Rachel Perlow

I'm continuing the Guinea Pig discussion on the New York board.

This was brought up in the Manners? thread on the General Board. I thought it deserved its own thread here. I remember seeing an episode of Extreme Cuisine on Food Network that featured that guinea pig dish. They didn't have a mention of it on foodtv.com, but I posted a question on the fan forum about it. If someone responds, I'll post the answer here. A google search turned up a couple of interesting links: 1) Chapter 8 of Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research on Jackson Heights 2) A NYT article by Eric Asimov, "On Menus, the Ticket Is Nuevo Latino "

I like Sandra's idea of adding texture to the jam fillings. I like to use the Solo fillings, preferable apricot and prune. I think adding white raisins (plumped with rum or wine?) to the apricot fillling would be really good. I also like a cream cheese dough. I remember making that kind of dough when I organized the Hillel hamentashen making party at Hillel years ago. Sandra, could you post a recipe for the dough? It's been years since I made hamentashen.

We're returning to Casa Del Faro tonight at 7:30 to meet some eGullet friends. They don't take reservations, so feel free to meet us at the bar around that time if you're interested in joining us. Rachel & Jason (and Rosie & Lowell) :D

Huh? Should I know what you're talking about? Feel free to reply privately. :)

Please don't hesitate to join in the conversation. And, feel free to ignore some of the more idiotic post(er)s. We welcome your input and hope you plan on joining us in April. As with most Chinese banquets food will be served family style (on round tables with turning center area) so everyone is free to help themselves. Some people have expressed concern about some of the food; all I can say is you can't please all of the people all of the time. All are welcome, but if you know that what is offered isn't to your liking then we'll see you next time! Here is some advice on eating at a Chinese banquet I read on another forum, do you agree?

Lisa ~~~ Apologies, I couldn't resist the opportunity!

I think you're right about La Tosca. Try it sometime and let me know your opinion. There are a few other places we went to and enjoyed (like Chef Marisol in Old San Juan), but this is the only one I still pine for and will definitely go back to next time we get to Puerto Rico. Amazingly it was usually pretty empty whenever we were there (at lunchtime), I guess it primarily does dinner business. I just searched chowhound and found my message about this place from 1999, to quote: "right around the corner from the Caribe (to the right before you turn for the Caribe) is a little hole in the wall with the best Asopao (shrimp was best, but crab is good too)." So maybe I'm not remembering things correctly anymore, but one of them must've been great to be worth talking about three years later!

While not in Britain, I had the best fish dish at our favorite Indian restaurant in New Jersey, Kinara. Tandori Trout was on the specials list. It was so succulent and the seasoning really perfumed the flesh. Billed as a whole fish, but the head & tail were cut off before service. I've never had a fish treated so simply at an Indian restaurant before. Usually fish dishes I've seen tend to be fillets poached in some kind of curry sauce.

Shouldn't part of this discussion be moved to the Chicago board? Wait, I checked, we don't have one yet. What about The Heartland?

OK this is a horribly incomplete message, since I don't have the name or address of the restaurant, but the food was so good, you'll have to trust my directions. When we went to PR about 3 years ago and stayed at the Caribe Hilton, there was this restaurant right around the corner from the hotel that had the best asopao, that I'm still thinking about it and upset that can't find anything like it in the US. If you drive to the hotel, just before the hotel driveway, on the right, there is this smaller, local hotel. The restaurant was that hotel's restaurant, but they had a street entrance too. We returned there twice for the best crab asopao ever. (I also had the shrimp asopao, but it wasn't as good as the crab.)

I went to one Ollie's once, about 6 years ago, thought it was just OK, but since they had a separate catering listing I thought I'd include it. I wouldn't think a Chinese wedding banquet would be a buffet. I thought items are served family style, but at the tables. Well, at least there's a list for foodboy to start doing his research. No getting out of visiting lots of different locations when planning a wedding!

Since the site was down for a while today & work was slow, as usual, I had time to do a pretty extensive web search for you. I couldn't find any NJ banquet hall that specifically offers Chinese cuisine. Below are a bunch of links that may help you. Good luck to you in planning the wedding! Below you will find a list of restaurants where you may be able to host the wedding. Other than at an actual restaurant, to summarize, I think you have three choices: 1) Relocate: there must be a Chinese banquet facility in NYC's Chinatown. 2) Find a hotel that has a Chinese restaurant within it and see if they offer Chinese catering (for example, when searching The Asia Society's website I found the Sung Dynasty restaurant, inside the Radisson Hotel on Lexington in NYC, perhaps that hotel & restaurant is a possibility?) 3) Choose a facility where you are required to bring in your own caterer. There are a lot of these types of places in NJ. Some of the most beautiful locations do not provide catering, like mansions or museums, parks, or your own tented backyard (if available). Then talk to your favorite Chinese restaurant owner to see if they offer catering or can make any recommendations to you. Maybe Harry Chu (of Noodle Chu in Parsippany) or Cecil (of China 46) could help you. From NJ Bride Online, here are some locations that allow you to bring in the caterer of your choice: - Gateways Mansion at Morristown Unitarian Fellowship - Greenfield Hall, Haddonfield - Hageman Farm, Somerset - Hunterdon Historical Museum, Clinton - The John Rosencrantz House at the Hermitage, Ho-Ho-Kus - Meadowlands Environment Center, Lyndhurst - Morris Museum, Morristown - Mountain Lakes House - The Newark Museum - Tuckerton Seaport - Van Wyckle House, Somerset From various sources (including yp.yahoo and Catering Web, here are some restaurants that came up when searching for Chinese Caterers, perhaps they offer off-site catering or have the capacity to have the wedding at the restaurant: - Chinese Gourmet Caterers, 411 Piermont Rd, Closter, NJ, (201) 750-2769, I assume this is part of Peking Duck House* restaurant, since it shows up as the same location - Ollie's Catering, 2957 Broadway (116th St.) NY 10027, 212 932-3001 - Ivangie Tea House, 201-251-8686, 54 Chestnut St., Ridgewood - Look See, 201-327-1515, 295 N. Franklin Tpke., Ramsey - Lotus Cafe, 201-488-7070, 450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack - Panda Forest, 201-262-0400, 440 Forest Ave., Paramus - Sally Ling's,* 201-346-1282, Palisade Park Plaza, Fort Lee - New Hong Kong Chinese Rstrnt, 732-271-8808, 1982 Washington Valley Rd, Martinsville - Peking Pavilion, 732-308-9700, 110 Hwy. 33 West, Manalapan - Elena Wu, 856-596-5599, Rte. 70 Mall, Marlton - Joe's Peking Duck House, 856-985-1551, Marlton Crossing Shopping Ctr., Marlton - Hillary's,* 973-379-3393, 201 Morris Ave., Springfield - North Sea Village,* 973-992-7056, Livingston Ctr., Livingston - Shanghai Jazz,* 973-822-2899, 24 Main St., Madison - Taro, 973-509-2266, 32 Church Street, Montclair Here are some additional links. Some are wedding planning sites, there are also some resumes or articles about individuals who I thought you may be able to contact or hire for additional help: http://www.karenleecooking.com/catering.htm http://www.theknot.com/ch_arti....hannel= http://www.woodstockmoveablefeast.com/aboutus2.html http://college3.nytimes.com/guests/article...1/28/885261.xml http://www.searchnyc.com/catering.html http://www.pamperedhost.com/svccater.html http://www.superpages.com/supertopics/even...ng_3.html#cater http://chinesefood.about.com/library....e=true& http://www.usabride.com/frugal/a_catering_gen.html http://www.njdiningguide.com/lees.html http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/ernest.html http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pwb/01/1203/2spotlight.shtml - maybe this person would know of a chinese caterer Also, look at the Chinese Wedding items available at http://www.kwbooks.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------- * Places I've been to. I wouldn't list them if they weren't good. As for the other places, you'll have to visit or see if anyone else here comments on them.

Not cheap, but within his budget.

These guys are are really pushing the limits of your budget. Here are a couple places we've been to more than once and enjoyed, both more "bistro" than "fine French": Chez Josephine, 414 West 42nd St, 212.594.1925. Jean-Claude Baker's tribute to his mother, Josephine Baker. Always a lively crowd, live piano music, delicious food. La Bonne Soupe, 48 West 55th St, (212) 586-7650. Friendly service, limited menu, but yummy fondue and steak frites.

Ah memories... The Candy Bar Cake is the best, easy to make, but still fancy looking & delicious cake ever IMHO. The "recipe" was from Better Home & Gardens (or some "woman's" magazine like that more than half my lifetime ago), and it's more of a technique than a recipe. - Start with any flavor cake, baked in a single layer (either two rounds or one 9x13 sheet). I used to use any old chocolate cake mix, but would probably make a genoise if I ever make it again. - Frost all over with whipped cream, then pipe additional cream into a slanted grid onto the top of the cake. - Fill the resulting squares (parallelograms?) with alternating colors of jam (I prefer using best quality seedless raspberry and apricot preserves) The original recipe called for canned pie filling, but never used the whole can, and preserves are so much more flavorful. - Line up Ande's Candies along the vertical side(s) like a fence (standing on end, the plain chocolate ones are best). It originally called for Hershey bars broken into thirds and overlapped around the perimeter, but that required disassembly before cutting. The Ande's chocolates are about 3/4" wide so they are easy to cut in between (and even help in portioning out the cake, "Do you want 2 or 3 candies worth?"). It comes out really beautiful and impressive looking and it is so delicious, even if made with a mix! I couldn't find a picture of the cake, but here's a picture of Andes Candies

1) I can't believe no one mentioned a wok. I use my wok several times a week, and not just for Asian food. It is also really good for preparing the sauteed part or sauce for pasta, because it is large enought to mix in the pasta after draining. Although done less frequently, it is also the pan I use most for deep frying (that or cast iron). Don't get a fancy brand name wok, and heaven forbid a non-stick one; these should preferably be bought at an Asian grocery or hardware store in any Chinatown. 2) Cast Iron Skillet, bought at a hardware store. I use it for anything that needs browning. 3) 2 qt pan, Revere stainless steel w/copper bottom (from newlywed set) mostly used for sauces or smaller portions of things, like warming soup. Gift alert: What I really need is a saucier or evasee like Steven's cause I hate it when I'm making a sauce and the wisk doesn't get in the corners. 4) Stock pot. I have a 6 and 8 qt Revere stock pot, but would ditch them both for one 12 qt. 5) Non-stick skillet. I primarily use a 6" Circulon and almost exclusively to make eggs. Jason ruined the larger non-stick Revere skillet I got with my set when he used a fork on it!!! :( So he is banned from using the Circulon. I have a lot of other pieces and sizes, but these are probably all "I can't live without."

Just don't try it with a regular grilled cheese sandwich, you'll end up with quite a mess. The cast iron smooshing method works best for sturdy sandwiches, like a cubano. Even a reuben might get smashed too much.

Englewood had two kinds of shrimp out. A medium sized one for Ŭ or ŭ per lb, but the tiger shrimp were so much bigger and nice looking and they seemed like such a bargin (pronounced w/a yenta accent) at ů/lb.

I forgot to tell you what I purchased there. I was going for crab, but they didn't have the same kind of selection the Ridgefield place had. They did have a big bin of shrimp, under ice, out for people to help themselves. Large tiger shrimp, that I'm sure would be ~ผ-15/lb in a supermarket, were ů/lb! I also got a flat of 6 pints of strawberries for Ű. Unfortunately, when picking through them this morning there were quite a few with mold, which reduces the "excited find" feeling I was having. However, leaving them out on my kitchen counter for 5 hours last night probably helped spread the mold faster. Next time I'll sort through them immediately and vacuum seal them.

I noticed some construction work going on there about a month ago. I was concerned and drove into the parking lot. The restaurant appeared to be open for business and the Sin Goong Jin sign was there, so I figured they were just doing some renovating. I hope it won't change too much. Tommy - why don't you invite me & Jason and/or Jon along when you go with your friends and we can evaluate it together and tell you if anything has changed? ;)

Inspired to see if Craft has a website, I did a google search for "Craft restaurant Colicchio." Many interesting links came up, but no actual restaurant home page. On a whim I tried craft.com, not it. Then craftrestaurant.com, that worked. Interesting multimedia page explaining the restaurant concept. However, I was curious why it didn't come up in my search. The answer? There is a picture of Colicchio (from 10-20 years ago?), but no mention of his name. The text is written in the first person, lots of "I" and "my," but no reference to who the person is! Not even a name under the picture of him with a lot more hair than the pic of him here in the event description for a James Beard dinner in Nov 2001. Anyway, it is just assumed that the reader knows who he is! Is this the height of arrogance or just part of the ambiance he wishes to create? picture from Nov 2001 James Beard Dinner description vs. Craft website pic

I'm really happy with the Salton Belgian Waffle Iron we bought six years ago. It whistles when the waffles are supposed to be done, but I've learned from experience to leave them in there a minute longer. To contradict Steven, I'd say to definitely get non-stick, so much easier to clean and mine do get crispy. For fluffy waffles be sure to use a recipe that calls for folding in beaten egg whites. Also, as long as you're bothering to make homemade waffles, make a lot. They freeze really well and then you have an easy toaster breakfast in the morning. Flavored waffles (add cocoa or fruit) are so good they can be eaten straight without syrup so they are even a good commuting in the car (or metro) food. For toasted sandwiches like panini, I prefer to use my cast iron pans. While prepping the sandwich you heat two cast iron skillets, if one is smaller than the other that is preferable. Put the sandwich in the larger pan and place the smaller pan (I use one skillet and my grill pan as the squisher) on top of the sandwich. If the pans were properly preheated and you are only making one sandwich, you can even turn the heat off at this point. I've seen this technique done by Alton Brown on Good Eats, but I had used it myself before seeing it on TV.

Back to the roasted cauliflower for a minute... I tried it last night with some cauliflower florets I had in the fridge. Since they were already separated into florets, I didn't have the opportunity to slice a whole head, just the larger curds. Anyway, when you have a whole head, are you really just slicing it vertically? Aren't the middle pieces really big? How do you toss them with the oil? BTW - it was really good :)

OK, I'll bite... What's a jo jo?