hshiau

GE Profile does make a 31" almost counter depth fridge (30 3/8 in deep). I forget the model number.

I think this would depend on the restaurant as well. If I were at my local pub or a Hooters, I'd have no problem with the server sitting down and touching me.

I think that as long as the kitchen and front of house are on the same page, we're ok. There are going to be some dishes where the chef may refuse to change the way he prepares it. The waiters should know this and inform the customer if a change is requested. At that point, the customer can decide to order something else or complain to management. Either way, it shouldn't get to the kitchen. Other requests that the waiter thinks may be reasonable can be conveyed and obliged or not.

NEVER leave bananas in a workout bag sitting in the trunk of my car. I didn't drive the car for a month. Next time I got in, I was wondering where the foul smell was coming from and found a couple of banana peels and brown goo all over my sneakers and my bag. I threw out everything in the trunk including the rug and sprayed it down. Blech!

My wife, daughter and I went to Hearth for an early dinner once without reservations. I think it was on a Friday evening around 6pm. They seated us at a table by the bar which was not in the dining room itself. Since we didn't have a reservation and the restaurant filled quickly, we figured we were lucky. Service was still excellent as was the food.

Justin, you're doing a great job with your reviews. The photos and your detailed explanations of each course definitely has me looking forward to each installment. keep up the good work!

I started drinking these when I worked in San Francisco as either a breakfast or lunch replacement. They're large enough where you get filled. This past summer, when the Time Warner Center opened here in New York, a JambaJuice opened in the Whole Foods downstairs and, since we live a block away, I'm back on the habit. My 8 yr old daughter's hooked as well. Why not? It's full of sugar.

Give her a break. She's on a diet!

I second Tournesol. Great atmosphere. Great food.

I've had good espresso (at least in my opinion) at a couple of places. But you're right. Most restaurants do not do a good job. However, I enjoy a shot of average espresso over coffee after dinner regardless.

Perhaps a comprehension issuue on my part but I haven't sensed that sentiment appearing as a trend in this thread. Among serious coffee drinkers and espresso enthusiasts there is often general recognition that many people who visit Starbucks are there for the "dessert drinks" and don't really have a clue about "real" coffee. That's perfectly okay with me and with most other people in the industry because we all had to start somewhere. Of those peple who visit a Starbucks and get the sweet foamy dessert drinks, there will always be a certain percentage who develop an interest in and appreciation for better coffees. Many of them will branch out to exploring other types of coffee drinks and begin seeking out better quality independent coffeehouses. One can hope that eventually this sort of industry growth will benefit all - the quality bar is raised and results in better drinks for consumers, higher prices for growers and a lasting committment to sound and ethical practices in the entire production/sales/consumption chain. Perhaps I'm too idealistic but the situation is in general better than it was as recently as 4 - 5 years ago in many parts of the country. To an extent we have Starbucks to thank for that. I think the point has been well made that despite the negatives many people perceive about them (which are true of nearly any corporate monolith in some sense or other), there are many favorable points as well. ← My bad then. I do enjoy Starbucks for their dessert drinks. As for "real" coffee, I'm not particularly a coffee drinker, more an espresso after-dinner man. I suppose if I found or could make really good coffee, I might change my mind. However, it hasn't been important enough for me to make the effort. My loss, I guess. As for Starbucks raising the bar, unfortunately, I think mostly what they've raised is the prices. I don't know that many coffeehouses have improved on their product but you can't find a coffee for under $2.50 anymore.

BTW, I need to apologize for this one. I didn't mean to imply that you looked down on people for lack of food knowledge. I guess I was seeing a number of posts that seemed to me to indicate that anyone that likes Starbucks drink is ignorant. Different strokes. I go to Starbucks frequently and never ever get a regular coffee drink, mainly because I don't really drink coffee during the day. Inevitably, it's for a Frappacino or a pumpkin spice or a peppermint mocha. I suppose we can call it coffee flavored drinks and leave it at that.

Agreed. Rudeness is never appropriate...but surely there are asshats in other coffee shops as well.

I don't think it's appropriate to think of people in a rush as self-important asshats. If you needed your coffee fix during the day and the coffee in the office was typical crap, would you have the luxury of sitting at Starbucks? I enjoy the eGullet forums very much and mostly people do not look down on people at different levels of food knowledge. Why is it different here when we talk about coffee? edited to correct grammer.

I don't get it. In New York, I'd say 90% of the Starbucks customers come in, get their coffee and walk out with it. What's the point of slowing things down the process by trying to figure out if it should be in a paper cup or in a real cup? There's also little enough room to store/wash real cups and spoons. This is not to say I don't enjoy the coffeehouse experience but Starbucks wouldn't be the place to do it.

Where are you getting your Boo Berry? As far as I know, I can't get it here in NYC.

since you're in jersey city, you should contact nycwireless.net. they're a grassroots organization that is wants to set up free wifi all over the city. they have a lot of information and can probably help you. they also hold a monthly meeting downtown. good luck.

In college, for workstudy, I worked various shifts in one of our dining rooms. One of those was security. I got to check people's bags on their way out. My fraternity, in need of plates and silverware, came through. I opened up what must have been a 50 lb backpack full of stuff and waved them through.

That's exactly what I was worried about. We're in a NYC apartment and won't be able to vent so it's going to get hot in the kitchen. Hot, peeling, and yellow is definitely not the way to go. Now, it's between wood and melamine...and finding a trustworthy cabinet place and contractor.

Interesting thing to compare food to art...and I do consider cooking a form of art. But I'm sure we've all, at one point or another, scratched our heads at some of the art at galleries that go for obscene amounts of money. Does this originate from the the artist, the piece, or the various art critics that say "This is what it's worth!!"? Of course food is different because we're talking about potentially a major difference in the raw materials. But if we're saying that the "taste is in the mouth of the diner" and we shouldn't need an education to figure out what SHOULD please us, why couldn't a McDonald's hamburger be priced as high as a meal at ADNY if my daughter thinks it's just the most amazing food?

Hi, after looking around a bit more, I've got a few more questions for those with experience. 1. Anyone have an opinion on thermofoil? I guess it's supposed to be very durable and looks kinda like melomine. But I've heard a bit on peeling and issues with heat. 2. Given the size of our kitchen, we're looking at possible the GE Profile GDS18SCRLSS refrigerator since it's only 31 in. wide and 30 3/8 in deep. Just saw on NYMETRO the Fisher & Paykel E522BLM. Anyone have any experience with either one of these? Thanks in advance. Howard

Wow! Shake Shack and all at once!! I'm impressed. I'll also be at Shake Shack tomorrow again before they shut down.

i also went today due to the imminent shutdown. i had a double shackburger, fries, and a pumpkin concrete. the burger was good as usual but just a bit overcooked. fries were really good. the concrete was as good as advertised. pumpkin and spices just strong enough. chunk of pie crust dispersed throughout. the only surprise i got was a chunk of what i could have sworn was sweet potato. anyone else get this?

I'm sorry but China Grill is on the list?!?!? I don't know that I'd consider that anything close to Chinese.

I'm sorry. I thought the American way was always the right way to pronounce everything!