Rachel Perlow

I did a shop at a restaurant last year (for a different company). It was more concerned with the details of service and cleanliness of the restaurant than the food itself. Actually it was concerned about the temperature of the food (was it property hot or cold or not), but they didn't want your opinion of the dish. Much more concerned with timeliness of the servers. I had to keep a time log of every interaction we had with the staff. It was interesting, but I wouldn't want to do it for every meal out.

All this talk of eggs "the way they used to be" has got me longing to raise chickens just for free range eggs! Adam Balic (or any other chicken expert out there): I know you need a rooster to get baby chickens, but will hens lay eggs at all if there is no rooster around? (I've wondered about this apart from this discussion.) This is all, of course, pie in the sky, when we are rich and have a house in the country kind of thinking. Right now our backyard is too small, and I think my neighbors over the fence might object!

I thought coddled eggs were cooked in an egg coddler? Like this: I good recipe for this is to crumble cooked bacon in the bottom, add a few snips of chive or scallion, break in the egg, top with a spoonful of cream and then I think you steam it. That article made me want to try a soft cooked egg, and I've never cared for runny yolks before.

I'm not a serious drinker and hardly ever post in this section of the site, but I know where to go when I have a question. When we were in Jamaica I discovered Rum Cream. I really like it and we brought home a couple of bottles. A year later those bottles are gone and I can't find the stuff anywhere. Is it only available on the islands? Does anyone know of a liquor store in NJ or NYC that carries it? I know one of the brands was Sangsters and there were others too, but I can't recall. Thanks for your help. PS - If anyone is going to Jamaica and wants to pick me up a couple of bottles that'd be good too!

My mom told, um hinted, that she wanted a massage. Now that doesn't mean I give it to her, it means I buy her a gift certificate for a day spa. Do you think your step mom would like something like that? Rosie, we're going to brunch at The Office in Summit. Don't get me started. My bro & I planned too late, so we have an early reservation (10AM) and mostly the location was picked because there's a park across the street for the kids to play afterward and we won't all have to rush off to our respective quadrants of the state.

Well the directions above sound good to me and I used to live around there.

I don't know why I've avoided this topic for so long, but here goes: Chicken breasts - freeze flat on a sheet pan (IQF) then transfer to ziploc so you can remove just what you need. Or, put the amount you'd regularly use for a family dinner in a ziploc, add a marinade, smoosh out all the air, freeze flat. Defrost overnight in the fridge and grill. I set up a bunch of bags, add the chicken, then add a different marinade to each one. Bagels - Important! Preslice before freezing. I usually put four in a gallon ziploc, as that way they fit flat. Our toaster oven has a frozen button, so they can go straight in there without thawing first. Buy cheap day-old bagels, after toasting they're fine, and you wouldn't eat a frozen bagel untoasted. London Broil - I cut into meal size portions and add marinade (usually teriyaki), just like the chicken breasts. Hamburgers - If you're going to get all messy making hamburgers, make 3-4 times what you need that day. Freeze the patties on a sheet pan and stack with squares of wax/butcher/parchment paper in between each patty. If you like them rare or medium-rare, cook from frozen state. You can also cook ground beef before freezing. Use in chili, tacos, tomato sauce, etc. Edemame - Japanese soybean. Boil briefly, sprinkle with sea or kosher salt. Eat as is. Baby or Tiny Peas - a half a cup gets thrown into so many dishes it's a staple. The baby ones are so much better than the regular frozen peas. Eggplant Cutlets - Slice crosswise and bread eggplant with a combination of crumbs with a little parasean cheese and herbs. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until just lightly browned on the edges. IQF, use for moussaka and eggplant parmesean. Bacon - I cook the whole package, then freeze the leftovers. They crumble by default. When I want some for an omelet or to top a salad, I shake out a handful onto a paper towel and microwave for less than a minute. They recrisp no problem. Stock - Some in quart containers, some in ice cube form. Turkey - Jason has to have real turkey breast for sandwiches, not "turkey jello" as is most stuff at the deli. I'll cook a whole turkey or a turkey breast. Put one half of breast away unsliced, wrapped really well (the other half gets eaten that week). The dark meat can be shredded and used for salads, enchilada/taco/quesadilla fillings, casseroles - however I usually just use it up when Jason's not around cause he doesn't eat dark meat (which is why I usually just do the breasts at non-Thanksgiving time). Sausage - cooked and uncooked. Don't need to thaw before cooking on the grill, but start on low until they are defrosted. Tomatoes & Tomato Sauce - have too many tomatoes to deal with from your garden? Just throw them in a plastic bag and make sauce in the winter. Throw them in a pot frozen, with a little water & cover. Stir every so often until they are defrosted and getting saucy, then uncover. Strain with a food mill to remove skin & seeds. Of course, you can always make the sauce in the summer & freeze it too, in ziploc baggies, freeze flat for easier defrosting. Cheese - We bought our chest freezer when a local supermarket was closing. It took us a year to get through the blocks of cheese and fresh pastas bought for $1 each. Pasta - tortalini, ravioli, fresh pasta (see above) That's enough for now. I'd have to check the freezers to see what else is in there.

We are continually impressed by China 46. Jason and I had dinner there last night, and only had items we hadn't had before. We ordered Kung Po Chicken, Seaweed Dusted Fried Shrimp, and Fresh Bamboo with Shitake Mushrooms. In addition, Cecil brought out what I think was sauteed baby Ruby Chard. I initially thought beet greens, but Cecil said no, I suppose it could be either, but it is definitately a "baby" green as there were no tough stems. The Kung Po Chicken wasn't quite what we are used to as Kung Po chicken (not as much veg and only white meat chicken). But it was still one of the best versions ever. Highly seasoned, spicy but not killer hot. The Seaweed Dusted Fried Shrimp were delicious and tender. They were smallish shrimp, not the jumbo ones from most of the shrimp dishes we've previously described. This is just a huge plate of fried shrimp, so it would be better shared by at least 4 people. Too much for just two and since fried things don't reheat well, it wasn't worth taking home the leftovers. In contrast, the veggie dishes reheated very well. I just had some of the other three dishes for lunch (I still have another lunch's worth, lots of leftovers this time!). The Ruby Chard was a very good sauteed green, order it if you are in the mood for that sort of thing. However, the Bamboo Shoots with Shitake Mushrooms was fantastic. The best preparation of Shitake Mushrooms ever. It was also the most expensive thing we ordered ($16.95), which we didn't know in advance, but it hardly breaks the bank. This is apparently because of the cost and waste factor of preparing the fresh bamboo. We also re-confirmed the "don't order anything from the 'Rich Tradition in America' section of the menu" rule. I ordered regular wonton soup and Jason had the hot & sour. Boring, normal, just OK. Oh well, I learned once again to just trust Cecil!

I've edited the RSVP list, above, to show Suvir & Chuck are coming, glad you can make it! Re: directions, see various posts above, but since Mark asked... Click Here for a Mapquest Map of the area. OK, you see where that red star is, that's wrong. The shopping center is to the southeast of there, on the other side of River Road, on the westbound side of Rt 10. So, please take that into account when doing directions on Mapquest. I did directions from Asbury Park to get directions from the south for Mark (couldn't you have done this for yourself? ). Take the GSP North to exit 145 (Rt 280/The Oranges/Newark), and get onto Rt 280 West to exit 4A (Eisenhower Pky/Chatham), about two miles down make a right onto Rt 10 West, the shopping center with the Best Buy is about a mile up on the right. The restaurant is on the far side of the center, facing River Road.

We went to Kinara last week and I stopped into John's Shanghai to check. They serve dim sum on the weekends, but you order it from the menu, and the rest of the entire menu is available too, so same as China 46.

Mark, you'd like the pickled beets I made the other day. Boiled the beets whole, cooled, peeled and cubed them. Made a simple marinade by boiling 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tsp pickling spice mixture, 1 Tbs sugar, and a shake of our home grown, dried habenero chili flakes. You'd probably add a few more shakes than I did. Sweet, sour and hot beets, yum.

Shimp cocktail & crab were not worth bothering with. Lobster, mussels and fried shrimp were. I don't think it used to be Mt. Fuji. I think it used to be a dance club or something called Millenium, then Club LeBleu. They changed hands a few times. I used to work next door at Crystal Clear (they are having a warehouse sale right now if anyone is insterested, click here). They also do catering too in a separate room.

Just a few additional notes: - I thought the lobster was pretty good. It was firm and served cold. I thought of it like a lobster cocktail. - On the cold buffet area near all the panchan was a tray of mussels. Again, like mussel cocktail, cold and served with cocktail sauce. I've had mussels at other buffet type places and they are usually overcooked and rubbery. On both of our visits they were perfectly cooked and juicy, what a pleasant surprise. - They also have several selections of soup. I had the pumpkin soup which was delicous. It was like the squash soup I serve at Thanksgiving but tasted like it was made with the same Korean broth that tofu soup is made with. - The hot buffet selections included a couple fish choices, some chinese stir fry, baked chicken, and at dinner there was a roast pork carving station. - Desserts are simple, just fruit, jello and ginger-sesame cookies, although we only saw the cookies at dinner not lunch. A while back there was a thread about Mikado Seafood Buffet in Hackensack. We thought is was OK and have been there a couple times but haven't been back for several months. This place is way better and we will probably be returning often.

After reading through your bio I wondered... With all your books and other restaurant duties, how often you actually get behind the stove in your restaurant these days? Which role do you prefer: cook or author?

I think the fact that it combines elements of Chinese, Indian and Thai is what makes it unique.

Add to the list: 6) Saigon Republic Vietnamese Cuisine 58 West Palisades Avenue (across from McDonalds) Englewood, NJ 07632 201-871-4777 phone 201-871-7477 fax Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11:15-9:15 Sunday, Brunch/Early Dinner 11:30-6:30 BYOB

So how much does that wine cost? come on, you were all thinking it!

This isn't actually a "Food Film" but there is that famous shrimp monologue in Forrest Gump. Jason and I were watching it on DVD last week, so I transcribed the scene to record here for posterity. Bubba Blue says: Not nearly as many as I thought I remembered him saying, only 21 ways to prepare shrimp!

Ooh, that duck salad is good. I've only had it as a take out the next day (Jason went w/out me and brought me home it but I had already eaten dinner, so brought it to work for lunch). Still really good! We had that pineapple/shrimp curry the time we went there w/Rosie & Lowell. It's OK, but definitely not the best curry available.

Shock! Dismay! What did you order? Did you ask for spicy? In our experience, if you say you really mean it, they take you seriously.

Other fruit works well with rhubarb too, like peaches or other types of berries. Next time, make one you both can enjoy together. I think the texture of the inside of a pie can be very sexy and stimulating... (oops I'm thinking of a different thread!)

Wow, just saw this thread and it already seems to be concluding. But, therapy-like, I have something I need to get off my chest. Most of the time, when going out with other couples, we split down the middle and money is never an issue. However, Jason and I frequently go to restaurants with a single person. Generally, we put the bill on our credit card and that person pays 1/3 in cash to us. However, the onus is always on me to check the bill and announce how much is owed. The last few times we've been out, I haven't specifically done this and the person seems perfectly content to go home without paying their portion of the bill. When this happens the next time out I will mention that they still owe us for the previous time out. Occasionally, if they owed us for dinner, and the next time out is lunch, it works out so that they'll pay for lunch completely and it balances out. All I want is for them to be the one to initiate the money exchange occasionally, asking "what's my share?" or something. Is that so wrong?

In my family, the tradition has become that the birthday person gets to choose whatever restaurant they want to go to.

We went to Wondee's again this past Saturday night. It was so busy we grabbed the only vacant table. We didn't have a chance to talk to her about where she's from since it was so busy, that'll have to wait for a weekday visit. I did have the steamed fish for the first time. It was served in a broth in a fish shaped vessel with was raised above a sterno holding round cylinder. The striped bass and vegetables were very good, but the broth seemed a little bland. Over time the broth came to a boil and I asked them to put out the flame. By this time the broth had more depth of flavor. It was an interesting experience, but the height of the boiling liquid next to my arm made me nervous. I really love her other fish dishes, so I think I'll stick to them and order the steamed fish at Saigon Republic instead.

Just to be clear, they also have soft drinks - soda, snapple, etc. so you don't have to bring anything like that. Although we usually just drink tea and water when we go.