Mulcahy

I also would skip Tra Vigne as not being that great. Granted, I am a tourist, but I looove the pulled pork sandwich at Mustards, as does my husband, so we go back there every time. Also, I don't think it's the high end that's a problem, it's the richness of the food. Too much butter and cream will eventually take its toll. Where?

I would go to Mustards rather than brix. Have never had a bad meal at Mustards and I think will be lighter less serious (although equally delicious) fare than the other restaurants you're eating at. I would get on a plane right now for one of their pulled pork sandwiches.

I think, or rather hope, that we may be seeing a return to the neighborhood market with the advent of these stores. In other words, the "I'll go to the fishmonger, or butcher, or cheese store rather than the large supermarket." I hope so, anyway. Also, the large New York supermarkets are terrible tenants. I say this from the perspective of an attorney who does a large amount of landlord-tenant work. The supermarkets awaken building residents at very early hours, cause noxious (i.e. cooking) smells to permeate the building, leave huge quantities of trash on the sidewalk, etc. etc. If I had a valuable investment in a co-op apartment, I wouldn't want these folks as commercial tenants (even if I was just a renter in a building I still wouldn't want them as tenants). And the restrictive lease clauses mentioned in the article (delivery restrictions etc.) are notoriously hard to enforce and routinely broken. The smaller gourmet food store is less of a problem because many of the supermarket problems caused by size are avoided. As an aside, I don't think there is anyway that Whole Foods wouldn't be a problem in a residential building, simply because of its size. They might be sleeker than Gristede's but they have many of the same issues regarding deliveries and the like.

Can I come be one of the guinea pigs?

I am sorry to say that I won't be there. Although I will be in Saratoga every other weekend this summer, two very close friends have chosen that particular weekend to have a) bridal shower which I can't miss and b) 30th birthday dinner at Peter Luger's (OK, so that's not so much of a chore.) I am really sorry I won't be there, as I would very much like to meet you all.

Beans, I completely understood. In my world (also law firm) casual means nice khakis, tie, and blue blazer for men, Ann Taylor type get-up for women. Um, I have zero experience so I expect to be laughed out of some places, tolerated by others, and hopefully given a job by one or two of them. I interview well, so that is not a concern. The lack of skills (I am an advanced amateur, emphasis on the amateur) is what concerns me. I will be given whites when I start school. Are those appropriate? Or should I invest in generic whites (no school name). Which brings me to another question. (I know there have been threads on this before). But what type of footwear do all of you prefer? Thanks again for the assistance.

Absolutely. I am flying mostly blind on this adventure, with only e-gullet and some friends in the restaurant biz (who are very generous with their time) to guide me. It's very intimidating, as I am sure you know (having made a similar switch), and I can use all the help I can get.

I am, as is delineated here, going to make a career change within the next six months. I am currently (as many of you seem to be) an attorney. I haven't applied for a non-legal job in about ten years, and I have never applied for a job at a restaurant. Anticipating that I may be doing so in the near future, here are my questions: 1) What do you wear to a restaurant job interview? Currently I wear a navy skirt suit and heels to a job interview. This seems like a poor choice of attire for a restaurant interview. 2) What do restaurant resumes look like? My resume has lots of stuff about "managing caseload" and "aspects of litigation" which is lawyer drivel for: "I am an associate, you should know what I do." What do cooks/chefs/waiters put on their resumes? 3) Do restaurant applicants send thank you letters? Any and all advice is much appreciated.

I know that this is probably way too late for Zeb's dinner party, but this just came across my radar, and I thought you all might like to see it. It appears to be a much cheaper version of the El Bulli Cocktail Master.

Old El Paso Tacos. You know, the ones where you brown gorund beef, mix in seasoning, and voila! I grew up with these, and even now my husband and I have taco night every once and a while (like last night). The only change has been that I now buy better salsa (Dessert Pepper) and chop up avocado (would never have happened in my house growing up). Mmmmmm.

When my husband is away on business, I like (especially during baseball season) eating solo at the bar if the bar has a television. Even if there is no TV, sometimes the bar is most convenient (hubby and I dine at the bar a lot at various restaurants). Restaurants where the bartenders have made a point of making me feel comfortable as a woman alone and have helped chase away unwanted advances are places at which we have become regulars. It is a great thing to feel comfortable and un-hit-upon as a woman at a bar while enjoying a nice meal.

I love my friends and family, but some of them are cheap. The 18-20% gratuity on a large party means I don't have to haggle with my buddies to get them to cough up enough money. This makes me exceedingly happy. And grateful to the restaurant.

And when the zipper breaks (which happens with annoying frequency) you have to try to pry them open.

I stand corrected. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Amen.

The one episode I ever saw include Sandra placing a plate over a blender she couldn't find the top to (not something that should be encouraged in home cooks) and deglazing a pyrex baking dish on the stovetop while making gravy. I, for one, was under the impression that Pyrex bakeware is not stovetop safe and will shatter if used that way. Yes, I believe it was a whole chicken.

Thanks, Pan. Glad you enjoyed the review. Tobiko is flying fish roe. It's tiny little red eggs.

The Times says a restaurant named Saffron was in the space. Food Stuff

Jello. Ick.

A friend called and invited my husband and me ot join her and her fiance for dinner at Solo, the new kosher restaurant in the Sony building, last night. We were there as invited guests of the ownership group and "guinea pigs" so we were eating free and were asked to leave written feedback. We were told we could each order an appetizer, main course, and desert. None of us keeps kosher (only two of us were Jewish) and it was the first time in a kosher restaurant for three of us. The space is quite beautiful. As you walk in the bar is to the right, with a few stools. The front wall, facing out to the Sony courtyard, is glassed in with (I'm going way out on a limb here) lucite or something to block the view of the courtyard. There is a very large chefs table in the kitchen which I think is reserved for members of their private club. Two of the group had the house cocktails, which appeared to be either raspberry or mango flavored mimosas. They liked them very much. I thought the raspberry was a bit heavily flavored. Appetizers: I had the sweetbreads with a sauternes "sweet and sour" (quotes are mine) sauce, pickled ramps, and crispy lemon polenta cakes. The sweetbreads were fabulous, they had been lightly sauteed or fried. The sauce was a bit overpowering and I ended up ignoring it (it was squiggled over the plate). The polenta cakes were deliciously crispy and zesty. My husband had the tuna tartare, which had been molded into a round disk about two inches high, was served with some kind of wasabi (I think) spread on the top and also with tobiko. It was very good. The tuna was fresh and flavorful. The sesame crisp served with it lacked salt. One friend had the gnocchi which were served with fava beans (or peas -- can't remember) and smoked portobello mushrooms. Really nice flavors mized together. Gnocchi, however, were too fluffy, they needed a bit more firmness. The other friend had duck prosciutto over greens with candied walnuts. I hated this dish (I thought the proscuitto lacked flavor and didn't go with the walnuts). He loved it, ate every bite. Entrees: Two had the steak. They were excellent and perfectly cooked. The Lyonnais potatoes served with the steak needed salt. The onion rings were good, but they got cold and soggy on the plate way too fast. I had the veal loin which was enormous but very well cooked. It was served with a horribly misguided brocoli crouton and fava beans and sweetbreads in some kind of sauce. The crouton needed salt. The fava beans and sweetbreads were inedibly salty. The last of our party had the sole which was served with brocolli rabe and received universal approval from all of us for texture and flavor. Desserts: I had a strawberry napoleon which was really good. It was served with puff pastry and vanilla ice cream (I imagine it was not real ice cream, but it was really tasty). Hubby had the apple tart which he loved but said needed more apple. The other two had the chocolate ganache tart and the molten chocolate cake, which were chocolaty and wonderful. Service: The service was good with some glitches due to a) inexperience and b) the fact that the restaurant has barely opened to the public. The glitches occured when we sat down and waited a very long time for our drinks and then a very long time for someone to take our order. Also the waiter had an odd habit of explaining exactly what was in the dish and the presentation after someone had ordered it. The front of house staff was, well, a bit standoffish. Which is weird, given that we were "invited guests." The bartender was competent. I think they will improve after they have been open a few months and worked out some of the kinks. The dining room was 65% full last night and they had a party seated at the chef's table and I am not entirely sure they were ready. I have zero idea what the prices on things were since I wasn't paying, but when I looked at the menu it seemed moderately expensive to me. $30 entrees and $12 apps, I think. Generally it was a good meal with some notable standouts (the apps and the steak) and I would recommend it heartily to kosher friends. I guess the key question is, would I go back even though I don't keep kosher? Probably, but my hesitation might have more to do with location than the restaurant. If it were in my neighborhood, I would.

This thread should be fairly helpful.

I would suggest the following: Babbo Ouest The Red Cat All have very comfortable bars with excellent bartenders and very good food. They also serve the full menu at the bar, which some restaurants do not. I have also heard great things about eating at the bar at either Gramercy Tavern or the Union Square cafe. I can't speak to either. Perhaps someone else can? FYI, if these things matter to you (i.e. you are hoping to catch Game 2 of the NBA finals or something along those lines) Ouest is the only one with a TV. And Babbo has the weakest lighting (if you are planning on reading at the bar). Enjoy!

I have friends who think nothing of dropping thousands of dollars for tickets to a ball game, or others who think that a $700 baby stroller is a reasonable purchase. My luxury is spending money on dinner. I drive a Corolla. I wear reasonably priced clothes. But I love fine dining. Yet I also have been told "but that's so much money just for dinner." Dinner is my entertainment. And I don't think it's any less reasonable to pay for eating Thomas Keller's (or Jonathan Benno's) cooking than it is to pay to watch LeBron James. I was glad to see someone say it in print.

Shelly: You need to get someone who speaks/reads french to help you, but here are the websites for the Cystic Fibrosis support groups in France: http://www.sosmucoviscidose.asso.fr/ http://muconexion.free.fr/ And here is one from Great Britain that helps plan holidays for children with Cystic Fibrosis: http://www.cfdreamholidays.com/ They might be able to help you with advice about travel. Good luck!

I couldn't agree more. Their merlots are really excellent. Also, the people involved couldn't be nicer.