Ellen Shapiro

I'm simply the photographer, so I'll leave it to others to explain why Sally's Apizza ("apizza" is a regional Italian spelling and pronunciation of pizza, pronounced "uh-beets") in New Haven, CT, makes the best pizza in North America. These are just some photographs taken last night on Wooster Street on the occasion of my birthday: Bobby Consiglio, second generation Sally's stick-man (the original, now departed owner was Sal Consiglio; the restaurant is run by Sal's wife Flo and several of her children), prepares the coals for optimum performance in the ancient, massive oven: Pizza creation is a by-hand (dare I say artisanal?) affair. Note that the house-made sauce (from tinned Italian whole tomatoes) is spread with fingers, not a ladle: A three-pie order ready for its trial-by-fire, being drizzled with olive oil (plastic water bottles with holes punched in the caps are the vessels of choice for this task): A pizza baking on the hearth (believe me, not an easy flash situation from the photographer's standpoint -- I'm working on growing my eyebrows back now): Pies coming out: And ready to serve: Okay, bye.

To get back to the original point--I certainly think you can have a great meal without wine--and not be punished for it. It will depend on the restaurant and the server you end up with but any top notch restaurant worth its salt should be accustomed to diners who drink and diners who don’t. If you don’t like wine—and you’ve tried it—don’t punish yourself. But as I’ve done on many occasions, I will often ask for “just a taste” of FG’s wine or order a tasting portion. Obviously not a whopping tab for two ($135 with the tip and tax)—with wine—the Schonfelds (Robert) ordered a single glass of wine at each course to be split between them. If the restaurant/servers were going on price and profit alone, it seems to me that the Schonfelds would have had a sub-standard experience. Based upon my own personal experiences, when you have a good server the difference in the dining experience is less about the end tab than the interest you express and the pleasure you derive from the meal.

Score! At the Fairway in Harlem they are selling a selection of candy bars imported from the UK--Cadbury and similar quality (can you believe it?). There at the checkout line I found the KitKat chunky. In my haste, I ignored the other varieties but I have noticed this trend around the city because when I recently visited Economy Candy downtown, they had a selection too (no KitKat), though not as good.

I think you should bring your own bread next time. Not that they would change anything because of it but you'd certainly establish yourself as a serious eater--and I'd bet the counterman would nod knowingly and give you a better sandwich--or just think you're crazy and throw you out. I'd give it a 50-50 split on odds. I have to admit that I never eat the bread. Takes up too much room I'd rather utilize for the other stuff.

Steven and I, along with a friend (yes, we have one but we sometimes have to pay for his dinner to keep him around), had dinner at Katz's last night. With three of us, we were able to order--and eat--a good selection from the critical offerings. Granted, each of us stuck with our favorites (all the better to test quality control), but we covered a lot of ground. Our menu included: Two pastrami sandwiches Turkey sandwich (my favorite) French fries One knockwurst Two hot dogs A baked potato knish (round) Sour and half sour pickles Sauerkraut Various Dr. Brown's sodas My turkey, by all accounts, was as good as ever and I think the best turkey in the city (and totally unsung, as in, "Why would you go to Katz's to eat turkey?" Answer: Because it's the best.). It received high praise by all voters at the table. The pastrami was still "damn good and better than most but a little tough and fatty but not in the good way." It was agreed that this was simply batch variation. I didn’t eat it but that was the consensus of the other two. Fat guy can give further details. The garlicky, crispy-skinned knockwurst is one of the best items there and often overlooked. The franks are skinnier than I like but are excellent and still win high praise for everything else and the fries—though we got an overcooked and cold batch on the first go round (we exchanged them for fresh from the frier)—are still my favorite steak fries in the city. All in all it was a very good meal. They were offering potato latkes on account of the holiday but we passed. I’ve never had a good potato latke in a restaurant. We did bemoan the absence of all of the old Catskills comedian type waiters who have been replaced with younger, humorless, rude waitresses. We now sit in the self serve area. A compromise we never forget to mention with each visit.

If I remember correctly (and how could I forget), my first coffee with sweetened condensed milk was in Thailand. After university, I lived for a brief while with a Thai family in Chiang Mai and with breakfast I was served a delicious cup of coffee. When I expressed my enthusiasm the secret ingredient—the can of sweetened condensed milk—emerged. I was astonished, dumbfounded, incredulous. And it was oh, so very good.

Oh! Those poor Western tourists. Missing out on another great opportunity. That's more sweetened condensed milk for us!

Your Cambodian/Vietnamese coffee sounds very similar to the Singaporean coffee I am addicted too—but have only had the opportunity to drink while in Singapore (probably better for me—and those within flailing distance). It's one of those coffees where, like Suvir, I found myself drinking multiple cups in one sitting. I felt like I had a dependency. The sweetened condensed milk doesn’t hurt any either. Why don’t we use more sweetened condensed milk? I’m outraged.

Many of the dishes that are considered traditional Jewish fare are foods that were common in the region where those Jews were living (which explains why you get kishke served in Jewish homes and Polish restaurants). This is why the Ashkenazi Jews have different traditional foods than Sephardic Jews—they had different regional influences and a different selection of readily available ingredients (amongst other things).

Perhaps one of the most obvious mistakes (to my taste buds) is the relentless attempt to cut the calories and fat out of each recipe as an end in itself. I know one such cook and I will be subjected to a feast of her low-fat dishes and desserts (try, just try to do this with potato latkes) very shortly.

To elaborate: The best napkins come from Wendy's. They're yellow but they don't run. Wendy's is also the best source for plastic utensils because they're heavy-duty and individually wrapped. Wipes are worth purchasing. No chain establishment has good ones that won't wreck your skin and make you smell like a bus-station bathroom. McDonald's is the leader in straws, with nice durable thick ones. It's amazing the condiments you can acquire. In addition to ketchup (even if a place uses pump dispensers, they'll give you packets if you ask), don't overlook things like hot sauces (from Taco Bell, for example) and mustards (you can get quite a range if you make a habit of picking up a few packets everywhere you go). Most bizarre condiment: "Cajun Sparkle" from Popeye's which must be 99% supercharged MSG. This may not be available anymore but we still have some. Supermarkets, not restaurants, are the best places to get food on road trips, but that doesn't get you much in the way of hot food and eating cold food meal after meal gets depressing especially when it's cold out. Fast food chains, however, provide good meal supplements if you know how to use them. For example the baked potatoes at Wendy's are very good and can be ordered with chives only (they use fresh chives) for 99 cents at any Wendy's in America. As an addition to a supermarket-based meal a hot baked potato makes all the difference. Many of the fast food chains also now offer basic garden salads for a dollar or two and the produce is usually in better shape than what you get at some of the supermarkets in Yennevelt. The trick is not to use their dressings. When we roadtrip for longer than a few days we expand the pantry to include olive oil, vinegar, and other staples so we can make things like dressings. On really long trips, we also travel with a Glowmaster catering stove, real kitchen knives and tools, cutting board, and a skillet.

I can not attest to the milk chocolate or dark chocolate KitKats but I did, on my flight over to Nepal (I can't remember if it was the AA flight or the BA flight--I actually think it was on AA from JFK to London), have the opportunity to sample a mini chunky KitKat. SO superior to our American skinny! So much so that after my trek while I was wandering around KTM I tried to re-live the experience and ended up with a sad imitation--an Indian KitKat (same skinny bar different chocolate ratios and components). Could it be that I actually had a dark chocolate KitKat chunky? It really was so superior to our skinny that I now think it's unlikely the improvement can be attributed to the chunky factor alone. Maybe I'm just hungry.

I like it when the guy puts the egg on his hat.

Not to beat a dead horse--or yak, as the case may be.

I could use one of those right now--but then I'd sink in the pool (going swimming) and then they'd have to rescue me--it would be a terrible mess so I guess it'll have to wait. Anyway, if I had it now, I'd suppose it would qualify for breakfast, not a snack. Of course, I don't eat bacon (I know, I know) and I'd probably get kicked out of the Y (it's the YM/WHA)--but that has nothing to do with snacking anyway.

Hey! Carrot Top IS funny! I've taken Larium before and never had "Larium" dreams. I'm off to India in a couple of weeks and have my scrip for Larium (filled). Now I'm starting to wonder. It's two weeks in India and then off to Nepal where I don't need to continue to worry about malaria but will have to continue the medication for four weeks--my entire stay in Nepal. I suppose I could always quit the meds if they're making me ill. Have any of you actually had "Larium dreams" or just your travel companions? The Larium lore is incredible.

Everyone is different in what they can tolerate both at home and away. I have never gotten sick--not in Egypt (I drank the water in Cairo), not in Nepal after countless visits (I've had the water there too on many occasions), not in Africa. I have an iron gut so I know I can get away with whatever I want to eat. So while I'm not "afraid" to eat anything, I'm what I call a "recovering vegetarian." I was a veg. for 12 years and though I now eat meat with abandon I get a little squeamish in developing countries when I see meat lying about on the street and on the ground, etc. I'm a hypocrite as it pertains to meat eating--I can eat it if it's put in front of me but when confronted with the reality of the actual animal and its parts, I find it difficult to consume. For me, abstinence from meat in these countries is not a scientifically based safety precaution but I've still got to wonder: This guy carried this meat in a basket from Tibet to Nepal and now its lying on the ground--who amongst you thinks your gut could withstand this? All the power to you.

I revert to my old vegetarian status when I travel to developing countries. There are too many problems that can develop out of eating improperly kept meat and fish and I figure it's not worth the risk. After all, how often do you get to travel to these places--I'd hate to waste the whole trip sick in bed (or elsewhere).

Further to what the Fat Guy was saying, often times it's the different bacteria in the food and water that upsets your system--it's not that it's bad, it's just different--and your body isn't accustomed to it so it goes into defense mode. Cipro is another good antibiotic to have along. I carry it with me for stomach ailments on every trip to Nepal. Thus far--never had to use it--but I have a cast iron gut.

This is the silver lining of the "bad" meal experience--the whole point of "living to tell the tale" -- is that you actually get to tell the tale! That's how I've made it through more than one bad meal--as well as countless other events in life too--like being on two broken down busses in Africa with lots of people and chickens and I can't remember what else . . . in the same day. It's like a mantra--think of the story value, think of the story value.

How about the biting the fork trick--you know, you get so enthusiastic about what you're eating that you forget to actually get the food off the fork and into your mouth before chomping? Okay, maybe it's just me. Let's just say--it isn't pretty.

I've really enjoyed Laurie Colwin's books too and I agree that Home Cooking is the best. I don't remember the chapter you refer too "Repulsive Dinners" -- I'll have to go back and re-read it.

Never was an issue in my house growing up--or now either, for that matter. Come to think of it, Steven's making himself a snack right now. It's 11:50 but I'm going to qualify it as a midnight snack.

Steven started a topic about the best meal he's ever had in someone's home (I was there and I have to agree with him on his selection)--I, on the other hand, would like to hear the horror stories of the worst meals people have had in someone's home. No need to name names--but I'm sure we've all been there.