SobaAddict70

What's a tourte blette? Agreed on the photos. Can't wait to see more. Soba

It's funny, I usually end up eating (breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks) whilst reading eGullet. Maybe it's those secret subliminal messages that the tech team coded into Javascript. (just kidding ) Soba

These are ubiquitous in Jackson Heights, Queens. There's a particularly good one (larger than your average taco truck) located near 73rd St and Roosevelt Avenue. Their tripe tacos are amazing. Soba

ok, I'll bite and hopefully others will come up with suggestions. Pizza: how about roasted squash, ricotta and herbs? Chez Panisse does a similarly-themed pizza if memory serves. Or tomato confit and/or onion confit along with cured pork sausage. Or a white pizza with mozzarella, ricotta and other local soft cheeses? Or roasted cauliflower? Breads: Asiago cheese bread? Ciabatta? Pan levain? Walnut bread? Tomato bread? Olive and anchovy fougasse? (in keeping with the pizza theme) Maybe do something hearty like coq au vin in addition to the roasts and the salmon a la plancha. Persimmon jam? Fennel, pear and parmesan salad? Chanterelle ravioli? Roasted brussel sprouts? (it'll convert the brussel sprout haters amongst you, guaranteed) Roast chicken with apple and cranberry stuffing. Maybe mashed turnips mixed with beets. Soba

How about in ravioli? Chanterelles, onion, herbs. Just a thought. Maybe a sage butter sauce to accompany the pasta. Soba

Donguri (Frank Bruni) (from the New York Times DIGEST update for Wednesday, 15 September 2004. Scroll down for the appropriate link.) Behold the anti-hip Japanese secret of Manhattan -- so secret it's not even in Zagat. Chef Shuji Fujita, along with his wife Michiko, present to you a Japanese-style trattoria located in the Upper East Side. Soba

Thirty Is The New 60 (William Grimes) (from the New York Times DIGEST update for Wednesday, 15 September 2004. Scroll down for the appropriate link.) OUCH!!! On the other hand, part of me was quite appreciative of the fact that he stood up for home cooks everywhere and made his stand. Your thoughts? Soba

what's gras de canard and gras de oie? duck something and egg something? now all I have to do is learn how to pronounce stuff and I'm set. Soba

Once had this at a restaurant in Boston (sorry, can't remember the name), but I've tried to duplicate it ever since: marinated olives (a good selection is nice: kalamata, nicoise, moroccan, oil-cured), pitted and chopped finely roasted garlic, peeled and mashed mayonnaise cracked peppercorns or red pepper flakes grated lemon peel EVOO Mix thoroughly. Chill overnight. Wonderful on hunks of Italian bread or a baguette. Soba

Although not primarily "Mexican", I would dare to recommend Patria or Asia de Cuba to anyone seeking restaurants of that genre and of that style or price range. I hesitate to post this declaration for fear of being set upon, but oh well, here goes: I think the difficulty with having an upscale Mexican restaurant that works on both a critical level and a non-critical level is because the cuisine has an inherent barrier that doesn't lend itself well to something such as "upscale/fancy". Tabla, to draw a parallel in Indian food had this problem for some time but as we have seen, managed to break through this barrier by turning what people thought of Indian food on its head. I have yet to see a Mexican or quasi-Mexican place do that. Why is that? I'm not saying that it can't be done. I'm saying that in A LOT of people's minds, it's difficult to equate a cuisine that's usually thought of as being focused around salsa and chips with high-end cuisine. Now, I realize this is a rather extreme generalization as there is a difference between "Mexican" and "Tex-Mex", but most people equate the two (and only because they haven't been introduced to the difference). I for one, would love to have such a place exist. I'd be one of the first ones to make a reservation. Now where have we heard this argument before? Soba

Zarela's is literally around the corner from my apartment. I've been there a couple of times but wasn't particularly impressed. I thought Veracruz (the downtown version of Zarela but concerned mostly with the cuisine of Veracruz) was slightly better, which isn't saying much. Ixta is a possibility although Mr. Bruni's review left a bit to be desired. Soba

What is bangers and mash? Mash = potatoes? Could you go a little into the sorts of regional specialties, if any, in your part of the world? Looking forward to this week, Soba

Once I had Swedish meatballs made by cooking meatballs in GRAPE JELLY with a 1/4 c. of Tabasco for 3/4 jar of grape jelly. Needless to say, it was interesting. Kids, don't try this at home. Soba

Pix, s'vous plait, madame. Mangled that French I know. Soba

Yay for skinless boneless chicken breasts!!!! Soba

Rachel -- I have a feeling that if you have the right type of liverwurst, you'll be a convert. I used to like Oscar Meyer's brand until I discovered deli liverwurst which tends to be slightly spicier than OM. Haven't had liverwurst in years and now I have a craving for it. It's a little like pate but with a creamy texture and not as chunky. I would get a deli version and not OM because the pink coloring can be offputting to someone who hasn't had a liverwurst experience before. Soba

I needed to pick up some breakfast items early this morning and took a look at a few cartons of eggs. Guess what? Five out of five cartons had cracked or slightly shattered eggs with their contents barely leaking out, before I managed to get an unblemished cartonful. Do you make it your habit to poke, prod and peek when you foodshop? And I'm not just talking about eggs and vegetables either. For those of you with children, I'm interested in how you teach your kids to have this and other good shopping habits. What other kinds of habits do you have with regards to food shopping? Discuss. Soba

There is actually an existing thread called "The eGullet Pantry Challenge" which was started to help a member (RSincere) in her menu planning, but which could also conceivably be used with regards to other members' dilemmas. Click here for the thread. Soba

And don't forget the following: Bits and Pieces (Florence Fabricant) (from the NYTimes DIGEST update for Wednesday, 8 September 2004.) Soba

Risotto. Other than the stirring -- which is very soothing and relaxing -- not terribly labor intensive and well worth the effort. Click here for Craig's course. Indian food in general. Most wet or dry vegetable curries can be prepared in under thirty minutes, prep time included. In particular, I am a HYOOOOGE fan of cumin potatoes smothered in yogurt. This is basically potatoes that have been cooked with spices fried in ghee and then covered with flavored spiced yogurt. Serve with chappatis or rice. Other vegs can be substituted in place of the potatoes...such as okra. (hear that Brooks? ) Soba

Are there any Thai desserts that you like beyond the seemingly ubiquitous sticky rice and mango that many restaurants seem to serve these days? Soba

The tripe we had at Casa Mono was braised with a red wine reduction and served with chickpeas and morcilla. It was very good. My only complaint was there wasn't much of it. I've had tripe alla parmiagana (Babbo), tacos con tripas and oxtail stew with tripe, vegetables and peanut sauce. Whilst they're all good in their own way, I'm not sure that's what they (and you) are looking for. You could try menudo, Gras-Double 'Leon de Lyon', or buscecca ticinese (Swedish tripe soup with garlic bread). Soba

New York Times Weekly Update Wednesday, 8 September 2004 All articles for this week's update can be found on the New York Times' Dining & Wine web page. Soba ============== The Bag Lunch That Never Left (Matt Lee and Ted Lee) Per Se (Frank Bruni) Click here to discuss the review or contribute your experiences. Bonus: If you navigate your web browser to the Dining & Wine web page, you can hear an audio online presentation given by Mr. Bruni on Per Se. Extra Virgin (Frank J. Prial) Gourmet Food At The U.S. Open (Frank Bruni) In Search Of The Great American Burger (Nic Covey and John Hammond) Wine Goes Digital (Sam Perkins) Global Rosh Hashanah (Joan Nathan) The Chef (Matt Lee and Ted Lee) The Minimalist (Mark Bittman) Bits And Pieces (Florence Fabricant) Correction Ketchup Politics (Andrew Bushell) Recipes in Wednesday's update: 1. Prosciutto, Havarti and Apple Sandwich 2. Cold Udon Noodles With Carrots and Egg 3. Tunisian Artichoke and Orange Compote 4. Chicken-Stuffed Figs, Onions and Eggplants in Tamarind Sauce 5. Georgian Chicken in Pomegranate and Tamarind Sauce 6. Moroccan Beet Salad 7. Lettuce, Sprouts and Snow Peas With Radish Water 8. Grilled Tomatoes and Scrambled Eggs, Chinese-Style

I prefer zaru soba, with either chopped scallions, grated daikon, furikake or Mrs. Dash. And then there's always soba, Honmura An style (shredded duck, in duck broth) Soba

Yoohoo, O tommy!!! lol. Soba