herbacidal

Cool, I just didn't want to be the first to ask for juicy dirt on Sam. Any embarrassing baby pics? Stories of stupid stuff being done to/by him?

Tim, Sweetbreads will be included, right? If not, fermented fish kidneys would be an acceptable substitute.

Actually, I don't know that I'd want said blond beauty slowing me down. Probably better to just meet her for drinks and such after all is done. I don't believe we had any liquor along the way. I had a beer at Blue Ribbon, we shared a $9 half bottle at Landmarc (go the next time you go to NYC, great place, awesome inexpensive wine list, cool chef and staff), and we shared another bottle of Gascon Malbec at Pampa. Other than a blood orange San Pellegrino at Chelsea Market, the only other think we drank was water. Yea, I gotta bug Tim to throw sweetbreads or something into a dish.

People who are more intimately familar with search engines than I will have to comment further, but from what I understand, Google's algorithms take a number of things into account before pulling up its results. Although one of them is no doubt the registered keywords and metatags which the website designer should have taken care, also very important is how many people visit the page, how many links there are to the page, and other indicators of a page's popularity. I suspect just that no one uses their webpage (for info about the restaurant, hours, phone number, etc.) and they haven't bothered to link to many other web pages.

Actually, a food channel either as hybrid or premium might work. It does for the limited Chinese-American market as an add-on to DirectTV. And there are approximately 4 million Chinese-Americans in the US, although most of the programming comes from abroad and is just redistributed. I would be willing to gamble that between the real egullet-types, and those that do want to learn, and those who are pissed at FoodTV plus others, there may be about 4 million in the US. I would guess the key is how much of the programming would have to be original IE could most of the stuff be bought from other countries or PBS or whatever. Of course, I have neither the money nor the experience to work on something like that. But anyone who does, gimme a call. It'd be a fun ride.

You have friends who aren't egulleteers? Blasphemy!

It can be cooked? This'll be interesting. The only way I've ever had it is as part of a Chinese cold platter.

Excellent Sara! Bring as many DC Gulleteers as you can! Yes, I agree. Bring as many DC egulleeteers as you can safely knock over the head and drag to the car. Also, you're responsible for successfully recruiting an acceptable PA replacement for yourself here and bringing him/her/it to the dinner for approval. A blond female, blue eyes, 5'3, 110 lbs will be looked kindly upon.

I've seen him do this many times. I'm convinced it's a combination of the walking, the metabolism of a hummingbird and two hollow legs that allow Herb to eat more food than five sumo wrestlers in training combined and still remain a normal sized non-mordbidly obese person. Nah, I outweigh JJ by about 50-70 pounds, and he ate just as much as me.

Comments + additions: Notice that Sam didn't mention how relieved he and JJ were that duck embryo wasn't available, as opposed to how disappointed I was. Anytime you want to try and eat all day, walking is the only way to go. I suspect the reason New Yorkers in general are slimmer than many people from elsewhere is because of just that. People walking here, there, everywhere. Jeunefilleparis will back me up on this. (I doubt health club membership is on a percentage par with LA, but that's possible.) I liked the sweetbreads at La Luncheonette very much, but I didn't have a preconception of vingagrette. I did like how the cream sauce contrasted with the sour of the vinagrette. I also liked the more classic preparation for sweetbreads at Landmarc, although I would've preferred to taste the horseradish.

I haven't had crispy pork intestines (Chinese chit'lins) in a long time. How are the goose intestines made? Perhaps with black bean sauce or sour cabbage?

But that's no fair. Stinger's timing was off because of travel. These blogs have been going Sunday to Sunday. We should have two more days. Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!

I know kidneys are a rare find nowadays, but if anyone knows of a place, I've got a particular hankering for 'em.

I'm there, come hell or high water! Course, Mondays are better for me so as to avoid the high water. May 3rd sounds good to me. Less time I have to waste salivating over sweetbreads.

How long were you in China for? Did you get to see anywhere else other than Beijing? How long ago was it? Oh, and thanx also for blogging.

It's chilled vin de noix! Very good with a cheese called bleu d'auvergne. I take it that's your favorite cheese?

Quick correction: Soup dumplings aren't dim sum, or at least they shouldn't be. Soup dumplings as I've seen them are Shanghaiese food, and dim sum is Cantonese. Although I suppose it's possible that a dim sum place has decided to serve soup dumplings. So I guess that would also mean that the jiaozi I used to get in Beijing aren't dim sum, for similar reasons: A plate of them (or, if you're really hungry, two plates) is a meal. Yea, I guess so. Strictly speaking, dim sum would only be small dishes of Cantonese food. I think the size of the dish definitely figures into it. There are things I would consider dim sum just because they're served in that time, place and manner. But when those exact same dishes are served for dinner in larger portions, I wouldn't consider them dim sum. But maybe that's just me.

Nah, think of some cool way to dispose of it. Too bad you can't make a cannon out of it or something. Where's that thread on exploding fruit and having fun with produce?

This is very good. I agree. The mindset should be: prevent capital loss (losing money) Once that is successful, then change to: build and grow the business as much as you can

Are the Hong Kong chefs innovative, or any more innovative than any other Chinese chefs? I don't think Hong Kong dim sum is especially creative. I go for dim sum 2 or 3 times a week, and it's good here, but it's better (and costs 1/3 the price) in places like Vancouver. The staggering costs of restaurant rent and imported ingredients means there's less value and innovation going onto your plate. Many famous HK restuarants don't even make their own dim sum anymore, it's coming chilled from central kitchens (see: most of the Maxim's group restaurants). In an increasing number of cases they simply suck compared to a decent restaurant in the Chinese diaspora. Hong Kong chefs don't get the recognition - or pay - they deserve. It's not an environment that encourages innovation. If you want great, innovative Cantonese food, go to Vancouver. Hong Kong has been getting less 'International' for 7 years, although we still can kick Shanghai's butt - for a while. I don't think I've ever had dimsum at what would be considered one of the really good places, but yea, it gets expensive wherever. The only place I consistently had it that I liked was this place in Tai Kok Tsui around the corner from my aunt's place. I theorize that somehow, the government subsidizes/supports/puts pressure on the restaurant industry to have large staffs and the resulting large payroll to keep unemployment down. Having never spent more than a week in Hong Kong as an adult, I don't know nearly enough about the situation. I am suprised about the central kitchen thing you mentioned. There's always been a degree of regional competition between Hong Kong and Shanghai. I'd say no different than anywhere else in the world.

Quick correction: Soup dumplings aren't dim sum, or at least they shouldn't be. Soup dumplings as I've seen them are Shanghaiese food, and dim sum is Cantonese. Although I suppose it's possible that a dim sum place has decided to serve soup dumplings.

You mean after all that, our directions were not used?

Yea, Katie's right. I noticed it, but forgot about it by the time I was done posting. Anyway, since I expect you to be pretty confused by now, it's: I-95 South to Columbus Blvd/Delaware Ave. exit right at bottom of exit second right onto Washington Ave. left onto 10th St. left onto Wharton St. at the softball field (I think that's the third corner, but not positive) By this point, you'll see all the neon lights and stuff for Geno's and Pat's, if you haven't already. Park wherever you think is good. Passyunk St. (the street both Pat's and Geno's is on) is a street on an angle, and cuts across the gridlike nature of most of the city's streets.

Slight directions correction: It'll be a right at the end of the ramp off of I-95 South. Washington Ave. is the second right after you turn onto Delaware Ave / Columbus Blvd.

Moi also.