barawidan

It's Great - love the food. Busy on weekends, but well worth it. Written up in this month's issue of F&W!

The food is great! It's a lively fun place, however at weekends it's very busy so be prepared! Well worth it! The place is written up in this month's issue of F&W. As for Chef Jody leaving - nope it's only a rumour! BC

Copeland, any hear feedback on this place?

Here's the best place to be introduce to this cuisine: Cendrillon, located at 45 Mercer St. SoHo. Its north of Pearle Paint and South of Gourmet Garage. Hopefully these landmarks help you find it. Website: http://www.cendrillon.com/ If you want Filipino food, you must go and have Chef Doroatan’s brunch menu, I believe it is served Sat and Sun 11am-4pm. The flavor profile is still true to the cuisine but he interprets Filipino food yet maintains its integrity. What makes him unique: he dares to do a la carte and a la minute cooking with a tradition that is served family style. He uses French technique to raise Filipino Cuisine—he makes Filipino food accessible to a palate that has not acquired the Filipino flavors. He appeared on Cooking in Martha’s Kitchen and prepared his Fresh Lumpia. I would start this as your appetizer and have it split for two. Then I would move on to the Tocino (achuete-cured pork) & Eggs with Garlic-fried Rice and an order of Pancit Luglug, Thick Rice Noodles with Shrimp, Smoked Trout, Pork & Tofu. His pancit luglug is what keeps me coming back. I love this dish. These are my food memories of it. His version is the most soigné version of any Filipino noodle dish that I have had in my life (btw, I’m Filipino). It’s made with a thick rice noodle, like the thickness of a bucatini, minus the hole in the center. Its dressed in a shrimp based sauce that has been married with ground pork. The garnishes are large jumbo shrimp that have an inherent sweetness, smoked trout that elevate this dish giving it an elegance, and nicely hard boil egg which bring the dish back to its tradition. This dish represents what this man is trying to achieve: celebrating Filipino food and to giving this cuisine respectful visibility. Cleaning up the technique helped the flavors blend together yet maintaining their identity. This is pancit lug lug is a breakthrough for professional Filipino food. As for dessert, try the suman. His version is very sensual to the palate, the textural sensations in your mouth border on sexual. That’s all I’ll say, you must try it. I would also get a glass of Kalamansi Juice. It tastes like Gatorade citrus punch, but better. His is refreshing, tangy, sweet. It restores you on a hot humid day. In terms of queen’s Filipino food: Take the Local 7 train to 69th Fisk Ave and you will find a strip of little manila. Be warned none of this food is visually appetitizing but it tasted good. It looks like rustic home style country food. Best Adobo: pork, at the phil-am market. Its $3.50 for a pint. Buy 2 or 3 and take it home and eat it with rice. Best Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork Sinigang): Inhawan. It’s the Monday and Thursday special and it the best flavor, made with pork ribs. Its tender, savory sweet, and luscious texture of braised pork ribs. The acid of the tamarind cut through the pork flavor. Its perfect with a bowl of rice on a cold fall/winter night. Buy 2 orders. Best Pancit: None really, you must go and have the lug lug at Cendrillion there’s no other comparison. But if you just had to get a crab fix in noodle form and you are stuck in Queens: Have the pancit palabok at Ihawan. And maybe the sontanghon at Crystals. But Cendrillion’s lug lug is the way to go-trust me. Best Paksiw Na Lechon: Phil-Am food case-3.50 for a pint, you will only want one. Final thoughts: When it comes to Filipino food the best place to send a stranger would be to have brunch at Cendrillion on Saturday and Sunday. This is the best way to start. As for dining in Queens go with a Filipino friend who is a trained foodie that you trust, it’s the best way to have a positive experience. Or just e-mail me and I’ll take you by the hand and guide you through the Queen's Filipino dining process. Cendrillon Asian Grill and Merienda Bar located at 45 Mercer St. between Broome and Grand Streets New York, NY 10013 Phone: (212)343-9012 Fax: (212)343-9670Ihawan: 40-06 70th Street Woodside, NY 718 205 1480 KRYSTAL'S CAFE "Restaurant and Pastry Shop" 69-02 Roosevelt Avenue NY Phil-Am Foodmart (70-02 Roosevelt Ave, corner of 70th St) -B

Who makes the best dry chow fun in the city? The best chow fun wih gravy? best pan-fried noodles? best noodle soup? the best dan dan nooldes? thanks, B

Okay my new obssession is udon noodles. In the last 2 weeks I've ordered 5 times from this Taiwanese place doing Tawainese style udon noodles on Broadway in Elmhurst, Queens. My question is who's serving beautiful udon noodles in NYC? So far I love it sauteed, at the taiwanese place its sauteed with bok choy and shredded chicken in some sort of sauce/dry spice mixture that's a complete mystery to me, perhaps that part of my fascination. What's the japanese equivilent to the wide flat rice noodle, chow fun? btw, anyome know how chow fun is made, the noodle itself, not the stir fried dish? anyone know? -B

Hey Peps, Interesting points of views have been posted. As for a need for a GayLesBi and our allies’ organization, (from this point on I shall use gay to mean all of the following for succinctness) it’s important, because sexism and homophobia are issues that go ignored in kitchens that are male and heterosexually dominated. Personally speaking, I'm 25, gay, and have been working as a cook for the last year and I definitely see a need for a gay cook’s organization, to foster visibility, mentorship, leadership, and just support one another. It eats away at me when I hear a fellow cook say a homophobic slur, and I fail to “represent”, for a better lack of a better term. Why I behave this way is another issue all together. I'm really interested in hearing from other cooks, especially other gay cooks, about their experiences with combating homophobia in the workplace, but specifically in the professional kitchen. Also if anyone has any other resources they could provide about gay culinary issues that would be awesome. -B

It being gay pride month, I was wondering if there are any GayLesBi chef/cook organizations in NYC? I'm interesting on hearing people's thoughts on it. -B

My favorite chix sandwhich: finely cut scallion white, cilantro (optional), a drop or 2 of sesame oil, corase salt, black pepper, hellman's mayo, dressed with leftover chix. Serve on whatever bread is your favorite--yumbo! -GB

My question is Who is Joel Robuchon what is his influence on the culinary world? What's his legacy? What are his organizng principals for his body of work? From the research I've found he beleived in respecting the orignal flavor of a product, how has this affected the thinking of the time? I also read he arose during the time of nouvelle cusine and was the next step in culinary progression, in the sense that in novelle cuisine the flavors weren't so distinct? Is this a correct assumption? How does Robuchon fit into the history of american cuisne? I read an interview where he liked the owrk of Alice Waters and beleive that her work echoes what he does in France? Did any he train an american chefs?

Yes I heard of this in February of 2002. Jamie attempts to train 15 London youth to open a restaurant and all the money went towards charity. And they film the entire process. I think Jamie's intent was to take people with very little experience and give them a fast track into professional cooking. I think it may even be an ongoing process, with different trainees seasonaly. Here's the link: http://www.fifteenrestaurant.com/fifteen/index.html I'm curious to hear other people's insight on Jamie's contribution to: cooking, food media, etc. The first season of the Naked Chef Series was unique. The look, lighting, editing, and camera angles presented a dynamic cooking show. I liked the way it was lit, warm and amber looking, natural sunlight. As a viewer, that first season had me excited and engaged me into what he was doing. It was a cool food program. Jamie had a very organic, natural feel, as if you where there with him. He was accessible. It was the "MTV’s Real World Season One: New York" of the food network. As far as recipe’s goes, he seemed to do one too roasts and one too many version of a chocolate pot. -B.