SobaAddict70

Exactly. And as for those of us who don't experience it as often, it'll be a snow day in hell before ultra high-end dinners become boring. Soba

Can someone please explain what the difference is, if any, between saag and sak, other than spelling? This is one of my absolutely favorite Indian dishes, whether it's made with spinach, mustard greens or other leafy green vegetables. It's even better with the addition of paneer. I like my paneer as small dice, not these huge hunks of paneer that you sometimes see in many renditions of saag paneer. Soba

Bargain Wines (Howard G. Goldberg) (from the NYTimes DIGEST update for the weekend of 30 April to 2 May 2004. Scroll down for the appropriate link.) Soba

NYTimes Weekend Update Friday, 30 April 2004 -- Sunday, 2 May 2004 A. Dining In/Dining Out Section and the Sunday Magazine Vento (Sam Sifton) Click here to discuss the review or contribute your experiences. A Tale Of A Diet Divinity (Mary Tannen) Recipes in today's issue: 1. Hauser Broth Restaurants: Cinco de Mayo Bargain Wines (Howard G. Goldberg) Long Island Vines (Howard G. Goldberg) B. Travel Timeless Tables In Budapest (Jacqueline Friedrich) C. Elsewhere in the Times... Restaurant School. Yes, Really. (Julia Moskin) Build A Better Pizza And The World Will Beat A Path To Your Door (Brendan I. Koerner) How To Plant More With Less Land (Jim Yardley) An Institution No More (Leslie Kaufman) FAT Is Not A Four Letter Word (Dinitia Smith) The 30 Day McDonald's Diet (Susan Dominus) Chef's Theater (Anita Gates) Where Sex Slave Auctions Once Reigned (Julia Chaplin) Supreme Court Roundup (Linda Greenhouse) Have a good week, folks. Soba

What does "boychick" mean? heh. I've been meaning to ask that one for a while now. Nice photos, madame. As for passing the torch, there are no pre-conceived rules: usually a PM to the next vic...er, blogger will suffice, along with a few days' notice. Looking forward to this blog. Regards, Soba

Perhaps, but like the avocado, the fluke didn't do anything for me either. To me, it was a bland, almost flavorless piece of fish that served as a platform for its accompanying garnishes. It might as well have been tofu as far as I was concerned. Soba

A note regarding the progression of flavor notes during our meal: Interesting that things began with a relatively high note (lime sorbet, Maine crab and coconut water), gradually toned down only to be brought back up again by the foie gras, and then levelled off with the chicken and striped bass respectively. Tasting menus are relatively difficult to do given that one course should flow into another, on both an aesthetic level and a orderly, logical level. There should be a definite path from point A to point Z with a minimum of distraction. This is not two star food -- not by a long shot -- and if it is, it should be over the three star line. (Calling Mr. Bruni!) Soba

Dinner tonight at Blue Hill with jogoode, Bond Girl, Suzanne and HWOE. For some of us, tonight was the first night of what we hope will be many more evenings to come. Amuse #1: Maine crab, lime sorbet, cucumber and coconut water. This was a column of shredded Maine crab atop which laid a thin slice of cucumber and a tiny spoonful of lime sorbet. A thin sheen of coconut water bathed the crab and provided a nice, subtle frame for the amuse. Amuse #2: Chilled carrot soup, yogurt foam, served in a shot glass. Those of you who have been to Hearth have had a similar amuse – roasted yellow pepper soup, served warm in a similar style. A wonderful opening and palate cleanser to what promised to be an exciting evening. We chose to have the chef create a special tasting menu for our table. In addition, several of our courses were paired with various wines. Sashimi of local fluke, served with lime zest, olive oil and Maldon sea salt. La Croix du Roy Sancerre – 2002. This wine was served with the first two courses. Not exactly my favorite dish of the entire meal, although I appreciated that the fluke was primarily a vehicle for the accentuating flavors of the zest and the sea salt. Lightly seared sea scallop, with spring vegetable ragout (peas and romaine), served with croutons This dish was all the more striking because very little, if any salt was used to bring out the flavor in both the ragout and the scallop. A pleasing collection of tastes and textures. Torchon of foie gras, rhubarb, arugula. Served with brioche toast points. Chateau Raymond Lafon – 1994. A glass of Sauternes was also served with this dish. The foie gras had been poached in Sauternes; the rhubarb was also poached in Sauternes, along with rhubarb juice, thyme and black peppercorns. Bright acidity pleasantly balanced with just the right amount of sweetness and paired very well with the foie gras. I could easily make a meal out of four more plates of just this dish alone. Stone Barns chicken, spinach, spring onions, roasted fingerling potatoes, served in a horseradish broth. Maple Ranch pinot noir – 1994 (Rogne Valley, Oregon) I'll let Bond Girl describe her dish, as she received wild striped bass. Tender slices of roasted chicken with spring vegetables in a horseradish-accented broth, with just a hint of lavender as a subtle backup. With this dish alone, I began to appreciate what Bux and other posters have described the cuisine of Blue Hill as: a world of subtlety and understatement where impeccable technique lets the ingredients speak for themselves. It's not for everyone, but then again, it doesn't have to be. Intermezzo: red wine sorbet; spearmint and basil sorbet; avocado with lime sorbet and salted caramel. Of the three pre-desserts, I would say that the mint sorbet ranked first with the avocado dead last. I prefer clean, clear flavors, and the avocado just didn't do it for me. As for the red wine sorbet, interesting that there were LOTS of hints of unsalted butter and cream...but perhaps that was just me. Passionfruit sorbet and passionfruit souffle; sourdough chocolate bread pudding with toasted pine nuts; mascarpone panna cotta with espresso granita and espresso foam; financiers with a trio of dipping sauces (chocolate, Grand Marnier and chestnut cream) All Saints Tokay, from Rutherglen, Australia. The tokay had intense overtones of raisins and almonds – a cinnamon bun in a glass. The passionfruit souffle was served in a miniature tea-cup-like contraption, alongside a Chinese soup spoonful of sorbet. Intense fruitiness, combined with a contrast of warm souffle and softened sorbet. I'd have to say that the bread pudding was the best dessert out of the foursome; the panna cotta, my least favorite. Definitely a keeper. I *will* be back. Soba

oh man! the list is long: garlic spicy food of any stripe peanut butter, especially Skippy ginger stinky cheese anchovies wine now I'll eat any of the above, except for stinky cheese and wine (although even the wine is changing). garlic and ginger are my favorites. Soba

NYTimes Weekly Update Wednesday, 28 April 2004 Apologies for the late update, but it's been hellaciously busy here at work for the past week, with no end in sight. --Soba Dining In/Dining Out Section Now You Too Can Be A Disciple Of Adrià (Matt Lee and Ted Lee) An American Dream (Alex Wichtel) When Editors And Food Mix And Match (David Carr) Geisha (Amanda Hesser) August (Eric Asimov) At Nigella's Table (Nigella Lawson) The Minimalist (Mark Bittman) Burgerville (Brian Libby) All About Charoli Nuts (Dana Bowen) Bits And Pieces (Florence Fabricant) Pascal v. Michelin (Elaine Sciolino) Wines of The Times (Eric Asimov) Sidebar: If you navigate your web browser to the NYTimes Dining In/Dining Out web page, you can hear an online audio presentation given by Eric Asimov, Florence Fabricant, Amanda Hesser and Tarcisio Costa (wine director at Alfama) on a selection of albariño wines from both Spain and Portugal. Click on the box marked "Albariños: Light and Breezy" to begin the presentation. Pastry Chef Of The People (Marian Burros) Pairings (Florence Fabricant) Letters Corrections Recipes in Wednesday's section: 1. Mushroom Soup With Wine 2. Crepes Belle-Hélène 3. Pork With Orange Sauce 4. New England Clam Chowder 5. Smoked Mashed Potatoes

Well, there was a lot of discussion with respect to Ms. Burros' performance when she was the interim critic...including a certain downgrade of a certain restaurant by a certain "celebrity" chef who shall go nameless here. I'm sure that when Mr. Bruni gets up to speed, we'll train our sights on him. Until then...all's fair in love, war and restaurant reviewing. Soba

Hm, well let's see: If you define "informed and credible" as pertaining to knowledge and background, let's see where Amanda stands, eh? How about a few gems, then: So much for knowledge and background, eh? If you're going to be writing about a restaurant that markets itself towards a certain level of cuisine, has all of the trappings of that level of cuisine that one would associate with a restaurant of that calibre, don't you think your writing should be informed enough to be able to critique that restaurant irrespective of your own personal preferences? I mean, really. That's not asking a lot here. Ok, let's examine her performance as a restaurant reviewer in the past: (although in Amanda's defense, she claims she was critiquing what Emeril offers to the general public, not Emeril's cooking in his restaurants per se.) So much for her experience as a restaurant reviewer for the Times, which should be illuminative when you consider that she is now the interim reviewer for the Times. She may have the appropriate skill set as you say, but was she the right person for the position of interim critic given the above? And who exactly is Amanda writing for: Amanda? The Generation X-set? The Times readership? Who? I can't quite determine. Soba

Interesting that you left out the rest of my quotation. I said: She is informed and she is credible as a food writer, but not, imo, with respect to her performance as interim critic of the Times. A one star review for Asiate is a "stylistic problem"? An evaluation of Spice Market that wasn't even in the league of "fair and accurate", at least according to several reports here on eGullet, is not a "substantive" criticism? I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to get at here. As for her writing STYLE, well that is a whole other topic and one I have made clear my position on earlier in this thread. I have no problems with Amanda the food writer and Amanda the reporter. (Actually, I'm probably one of the few on this site who enjoyed the Mr. Latte series.) She has many strengths as we've noted. Perhaps uninformed and not credible is too harsh, I'll give you that. My problem with Amanda the restaurant reviewer is that while she views the job as an opportunity to expand, to develop and grow as a writer, I feel that the position is suitable more towards a writer who's been around for quite some time, with the appropriate skill set and who's aware of the proper gravitas/influence that the critic of one of the most influential papers in the country can have. I think Amanda doesn't possess that view, and it's reflective in her reviews. Mr. Bruni has a difficult path ahead of him made all the more difficult by Amanda's performance thus far. Soba

To be perfectly fair, we might cut Amanda some slack if her writing with respect to her performance as interim critic were informed and credible. Unfortunately, one can't help but note that in the short time that she has been the interim critic, these two qualities, essential to any restaurant review, are sorely lacking. Fwiw, imo, we care less about how our chopsticks find their way to those delectable morsels than about a fair and accurate assessment of how a particular restaurant performs at a given level of cuisine on any day of the week. If we wanted name dropping and star power, why there's always Page Six. Growth and development are fine for any writer at any stage of one's writing career. However, once you're on the main stage in the pages of the New York Times dining in/dining out section, one would expect that the critic -- even an interim critic -- would be able to find his or her way among the glare of the floodlights without too many stumbles. Soba

Unfortunately Drew -- is it ok if we call you Drew? -- once you're on the Internet, it's Memorex forever. Just a piece of advice, mind you. Soba

Not sure, actually. Belut varies from egg to egg of course. Usually it's an intense gamy flavor. If you're lucky you might even get proto-feathers. Click here for more belut adventures. (Not for the gulletarily squeamish.) Soba

I loved the scene where the intern got the riot act read to him. Pity it wasn't more of a scene though. Soba

Welcome to eGullet, amytraverso. A little bit of context perhaps: Amanda is the interim restaurant reviewer for the NYTimes, and as such, her performance has been -- according to more than a few members -- less than adequate as befits the main restaurant reviewer for one of the most prominent newspapers in the country. Taken by itself, the reaction to the review of Spice Market might not be as justified, if one does not take into account her reviews of (*cough*) Asiate and Hearth, among others. It's less a question of "are Hesser's reviews spot on and accurate with respect to the restaurant in question", subjectivity and personal taste notwithstanding, than "are Hesser's reviews trustworthy, are they informed, and would the general public be able to place as much trust in the voice of the Times critic as they would have been able to, say ten to fifteen years ago". Soba

Just a nitpick, Sam... It's Filipino food. Kare-kare is supposed to be that way, actually. I've had the version at Elvie's, which is as close to homemade as could be conceivable in a restaurant setting. Their bagoong side isn't to my preference -- I like it crumbly and dry with chopped raw garlic mixed in. I rate Elvie's version a 7 compared to the one my mom makes though. Belut (duck embryo) is an acquired taste, so I've heard. I've never had it; my family isn't a fan of it. More power to y'all if you do. Anything called "paksiw" is usually a stew in some type of vinegary or sour sauce. Kind of like adobo/adobong but not really. Wish I'd been with y'all. You should have tried their dinuguan (beef, pork, beef and pork offal stew with a sauce of vinegar, chiles and pig's blood ). It's pretty ace. Soba

dinner tonight (Sunday): chicken soup a tuna sandwich water a banana ps. It's 11:22 pm and I'm still in the office!!! Soba

Whole Foods, Meet Your [Japanese] Match (Elizabeth Andoh) (from the NYTimes DIGEST update for the weekend of 23 April to 25 April 2004. Scroll down for the appropriate link.) I thought Whole Foods at TWC here in New York was a bit ridiculous but apparently, as the saying goes, there are bigger fish out there... Soba

Wine Under $20 (Howard G. Goldberg) (from the NYTimes DIGEST update for the weekend of 23 April to 25 April 2004. Scroll down for the appropriate link.) Soba

NYTimes Weekend Update Friday, 23 April 2004 -- Sunday, 25 April 2004 A. Dining In/Dining Out Section and the Sunday Magazine Sons Of Jewel Bako (Michael Boodro) Recipes: in today's issue: 1. Oysters Rockefeller Deconstructed 2. English Pea Soup Sidebar: If you navigate your web browser to the article's web page, you can hear an audio online presentation given by Jack Lamb, (co-owner along with his wife Grace Lamb, of Jewel Bako, Degustation and Jack's Oyster Bar) on the development of their restaurants in the East Village. Click on the box entitled "Meet The Lambs: A Downtown Dining Tour" to begin the presentation. Restaurants: Arbor Day In New York Mas (Sam Sifton) Click here to discuss the article or contribute your experiences. Long Island Vines (Howard G. Goldberg) Sidebar: Wine Under $20 (Howard G. Goldberg) B. Travel Whole Foods, Meet Your [Japanese] Match (Elizabeth Andoh) Destinations: Sydney, Australia (Jane Perlez) C. Elsewhere in this weekend's Times... When Bud Drinkers Go For Beaujolais (Amy Cortese) Just Say No....To U.S. Asparagus (Timothy Egan) An $80 Million Public Health Improvement (Associated Press) So What Was The Big Deal About The Smoking Ban, Anyway? (Richard Perez-Pena) Click here for related discussion regarding this article. Beer vs. The South Beach Diet (Donald G. McNeil, Jr.) Kitchen Designer Of The Stars (David Colman) The Spring 2004 Collection (William L. Hamilton) Recipes in today's article: 1. Citron Lemonade 2. Passionfruit Mojito Heir To The Throne (William L. Hamilton) When Local Means Global: Greenmarket Gone Astray (Nina Planck) Click here to discuss the article. Have a good week, folks. Soba

You know, for some reason I thought you lived in either England or France. Or maybe someplace on the West Coast. Must be your avatar. heheh. Good to know you're local. I've only been to Fire Island once. It was a weekend of cooking food brought over from NYC -- along with locally grown tomatoes and peppers. My boyfriend at the time had a vegetable garden in his bungalow in Cherry Grove. Soba

Could you please post a bit of an introduction -- to those of us who are joining you for the first time? May the Schwartz be with you. Soba