Sandra Levine

It was one of the "all you can eat" places. Once, my cousins went there with their two teenage boys. The owner asked them never to come back.

Alan and I and our son, Gabe, were also at Diwan tonight for dinner. Hemant made it a memorable birthday for me, outdoing even his tour-de-force at the eGullet dinner last month. We chose dishes we had not eaten at the previous dinner, including the magnificent prawns Suvir mentioned that his table enjoyed. We also had chicken malai kebab (Suvir, correct me if I've got the name wrong), mustard greens, that fabulous okra, crab paratha (with Suvir's chutney), mixed vegetables and lemon rice. Contrary to my usual practice with Indian food, I had a glass of wine -- a trocken German riesling. Alan and Gabe had Taj Mahal beer. The restaurant is consistently excellent and a great value for the quality of the food and skill in its preparation.

That was us!

Just adding my voice to the chorus of thank-you's for the thorough and thoughtful review.

Now, why didn't I think of that!

Was this served raw, like cole slaw?

Little hands.

With ketchup, for me.

I didn't realize that we had grown up in the same house. Remember the liver? Was it cooked gray through and through so that you need a steak knife to cut it? Lungen stew? My mother loved petcha, but even she wouldn't touch that. I did like tongue, though.

We went to Fink's Funky Chicken last night. Since it was our first time, we had "The Taste of Fink" -- two spareribs, beef brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken. While everything was very good, the spareribs were outstanding. They are served without any sauce and didn't need any, so deep and smoky was the flavorful pork. The ribs were crisp and dry-ish on on the top, but the meat under a thin layer of fat, was still succulent and pulled very easily away from the bone. The coleslaw rivaled my mother-in-law's, that is to say, there is none better. And the cornbread! Studded with kernels, it was intensely corny, without being sweet. Alan complained about the "no-beer served" problem. (New Jersey liquor laws?) He liked the variety of sauces available; also loved the ribs and thought they made a good cup of high-end diner-type coffee -- N.J. coffee at its best. He rates the restaurant one prescription dose of ranitidine. Usually, only his beloved Indian food gets a two-dose rating.

My grandmother used to make petcha, also sometimes called fis. I remember tons of garlic in the dish. I was excused from the table when this (or brains) were served, so gross did I find both dishes.

Years ago, I used Irene Kuo's The Key to Chinese Cooking, and produced very successful Chinese food. Eventually, I stopped cooking Chinese dishes at home because there was no way I could pretend that the sodium content was within reasonable bounds for me and decreasing the salt resulted in a distinct loss of "Chinese-ness." I still eat in Chinese restaurants, of course, because as long as I don't see what goes into the work, I'm able indulge in my self-delusion.

Rochelle, let me add my thanks to you for your interesting diary. You made me feel as if I were there with you.

I'm curious to hear what you think about this place. I noted also that the name seemed bizarre for a restaurant serving meat.

Alan and I had recently a balti dish at a restaurant named Gandhi on 30th Avenue in Astoria. It was chunks of lamb cooked in a intense, thick, dark brown sauce, served in a kadhai(called a wok on the menu.) The dish came with naan and a mildly sweet raita. We also had a freshly made okra dish, and tandoori shrimp that had been butterflied and skillfully cooked so that they remained moist. We both had copious serivings of kheer for dessert. All the dishes were carefully prepared and served and although the decor is modest, there seems to be real pride in the kitchen. We are looking forward to going back.

There are many ways to make a Champagne cocktail, far beyond a matter of different proportions of agreed-upon ingredients. What, in your opinion, is the definitive Champagne cocktail? Please be as specific as possible about the Champagne or sparkling wine, as the case may be.

There were dollops.

Jim, this sounds delicious. I envy you your walnut tree.

Add a little fine cornmeal (masa harina, if you can get it) to tighten the chili. Loosen it first if you have to; even a little bit of cornmeal adds a certain important flavor.

Instead of the unseetened chocolate, you may want to try unsweetened cocoa power. It's easier to control. You want it in there, but you don't want to be able to identify the taste. Don't forgo the cumin. If you use beans, pinto beans work better than kidney beans.

I didn't get the impression that the pickle was to be mixed in. I agree, that would be most unusual.

Kind of like being served a cornichon with pate de maison in the French restaurant.

No wonder they are so expensive. Thank you for posting the recipe, Lesley.

Marron glacees are among my favorite confections. I've always understood that they are not really practical to make in the home kitchen, but I am curious about the process, if it is not too much trouble to post it.

I am interested. I'll make a sweet yeast bread of some kind, either raisin bread or some kind of yeasted coffeecake.