particularly bad or old example of it (to be honest, the place we tried it was extremely low on atmosphere), but it definitely lived up to its name. I have always wanted to try a better version, but was repulsed by my first experience. Can anyone recommend some decent (at least reliable) brands?

Been to the Luna Bell diner in Iselin, NJ a few times. It's been consistently good.

The only way to get a reservation there yourself is to go with someone who has a regular table. I know a few people who have gone (including my mother-in-law) and they have all gone with a "regular". Most say the food is very good, but it is certainly a more standard kind of fare than its difficulty to get into would suggest (the Rao's cookbook says it all -- don't expect Babbo). It's very traditional southern italian. Because Rao's only gives tables to "regular" customers, there are rarely any open tables. The only way to get a table yourself is to show up with a regular (maybe a few times). Once you are able to get a table yourself, you might start out with, say, Tuesdays once a month (or every other month). Then, if you continue to go (and really become a regular) you might be able to go more frequently. It is definitely a place that encourages the same people to come back again and again and, as such, will always be difficult to get into. In many ways, it is really more a club than a restaurant. I have not been personally. It would probably be fun once, but it really gets to the issue of how much you want to dedicate yourself to one restaurant (it is pretty near impossible getting certain reservations at certain times at top restaurants if you are not a regular.)

I have always used more simple molds like these from Bridge kitchenware, which are cheaper than the Le Creuset and come apart (similar to a springform pan) for easier unmolding (this is speaking as a home chef... others may have better product suggestions for heavy use.)

I have been to the downtown NYC Les Halles twice and have been underwhelmed both times, despite being a fan of Bourdain and the whole concept of the restaurant. The menu seems more limited downtown and the service left much to be desired. The best dish I've had on either visit was the Tartiflette (Gratin of reblochon cheese with bacon and fingerling potatoes), which is kind of like getting upscale potato skins. The duck confit and poulet basquaise were ok, but not particularly inspiring. Given the comments, it seems that the downtown location is quieter, but the service has definitely been lacking. My wife has been wanting to try the Park Avenue location so I expect we will soon.

I don't have one of these, but I took a look and it should be appropriate for most pates/terrines. You should also be able to do en croute without the lid. Ideally you might want at least two of different widths, to be able to serve different size slices (depending on your intended presentation), but if this is for your own education, it should handle a wide variety.

I would vote for Charcuterie. I haven't read Grigson's books yet, but there are some good charcuterie recipes in Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of Southwest France, including Confit of Duck, Goose, and Pork, Air-Dried Magret, and Toulouse Sausages. I have stuck primarily to the confits, but have been pleased with the results.