mikeycook

Delphi is a greek restaurant at the corner of W. Broadway and Reade St (almost across the street from Bouley) that is excellent. Great late lunch option. I highly recommend the Exohico (Baby Lamb in Phyllo Dough w/Mushrooms, Feta, Pine Nuts, Artichokes, etc.)

To me the worst part of doing a fish like salmon in a very hot pan is that the smell can linger for days (more so with salmon IMHO that almost any other fish.) As an interesting twist if the filets have the skin on, you can cook them in a cast iron pan on top of the stove on a bed of kosher salt with the skin side down. Just discard the skin before serving. You can also layer both side of a skinless filet with thinly sliced potatoes, which cuts down on the salmon smell somewhat (but not entirely). Then just use the high-temperature method others have mention. I personally prefer to use copper or cast iron, but a GOOD non-stick pan is doable (i.e. the bonded all-clad kind).

I like to get them there, but I'll have them shuck them for me and I'll eat them then and there. I usually get a dozen littlenecks too. Both are great with just a little lemon. ← You mean in some of the seating just outside? I am assuming you don't mean standing over the oyster tank. I never thought of doing that (sounds like a great idea for a brief snack while shopping).

It's not going to get any better, so I would drink it fast. Astor is an excellent source of most types of wine IMHO.

Personally, I prefer to choose several of the varieties from The Lobster Pool at Chelsea Market and pop them open myself. Nothing like an oyster that has just been opened (especially one you opened yourself eaten immediately.)

Daniel, I am on your side here. Although I do agree with Menton that TJ will do very well in Manhattan, it will not generally be the greenmarket crowd that goes there.

I personally would go for the West Village, just south of 14th and near 7th. From there you can walk... - West to Chelsea Market (15th and 9th) and the Meatpacking Restaurants (Pastis, etc.) - South for nice shops (like Murray's Cheese) on Bleeker - South and Southeast for the best restaurants of the Village and West Village (Blue Hill, Babbo, Anisa, Cru, Lupa, etc.) and Citarella - East to Union Square (starting at around 15th and University just east of 5th) for the Greenmarket and more nice restaurants (Union Square Cafe, Tocqueville, etc. and the many nice restaurants just north of there (Gramercy Tavern, Veritas,... I could go on and on). All of this stuff would be within walking distance, approx. 1/2 mile (3/4 mile max. for most Gramercy restaurants). To me that gives you the best combination of restaurants and food shopping.

The waiter at Chef Mavro specifically recommended Mariposa when we asked about other places to go (he also recommended Alan Wong's). Unfortunately, we ran out of time.

Did you happen to buy it at Williams-Sonoma by any chance? They will take anything back. I had the lid of my large Le Creuset split and they took back the whole thing without question. Haven't tried Le Creuset directly.

So far, none of the TJs in New York State have beer or wine (at least according to the web site). That being said, you won't catch me drinking (or cooking with) 3 dollar bottles of wine. I'd rather drink malt liquor.

Last time my wife and I went, we wanted to stay on more of a budget, so we went to a number of brasseries. Food and wine were both reasonably priced. Also a great Sunday option after hunting around the Puces de St.-Ouen. I would recommend Bofinger, but obviously there are several good options.

I have been and agree that Trader Joe's is good option outside of the city, but I do not expect to shop at the NYC outpost, except for maybe an occasional perusal. I expect I will occasionally look for certain specialty items not carried by Fresh Direct when I will not want to pay typical NYC gourmet store prices, but that's about it. I think there is far too much bounty in NYC for Trader Joe's to succeed as a true gourmet store. Perhaps a discount gourmet store would be a better definition and way to target NYC shoppers. That being said, I am glad to see places like Trader Joe's thriving in non-Urban environments, as their offerings are beyond what your traditional suburban supermarket carries.

It has been many years since I have dug myself, but I think most Mainers probably steam, as good fried clams are plentiful in Maine (whether you prefer batter or crumbs is a personal preference), and steaming really brings out the full flavor of the clam. I don't know nearly as many who fry their own, although it is certainly doable.

Yes, soft-shell clams are used for both steamers and fried clams. Seawater is generally my choice, although beer can be good as well. Can't speak to why in a given batch some would be tastless and others good, unless the clams were from different sources.

Two jokes told to me by the SkyCap rep at JFK on our return from Honolulu this morning. Q: What do you call a cow with no legs? A: Ground beef. Q: What do you call a cow with three legs? A: Lean beef.

Based on recommendations in this forum, we chose Chef Mavro over Alan Wong as our big dining experience on Oahu and thought I would report back. My wife had the four course and I had the six course, which was nice since a lot of restaurants (particularly in New York) require everyone do the same tasting menu (at least in terms of number of courses). This allowed us to share and try ten different dishes and a number of wines. I particularly liked the wine paring approach, not only for the selections, but because the volume of wine served is reasonable (4oz per course for the 4 course and 2.5 oz per course for the 6 course). My last tasting menu with wine turned into a bit of a drunken embarassment due to a heavy-handed sommelier. Regarding the seating, we had a table for two, not a booth. It was very comfortable, but I think in the future we would ask for the booth seating. Anyway, here is what we had. My wife wasn't up for too much wine, so she just had a single glass, while I had the wines paired with mine. Four Courses Seared Bigeye Ahi, Eggplant Fritter, bouquet of Sumida Farm watercress, cured black olive relish Classic seared tuna with the eggplant fritter and watercress providing a nice contrast Fillet of Day-Boat Catch, Slow baked, garlic-saffron sauce, English pea puree, bacon and Maui Onion crouton The catch was sea bass. The fish was cooked perfectly and the sauce and puree worked together very well Coriander-Black Salt Crusted Strip Loin, "natural" Painted Hills beef, broccolini, curried roasted fingerling potatoes, mouse dried mushroom-tea sauce The coriander and the curry together gave this dish a little kick. The loin was very tender. Lilikoi Malasadas, guave coulis, pineapple-coconut ice cream Wasn't sure was this was from the description, but apparently Lilikoi Malasadas are little donuts, like high-quality sugared Dunkin' Munchkins. A wonderful, fun dessert. My wife had the "rare selection" wine served with the beef as her only wine, a 2002 Veraison Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Stagecoach Vineyard. She loved every sip. On to my meal, which was Six Courses Hudson Valley Foie Gras "Au Torchon", wrapped in nori, winter melon kanten, honey crisp, ume sauce 2003 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese I love foie gras, particularly au torchon, although I had never had one wrapped in nori. The winter melon, honey crisp and ume sauce (plum sauce, apparently) provided sweet, acidic, and bitter contrasts that were perfect for foie gras. The riesling was sweet, but not overly so (something like a Sauternes would, in my opinion, have overwhelmed the dish). Onaga "Lau Lau Style", garlic shoots, fresh water chestnuts, fennel-basil emulsion 2003 Verget Chablis "Terroirs de Chablis" This was red snapper wrapped in a large green ti leaf. The basil in the emulsion provided a bright-green contrast to the darker green leaf and the fennel and garlic shoots were great with the perfectly-cooked fish. Keahole Lobster, Braised Leeks, Wasabi Celery Root, Star Anise Crustacean Essense 2002 Domaine Henri Clerc & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres Not knowing what Keahole lobster was, I assume it was a typical warm water lobster without claws, which I am not typically fond of. However, it was actually Maine lobster that is brought to the islands when young and farmed in tanks, pumping cold water up to the tanks to allow them to survive. The lobster was excellent. The wasabi celery root had just the right amount of spice (I am considering making this as a future side dish). The Puligny-Montrachet was the "rare selection" (a Chateau Montelena Chardonnay being the standard selection) and was drinking very well. Roasted "Mountain Meadow" Lamb Chateau, fricasee of honshemeji mushrooms, savory scented fava beans, rosemary jus 1999 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol Although this is how the dish was listed on the menu, the waiter stated that they were using flagolet beans rather than favas. They were an excellent accompaniment to the lamb, although a little toothy. What is not mentioned is the confit of cherry tomatoes that came on the plate as well, which provided a nice acidic kick to what otherwise would have been a more standard lamb dish (the lamb was excellent). The Le Bon Pasteur was also a "rare selection", with a 2001 L'Hermitage de Chasse-Spleen as the standard. (Really, how can you turn down a Pomerol on a tasting menu.) Big Island Goat Cheese "Tatin", li hing mui caramelized apples, brioche crust, upcountry baby greens. 2004 Bricco Quaglia Moscato D'Asti Not really reading closely enough, I was expecting a cheese course, but what arrived was really more of a dessert course. It was a small, classic tarte-tatin with a goat cheese mousse on top. It was delicious and light (not as heavy as a traditional goat cheese tart) with the Moscato D'Asti's sparkling nature providing nice contrast. White and Dark Chocolate Marquise, caramelized pistachios, green tea cappuchino, chocolate tuile 2003 Les Clos De Paulilles Banyuls Rimage The marquis had three layers of chocolate of contrasting color and texture and the green tea cappuchino was a nice contrasting flavor to something that would otherwise have been all chocolate. On thing I will say is that, contrary to reputation, I do not find Banyuls to be a particularly good pairing for chocolate. Not that I know of a better pairing, but I think Banyuls has been paired with chocolate because nothing else really goes. Although I enjoyed the Banyuls, in the future I would not drink wine of any sort with chocolate. Of all the wines, I liked the Puligny-Montrachet the best, but all were good and well-paired with the dishes (with the exception of the Banyuls for the reason noted above). Thanks to all who recommended Chef Mavro. We had an excellent time. We will definitely try Alan Wong's on the next visit, but would love to visit Chef Mavro again.

I would definitely second Bofinger. Also, although this certainly might give you concerns as a tourist trap is Jules Verne. However, my wife and I and my mother-in-law went a couple of years ago (I have been to Paris about a dozen times total) and found it a very worthwhile experience. The food was better than I had expected (at least it was in 2003) and it is difficult to beat the spectacle of seeing the lights go down across the city during dinner, particularly if one has never been to Paris. Touristy, yes, but worth it (I, myself, enjoyed it immensely).

Interestingly, she made the Saveur 100. Go Bonnie!

My name is John and I have a Laure Japy fetish.

I definitely second the Marcella Hazan and I also love Paula Wolfert but would recommend The Cooking of Southwest France (all of her books are good, it just depends on where your interests lie). I also find that I use the following cookbooks a lot. Jasper White - Cooking from New England Excellent for most varieties of seafood common in the Northeast, including excellent sections on fish and shellfish. I am also partial to Lobster At Home, but it really depends on how often you can/want to make lobster. Anthony Bourdain - Les Halles Cookbook Keith McNally et al - The Balthazar Cookbook Both are excellent brasserie cookbooks. Either one is great on its own, but given the option, I would (and do) own both. If I really had to choose one, I would pick Balthazar, but you will do well with either. Colman Andrews - Catalan Cuisine I also love Penelope Casas's cookbooks, but if I had to choose a Spanish cookbook, I would choose this one.

I don't have access with my subscription online (need to upgrade), but it was from the NY Times Magazine from Nov. 13, 2005. Hope that helps.

I personally prefer Coq au Vin when made with legs and thighs. It's exactly a dish that screams great visual presentation, but I like it a lot.

From everything I have read, the whole key to the taste of the San Marzanos is that they are grown in the soil of San Marzano, which apparently possesses unique characteristics as it is volcanic soil (or at least partly). As such, to me, buying the non-D.O.P. versions are a waste of money, not necessarily any better than good quality imported canned tomatoes (and maybe not even that good). There is nothing special about having a cannery in San Marzano from what I can tell. Personally, I notice a difference between the D.O.P. and non-D.O.P. tomatoes, particularly with a basic red sauce. I am not saying that good sauces can't be made without D.O.P. San Marzanos. However, if the focus is on the tomato's flavor and you don't have a good source for fresh and don't want to use canned cherry tomatoes, I think they are worth the money.

If I had to choose one it would be: Fricasee of Seasonal Mushrooms with Creamy Polenta and Truffle Reduction - L'Impero

I would agree that Blue Hill and WD-50 are both important restaurants to discuss and are somewhat unique in their approach. A year or so ago I might have called Blue Hill "overpraised", at least on eGullet. However, since discussion of it has trailed off somewhere (inevitable when a place has been around a while) I would now called it accurately praised, maybe even borderline underpraised (again, at least on eGullet).