johnnyd

That is amazing. I had no idea about the making of Duck Confit. Thank you CBear!

Mo bettah you make one pair, first, instead of five trousers, five ways, later! Awesome, Ellen! Thank you for the wonderful sequel travelogue. I expect we will not hear from you until after the Gorge?

I'm glad you were at Franks. I wonder if your visit and my call will induce a bit of demand-pressure on the buyer there? Maine Shrimp are inexpensive, delicious, novel, and abundant. Someone down there has to get with the program.

Last night: Egg Noodles w/ Erzatz Bernaise Fresh Maine Shrimp! Baguette and "House" white wine Third meal of the week with the little buggers. I counted 60pcs in the pound bag I bought Monday. Still have enough for another light meal for two. Last night's auction: 8432 lbs consigned 4478 lbs sold $0.65 - low $0.69 - average $0.80 - high

Maine Shrimp season started Sunday the 19th. The Portland Fish Exchange held its first shrimp auction on Sunday night. Exchange buyers offered 55 cents for the 9,400 pounds of shrimp consigned; seller representatives declined the price. I found 'em at my usual purveyor at $1.49/heads-on, $3.99/headless, and $6.99 shelled. A quick phone blitz of better kitchens intentions re: Gulf of Maine Shrimp yielded the following: Street & Co. - Not Yet Old Port Sea Grill - Not 'til after 1/1/05 Fore Street - Ordered and planned for menu special this week. For Boston: I called Frank Giuffre and they have no plans to carry them. Legal doesn't know yet. Boston and Maine Co. hung up on me. What interests me is that there was no auction last night, so the retailers will have to sell out of this first 9400lbs before the boats go out again, assuming that's what the sellers went and did with all that shrimp: sell 'em to the local seafood purveyors, or the distributors like Doudy Bros, North Atlantic or Bristol Seafood, directly. This morning I made an omelet with bits of smoked salmon trim, fresh maine shrimp and cream cheese. A bit of chervil or tarragon might have made it but I had to settle for parsley. Devine.

The Mignonette is dead-on. Allow to sit for a few days and it mellows. We make Oysters Moscow almost every NYE: Sour Cream and horseradish, (2:1, I think), spoon a bit on to your shucked (and drained) oyster, then top with a generous dab of caviar. Magnifique!

Also from the Maine Shrimp front, Marine scientists extended the season from 40days to 70 because they anticipated 30% more biomass as a result of shorter seasons in the past. The problem is the prices. Some boats have given up on shrimp this year because of the low prices and some even think there won't be anyone going out to fish for them next year. So we arent fishing them into extinction here. These are a different creature in the Gulf of Maine and are small (I counted 60/lb) and delicate. Because it is cold water, they are (as are the other seafood here) sweeter then Southern US shrimp. They aren't making a dent in the market because of their fragile shelflife, in my opinion. Another article in NYT Feb.9,'00 about Maine Shrimp: "Such a Pleasure, So brief a Stay: Maine Shrimp" As an archive article, the cost is $2.95

If they were really *that* good - even frozen and out of season - there would be a market for them outside of Maine as a "gourmet" item. Perhaps not in Florida or other states which have plenty of local shrimp - but elsewhere. Robyn ← FYI, yes. They really are *that* good.

You r-r-rang?! I purchased the first of many pounds today and immediately prepared ceviche with fresh lime juice, finely minced garlic and thai chilli chiffonade. While that fused, I peeled a few and dipped 'em in soy/ginger/wasabi stuff that I hastily stirred together. Then I boiled a handful in bay leaf and peppercorns to dip in sage butter. Was I prepared for this day? You bet! I have to say that only a few places are in the know about these delectible morsels, maybe because, as I mentioned in the shrimpfarm thread, they're a bitch to prep. You can have your pick of the cheap chowder places who wil fry the bejezzus out of 'em, a big waste. I say. Let me scout around a bit for you Mr.GRider. Check back soon. I can tell you with absolute certainty that chef Tak at Yosaku (#1 Danforth St) will have his amaebi on special, and Yoshi at Sapporo Sushi (230 Commercial St) will also have it on the menu... just in case you miss my follow-up post.

To correct a prior post: Last year's shrimp season was 40 days, not two weeks. This year's shrimp season started on the 19th and will run for 70 days with days off for Xmas and NYD. I have just arrived from Harbor Fish Market with one of many pounds I plan to buy this winter. Today's Prices: Whole Shrimp (head/legs-on) $1.49 Headless (but w/shell, legs) $3.99 Shelled totally: $6.99 The Portland Fish Exchange held its first shrimp auction on Sunday December 19. Exchange buyers offered 55 cents for the 9,400 pounds of shrimp consigned; seller representatives declined the price.

This tag should have been contained in the package at the retail level. Is there any chance it is around the house or trash? Clam purveyors here in Maine are EXTREMELY CAREFUL with their harvest/processing of product, but after it leaves their control, anything can happen. Add salt to fresh clams before freezing? Brining? Sounds shady to me.

and where exactly might I post my resume for this type of position? I am more than highly qualified ... and think I'd be definite asset to a company employing such individuals ... potential for growth? enormous! will even relocate! are there any fringe benefits besides the food?? ← I'm in...

"Would you like Piragis with your Napolitas Donburi?"

Curses! 8 out of 11 England, Germany.... um...

Germantown site was great. Strongs' picture gallery was amazing; dupes and stacks of plates and ladles conveys that this place is in the food business, period. Meals looked good. Interesting point about the blurred faces: anonymity preserved but a sense of motion introduced. Nicely done.

...which brings us back to the HARD SEAT CAFE!! I would kill for that menu board. Not just for the wonderful grammar, but the food: Duck, five ways; Yang Shou Hot pot... Snake Meat? I would never order the hamburger...

I'm sure the Ministry regulars will chime in with a few labels to look out for, but I still dream about the half bottle a neighbor gave me after his trip down there. It was (99% sure anyway) TRES MARIAS from Martinique. Legendary from start to finish. Kept the bottle for years hoping to find it again but eventually threw it out.

Bravo!

Katahdin could fit both bills. Exciting food, great service, colorful atmosphere. This Review appeared some time ago but not a lot has changed. Maybe better food. I take the in-laws there once or twice a year.

Here in Maine, the Gulf of Maine shrimp are caught in winter during a season that is anywhere between two weeks and two months. The prices have been wild the past few years. Fresh off the boat, heads and all, were $5/lb and dressed down shrimp cost $7.99 or more, back in '97. The harvest was huge but declined, raising the price a bit (they don't travel well when fresh and the shelflife is fleeting). Two years ago, prices were around $3/whole and $4.99/dressed. Last year, the two-week season, and freezing facilities expanded, the harvest was heavy, but prices plummeted on the first day at auction, and 40% of that harvest sat unsold. Retail prices were under a dollar for whole shrimp and about $2.99 for dressed shrimp. Why the breakdown? The gulf of maine shrimp is incredibly sweet and delicious, but small, maybe fourty or more per pound. They have a certain cachet and do well as amaebi at sushi bars. They are a pain in the ass to prep and too delicate for some recipes. I can only see the dumpage by China as the reason why our local shrimpers didn't bother to go out of port for a week after the auction debacle, which was half of their whole season last year, because the chinese whites were cheap, frozen into those 5lb bricks and much easier to work with. And Cynical Chef has it right: americans have been raised on the frozen stuff so the demand for fresh domestic shrimp is not even considered outside of a shrimping port where the locals know what's what. The tarriff might hold the price at a more reasonable level this time. I hope the Maine shrimp boats do well this year - the product is amazing.

This would make a great item for the [future] eGullet Store... Ellen, take some notes!

Fantastic, Ellen! What a story. Fido not looking so lucky there. Karsts look amazing. Is this the same valley with the tombs in the cliff walls that are getting flooded soon? I noticed a very interesting pattern on the cutting boards at the cooking school. Were they logs of some kind, cross-sectioned perhaps? They look familiar ...

Ran an oyster bar for a few summers and served a mignonette made with lots of sliced shallots, champagne vinegar, and a handful of Williams Sonoma Five Peppercorn blend. I noticed it got mellower (and tastier) the older it was, say, two weeks. Customers eventually prefered it to the traditional cocktail sauce or my oriental style sauce (Rice Vin, scallion, ginger). Based on that, I'd recomend making it right away so it comes together by the weekend. My $.02

Boo, your price ceiling is a stretch. There is a new burrito place called Herbs near the Free Street Taverna, which itself could be a candidate since it won't get busy until later. An out-dated but still useful website you could check out is www.foodinportland.com

When I was promoted to Garde Manger in-training from advanced pearl-diving in 1980, they gave me a card with a number and an address. It was a restaurant supply warehouse and the card had instructions to outfit me with Wusthoffs. They got a lot of abuse and were eventually stolen, except my 8" chefs which I still have, even though I've broken the tip off twice. It is now a 7 and 1/4" chef's knife... DO NOT FAIL to carefully read Chad Ward's Excellent Knife Maintenance Course here at eGCI. It is the final word on knife care.