ghostrider

Trader Joe's offers no low-sodium cereals. Whole Foods has a choice of at least a half dozen.

The bicolor corn I got at the Rutherford market on Weds seems to be at season's peak, just so full of sweet freshness & flavor. The white corn I got the previous week was over teh hill, a disappointment. I blame that week's murderous heat for making me addle-brained. Summer's waning always saddens me, I want to hang onto those peaches & corn & tomatoes forever.

Me too. But over the years I've found that many critics feel obligated to say something negative, even if they have to grope for it, in order to preserve the appearance of being objective, or balanced, or however it is they perceive themselves. The near-afterthought quality of the comment here made me think that this is what Mr. Yardley was doing.

If you're traveling (which you are), one factor to consider is that the portions at Park & Orchard seem almost deliberately designed to provide you with 2 meals. Either you wind up with a takeaway bag or you throw out a good deal of food. They use a LOT of butter in some of their dishes. Whether that's a plus or a minus depends on your tastes. I always found it ironic that they eschew red meats but load on the butter. I still like the place - curiously, as expressed well by Tommy in the thread linked above, I can't say it better - though yes, there are many other options in the area. We tend to be late diners so have never had to wait for a table at P&O.

Interestingly enough, they don't list the sf for the Montclair store on the site, although they do for some of the other stores. For reference: Madison is 21K, and the Columbus Circle (NYC) location is 59K. Looks like I'm going to be spending a LOT of time in Paramus... ← That means the Montclair brnach must be around 8K. Where is this Bergen Mall?

No concierge or reserved seatings involved, but on one summer's trip to Venice, we deliberately ate in a tourist trap. I knew from the look of it that it was going to be overpriced for what it was and offer humdrum pizza, which it did. But we were hungry, and the place had tables on a stationary floating platform and a superb view of the sunset light playing on the face of La Redentore across the Canale Della Giudecca. We found better food in many other places around Venice, of course, but never in such a setting (at least one that we could afford). It was a memorable evening. Unless you're on an unlimited budget, sometimes you simply have to make that tradeoff.

Back in my younger (and thinner) days when I was making my own obscenely rich Haagen Dazs milk shakes - roughly equal quantities of chocolate & vanilla HD, some chocolate syrup, add enough milk to get the consistency right & whip with a sturdy fork - a few drops of vanilla complemented the other flavors perfectly. I've always respected vanilla since then.

We have a lifelong friend who was diagnosed with Type I in her early teens. She has lived a full & varied life - married an Italian, lived in Rome for 5 years, etc. We are all now in our mid 50s & she is still doing well. Last time we talked with her she had just learned about the monitor/dispenser described above & was eager to see if she could get one. This is just to say that I think your daughter is going to do just fine.

I think the NYC area must get its own set of commercials. Around 80% of the ads mentioned here I've never seen. And the sad truth is that I watch far too much TV not to have seen them if they were aired here.

Well I think this is a dandy idea. Hopefully it'll finally get the riff-raff out of my Red Lobster and I'll be able to get a table without the usual 45-minute wait.

Hmmm, this thread again. I have recently become partial to the Pecan Splendor granola-type mixture sold in bulk at Whole Foods. It's heavy on the cinnamon! I like that in a cereal.

If you grew up anywhere near, or south of, the Mason-Dixon Line, you know that "chicken & dumplings" doesn't fill the dumplings, it fills you!

I think that must have been the Royal Canadian Pancake House, no? Friends of ours made an annual pilgrimage there for years on Shrove Tuesday, but they (the pancake house, not our friends) went out of business a few years ago. I never went, even the idea of that much pancake just made me ill.

Last night, made rigatoni amatriciana with pancetta from the Italian deli where I work, & plum tomatoes & onion from my local farmers' market. It's a great dish with canned tomato in wintertime too, but there's nothing like those fresh summer flavors.

Excellent article, right from the Simpsons opening hook. I think that's the crux of the matter. Can't abide the stuff myself. EVOO & wine vinegar, day in, day out. I'm in a rut & I like it. I loved 1000 Island when I was a kid, & yes, used to make it myself as soon as I was old enough to handle measuring cups & jars, but I lost that taste somewhere on the way to adulthood, or wherever it is I am now.

I choose to support media outlets whose writers know how to construct sentences.

The evidence that I am simply not a "real man" continues to accumulate. Oh well, I guess in some sense that means more dark chocolate for me too.

THanx again for all the ideas! It just occurred to me last night to hit Appetizio's. Should have thought of that earlier, since a Google on their name is what led me to eGullet in the first place. Brain not working well in heat.

Thanks for the good suggestions here. Very different from Evian to my palate. A taste that reminds me of times in Italy & that's never a bad thing. Also, Ferrarelle has a high potassium content, & in this weather that's never a bad thing either. (I'm getting really bored with eating bananas.)

← Of course Mr. Standage is correct. But soft drinks, beer and wine are also bad for the environment for the same reasons. Why pick on water alone? Does he think that bottled water is somehow a less worthy drink than Coke or Bud Light?

You may want to try Whole Foods they have every kind of water I ever seen, they're all over and ridgewood nj too. ← The Montclair branch doesn't have it but it's small. Maybe the big one in Edgewater....

Wondering if anyone has encountered a source for this delectable Italian water in their shopping excursions. Preferably in the Bergen/Passaic/Essex/Hudson county area. I've found a couple of online sources, but I'd prefer not to have to pay shipping costs, needless to say. Thanks.

What do I eat daily? Mon Cheri hazelnut chocolates (The Italian chocolates with the French name ) - because my local ShopRite carries them & puts them on an outrageous sale 4 times a year & I fill up the cupboard with them. Actual fave? Lindt dark with broken hazelnuts. Perugino version of same a close second. Unfortunately about twice the price by volume as the Mon Cheri on sale, & not as easy to obtain where I live, so it remains a special treat. Gotta get that chocolate/hazelnut fix without going broke. Yes, I've had better artisanal chocolates, but even apart from the price, I am just addicted to that basic no-frills chocolate/hazelnut combo.

Tangential, but I came across a fascinating piece in New Scientist the other week which presented convincing (to me) evidence that agriculture began not for reasons of sustenance, but to produce status crops for dishes to be served at feasts. Presumably local/tribal leaders used these feasts to impress their superior status on their fellows. Indeed, there is some evidence that the VERY first crops were raised so that our ancestors could brew a primitive form of beer.... This is a whole 'nother thread, if I can ever track down that article online I'll start one.

Who would want water from a virgin aquifer? Me, I like my water to have a bit of character.