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Anyone else heard news on Ducasse potentially moving to a new location? Cindy Adams had something on it in the NY Post. . .

Here's a long thread about spit cookery that was initiated by the a post about the spitjack: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...613&hl=spitjack

Sounds like you're going to have a lot of fun. Another tip: balancing the animal well on the spit is really important, as well as fastening it rigorously to the spit-stick. Otherwise it'll flop around and/or spin on the spit rather than smoothly rotating with it.

It's not the same thing. A babysitter is held to a different standard than is a parent. S/he is at work. I would sit on the bench in the playground and have a beer. . . but it's against the law. As for the an adult not in the company of a child drinking beer in a playground, well the beer part is moot. Unaccompanied adults aren't allowed in NYC playgrounds. There's a fellow with whom I often want to have a beer. We're with our kids some afternoons. The bar doesn't work because the kids seldom sleep at the same time and the park is outs because of strict US Liquor laws. If not, I can't see the problem. In my opinion you are bumping into two separate prejudices, one less reasonable and insidious than the other. Children are mostly uncivilised, Bars and restaurants with many exceptions are civilised places. If a parent hasn't figured out how to appropriatey manage their uncivilised charge in that civilised place then he oughtn't take the child there. In short, you shouldn't be subjected to a noisy out of control kid when you're at a nice restaurant or bar. I think we agree about that. But as to "a bar or cocktail lounge not a good atmosphere for a child of any age", well I just don't agree. This country is still deeply moralistic. Our liquor laws are nuts, but the government for most part benefits from these laws so they stick around. There's a pall of "badness" around the consumption of alchohol this country that, well suffice it to say that there is a taboo aspect to drinking that is very specifically American. This shroud is lifted in western Europe and I must say, I like it. There is nothing in a bar that is inherently threatening to children. Parents set these taboos up and look what happens when their kids leave the house. They go absolutely nuts. Have a sane and measured atmosphere at home and the child will take it with him. So maybe in the end we agree. The type of places you list here are the only ones to which I can really imagine taking my child. And only during the day and pretty much Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Cheers, We'll see you there.

It took a couple of hours I think. The chef had spitted the lamb in an extraordinary way that defies easy explanation. The effects were as if it had been butterflied. For 20 lbs I think three hours is a good guess. (Errant thought: have you thought about using a caja china? http://www.lacajachina.com/ It would be great for lamb) You should plan liberal use of a meat thermometer. Also the trick I learned from this guy in Italy is that the heat should never come from the fire. It should come from coals pulled from the fire. The flame is no friend of roasted meat. The fire should be off to the side and coals pulled from there to under the beast. Your mention of the drum is what sparks this thought. Spits are tough. Have you thought of butterflying?

I had a real baby one--8lbs cooked on a thing called a spitjack. But it was over a hearth fire. Not a pit. Remains the best meat I have ever eaten. http://www.spitjack.com/

I'm quite late to the topic but as an often thirsty owner of a charming but demanding nineteen month old, I have some opinions. Like Plattetude I lamented Pegu's late opening time. To me there's not much in life better than a slow cocktail during an afternoon nap. The child's afternoon nap that is. I take my guy to the bar from time to time but only when he's asleep and only in the afternoon. In fact I've fantasized about a bar that is expressly for parents of sleeping children, maybe it would be tucked away in the west village near Chumley's. I can't see the wisdom in slurping down an Old Cuban while chasing a determined toddler around the barstools. That's no fun for anybody. Edited to add: I lied. The other great time at the bar is when he's in a backpack and there are sports playing on giant tvs. Then he can be awake. If drunken brits are shouting at the screen, all the better. My guy is very entertained by that.

Beg to differ with you on this statement, peacockfoodie ... I think that has begun to change noticeably ... the recent article in the AJC (which I will locate momentarily) says otherwise ... ← Is that the same AJC that quite recently took a bunch of lame and innapropriate shots at Seeger's?

Too true, too true. Still, there's only one Seeger.

Two questions: How do you know for sure that Soto will be moving to New York? Where will he be working in the interim? I await responses with baited breath. Signed, devoted patron of Soto who lives in NYC. PS: Now all that's left is for Seeger to move up here and we'll have hijacked all of Atlanta's treasures (not including the aquarium).

Replying from sunny Port Antonio Jamaica, I have some news about wahoo. News to me anyway. Treat it like tuna. Season, sear then unexpectedly, rest for a few minutes and serve. It's definitely best to pull off the filets rather than making steaks. Wahoo have sharp thin bones that are no fun to contend with. Cut steaks from the filets, thickish steaks. I seasoned with salt and allspice. Sear in high temp oil and then finish in the pan with some butter and a spring or two of thyme. Serve with a little grated ginger on top. The inside should be rare to raw. We did this a second time around with a file that had been in a brine made of equal parts salt and sugar, white rum, ginger, thyme, onion, and allspice. Results were different but not measurably better or worse. There's definitely something to cooking serving a fish that was trying to pull you out of a boat a few hours before.

The Nitelte is a Seattle institution, not least of all because it employs (or is owned by--not sure which) the mother of Seattle's greatest chef: Scott Carsberg. Little known fact. Anyway the last time I got kicked out of the Nitelight, my friends and I headed up to Capitol Hill for some pints of Fat Tire at the Comet where we ran into the semi-homeless guy who I found sleeping (snoring loudly) inside my apartment one night some years ago. I haven't been there in a few years but when I drive by it looks pretty much the same, more or less unaffected by the rampant real estate development around it. Always found the Comet and the people in it to be transporting to some very real Seattle, a little older, a lot harder than me, and usually drunker but not always. Some others: The Saloon at the Oyster Bar Cipriani''s uptown for a martini in a very cool glass still thinking. . . In Omaha: The Max-- gay cowboy nightclub La Buvette--kind of a deli but serves giant glasses of Jameson's

It's wahoo season in Jamaica. I'm headed down there tomorrow to try and catch a few of them and have started to nut once again over the wahoo problem. In the past we've brined, we've escabeched, we've sashimied, we've grilled and pan-roasted all to varying degrees of success. I think brining and then grilling may have been the best so far. At the moment I''m thinking about wahoo ceviche maybe with some conch mixed in. I'm curious if anyone has ideas and experience about how to get the most out of this challenging fish. Thanks

Aww man lucky you. Just sit back and savor the experience. It's a rare one. You're going to have a fantastic meal. . . and best of all you don't have to mortgage your house to pay the bill!

There's a solution to every problem. Last night my wife, two of our closest friends and I waltzed right into the Saloon at the Oyster Bar in grand central, were seated immediately and proceeded to feast on Blue Points, Wellfleets and Kumamotos. Then pan roasts and fried fish. They make amazingly good french fries there. The killer Oyster Bar meal: 3 blue points, clam chowder (my choice is New England), side of fries with a glass of Widmer Hefeweizen (sentimental favorite).

Admin: threads merged. I've often been accused of being a little slow on the uptake. I only heard rumblings about the risks of teflon in the last few months although I've been wary of worn teflon pans for some time. Now I hear something about how if a teflon pan is left on high heat for an indeterminate amount of time--a long time is what I've read--it can be dangerous. That happens in my kitchen pretty often if I'm making an omelette and turn my back on it do something else or if I sear some fish or any other protien that benefits from cooking in non-stick. We can be certain that teflon pans get overheated in restaurant kitchens all the time. This is not to mention all of the unsuspecting or uncaring teflon users at home and in commercial kitchens who use metal forks or spatulas and scrape up the coating and mix it in with food. Is the risk currently considered so small that the government isn't recalling all teflon? Is this about lobbyists? Am I an alarmist? I haven't thrown my teflon pans away yet. They're too damn useful. I'm curious to hear what others have come up with on this topic. If there's a previous thread on the subject (that I didn't find) please merge this post in. Here's a Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5062801458.html

I'm surprised to read this. I've eaten that dish maybe fifteen times and always loved it.

I think this is a great question and a smart thing to think about. I have never tasted the greyish scum that comes up while cooking stock. Sure you're right that it's the same product that is fond in a roasting pan. I've had a special pho that is the regular pho broth with blood dropped back in it. It was delicious. I'd be curious to do what shalmanese suggested. Save the foam, add to some stock and then emulsify. I think Thomas Keller has something to do with it. He seems to be the nation's technique super ego at the moment and he is all about skimming at all times-- clarity, defatting etc. I had the opportunity to watch Christian Delouvrier poach a chicken (stuffed with truffles) in a triple stock. It was fascinating. Part of the bird--maybe all, can't remember--went out to the table in a tureen in the broth. He didn't defat it completely nor did he run it through a fine sieve. At first I was mortified and then slowly came to realize how narrow my view had been. Fat it good, flavorful and unctuous. Delouvrier didn't want a perfectly clear broth. He wanted a rich hearty one.

The comments of babern38 about portion size remind me of the old saw: "The food was terrible. . . and the portions were so small!" Unlike LoveToEatATL, I am a New Yorker who has been to Seeger's and I take strong exception to the idea that one oughtn't spend one's money there. Indeed if you have some extra money laying around and can't think what else to do with it, I can hardly come up with a better idea than dining at Seeger's. His food is technically rigorous, innovative and for me, nothing short of inspiring. Just one quick example: He made a dish--raviolis with brunoise of celeriac served in a light chicken demi glace. As I ate through it, I noticed a crunch and realized it was garnished with tiny cracklins of chicken skin. Stunning, smart, simple. He took root vegetable stuffed ravioli in chicken broth and raised it to high art. I wouldn't miss an opportunity to spend my money at Seeger's.

This is a good question. I'm probably guilty of nitpicking as you define it all the time. The issue most important here is the context. Egullet as a critical entity is an excersize in democracy. Every member who chooses to may vote and each vote only counts a little bit. Whereas we egulleters are citizens, the folks reviewing for the NYT or Michelin are more like elected officials. I certainly think that if someone has posted their opinion about a restaurant, then goes and has an experience that is not in line with the first one, he is obligated to post again. It also seems to me that egullet is a perfect place for nitpicking. By virtue of the smallness of the individual voice and the number of voices, egulleters have a license to nitpick in a way the Michelin or the NYT ought to refrain from. My comment that service is slow at a certain restaurant isn't worth much. But in a given thread on that restaurant, if twelve other posters make the same observation, that has value.

Don't handle hot peppers seeding, peeling etc (about thirty of them) barehanded and then go to the bathroom and pee. Don't do that.

It's called Nordic Deli and it's in Bay Ridge. I know this because a Norwegian friend made some Pinnekjøtt for me last night--yowza!--along with mashed kolrabi and small boiled red potatoes. Had to drink swedish aquavit as that was all I had and subbed Kronenborg for what would have been much more delicious Christianson Christmas ale.

It's been a long time since anybody wrote anything on Esca. I was there tonight. I was curious to see how the subject of that glowing New Yorker article fared on his regional fishes. He did a fab striped bass but not inspiring in any way. I agree with all of the above on the simplest crudo, and namely the bluefin tuna which was overcome by an interesting olive oil I would have rather tasted on bread. The guitar pasta with uni is alone worth the considerable price of admission. I'll write that again for emphasis: The guitar pasta with uni is alone worth the considerable price of admission. Unf--cking-real good. Bill for four: $425. Ouch. In the middle of the dinner some oysters that were fine and some house cured herring that were smooth as silk. Nice northern Italian wines.

aha

Sounds delicious. What's an espume?