Rachel Perlow

We stayed at Oyster Bay, which was pretty good. I don't know anything about Pelican, please let us know how you like it, since it is a member of our exchange organization. We visited a few timeshares for future reference when we were there, and thought Divi would be a nice place to stay next time. Prices in the supermarkets were reasonable. Restaurants ranged from cheap to overpriced, just like anywhere else. Be sure to check out the Dinghy Dock recommended Tony Bourdain, upthread. We didn't take the ferry so I dunno.

I added captions to Jason's pictures. Not everything was pictured, there were a lot of other dishes on the other side of the table, other dumplings, stir fried snails, fish, noodle dishes, soy sauce chicken, etc. I really enjoyed a dish of pork & greens, also the house sauteed hot pepper, pork & tofu dish, which is usually all diced and served with sesame buns to stuff, was prepared in more of julienne style without the buns. Our friends also had a bowl of sweet soy milk with one of those big fried crullers. Also, I think they charged the kids by age! Although the sign said "Adults $11.95, Children $6.95," they only charged $3 for my 3 year old god-daughter.

I don't think Mayhaw gave you an accurate description of how far Mosca's is from the French Quarter. It is at least a half hour drive, my memory might be playing tricks on me, but we left from Upperline (Garden District?) (we went there with JoAnn) and I think it took longer than 30 minutes to get there. I was surprised how far out of town it was. Anyway, I'm just saying I wouldn't take an ordinary, hail it from the street, cab to get there. I would call a cab company and arrange a price ahead of time, and you may want to hire a car service, someone who will come back to get you or just wait while you have dinner. That's what JoAnn did, and I don't know what the cost of that was. It may be worth renting a car for the day. Oh, and Mosca's is cash only.

Sounds good. And thanks for being crystal clear about your affiliation with the restaurant. We may check it out next time we're down that way.

Now that was a low blow! At least Rocco didn't do anything patently illegal.

Mmm, BBQ Shrimp, Manale's style. Lots o'black pepper & butter. Also, previous BBQ Shrimp discussion. Needs more discussion in there. Can't wait to read about your's, Brooks.

I received the following press release today, sounds like a worthy cause we eGulleters could embrace. Rachel ~~~ Taste of the Nation NJ’s Premier Food Tasting Event Benefiting Hunger-Fighting Organizations click here for more details: Taste of the Nation's website Morristown, NJ - On Monday, April 26th, 2004, Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, presented by American Express and Jenn-Air, will feature Over 40 chefs from the best restaurants in New Jersey preparing their signature dishes. Plus, samples from top wine producers, brew masters, pastry chefs, and caterers, while at the same time raising awareness and critical funds in the fight against hunger. The gathering will take place at The Madison Hotel in Morristown, NJ and serve some of the most mouthwatering specialties. This is a great way to help fight hunger in New Jersey. You get to nibble and sip great food and wine while meeting the chefs and wine makers. Take the challenge and sample them all! And, with over 40 great restaurants and wineries, you'll want to take a break in our auction room (live and silent auction) and bid on some of the great culinary packages and gourmet items. Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation is distinctive because 100% of all ticket proceeds go directly to fight hunger and poverty. The New Jersey recipients for 2004 will be the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and Eva’s Kitchen in Paterson, New Jersey. Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation is being held on Monday, April 26th, 2004, at The Madison Hotel in Morristown, NJ. General admission tickets are $75 per person. For tickets or more information, call 973-772-4474. Your participation in the fight against hunger will make a meaningful difference in the lives of people in need.

I remember many of us panicked when the Mexican place in Bogota closed for renovations. They actually renovated and reopened. So, it can happen. Meanwhile, I called Johnny (Gianni?) over at the Diner/Felice in Oradell, who happens to also own Saint's Cafe in Teaneck (and Le Jardin in Edgewater). He says they are actually renovating and he plans to reopen in "a couple-three months." I also called over to Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood and no one there knows if Jerry's Osteria in Tenafly is going to reopen.

Has anybody tried this K for P beer? We don't live too far from the brewery... hmm...

re: Barbecue Pit -- We've gotten food from them a while back. It is Filipino and has ribs, fried fish, meat on sticks. I think the food was OK, but didn't draw us back as regulars. re: Sticky's drinks -- I didn't notice too much ice in my drink (usually iced tea), but there are free refills and they seem really on the ball about refilling, so too much ice isn't a problem in my book.

So would you prefer them grilled & sliced or poached & diced? Also, is it true that chicken breasts are cheaper than thighs in Japan?

Not converting the above, but here are the measurements for my standard loaf: 1 1/4 cup water 1 Tbs sugar 1 tsp kosher salt 1 Tbs powdered milk 2 Tbs fat (butter or EVOO) 3 cups bread flour 1/3 cup flavoring flour (wheat bran, rye flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, whatever, or just use 3 1/3 cup bread flour) 1.5 tsp bread machine yeast. Just made one today (butter, wheat bran, rolled oats) slashing the top and adding an egg wash and a sprinkling of rolled oats on top just before the baking cycle began. It came out so beautifully. I don't know why I never thought to egg wash the top before?

Is that the stuff with the red dot in the middle?

I think I've seen that one, you use orzo, and it come out similarly to risotto.

Brooks, Believe me, no one noticed the splashes on the stove, not until you pointed them out. Too distracted by looking at the food & roux making. I actually went back to look at the pictures to see what you were talking about, and even then it doesn't look too bad. Just concentrate on the stuff inside the pot and we'll continue to ignore everything outside the rim. Rachel PS -- don't be surprised if one day some eGulleters just wind up on your front porch asking "what's for dinner?"

Sounds like The Restaurant III will be on Court TV.

Not necessarily near Orient Beach, but there's a really big supermarket (Ram's?) on the way away from the airport, you can't miss it. I know people say "you can't miss it" and then you do, but really, you can't miss it (as long as someone can confirm it is still operating), it's right at the traffic circle. It only takes about an hour to encircle the entire island, so on your way leaving the airport (if the timing is good) stop in and buy most of your supplies. We tended to circle the entire island whenever we took the car out. As long as we were a third or more around to whereever we were touring that day, instead of going back in the same direction we'd just continue on the loop. Oh, yeah, there is also a sort of gourmet convenience store next to Citrus restaurant (part of the hotel complex).

So how did it go over? It looks delicious. Did the other guests say anything about how it compared to the briskets of their past?

OK, I didn't cook it all, but helped out my mom and my cousin and aunt made part of it too. Here's what I ate: During the sedar: Matzo Charosis Horseradish Hard Boiled Egg more Matzo Appetizers: Gefilte fish Chopped Liver Israeli Salad Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls and Mandlin Dinner: Braised Brisket Potato Kugel Matzo Kugel Matzo-mousaka Kugel asparagus pickles A slice of roast turkey Passover roll Dessert: Cream puff passover roll with strawberries maccaroon cookie There was also a chicken fricasee with meatballs that I didn't touch (brought some home for dinner tomorrow), and some fruit salad and other cookies. I'm sure I'm forgetting something... I was so stuffed I passed out as soon as we got home and I have leftovers for several meals in my fridge. Having chopped liver on matzo with tomato slices for lunch. Mmmm.

So, how'd it come out?

Just as an addendum to my "mostly kind words" (don't recall and don't feel like searching for them): We haven't been to Minado in at least 18 months, and my overall impression is that white the quality of the food is decent, it is expensive for a buffet and they are stingy with the lobster (that is they say they include lobster, which is one of the reasons it is so expensive, but they put small trays of lobster out infrequently and don't refill it with any urgency).

With the exception of some minor issues with a couple of the sides, mostly outlined by Jon, above, the food at Stickey's was kickass. And, despite being warned there was going to be a wait, it was frustrating to not be served lunch for about an hour after we ordered it. The wait was worth it, but it's too bad they couldn't give themselves a less stressful day (like a Tuesday rather than Saturday) for an opening day. PS -- not all the food pictured above was ordered by us. Jason spent his wait by the pass taking pictures of other people's food! Also, here's something we didn't notice about their menu (linked above in first post of the thread) until we were ordering... there's no greens offered as a side! I'm sorry, but aren't greens like required? Especially when the baked beans are mashed, you need something green to clear your palate. Those sure were some gooood sandwiches. One more thing in case any of you BBQ lovers have an SO not quite so into the meat thing, they do offer salads, and you can even top it with a tuna steak if said herbivore makes the fishy exception.

Sadness... Stickey's wasn't open tonight. A piece of kitchen equipment was malfunctioning and they couldn't open. However, it has been fixed so the opening is rescheduled for tomorrow. Jason took some more pictures and will be posting them shortly.

They're having a guy in a piggy suit there today for the opening.

lamb or pork souvlaki