picaman

Here is a link to my report on a dinner that my partner and I had here with LKL Chu back in April. Somewhat fuzzy pictures included. Jamie

Here is a recent thread that I initiated on this general subject. Jamie

I think that black jeans are probably much more acceptable than blue jeans. Of course, black's probably better for every item of clothing you take to Paris. Jamie

Inwood, at the very top of Manhattan, now has its own greenmarket each Saturday. It's on Isham St. (my street!) one block west of Broadway, at the last stop on the A. It will be there through Thanksgiving. This past Saturday was the second one, but the first I was able to attend as I was out of town for the first one There were ten or so vendors and hordes of people. I chatted very quickly with one vendor who said that everyone had brought more product this week, as nearly every vendor was sold out by one o'clock on the first Saturday. That's what I like to hear! There's a comprehensive lineup of basic produce, baked goods and meat at decent prices. I bought a variety of fresh wax, pole and green beans for $1.25/pound, a half-pint of blueberries for $1.50, 5 ears of great corn for $1.00, and an enormous bunch of basil for $2.00--enough basil to make a full quart of pesto. We'll be back this Saturday for sure, will definitely get there earlier, and I'll pay more attention to vendors' names next time. Jamie

That's probably why my mom was feeding it to me with the rest of her cooking. <RIMSHOT> <\RIMSHOT> Jamie

Either 11:45 or another day is fine with me. Still on board either way. Jamie

Burned toast. My mom would tell anyone at the table who didn't like their toast burned to go to the sink and "scrape it to your desired degree of doneness." Jamie

Thanks again to everyone for their helpful suggestions. I recently had occasion to visit the in-laws on successive weekends (don't ask ) and had some very good meals based on the advice I received. menton1: Green Hills Inn was seconded by the in-laws as well as my partner as being a great place to dine; unfortunately, Mr. In-Law is somewhat averse to dressing up to go to a restaurant. Kirk and I are saving this place for our own special Reading occasion. Lew_Bryson: We went to the Alpenhof on Friday, July 2 and had a marvelous meal. Crudites to munch on while deciding; I got Gefulltes Kalbskotelette (veal chop stuffed with bleu cheese, asparagus puree, and topped with apricot slices.) The chop was butterflied and stuffed with the sauce and the asparagus puree, was perfectly done and came with an old-school abundance of extra sauce. I had bites of some of the others' entrees, and my favorite of these was the Alpenhof Schnitzel (veal sauteed with morels, wine & demi-glace); the veal was again perfectly cooked and the sauce balanced well. The meal came with sides, and we got a variety: red cabbage (good but perhaps a smidge too sweet for me); sauerkraut (a great house-made flavor and my favorite side); potato salad (good but nothing out of the ordinary) and my least favorite, a bread pudding-y ball that was merely OK. Desserts were very nice if somewhat typical: black forest cake, blueberry cheesecake, hot raspberries, and a triple chocolate cake. Service was friendly, prompt, and professional. Total with beer and coffee was ~$120 for four people; I thought it an excellent value overall and would not hesitate to return or recommend it. You are completely right about Haag's in Shartlesville. I've been there several times, though always for the immense and marvelous breakfast. How can one argue with a breakfast that begins with, among other things, a big bowl of tapioca pudding? Is lunch/dinner as good? We debated Black Angus but the dressing-up issue occasioned a trip to Hoss's Steakhouse. Kirk and I split a 28-ounce porterhouse that was nearly half inedible gristle. If it had been just the two of us on home turf it would have gone back immediately, but given the situation we just ate what we could. I don't know how they would have handled a request for another steak, so I hesitate to give this place a complete thumbs-down. But I do know that anyone competent looking at the steak on the platter would have known not to serve it. Dinner for four with unlimited salad bar and dessert bar was ~$80. We were there for the Kutztown fair and had a great time. At the fair, we had a great all-you-can-eat family-style dinner at a hall run by a local church--$11.95 (?) for more good food than I can mention in a reasonable space. Took home an entire shoo-fly pie ($5) from them as well. Also had many funnel cakes at any number of the "original Kutztown fair funnel cakes" stands, and was tempted by many more things that I'm saving for a return trip: fried bologna sandwiches, a sandwich from the ox-roast, and more. Dietrich's was there with a somewhat modified version of the items Lew_Bryson mentioned. I almost bought a jar of pickled pig snouts (I've been fascinated since I missed out on having a pig-snout sandwich at the New York Barbecue Block Party ) but settled for a picture instead. All in all a great couple of trips, and I look forward to trying more of the places listed in this thread. jamie

Well, it's not an either/or proposition My usual pre-Brooklyn-Cyclones-game routine is Totonno's, followed by a dog at Nathan's, followed (sometimes post-game!) by pistachio soft serve ice cream at that place I don't know the name of that's a bit to the left of Nathan's. If you have a group of people splitting items, it's not too much food. Really. Jamie

I'd like to bid him peace as well. I always enjoyed his shows and especially liked that he spent airtime on related topics, including technique in addition to the oft-mentioned "hot pan, cold oil...." For instance, I learned from him to curve your fingers under when chopping. His love of food shone through on his shows like it does for very few TV chefs. On occasion, I still pull out my well-thumbed paperback copy of his first cookbook. Jamie

When I was growing up, my family ran a mom-and-pop grocery store in a small town. Just about everything we ate was the leftover stuff that we couldn't sell. The tops of carrots, celery, beets, etc.; the outer leaves of cabbage; any fruit or vegetable with a rotten spot that we subsequently cut out; past-date everything; broccoli and cauliflower stalks (we'd sell just the florets at a higher price and eat the rest ourselves); the meat that had turned grey; the ends and remains of every slab of bacon, log of lunchmeat, and wheel of cheese. We ate a lot of soup with broth made with scraps and leftovers. Perhaps not coincidentally, I didn't get sick very much either as a kid. I guess this is where I get my obsession for peasant food Jamie

The old stove in the left-hand corner? It rocks. I love the pop-up in-stove warmer--so completely logical. Jamie

I had moules frîtes at one of the Paris Leon De Bruxelles outposts several years ago, and remember them tasting fairly good, but the mussels were not plentiful and some were unopened. Probably just luck of the draw--the restaurant was busy to bursting, the hour was late, and I had been overserved. Jamie

Though I've not eaten at Pure Food and Wine, I'm generally in favor of any restaurant which gives one an interesting alternative to a typical dining experience. Personally, I'd be as likely to go here as to eat at Fergus Henderson's St. John in London. Jamie

That date is fine, and it's on our calendar. Very much looking forward to this. Kirk and I will definitely be making our traditional walk back over the Williamsburg bridge, if anyone wants to join us. Jamie

Count Kirk and I in for this. I think it's a great idea. It might be easier to reverse the journey, though...Luger's for lunch and Wolfgang's after. I previously tried to organize something similar at Luger's. Depending on the final group size, it would be easiest to reserve tables in groups of four...I think they asked for a deposit or a Luger's card number for a large party, and I wasn't willing to put my Luger's card on the line for people I didn't know well And lunch at Luger's is much easier and less problematic than dinner, unless one doesn't mind a late res time and closing the place down. It's cheating a bit, but it would greatly facilitate coordination. Just my two cents. I'll be there regardless. Jamie

From the review: "Luger also hewed to our medium-rare request. Wolfgang's had overbroiled. But not by much." If Bruni is reviewing a steakhouse and his steak is not delivered to order, should he send it back and note that fact in the review? Sending back an steak not cooked to one's liking is standard practice for steakhouse customers. My first reaction is a hesitant yes, acknowledging that this opens a big can of worms that may negate the logic of my answer. Would the reviewer then be bound to endlessly order steaks if necessary to obtain a perfectly cooked steak for review? Should this theoretical multiple ordering then figure negatively (they can't cook steak properly) or positively (the restaurant goes to any length to please a customer) into the overall impression of the restaurant? Perhaps his steak was "close enough", but does its imperfection unfairly color the review? Certainly at the very least, in a steakhouse review, mention of the reviewer's perception of the restaurant's handling of this issue would be welcome, as this is a common experience for customers and one that is crucial for many. Jamie

Cities included Athens, TX; Honolulu, HI; Omaha, NE; Redding, CA; Topeka, KS; Tyler, TX; and Wichita, KS. Largest population: Omaha, NE Easternmost city: Topeka, KS All cities West of the Mississippi River Hardly representative of America as a whole, I'd think. Indeed. The home office is in Wichita, so I'd guess they didn't want to travel too far to find out "how America voted." Jamie

lettuce tomato Heinz 57 french fried potatoes big kosher pickle a cold draft beer Sorry. Couldn't resist. Jamie

This isn't going to make you feel better, but having worked in a couple of restaurants, I've seen many things far worse than this. And I assume that I've eaten similar food, and have thus far survived. So in the overall scheme of things, this wouldn't bother me from a health standpoint. For some people, when it comes to what comes out of the kitchen, ignorance may indeed be bliss To me it's a service issue, though, at a certain level of restaurant. Not at the diner, but at a starred restaurant, for instance. Just my two cents. Jamie

Here are the results broken out by geographic region. I'm a burger minimalist. The few items you have on the burger should not interfere with the taste of the meat. With the exception of avocados Mayhaw Man has a pretty good list. I'd just add cheddar cheese. Jamie

Inspired by the CNN carb quiz, I'll throw this out (literally) for consideration: Kentucky Fried Pork Rinds No carbs, so of course it is a perfect food Jamie

Very true. And, though I thought Bruni's review was lacking in detail, it did make me want to try Wolfgang's. My inspiration comes, however, from wanting to investigate the missing detail myself; for me, this is an inappropriate result for any restaurant review. Jamie

This review is too "cute" by half, lacks salient detail, and assumes an inappropriate level of knowledge on the part of the reader. I realize that the review must be entertaining, but a writer should effectively weave the dryest of necessary detail into the narrative in an interesting fashion. To me, this review is woefully inadequate. The few opinions included don't come across as being particularly informed. Not that mine always do either, but I'm not the Times food critic. Jamie

It's the "fart" sound generated by pressing the upper front teeth firmly against the lower lip, thereby creating a seal, and forcibly expelling air from the lungs throughsides of the mouth, thereby cause the lips to vibrate and creating a "frnt" sound. Well. Now I know what it is, and how to pronounce it. Jamie