JPW

That's unfortunate. I caught a few minutes of it last night for the first time as I was waiting for Prison Break to come on. I found it to be absolutely painful.

?If Mr. Fine's intent was to attract attention, he certainly did it in spades. Soba edited for clarity and partially in response to Tess' post above. ← Well, for one thing it tells you where the author (FG) is coming from. He's originally a lawyer and the case study is a very "lawyerly" thing. It's an investigatory device used elsewhere (think business schools), but this is where FG was exposed to it. You understand the book better by understanding the author. Of all the quibbles one could have with gaf's review, I think that this is a very minor one. ← JPW -- It might be a relatively minor point, but it adds nothing to the review, in my opinion. It's inclusion is almost irrelevant. I don't know about you but an analysis of a book that's less about the author and his proclivities and more about the content shouldn't be too difficult to pull off. Yours, Soba ← Now THAT, my friend, does not seem like an objective opinion given your overall reaction to the work.

?If Mr. Fine's intent was to attract attention, he certainly did it in spades. Soba edited for clarity and partially in response to Tess' post above. ← Well, for one thing it tells you where the author (FG) is coming from. He's originally a lawyer and the case study is a very "lawyerly" thing. It's an investigatory device used elsewhere (think business schools), but this is where FG was exposed to it. You understand the book better by understanding the author. Of all the quibbles one could have with gaf's review, I think that this is a very minor one.

For a while BBC America was showing "Friends for Dinner" which was quite amusing. I also chuckle at "Rosemary, Queen of the Kitchen" on Discovery-Home. Wouldn't mind seeing 2 Fat Ladies re-runs

This is one of the most ridiculous lines of argument I have ever seen. Ummm... You just put forth an opinion on the book by claiming it is "literature". Not to get into a debate on what qualifies as literature, but who died and made you the arbiter of what is "literature" and what isn't? How do you define literature? Is literature by nature fictional? Is your argument that real world event-based writing merits evaluation of the facts of the matter only when it isn't "literature"? This just boggles the mind. By allowing the book to be excerpted here, Psaltis opened himself up to such questions. Or are we just here to shill for favored authors? Any book is colored by the motives of its author(s). In order to judge the whole of the work it is absolutely necessary to know the motives of the author. If I want to look at a string of pretty words, I'll open the dictionary.

I don't think that Michael had to apologize. The nature of people is that the longer it takes Doug to respond to the questions raised, especially now that he has already posted in the thread, the more people will think that he has something to hide. I saw it more as a piece of well-meaning advice. However, Michael, now that you've mentioned other information, you know that people will be bugging you for the other side of the story.

Mine's still Peanut. Although, given the amazing amounts of food she eats, "Garbage Disposal" and "Hoover" are starting to be more appropriate.

ropa vieja

Mixed review from the Washington Post

Not to mention that the income of his average reader has quadrupled.

That's all.

peep

Mrs JPW and I make a trip to Chez Sophie a part of our annual trek to the Saratoga Jazz Fest. Every time we leave happy. A very comfortable environment and great cooking that you can imagine coming out of grand-mere's kitchen.

You're a wise man.

To me the results of the cookoff were rather inconclusive. What was apparent was that for chicken what matters most is how well the chicken is cooked. My split decision is that I prefer breasts brined and dark meat unbrined. The collard greens were my favorite side. (thanks haggis man). And the cheese was superb. Thanks to the Busboys for having us all over. Thanks to all the other providers of food. And thanks to the dishwashers. And a final extra thanks to Busboy for popping open some very nice wines. Those couple of ounces of Sauternes were a perfect way to polish off a big meal.

that's an odd thing to accuse Bourdain with, the guy loves other cultures and tries his best to enjoy whatever he is doing or eating wherever he is. He makes it obvious that he himself hates those tourists who think "why isn't the rest of the world like _________". I agree that last night's show was not one of the best we've seen him in. It was a little bit boring at times but so was he, he was bored to death and he thought the food at the feast was gross. I guess I just do not get why you would get that impression. Elie ← Frankly, the whole show came across as a "let's make fun of this quaint little culture" trip where Iceland was there solely for the purpose of getting off one-liners. Imagine for a moment that you do not *know* that the star of this show is someone who "loves other cultures". Then what would you think? Opinions differ, I stand by mine. I think the guy came off looking like an ass.

Watched this out of curiosity last night and thought it was absolutely dreadful. Nothing more than a vehicle for the Bourdain schtick. If you like the arrogant "why isn't the rest of the world like NYC" schtick than you'll like the show. If you think this schtick is getting old, or if you're looking for something new, or looking to be informed, you'll be disappointed. Although, to be fair, there was a little bit of info on the mid-winter feast. However, I felt anything of interest from that bit was drowned out by the constantly repeated "this stuff is gross" statements.

Mandalay = Ginger salad.

Not much to add to what Malawry wrote. That pork chop (I guess they need to call it a "rack" to make it look fancier) was truly spectacular. Along with the confit of pork belly I had in the past at Restaurant Eve, the best piece of pig that I think I have ever had. It's just unfortunate that the sides were disappointing. The smokiness of the swiss chard didn't bother me as much as it did her. The beans especially were just not good. But at Restaurant Week prices, I more than willing to overlook those details for that heavenly piece of meat. The filet was very nice and I liked the thought that went into the construction of the dish. The crab tempura and the shrimp dish were OK. The wine was somewhat pricey ($10 for a Guigal CdRhone 2003), but no more than is to be expected at a restaurant at that price point. Service was very nice. Special appreciation for the barman (whose name I believe was "Sheik") who went to the hostess stand for us to notify them that we were ready to be seated. As Rochelle said, the details matter. I'm left with same reaction that I had to a recent meal at Galileo under the half-price early week deal -- I enjoyed it a lot, but don't think that it would be a top choice at the regular price.

Some more quick notes -- I am a huge el Golfo fan. The owner, Ada, is one of the founding forces behind the new Long Branch Business Association, which is sorely needed as that crossroads has some problems with public drunkeness and homelessness. They're always glad to see Peanut and never fail to make a big fuss over her. I like Mandalay, but after a while all of their dishes start to taste alike to me. I actually went back to Red Dog for the first time since I promised never to go back because the service was so bad. The service was better, but I was vaguely disappointed by the food. It wasn't bad, just kind of hum-drum. Mrs JPW told me that the new Thai place and the new Pho joint both looked like they were open, but we have yet to stop in. The Thai place across from Mandalay is called "Thai Derm". It's good honest home food, and our most frequent source of Friday night take out. Not on the menu, but usually on the specials board is "Nam Sod", a Larb-like pork salad with ginger. Get it. Be happy. Go next door to Roger Miller for some goat and fufu.

Right behind the Silver Diner. Across the street from Cubano's which is decent-to-good Cuban food.

el Guajiro, which Sietsema inexplicably raved about as I never found it to be better than average, is closed. Replaced by yet another Mex/Salvadoran place.

Had a similar experience at Benjarong. Muddied flavors, muddied broths. Go to Thai Farm in the King's Farm development. MUCH better

Had one of the most disappointing meals of my life a couple of years back at B Smith's. Too much time has passed to remember particulars, but I remember leaving thinking "mediocre country club food."

2 words -- chicken thighs