jhlurie

Not really. Liza didn't do the "eGullet Full Monty" and bring up body fluids. Somewhere out there a philosopher said something about body fluids. Quick... someone go find it. I'm betting on "bile" as the most likely suspect, rather than the ones we've spoken about previously.

So apparently Martin Scorsese is in discussions with Warner Bros. to direct a new adaption of "Willie Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (whichever they decide to call this new adaption). Click here for the Internet Rumor mill. You may now officially start posting jokes, Scorsese-type casting decisions, and Scorsese-like dialog for this movie. Deniro (as Wonka): Do... you... want a chocolate bar? DO YOU WANT A CHOCOLATE BAR?!?

ha ha haheeeho.

Oh man am I laughing hard right now, tommy! For YEARS, whenever I passed by that Big Red Tomato those exact words "what's up with that big red tomato place" would leave my mouth? People are always sitting on the benches outside waiting for seating inside. In the MIDDLE of the week. Jason, Rachel and many others have been witness to this as well. Parking is a bit of a challenge there, and there are so many other Italian Restaurants, that it took about 2 1/2-3 years of driving by it to try it. You know something? I still don't get it. It was very pedestrian--pretty ordinary.

The latest drought news is that the unseasonably warm weather, together with the regulations against use of water to wash down the sidewalks, is making sidewalk dining all but impossible--despite the appropriate weather. Apparently it "stinks" out there.

Jason... you are not a number! You are... well, never mind. Watching those PBS re-runs of the Prisoner, huh? Maybe you can start a discussion of what they eat on the Island? Rosie: good luck (like she needs it!)

As usual, you've cut through the fat... (hey! It's a yogurt joke!) But seriously, Yogurt, like Mustard, is one of those things I grew up hating because I never had a good example of it (I wonder what Isaac Carasso, the founder of Dannon would think if he tasted the contemporary varieties from his company?). Today, I still don't "snack" on Yogurt, except occassionally the frozen kind. But I love yogurt at a good Greek, Turkish or similar restaurant. On big pieces of meat, or just on a pita.

"salad-y"... I've got to remember that one! Every word can be made bigger and more active with an "y" on the end! I didn't see this when Rachel wrote it, but let me say that the spring rolls were the highlight for me. I've had the spring rolls at the older Saigon Gourmet location in Fort Lee, and these seem much better. Salad-y! I like Pie!

Without embarassment, I'm a fast eater. My mom never lectured me on it, as long as the food all went in my mouth.

Good reading...

Certainly Schwartz will let her give "plugs", but a good long discussion is always better than a simple plug, right? And if she's talked openly about eGullet before, Schwartz could be tired of it as a topic. That's why I thought that a "back door" method (and it's a valid topic anyway--as well as very pertinent to Rosie's entire reputation) was advisable. Of course, the shenanigans of various eGulleteers are indeed quite amusing in the right light. But simply mentioning the fact that we meet in person isn't all that thrilling, though. The fact that we encompass a whole spectrum of people, from the mildly mentally retarded (tommy and myself) to the uber-intelligentsia on the other end--and that the worst thing that we argue over is whether or not Martha Stewart deserves to be mocked... well, that's quite an accomplishment right there. Oh yeah, and we are allowed to say "shit" instead of "poo".

A sneaky way to back-door into talking about eGullet... Talk about how the Internet can help diners "compare notes" on restaurants. Unless, of course, you've used that same "back door" every time on Schwartz's show.

Not to put too fine a distinction on it, cabrales, but I think that most of the readers of this topic haven't been considering the type of restaurant described by stellabella. Before I say anything more, let me establish that I think that rudeness (especially of the crass variety described by stellabella--where the rationale was basically "move... we've gotta make money) is NEVER acceptible. Not at Gramercy Tavern, and not at the McDonald's down the street from it. But comparisons between what stellbella described as "a trendy diner serving mostly hip cool yuppie local types" (or also as "a funky heaps-on-the-food type places that serves coffee in big bowls"--great images, by the way, stella), and places like Gordon Ramsay, Fat Duck in Bray... or ANY place where the eating area is referred to as a "dining room", is a bit misleading. I'll bet that Stellabella's place didn't even require reservations... it was simply an upscale diner. Stellabella was there meeting someone, not for a fine dining experience. What she experienced was unpleasant, and unnecessary, but was it really all that shocking at the type of place she was eating? We've had this discussion here before. In part, it's the same old one about how much you can expect from a wait staff making minimum wage, versus a well paid culinary professional at a fine dining establishment. It's not a matter of right or wrong... it's a matter of expectations. This part covers the rudeness she experienced, and I feel it's enough for her to consider never returning. In part, it's also another similar issue--how short or long-sighted you expect a restaurant to be. A diner of the type she described--by it's very nature--seems to think, wrongly or rightfully, that its profit is tied-up in simply filling seats. This is very short sighted, and again not excusable... but it's how things work. A fine dining establishment--at its best--considers the entire picture of customer satisfaction. They care about return business, or at a minimum, they care about their reputation. Again... it's a matter of expectations.

Unlike other similar issues of this type that have been debated here, this one is simple. Bux has the heart of it... were you asked or told? "Told" also includes being asked in such a way that there was no reasonable way you say "no". Even if the check HAD been paid (let's put aside Rachel's question about if they brought it without your request), a simple way for the server to handle it would have been to come over and ask if you wanted anything else. If you said "no", then a follow-up comment along the lines of "please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you... we'd like to seat some of the people waiting as soon as possible" would have sent the needed message without an air of rudeness, or the crassness of bringing money into it.

Great list. Maybe we should start calling you "mobsob"

So back to Black mustard... nobody here is an expert, eh?

Well, this is really the heart of the issue. The reason I seperated out use of mustard for "cooking" (and that includes any type of complex preparation) and mustard as a commercially produced condiment was exactly this--use on hot dogs, plain chicken breasts, pastrami, and other foods where the preparation is quicker, or not completely in your own hands. This sidetracks into another topic, and maybe it should be a seperate thread--use of prepackaged condiments versus use of fresh ingredients and spices. Mustard is a hard spice to use in any pure form--which is why this is especially an issue with it. As for the issue of all food tasting the same under a packaged condiment, it doesn't quite compute for me the same way it does for Macrosan and John. I favor very spicy or strongly flavored mustards, because for me it serves a similar purpose as chile pepper and other capsicum additives. It comes down to the SAME argument that I have with people about highly capsicized foods--they seem to assume that it all tastes the same because they can't get past the spice. Well, the argument doesn't wash with me because I can usually taste both the additive and the underlying ingredient as seperate layers, and the texture of the food as yet another. The condiment is a shortcut, true (and not always a necessary or wise one), but at least for me it hardly makes everything "taste" the same.

If possible, along with discussion of various commercial mustards in general, I'd also find it nice if someone knowledgeable could initiate me into the secrets of Black mustard. I understand that a few commercial products are made with it, but are they any good? I imagine that it has to be diluted to a much greater extent than White/Yellow or Brown.

I've posted this is "General" instead of "Cooking", because at least at first I'd like to talk about Mustard as a commercial product instead of as a spice or cooking additive. I hated Mustard as a kid. My mom's a wonderful woman, but was far from sophisticated in this department. I eventually figured out that my hatred of mustard stemmed from exposure to nothing but French's, and occasionally Gulden's Mustard. As a legacy of this, to this day, I STILL put only Ketchup onto my hot dogs. Am I the only middle-class trasher who was almost ruined on mustard by consumption of bad examples of this fine condiment? In my dottage I've learned to love the stuff--especially the more exotic varieties. Grey Poupon is the first mustard I ever tasted that I liked, but this many years later I consider it very pedestrian. Here are a few current favorites: Honeycup - much immitated, rarely surpassed... eat it with a spoon, eat it with a fork, eat it on bread... just eat it already. Westbrae Asian-Style Mustard (with Wasabi) - not shown, but some of the other fine Westbrae Mustards are. I haven't even tried the other Westbraes, but its mostly because any time I see the Asian-Style I just pick up another of that type... :) Bone Suckin' Mustard - the name says it all, and nothing at the same time. Maybe this quote from their website says it better: "Brown sugar, molasses, paprika & jalapenos make Bone Suckin' Sweet Hot Mustard so good you'll want to eat it with a spoon" So what are some of your faves? If the thread slows down we can always switch to talking about what you make with your lovely mustard...

We can't prove that. Then again, he didn't say that he wanted a real mob restaurant. Just one that seems enough like one to fool a Sinatra enthusiast from elsewhere in the country.

thereuare, I've pretty much decided to stick to the original BBQ items (especially the kitchen-prepared Short Ribs) on future visits... but if you enjoyed any of the new items in particular, please let us know...

Gino Italian in the 60's certainly has the direct Sinatra connection, but then again half of what remains of Little Italy might work just as well. Maybe just shlep them down there, and make up a convincing story about Sinatra going to whichever restaurant you wind up in.

In the words of the immortal Bugs Bunny...

Hey, some of the other food-related papers on related cases cited on that part of the AU site aren't bad either. Gee, the first time I've been proud of being an alumnus. :) The School of International Service at AU doesn't seem like a natural place for food discussion fodder, but there it is... I like the ones on: Feta Cheese (click here) Basmati Rice (click here) Mexican Miller Beer Confusion (click here) that EU chocolate case.... (click here) the knock-down of the German Beer Purity law (click here) and the case on the purity of the word "Whiskey" (click here)

Well, at least it explains how you can be a Bohemian and still drink lots of beer. :) But it doesn't really say why they feel compelled to call the American version Czechvar, now does it? Of course merely not to be confused with CRAP might be reason enough. (edit) O.K. Evil A-B obviously must have threatened them. This article (click here) details the legal fight in Scandinavia, so I imagine the A-B wasn't any happier about them trying to use the name in the U.S.