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Everything posted by vengroff
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How far ahead of a meal did you normally do your food tasting work? Presumably, anyone who thought they might be poisoned would want to wait around a bit to make sure their food taster was really okay. Not all poisons work instantly, after all. Did this mean that most of the food at aristocratic banquets ended up being served cold?
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Yes, it is DC. Just a few blocks from Barolo, as a matter of fact. But I'm not sure people think the same way about a pot of coffee at the end of a meal ($8.50) as they do about one in a casual coffee shop. To answer your other questions, it is a counter service place with some tables, couches, comfy chairs and outdoor seating. Aside from coffee, and tea, they offer a selection of locally sourced baked goods. On the issue of cloudiness, that is, course, part of the charm of this style of coffee. The question is whether consumers are willing to be educated about how it should be, or will demand that it be as they want it. This whole thing came up this morning when he offered me a sample of pressed coffee he had just made. It was excellent.
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A friend of mine who runs a coffee shop is considering expanding his menu to include French press coffee. Currently, he sells esspresso drinks and drip coffee. In drip, he offers house, decaf, and a rotating selection of the day. He would like to offer a choice or 3 or 4 bean selections in a 32oz French press. The French press coffee will be better, but more labor and capital intensive than drip. Coffee would be ground a-la-minute for each French press order, and the presses would have to be cleaned and maintained. The current prices for drip coffee are $1.27 for 12oz, $1.50 for 16oz, and $1.68 for 20oz. He is trying to decide how to price the 32oz French press. How much would you be willing to pay?
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If it were as simple as giving stars, there would be no point in writing or reading the text of the review. I usually try to ignore the stars whenever possible.
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I have abandoned mitts altogether. I think the clumsiness of gripping a hot item with a thick mitt on, combined with the perception of full safety creates more danger than the heatproofing averts. Now I just use a side towel, folded over enough times to shield me from the heat. Wrap it arounf the handle of the pan, and grip is much better than any oven mitt.
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Hi, my name is... what? my name is... who? my name is... Slim Shady!
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I am a big fan of the combination of chocolate and pink peppercorns. If you have the chance some time, try Recchiuti's ganache infused with star anise and pink peppercorn.
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Let me guess, they keep using the same big pot of boiling water all night. No wonder my steamed spinach always tastes like pasta, broccoli, and shrimp.
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Examples, please? Is this more common than I would have thought?
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Another question has come into my mind as a result of the discussion here. It may belong in another forum, but I'm not sure which. Since it came up here, I'll start it here. In calling what Adria, Andres, and Achatz (does having a name that starts with 'A' help you out in some way here?) are doing "global" or "modern global" cuisine, do we mean only that they are using the best ingredients and new techniques they can find, regardless or where in the world they originated? Or do we also mean that this cuisine is appearing around the world? Is anyone in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Sydney doing this type of work? What about Buenos Ares, Cape Town, or Tel Aviv? Given the rapid dissemination of information through the internet and inexpensive international travel, and the availability of distant ingredients via express air transport, is the world of fine dining getting smaller? Is regionalism going to fade in prominence?
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I think the debate as to whether Maestro serves Italian vs. Modern, Global, Personal or whatever comes at least in part as a result of how the menu is structured. As discussed earlier in this thread, the menu offers the diner three distinct ways to approach the meal. One of the ways they differ is in how many or how few recognizably Italian ingredients and techniques they use. First, there is La Tradizione, which, according to Maestro's web page, consists of, "Italian regional dishes use ingredients similar to those in the original recipe with an updated touch. Items in this category embrace more traditional tastes. Pure and simple." If you want courses of buffalo mozzarella, risotto, zucchini flowers, and fresh Mediterranean fish, this is for you. Second, there is L'Evoluzione, whose "dishes reflect Chef Fabio's personal interpretation of Italian cooking adapted to modern tastes. An evolution of traditional Italian recipes with a global seasoning, these dishes showcase Fabio's signature style. Bold and intense." Here, Fabio pushes the envelope much further than La Tradizione. This is where the foie gras, caviar, ginger, Thai basil, savory cappuccinos, and agar agar show up. Finally, there is la Creazione, the tasting menu of which Fabio says, "I create a sequence of dishes out of my inspiration of the moment. I try to satisfy your taste with the same enthusiasm I use in making my favored choices." Your waiter will ask you to provide as much or as little guidance as you wish in terms of ingredient preferences, any allergies, and whether you lean towards traditional or evolutionary tastes and techniques.. I think Steve is right when he suggests that to as great an extent as possible you should just let the kitchen choose for you. I would add that suggesting you are open to any and every possibility is never the wrong choice here. Earlier, Steve said, "I had read all these reports that Maestro is an Italian restaurant and Fabio cooks Italian. It's not necessarily and he doesn't necessarily. His cooking is every bit as modern, contemporary and interesting as the very best French or Spanish or American chefs who are globally influenced and inspired." I emphatically agreed with this because I think that in three sentences he summarized what it just took me three paragraphs to say. If you chose carefully from La Tradizione, you could have a meal that I think we would all agree was Italian. But it's not necessary to do so, and I think we all agree that it's not desirable. Fabio is so good at using so many other techniques and ingredients that it would be a shame not to just put yourself in his hands. If you have twenty-two courses, as Joe had the pleasure of doing, then some of them will inevitably come from the more traditional side of the menu.
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Fish heads are a sign of freshness. It's much easier to tell if a whole fish is fresh by looking at its eyes and gills than by examining some filets. If a whole fish starts looking cloudy-eyed, the fishmonger can generally still fillet and sell it. With shrimp, the head rots fastest, so complete shrimp with firm heads are a good sign of freshness.
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Steve, I think you hit the nail right on the head with that comment.
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GDMFPOS!!! The plumber was here today to hook up the sinks, icemaker, and range. Before he left, I tried out the sinks and noted that one of them had quite anaemic water pressure--certainly much less than we had in the old sink. He played with it a bit and said that was all the pressure that was in the pipes on that side of the kitchen. That was about 2pm. At 9pm, the guy who lives downstairs came home from a long day at work to find his kitchen flooded, with a steady flow of water coming from the ceiling. We had to turn it off at the meter coming off the main to get it to stop. I've left messages with the contractor and plumber, but don't expect to hear anything until the morning.
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Bravo! That has to be the answer to the "what's the word?" question.
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Coincidentally, my 12 year old Braun drip coffee maker just gave up the ghost. I was thinking of replacing it with a Bodum Santos (electric version) vacuum brewer. Any comments on this particular model?
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Me too. It's going to have to be completely sanded down and refinished. The biggest gouges were made by the oven. They apparently rotated it and slid it around on the floor while hooking it up to the electric supply. The manufacturer seems to be aware of this potential problem, since the oven comes with a warning taped to it. It reads, in a very large font The all-caps and exclamation marks are on the original. I did not add them when quoting it. I have saved this label in case the contractor makes a fuss about eating the cost of refinishing the floor. The other gouges were made by the range. They slid it in and out of place several times before I came home and reminded them that they might want to attach the four rubber-tipped feet it came with. I knew about the feet because one of the guys had pointed them out to me a couple of days earlier when he unpacked the range. Sure enough, they were still sitting in the stryrofoam trays they came in.
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Jose Andres is opening a Mexican restaurant in Crystal City in 2004.
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What: High-end Mexican with two locations in NYC, famous for guacamole made tableside, giant stacked enchiladas that are cut into wedges like layer cakes, killer drinks, and huitlacoche (corn-smut). Where: 575 7th St NW, which is the block between Jaleo and the MCI center. Etc.: If you search for Rosa Mexicano on the New York Board you will find several threads about it. See also http://www.rosamexicano.com/
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Last I heard was October, but my information is a few months out of date, so it may or may not be valid any more. Whenever it is, I'm looking forward to it.
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This falls under the "other high end range questions" subtitle to this thread: Has anyone had any experience with the French top that Wolf offers? Here is a little video demo from their web page. I've seen these in use in restaurants, but never in a home kitchen. Is it practical for the home cook? How long do they take to heat up?
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Unfortunately for Rosie, the biggest table at Nectar is a six-top and there is only one of them. I'm not sure if they make exceptions for special occasions like this. You would have to call and check. By the time you work through the wine list, and of course the cheese, which you really shouldn't miss, it would be difficult to stay under $50pp. Not that it isn't worth every penny. Jarad Slipp is the gentleman Busboy mentioned. He is also the pastry chef. I have no idea when or if he sleeps.
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I would go for extra burners. It's more flexibly, since you can always put a heavy cast iron grill/griddle over two of the burners when you need it. And it's a lot easier to clean. As for seperates vs. a range, I went with a range and a seperate single wall oven. That way I could put a microwave above the wall oven and a warming drawer below. With a double oven the other pieces wouldn't fit. But that has more to do with the size and layout of my kitchen than with any innate preference for one approach or the other.
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I have a little 1" tall plastic Barney the Dinosaur who lives in the silverware drawer. He has lived there for years, through a number of moves. Does he count?