fido dido
-
Posts
32 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by fido dido
-
-
As a Chinese who frequents Italy, I can say quite definitively that I've never ever eaten Chinese food, or what some people claim passes for the stuff, in Italy.
Fido dido... like the name by the way, reminds me of 7up... Maybe you could elaborate on the types of dishes/meals/experiences you actually had. I am in no great hurry to eat Chinese food when I'm in Italy (pretty much feel the same way when I'm in say, Shanghai)... but m curiosity has been piqued.
Pein,
I actually had fantastic Wenzhou food in both Rome and Florence. In Rome I wandered into a restaurant off the main drag in "Chinatown," off the Piazza Vittorio. Unfortunately, they were closed for the afternoon. The waiter was nice enough to take me around the corner to another place - much less fancy - that was still open. I ordered a plate of noodles, thinking they would be soup noodles, but to my surprise, they were vermicelli with vegetables. I've never seen that served in a restaurant, but we make it at home all the time. After a week of eating pasta and pork products non-stop, I savored every slurp.
In Florence some family friends who've lived in Italy for 20 years took me out to Prato, where the Chinese are centered and where all the garment and leather factories are. There, we went to what they told me was the best Wenzhou restaurant in town. It was memorable. I'm not a big fan of chicken feet, but I cleaned off the plate there. We had a pork-based noodle soup that was as delicious as anything I've ever had in Hong Kong, and crunchy cucumber pickles. It was impressive! I asked about Cantonese food there and they said it was pretty poor. There was one restaurant where you could get dim sum, but it wasn't really worth going to.
In short, I found to my surprise that there are some fantastic Chinese restaurants in Italy, you just have to go. As for those who are wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to eat Chinese food in Italy, the Chinese population there is quite substantial, but it's Zhejiangnese and Fujianese-based, not Cantonese-based like the population in North America. (Zhejiang cuisine, by the way, is one of the great regional cuisines of China.) That's translated into a very different Chinese restaurant experience in Europe than in America. Don't get me wrong - I've had bad Chinese food in France and England as well...the worst experience was in Switzerland...but I think that's changing. Especially in Italy, which had a couple of immigration amnesties that allowed the Chinese to settle, that's meant the birth of an overseas Chinese community. The way the restaurants, groceries and the communities that support them are evolving have a lot of parallels to how they developed in North America. So the next time you guys go to Italy, you might want to make time to try out some of the Chinese food.
The place I went to in Rome near the Piazza Vittorio was called New Beatiful Ristorante Cinese, on Via Cairoli 123. Another place that's been written up in papers and magazines around the world is called Ristorante Cinese Hang Zhou da Sonia, on via S. Martino ai Monti. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the place I went to in Prato, but you can't really go wrong in most places there.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and inputs...I'd love to hear more if anyone has a story or opinion.
-
I just came back from Italy and had some really delicious Wenzhou cuisine while in Florence and Rome. Has anyone had similar experiences? Has anyone eaten a meal in a Chinese home in Italy, too? Have you noticed any interesting combinations of cuisines?
-
I've had non-Jews order a parve cake due to a milk allergy - and I've sold meats and meals to muslims but I think that the non-Jews who generally came to our restaurant weren't coming because they felt things were healthier. They wanted the 'Jewish' food..
It's unfortunate that there are places where all the kosher options are low quality. We try to bring in only high quality stuff - luckily we can get very good meats in Canada. If only I could get better dairy, but that's another thread.
Pam, what kinds of places did you have in mind when you were referring to places with kosher options? From the responses I've gotten in this thread, it seems like there are only kosher and non-kosher restaurants, and no one seems to know of any restaurants using kosher ingredients.
I also wanted to share with you guys a conversation I had with a girl in my food studies class today. She's Jewish and keeps kosher, but she's flexible enough to go to non-kosher restaurants and just order either meat or dairy. I explained my question to her, and it got her scratching her head, too. She has a lot of non-Jewish friends who buy kosher or halal meat at the supermarket to prepare at home because they perceive those labels to mean they're cleaner, more human, whatever. Or lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy, vegan friends who use kosher labelling to guide their selections. So with all the added adjectives to be found on high-end restaurant menus (organic, free-range, hormone-free, heirloom, certified from Timbuktoo! etc.), why wouldn't a chef want to buy kosher, organic, hormone-free meat (which is indeed available) and appeal to these customers? Because let's face it: those very people who are concerned about hormones and animal rights are also often found to be eating at said high-end restaurants. Am I crazy?
-
Your assumption that the implication that it's healthier seems flawed to me. While I agree Hebrew National did a great job years ago with their advertisements that "We answer to a higher authority", you forget that it may be an attempt to cater to Muslim patrons, who care less about it being Kosher, but want to make sure it isn't Pork.
Most Jews are well aware of the difference between Kosher and Kosher style.
Good point, and I am in complete agreement. Actually, consumer reports have shown that "kosher" appeals to lots of different people for lots of reasons. Vegans, the lactose intolerant, muslims looking for halaal options, etc. That's why I'm asking if anyone's noticed anything going on in restaurants to cater to these people.
-
So...back to my original question...has anyone seen restaurants billing menu ingredients as kosher and thereby implying that the resulting non-kosher dish is healthier?
-
I hope the idea is that the chicken came from a kosher butcher and, therefore, is being held up as being selected to higher standards than the average chicken. However debatable that claim is, the other possibility is very bad: Claiming that kosher-slaughtered chicken served in treyf dishes or subject to contact with treyf items is still kosher would constitute fraud, and I believe that would be illegal and punishable under fraud laws designed to protect consumers in certain U.S. states, such as New York. In other words, like Melissa said...
Pan, that is indeed the idea. I apologize for articulating my question poorly, but it's kind of one that needs to be read carefully, too. Let's try again:
Lots of people who don't keep kosher, who aren't even Jewish, are buying kosher products in supermarkets ands stores because they think it's cleaner or safer, or more reliable than what the USDA and FDA claim on labels. I was just wondering if restaurants are trying to appeal to this demographic by buying kosher-certified ingredients and labeling them on menus...sort of providing another "healthy" choice.
-
So...there are "traditional" kosher restaurants (e.g. delis). And then there are kosher-certified restaurants of all stripes (e.g. chinese takeout). Has anyone noticed, however, restaurant menus highlighting kosher ingredients on their menus (i.e. kosher free-range chicken) used as a selling point for the non-kosher, health/taste-conscious diner? I'm doing a little research on the topic and have been stumped. I'd be grateful for help from any eagle-eyed eGulleters.
-
I thought I'd follow up on this thread...we got to Philly at an odd hour and parked across town, so we ended up having a really late lunch (or a really early dinner) at Peitro's on Walnut. Quite nice; their salads were impressive, but having just come from Joe's Pizza in the Village, it made for a very high bar to compete against. We did walk past Fork and Fork, etc., though, and both looked very tempting. Oh well, next time.
As an FYI, regarding seating and bringing stuff into the Tweeter Center, we ended up bringing nothing but keys and gum and rented the chairs, but there were plenty of people who brought drinks, blankets, and snack foods.
Thanks for everyone's input!
-
Yep! Coldplay concert it is! We've got lawn seating...hopefully the weather will be cooperative. Has anyone tried smuggling their own beverages/wine into the Tweeter center? i was looking at their web site when we first got the tickets a few months ago and they have a very Nazi rule about the size and number of water bottles that people are allowed to bring!!! I have a nifty insulted wine bag that I had been planning on toting along, you see....Since then, it seems Tweeter has changed their policy, and NO beverages or lawn chairs are allowed. They used to let you bring your own.
Oops...forgot to comment on the cheesetake terminology - I think if we end up going, I'll just play it safe and speak like the out-of-towner that I am. "No cheese, please!"
-
ooooh...those do sound good! And it seems like Fork is the overwhelming favorite, so might I ask for menu recommendations?
-
I had been considering Fork, but Society Hill looks tempting...it sounds like it'd be a lovely fit. Thanks for the tip!
-
Yes, sorry, Evan. There are a few more delimeters - I can't eat dairy, so cheesesteaks are kinda out of the question.
And my companion doesn't like sushi (which would've been my first choice!). We both really enjoy wine and seafood and latin american food though! I've been to Philly once before recently, and went to Morimoto. Very innovative and definitely enjoyable, but for just good, solid sashimi, New York can't be beat. There was one type of mackerel sashimi I tried at Morimoto that was outstanding though...And I didn't know that about the riverboat, Jeff. Great suggestion, thanks!
-
Hi,
I'm going to a concert at the Tweeter center this weekend and was wondering about a good place in the area to get dinner beforehand. Something around the $$/$$$ rating or below would be nice. Susanna Foo looked interesting, but much too expensive and maybe too much of an event. We were looking for a nice place to eat and explore without any "event dining" pressure. I'm not familiar with the area, so I have no idea how to go about choosing. Thanks!
-
Very cute, guys.
You're right though - part of the fun of these things is tracking down the hard-to-find ones.
-
Traditionally the main reason for putting a combination of "Ginger & Garlic" together in a Hot Wok after the Oil was heated up in Hong Kong was mostly to remove the "Peanut Taste" from the Peanut Oil made locally and imported from China. If this wasn't done it was often to strong not to effect the taste of most dishes being prepared. Originally it was put into the Oil to remove the taste, then it was strained and removed from the Wok and discarded.
This practice continued in Hong Kong for many years even though better quality oils are commonly used at Restaurants. It was also often used when frying with Lard or Beef Suet since the quality of these Fats were also variable in Hong Kong. This is still done at many Hong Kong places.
After the Oil was Clarified and Strained the actual seasoning were then added including the Ginger and Garlic as required to flavor the finished dishes.
I should have mentioned that in the very popular Cantonese Dish of "Tomato Eggs" that the dish was made by quickly stir Frying diced or quartered Tomato's and then adding the mixture of whipped whole eggs, mixed together with Broth and Corn Starch only long enough to begin to thicken and served over Rice, garnished with thin sliced spring onions.
One of my favorite lunch or night super Dishes to to have Prawns in Soft Egg Sauce with Peas served over Rice where the Egg in prepared the same way. In all the dishes that are served with this "Soft Egg Sauce" they are very attractive and when mixed to gether with the Rice it enhances the taste, almost like comfort food.
Irwin
Hrm..whenever I make eggs and tomatoes over rice i usually just stir fry the tomatoes with soy sauce and sugar, then add some beaten eggs. It usually doesn't come out as runny as I like it though - maybe I've been missing the broth all along. What difference does the addition/lack of corn starch make? I'm also curious to know what the proportion of broth to eggs should be??
-
Last night I made some kabocha rolls (I boiled and then passed the kabocha through a sieve), lightly seasoned with cardamom
these were a big hit!
ooh! I have a kabocha sitting on my counter at home right now; would you share the recipe for those roles? they look awesome.
-
I made a kabocha pie for Thanksgiving this year...it was basically pumpkin pie. Yum! I saw it when the NYTimes interviewed Pichet Ong. Here's the recipe:
Also, there is a simmered kabocha with konbu recipe here:
http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/yasuko/recipe/088_e.html
I cooked half a kabocha with mashed up red miso, soya sauce with katsubushi and konbu, brown sugar, soya sauce and some chopped up ribs. It tasted pretty good even though I just added whatever condiments I thought would taste good.
Another favourite way of eating kabocha is to make it into a salad with mayo and chopped eggs, I had it in a food festival.
Anyone would like to share their kabocha's recipe?
-
Go to the Tri-Cities area...in Richland they have a whole bunch of fantastic wineries close together. My absolute favorite is Kiona...they have a great cab-merlot blend and award-winning ice wines. Their best wine though, and by far the most interesting, is their Lemberger. It's inexpensive and truly memorable. It's a rare grape outside of its native Austria, but Kiona is known for its Lems. It's fun to visit, too. The tasting room is in the 1970s-decorated walk-out basement of a family house. The decor is not on purpose. I don't think they ever bothered to really remodel. You park in their driveway next to the basketball hoop.
-
There's a really great Korean bbq place in the same shopping center as the Grand Mart in Centreville. I was there last night - not only do they have great barbeque, but all their other foods are great, too. Bibimbap, jaepche, seafood pancake, and the cold noodles are all outstanding. Plus, it's the only Korean restaurant I've been to that serves this yummy cinnamon-persimmon punch at the end of the meal.
-
Hi, everyone. I'm not a rum connoiseur, but I know what I like. I brought back a bottle of fantastic honey rum from the Canary Islands and was hoping to be able to obtain it over here, too, but it's impossible to find. Does anyone know about this style of rum from that part of the world and where I could get it, or something similar?
-
I managed to get a reservation at 9.30 last weekend for myself and three other extremely spoiled eaters. One was a visiting Manhattanite, and two others (ex-Manhattanites) were well-traveled foodies. Having lived in, and been disappointed by, DC's restaurant scene for the last two years, we didn't have very high expectations for this place. We were also suspicious because Tom Sietsema had given it a positive review, and we have been led woefully astray on more than one occasion by him. For the first half-hour, we were not disappointed in our expectations. We were seated almost 30 minutes late, having first been ignored by the waitress at the bar for the first ten minutes and then treated to glares the rest of the evening when we told her we'd ordered at the bar by the time she arrived. We didn't mean to be rude, but we didn't know what the protocol was for ordering drinks when the bar was full and both the bartender and waitress ignored us.
As none of us had eaten in almost 12 hours, we decided only to order the most interesting thing on the cocktail menu and do a mini-tasting. The pickle martini was....interesting. I wasn't surprised to read the mixed reviews. Ice-cold, it wasn't bad. The pickles themselves didn't win any favors, and ordinarily I love pickles in all forms. (I made it a point to go to a pickle buffet in Kyoto a couple months ago) A friendly warning though: I made the mistake of trying the drink after it had sat for a bit, and lukewarm it was quite unpleasant.
By the time we were seated at 10pm, we were a very grumpy and hungry group. I am embarassed to say that we freely indulged ourselves in a lengthy criticism of everything that had occurred up to that point in the evening. The staff, however, were extremely gracious. I don't know how much of our criticisms was overheard, but the chef personally sent over four complimentary plates of his excellent oxtail ravioli with apologies for the wait, and then added two more appetizers to compensate for the diner who'd ordered the oxtail himself. Also, when we told the waiter he'd brought the wrong wine, he returned with not only the correct wine, but a better vintage. I don't know if it was intentional or not as he did not mention a word, but judging from the service the rest of the evening and from other reviews, it probably was. Regardless, we were all soon mollified and very much impressed with Restaurant Eve's efforts.
On the food, the crab cake appetizer was the best I have ever tasted - sweet, firm, and generously chunky- probably due to the fact that the meat was large chunks from the claws and not scraped from smaller parts of the crab. The rabbit terrine was a bit salty, but the texture was lovely - firm, bouncy and surprisingly meaty. I like terrines but all too often they are too gooey and slimy. The splash of mustard and little pile of mushrooms on the side were perfect accompaniments.
I ordered the turbot, which had a nice, crisp outer crust encasing the perfectly done fillet. The sauce it came in was light, but beautifully seasoned and fragrant. All too often in American restaurants fish is handled roughly - either so smothered in sauce you forget what you are eating, or way overcooked. My only complaint was that, again, it was a tad on the salty side.
My companions were equally pleased with their entrees - the pork belly was especially outstanding. I was reminded of a similar dish in Chinese cuisine (pork belly braised in dark soy sauce and sugar, with some spices, with maybe some chestnuts tossed in) that is not as popular nowadays for health reasons, but among my grandparents' generation it was a favorite, prized for the way the fat would melt in your mouth and leave you with a bit of meat to chew on. It was nice to see a modern twist put on such a traditionally homey dish.
For dessert, the cucumber sorbet was unforgettable. A little like having a breath mint as there was definitely mint incorporated, and a judicious dash of.... black pepper, was it?....It made an exciting way to end a lovely meal.
So, despite a rough start, Restaurant Eve turned out to be all that it was hyped up to be, and more. I'm very glad that they chose to make Old Town their home, and I can't wait to come back next time, where I promise to be better behaved.
-
I have lived in Hong Kong and New York, and know exactly what the last post meant about the oiliness. IMHO, the absolute best sausage to be had anywhere (New York, Hong Kong, Vancouver, LA, San Fran included!) is from a Chinese butcher in NYC Chinatown, at the intersection of Elizabeth and Bayard, called Duk Cheong. My uncle knows the guy who makes the sausages, and ironically, he's from Vietnam, I believe. But they're unsurpassed in their richness of flavor and denseness of texture. Also, the casing is of a very high quality, so it doesn't do that gross peeling and separating thing that a lot of supermarket sausages do.
Other things to do with Chinese sausages - in Hong Kong you can get something called Lap Mei Fan. Lap Mei is the category of hams and sausages and other dried meats (duck, pork, gizzards, etc.) that are all preserved in a similar fasion to the Chinese sausages. Just get a selection of these and steam them on top of rice. Serve with a side of slightly sweetened dark soy sauce and veggies. *sigh* One of my most favorite meal memories is of my grandfather picking us up from my first day of school in Hong Kong and driving us to a restaurant to celebrate with a huge casserole of its signature lap mei fan.
-
The crispy rice at the bottom of the pot you cook it in, either scraped directly off the pot, or softened with hot soup or water.
Also, nibbling and sucking on the little burnt bits on the edges of Chinese barbecue pork. mmmm....it's sweet and salty, with a smoky and bitter taste aroma to it.
The tiny little pieces of french fries that you find near the end of the box, and are always the crunchiest.
-
As an Asian myself and a lover of mochi, tapioca, and sago, I detest bubble tea bubbles. I agree with the comments previous about them adding a textural dimension to drinks, but like some other commentators, I find the sheer size of the bubbles to be a con. Every time I try to take a sip of my drink, I slurp up five or six bubbles. This is a problem if you really are thirsty and end up being too full of bubbles to continue with the liquid part of your drink. Much more refreshing and easy to swallow (literally) are the tapioca and sago mentioned above, but even better are nata de coco (coconut meat or jelly, I'm not sure exactly what it translates to) and grass jelly. Both are smaller than bubbles but larger than tapioca, and very light and easy to digest. Try them out if you see them on the menu. As for favorite bubble tea flavors, Saint's Alp in Hong Kong makes a lovely honey and strawberry tea....and of course, I order it with nata de coco. :)
Cooking classes in Italy
in Italy: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Try Apicius if you're in Florence. They have a nice facility and lots of recreational courses. I saw lots of tourists there for short classes with their family and friends. www.apicius.it