Liza

Fresh cod (not trout, Priscilla!) topped with bread crumbs made from Tribeca Oven's caraway-inflected rye bread and garlic. Ohmygoodness, it was good. Salad. A few chocolates left over from the Pot-Luck last week. Sommer Gruner Veltliner. Lots of cat hair distributed throughout.

Tommy, you know asking such personal and exclusionary questions is simply bad form! Before long, you'll have your internet wrist slapped.

Anyone remember the 60s b-movie "Horror Hotel", which dissolved from a demon about to impale a blade into a young woman's head, to a blade about to dissect a birthday cake. Great suffix, though.

Why does that remind me of a horror movie?

The current Wine Spectator has an article "Blockbuster 1997 Brunellos" and Italian Wine Merchants' newsletter is touting the same. If anyone wants a copy of the IWM newsletter detailing their Brunellos and prices, PM me and I'll forward it over.

No - sorry for any confusion. The Lobster Factory is just the Lobster Factory and the people at Union Square just sell there.

The fish store in Chelsea Market is The Lobster Factory. Our guy, Alex Villani, is at the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays on the Broadway side, and the Tribeca market on Saturdays. Other terrific fish is from the Karlin family, who also fish the LI Sound - they're at Union Square on Saturdays on the Broadway side nearer 14th Street, and also on Mondays.

Sugar snaps are in the market now, BTW. Last night: Lobel's filet, seared to perfection by the person who does the cooking; served with red wine reduction sauce and potatoes mashed with Lancashire cheddar. Piro (or is it Pino?) Dolcetto d'Alba from Italian Wine Merchants on 16th - oof, the nose on it! A Gerard Depardieu! Tonight: fresh trout, baked with thyme and a drizzle of olive oil; salad of market greens.

I did a film shoot there on Tuesday but if was Darryl's day off...

One more: Aki serves a sea urchin mousse with yuzu vinaigrette. Also, pester Steve Klc or Savir - Ilo's Tidal Pool recipe was in a recent edition of Food Arts.

Rocco DiSpirito's signiture appetizer at Union Pacific is Taylor Bay scallops topped with Uni in tomato water. One of the finest things I've ever tasted. I'd think Aquagrill would do something interesting with it as well.

Welcome, IAEBC! Thank you for the tip - wondering if just any ol' salt will work, or does it need to be a specific variety?

I'm wondering if we should petition Ted Blew of High Hope Hogs...

Excellent suggestion, Cabrales.

I'm eating one right now. Turkey with avocado, cress, on rye bread. Lovely, if falling apart from a wee bit too much mayo. The box is sealed with a sticker which reads: "Pret creates hand made natural food avoiding the obscure chemicals, additives and preservatives common to so much of the 'prepared' and 'fast' food on the market today." The napkin repeats much of this and adds: "What doesn't sell out we give to City Harvest at the end of the day".

Congratulations on your strength, Jim! Did the sage not overpower the Parmigiano? Do you think this idea can be used with perhaps basil leaves?

Orik, This: scallop carpaccio with yuzu juice, japanese seven spices and shiso leaves - sounds delicious. Is Japanese seven spices similar to Chinese 5 spice, i.e. does it come in one jar? Or is it a combination of seven spices that you make yourself? I just found yuzu juice at the Sunshine market on Stuyvesent, which also carries shiso leaves - so the possibility of making this dish just increased.

I'll second Katz's. Nice chickeny broth, very clear. Fluffy matzo balls. We recently tried Carnegie Deli's and found it inferior in every respect. If you're in the nabe, try the Edison's version, too, in the Hotel Edison, aka The Polish Tea Room. My best wishes for a speedy recovery to your friend.

I've never lost my passion for PB&J, root beer floats, and Kraft macaroni and cheese!

Fran Lebowitz said it best: Good music is music I want to hear. Bad music is music I don't want to hear.

It's difficult to diagnosis the problem without seeing or tasting your results. For a master recipe, I refer you to Mario Batali's in "Simple Italian Cooking". We experimented with other root vegetables - rutabaga and parsnips - and found that it was really crucial to dry out the veggies as much as possible, which meant about 45 minutes in a dry pan - after initial cooking! Hope this helps, at least a little.

Wilfrid, shouldn't this be on a different thread? Aren't we do for a Plotnicki one? He's a guy, with those guy things, one presumes, going on, yes. He's a handsome chap, who looks at you when he talks. A smart order-er, who sometimes eats with his fingers, and he laughs easily. Plus, he watches "VIP". Therefore, I was completely charmed.

Best comment from the night: "What are they cooking? I can't see anything through the giant flaming graphics!"

In NYC there are people on every corner with jars, supposedly collecting money for the homeless. They exhort us, to "help feed the homeless". But I always hear is as "Help seed the gnomeless". Davy informs me that the group of 'volunteers' who collect money near Union Square, then meet in the bathroom of a local deli, haggling over the money and crack. Ah well... Suvir, I'm expressly interested in the Bhel Puri, as is your houseguest. What a marvelous combination of textures and temperatures! Are there any other restaurants in NYC that serve these concoctions?

Actually, I met Tommy first. And for the record, I'm a little bit more than just a collection of girlish qualities! But back to the discussion of bhel puri and sev puri.