jhlurie

The exception would be those ahead of eGullet in the ranks, correct? There is certainly no problem with people from those sites coming here to participate as a result of our involvement in chef2chef, but if our goal is to get to number 1 (okay... number 2!) then I think we have to be slightly more generous to those we pass than those we've yet to pass. I'll definitely vote for Suvir--although I have to confess I'm likely to give him 4 stars for every time I give eGullet 5 stars. Of course, to be realistic for a minute, its probably much better for eGullet to maintain good relations with other sites than to get to the top of a ranking system that (as far as we know) nobody sees except the participants. We don't want war... just victory. We should be at #46 now, by the way. (Edited by jhlurie at 10:42 am on Jan. 11, 2002)

I should really know Putnam County better, having grown up there, but then again that was back in the 1970's. :) I can poll my relatives who still live in the area. Maybe I can also get info about Dutchess County and/or the Danbury, CT area, as well as Putnam. From your reaction against "pricey but not very good" places I'm assuming that you aren't necessarily looking for haute cuisine, but want stuff better than just neighborhood joints. Of course, I'm half expecting the answer "we drive into the city" or maybe "Westchester". (Edited by jhlurie at 1:33 pm on Jan. 10, 2002)

FoodTV is in our sights! Lets down that big boy with another 1000 points!!!

Tommy, Now that you've been "converted" into an attendee of Wondees and China 46, have you also tried Kinara, in Edgewater, for Indian food? :)

When I was in Kansas City last year I was taken to a place called Stroud's for Fried Chicken. The original Stroud's is apparently in Fort Worth Texas and (I'm told) won the 1998 James Beard Award for its Pan Fried Chicken. My reactions (to the Kansas City location) are in this thread: http://www.egullet.com/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?forum=12&topic=18 There may indeed be better places than Stroud's in Texas itself, but my point in bringing Stroud's up is that I don't think a Southern food "experiment" would be complete without dabbling in the areas of Pan-fried Chicken, and perhaps also Pan-fried Pork Chops.

I assume you mean late March or early April... :)

Respectfully, Steven, I DO think that it has something to do with money--not specifically the ability to collect it, but more the willingness to "conspicuously" consume with it. I understand your insistence that there is a big difference "between a rich dude who eats out a lot because he can and someone who really cares about food", and I also realize that just because someone SAYS that they care about food doesn't mean that they really do. However, we can't be so easily dismissive of the role of money. Money is a factor. An important one. Of course, it goes without saying that you can be a "foodie", or even a "gourmet", without being rich. You can care about what you eat, even if its just crusts of bread. This is not an elitist argument. I'm not arguing that its right or proper... I'm just saying that its undeniable that MOST "rich people" (like lawyers) have more disposable income to eat more varied foods (either at home or out in restaurants), and thus statistically MUST have a greater likelihood of encountering food that they care enough about to field an opinion. Of course it also goes without saying (but I'm gonna say it anyway!), that with greater numbers of people in a position to judge something, also comes a greater amount of people who MISJUDGE that thing. A lot of rich people are tasteless--and I mean that in every sense of the word. Still, it's never surprised me that lawyers, doctors, etc. comprise a large percentage of the "foodie" population. There are simply more of them in a position to accidentally have that little invisible button pushed inside which can transform a "normal" eater into a discriminating one. My sister and her husband are both attorneys, by the way, and think of themselves as foodies. Law of averages... right? :) I, myself, occupy a field that is a bit of an aberation--the Computing industry. It's a large field, with hundreds of different offshoots, and people performing jobs that are enormously varied under a single huge umbrella. It's an aberation because (in my experience) money has made very little difference to the most successful of my colleages--its just an aspect of the culture that many of my... er... fellow... um... "geeks" never outgrow a fixation with the concept that food is just fuel. Many of those who do go in one of several ways: --expensive food as a status sign: Techies are more guilty of this than lawyers will EVER be. The tech industries are frequently ones where money can come quickly to people who didn't grow up with it. A disproportionate number of lawyers (at least the most succesful of the breed) grew up with money, but I've met many techies who glory in their new ability to eat in the most expensive restaurants. --"geek food" as a status sign: Sometimes the exact reverse occurs. As a way to disguish themselves from the lawyers of the world the techie will glory in the consumption of what many of us consider Junk food--McDonalds, cheap Ramen noodles, Cheetos, etc. Now its certainly possible to be a conessieur of these things (we've got plenty of them here!), but I've known quite a few people who eat this stuff simply because its what they think they SHOULD be eating. (Edited by jhlurie at 3:28 pm on Jan. 7, 2002)

Yes... but you might get into a fist-fight with Holly if you keep insisting that Olive Garden might possibly be the best restaurant in ANY area. :) I recall that he feels quite strongly that such is not the case! (You might also recall that my view is much closer to yours. I feel that you can't belittle "consistency" as a quality of food--although I also admit that we'd miss out totally on the types of places which Holly champions if we don't occasionally take a few chances...) (Edited by jhlurie at 8:18 pm on Jan. 5, 2002)

Rachel... with your recent dental problems (discussed elsewhere on this site -- http://www.egullet.com/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?forum=1&topic=170 ), will you be able to enjoy the food at Seabra's along with everyone else by the 18th? Is the prognosis good enough that within two weeks you'll be okay?

My guess would be that Mr. Corcoran, after eating at the restaurant, called up on the phone and asked for details. How much he was told would probably depend on who he managed to get through to when he called... correct? My guess is that the phone was given to Mr. Wang (who at a minimum must have a talent for picking a good chef :) ). It's pretty easy to be evasive with a language barrier too... I'll bet all he had to say (when asked about Chefs) was something along the lines of "we have many fine chefs". But Mr. Lau Jr. has every right to be proud of his father. Good for him for letting the Times know, and good for them for printing his letter, even if Mr. Corcoran's otherwise fine review got, er... roasted a bit. (Edited by jhlurie at 12:56 pm on Jan. 5, 2002)

H&H is what my family always gravitated towards. I haven't had them in a few years though...

We're gonna eventually climb to #2 with absolutely no problem ,but #1 is gonna be tough... The difference in votes between #2 and #1 is so steep that it might actually be easier to get eGullet the #1 position by voting "That's My Home" off the top of the list into the "retired" 50,000 vote status. #1 That's My Home 7480 32261 #2 Hub-UK 4610 18854 #25 LocalWineEvents.com 1515 7408 (to get onto 1st page) #50 Dez1.com 789 3562 (to get onto 2nd page) #52 eGullet.com 631 3086 (current) Please note that Jacques Pépin is now Chef of the Month instead of Martin Yan!

Knock yourself out, Steven. Heck... apparently there is even a "Garden" in Times Square! from Olivegarden.com: Want a gift card? I'll sell it cheap. ;) ...and more on Peter's question about who Uncle Nick is. Click on the URL. He's the older man sitting next to the little girl... http://www.olivegarden.com/images/home1.jpg (Edited by jhlurie at 2:04 pm on Jan. 3, 2002)

Once... a long time ago. I've got an unused "gift card" for Olive Garden that someone gave to me last year... and I'm betting it will stay unused for quite some time. :)

No, Uncle Nick isn't a customer. He's a corporate shill disguised as an old Italian guy. I mean would a "real Uncle Nick" (I mean a real Italian uncle) tell his nephew how much he loves ANY dish at the Olive Garden? Not unless he hated his nephew and was trying to embarass him in front of a date or something... So when you see Uncle Nick partying it up at the Olvie Garden on the commercial PLEASE don't trust him. I don't!

China 46 has posted the NY Times Review off their main web page. Go to http://china46.com and click on the link for the review (link says "Rated 'Very Good' by The New York Times"). The older Micronpcweb China 46 website mentioned previously in this thread seems to still exist, but not be updated.

There's something shifty about Uncle Nick. I don't trust him.

Jinmyo, have you ever tried Peanut Butter & Jelly with something OTHER than the standard Grape Jelly? I agree on toasting the bread (and the bread should be from a thickly sliced LARGE loaf). I grew up using Strawberry Preserves, not Grape Jelly, and in more recent years I've also used Orange Marmalade. Personally I'm not a fan of the "smooth" style peanut butter, but I can understand how it might be useful for the sandwich you described. And the sandwich you described DOES sound good. I'll be trying it. I'm assuming that the sharp taste of the onion combines pretty well with the cheddar, and the peanut butter is acting like glue. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- re: Mashed Potatoes -- I'm not sure they qualify as a simple food. True the number of ingredients is low, but it can take an hour or more to prepare... and "creamy yet chunky" (with bits of potato skin too) gets my vote too, Macrosan! Frankly, something like a baked Potato comes much closer to qualifying, since even though it may take more than 10 minutes to cook, there is so little prep time involved. Then again, mashed potatoes are better!!!

Thanks Rail Paul. I've read Mr. Corcoran before, and usually believe what he says.

As you said, a lot can be said about even just these first two items. PB&J, for example, can include hundreds of variations based on only three (or occasionally four) ingredients. Especially if you "fudge" a bit on the peanut butter half and include things like Almond Butter. Peanut Butter & Company, for example, has a simple sandwich which is basically a combo of Marshmallow spread and a Chocolate-Hazelnut Butter. And I've never understood why if we insist on using milk for chocolate milk, why the same isn't true for hot chocolate. At worst I've ocassionally used a 50% milk/water mix. But most people are perfectly content to use water with a tiny bit of milk added on top. (Edited by jhlurie at 9:01 pm on Dec. 30, 2001)

A recent popular thread (http://www.egullet.com/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?forum=3&topic=161) has seemed to focus on single-ingredient basic foods (Eggs, Milk, Butter), while some other threads have discussed dishes only slightly more complicated (Making home fries, Scrambling Eggs). Since the single-ingredient thing has been so well covered, I'd like to focus more on those simple prepared dishes. Perhaps even simpler than the two mentioned above, since those can actually be quite complicated. What are those REALLY basic dishes which please you most? For the sake of giving some direction, my definition of "basic" (arbitrarily for the purposes of this thread only) is that the item has MORE THAN ONE ingredient but no more than five, takes no elaborate equipment to prepare, and no more than ten minutes. The ingredients themselves can be staples that are composites of other foods, but if so have to be commercially available in that form. My two contributions to start off the list are chocolate milk and Peanut butter & Jelly sandwiches. BTW: if you want a very unusual experience visit a restaurant on Sullivan St in Greenwich Village, NYC called "Peanut Butter & Co." While some will feel mortally offended to pay five or six dollars for a Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich, its certainly a very very good Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich. (Edited by jhlurie at 8:33 pm on Dec. 30, 2001)

Jersey reviews are always a problem to refer back to because the NYT website doesn't archive them. What (approximately) did it say?

Rachel: There is a small chance I may be out of town that weekend... but very small. Tommy: To be more specific... Seabra's itself--being an adjunct to a neighborhood catering hall is not sophisticated--but there certainly aren't people hanging from chandeliers. My point was that it is a well-lit open setup with long tables, not a cozy or intimate place. The "spectacle" I refered to is in the Mediterranean Manor catering hall next door... Seabra's itself is attached to the place (almost certainly sharing the same kitchen). I'll admit, the place won't suit everyone. The point is that the food is good, and it's a bit of a different experience. It's sort of the same situation as China 46... it excels because its a place where the people of that actual ethnicity eat themselves, instead of the fancier place up the block where the "touristas" eat.

To elaborate on something Rachel said... the "wrong" Seabra's Rodizio appears to be at 1034 Mccarter Hwy., near Washington Park. I don't know too much about it, except that the person who first explained the difference between the two places to me (a Portuguese friend of my step-mother) seemed to not think too much of the place. The "right" Seabra's, at 255 Jefferson St, is further south, a block or two from Independence Park. Yahoo doesn't even list the place as Seabra's, its under "Mediterranean Manor Catering". Heck, maybe the best thing to do is to completely forget you ever heard the Seabra's part of the name. :) As Rachel says, certainly don't mention it to a Newark cabbie.

I said it in the other thread, but for those who haven't seen it... the place is a real kick. First of all there is the always entertaining spectacle of watching the goings-on in the neighboring catering hall. Its pretty much always the local folk, and you can tell that they take their partying seriously. I personally have not had the seafood at this place, but I've gone with people who have and they rated it as pretty good. The rodizio is the best, although bow out of that if you don't like salt on your meat. I've only gotten to the desert stage once, but I recall that they have a pretty good selection. If you plan on having the rodizio my advice is to either skip lunch or limit yourself to something like fruit or a salad. The sangria is excellent, although I really recommend the white over the red. This will NOT be the most sophisticated dinner that we as eGulleteers will ever have... but I can assure you that it is an interesting and fun place--usually only attended by locals. The atmosphere encourages loud raucous discussion and the seating is at large banquet style tables appropriate for a large group.