SobaAddict70

Tempo (Frank Bruni) Soba

Reminds me of the orange chicken in this thread. I have a feeling it'll floor many of you. Soba

JJ -- it's been ages since I've lived in Queens, but when I was in Astoria, there was a rather wonderful Indian market on Broadway and 36th Street (but is not there anymore). In any event, I recommend you get your spices at an Indian mart (places in Jackson Heights will do, although there's one in the East Village on 1st Avenue whose name escapes me at the moment). The place in Astoria for example sold a LARGE sealed plastic jar of turmeric for less than $1.50 and ground cardamom for $2.00. A pittance, compared to supermarket prices. Soba

New York Times Weekly Update Wednesday, 3 November 2004 Where Style Reigns In The Restaurant Calculus (Matt Lee and Ted Lee) The Pour (Eric Asimov) The Chef (Mark Bittman) The Minimalist (Mark Bittman) Critic's Notebook (Frank Bruni) Sripraphai (Frank Bruni) Click here to discuss the restaurant or contribute your experiences. Click here to discuss the review or contribute your opinions about Mr. Bruni's style of reviewing. Thomas Beisl (Peter Meehan) An Herb In Celery's Clothing (Melissa Clark) When Fresh Isn't A Selling Point (David Karp) A Fruit Butter Called Savor (John F. Carafoli) Restaurant Sampler Correction Recipes in today's section: 1. Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnut Dumplings 2. Savor 3. German Potato Salad with Lovage 4. Prosecco and Lovage Cocktail 5. Broiled Chicken with Piquillo-Tomato Sauce Soba

Ono (Frank Bruni) Jeffrey Chodorow, he of the genius behind Asia de Cuba and Rocco's on 22nd Street, offers another restaurant based this time on the mystique of Japan. Soba

I have a feeling that if the restaurant were Peter Luger, we'd not be devoting this much passion...or would we? Soba

just smash them gently with the side of a chef's knife or cleaver. Soba

In the Tater Tot thread, Carrot Top mentions something about perfectly warmed Spaghetti-Os served over crispy Tater Tots. I haven't had Chef Boy-ar-dee in a long long while, but I do remember Beefaroni and their signature mini ravioli things. A bowl of Beefaroni does bring back memories from my childhood. Campbell's alphabet and vegetable soup is another example of a product that was "done right", although these days might be looked down upon. What's not to like though? Lots of vegetables, tasty tomatoey soup and those adorable alphabet pasta. Got any tales to tell? Soba

But Soba, have you tried them with a can of Spagetti-O's ever-so-gently warmed to perfection then poured over the top? Even Darth Vader would love to sit down to a meal of this...heaven...sheer heaven. ← I'll have to try that some time. heheheh. hm, Chef Boy-ar-dee products do bring back memories....time for me to start another thread then. Soba

Like most things, these are great sprinkled with banana (or other type of ketchup) and Mrs. Dash. Soba

In the kitchen, Pan. Hearth has three seatings which are available nightly, at the kitchen pass. People can watch chefs as they go about their business. Soba

Dinner tonight with Bux and his wife. We sat at the pass this time. Marco wasn't in the kitchen -- which didn't matter, since the kitchen functions like a precise, self-perpetuating clock. Bux remarked, "It's a sign of a good restaurant when the chef isn't missed." Amen to that. Before I get to the meal, here is Hearth's menu: First Course Baby Lettuces Shallots, beets, red wine viniagrette (9) Ribollita Black cabbage, white beans and parmesan (9) Arugula and Shaved Fennel White anchovy and pickled cipollini onion (12) Red Snapper Crudo Lemon, red pepper and rosemary (11) Marinated Sardines Soffrito crudo and parsley (12) Red Wine Braised Octopus Celery root, celery and potato (12) (Bux) Rabbit Ballotine Picholine olives and frisee (12) Stuffed Cabbage Sweetbreads, veal, pastina and broth (14) Roasted Quail Tomato preserves, farro and poached quail egg (12) Foie Gras Torchon Mission figs and brioche toast (16) Fish Braised Barramundi Artichokes, black olives, romanesco and clams (25) Chatham Cod Baccala mantecato, red peppers and salsa verde (24) Roasted Striped Bass Rapini and beans (24) Monkfish "Cacciucco" Calamari, pepperoncini, fennel and tomato (26) Meat Roasted Guinea Hen Braised thigh, Swiss chard malfatti and pancetta (26) Roasted and Braised Domestic Lamb Lamb sausage, buttercup squash and chanterelles (28) (Bux and myself) Stone Church Farm Duck Duck confit, brussels sprouts and quince (30) (Esilda) Mushroom Pappardelle Porcini, hen of the woods and chanterelles (22) Vegetable and Sides Pumpkin Tortelli Amaretti, chestnut and sage (20) Anson Mills Polenta (6) Hen of the Woods Mushrooms (6) Potato Puree (6) Gnocchi (8) Tasting Menu (58) Cured Tasmanian Sea Trout Braised leeks and leek viniagrette Roasted Black Sea Bass Butternut squash, cabbage and sage California Squab Fennel and orange Blueberry Float Vanilla ice cream Quince Fritters Rosemary honey ice cream ==================== Dessert Menu Goat Milk Panna Cotta Huckleberry compote (9) Pecan Tart Sweet potato ice cream (9) Olive Oil Cake Roasted pears and burnt sugar ice cream (9) (myself) Cheesecake Concord grape compote and merlot sorbet (9) Apple Cider Doughnuts Apple compote and maple cream (9) Milk Chocolate Tart Semolina crust and peanut brittle ice cream (9) Ice Cream Sampler Peanut brittle, burnt sugar and vanilla (9) Sorbet Sampler Bartlett pear, Niagara and Concord grape (9) Dessert Wines Mead Lurgashall Winery; NV, West Sussex (6) Red Raspberry Wine Alba Vineyards; NV, New Jersey (6) Vin d'Autan Robert Plageoles; 2000, Gaillac (18) Muscat Nectar Cooperatives Vinicoles de Samos; NV, Samos (5) Moscatel Superior Sherry Lustau; NV, Jerez (7) 10 Year Tawny Port Quinta de Ervamoira; Ramos Pinto; Orpoto (14) Bual Special Reserve "Boston"; Barbeito Madeira (16) I don't remember what Esilda had for appetizers. There was a special tonight of braised pork belly, roasted onion and lentil potage. Unctuous lusciousness in the only way pork belly can be. A plate of gnocchi came out gratis (which did all of us in because we couldn't finish our mains). On the upside, the gnocchi are the same as ever -- ethereal as clouds with the right mixture of cheese, pepper and butter. Lamb was cooked perfectly, especially the sausage. Two special desserts -- the quince fritters (Bux) and the blueberry float from the tasting menu. I opted for the olive oil cake which had a pleasant interplay of sweet and salt, noticeable especially when alternated with bites of ice cream. As usual, I don't remember much about the wines. Maybe Bux or Esilda will chime in. Regular readers of eGullet will remember that I'm not a drinker, although I am getting better. :blink: This time I managed to survive an entire bottle of red wine (although just barely). I don't like *most* red wines, but this one was pretty good. I should come to Hearth more often. Soba

He's not a reviewer, so her presence is a non-issue to me. Soba

it seems like you don't like this critic's particular style. ← That's a partial assessment. I'd say that when Mr. Bruni writes well, he writes exceedingly well. The problem is that there aren't many reviews that meet that threshold, in my opinion. Soba

Don't read the NY Times. Seriously, the Times is paying for Bruni's judgment and if in his judgment his companion's comments are worth his attention, they're worth yours. If nothing else, Bruni earns his salary by carefully selecting his dining companions and by selecting and editing their comments. Those carefully selected comments are anything but filler. This is Bruni's style of communicating information and opinion about the restaurant and its food. If you don't like his style, why do you want to hear more about what he says? What makes you think he knows more than his companions? ← Because he's the restaurant critic for the Times? He also earns his salary by evaluating restaurants on a certain standard, whatever that might be. That standard assumes that he has a specific grounding in food knowledge that enables him to have opinions that matter, that are noteworthy of being a critic. If he needs to pad his reviews with commentary by his companions, then I would venture that this is a failing rather than a strength. A better path might be for him to turn the commentary into criticism but without direct or indirect reference. In a perfect world, I suppose... Soba

Yes, actually. Each Times critic had a particular style.... For instance, Reichl was known for her poetic/flowing/(overly (at least to some people)) descriptive prose. Probably a side effect of her creative writing background. Grimes as I saw him, described his experience in an understated monotone. Flat, dry, spartan descriptions. "Precise without being gushy" is the best I can describe it....almost as if he were a lawyer drafting a memorandum to clients. Quite the opposite of his predecessor. We know that Reichl had dining companions accompany her on most of her visits but the impression/recollection I have is that she rarely mentioned her companions' experiences in her reviews (i.e., Tabla). Her focus seemed to be on the food. Ditto for Grimes, except that his focus seemed to be on the overall experience, with food, decor/interior design and service sharing equal billing. With Mr. Bruni, whilst it's not every single review, a direct or indirect reference about his friends has appeared more frequently. I would guesstimate that at least a third of his published reviews contains such an item. Soba

It's my understanding that the "birds" are partially formed baby chicks that haven't hatched yet. Wouldn't know about the insects...although I've heard that bugs are common in Vietnamese cuisine. Soba

Bux, tommy et al -- I'm not interested in hearing what Mr. Bruni's friends have to say about a restaurant. I'm interested in hearing what Mr. Bruni has to say about a restaurant. Mr. Bruni is the reviewer, not his dining companions, no matter how well-informed they might be. I want to hear about Mr. Bruni's thoughts, impressions, reactions and overall experience. These may involve other people and their experiences, but the substance of the review should be the impression left on the reviewer. Otherwise, it is indeed "review by committee". I might as well be reading Zagat. It almost feels like he needs his friends to validate the points he's making. It's wasted space; it's filler. All of that commentary could have been better spent on describing an aspect of his experience in a way that provides additional informative, meaningful, useful information. If I wanted to hear about other people's experiences, I'd browse eGullet. Soba

I have a feeling you're talking about this: Click here to begin your Mongolian adventure. Soba

Explain please (what a kofta is). Soba

Of course there are many ways to write a review and many of them are legitimate. A reviewer needs to find one he’s comfortable with and one that communicates with a great number of readers. Just as we all don’t have the same taste in food or restaurants, we won’t all prefer the same reviewer. I see no problem in including comments made at the table by others. If I were writing reviews I might even include remarks overheard at other tables if I weren’t afraid of appearing to be ill mannered. Paying attention to one’s companions at the table however, is good manners. Anyway, Bruni included one person’s comments on one dish in the Pace review and it appeared he agreed with the comments which meant that the use of the comments was not to round out the review and make it a review by committee. I read it as a convention to liven up the text. As you say, YMMV. Tastes in eating and reading are very subjective, but the differences are very interesting to discuss. ← Most of the reviews thus far include either direct quotes from his friends or commentary that includes his friends. I could be wrong but I thought it's the job of a restaurant reviewer to evaluate a restaurant based mostly on his or her experiences. I wonder what his friends thought of Per Se? Didn't see any commentary there....maybe I should consider going? to illustrate: the piece on Indochine -- and the piece on LCB Brasserie Rachou -- 71 Clinton Fresh Food -- Convivium Osteria -- Soba

My point is that there are ways to write a report or a review without routinely involving other people in the mix. I get the feeling that whenever Bruni includes his coterie of friends in a review, that it's a restaurant review by committee. We know that Mr. Bruni can write a friendless review....hell, we've seen it, but not as much as we've liked. Useful information (for me) consists of the reviewer's reaction to his experiences at a restaurant. YMMV. Soba

Mr. Bruni reviews Pace today in the Times, and gives it a single * out of four. Not a bad review considering all that has gone before, but I could have gone without the seemingly obligatory reference to a member of Mr. Bruni's extraordinarily wide circle of "friends". Their inclusion makes each such review read like a treatise on Foodies Anonymous. It might have been nice to hear more about the desserts rather than the adjective "good". Maybe it's just me. Soba

Those are my preferences. What can I say, Mario's entrees don't do it for me. That holds true for me at any of his restaurants. When he was at Po, ditto. Starters are fine, pastas are amazing, on occasion the desserts are worthy. One of these days I'll be converted though. Now, other people might have different opinions. Just don't count on mine. Soba

Pace (Frank Bruni) Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams, co-owners of The Red Cat, The Harrison and The Mermaid Inn, now offer a fourth restaurant offers a new spin on Italian restaurants deep in the heart of Tribeca. Soba