enrevanche

My thoughts today are with Steven's family, friends and loved ones, which categories certainly include members of this community.

There is a good, fairly complete article about this in the Village Voice:Chowhound sold to CNET Networks (Village Voice, Nina Lalli, 11 March 2006)

Rebel Yell.

West Village here. We eat takeout/delivery about twice a week, and these are our go-to spots: Galanga for Thai food. Love the charcoal beef salad, the summer rolls. I've about got them convinced now to make it actually spicy, too. Moustache for incredible ouzi, lamb sandwich, pita and salads. Better Burger, believe it or not, for their giant Mediterranean salads with grilled chicken or salmon on top. With pomegranate dressing. Indian Taj on Bleecker for passable veggie curries, pretty good bhindi masala, and mango chicken. Tea and Sympathy for chicken and leek pie, Stilton and walnut salad, and Nicky's chocolate cake. Murray's Bagels for our traditional weekend brunch of bagels, cream cheese, lox, red onions, and tomatoes.

"Grand Union" stores in the South were actually branded as "Big Star." Same company.

Dean, you can certainly get all the faux-moonshine you need, right there in Raleigh, NC. Wake Country ABC stores carry "Georgia Moon," which is tax-paid white liquor sold in Mason jars (brewed by the good folks at Heaven Hill Distilleries.) If you don't mind a little South Carolina influence, a bourbon-and-ginger made with Blenheim's#3 Hot Ginger Ale will indeed clear your sinuses as well as your palate.

It's an old Irish toast. "May those who love us, love us. And for those who don't love us, May God turn their hearts. And if he cannot turn their hearts, May he turn their ankles, So we may know them by their limping."

In rural North Carolina, the old folks make a variation on a classic old English dessert called "syllabub"; the Southern rendering of the pronunciation is closer to "sillybub." It is a concoction made with heavy (whipping) cream, fresh lemon juice, white wine or sherry, sugar, and fresh mint (some folks add cinammon and/or nutmeg.)

My vote for fridge configuration: freezer-on-the-bottom, as well. Better ergonomics for the refrigerator compartment, which you are going to be using much more often (especially with a free-standing icemaker.) Sears' "Kenmore" line of refrigerators (mostly OEMed by Whirlpool if I recall correctly) offers excellent value for money. Brooks, I think you are right on target about not spending a ton of money on kitchen appliances. The one area where I would urge you to spend a little extra is on your dishwasher. The quiet ones tend to be more expensive, but having a dishwasher that whispers is worth good money in my book. BTW, if you have the space, one of those countertop convection ovens is a great idea. I use a gas oven for routine baking and roasting and have never really found it to be a problem, but having cooked with a friend's convection oven I am mightily intrigued by this technology.

Mexican fast food is flourishing in New York City, and I don't mean Taco Bell. There are a ton of "Fresh Tortilla" storefront places (one prominent local mini-chain is owned by an enterprising young couple from China -- gotta love NY's ethnic melting pot!) that churn out fresh tortillas all day long and stuff them with your choice of fillings for a dollar or two apiece, depending on whether you get a veggie or meat filling. (Satisfying lunch, two tacos and a soda, for under $5--or $3 if you're eating vegetarian--an incredible bargain in high-priced NYC.) Quality ranges from sub-par to pretty good, though almost any California or Texas taqueria would leave one of these places in the dust.

My normal tippling Scotch these days is Dewar's White, but in my impecunious days I was known to drink a dirt-cheap blended Scotch called Inver House (Green Plaid). I first encountered it while working a catering gig, and was frankly surprised when informed of its price. It's a light Scotch, perfectly acceptable for blending in cocktails (though it might be unlovely for drinking neat, it made a decent Scotch-and-soda as I recall, and ought to be okay in a Rob Roy.) A good discount liquor store will stock it for around $10 a 750ml bottle. Truly a price/performance leader. And if you hate it, you've only spent ten bucks.

(scribbling notes furiously from John's list...) Hey, I have a few new places to try next time I visit Paris! We had a very enjoyable meal at L'Epi Dupin on our last trip. In that spirit, let me recommend another restaurant in the 6th arrondissement in virtually the same price range: La Rotisserie d'en Face 2 Rue Christine (Odeon/St-Michel) 01 43 26 40 98 This is a Jacques Cagna-owned bistro with fantastic roasted chicken and good simple side dishes and salads and so forth. Many nice moderately-priced wines available. I had a cold salad of incredibly fresh haricots verts that nearly caused me to swoon with pleasure. Highly recommended. Also, if you find yourself in an unfamiliar neighborhood at lunchtime, the following algorithm almost never fails when seeking good food at reasonable prices: -- Go one or two blocks away from the main avenue, especially if you're in a "touristy" area. -- Wander down any friendly-looking side street. -- Look for a crowd of French people. Eat there.

Many many minor cuts and burns over the years, none of which left lasting marks. Only two scars with stories: -- Working a restaurant gig in college, I opened up my thumb pretty nicely while taking apart and cleaning a commercial slicer. Not on the rotary blade, believe it or not, but on a sharp edge on a bracket. Took a few stitches to close it. Small scar but easy to spot if you're looking for it. -- A few years ago, I got distracted in the kitchen and knocked a heavy chef's knife off the counter. It fell point down and embedded itself in the top of my foot. Ow ow ow. No stitches on that one, but when I pulled the knife out it left a slightly recessed/dimpled wound (and a slightly recessed scar) for some reason.

Usually buy clover honey, though I love fruit blossom honeys (e.g. orange blossom) when I can get them. I put it in tea, on toast and biscuits, and in oatmeal (for killer oatmeal, whip in one raw egg and a generous pour of honey after the oatmeal is cooked... the heat in the oatmeal cooks the egg; the honey adds both wonderful sweetness and texture.) My grandmother used to let a generous chunk of butter get soft and then mix it with honey for spreading on hot bread. There is allegedly a guy in NYC who lives near Central Park and operates a rooftop apiary, making "New York City Honey." I've been keeping an eye out for him at the local greenmarkets, but so far no luck.

Finally tried a bottle of Coke C2 this weekend. I drink a fair bit of soda, absolutely cannot abide regular diet sodas, and am currently making at least a half-assed effort to lose weight, so finding places to cut calories is of particular interest. C2 tastes *much* better than a Diet Coke, but it does leave a lingering and somewhat unpleasant artificial-sweetener aftertaste. I'll pass, thanks. I think I'll just continue to drink less soda, more water... and have a "real" Coke every now and then when I want one. I would try a Pepsi Edge if I saw one, I guess, but so far no luck any place that I shop in NYC.