robyn

You don't like the food in London? I thought it was better than the food I had in New York this year. Don't mean to denigrate the theater (that was better in London too the last few trips). And why should one have to choose between those things unless the trip is a short business trip? BTW - there's a lot of museum stuff that "doesn't travel". The Tut exhibition is a good example. The first US tour bore no relation to what was in the Cairo Museum - both in terms of what was displayed - and how it was displayed. And the second US tour will bear even less relation (the second tour is being used to raise lots of money so maybe the Cairo Museum can hire someone to dust things once a year <sigh>). Of course - parts of this collection *can* travel. The same can't be said of things like sculpture gardens - or gardens for that matter. Maybe I am missing something here. Unless one sleeps 12 hours a day - and eats 12 hours a day - there are an awful lot of hours in a day to do other things when one is traveling. Robyn

As a recovering lawyer - I agree with your lawsuit observations. As for the points about rare meat - I note that it is impossible to get a rare hamburger in Florida these days. Restaurants simply won't serve them (because of liability concerns). We can still get things like raw oysters - but only with a half page of written warnings on the menus. Our laws here about a restaurant's liability for food induced illnesses are rather draconian. Frankly - if I were in the business - I'd just avoid serving foods that can injure normal people even if handled properly (like local raw oysters). Robyn

I use 5x8 cards in 2 big plastic boxes - and I also have a letter sized file for pages (articles) I clip from magazines. Main difference between your system and mine is I organize recipes by food type instead of alphabetically (one section for beef - one for salads - one for soups - one for pasta - etc.). Robyn

I assume Stilton is ok since I can buy it locally in Florida. Perhaps there are airports in the US that are more sensitive to contraband food imports than others. Here in Florida - we usually encounter food/drug sniffing dogs going through customs (contraband food imports of various kinds - like fruit - represent a potential problem for local agriculture). On my part - going through airport security - much less customs - isn't exactly an "isn't this fun smell my cheese" kind of experience these days. So I follow the rule - "when in doubt - leave it out (of my luggage)". I can't carry my pocket knife - my cuticle scissors - my cigarette lighter (effective 1/1) - or even my Coffeemate . The last looks like explosive powder in x-ray machines. Robyn

I agree with Mulcahy. I don't think you can have a full appreciation of the food of a country or area without understanding its culture and its people - at least a little (and that's usually the most you can get - a little). And I try - concentrating on the things that interest me most. Also - just pigging out all the time - 24/7. Well it gets gross after a while. And the idea of going on a purge diet before a binge trip - well that's doubly gross. Robyn

This has been a long year for me - and sometimes I get 2003 and 2004 mixed up. But upon reflection - I have to say that my absolute best high end meals in 2004 were in London - Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens (in that order). I also ate at Per Se and David Burke & Donatella in New York. Rank the London places higher than the New York places - and - although the food at Per Se was more refined than the food at DB&D - I enjoyed the meal at DB&D better (it was just a more fun place). In terms of going over your list - I also ate at Babbo this year - and had exactly the opposite experience of yours (disappointing food - terrific service). What are you planning to try in 2005? I'm in the process of planning a trip to Asia (mostly Japan with Hong Kong) in the fall so I'm reading about a lot of new territory - foodwise and otherwise (for me). If you enjoyed high end sushi or other high end Japanese food in New York - you might consider heading west in 2005 - at least to the west coast of the US and Canada - perhaps to Hawaii - and even perhaps to points further west (like Japan ). Robyn P.S. Do you know why you and others got sick the evening after you dined at your #1 restaurant? I never could take huge doses of rich food without ill effects - even when I was in my 20's. Now that I'm in my 50's - I really have to watch it. Perhaps that's why Japanese food appeals to me so much these days.

not here it wouldn't. ← Is that the number in the UK - or somewhere else? Thanks for the information (never know when you'll need an emergency number). Robyn

and this as well: Miami area: Corning Factory Store 12801 W Sunrise Blvd Sunrise, FL 33323-4020 Phone: (954) 846-9824 ← Dansk is closing all its factory outlet stores (according to the employees in our local store). The one here in St. Augustine was planning to close at the end of the holiday season (don't know what the story is in Orlando). Note that Sunrise isn't exactly in the neighborhood if you're staying in Miami (it's about an hour's drive more or less depending on where you are in Miami). Robyn

Binky - If you're under 25 - you can forget about renting a car. One thing you might look into is hiring a car or taxi with a driver for a day. Wouldn't be cheap - but if you're sharing the price with a friend - and want to cover a lot of ground - it might be worth it. Perhaps you can check with the concierge at the hotel and see what the story is. This would be a more practical idea in Orlando than Miami (most drivers in Miami don't speak English - of course - if you've arranged a flat fee - that wouldn't be as large a problem as it is when the meter is running). Robyn

Have to smile when you talk about the smell. Until this year - I couldn't buy Epoisses locally. Had it shipped by overnight Fedex (usually with some other equally fragrant cheeses). And when the Fedex guy came to our door - he would always say "sheesh - what the heck is in that box"? I can only imagine what the Fedex plane smelled like! Robyn

I think 911 would work better . Robyn

This probably goes in the or unnecessary/unfair/roughness file, but we had a Vacherin Mont d'Or from Alleose yesterday and today and it was splendid. Shame on the FDA. ← I didn't exactly suffer. We had a wonderful Epoisses (bought locally) - and are eating the last of it tonight. There's only so much cheese a few people can eat (just had 2 friends over for New Year's). And I had Fritos too . We have a funny tradition on New Year's. We eat all the sinful food we don't eat the rest of the year (and Fritos - with its excess of salt and fat - is the ultimate sin food - even more sinful than cheese). Still - I will miss the Vacherin and I'll have to remember to eat it when we're out of the US in the late fall/winter. Robyn

I'm sorry I'm too late for this year's New Year's Day (just barely had enough time to do my cooking yesterday). Don't know about you folks in other parts of the US - but here in north Florida we get fresh black eyed peas. They don't have to be soaked. They cook up in about 30 minutes (I add them to the water/seasonings which you have to cook for about 20 minutes ahead of time) - and they are delicious. I use Bill Neal's recipe for field peas from Southern Cooking. Robyn

I am catching up on things (we had kind of a rough time this week - my husband's father died - but after a long illness - it was his time - and I'm glad he went peacefully at the end). One of the things I'm catching up on is holiday presents. My husband bought me a DVD called "Big Night". A foodie movie about 2 Italian brothers trying to run an "authentic" Italian restaurant in the US in what is probably the late 1950's. A must have/must give for chefs who bang their heads against the wall when their customers from he** are ordering. Note that it is a poignant movie. Don't watch it when you need to be cheered up. Robyn

Are you looking for factory outlets - or high end stuff? And what parts of these towns will be you staying in (both are really big)? I shop in both places for lots of different kinds of stuff at least a few times a year (and lived in Miami for over 20 years) - and would be glad to help if I can. By the way - are you driving - or flying (there are factory outlet mall places on the interstates). Robyn

I think one problem, in a fine dining place, is that if you have too many people requesting complicated changes it can take up everyone's time and disrupt things. You only have so many cooks in the kitchen. Honestly, if your parents constantly do this, I don't think you should take them to certain kinds of places. I think it's not so much a question of whether they have a right to do this as "What would happen if everyone did this?" A chef may lose business from people s/he refuses to accomodate, but may lose even more if his or her energies are squandered on these kinds of demands. Things that merely offend the sensibilities, like ice in the wine, are different. (Although I think there is no point in going to a good restaurant if you don't want to have the food the way it was intended and if you want to bring your picky eater to one, you should have them eat before you leave.) ← None of what my mother asks for is complicated. Unaesthetic at times - yes. Time consuming - no. Seems like a lot of this discussion is about differing opinions in terms of what constitutes the proper "doneness" of certain ingredients. And I think there are different professional points of view concerning this topic. For example - I've always hated getting veggies almost raw. But many professionals said this is the way they should be done - and they looked down their noses at people who didn't like veggies almost raw. Then I read one of the books about the CIA (perhaps "Making of a Chef"?) and one of the first things in that book was the chef/teacher saying that cooked veggies should be cooked (not overcooked - but cooked - not almost raw). So I felt somewhat vindicated. Then there's the issue of fish. A lot of chefs seem to confuse cooked fish with sashimi. Again - we're not talking about overcooked fish - not protein cooked past the point of turning into rubber - but the difference between raw and cooked. Sometimes I like raw - and sometimes I like cooked - but cooked shouldn't come out like raw. And then I read a Wall Street Personal Journal article to the effect that the way a lot of chefs "cook" fish could be very hazardous to one's health. So I felt somewhat vindicated again. A similar issue arises with regard to beef. I happen to like rare beef - but not cold beef. And in many higher end restaurants - the beef portions are thick. Now I could never cook a thick piece of beef at home and have it come out rare inside but not tepid inside (so I use thinner cuts). So I had to try a high end steakhouse with one of those huge BTU grills once. Know what. Its rare beef was just as tepid inside as mine was when I tried to cook thick pieces. Now I don't like mushy overcooked veggies - or rubber fish - or cooked past gray beef - but it seems to me that a lot of chefs have erred on the side of undercooking to avoid these potential culinary disasters. And some with no talent at all are applying the undercooking principle in a totally ridiculous fashion (last night I ate something that was supposed to be osso bucco - and it was an almost raw veal shank without the end bone cut off - yuck). So - perhaps in at least some of these cases - it's the chefs who are wrong - not the customers. At a minimum - there is room for a reasonable difference of opinion Robyn

Do they still have the dessert trolley? Did you save room for it? Glad you had a great time. And I hope to return there soon (perhaps this spring in cherry blossom or azalea season). Robyn

I read a piece recently - think it was a blurb in the NYT - that Michele Bernstein's new place is somewhere in Mexico. Robyn

Have you tried Ebay? You can ask Ebay to send you email notices of all auctions for Wedgwood Lotus (maybe some auctions will be too expensive - but perhaps others won't). Robyn

I didn't think Hesser's review was a waste of space. Assuming I was contemplating dining at Masa - the review told me: 1) great meal; 2) extremely expensive; and 3) (and perhaps most important) you won't get the full experience if you don't sit at the sushi bar (she went so far as to say it meant the difference between a 3 and a 4 star experience). I would hate to spend $1000 and have a less than complete experience. Now Bruni made the same point (although not as forcefully) - but his review came after Hesser's - not before. If any review was a waste - it was the second review by Bruni - not the first by Hesser. Note that I think it's important to talk about seating when where you sit can make a big difference in terms of your enjoyment of a meal. That's why I specifically noted that one should avoid the front room at David Burke & Donatella (unless you like people at the bar bumping into the back of your chair). Robyn

Thanks, Jason. My husband and I have never even tried the mediums - only because we are gluttons! If I stick with mediums, I can still use Keys Fisheries again, but I might try a new place for fun. Now, who has the best recipe for Key Lime Pie??? ← Will crabs from elsewhere be much cheaper than Joe's (I suspect more than half the cost will be overnight shipping)? I'm a fan of Joe's simply because the product is dependable - but I doubt you'd be able to order from them for New Year's at this late date. Were you serious about the pie recipe? If so - I'll give you a good traditional one. The biggest problem I have is finding decent key limes. I used to have a friend in Miami who'd give me a season's worth of local key limes (I'd juice them and freeze the juice for pies). The juice in the bottle isn't as good - neither is the juice from the key limes grown in central America (although the latter is definitely better than the former). I have a Meyer lemon tree - and I tend to use my own lemons instead of key limes these days. Robyn

Perhaps you've never had to dine with your parents??? My mother always wants the wine with ice - the meat overdone - this that and the other thing on the side - or totally different sides. Used to drive us nuts - but my husband is now an expert on ordering ice to dilute fine wine - and he deals with the other issues as well. Would you consign us to culinary h*** just because we take our parents out to dinner? Robyn

no questions asked? is the diner supposed to disclose his/her immune status, or how is it determined why the request is being made? i would opine that the diner's immune status is his or her own business, and not to be determined by the server. ← Or what if the diner is used to Kosher type beef which is almost always cooked to the point of being totally bloodless (not my cup of tea - but I know people who eat like that)? If the restaurant is willing to cook the meat well done - I don't think the diner's reasons for wanting it well done should matter. A meal at a nice restaurant isn't the right time or place to try to re-educate people in terms of their eating habits. By the way - I think a simple solution for most of these problems is diners shouldn't go to restaurants that serve dishes they don't like to eat. Robyn

The Calphalon non-stick racks are sold separately (in 2 sizes) at BB&B (and perhaps at LNT too - can't remember). Can't remember exactly what they cost - maybe $20 or so - $15 with a $5 off coupon (I always get tons of those from both stores - each will honor the other's coupons - and expired coupons - the joys of capitalism and competition ). Robyn

I have to agree with you Seth. And let me give my perspective. My husband and I earn the money we pay for dining. I may investigate restaurants and make the reservations - but my husband is the "examine the bill" person. It's his job. Even if we're 12 people after a 3 hour meal - he goes over the bill - item by item. And if there's a discrepancy - even a $10 discrepancy on a $500 bill (perhaps a drink that no one had) - he goes over the bill with the server. And we've never had a problem in terms of having mistakes (and mistakes happen all the time) corrected. I don't think it's fair to a server - or an establishment - to "go away mad" about a supposed mistake - and not give the server or the establishment an opportunity to explain the supposed mistake or correct it. Now if there's a mistake and someone refuses to correct it - that's another story. But I wouldn't dock a restaurant like Bouley this much for a quibble about the bill when I didn't discuss the problem with the server before leaving. Robyn