johnnyd

John, you're a riot! Look, ye masses, upon the face of culinary hysteria!!! Bravo!

Uncle Billy's BBQ is back! - see "briefs" at www.bollard.com New address: 643 Congress St Site of the now defunct "Nile" Scheduled to open early-December, but if I know Johnny...

Duck Fat is a local legend. Operated by the Hugo's crowd.

Mort Peche strikes again... edit to add: see restaurant review archive for this article "Deering's Best Kept Secret"? ...you decide.

You'll know more than you ever dreamed of here!

I see many choices for dipping sauces, but is there a traditional favorite for Spring Rolls beyond soy sauce?

Last year, the press release for the 2005-6 season was issued November 9th. This press release established the same fishing days for 2006-7... In view of the pressures on the fishery (and lack of them also) there may be a different schedule in store, but DMR isn't usually flexible on these things. I'll keep an eye on it and start a new thread soon. TELL YOUR FRIENDS in the restaurants, retailing and consumers to start asking for Fresh Maine Shrimp!

Indeed! As a benchmark for eGer's to strive for, this will be hard to beat. Wonderful blog, Y! I am learning a lot.

Speaking of leftovers - my wife and I spend part of the weekend making big dishes to spread throughout the week, like roasting a chiken for sandwiches and making a stew that we can take to work. Trouble is, by Wednesday we are sick of it already and end up buying something out anyway. My life's goal is to create the dish that has legs all week (Carnitas comes to mind) - to the point that my wife asks for it even on Friday.

Bemvindo, pizzabrasil! I can't wait to try these, and I will definitely use pork fat! Joaozinho

Hi Rachel, Welcome to eGullet! I see nothing screwey about your post - all is well! What's happening down your way these days? Johnnyd

I am very saddened that the Planet has lost such a wonderful human being. Bill showed us a unique corner of the world and his participation here set an example of why we have all come together as disciples of all things food-related. His embrace of eGullet was palpable - just read his blog. I could also tell he was also a kindred spirit, and after his blog last month I found myself looking up flights to Salt Lake City. It's funny how that happens around here. I will truly miss him. There is a dinner of elk steaks in my future in his honor.

David L Geary Brewing Porter takes the top of the heap in a Porter Taste Challenge, Story here in NYT dining, 10/18/06 Visit D.L. Geary Brewing Co. in my foodblog: dining downeast from August 2005.

Now that is why we come here. Outstanding. Please post pic when possible.

To my surprise, I saw a small box of Matsutake for sale at the Deering Oaks Farmer's Market on Saturday. They were $20/lb. Some were wide-open, a lower grade on the matsi market, but I saw three small ones with firm-closed caps (grade A) and covered with pine needles that I bought for $2! I delivered them to my friend Chef Tak at Yosaku immediately. I think he was quite touched at the gesture. It was my good deed of the day.

to wit: ...and Northern hemisphere sea urchins spawn in the spring and are therefore not available. Any uni in western or eastern Canadian sushi bars are usually from Chile. More information on the BC Sea Urchin Fishery.

I was sea-urchin harvester here in the Gulf of Maine for seven years (see goofy avatar). The hand-harvesting (by scuba apparatus) season here opened on September 11th and ends in March when the gonads begin spawning. 95% of Maine's uni is shipped to Japan - the rest stays in the Northeast, I believe. Our local sushi bars have excellent product right now... had some this week.

Now that is outstanding. What fun. You would probably still be out if Ruhlman were there too. That's two bullets! Whew!

I am shocked. I remember reading somewhere how his colleagues teased him for chucking the Political beat for the food world. He brushed them off and we are the richer for it. I will miss him greatly.

I recall your demo days a while back jd - what a renovation! Outstanding job!

That's great, ellie! Ben said they were express-shipped from somewhere in the Mediterranean - I'd venture to say Portugal - so there is no regular timetable. I wish I'd gotten the anchovies - no need to extract the bones; I'd eaten 'em heads and all. My sardines were a little too big for that - but delicious, just like I remembered them from my teens in Portugal. Did you add a piece of cork to the cooking liquid for your polpo? It apparently makes it more tender. I once asked Mario Batalli when he joined eG for a week of Q&A about it and it's an old italian trick that seems to be forgotten. Next time I'm getting those and trying it a la moda ellie!

FRESH FISH ALERT: I went to Harbor Fish off Commercial Street y'day and what a wealth of delicacies! Just in that morning - Fresh Sardines, anchovies and polpo - all for $7.99/lb. It was all gorgeous and I wish I'd had my camera. Owner Ben said all the cool chefs had been in already, including the Caiola's crew who purchased the polpo. Ben said he was going there that night specifically to see what Abby would do with it. I bought a pound of sardines, dredged them in flour and salt and did 'em up in veg oil 'til crisp, added a heirloom tomato, onion and cilantro "salsa" - awesome. They will probably last through today so everybody get down there ASAP!

My friend did separate the load she drove down into four "grades". The unopened, still-veiled ones were grade A, the ones with a small rip in the veil were grade B, and the ones with little veil but still phallic-like were C and ones whose caps were opening up were D-grade. We got an offer from a japanese fellow I used to sell sea-urchins to on the waterfront here for $25/lb for the A grade which we refused. After selling them to restaurants he called back and haggled, creeping up to $30/lb. We refused but the load was all gone and the pickers were back in the forest filling baskets with more matsi. Another call from the waterfront buyer said he would buy grade A's for $35/lb and we delivered about twenty lbs of fresh, fully-veiled matsi. He wasn't expecting so many and nervously started picking out the supposedly B-grade ones.... a sordid affair! Much like haggling over sea urchins. Or maybe semi-automatics by the crate-load?!

Jumpin' Johosaphat! I can appreciate a good seafood dish and that coobeeyon medley is outstanding. Wow. I have to make that - Thanks Flocko!

Further down Commercial Street is Oolong where eG member and mixologist extraordinaire fatdeko mans the bar Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Also Katahdin Restaurant, 106 High Street, has a great martini. Also, UNA at 505 Fore St makes a nice one too.