LJC

Andres Carne De Reys is a must. This is about the most fun I have ever had in a restaurant. It is 300 plus seat steak house/dance (with your waitress) on the table till 4am party.

Mark: What do you mean, "normal" retail?

where exactly is Joe Franklin's?

"I'm in Westfield, if that helps, but will travel for an amazing piece o' raw fish." Westfield is only 40 min from the city ... if you are willing ot travel for amazing fish then come into the city. Sushi Yasuda!

I make my eggs two different ways depending on my mood / time; smooth and creamy (low heat long time) or med. curds (higher heat / less stirring) but I never add any liquids. I like to use butter, and lots of it, for the creamy eggs and if available bacon fat for med. curd style. I pretty much always add cheese at the midway point and salt and pepper at the end. I am surprised that there is not a greater focus on the freshness of the eggs. I used to buy eggs in a supermarket until I visited a PA. farm and got a long lecture from the farmer on the superiority of fresh eggs. He explained that most eggs that we find in supermarkets have an expiration date about 2.5 - 3 months post harvest. Farm fresh eggs typically have a 1-1.5 month suggested shelf life. He also explained that supermarket eggs go thru a long process of sorting and distribution that make it about 2-3 weeks from farm to store as opposed to a few days. He went on and on about many other fine point such as hormones, hen conditions, etc. ...and convinced me to do my own tests. I bought some fresh eggs and some supermarket eggs did a couple of trials. First I boiled one of each and found the fresh egg had a slightly darker color, was a bit firmer and that there was not really an air gap between the egg and the shell. It was hard to distinguish a taste diff. I then did a scramble and found that the fresh eggs were firmer and much tastier. In comparison the store bought eggs seemed bland and sterile and the farm fresh had, for lack of a better word, personality. So, where do you buy farm fresh eggs? I am lucky enough to have a great butcher in my building and he carries fresh eggs. He does not have them all the time but when he does I buy em.

Gran Roque is the main island where the posadas (b&bs) are. Kres Ki is one of the two most popular "small roques" (rocks or keys) that make up Los Roques. On either Kres Ki or Madras Ki there is a little restaurant shack, which must be where your girlfriend ate. I have not eaten there but as I understand it is a seasonal restaurant run by lobster trappers (co-op).

don't miss La Duree (? spell) on the Champs d'elyse (spell?). IMO the world's best. If I remember correctly I think Piere Herme worked here before Fauchon. Regardless the macarons are the great.

Are you looking for classic / classy? If so I would second (or third) Bemelmans at the Carlyle and the King Cole. Others: Astor Room at St. Regis and The Royalton

I forgot about Carvel.

I'm with Bill, there are two desserts I recall from the 80 Frusen Glasen (Spelling??) and Cocaine. Most people preferred the latter.

Mom is a great cook. That said, occasional baked scrod was horrible. She would often make fried flounder for dinner and we all loved it but the next day she would send my sister and me off to school with a fried flounder sandwich on pita with ketchup. If made fresh this can be a great sandwich but by the time lunch came around ours would be soggy and smelly. My sister and I would try to throw them out before any other kids could see or smell them.

Years ago Jean Georges came up with a lobster sandwich on brioche with chili mayo and pickled ginger - Fantastic!

The order I prefer is: ...principal course with wine, cheese with wine, pastry with sweet wine or sherry, coffee and then possibly after dinner drinks (if I don't fall out of my chair).

After six months and very limited success I am giving up the beer importing business. My friend who is already very successful in a similar business will continue the quest. For me this went from being an "on the side/with my free time" thing to a full time pain in the ass. CDH was totally right in his post. There is a way to import desired alcoholic beverages in to many states however after all the work making the product conform and then getting it here there is just not enough profit for it to make sense. I was working on several brands from several countries and after six month I was able to get one product into Fl. I would have had to sell around 40,000 cases of it to breakeven. Needless to say I am giving up but thank you all for the advice and the recs.

Pargo is snapper. Are you sure that the fish was not fried? it may not have been deep fried but maybe pan seared? Los Roques is a national park made up of a series of tiny islands. They are barely inhabited and there really are no restaurants to speak of (two tiny shacks and a b&b that will serve a la carte). Almost all of the meals I have had there have been pan fired fish or steamed lobster usually with garlic sauce, lime, rice and some sort of cabbage salad (a meal on which I could survive for all eternity).

Patrick, Thanks. I must warn you that once you taste it you can get hooked. Before you know it you will be planning trips out of the country just to restock. Enjoy y salud!

1st prize goes to my mom. Unfortunately she only makes it two or three times a year. 2nd prize goes to Sammy's Romanian - Chunky, Shmaltzy with plenty of carmelized onions 3rd prize goes to Barney Greengrass - Great flavor but too creamy (IMO) Second Ave. Deli makes a pretty good one too but I have only eaten it in a combination Sandwich.

a single shot esspresso with or without milk ranges between 20 and 30 cents US or Bs. 600.00. A beer costs about Bs. 1,300.00. So a DB burger can get you about 110 beers.

So, I just got back and I am happy to say I found Havana club with ease and for only $7/750ml ($ is very strong in Ve.). I followed your advice and also picked up a btl of Ron Del Barrilito 3 Star, Ron Don Q Grand Anejo and Santa Teresa 1796. Thanks for the Recs!

I just got back from Caracas and while I was there I was reading a local magazine where they wrote about the DB Burger. The focus was the price; they converted it into Bolivares and it came out to about Bs. 150,000.00 which is enough to buy a very good steak dinner for 4 or about 250 cups of coffee.

It depends on your motive; if you are looking to gain some basic bartending knowledge and skills many of the courses are just fine. If you are looking to gain training that you can translate into a bartending job forget it. The majority of the schools will help you gain some basic knowledge of spirits and mixology that will make you a better home bartender but as previously posted most established bars will only hire those with confirmable previous bartending experience.

Is that the one that comes in the small leather bag? If so, I have bought it for as little as $16US. I use it to make rum and cokes.

I will be in Venezuela this week and I wonder what rums egulleters recommend I pick up. I usually get Havana Club but my brother in law told me it has become harder to find. Not to worry, I will search hi and low, but while I am searching what others rums should I look out for? BTW, my flight is by way of Puerto Rico so if you can think of anything I might find in the airport I will look there too. Thanks!

I took the class in 96' and found it to be fun and informative. It is barely more than an introduction though; so if you know the basics this might be a bit elementary. Kevin is a great teacher and a great industry contact/resource, and if nothing else you will meet interesting people.

Food and service are fair to good. The space and decor is pretty cool; nice bar and lounge area. The prices are high and even with your $50 certificate it will not be cheap. I am very skeptical of RA promos especially after I went to Brasserie for the advertised 2lb lobster dinner for $25. Maybe the whole plate including the ceramic was 2lbs.; the lobster itself was no larger than 11/2. A $25 2 lb lobster is a great deal but that’s not what I got. I felt like I was the victim of a scam. RA lost my trust and any good will they might have had.