dimitri steinberg

Let me get this right... You are bashing someone for nepotism, which in this case is being done by the owner of the property, who has ABSOLUTELY NO fiduciary obligation to anyone else. To the extent the landlady is accepting a less than market rent from her daughter, she is simply exercising her right to do with her property as she pleases. The landlady could also give the entire building to her daughter. Are we going to argue against that as well? By letting the daughter use (misuse) the space, she is "giving" it away, just on a smaller scale. As was previously posted, there are real risks involved in kicking out a good existing tenant in the hope of additional economic rewards. That said, it is the landlady's decision to make.

It's called the free market and the sanctity of property rights. That's the reason we have the most dynamic economy on earth and, more specifically, a zillion restaurants in NYC. The landlord is being rationale and if he/she can get a higher rent from another tenant, that is his/her prerogative. You'd be amazed at how much our entire way of, and quality of, life is dependent upon all those "greedy" people out there.

That should be a difficult sell

I wasn't being particularly eloquent in terms of describing the differences, but, as usual, FG, you hit the nail on the head. Funky it is and funky it was. And, given your comment, I should not be surprised that funkiness is not something I recall at Lugers, either. There is no doubt that I would not have noticed the difference absent the side-by-side tasting.

At the risk of prompting of all hell breaking loose, here goes. I went ahead Friday night with the plan of doing a side by side with the Lobel strips and those from Citeralla - 2 of each. Seasoned with S&P and oil and then broiled them in the oven. They all came out wonderfully medium rare (probably let them cook a minute or so too long) as the steaks were of the same thickness. I combined the drippings from the steaks with a generous slab of butter and spooned that nectar over the steaks a la lugers. Both were wonderful, but my wife, in-laws and I all found the ones from Citerella to be a bit better. The lobels steak were a bit tougher and in fact I found the Citeralla steaks flavor to be somewhat more to my liking. I was surprised to say the least and will need to try this again as we are dealing with organic materials that vary. As a point of reference, the Citeralla strips are $21.95/lb. The lobel strips were 12oz and the ones from Citeralla were probably around 14oz. As a second point of reference, I am not one of those wackos who has trouble recognizing a great steak (ie, I am a firm believer in the pre-eminence of the Luger steak for two). OK - let er rip.

FG: Thank you very much. I am thinking of cooking a strip from Citerella at the same time to assess the marginal gains at the high end.

I am getting the steaks today and want to make sure that I don't screw up the preparation. I live in an apartment, so outdoor grilling ain't an option. I have read the various posts about on the stove/in the oven with a cast iron pan. Unfortunately, I don't have such a pan. I do have a Wolf stove, so I can do the broiler thing. What confuses me, however, is what seems to be quite disparate instructions with respect to the amount of time the steaks should go under the broiler. Also, to the extent, I put oil on them (as per the Lobel site instructions), should I use olive or something else. I read somewhere that olive oil burns at too low a temperature? Thanks

Yeah, but I live about 10 blocks from the store

It's a great deal until you get slapped with $25.95 in shipping costs at checkout.

The beginning of the thread referenced "straightening". Not sure if this meant sharpening or not, but it is relevant to me. Two of my Wusthof GPs got bent at the tips - don't ask how. Is there a way to fix that?

Some of the best fries in the City are at Cite / Cite Grill. It is a huge portion and they are delicious.

Sooooo.. should one go a final time as the restaurant goes out in a blaze of glory or do we expect the last days to be the dregs?

You have to go to il Mulino; just go at lunch time. Much more pleasant and, besides, you will need the rest of the day to digest the meal.

How does it compare to Donut Plant?

I stopped at Sally's for dinner last night on the way back from Vermont and all I can say is the pizza is in an entirely different class from anything that I have had in NYC. It is incredible and frankly easily alone worth a trip from Manhattan. It is one of the very few times I have been jealous of another city's restuarants. Why oh why can't NYC have something like this. I am still fantasizing about last night's dinner.

What do you think of the machines like the Chef's Choice 110?

I have a number of Wusthof Tridents that I received as a gift. I am embarassed to admit not knowing how to sharpen them. What would the experts suggest I do to go about learning how. Many thanks.

For what it's worth, I notice on the l'Absinthe web site that the chicken for 2 is $44 not $36 and that it is, by a substantial margin, the cheapest main course offered.

Have any of the experts on the board tried "Fresh Direct" and if so, how does it compare to the stores described in this thread in various key categories - Meat, Fish, Produce, etc? I checked out the website and it certainly appears that the prices seem attractive and the place has gotten some good press recently.

Disgusting as it isnside, I am a huge fan of Gyro II on 33rd and 7th avenue across from Madison Square Garden. Huge servings of Gyro, Pita and Salad when you order the platter for a very reasonable price. The sauce is quite sweet, which for me, works great in turning the whole thing into a gooey delicious mess. Great place to go if you have a few minutes before going into MSG or Penn Station.

I ordered them a couple of days after the thread was started on Oct 14. Glasses came in two shipments. The first arrived about 10 days ago and the second this past Friday.

After having ordered the special (which I have now received in total) I went back to the Amazon site to check something. I noticed that in addition to the "Collection" line they also offer Spiegelau Authentis and WMF. Does anyone know the differences and have a perspective on the pluses/minuses of each? Thanks

I am setting up an upcoming business dinner at Del Frisco's. Anybody go recently? I had dinner there two years ago and had the double eagle strip. It was (I think) $50, huge and quite good. I also need to pre-select some wines. Don't have their full wine list available, but any general or specific ideas in the likely $75+ per bottle range for steak? I have the banquet list which lists in the above price range: Pezzi King Cab 1998 $62 Pine Ridge Cab Napa Valley 1998 $70 Rombauer Vineyards Cab Napa Valley 1998 $80 Laurel Glen Cab Sonoma Mountain 1998 $108 Chateau Haut Marbuzet, St Estephe 1994 $85 Peacy Canyon Zin Especial Paso Robles 1997 $60 Thanks

Actually, I think that Tony Roma's is just about the nastiast place around. I had some of the worst food of my life there. Re: BBQ, that place will always hold a special place in my heart, as it is (for reasons to long to explain) the place I first went to one a quasi-date with my now wife. This thread prompted me last night to compare the BBQ and Brother Jimmy's delivery menus and Fg is right the price difference is about 2xs.

I was also at the downtown Ciao Bella this weekend and had a cone of the malted milk ball gelato. I concur with the view that their product is much closer to American style ice cream. I haven't tried the pistachio or espresso, but I sure do love the malted milk ball. Where is Cones located? I need to try it as well.