MRX

McDonald's Burger King Wendy's I really hate chains. Esp, ones that serve food that kills.

My little brother lives in Kalamazoo. I've been to Arie's - it was okay. Certainly not a destination. Sorry to say, most of my best eating experiences in Michigan have been in the kitchen or around the grill. There is one pretty good ice cream place (name escapes me) and a decent roadside car hop....but nothing like what it sounds like you'd be into.

as i seem to recall, i've heard ben & jerrys is good for the very stoned. <clatter> drops spoon..... <thunk> bangs head retrieveing spoon. resumes eating.

Quit drinking Snapples and eating fastfood...dropped 40 pounds. GF dropped only the Snapples and has lost 15 pounds. You really want this stuff in you?

Currently my kitchen is an E.

finally a response. oh heck i was kidding. strange things: live sashimi in japan (much more interesting to eat a fileted fish than a shrimp...the thing looks at you. pickled pigs penis. again this was japan - i was tricked into thinking it was sausage fried grasshoppers - japan raw horse - japan oven baked dog - hawaii pizza topped with potato salad and eggs - japan kangaroo

Someone who ignored my question? ;-) Um, I drive a Subaru. Does that explain it? Okay, now I've just spit my beer on my keyboard...too funny!

Human flesh.

Someone who ignored my question? ;-)

Does anyone have both an LC and a Lodge? I think this now boils down to personality types. Do you drive a truck? Get the Lodge. Do you drive a Land Rover and think it's a truck? Get the LC. Seasoning is EASY. Legs or not on the Lodge, it'll go in the fire okay. I'd like to see what happens to the LC. My goulash usually cooks for 3 to 5 hours and I've never had a metallic taste.

opps double post. oh well, Lodge.

Lodge. You can use it as a real dutch oven should be. Anywhere. Campfire. Oven. Stove top. Industructable. Seasoned well there is no irony taste. Lodge, lasts forever. Great price.

I suppose the UES Totonno is an example of a coal fired pizza place with mediocre ingredients, and a poorly executed pie. Emphasis on the "poorly executed". The ingredients seem fine. And it is one of the better pies in the neighborhood, I just don't invite friends there.

A small note--the older man who used to be so cranky and close up shop when the dough ran out in the Coney Island Totonno's is now deceased. His son (I think) runs the place now and is actually a very friendly guy. We chatted pleasantly several times last year--Totonno's is my regular stop before Brooklyn Cyclones games, and you have to go through the kitchen to get to the men's room. And they actually keep regular business hours now! Still no slices and cash only. For my money, it's the best pizza I've had in NYC. Their coal-fired oven definitely makes a difference. I sincerely believe that you could limit your pizza search to the places that have those ovens, if expediency was an issue. Which, of course, it isn't! Thanks to everyone for a very interesting thread. Jamie At the CI branch of Totonno's, it's his grandson, if I am not mistaken...and yes he's a great guy. Very friendly and willing to chat. His Mom is a bit more sullen, but she seems to like me. I just still get a little fear everytime that I go there, due to my first experience with Totonno. I was in from way out east on LI and had heard of this mecca of pizza. My friend and I were around 14 years old and asked for slices....and pretty much ran out of the place. I still think that it is such a worthwhile trip for anyone who has never been. Totonno's is absolutely fantastic...but don't bother with the mediocre UES coal fired Totonno's...like the branches of Patsy's, there is no substitute.

I love the Dormandie name...I hadn't heard that before, and the name suits the place perfectly. And yes all three roomies are in their mid-just-outta-school-twenties.

I wouldn't recommend anything but a cast iron dutch oven, but I'm a bit of a purist. I really enjoy mine - although lately the pressure cooker has seen much more action.

Yet another reason for not having a roommate: I, thankfully, have avoided roommates since 1986, when I lived in a fraternity house. However, today, while having dinner with a friend, she started relating some of her roommate horror stories. She has two roomies. Last week, one left oven on one day and the gas (unlit) on the range top another day. Today was the biggie though, she got home at 3:30 PM and found the gas on again while roommate number two left a candle burning in the living room. Anyway, anyone living in Manhattan should look in the direction of Normandie Court this evening...because one way or another I expect that there may be some fireworks later.

I still want spices from Mars.

I was also going to suggest everclear, as i have used it to start a campfire during a hurricane.

I love my Bennriner (actually a take on the japanese expression "Benri-na?" - Which loosley translates as "Isn't this convenient?"). But I toss the last 1 inch or so of whatever I am slicing usually, because of FFF (Finger filet fear).

Di Fara's - Incredible. I am fairly sure that there will be some other reviews coming soon (Joe and Sam seemed to have a fairly good talk with Mr. DeMarco - and Pan seems to be a regular [lucky son of a -]). My take was that this was very worth the trip from Manhattan - we started the Pizza Survey with a square pepperoni pie. Incredible! Each of us was floored, it cannot be compared to other pies - it has a uniqueness that makes it so special. The crust is thinner than a sicilian, the mozzarella is fresh, and the pepperoni is thick cut. A homerun. After a 15 minute pause our second item was the best calzone that I'd ever had - it's huge (could feed three or four HUNGRY people. This calzone was broccoli and sausage (Pan will probably supply which type it was). I overheard the remark that it was "as big as a baby". Apt, but it was also truly beautiful to look at - I hope the pictures do justice. The blending of the two cheeses was perfect, the freshness of the ingredients outstanding. A homerun. Suddenly the food started arriving quickly, boom! The Artichoke pie. Homerun again. Then another calzone, which some how did even better than the fisrt one - so within a period of 20 minutes, I'd had the two best calzones in my life. The second was notable for the porcinni mushrooms. A grandslam. Now the let down (and almost anywhere else, this would NOT be a let down), the plain regular pie. After the glories of the first four items, this one just didn't have the same impact. Several of us rated it against Patsy's and found the crust to be lacking something (it is still better than 99.9% of pizza places), I found the sauce too sweet - but others disagreed. Also to be fair, it was the final of 5 items and we were pretty full by then. The place is a dump - but not as bad as Patsy's, but the drink selection is fantastic, the food incredible and Mr. DeMarco is the anti Totonno, meaning he was really pleasant and easy to talk with. I would also like to thank Joe and Donna for providing transport. A great time, and I will be back.

no. they are both stepped in tradition and predominatly male and managed /owned by women, but no I don't really see the fit as I have never been able to spend more than $40 bucks in McSorleys - and Luger's has a much more impressive resume than McSorley's.

sitting blindfolded and naked in front of the fridge, feeding each other strawberries, raspberrys, chocolates, ice cream, balsamics, eclairs......

Riki is an Izakaya - Sakagura is way too high end to be an izakaya. Riki is great, but I am not sure if I have been banned from there - I am normally the sane one if people have too much to drink, I keep them in line (teaching skills combined with old bartending skills). Having worked in resturants and bars, I also totally emphasize with the people who work them, so I hate it when someone with me is difficult towards them. That being said...one night I apparently was just a wee bit "toasted" when I arrived to meet up with another group of friends who were drinking there...after that well, I'm not saying.

I live right around the corner and find that there are many places with much better value, service, and food right in the neighborhood. Well written article - but doesn't sound like the overpriced sandwich shop that Taste appears to me.