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Behemoth

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Posts posted by Behemoth

  1. Another long lost member signing in to express my sadness. I found eGullet back in 2003 and spent a good weekend just reading everything and feeling increasingly excited that I wasn't the only freak who tried out 16 different pizza dough recipes and still wasn't happy with the results. I also owe eGullet the surreal experience of exchanging direct messages with some of my favorite food writers...not to mention the wonderful friendships I've made online and off as a result of the site. Thanks Steven. 

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  2. I would agree julots description of Tantris as being not so experimental, though the food tastes so wonderful I have a hard time holding it against them too much. (And that room!!)

    I've been to Terrine twice now, and I like it more each time. There is a lot more experimentation (though then you also risk a few misses here and there) and the atmosphere is a little looser. they just got a well-deserved star, and the new chef is quite young.

    Of course, there are many many non-starred places with really good food and atmosphere. Le Barestovino and Les Cuisinieres in Lehel immediately come to mind, as well as quite a few Italian places.

    The most reliable source of reviews I've found so far is the yearly magazine, Delikatessen. I feel like I'm shilling for them at this point, but I really find they assessements to be spot on most of the time.

  3. the reader commentary is kind of painful though...
    Very painful indeed! It explains why there are so few top restaurants in the biggest country of Europe, I suppose.

    I think it more reflects the type of SZ reader who is likely to write comments on the internet :wink:

    Was happy to see Terrine in Munich regained its star. We had a very nice meal there last December and it did seem to be on top of its game.

  4. Interesting interview in the SZ from Nov. 12, with Manfred Kohnke, Chief Editor of the German "Gault Millau": link

    He talks about the differing approaches of G-M and Michelin (and their pros and cons,) as well as the current state of German "spitzengastronomie"...not all great.

    I'd be happy to try and translate some of it if people want but it seems most people posting here have some German background.

    eta: the reader commentary is kind of painful though...

  5. I spent a lot of money recently on a Thai cookbook on Amazon because it had high ratings. Imagine my surprise when I opened it to 'pad thai' and found the author uses tomato ketchup in the sauce. Not only that, but all the ingredients are added separately.

    I'm looking for a pad thai sauce I can make up ahead of time, keep in a jar in my fridge and add all at once to my pad thai. And one that doens't use ketchup!

    Have a look at the recipe for pad thai in RecipeGullet:here -- the first few ingredients are for the pad thai sauce. I make large batches of something similar to keep in the fridge. I use a mix of white and palm sugar, but otherwise it's pretty close.

  6. It may or may not matter, but the Spice Box is a student-run campus "teaching" restaurant, not a normal restaurant. I don't mean this in an elitist way or anything, but it would be interesting to try the same study on people who have more experience with high-priced wines. OTOH, Charles Shaw scores pretty well in competitions, doesn't it?

  7. Thanks, Behemoth!

    Yeah, I saw that "smoked bacon" bit, only I translated that as "for safety's sake" instead of "for juiciness" (which sounds even crazier).

    But now I am so anxious to go to this place that I think I might just have to turn a blind eye to that and pretend I never saw it.  I love quorn and it's banned here in France!!

    I totally understand. I am currently trying to figure out a way to convince Steak -n- Shake to open a branch in Munich.

  8. Hi guys,

    Well, what do you know?  I'm also going to be in Copenhagen and Malmo at the end of the month.  And I was just looking around for places to eat in Malmo, and was wondering if there are any Swedish speakers around here who could help me out with this menu.  Am I dreaming, or does it look like all the "famous burgers" on the list are vegetarian?!  I know it's crazy, but with my limited (i.e. nonexistant) knowledge of Swedish, "notfarsburgare" seems like it should be some kind of nutburger?!

    My swedish is of the "squint and think in funny german" variety, but I am pretty sure the paragraph at the top of the burger section says all burgers are "vegetariska" mince made from quorn.

    Oddly, it also says they are seasoned with smoked bacon for juiciness. :huh:

  9. I think the service in Europe tends to be more professional. 

    only at the high end.

    I live in Germany and as far as my own experience at least, would have to disagree. It is certainly less chatty than in the US and a little slower but that's more of a cultural thing...people tend to go out to dinner planning to spend a whole evening so unless you tell them you are in a rush they will assume the normal dinner pace. Contrast with the US "upper-mid scale" where we've had situations where we order a bottle of wine and then get our appetizer, main and check within the next 20 minutes.

    And frankly, I am happy to do without the chatty waitresses...

    Standard tip in Germany is 5-10%, decreasing with check size.

  10. If you are on a budget I would not recommend Michelin guides. Even their "bargain" choices tend to be fairly expensive and of a certain type. (Plus, all that info is on their website for free. )

    I highly recommend the "Time Out" books -- especially since there is one especially for Berlin. The point of view is a bit more plugged in to what is going on culturally, and I've found their restaurant and bar reviews to be very reliable. I don't like the "Let's Go" guides, they always seem to be five years out of date.

    Viel Spass in Berlin! It is a wonderful (and quite safe!) city.

  11. I keep that hypothetical shopper trying to feed a family of four on $75 a week (or two -- apparently it's harder if you're feeding fewer mouths, because you can't take advantage of economies of scale, which are also present in the supermarket...) in mind as I read this.

    I should perhaps peruse that topic about the food stamp diet, for something tells me that to make that work, you're not going to be buying lots of artisanal anything at all.

    I've seen quite a few people using food stamps at the Clark Park Farmer's Market. And what about the market in the firehouse on 50th and Baltimore? Granted 34th street is a lot nicer these days than when I was living there, but neither of these neighborhoods are what I would call hotbeds of Philadelphia's affluent elites.

  12. My deepest sympathy.  We moved in the opposite direction (Chambana first, then A2) and I doubt a week ever passed when one of us didn't comment on the non-existence of good food in "the cornfield swamp" (not to be unkind but facts are facts). 

    Finally someone who understands our pain!

    It is just really hard to like it here having lived in somewhere as wonderful as Ann Arbor. We are trying to embrace the prairie though and take advantage of our surroundings. We like to go down to the Amish area about a half hour South of Champaign.

    Back on topic -

    I just double-checked - the Wednesday Champaign market is the one I mentioned above - in a parking lot at the western edge of town. So it's not helping the downtown area, though that area is actually very much up-and-coming.

    I am transplanted city person currently living about 8 months out of the year in Champaign. I honestly don't think it's that bad, considering the population is only about 100,000. I've found that there are some very interesting options, though admittedly you kind of have to look for them. The Urbana farmer's market is very lively and I think it has been around since the late 70s. There are very good ethnic options, because of all the foregin students, some very nice small local joints. On the high end, while limited, there are at least a few very nice options. I can't remember the last time I ate at a chain. Well, except for a slight obsession with Steak -n- Shake, which I feel like I should exploit while I still have a chance. :wink:

  13. Hey cinghiale, nice to see you around again. Looking at your report above, I have to say that I suspect those ramps may well be wild. The Englisher Garten 'round here seriously reeks of garlic through most of June.

    We should be up in Hamburg sometime next July for family stuff. I really miss it up there! (Especially the nightlife, and the harbor.)

  14. Käfer in Munich is sort of a gourmet food store with a rather nice restaurant upstairs. Worth visiting if you are ever in town. I haven't tried any of the other outposts but they've catered some events I've been to, quite good. I think the Munich airport has a Dallmayr as well, similar thing.

    Munich airport has the amusing option of Airbräu, and in-airport brewery. I haven't tried it but their March beer follows the traditional naming pattern: Aviator.

    My one tip for visitors to Munich is, if you arrive on a weekend, you can do your basic supermarket shopping at the EDEKA in the airport, as everything in town will be closed. You'll pay through the nose for it, of course, but it's nice to have milk for the next morning's coffee.

  15. I'm going to try the gloopy helva! With haloumi...we can get that here, it's called hellim in Turkish and mostly comes from Cyprus. What do you do with the cheese? Here it's usually fried before eating, it doesn't normally melt as I remember.

    Mainly it is the mix of salt and sweet sesame that is the point, so you could probably try it with any "white cheese". We just eat them wrapped up together in pita.

  16. It's really interesting how similar, and yet how different lebanese food is from Turkish. We don't use anywhere near the amount of hot pepper. As a future tip, a little qawarma (kaverma?) is fantastic heated and spread over a plate of hummus. With some toasted pine nuts, if you have them. Love the gloopy halava, especially with haloumi cheese.

    You've really gone native there, BTW -- you look exactly like one of my cousins. :smile:

  17. The Spago in Munchen used to be open most holidays and when I last ate there (granted, about 3 years ago now) was pretty good.

    Give 'em a ring.

    Spago is no longer, it is called something else now. La Bouille I think.

    Anyway, I did a little search, here is a list of places with christmas eve meals:

    link (sorry, in German)

    The range of options is fairly broad -- Mark's in Mandarin Oriental being an excelent Michelin place, Wirthas zur Brez'n standard Bavarian stuff, and some other options in between. I would try to book in advance, just to be safe.

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