prasantrin

We used to use a hair dryer to dry duck skin whenever we made roast duck. Worked fine. Just used the cool air setting, though, never heat (don't know if it would have mattered, but that's what we did). You can also use a fan. If you do use one, just make sure it's free of dust so you don't have dust/dirt flying around and sticking to your meat.

Given that you are based in Europe, I probably give the Europe-based pastry shops a miss if you only have a few days (unless you want to do comparisons b/w the Japanese and European shops). That would leave Pierre Herme, Sadaharu Aoki (incidentally, he sold his interest in the Japanese Sadaharu Aoki pastry shops--they are now completely owned by a Japanese company), Dalloyau, Laduree, Jean-Paul Hevin, Joel Robuchon, etc. off your list. For French-style Japanese pastry shops, you could try: Hidemi Sugino (I'm not a fan, but his shop is very very popular and he is well-regarded both domestically and internationally) in Ginza. Toshi Yoroizuka in Tokyo Midtown (in Roppongi) and also in Ebisu A Tes Souhaits in Kichijoji (not the most convenient place, but very nice cakes and kouign amann) Aigre Douce--technically in Shinjuku-ku, but closer to Mejiro Station Tadashi Yanagi near Toritsudaigaku Station Mont St. Clair near Toritsudaigaku Station, too (sort of between that station and Jiyugaoka Station) Origines Cacao chocolate shop near Jiyugaoka Station You could also try Echire for croissants and other butter-centric sweets. And I do love love love Viron's kouign amann (near Tokyo Station) Henri Charpentier (many locations, including Isetan Shinjuku)--great financier and salted caramel cake (when in season) Chez Cima (both Henri Charpentier and Chez Cima have my favourite caramel macaron) (Isetan Shinjuku) Gramercy New York (Shinjuku Takashimaya amongst other locations) etc. etc. If you tour Shinjuku Isetan or any other depachika, you'll find loads of both Japanese-only and Japanese branches of French pastry shops. Buy whatever catches your eye. Yoku Moku cookies (Shinjuku Isetan and others) For Japanese stuff Monaka Kuuya in Ginza (I like monaka, but not everyone does) Other stuff I can't remember right now. Oh, karintou. I love karintou. The most popular place is in Tokyo Station somewhere, but I prefer the stuff from Kagetsu in Bunkyo-ku. Very traditional and no wild flavours like at the place in Tokyo Station. I love the stuff from Himeji, so if you come upon a place with specialty foods from Hyogo, take a look for kokuto karinto or the kind covered with white candy. Very sweet, but I love it! If you like candy, you might come upon some old-fashioned Japanese candies called Bontan-Ame. Covered in clear rice paper, they taste of bontan (a Japanese citrus fruit). They are my favourite candies from my childhood. I've found them in various places--some depachika in areas where old-fashioned Japanese candies and sweets are sold, some supermarkets, and some convenience stores, but they can be hard to find. If you find a place that specializes in goods from Fukuoka, you'll probably find them there. When in Tokyo, I always stay at a cheap (by Japanese standards) near Isetan Shinjuku. I love the place and spend at least an hour browsing the pastries every day I'm in Tokyo. Needless to say, my hotel in Shinjuku has a little fridge in which I can store my goodies. :-)

I have a few Wineskins, but they are not reusable and they do not hold odd-shaped bottles well. I would prefer Vinnibag because it's reusable and it seems like it would hold odd-shaped bottles better, but I've not seen one so I do not know for sure. It also looks like it would take up more room than a Wineskin, but that may not matter for you. My top choice would be the WineHug. It's reusable and it seems like it would hold most odd-shaped bottles (though not very long ones). It's also more durable-looking than other similar bags. There are many more options out there, but those are my top three.

Many here may remember Daniel Rogov. He posted his own obituary here http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=40993. Another very nice article can be found here http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/Web-2011/Israels-Preeminent-Wine-Critic-Daniel-Rogov-Dies/

Blackout shades/drapes are key. It's not enough to get ones you think are thick enough; they have to be blackout shades. Especially if you're like me, and your body naturally wakes up when the sun comes up (took me a week to figure out why I wasn't waking up in time to get to yoga at 6:30am, then I realized the sun wasn't rising till 6:00 so it wasn't around to wake me up). You can get reasonably priced ones at places like Sears, but make sure they're installed properly. No point in having them if you don't install them properly.

Maybe because it's easier to be indignant over the success of someone one doesn't think should be successful than over the lack of success in one's own life? Generally speaking, of course (and perhaps personally speaking, at times, although in most cases, I'm more likely to pout than to become indignant). Anyway, I think she seems like a nice person. Why shouldn't she deserve a TV show? Or a better question, why should anyone deny her one? She's managed to parlay a small blog into a huge (likely money-making) blog with a large following, as well as a successful book. Anyone here manage to do the same?

Where's the fun in that? Whatever will we discuss if we cannot put down TV personalities we don't know? Or judge news events we don't know much about? FWIW, I've not had much success with Pioneer Woman's recipes (not even that cinnamon bun recipe people raved about), so I don't even read her blog. But if the Homesick Texan or Smitten Kitchen or Tartine Gourmande or David Lebovitz came out with shows, I'd watch even if they were on Food Network (if I got Food Network, which I don't). And if I liked them, I'd keep watching. And if I didn't, I'd stop.

And what do you think the jobs these students had were? Permanent positions with benefits? They were minimum wage (or close to it) short term positions with no benefits. I don't know loads of people (and I live in Canada) who would take those jobs. In fact, when I worked in employment services (placing unskilled youth--defined as aged 18-30) in government internships), we had a very low 30% completion rate. Or maybe it was 15%; I can't remember now. And that was one of the highest completion rates in the country for this program. Tha wages quoted above ARE above minimum wage in NYC. And another poster wrote that it did include health benefits- the corporation probably would have to set up some insurance if these kids were going to both live and work in a company set up. It's great that you think the wages quoted are above minimum wage in NYC. But the incident happened in Pennsylvania, so minimum wage in NYC is irrelevant to this situation. And it's great that another poster wrote that the position included health benefits. I have yet to read an article that states it so. And while the J-1 visa required employers to ensure participants have insurance, it does not require said employers to provide the health insurance. Participants themselves are required to purchase their own health insurance. If their employer agrees to provide it, great. But if the employer agrees to provide it at a cost to the participant (in the form of a wage deduction), then that should also be acceptable. Like I said before, there has not been enough information provided to make any sort of rational judgment. If people choose to jump to conclusions in favour of one side or the other, then that's their right. But I choose to wait until I have enough evidence to make any sort of judgment. And if you think Canadians are the only ones who turn their noses at low-paying jobs, you need to take a closer look at your own compatriots. And Europe ain't no paradise. Just ask the unemployed in Spain, Iceland, England, France. . .

And what do you think the jobs these students had were? Permanent positions with benefits? They were minimum wage (or close to it) short term positions with no benefits. I don't know loads of people (and I live in Canada) who would take those jobs. In fact, when I worked in employment services (placing unskilled youth--defined as aged 18-30) in government internships), we had a very low 30% completion rate. Or maybe it was 15%; I can't remember now. And that was one of the highest completion rates in the country for this program. Regarding this particular case, if you read about the program, information can be found at http://j1visa.state.gov/basics/, there is nothing about what was given to the students that was out-of-bounds EXCEPT perhaps the allegation that they were expected to pay for their time cards. However, nothing has been said about what kind of contract had been signed prior to the students being employed. Were they aware of the position and the number of work hours per week expected? Were they informed that they would be charged for accommodations and how much they would be charged? Yes, there's a chance they weren't. But there's also a chance they were given the information, and just didn't pay attention to it or didn't understand it. I work with foreign students, so I know what it's like to explain the rules again and again, have students sign off on them, and then come back when they don't like their situation and say, "No one told me." Not enough information has been given in this case to say whether what Hershey has/hasn't done is acceptable. But fortunately, just enough information has been given to make a mountain out of what could very well be a molehill.

We all pray, but in different ways. Have you ever said anything like "I hope so-and-so does well on his test," or "I hope I get the job"? You may not be praying to a god, but you are praying. And we all try to convince others that our beliefs are "correct", whether it be a belief that particular restaurant or brand is better than another, or a belief that a particular way of living is better (which is how I view religion). Why is the latter considered inappropriate when the former is more accepted? Because of political correctness? Well, we all know what George Carlin said about political correctness (or euphemisms, as he called them). The restaurant was not trying to "push" their religion with one simple sign; and contrary to an earlier post which stated the op was "commanded" (or similar forceful word) to pray by the sign, it was not even telling people they had to pray. There is nothing wrong with stating a belief, and they did so only once (in a sign, no less, not even verbally). Mountain. Molehill.

FWIW, I didn't think any of the food I ate in Morocco (I was there for just over three months) was inauthentic. Some restaurants may have had better food than others, but even the expensive clearly-targeted-at-tourists places were just as good/bad as the local places. The reason for this is most likely because Moroccan food prepared in restaurants is just not as good as home-cooked Moroccan food. (ymmv, of course, and there are exceptions, such as restaurants associated with some of the uber-expensive riads)

so many options. I'd like to think tupac 'cause he hasn't been around for a while, and he always had good food to talk about. Plus I heard through the grapevine that he may(?) have been working at one of David Chang's places.

Similarly, last week I dined at a restaurant on a Tuesday evening. Tuesday evenings are not, afaik, normally busy for restaurants, but this place was packed. I overheard a server tell another table that she had never seen the restaurant so busy on a Tuesday. They were very understaffed, and we suffered waits for everything--from being seated (5-10 minutes just to have someone acknowledge our presence even though there were tables available) to paying our bill (20 minutes just to pay once we actually got the bill). I think we were there for more than two hours, but we only spent about 20 minutes of that time eating (we just had appetizers). And the food sucked--45 minute wait for overcooked, underseasoned food. But I still tipped. 15% post tax. There were some things our server could have done better, but when she did have contact with us, she was friendly and helpful. I knew the place was far too busy for the number of staff on the floor, and I felt she was trying as best she could. The place this weekend, on the other hand, had two other tables finishing up when we arrived, and maybe a total of three other parties entered the restaurant after us. It was around 3:20pm when we arrived, and our order was taken at 3:30, so it shouldn't have been (and it didn't appear to be) a busy time for the restaurant. Staff (both servers and the owner) passed our table many many times (probably a couple of dozen times or more), and never once thought to check on us or our order. No one seemed to care about us at any point during our time there. We have been to this restaurant many times, and often get sub-par service there (that's just the way this restaurant is), but we still always tip. In this case, what happened was not acceptable, and so we didn't tip (or pay, but if they had asked us to pay for the tea, we would have. But we still wouldn't have tipped).

That's exactly it, MaxH. No one is paying anyone or soliciting anyone to write reviews here on eG like they are on sites like Yelp. While you might get a review that's considered bad advice here, it is still posted by a well-meaning society member who hasn't been paid or comped, or has made those facts known. Shills are usually quickly ferreted out. I should hope none of the things MaxH mentioned is being done currently, but I have no doubt people have used websites such as eG to "help out" friends in the business, whether those friends be restaurant owners, chefs, or even publishing agents and their relatives. Once you hear of such actions by persons, it's difficult to trust their judgments ever again. On another board, a chef once mentioned how some bloggers and/or posters on food boards have made themselves "known" to the house (of restaurants where he has worked) with comments as subtle as "Do you know who I am?" Those guests then expect to be given comps and other privileges. Should I trust the reviews of those board members whom he mentions? I do not feel I can, and although he named no names, I pretty much disregard reviews from regular posters to that particular regional board. In my opinion, an expected/a demanded (even if that demand is only implied) comp is the same as a payment. If anyone doubts what I write and needs a link to the above chef's post (or a quotation from it), I would be happy to oblige via PM. But yes, afaik, the bad recs I've received are from people whose tastes merely differ from mine. My point was that one must be just as critical in choosing whose reviews to trust as in choosing which restaurants at which to dine. No harm in thinking for oneself rather than blindly following any one person, blog, board, etc.

Had we just left without them knowing, I would say it were stealing. I left in a huff, but my dining companion did stop to speak briefly to the owner, and after questioning the owner about what happened (no answer was given, by the way, the only words that came out of the owners mouth were "I'm sorry"), told them we were leaving. At no time did the owner present a bill for the pot of tea (which probably cost them no more than 10cents, possibly much less if the tea leaves were, in fact, used, plus maybe 50 cents for the overhead involved in a pot of tea). That being said, at no time did my companion offer to pay and were we completely correct, we should have offered to do so at that time. After my companion followed me out of the restaurant, they did not rush out to ask us to pay for the tea. I'm guessing they were so embarrassed/caught off-guard at their complete incompetence, that they decided it was not appropriate it ask us to pay. The odd thing about the lost order is that a computerized ticket with our order had been taped to our table (which is how we knew the time of the order), yet when they checked their computer, there was no evidence of that order. It must have been punched in, but it was likely deleted or not "entered", so they had to do it again. What was very stupid on their part was not to speak to us once they realized the error. Had they apologized and explained the situation rather than try to cover up their mistake (in a very public way since the order station is in clear view of the dining area), we probably wouldn't have been so pissed off. And we may just have left a (small) tip.

I'm pretty sure it's just an ordinary Turkish coffee grinder. My parents used to sell them in their store, and one of mine is about four inches high. You can adjust the grind by adjusting how tightly you screw on the twirly thing. I use my little one for white pepper. Well, I did until it fell into a pot full of oil. Oops.

Two weeks ago, I went to a restaurant where service was slow, but acceptable. Well, acceptable until we waited 30 minutes past getting all but one dish, only to find out they forgot to punch in the order for that one dish. Took another 20 minutes or so to finally get it. They did not comp anything, but I still tipped, though I only tipped 15% of the pre-tax bill (my standard is 15-20% post-tax). Today I visited the same restaurant. And we waited and waited for our food, watching other tables that arrived well after our table get served. All this time, waitstaff passed our table, not acknowledging us (aside for when they first took our order and again when they brought our beverages). 40 minutes later, we asked what time it was (neither in my party had a watch) and pointed out that we had ordered 40 minutes earlier and still hadn't received anything. The server said she would check on our order, and we saw her look at the computer terminal, then rush to the owner, then together they rushed back to the terminal and started punching in our order. That's right, they hadn't even bothered to punch in our order. We stood up and left, not paying for our beverages (a pot of Chinese tea which we suspected contained re-used leaves), and certainly not leaving a tip. I have never ever left a restaurant without at least one person in my party leaving a tip (I once, in a large group, had my order alone forgotten by the server. Everyone else tipped on their orders, but I did not). Or without paying. But in this case, I felt it was justified. That being said, I live in Canada and in my area, there is no tipping wage so servers get $10/hour. Were my server getting $3/hour, I would probably have paid for the beverages, and maybe left a bit of change.

I take all online reviews with a grain of salt, including those on eG and its ilk. I've received just as much bad advice here and on other boards as anywhere else, and there are just as many "friends of the house" posting rave reviews here as anywhere else (who may not be getting paid cash, but a comped meal or course is a form of payment, whether disclosed or not). Instead of looking at any site as a trustworthy source of reviews, I look at individual posters/bloggers. If you read enough, you find which posters have tastes most similar to your own, and who at least appear to be trustworthy.

I hope y'all haven't been intimidated by the event spaces of the recent gatherings. Commercial spaces like the one in Cleveland and in KC were great--roomy, excellent cooking facilities, etc. But Chicago was in a church in a suburb outside Chicago, and that was great, too. If RTM or the Restaurant School are available and affordable, great. But (and I'll probably be outvoted on this, too), I think cozy, homely event spaces are just as good as the fancy schmancy ones, and if it keeps the expenses low, even better.

oops. flick pics from Cleveland There are some chocolate pics I'm slowly putting up (as I eat them), but otherwise the set is complete (I'm missing a couple of shots from the Greenhouse Tavern dinner, though). And where were you, Chef Crash? I was hoping for some baklava!

nut-dried fruit breads? What nut-dried fruit breads? Did y'all hide some breads from me? I LOVE nut-dried fruit breads! I’m trying to process my thoughts about the weekend. In general. . Lilly’s Tremont (unscheduled stop). Recommended by Edsel on another board. I had purchased an assortment with the intention of having a tasting party at our B&B, but never got around to the tasting. I just started eating them (a few days past the best before date—oops), and they rock! I like her chocolates because they are, for my taste buds, very well-balanced. None are too sweet, and the tart flavours are not too tart. Some may find them too tame, but I love them. We also went to Istanbul Grill (unscheduled stop) shortly after we arrived. Meh. Lamb was tender, but not particularly flavourful. And I’m pretty sure the fries were frozen. Thursday evening—not quite sure how the evening qualifies as a progressive dinner as each place had an assortment that could easily qualify as a full meal. Fahrenheit—appetizer portions: housemade potato chips, spring rolls (very meh), pizza, and little desserts. Are desserts really appetizers/pre-dinner noshes? Lolita—the one scheduled place to which I would return. They laid food on us like mad—no dessert unless you count the savoury-ish dates (which were fantastic, and I don’t even like dates that much), so it seems like this place might have been more in tune to what a progressive dinner might entail (except they served a lot of food—not necessarily a bad thing). I liked almost everything we had, although I did find the charcuterie to be much saltier than I prefer. The sausage pizza was even better the next morning, and the morning after that, too. I wish I had more room in my tummy to have eaten more, because I really enjoyed the food here. Dante— It was a full small tasting-style meal, not so much the end to a progressive restaurant crawl. I was underwhelmed, but I did like the dessert very much. Ricotta cavatelli was seriously overcooked. Friday Dim and Den Sum—I enjoyed the experience, and thought the lobster roll was fine. Packed with lobster, and very messy to eat. But that’s half the fun of food truck food. Pulled pork was a bit mushy. Chris Hodgson is clearly very passionate about what he does, and it was a delight listening to him. Sweet Moses—recommended by Edsel on another board. Not an official stop, but I talked my fellow travellers into going despite all of us being very full from lunch. I LOVED it! Delicious chocolate malted, but the sundaes were really excellent. To be honest, I don’t really care for ice cream, but I loved Sweet Moses’ ice cream. We also tried their housemade root beer. It was very good. Velvet Tango Room—awesome root beer. Loved it. My favourite of all the root beers I’ve ever tried. I had an alcoholic beverage, too, but I can’t remember what it was. I think it had lime and gin in it, and it was very strong! Greenhouse Tavern—some of us were late due to a GPS malfunction, so we missed the first few courses. Oops. Fortunately, my plus 1 was not too shy to ask the waitstaff for the items we missed, so those of us who were late still got to try them. I thought the food here was, in general, fine, but not terribly interesting. I know many raved about the pig’s head, but it wasn’t my first pig’s head, and I’ve had better (plus the skin was flaccid. I hate flaccid pork skin). The only dish that stood out for me was the Buttered Popcorn pot de crème (one per two persons). It was pretty spectacular. But the rest of the desserts offered, well, sucked. One of these days I might have a decent vegan and gluten-free baked item, but this day was not one of them. I checked the menu out, and it seems it would have been cheaper for a few of us to have ordered everything off the menu and shared. But I suppose I should count myself lucky, as the sole vegetarian who had a measly plate of grilled padron peppers ($6 on the menu, but perhaps he got a larger serving of them?) was initially charged $70+tt on his meal. That’s right, $70 when all he had to eat was grilled peppers. And some grilled bread leftover from another dish. When questioned, the staff graciously reduced his bill to $30+tt, so I suppose that was a good thing. Saturday—we had falafel from a place at West Side Market. It was good, but I thought the falafel at Lulu’s in Hamilton, Ontario was better. After all the farmer’s market stuff, some of us went back to Sweet Moses. Yes, again. I love that place. And the folks who work there (and the owner) are so nice and hospitable. Saturday dinner was fun, as usual. Sunday brunch—AMP150. I enjoyed the meal, in general, but would have preferred more variety. I love pork (as most non-Muslim SE Asians do), and I love eggs, but I could have done with just one version of bacon and eggs, and more other stuff. I loved the dessert. A lot. Here also, I thought the sole vegetarian got a bum deal. He was basically served the same thing we were, but with the meat removed. I think only the waffles had a non-meat addition rather than just having the meat subtracted. But I think he still enjoyed his meal. Overall thoughts—I enjoyed the weekend as a whole, especially catching up with the peeps I only get to see once a year. And although I was not terribly thrilled by the meals (in general), I do appreciate the work that went into planning them (both the work by the organisers, and that of the chefs). And if you think my review is critical, don’t ask me what my +1 thought of the weekend. The apple does not fall far from the tree, but the tree is bigger, stronger, and much more out-spoken. pics are up on flickr if anyone is interested. (and BTW, Cleveland has some fantastic architecture. I'm hoping to go back so I can do a downtown architecture tour if one exists)

One of my goals in life is to watch a major league baseball game and eat a hot dog or something at a major league ballpark. So I did some research. http://mlb.mlb.com/phi/ticketing/group_party/patio.jsp That's for the patio, but if you scroll down a bit, you can see prices for other areas. It's not cheap (if the gathering is in August, we would not qualify for the value package, so the standard package is the minimum price for any area). But it does include tickets to the game. And food (but it's aramark food). Still, while I would be up for it, I don't know that most others would.

That's what you get for hangin' with the wrong crowd! I may be shunned, but I know all the good places! I went there twice, actually. Once the Friday after the food truck, and again before the Saturday dinner. I'd have gone a few more times had I had my own vehicle! I think Philly should include an old fashioned soda shop stop, but I'd be OK if it didn't. I always find time to hit the good places on my own if they're not part of the group itinerary.

Given the reports I've read of meals in the Philadelphia area, I suspect anything y'all put together would be fantastic. Question--what are the chances of having Shola put together one of the dinners or lunches? I assume it would be a little more expensive than the average gathering meal, but when I think about how much we spent in Cleveland (particularly when thinking about value for money), I think paying a little more for a meal prepared by Shola would be worth it.

As suggested above, there's a menu online. Maybe it should be checked out. As I did not mention because I did not think it was necessary, I had checked out the online menu before I posted, and there was no mention of chocolate malteds. That is why I asked someone who has actually been there. Perhaps there are many items not on the very annoying online menu that could be shared (though perhaps on another thread, since this is about the potential Heartland Gathering 2012).