picaman

I have two plastic tubs of miso, one red and one white, that, (thank you for reminding me!) have been in the back of various fridges of mine for at least ten years. I haven't looked at them for around two, but I recall making a very nice soup then out of what would have been ~8 year old miso. And I survived to post the tale. I'll check out my miso tonight and get back to you. Jamie

I'd suggest Tournesol, but that's all the way over in Long Island City. One entire subway stop out of Manhattan. Never mind. Jamie

I'll second Jarnac--I've eaten there several times and have never been disappointed. Jamie

Jamie

Here is a link to the Mr. Cutlets method of cooking steak, which I've employed several times with outstanding results. It's stovetop cooking finished in the oven. Jamie

For what it's worth, I dined at Raoul's last year. We went early without a reservation and were treated very nicely, even though they were tremendously busy. I had the short ribs and bison carpaccio to start--I thought the food was well presented and uniformly flavorful. Desserts, coffee and kir were all good as well. I know a lot of people are down on Raoul's as being past its prime, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal there. It was a bit expensive, but to my mind was a decent enough value for the price given the ingredients and preparation. Jamie

You ARE yanking my chain aren't you? Yes I am It was a mom-and-pop grocery in a small town in north central Florida. Jamie

My family ran this grocery store! Were you a customer? Forgot about that detail--you are correct, sir! Jamie

Feh. Jamie

Had roasted cauliflower this weekend--delicious! It went well with my steamed okra Roasted brussels sprouts are awesome as well--now I'm off on a cruciferous vegetable buying spree! Jamie EDIT: spelling

Thanks for the suggestion! I shall have it this weekend and report back on its wubbiness. Jamie Steamed and served with butter and salt Jamie

Used to do it when I was a kid in north Florida (late '60s), but as I remember, the rule was that you had to use the small (6 1/2 oz.?) Coke. Big bottles of RC were off-limits As I remember, I didn't like it much and didn't get the point, but I did it anyway because older kids and grownups did. Jamie

This happened to a good friend of mine at, of all places, Esca. The oddest two things that happened to me personally: 1) Cockroach on a burger from A&W when I was a kid. As I think back, that had to be intentional. 2) Large packing-box-sized staple in a Domino's pizza. I was older then, and able to complain. Along the lines of the Campbell soup story, they mailed me a coupon for a free pizza Jamie

Very easy to make and much, much cheaper than buying it pre-made. I just combine vital wheat gluten with spices (often various flavors of sausage seasoning) and water, until it's firm but a bit sticky. Then I boil the "dough" in a broth made of tamari, water and a bit of kombu (optional) for about an hour. It will swell up, but shrinks when cool. It's very versatile, and does make a yummy BBQ sandwich when thinly sliced. Jamie EDIT: Added cooking time.

Sounds like my kind of place! I've just printed this page and added it to my "Paris restaurants" folder Somehow the smoke that bothers me in NYC doesn't bother me nearly as much in a Paris restaurant. I'd swear that there's a difference in the smoke--maybe it's the quality of the cigarette? And, as an ex-smoker, I'm easily irritated, both physically and mentally, by cigarette smoke. But I digress. I too enjoyed reading about your visit to Chez Denise. You have a great way of making description informative and germane rather than flowery. Jamie

Also at Maguire's in Pensacola, Florida. Very interesting place, this. On your first visit you sign a dollar bill, there's a bit of a ceremony, and then you staple it to the wall, ceiling, etc. Hundreds of thousands of dollar bills, supposedly. The ceiling is so thick in places that it's hard to staple. They also have the last case of Tullamore Dew in a glass case--always loved to see this as it was my grandfather's "special" whiskey. Jamie

Zen Palate is completely vegan. Souen (E 6th. St @ 3rd Ave.) is good though it's been a while since I've been there. I've also heard good things from friends about Red Bamboo (W 4th @ 6th Ave.), though I've never been there. Not sure, though, that either of these are completely vegan, if that's what you are after. I miss Zenith, which was on 8th Ave. @ I think 53rd. and was vegan--they could do some amazingly tasty things with various meat analogs, mainly seitan. Good luck with your search. Jamie

Thanks for the suggestion! I shall have it this weekend and report back on its wubbiness. Jamie

Here ...is another thread on this subject. Jamie

Pickled = Raw = Stewed/Gumbo = Fried = Have I left anything out? Jamie P.S. Wazzup with all these people downing offal at every opportunity but who won't eat okra? P.P.S. Saute sliced okra in a bit of oil and all the mucilage disappears magically. Okra and tomatoes prepared this way is delicious and mucilage-free

Feud Over Michelin Guide Grips French Food Sector "A French restaurant critic has lifted the lid on the secretive inner workings of the Michelin guide, alleging that a third of the top-rated venues in France's foremost gastronomic handbook are not up to scratch. Pascal Remy, sacked in December after 16 years as an inspector at the illustrious guide, smashed an industry taboo by giving a series of interviews to French media on Thursday." "Establishments are not visited every year," Remy told the weekly Le Figaro Magazine in an interview due to be published on Saturday. "More than a third of three-star restaurants are not of the standard expected." Michelin is denying much of this, of course. Disgruntled ex-employee? Does anyone have more info about this? Jamie EDIT: minor inaccuracy

I stopped in Columbus Circle Whole Foods this past Sunday afternoon to pick up some King Arthur flour. After a 10 minute wait to go down the escalator to the store (!) I found that their selection of this particular line of product was far narrower than that of the Chelsea store. The prices were definitely higher for this item as well. I got the sense of that being true in general, though it's somewhat supposition on my part. What she said Lots of shoppers, no one really buying. Even at Whole Foods, there were lots of wanderers (my group among them!) and a short checkout line. Jamie

Thanks for this very comprehensive update--it's very useful information to me, and I'm sure others as well. Jamie

Thanks for the tip, everyone--got one of these today. I'd estimate that 15-20 of these remain. Jamie

I keep telling myself that I'd like to go out to Long Island to make a personal comparison. But somehow I never seem to make it past Williamsburg. Glad to know you enjoyed it, though. I've read on various forums here that they are roughly comparable. Jamie