SteveW

No mention in the discussion so far, before the cross-continent road trip starts early this morning, is if Ellen has pre-sell any articles by this time, about any parts of this upcoming trip. It would be fun, to also read her perpective(concerning food or relating to travel). ------------ Steve

My brother grew up eating the North American lobsters(mostly Canadian), & never ate Asian spiny lobsters until moving to Hong Kong 2+ years ago. The Asian spiny lobsters from all reports are much more tastier than the Caribbeen spiny lobsters. One reason is that the Asian lobsters come from cold waters vs the warm waters of Caribbeen lobsters(hope I didn't get the facts screwed up). Are any live Asian spiny lobsters(including Australian spiny lobsters) available in the US? I suspect the Nobu restaurant in NYC, might get a regular supply. ---------- Steve

Steven(Fat Guy), yes my brother did make the Lobster w/braised E-Fu Noodles dish over the weekend(Saturday). Besides posting here, I'd asked a friend or two, & food experts for a recipe of this dish. Eventually a Hong Kong foodie friend supplied me with a recipe(then I forwarded to my brother). Below I'll list the instructions. Instead of using Australian lobsters(his original intention), he got another live Asian spiny lobsters from the area. These were huge(my brother e-mailed me several pictures of the lobsters they purchased). He briefly told me after the meal, that he enjoyed the dish. Given a preference, he told me that he prefers slightly the Asian spiny lobsters(including Australian lobster) over American/Canadian lobsters, by saying the meat is a little sweeter. If anybody has another authentic recipe of this dish, they're welcome to add their input. Recipe intructions(it's pretty simple):First clean the lobster and cut them into pieces. Blanch the E-Fu Noodles & drain. Fry the lobster in quite a bit of oil, until just slightly undercooked, then remove from pan and pour off most of the oil. In the remaining oil, add some garlic & slices of ginger & spring onions(optional). Add the lobster back in pan with some chicken stock & the noodles & some white pepper. Cook until everything is heated throughout. That's about it. ------------- Steve

My brother will be using 2 live Australian lobsters(Spiny lobsters), for the lobster recipe. Steve

From checking my brother's e-mail message again, all he wants are instructions for combining the ingredients. Thanks fat guy, for the background about the E-Fu Noodles. From asking a good friend in HK for help with this recipe, she told me about another interesting way they do it there. It's lobster with noodles & cheese sauce(might be considered a fusion thing). Thanks cabrales, for suggesting to check recipes for E-Fu noodles with crab. All I did, was look for lobster recipes. ------- Steve

My brother who now lives in HK, is looking for a recipe for Lobster w/braised E-Fu Noodles. According to him, it's a classic Chinese dish popular in Hong Kong. And can also be ordered in Chinese restaurants in parts of North America. He's cooking 2 live lobsters on Saturday, & would like to make this recipe. I've checked all the Chinese cookbooks that I can find, but no luck in finding a recipe for this. Can anybody here help me. The major ingredients for this dish are lobster, chicken consomme/stock, E-Fu noodles(Chinese egg noodles), and ginger & onions. Thanks for any help. ____ Steve

Kinki got a very favorable review recently in a Ottawa magazine. I think it was in Ottawa Life(off-shoot of Toronto Life). As Lesley, I first became aware of Kinki, through an episode of the Opening Soon program. Any of the media press in Ottawa that are reliable for their restaurant reviews? Does the Ottawa Sun still run restaurant reviews(which day does it run)? Xpress a new weekly Ottawa paper(an off-shoot of Montreal's Hour & Voir newspapers), I've noticed has restaurant reviews. I've got an issue or two, of an Ottawa quarterly restaurant magazine somewhere(can't remember the name). Have you seen it? Ottawa Citizen I think has a restaurant review every Wednesday. Steve

Bux, I'm certainly aware of Hong Kong(my brother moved to Hong Kong 2+ years ago). What I'm unsure was the term Hong Kong-style restaurant. Before reading your message above, my brother called from Hong Kong. As usual, we spent most of our conversation talking about food/restaurants. I did ask him about Hong Kong-style restaurant. He told me that these are updated Chinese restaurants(usually Cantonese), that are influenced by western cuisine. Usually, attract more of the younger set. Thanks for NYC Cantonese restaurants suggestions so far. I'll probably speak to my friend in Hong Kong later this week & tell her about the restaurant suggestions mentioned here. ------- Steve

What about the Sweet-n-Tart restaurant? This restaurant has come up often in recent years from the food press. I think it opened after my friend left New York City. Is it Cantonese or HK-style cuisine(not quite sure what's that suppose to mean). ------ Steve

Clarification for Pan. My friend lived in NYC, before ever going to Hong Kong. Nevertheless, your suggestion of Canton is noted(Thanks for the suggestion). ------ Steve

I was speaking to a friend recently. This person had lived in NYC for a period. I was asking her, which Cantonese chinese restaurants in NYC would she recommend for me. She told me that are none great Cantonese chinese restaurants in NYC. I should of preface by saying, that she left NYC around 7-8 years ago, but she still keeps in touch with friends in NYC. And she does know her Cantonese food(she's living in Hong Kong now). Does anyone here, who can recommend a top-notch NYC Cantonese restaurant for excellent food? I would appreciate any suggestions. ------ Steve

Steven, the Montreal steakhouse serving U.S.D.A. Prime that you are probably thinking of is Queue de Cheval(they dry-aged their steaks on premises), if you were in Downtown Montreal. Otherwise, you might of walked past Moises steakhouse. However Moises contrary to what many media outlets report(Sorry, Alan Richman) don't have U.S.D.A. Prime steaks. Their steaks are only U.S.D.A. Choice(confirmed by 3-4 reliable sources). Otherwise you might be thinking of Rib 'n Reef(near the Snowdon Deli on Decarie Boulevard). In all, I'm guessing around 7-8 Montreal steakhouses carry U.S.D.A. Prime beef. Two Montreal steakhouses that serve U.S.D.A. Prime, closed their business over the summer. Of the other top fine dining restaurants in Montreal(beyond steakhouses), I'm aware of a couple that carry US Angus beef. Slightly off-topic. Is their anything special with the Arizona beef that Alain Ducasse New York utilizes? Steve

Your idea of getting the best steaks from around the world, & doing a taste test against each other!! That's sort of the concept with Todd English's new Steakhouse restaurant in Boston. His new restaurant supposely showcases the best steaks from around the world. Steaks from Argentina, Brazilian beef, US Prime beef, Kobe beef(his Kobe comes from somewhere in the US), & etc. I'm not sure if Canadian beef is featured in his restaurant. I can't remember the name of his restaurant. Maybe they have a website, which would have their menu listed. If Todd English is getting the top suppliers for his different steaks, then his steakhouse would be a great choice to do this kind of taste test. Yes Steven, the fanciest Canadian steakhouses in many cases do serve U.S.D.A Prime beef. However U.S.D.A. Prime beef is limited(to my knowledge) to the 3 major Canadian cities(Toronto, Vancouver & Montreal). I would say that Toronto & Vancouver are more established Steakhouse towns than Montreal. Montreal still doesn't have any of the upscale US Steakhouse chains(no Ruth's Chris, Morton's). Even the mid-price level chains like Outback Steakhouse, have no presence here in Montreal. Until around 4 years ago, Montreal(in the whole province of Quebec, for that matter) only had one restaurant serving U.S.D.A. Prime beef. I can't find Canada Prime grade beef anywhere here in Montreal(Canada Prime is the highest grade of Canadian beef). To my knowledge, no Montreal restaurant or Montreal butcher is carrying Canada Prime beef. Steve

Rail, the Sterling Silver brand only comes from one Alberta-based producer. I've tried Alberta Sterling Silver rib steaks several times at a restaurant here. It's very good. Talking to Canadian beef expert last week, besides Canadian Angus beef, there's something new called Certified Canadian Angus beef. Steve

Rosie, I think Alberta beef is worth seeking out. It's where the best beef in Canada comes from(Ontario also has some good beef). However I don't know where you could find Alberta beef in New Jersey-New York. Let me know, if any Canadian beef is available in your area. Many butchers & restaurants in Canada that do carry Alberta, do advertise this fact to their consumers. Alberta beef is not really branded beef. The name brands that we do have are Canadian Angus beef & Sterling Silver(Canadian beef). Canadian Angus beef is a Alberta beef product(from a Alberta-based producer). Canadian beef is generally leaner that US beef. Several years ago, the Canadian beef industry introduced the Canada Prime grade, to compete with US Prime beef, in world markets. Still Canada Prime doesn't require as much marbling as US Prime. Hope this answer some of your questions. Steve

"...., but the ice cream business isn't what is used to be." Steven, are you refering just to the New York City market or the ice cream market in general? No question the dynamics of running an ice cream shop in hot climate places like Los Angeles, are totally different than in NYC. During the late fall & winters, it must be tough to generate substantial business compared to the warm months, for New York ice cream shops. Some of the these places I suspect only open during the spring & summer months. Steve

abbeynormal, Slightly off-topic since we are focusing on Manhattan Ice Cream Parlors here. However you mention Boston as a great ice cream town & specifically about mix-ins(& premium ice cream). I really enjoyed the mix-ins ice cream, at my last trip to Boston at a Steve's ice cream location(sometime in the early 90's). Is it unique to the Boston market? In my limited travels in North America I haven't seen mix-ins anywhere else. It can be argued that Dairy Queen makes a version of mix-in, but that's not what I'm looking for. Steve

Steven, I assume when you mentioned that Costas of Milos imports special Canadian flour to his NYC branch, it would be commercial version from one of the 2-3 national flour brands. In Canada here, they're only 2-3 flour brands, & the wheat all comes from the same area. I think all Canadian wheat comes from Manitoba, since Canadian flour is sometimes refered to worldwide as Manitoba flour. In the US, they're quite a few national & regional flour brands & their wheat comes from different parts of the country. In general Canadian flour is different from US flour-mainly due to the higher gluten content. However higher gluten US flour(on par with Canadian flour) is available from certain US brands. For the US consumer, the best source to find 'high gluten US flour' would be the King Arthur Flour catalog.

Holly Moore, what is the approx. cost of a restaurant salamander? And tell me about your home grill. Steve

And one more thing, Chris. Since this is a NYC-based site & most members are from this area, I often focus on NYC. No problem for asking. Steve

" I am curious you said you were in Montreal why this fascination with the most minor intricacies of the New York wholesale meat scene?" Chris, Rail Paul had mentioned Debragga & Spitler in earlier posting & seem to imply that it was a local butcher shop. As for my interest in the NY wholesale meat scene. My interest is in the NYC food/restaurant scene. Specifically steakhouses are one of my favorite topics. Steve

Just finished reading NYT Restaurant slump article. Is DeBragga & Spitler, a butcher shop open to the public? Can anyone estimate how many butcher shops in NYC sell US Prime beef? Steve

I just finished reading a feature mid-1999 NY Times article on Halal butcher shops. Halal meat is younger(less than two years old) & leaner than traditional American beef. The articles lists 6 NYC-area Halal butcher shops. They are Halal Meat Company, 232 Atlantic Avenue; Halal Meat Market, 304 Atlantic Avenue; Fertile Crescent, 570 Atlantic Avenue; Chand and Halal Meat, 43-37 Main Street; Nusrat Comak's Halal Meat Market, 526 Ninth Avenue; Hason Orman Superior Halal Meat Market, 4105 Park Avenue.

Chris, thanks for steering me straight, by saying that restaurants don't get their meat from butchers. Just before, Steven(Fat Guy) had mentioned in another thread in the General section(Omaha Steaks?), that most restaurants don't get their beef directly from butchers. That information didn't stay in my brain for long. Now I got the message & won't forget. Steve

In addition to any potential challenger to Lobel's for traditional big cut American beef. I would be interested in any top notch ethnic butcher shops, serving non-American beef. Where do the top Latin restaurants in NYC, get their beef & etc? Steve