SobaAddict70

I've seen ceviche served with a small hunk of corn on the cob, onion salad and sweet potatoes on the side. This was a South American version though... Soba

Use them as sour oranges or lemons, or in pork dishes. Infuse the peels in some tea, and use the tea as poaching liquid for prunes. You can add some mulled wine to the mix. Soba

Most of the time, the leaves are used whole in mostly liquid dishes, where the essential oils infuse the sauce or liquid (e.g., tom yum hed (oyster mushroom soup) or tom yum goong (shrimp in clear soup). The only time the leaves are eaten are in dishes such as tod mun (fried fish cakes) where they are sliced thinly. If the leaves are to be used whole, toss them in towards the end of cooking, then remove and discard them. I'd imagine the same guidelines apply in fusion-y cooking. Soba

Use them in tom kha gai. Don't chop or shred the leaves. Just toss them into the soup whole, preferably towards the end of cooking. Soba

I thought they were some weird versions of golf balls for a second. Soba

Chef David Pasternack, also of Esca -- along with Joseph Bastianich and Mario Batali, present a Gallic continuum of sorts this time in the lower reaches of Hell's Kitchen. Bistro du Vent (Frank Bruni) Soba

All About Buffets

Some questions... 1. Who is Delia Smith? I feel like I have to know her. 2. And Linton Kwesi Johnson? I'm not up on my Brit pop culture. That's it for now, I think. Soba

hmph Dumpling fillings should have clear, discernible flavors and minimal grease. Traditional fillings are best (ground pork with chives, or a mix of vegetables), but sometimes seafood versions can be just as good. Dough shouldn't be thick, which is an indication that the dumplings were frozen and not hand-made. Dipping sauce should be kept as simple as possible -- soy, maybe a splash of black vinegar, chopped scallions or ginger. The crystal shrimp dumplings at China Fun, while not pork/veg dumplings and more dim sum-like have really thin dumpling skin, and the filling is a whole sweet shrimp. Dipping sauce is a nice combo of black vinegar and soy. Very clean, neat flavors and an absolute pleasure to have. Not bad for a non-Chinatown place. China Fun has several locations in Manhattan. I'm familiar with the one in the east 60s. As for the others, China 46 is the standard that I hold dumplings to, and Sweet N Tart/Dim Sum Go-Go match that closely. Sorry, even if it is deep in the heart of Fort Lee. El Gordo might disagree though. (He lives in the general neighborhood.) Soba

Dim Sum Go-Go Sweet N Tart and of course China 46 China Fun (UES branch) gets a honorable mention for their crystal shrimp dumplings. Soba

(Just linking this thread with the NYTimes DIGEST thread that you can find pinned to the top of the New York forum. I note that others have posted Ms. Severson's review elsewhere on this thread. --Soba) Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (Kim Severson) (from the NYTimes DIGEST update for 12 January 2005. Scroll down for the appropriate link.)

New York Times Weekly Update Wednesday, 12 January 2005 Dining In/Dining Out Section A Mix Of The Ancient And The Modern In Italy (Eric Asimov) Aglianico Wines of Campania and Basilicata (Eric Asimov) Sidebar: If you navigate your web browser to Mr. Asimov's column, you can hear an online audio presentation given by Mr. Asimov, Florence Fabricant, David Lynch (wine director at Babbo) and Chris Goodhart (wine director at Balthazar), on a selection of aglianico wines of Campania and Basilicata. Click on the box entitled, "Wines of the Times" to begin the presentation. U.S. Government Releases New Food Pyramid (Marian Burros) The Chef (Dana Bowen) The Pickle Meister of Brooklyn (Ginia Bellafante) Lure Fishbar (Frank Bruni) Click here to contribute your experiences. Click here for related discussion regarding the New York Times' restaurant reviewing system. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (Kim Severson) Click here to discuss the review or contribute your experiences. The Minimalist: Na Kaiseki (Mark Bittman) SpongeBob SquarePants For Nutritionist....? (Marian Burros) Bits and Pieces (Florence Fabricant) Less Antibiotics In McDonald's Meat (Marian Burros) Pairings (Florence Fabricant) Recipe: ROASTED BEET FARROTTO Letters Corrections Recipes in this week's update: 1. Salt Cod Auvergnate 2. Sautéed Dandelion Greens 3. Burdock and Mushroom Sushi 4. Green Beans With Walnut-Miso Sauce 5. Kabocha Squash Soup 6. Sesame-Soy Custard

It's at times like this that I wish my mom was an eG member, because she could say a few things on this thread. She was a single-parent mom, and did an amazing job raising me up from a kid. The weekend was devoted to cooking and food shopping, along with house chores. Out of that kitchen came delicious one-pot meals that could be reheated just about any night of the week. Like any labor of love, if it's important to you, you'll find the time to do it. My love of all things food-related comes from her, and for that I'm thankful. Soba

Seems fair. I think one inherent shortcoming of the (your) rating system is that four-star restaurants generally have a different sense of scale as opposed to say, three-star restaurants, of which GT is a prime example. And even within the universe of four-star restaurants, not all four-stars are equal. For example, I daresay that if you went to Per Se, you might rate Per Se a 9 over Le B. Then again, you might not. It's not surprising that you found GT to have gone the extra mile. GT is famous for doing that. Thanks for the explanation, btw. Soba

You expected a four-star experience from the restaurant, and you received a four-star experience. That in itself should be enough, as far as "bang for the buck" is concerned. It's difficult for me to see exactly how much further it could have gone to exceed your expectations, when what you received was up to standard. I think that you should go in and place less emphasis on your expectations and just focus on the meal at hand. If you feel you must rate your experience, then please consider that ratings formed on the basis of one seating are nowhere near as useful or as informative as those formed over a series of visits. Soba

I don't quite understand. You rate Gramercy Tavern an 8 but Le Bernardin a 7? And the service seemed comparable. Your words: and If you rate Le B slightly lower or even a step lower than GT and it's because of the food (not as memorable as that of GT) or no standouts, then I understand. However, that's not my impression of your review. Your review indicates that you loved Le B and found it "satisfying". Similar to your review of GT, except that the language you use throughout the review above would indicate (at least to me) that you found Le B on par with that of GT, not at a lesser status. Is there something I'm missing? Soba

As with risotto, if you wouldn't drink it, then don't cook with it. Soba

Lure Fishbar (Frank Bruni) (from the NYTimes DIGEST update for Wednesday, 12 January 2005. Scroll down for the appropriate link.) For an upscale Red Lobster, one star is a bit much....or is it? Soba

I'd like to add that we've had WW-related and diet-related blogs before in the Foodblog series. Check out Abra's installment and NulloModo's episode. I'm sure we'll have more to come in the future from other bloggers. Soba

Yes, Julia Child. The one and only Julia (at least to me). Soba

This is one of those one dish meals that seems just right for winter: beef, cut into cubes or rough chunks, slowly stewed in Burgundy, with a base of bacon drippings, mushrooms and onions, and served with a starch of your choice. Julia instructs us to make it with lardons, beef stock, tomato paste, garlic and bay leaves. I have, however, seen everything from red bell peppers (why?!?) to margarine, brandy, sirloin tips and beef burgundy made in a crock pot. Guess what's for dinner this weekend. How do you make yours? Soba

Thought I'd bump this up for some Society n00bies. So....do you? I've started to fairly recently. And not just sponges, but also the brillo-sponge we use for washing dishes. Into the dishwasher they go...! Soba

I'd like to add that Mr. Bruni was sighted at the restaurant tonight. Talk about near misses. Soba

Dinner at Hearth tonight. Hearth continues to be one of my favorite restaurants in New York, and tonight was no exception. As I've said earlier, if I had the funds to make it possible, I'd go there every night for the rest of my life. Before I get to dinner specifics, here is their current menu for January 2005: First Courses Baby lettuces Shallots, beets and red wine viniagrette (9) Arugula and shaved fennel White anchovy and cipolini onions (12) Ribollita Black cabbage, white beans and parmesan (10) Red snapper crudo Lemon, red pepper and rosemary (11) Hamachi Honeycrisp apple and pickled celery (13) Marinated sardines Soffritto crudo and parsley (12) Red wine braised octopus Celery root, celery and potato (13) Nantucket bay scallops Salsify and prosciutto (16) Rabbit ballotine Picholine olives and frisee (12) Stuffed cabbage Sweetbreads, pastina, veal and broth (14) Roasted quail Tomato preserves, farro and poached quail egg (13) Game bird and foie gras terrine Red oak leaf, pears and pickled crosnes (16) Mains -- Fish Braised barramundi Artichokes, black olives, romanesco and cockles (26) Chatham cod Baccala mantecato, red peppers and salsa verde (24) Steamed black bass Saffron risotto, black trumpet mushrooms and red wine (28) Monkfish "cacciucco" Calamari, pepperoncini, fennel and tomato (25) Mains -- Meat Roasted and braised domestic lamb Lamb sausage, squash and yellowfoot chanterelles (28) Braised veal breast Crispy sweetbreads, porcini and black cabbage (27) Roasted dry aged sirloin Braised shortrib, swiss chard, turnips and baby beets (30) Wild boar pappardelle Cipolini onions, red wine and rosemary (22) Mains -- Vegetable Pumpkin tortelli Amaretti, chestnut and sage (20) Sides Anson Mills polenta (6) Potato puree (6) Gnocchi (9) Sweet potato puree (7) Tasting Menu (62) First Course -- Celery Root Soup Maine diver scallops, black trumpet mushrooms and chervil Second Course -- Roasted Striped Bass Winter vegetables, parsley root puree and black truffle viniagrette Third Course -- Stone Church Farm Duck Confit leg, quince and brussel sprouts Dessert Amuse -- Pomegranate Granita Greek yogurt and pomegranate molasses Dessert -- Apple Tatin Vanilla ice cream Dessert Menu Goat Milk Panna Cotta Huckleberry compote (8) Pecan Tart Sweet potato ice cream (10) Olive Oil Cake Roasted pears and burnt sugar ice cream (10) Cheesecake Cranberry compote and cranberry-orange sorbet (9) Apple Cider Doughnuts Apple compote and maple cream (9) Milk Chocolate Tart Semolina crust and peanut brittle ice cream (10) Ice Cream Sampler Peanut brittle, burnt sugar and vanilla (9) Sorbet Sampler Anjou pear, cranberry-orange and Meyer lemon (9) Cheese Plate (3.25 per piece) ================================= I had the tasting menu, which was surprising because I didn't think it would be possible for me to get it. Along with the usual shot of soup (parsnip in this case), there was a bite of red snapper crudo and a bite of the hamachi. Memo to self: get the snapper crudo next time. I can't believe after all this time I haven't had this. Tonight was my fourth visit to Hearth. Next, the striped bass. Nice melange of vegetables; what I thought was a hint of vanilla in the parsley puree was actually the black truffle making itself known. The brussel sprouts in the duck were enough to convert a die-hard hater of brussel sprouts into a convert. There was a side of gnocchi provided gratis. Ethereal with a hint of black pepper. My wine education continues. Had a riesling to start off and a red (St. Joseph Cuvee? or something.) About 3 oz. of each. Ok, ok, not a lot of wine, but it is a lot to this non-drinker. Had a digestif (kirsch) at the end, but I think it'll be some time before I work up to something in excess of 20% alcohol. Still, it was nice for what it was, and I was not charged for the little bit that I had. The apple tatin was a "mini" tarte tatin and provided a perfect capper to a wonderful meal. This is grown-up apple pie a la mode. Luscious caramelized apples enclosed on top of flaky buttery pastry served with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream. *sigh* I suppose those apple cider doughnuts will have to wait till next time. Bill came to $107 with tax and tip. RUN, do not walk to this restaurant. Soba