Sandra Levine

Just returned from Katz's. I hope you'll have better than we did tonight. One sandwich was made from a paler piece of meat, with a thinner, spottier spice crust than the other. We switched halves so each of each had half of the better sandwich. The better pastrami was dark red, thickly coated with crushed coriander and pepper, warm, melting and not too salty. Even the lesser sandwich was pretty good -- better than the pastrami almost anywhere else.* Katz's pastrami is always a little uneven and unpredictable; that's part of what makes it fun for me, but the other problem was more serious: the bread. Pechter's rye, soft, flavorless, cut too thin and packed into bags while it was still hot so that it dissolved into a soggy mess as soon as the hot meat hit it. I usually have one pastrami sandwich a year, but I guess I'll just have to have another later this summer, to erase the memory of this one. The pastrami sandwich costs $9.95. I would be willing to pay a dollar more for high-quality rye bread. * Alan says the goose pastrami at Jo Geoldenerg's on the rue Rosier in Paris is even better.

From what I can tell from a quick internet search and from the dictionary, gum arabic is from the acacia tree and mastic is from the mastic tree, specifically the mastic tree from a particular Greek island. The two trees are different species; both, however, yield resins useful in cookery. Click here for mastic Click here for gum arabic

Yes, I wonder if it was meant to be used in the cake or in the syrup.

I found this through Google:Mastic Cake

It is a sticky, glue-y substance that I think does have some dental uses, in a different form. Tree resins are also used in varnishes and I'm sure in pastes and glues. I don't have the crystalline stuff, rather a jar of jam-like substance flavored with it. So far, all I've done is taste it from a spoon. It's very thick and sticky, pearly, with an impression of translucence. It's extremely sweet stuff, with a faintly licorice taste. Not much real flavor. The label lists glucose as the second ingredient after sugar, then "scent" of mastic -- I guess that means the equivalent of vanilla extract. The glucose intrigues me. When I get around to it, I think I will use a little of this stuff when I make ice cream or sorbet. It may help the texture.

Or, you could have looked at this thread on the India board: Chaat and Chat

I add a splash of orange juice to the eggs, as well as some vanilla and cinnamon or nutmeg.

There's always my birthday.

I've often seen jars of this thick white substance shelved with jams in Greek grocery stores. From a web serach, I've learned that it is a gum resin from the mastic tree that grows in a partcular part of Greece. Is anyone familiar with this? Can you describe the flavor? How is it used?

I have never actually cooked anything from David's books, but I found them inspirational when I used to cook a lot more than I do now and I think that was close to her intention. Her writing conveys a vivid sense of place that I greatly appreciate. It is her attitude toward food in a very general way that was improtant, rather than the specifics of the dishes she described. For many people, it was Elizabeth David (as well as M.F.K. Fisher, whom I like even more) who made clear the connection between food and sensuality -- the Nigella Lawsons of their time.

There were 10 or 12 small dumplings -- just right for lunch.

Sounds like Israeli couscous, which is made with a larger grain than others.

When is Mario most likely to be cooking, at 5:30 or 11? I was offered 5:30 or 10:30 about three weeks ago for Wednesday, May 29. Union Pacific had no trouble offering me the requested 8 p.m. for the same time, so Mario will have to wait for my presence until another time. Actually, so will Rocco, since Alan decided he would rather see Mary Clere Harran at the Algonquin for his birthday than eat a fancy meal. Some people!

Probably because Collette Rossant was the consultant for this restaurant. She is married to James Rossant, a fine architect. Cabrales, you seem to have ordered a la carte. I've been to DSGG twice but had only the prix-fixe dim sum assortment. The first time my husband and I ordered a vegetarian and non-vegetarian assortment and shared both. The second time (during jury duty) I went back alone to have a full order of the non-vegetarian dim sum, which I preferred. A full assortment was under $10. The dumplings were smaller than most, with very thin and delicate skins. The dipping sauces were excellent.

Cuisine at the cutting edge

I wonder how that compares with the price of the same bottle without the Charles/Diana connection?

You are not going to get me to admit that I am a messier eater than you!

You'd better stop before you turn them all on.

Thank you Suvir, for guiding us through Dimple's chaat. Our little group had a wonderful introduction to this intriguing restaurant and I know that I will be returning again and again. Six people shared the following, as described on the menu: Delhi chat (lentil dumpling in yogurt with chick peas, sauces topped with vermicelli), Kachori chat (special Kachoris stuffed with chick peas & topped with sauces, yoghurt & vermicelli, Ragda patties (special patties dipped in whole beans & tossed with onions, sauces & vermicelli), pakoda (lentil, chili, paneer, spinach, malthi)[usually spelled pakora?] bhel puri (puffed crisps served with potatoes, beans, pulses, sauce and mint wafer) ,chole bhatura (chick peas and fluffy white bread). The "fluffy white bread" turned out to be two huge pooris!. Some of us tasted the small green peppers both raw and sauteed with cumin. Degustibus didn't even break a sweat from her taste of the chili, but my husband Alan's eyes popped with his. (He ate all the seeds.) Suvir pointed out that peppers, even of the same variety, vary widely in heat and the pepper itself, rather than a person's tolerance may, indeed be the critical factor in one's reaction. The menu descriptions do not do justice to the food, but I'm afraid I paid as much attention to the chat as I did to the chaat and because I did not take notes, and there were so many dishes, I can convey only my general impressions. There were layers of flavor and a complexity to each dish in both taste and texture that I would not normally expect to find in the offerings of such a decptively simple place. None of the dishes was particularly hot. Chilis, when used, were a component like any other flavor note that contribute to the dish without dominating it. This was subtle and even sophisticated spicing. For dessert, we each had a small royal falooda, a primarily rose-flavored milkshake-like extravaganza that Alan described as "a vist to paradise." Paradise seems to be violently pink. Each dish was small enough -- the size of a large appetizer or small entree -- so that it was possible to taste quite a few. Ten dollars apiece, including tax and tip for the six of us. I think this would be a wonderful place for a larger eGullet New York dinner.

What is Dimple's address? My husband will be joining us, too.

Very impressive chili notes! A couple of more thoughts on making chili. If the chili seems too thin, it will thicken nicely if you add some finely ground cornmeal (or masa harina) which adds a flavor note that I think is subtle but important. If necessary, I add a little more liquid in order to be able to add the cornmeal to achieve the proper balance of taste and texture. I always use unsweetened cocoa powder in chili, adding it pinch by pinch, until I notice a very slight difference in flavor, but nothing actually identifiable as chocolate. I do the same with gorund cinnamon, but use even less. I have had great success using ground turkey instead of beef. Semi-vegetarians (non red-meat eaters) scarf it down.

I will make this soon and report back. Thank you for posting the recipe. One question -- what is a "hand" of pork?

Tom Valenti's recipe for lamb shanks is on Fat-Guy.dom. Hit the link and keep scrolling down. Is it the same as in the book? Whoops, I see you meant the white bean recipe, not the lamb shank proper. My apologies for misleading or should that be mis-reading?

I've had my first Peet's this week and Graffeo only once a long time ago, so I can't really compare the two.

To give the other side its due, my husband specifically asked me to cancel the reservation I made to celebrate his May 29 birthday dinner at Union Pacific in favor of an evening of cabaret with Mary Clere Harran at the Algonguin. There's a reason why he's not a eGullet poster.