Kim WB

so, we know that this JazzzFest has sucky beers, just like the NOLA one!

So does the beer at JAzzfest in NOLA.

mansfield has a few options..Rats is less than a 15 minute ride away, in hamilton. Route 130 in Burlington has a great crab place, very basic, I can't recall the name. Bordentown City has little Cafes, great little lunch places and cute shops.

Really, I would deduct that these are people that simply don't want you to lump this particular veal supplier in with the rest, and respects your position enough to explain how one farm treats its calves. Because they took the time to explain their first hand knowledge of this dairy does not necessarily mean that they agree with your view...although I won't speak for them.

dating myself..wacky packages sticker/gum things, with insulting, gross parodies of brand name products..1972, we were ALL about the wacky packages, man! I kept my "prize" stickers in the purple bag.

you have to live in NJ to appreciate porkroll.

Brian, I remember discussing this book with you..I'm glad it came to fruition. And, its great to see HoneyBrook int here..my share this year has already yielded lots of strawberries, baby lettuces, and great bunches of chives and cilantro...and that's just the first visit of the year.

Rat's can be very special for an anniversary, because it is more than just a "pull up to the valet" kind of experience, and the design of the restauarant, surrounded by the sculpture, can really make a memorable day. Stage House Inn is very good, and I like the atmosphere, but its not as "special", IMO. I haven't been to the Fand P in a while, I have never liked the layout, location or decor, but thats subjective, and its been too long to fairly comment on the food. While I agree the Ryland Inn is a very good ( no longer great ) restaurant, I'm wondering Bryan if you have been ot the other restaurants on the list..how would you compare RI to Nicholas, or SHI, or Rat's?

I would include Commander's, no matter what other choices need to be altered. I'd choose Bayonna as my high end choice, and I'd skip Upperline entirely I think Galatoire's is a lovely choice for a first timer, in that it had very traditional food, in a very traditional atmosphere. I was there three weeks ago, for jazzfest, and heard great things about August, but was too entrenched in other plans to fit it in this trip...but a favorite bartender gave it accolades, and a Royal St. gallery owner that we dined with also raved about it. Cafe du Monde has a very limited menu, it should be used as a snack or li8ght breakfast, not a "real meal". Also, Brennan's is wonderful, I t's one of those places that has a "tourist" rap..but its lovely and very traditional as well.

I wwent to Bayonna for the last 3 visits to NOLA, and bitterly missed it this past trip..I think its a real gem. An in the know bartender told me (too late ) that August was my best bet, but it was too late to reserve by then.

I'm looking forward to attending a taping of ICA on Monday morning. As a long time fan of thsi show, it will be so interesting to hear the full comments of the judges instead of the edited versions.

So, just came back from Jazz fest. Enjoyed my standard's: breakfast at Brennan's, brunch at Commander's. A lucky dog, and a muffelatta at Central Grocery, Oysters at Acme, Crawfish at French Market. Went to NOLA ( request of a companion) and Upperline. both were just...terrible. Reviews to follow, if I feel like reliving it. Delmmonico was a pleasure. Also went to Eunice , LA, first to Ruby's for ah2fay and then to Johnson's Grocery for boudain. Best meal of the long weekend, bar none. Had a lovely boysenberry sorbet at the Festival.

I think , for cooktops especially, you need to evaluate how many BTU's you need for the kind of cooking you do...make a lot fo stocks...need a simmer burner ( a real one, not one of those less effective ring attachments. Like to stir fry? then choose a moddle with a built in wok stand available, hate ot clean...get the one piece base style...I need high heat, fast..so my decision was based on that. And, of course, remember to adjust the type/budget for ventilation based on these decisions. I have a Viking 6 burner, and love it's easy clean up and high heat,if I were doing a total reno, I'd have gottent he 42" i/o the 36, but in my case, I was putting it into a pre existing island and didn't want to loosedrawer/cabinet space underneath...I had a 30", so the 36" resulted in only the loss of one drawer. I highly prefer wall ovens and seperate cooktop.

so, seriously, no one has a problem with Jason's job with the NYT's as reviewer , and his personal realtonship with Glen? I ask this as a person who is 100% sure that MELT would be a destination lunch.....but really, how do you feel about this?

A rare talent, indeed. Does she mention her mom was a lousy cook? ← so overdone, IMHO. Sad, really. Because she has chapter after chapter of the dysfunction, and then no closure, no understanding, no "flashbulb moment" that gives her mother some kind of grace...I hope in real life, she was able to do so. Food parts were interesting, the relationship part, in my opinion, was very shallow.

I don't like when its the generic" veg of the day", because it often doesn't go at all with the wine, or the rest of the meal. I prefer each entree to have protein, starch and veg, incorporated into the plate, and listed as a composed selection. the example given upthread was good: that chicken scallop dish would not compliment the ratatouille...it needs a simple sautee or steamed vegetable. I'd switch the menu over to fully composed entrees, get rid of the list of "sides" choices, and just keep fries and baked potatoes in house for your old timers. I think American grill has the level of customer base that would apprecaite this. Your ratatouille might be great, but I am not eating it with a fish with a citrus sauce, for example. As for pricing these composed dishes , I'd make it commensurate with the markup you are using now.

So, its pretty apparent from your blog that life inJapan is very differnt,..from school cycles to food to clothes dryers...do you ever imagine your life in the US? With a high powered dryer, cheaper food, higher pay? Your children are extraordinary looking, and your life seems rich and full..but is there a certain amount of wonder at how it could be different? Not regrets, just curiosity? I mean, I read your blog, and think about how traditional my life is...

I guess what I don't understand is why its not just this? I print out flyers for my business, professioanl quality, with an advanced photo/editing program and a high end color printer. It's a $1500 investment. I admit I did not think of the limitations that the Penn board forces upon restaurants, and I can certainly see how it would be difficult to function at 100% with these restrictions..but then why not reprint the list, or have servers know what's 86'd? NOTE to Bunny who works at SB: I will not get into a back and forth via PM...you are welcome to repost your comments to me here ont he thread, and I'll be happy to respond.

Here's my review of my most recent visit: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry541962 Go for the sake martinii's! ( and be careful of the slippery floor) edit to clarify that I did not drink the sake martinis BEFORE I fell on the floor!

Actually, that's not too far off the mark. She said something similiar to " You can look over the wine and dinner menus , and I can get your cocktails for you. Do you prefer sparkling, still or tap waters, becasue I can bring that to you as well" OH, SO I ORDER THINGS FROM YOU, AND YOU BRING THEM TO ME...WAY COOL...aaaagggghhhh. And, with all respect to Katie, If the inventory control person comes in on a wednesday morning, and knew there were four bottles of wine abc, and saw that 4 botlles of abc wine were consumed tuesday night, they can do three things: 1. Get his /her hands on wine for service tonite. 2. reprint the wine list to ( sorry, can't imagine the 30 sheets of paper needed to reprint an updated list could break the bank...and if a restaurant doesn't have a decent word processing program to handle the change relatively easily, they should invest in one. )( on that note, you could just put "temp out of stock" next to the wine name, not changing the layout.) or 3. the servers can be notified of the gap in inventory, so that when this wine is ordered, they can immediately inform the customer of its temporary unavailability. What if there are more than two or three out of stock? Then someone is not doing their job. Or, as I suspect, its a wine list designed to get accolades from Wine Spectator or somesuch. It is very frustrating for a diner who highly values wine selection to be told they are out of a wine, and more often than not, the second selection is not available as well. ( In this instance, I am referring to wines on the list over $100)

Thanks for your response, interesting thread....this is also intriguing..there were no other specials except for the Philly Steak, and its apparantly an "all the time " special. do you think he excludes it from the menu because the play on words is better understood when explained verbally? Or that he doesn't want to put a whimsically named dish on an otherwise serious menu? do you agree that an every day special is not particularly special? Lou, addressing your specific comment, Portale is indeed there, he was in the open kitchen the night I was there. I also had some very very good Portale meals over the years.

I thought LaCroix was wonderful, but went with a group and did not expereince wine service, list, pricing, value, etc, as I was a guest. I am returning in a few weeks, just a foursome, and will throw my 2 cents into the ring after that visit. I never review a restaurant based on a business dinner..wrong vibe to really realize what the restaurant is offerring or lacking.

Not to belabor the point, but the conversation about the space intrigues me. I'll agree its a spectacular space, and anyone walking in would most likely agree. But then, as a diner, there are so many flaws: the weird "table by the front door , protected from the frigid weather by a smoked glass 6 foot freestanding screen" and, I don't know, maybe 700 square foot main dining area, tables close together and arranged in rows, nothing to soften the space to make it look less like a cafeteria...grantd, a restored beautiful cafeteria with vaulted wood ceiling and magnificent soaring windows, but still, row upon row of tables and chairs..I think you especially notice this when the restaurant is not very full. Finally..am I the only one who thinks the fish ( which is not, btw, a striped bass) is incongruent to the rest of the space?

hmmm, that is interesting. I was there on Wednesday... I can certainly see how the space can impress when you first walk in..but what about the main floor? Do you feel the lighting was complimentary to that particular space? And how ugly is that fish sculpture? Disconcerting, at least to me. I guess, to me, it was a cool space poorly designed for a restaurant. would be a really cool bar or club. When were you there? Because I'm wondering if the skate special was a dinner special before or after it was an app special. I can't defend that dish..it failed in so many ways for me...the panko provided no texture. The short ribs tastd like they were in bottled sauce...overly salted. The ribs overpowered the fish...no balance. We did not have a sommelier, our waiter took and served our wine selection. My husband felt that the list was unexciting and traditional, in the "fish with white wine" kind of way. I can't defend his opinion, but the he's a 1000+ bottle collector so he can usually work his way thru a wine list pretty easily. There is no way to defend presenting a wine list and being out of a selection during the first seating on a Wed nite, IMHO. Lacroix, Vetri, LBF..in my opinion, all head and shoulders above Striped Bass.

I went with my husband to Striped Bass last week, after the Flower Show. We had a 6pm reservation. I am one of those people that feel that large spaces need to be "warmed up" if you want anything more than a nightclub or cafeteria vibe. I don't feel that this was accomplished, and felt the room was cold and unwelcoming. there are some wonderful structural touches: the ceiling, specifically, is inlaid wood..but ruined with highhat lights shining down. The bar was busy with an after work crowd. I was glad to be seated opposite the bar, up a few steps to a small balcony/alcove area...more intimate. We got the inquiry when we arrived.".have you been here before? This is how it works..."What did I look like I'd never eaten out before? Perhpas it was our waiter's tone, but it was almost school teacher like. We ordered a chianti, my husband was not happy with the selection of Italian reds...and we got the schoolteachers' stamp of approval: oh, chiantis are her FAVORITE wine!!!!! well, SUPER!!!!! aaaagggghhhhh....especially since they were out of the wine. In these days of nstant inventory and laser printers, there is absolutely no excuse to be out of a wine at 6pm on a Wednesday night. I started w/the foie gras, which was good. The pomegrante seeds accessorizing it were difficult to eat, and the foie was a bit too cool..I would have preferred it to be served hotter. My husband had the yellowfin tartare, whcih is notable because it uses larger chunks of tuna instead of the finely diced pieces in a traditional tartare presentation. Tartare had excellent flavor, nice gingery dressing. I'm personally bored to death by tuna appetizers..seared, tartared, flambayed, pureed, or made into sorbet...alright already with the tuna! Of course, my foie gras predictability might bore some, I admit. My husband had the crispy bass with chorizo...a bit bland, chorizo was more like smoked sausage without spices...I had the Philly Cheese Skate special, Skate as the roll, short ribs interior, parmesan cheese sauce. Skate was overcooked, ribs were really more like bbq shredded beef, and the sauce was fantastic. Together, it was a disaster. there ws no way that any cook in that open kitchen, from Portale to the garde manger, tasted this dish before they put it on the special list. Even if every compnent was excellent, as a complete dish it did not work. No balance, no textural interest, not even a presentation/color interest...pretty close to inedible. I swirled the overcooked fish around in the cheese sauce..made it palatable. I had a very good creme caramel for dessert, and a lovely glass of ice wine. Noise level increased as we dined, but not to an uncomfortable level. Again, I was glad to be on the mezzanine level, as I watched the difficulty of the hostess seating people on the ground floor level, trying to shimmy her size 4 through the tables and chairs. My double digit sized butt would have really been in trouble. And, there is the strangest set up, a glass screen that seperates the diners closest to the door and hostess stand..there was a woman eating with her coat on on the other side of the screen. the wine was in the neighborhood of $100, two apps, two entrees, 1 dessert, 1 ice wine, 1 brandy, $380 w/tip .