Liza

I'm not used to this. Usually, when I try to make plans with anyone in NYC, the dates are batted around a bit and then we all go to a mediator for help. Settling on the 22nd so easily is so, well, civilized. :0 I will say yes now, but due to job weirdisms, might have to renege. . . apologies in advance.

I guess you could say long and narrow, though that's by New York standards. Christmas lights up all year round, if that's a help. Country, jazz and soul on the jukebox. Beer from $4 down, even Schlitz in cans.

I'm throwing it in for the International at 1st and 7th. Best jukebox in town, old scratchy wooden bar, and that weird old guy with the long grey hair always perched at the end. My Irish-born husband and I used to go to the Scratcher on 5th St. as well which satisfied the pub-going needs of many Irish. I can't remember the name of the pub on the east side midtown that has an actual snug...

Hi Tommy, Nice Stewie! We keep our pizza stone in the oven all the time and find that it helps distribute the heat evenly for all things. We got the basic Williams-Sonoma version (wedding gift!), so I can't compare and contrast but I say if you've got the conviction, get the stone. The tool I find very important for pizza and other doughs, is a baker's peel to get the dough onto the stone. We got a pretty cheap one at Broadway Panhandler. Liza

I got married upstairs at Savoy, so that sits atop my romantic places list. I also like an off-peak corner booth at Corner Bistro, when available. For friends, it's almost always Odeon, where I know I'll always have great food and service.

"And is there any doubt that eventually -- though maybe not in our lifetimes -- we will have the ability to artificially emulate the flavors, aromas, textures, and appearances of most food products, even very rare and complex wines?" And take all the fun and danger out of it? I hope not! Life is risky, and some foods are risky, but for me, I'd rather have it that way as long as I can make an informed decision. When I consider not eating pork, I think of the relationship I have with the man who raises the pigs I choose to eat, and the affect my decision has on his livelihood. But to me, at heart is also that I have the luxury of making these choices. I can choose to eat or not eat products because I live in a rich country with plentiful options, and because I choose to have relationships with the people I purchase from.

Mark Kurlansky will be at Vintage New York, 482 Broome Street, on February 26 to lead a salt seminar. (also that night: Wade Moises, "sausage guru" at Lupa to discuss, you guessed it, fresh Italian sausage; and Chris Pearce "demystifies" seasonal sake). For reservations: 212-226-9463, ษ per class) Perhaps we should have an Egullet revival meeting there? (Edited by Liza at 6:19 pm on Feb. 3, 2002)

I haven't seen any of the '97 by Moris Farms in awhile now, but used to enjoy it for less than ฤ/bottle. More plum than berry, nice and rounded. I'll look around this weekend and see if I can find another bottle for a more informed tasting.

OK, I'll mention it: www.starchefs.com It seems as if a lot of chefs are interested in promoting their brand as being themselves, not any particular restaurant. Starchefs gives you what restaurant websites usually don't: added value. (I have no affiliation with the site, btw). Recipes, bios, interviews, and Q&A with chefs. My ideal restaurant website would include research and design information, such as how they chose the name, the font, the menus, the layout etc. Perhaps a virtual tour of the dining room, and kitchen of course! Group options: private rooms, catering options if any, chef's tables. An indication of seasonal options Perhaps mentions of certain suppliers - is the pork from Niman Ranch? Are the tomatoes local? I'd love to know, and it would definitely influence my decision to dine there. Sample wine pairings they recommend, good to know in advance, doncha think? What did I forget?

I come not to bury Martha, but to praise her. Believe me, I'm as shocked as anyone. The thing I like about her cooking segments, is that when she has a chef over to demonstrate a dish, she appears to let the chef...demonstrate the dish. Not too many questions, and "can you do that again but slower for our viewers?" and "how much salt? A pinch? Would you call that a pinch?" ...AIEE. I'm not sure but it also appears that she lets them demonstrate the actual recipe, not a dumbed-down or PC-version. There, that's my pro-Martha opinion. Now when she suggested that we all get all those extra tweed jackets out and cut them into squares and make a blanket, that's when I want to bury her.

Sorry to drag this back to food, (insert emoticon here, please!) but we finally did get to International Food Mart this morning, and I'm still breathing heavy. Wow. I think we can say a place is enormous when there are birds flying around overhead. We must have spent two hours combing the aisles. Picked up Barry's tea and Batchelor's peas from Ireland, Swatow Rice Vinegar (for .99!), Ligo sardines in tomato sauce AND chili sauce, wasabi in a tube (1.29), wonton wrappers, Zunimex dried Hoja Santa leaves (1/4 oz. for .99) , Oaxaca Chile Costeno and Chile Mulato (each 1.29), Health Valley Amaranth Flakes cereal for 3.49! Nice produce, really interesting ice cream flavors - avocado anyone? B Edulis said the fish counter looked fresher and cleaner than before, though neither of us bought any.

Good point, Tommy. I guess I was limiting myself to the discussions open to us here (!) but for further reference, check out "Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady", a book by my aunt and uncle about women's writings on the drug experience.

I wonder which has the greater cultural influence on culture? Which great artists and writers drank beer, which wine? That would be an interesting barometer!

Could I get those leeks with the prolixity? Great first post! And I second the twee side dish thing, too.

Thanks, Tommy I live near enough to Chinatown - do you think shlepping to Jersey is unnecessary? Not that I have anything against it, being a Garden Stater myself.. Liza

B Edulis and I are making the Holland Tunnel trek tomorrow night. It's my first time, any advice?

Damian: try Myers of Keswick on Hudson Street for your Marmite stash. My mom used to make potato chip chicken: crush potato chips, dunk chicken in the bits, and fry. Perfect for growing children with empty-freeway arteries...

I'm gonna cast a vote for Kraft, too. Years ago, when I was a different person, a college student person, I used to make the whole box. Eat half. Take a nap. Wake up...oh this is too sad.

Rosengarten says you can use a non-professional model burr grinder by Capresso, which he prices between ฮ and 贄. The one he uses is model #555, which costs ๕.99. He doesn't tell what the difference is between burr and propeller grinders, except to say that they "create oily ground coffee that is not evenly ground." His website is: www.DavidRosengarten.com (Edited by Liza at 2:51 pm on Jan. 10, 2002)

Just reporting - From the David Rosengarten Report: He recommends the burr grinder by Capresso for your beans. For what he calls American-style coffee, he touts a Dutch product called the Technivorm Clubline KB741, available from Boyds Coffee Company in Portland, OR (www.boyds.com). For coffee beans, he likes Peet's 'Major Dickason's Blend', available from www.peets.com or 800-999-2132. Espresso beans, The Daily Grind in Albany NY, www.dailygrind.com or 888-876-3222. Complete info in The Rosengarten Report, Volume 1, Number 5.

Now that's not an egg cream...is it?

I've had the chance to see a few episodes and A Cook's Tour is definitely, without question, the best show ever to appear on Food Network.

Regarding Union Pacific's way with protein: Rocco has counseled me on the subject - he has recommended slow poaching in plastic wrap. The guy knows his ingredients. We've made his slow poached striped bass wrapped in plastic quite a few times and he's told me that the same method works for all proteins. Simmering water at around 120 degrees, protein wrapped in plastic wrap, simmered for 20 minutes or so...

There was more of a simple grassy smell, rather than forest. I believe these are chemical compounds and aren't too complex. Each smell is supposed to be limited and identifiable - forest might be too multilayered to bottle into one vial.

Vintage New York offered a seminar last spring using "le nez du vin". They put 15 essences into 15 glasses of water, each essence representing one note of a potential positive aroma in a wine. Each participant went round the table, sniffing, and marking down what we thought each glass represented. The highest score (my brilliantly-nosed husband) detected 8 out of 15. It was tough. Lilac, grass, butter, cassis, apple, violet... It was great fun and really interesting to hear now different noses identified the same smell. LOTS of "this is supposed to smell good????" Apparently, there is a companion box, which features all the 'bad' smells you can detect in wines...