ghostrider

I can't speak to that because I've never been to a White Castle - seriously, I haven't, not once in 5 decades. But I think that what is new is the saturation-level TV ad campaign for those blighted chicken rings. (BTW, growing up in St. Louis, we never saw any need to drive to White Castle when there was a Steak & Shake much closer to home. These days I'd drive past a dozen WCs to get to a Steak & Shake.)

THanks for that wonderful writeup. Very evocative. Straying a bit off topic from food - what were your impressions of Castine itself? I have read that it's one of the few towns in America that REALLY looks like it did 100 years ago, because Dutch Elm disease was never able to jump onto that particular peninsula. The town's on my list of "someday" destinations as a place to plunk down for a few days.

They do it the same way that Burger King makes its "onion" rings. Probably with the same machinery. I'd like to know who makes that machinery, sounds like a stock to watch.

It occurs to me that dining out is a bit like going on a blind date. Sometimes, no matter how hard both parties may try, the chemistry is just never going to be there. In such cases you just move on. Complaints are superfluous & pointless.

Dysfunctional, as far as I can tell. I suppose there's a forum for this sort of question.

My dad had a huge backyard garden, in suburban St Louis, the only one for miles around. One of the many things that made us definite oddballs in the neighborhood. But we had fresh veggies & fruits in season every year. And that certainly shaped my lifelong taste for fresh produce & my propensity for haunting farmers' markets. My folks loved okra, though, & I still can't abide it. So the theory isn't perfect.

My response is going to vary tremendously depending on the individual circumstances. If there's a communications problem - a dish is not as described, the waiter has clearly misunderstood me - I will generally attempt to address it on the spot. If I feel it will do any good. Had such a problem in a new NYC restaurant recently where both the waiter's & the manager's English were so rudimentary, it just didn't seem worth the effort. They'll stand or fall without my input. If the food is just badly prepared, or uses mediocre ingredients, I simply won't go back. That's the way the place has chosen to do things, fine, I doubt that they'll listen to me anyway. When I find someone doing something well - waiter or chef - I will make a point of mentioning it. I'm more interested in reinforcing a good performance with positive feedback than in training someone who's still a work in progress.

The longer the tea sits, the more acidic it's going to become. Unless you are using laboratory-grade filters to strain the stuff after the initial brewing, there'll inevitably be some tea leaf particles left in the pot. They will continue to brew as long as a certain level of heat is maintained, & after about 7 minutes, they are mostly exuding tannic acid. Milk & sugar (which I never use) may mask this, of course. TO answer the specific question: I always finish each pot before brewing the next. Takes 30-45 minutes to finish, depending on the size of the pot. I always carry a thermos of tea when I'm on an excursion in the car, & it always acquires a certain amount of that "overbrewed" taste after a couple of hours. But that's still usually better than the available roadside alternatives. (The dreaded Tetley, etc.)

I still respect your opinion on the Fleshtones. Spot on!

Listen to johnnyd, he knows his stuff from what I've seen. If you're in the Augusta area, the town of Hallowell (next town S from Augusta on the west side of the Kennebec, just head south out of the traffic circle & drive by the Capitol) has a great restaurant in Slate's, a good more basic one in Hattie's Chowder House, & lots of antique shopping. Not food related, except for creating an appetite - if you make it down Rt. 1 to Camden, & you're the outdoorsy sort, head into the Camden Hills Park just north of town, get a trail map from the ranger at the gate, & go for a hike. It's a really unique little area. The drive to top of Mount Battie is essential for the views, for my money the best trail is the one that takes off halfway up the drive across another mtn - there's a tiny little roadside parking area there.

I kept seeing John Cleese as this imagined waiter, that explains it.

Now, then...if someone would instruct me on the use of the Quote + feature, my head might spin just a tad slower. Edit: I do find it amusing that the block between 10th and 11th on Washington Street is framed by Maxwell's and the Elysian Cafe; talk about different ends of the spectrum!!! Hey, Tommy--maybe Maxwell's is where you should go tonight!?! ← Before you Reply, you have to highlight/copy the interior quote, then use the Quote buttons in the midst of your reply to bring in new quote commands, as I've done above to illustrate. Am I being clear enough? If not, I'll try again.

One person's experience is just one factor in my decisions on where to dine. Being late diners ourselves, though, I was particularly interested in the timing of Markk's experience (and thanks for the details on that), since it's likely that I'd find myself in similar circumstances were I ever to venture up to Rocca. And yes, I'd still chance it, based on all of the positive experiences related here.

I was going to let this thread sink, but since it keeps bobbing back up, I'll ask the simple question I've been wanting to ask since I first read the recent comments here: What time did Markk actually arrive at the restaurant? It's never mentioned, only characterized as "late." To me that's an important part of the context. Let me clarify that I'm not trying to drag out any controversy, only seeking information that I would find useful in my personal decision on whether to patronize Rocca.

I'm wondering how a waiter can "maybe" have a ponytail. I'm picturing this guy who always backs away from the table, & then walks backward into the kitchen, which of course causes other waiters to crash into him, constantly sending trays of food flying.....

Tin Huey. You make me sorry I didn't get there even earlier. Jordan's ice cream, I will remember that. I noticed them, but wrong time of day. Hope they prevail against ColdStone.

The Hoboken fest was indeed on today. Train, definitely the way to get there. The Fleshtones were very entertaining. Thanks to tommy for that recommendation, without it I wouldn't have taken the earlier train to catch their set. Glad I did. Eric Burdon closed his show with Ghostriders In The Sky. I was flattered. The Indian food guys were out in force, all with the same signs & same food (CTM, CB, VS, stewed chickpeas), all unchanged from springtime. Still don't know if they all cook their own food, or just one of the places provides for the occasion. Sherri's Crab Cakes looked & smelled first-rate, & had a consistent 1/4-block line all afternoon; which, in Hoboken, means a long wait. My friend got some "Carolina pulled pork" somewhere in midfest which he said was good, tho not a rave. I didn't eat at the fest, alas. Due to an unfortunate incident at an NYC Thai place on Friday which took me way off my low-salt diet, I'm not eating anything that I haven't prepared myself for the next week.

Interested in hearing about this. Website says it's a "trade only" exposition. Interesting, I guess the tea trade in this country has reached critical mass.

How did I miss this thread before? Another fan of Upton here. You'll find my reviews scattered around the Indian & Ceylon teas. (I went off Chinese teas some years ago.) Sadly, in the past couple of years, Upton has put 4 of my all-time favorite teas on "permanently sold out" status. Nor do they answer my emails as to why this has happened. That's a bit frustrating. Still, they keep finding new teas, & their overall quality & selection are so consistent, I keep going back. To me, it's essential to have some good Assams around for morning. I concur with memesuze above on brewing. I've used the two-pot system (one to brew, one to strain the tea into) for nearly 30 years now. I have two heavy pots (McCormick & a Hall) that I found at NYC flea markets a couple of decades ago. I love the heft of them & the way they retain heat. Do they make 'em like that any more? Modern pots seem thin & flimsy by comparison.

I take a wholistic approach to broccoli, I want it all or none at all. Jinmyo is correct (surprise surprise), that gai lan is excellent. I used to dip my strawberries in a bowl of sugar. Glad I outgrew that one.

Then the whole incident becomes puzzling. There should never have been an argument over whether there was pancetta in the dish, all you have to do is look. It's like, either there's a hamburger inside the bun, or there isn't. Doesn't bode well for their future. I initially resented the place when they were under construction, since it looked like they might be out to step on Corrado's turf, and Corrado is a place that's served this town well. Only justification I could see for Reggia would be a different menu and/or doing some dishes better, so that they'd carve out their own niche. Initially I thought they were on their way to doing that, now..... I'll probably still have to see for myself at some point. Doesn't sound like I need to rush though.

I've gotten what I consider to be good cakes, pies & cookies from Varrelmann's in Rutherford. (60 Park Ave, 201-939-0462) I don't consider self to be a conoisseur of these things, nor do I eat them often, so I'm probably the last person on this thread to trust in these matters. Varrelmann's does have the virtue of being nearer to Nutley than any of the above, I think you can trust me on that.

Forgive me for going off topic - but then, in a sense, it is part of the topic --- I am wondering why the first custom-selected ad at the top of this page says Extra Virgin Olive Oil, & then underneath, Aromatherapy + Essential Oils. I must admit that I've never thought of EVOO in the context of aromatherapy.

Wow. That is an appalling tale. Also cautionary. Thanks for sharing it. That place has 2 branches, I wonder if Chef Enzo, who was very visible in the dining room the night we were there (we had a pleasant conversation about pancetta - he certainly knows how to make the dish), divides his time between the two & everything goes to hell when he's not present. I may well focus my patronage on Trattoria Corrado (never a hint of rancidity there) & continue my efforts to perfect my approach to pasta amatriciana at home. Got off a decent one the other week. Though it seems hard to find fresh pancetta in these parts. (Maybe that's why Corrado uses standard American bacon.) Ah well that's what knives are for.

If you don't do those things before other people, you'll be the one stuck with the broccoli stems.