SobaAddict70

We all have to start from somewhere, K. You go, grrl! Soba

I think El Gordo said somewhere that one of the hallmarks of a two star rating is that the restaurant in question is a potential three-star but that for some inexplicable reason the reviewer chose to grant it two. The term "fine dining" as it relates to restaurants in general wildly varies depending on one's point of view of course. As it relates to restaurants in New York City, it is, in my opinion, usually taken to mean restaurants that seek to provide an experience worthy of a upper echelon two star or three/four star establishment. Soba

Edit: Merged topics. Soba

Well, a cursory look through one of my cupboards shows the following: EVOO fleur de sel Morton's table salt almond oil ginger honey vinegar three tins of oil packed anchovies two cans of Bumblebee water-packed tuna canola oil green Tabasco chipotle/mango/habanero hot sauce kosher salt light brown sugar date sugar regular Domino's granulated sugar (I keep this in a ceramic jar and have a few vanilla beans inside) regular honey eucalyptus honey mixed peppercorns 5 vacuum packs of soy milk (b/c I'm lactose intolerant, this is one of the ways I get my calcium) ground turmeric cardamom pods ground cardamom powder dried Hungarian sweet peppers (these are great in place of red pepper flakes) yellow mustard seeds black mustard seeds dried orange peel dried lemon peel crystallized ginger saffron threads Arborio rice gohan Hawaiian red rice mushroom soy mirin tamari sushi vinegar rice vinegar cider vinegar among other things. Is this extravagant? My mom would probably say so. I know people who'd say to me, "Why buy all of those spices when you can just buy a little curry powder? It'll save you $ in the long run and effort instead of grinding/toasting the spices yourself." One wannabe foodie friend I have, I can just see right now saying "what's the difference between rice? Rice is rice, a potato is a potato. Just substitute, it's not a big deal." I cook a lot, however. Some of the ingredients above are indispensible for making garam masala, which is vastly superior over that of commercial/store-bought curry powder or store-bought masalas. Other ingredients are indispensible for certain dishes (i.e., risotto, Italian food in general). Still others are things I've picked up over the course of several occasions, on a whim. I think it would be helpful to keep in mind that one person's extravagance is another person's needful thing. Soba

Well, it depends on what your definition of extravagance is. A truffle can be extravagant where white truffle oil is not. Vanilla beans can be extravagant. Foie gras lobes can be extravagant but not foie gras mousse. Aceto balsamico tradizionale instead of the fake balsamic-flavored shit that you can get at any supermarket these days. Your attitude will depend on how far you're willing to stretch your dollar or how willing you are to sacrifice quality for economics. As far as I'm concerned, some things are more essential than others like good quality EVOO, fleur de sel and freshly cracked black pepper...but cooking pasta in Italian bottled water is a bit ridiculous when plain tap will do. Soba

We must not work in the same law firm. For the record, I am a corporate finance paralegal in a large international New York-based firm. (Guess which one that is. ) Three secretaries sit next to my office -- and of those three, one is a nonstop motormouth 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I should tell you about the time she called 911 because her parents had a suspicious situation in Brooklyn. Of course, when she called 911, our building security got in on the action. This same secretary once got into a screaming match with two partners' secretaries. Life is such a bowl of cherries....or is it a box of chocolates? Hah. Soba

These are served as a sort of pre-appetizer snack at Prune, a restaurant in the East Village here in New York. They were lukewarm if memory serves. Soba

All About Breakfasts (Jonathan Reynolds) (from this weekend's NYTimes DIGEST. You may have to scroll down for the appropriate link.) Although the quote above relates to the classic English breakfast, Mr. Reynolds waxes poetic about all sorts of non-traditional breakfasts that are available options in today's society. What do you like to have for breakfast? Feel free to share any recipes as well. Soba

NYTimes Weekend Update Friday, 5 March 2004 -- Sunday, 7 March 2004 A. Dining In/Dining Out Section and the Sunday Magazine Spice Market (Sam Sifton) Click here for a discussion of Spice Market. A Selection of Restaurants: Sushi and Sashimi, Oh My! Wines of the Times (Howard G. Goldberg) All About Breakfast (Jonathan Reynolds) Recipes in today's issue: 1. New England Spider Cake 2. Soufflé Omelet 3. Poached Apricots Click here to discuss the article or contribute your recipes. The New American Revolutionary (Peggy Orenstein) Click here to discuss the article. B. Elsewhere in today's Times... The Low-Fare Airline Market Wars (Micheline Maynard) The McDee Millionaire Sweepstakes (Nat Ives) Lunch For One (N.R. Kleinfield) Delmar Epidemic: Chicken Flu (Associated Press) Congressional Oversight In Washington, D.C. (James Dao) Low Carb Literature (Penelope Green) A Chef's Apartment In The South Village (Penelope Green) Have a good week, folks. Soba

do you mean you couldn't obtain it, but knew about it. Or that you didn't "get" the concept of their trying to make won ton when one can get it so cheaply and easily practically anywhere from take-out? And..if you did have it...how was it seasoned??? Any Asian flavor at all? Mushy noodles? Nasty filling? Please dish! Yes, it was one of those ill-fated attempts at an Asian or Oriental soup. I meant that I didn't "get" the concept. My recollection was that the salt imbalance was totally out of whack so as to make it fit for the toilet. Soba

Mr. Sifton is one of the interim restaurant critics for the New York Times. The Diner's Journals are traditionally written by the main restaurant critic for the Times. It may be that Mr. Sifton is not experienced with various cuisines to the extent that William Grimes was...but that shouldn't necessarily fault him for the latest DJ. I understand your point Pan, except that time waits for no one, not even restaurant critics. It may be that the Times will have its main critic picked and in place by the time that the official review for Spice Market rolls around. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, chalk this DJ to just plain bad timing. The restaurant is not necessarily a Vongrichten operation through and through. Gray Kunz is in the kitchen, so I wouldn't necessarily dismiss the place based on your two meals at Vong (which if memory serves, was some time ago, yes?). That would be a bit like dismissing Otto out of hand just because of a couple of disappointing meals that you may have had at Po. Soba

The first point as to where it's getting its Sichuan peppercorns isn't important. It's a short piece that focuses on a specific restaurant, not a restaurant expose on forbidden imported ingredients. Likewise, the third point isn't important. Mr. Ismail learned how to make the dish, as the article says, from his Thai-Chinese grandmother. Why Mr. Ismail's own background is relevant to the dish escapes me. Finally, it must be remembered that the DJs are not considered full reviews but rather notices of an impending review down the road. Based on what's been said about Spice Market on this board and elsewhere, even if Mr. Sifton's article doesn't persuade you to dine there, I trust that the opinions of others might. However all these things said, I would agree that facts need to be checked regardless of the size of the article. Soba

As for me, I loved Campbell's alphabet soup and pepper pot soup. I could never quite get their version of wonton soup. Why?!? Progresso's lentil is definitely a good selling point. I once had a roommate who absolutely HATED tomatoes. Couldn't bring her to eat anything with tomatoes in it. (Yes, that included pizza and spaghetti sauce. ) Reason being was that when she grew up, she had endless bowls of Campbell's cream of tomato to eat. C cot = abject poverty. She's much better now, but the tomato ban is still enforced. Soba

For those of you who might be uninitiated (or perhaps living under a rock ), Campbell's and Progresso are two popular brands of canned soups that are available in the United States and possibly overseas. Campbell's is possibly the more famous of the two brands, and is mostly known for its extensive range of condensed soups. However, it has in recent years, begun to branch out onto a line of vacuum-packed jars full of pre-prepared cooked soups. Progresso is famous for its own line of chunky, non-condensed soups. By that, I mean such wonders as lentil soup and minestrone. Canned soups aren't a replacement for homemade, from scratch soups...not by a long shot....however, for many of us, they harken back to a simpler time and are the closest thing to more than a few people of comfort food. In fact, sometimes, there's really nothing better than a bowl of Campbell's cream of tomato with croutons, along with a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold winter's day. Which brand do you prefer (or do you prefer a brand that's neither of the above), and what style of soup do you like most? What uses do you have for them? Any recipes you'd like to share? Any horror stories you'd like to share? (This thread isn't necessarily about singing their praises either, for those of you who prefer the real thing. ) Soba

Spice Market (Sam Sifton) (from this weekend's NYTimes DIGEST. You may have to scroll down for the appropriate link.) Soba

This is the Filipino version of shrimp paste, otherwise known as baguong. Baguong (or bagong) is typically fermented shrimp paste, but can also contain fermented anchovies or other type of fish such as milkfish. I'm not surprised that you weren't a fan. You're supposed to use a smidge of baguong in whatever you're serving. This substance, much like patis (the Filipino version of nuoc mam) is best used as little as possible. A quantity as little as a 1/2 tsp. will flavor an entire bowl of rice. It's powerful stuff. A freshly opened jar of baguong is almost enough to send many people running for the hills, much like a slice of durian. My grandmother taught me the best way to use baguong, if you're going to use more than the usual miniscule amount: fry it in oil until the liquid has evaporated and the shrimp paste is dark brown and crumbly. Stir in as much minced raw garlic as you can stand and add a little more just to make sure. Let cool, and use as a garnish or condiment. We use this all the time to accompany kari-kari (oxtail, vegetable and peanut stew). Soba

Does Don read eGullet? heheheh Maybehe could clue US in. LOL Soba

Maybe a liter of EVOO straight from the very first pressing? Can't get more artisanal than that, heheh. Soba

I would use this with the same care that I show towards real aceto balsamico tradizionale. It's worth it for those special occasions when you need a little "oomph". That said, I'm just as happy with the usual EVOO I use for cooking and for salads. Soba

Chestnut (Eric Asimov) (from Wednesday's NYTimes DIGEST update. You may have to scroll down for the appropriate link.) Chef David Wurth, formerly of Savoy located in SoHo, offers a seasonal menu wrapped up in a neat little Brooklyn bistro package. Chestnut 271 Smith Street (Degraw Street) Telephone: (718) 243-0049 Mastercard and Visa Soba

Perhaps not, but would a potential diner want to eat in a restaurant that looked like a "cozy infirmary"? I think not. Now we both know there are plenty of holes-in-the-wall type places in New York that serve amazing food in settings that would make David Rockwell cringe. That's not Hearth of course -- but then again, a vivid description like "cozy bandages in a home that looks like an infirmary" is the last thing I want to read were I someone who was considering going to dine at Hearth based on the strength of the review alone. That the food writing wasn't bad is missing the point. Isn't the point of a restaurant review a summation of all the elements that make a restaurant worth going to? Food, service, ambiance (which includes decor)? With the review of Asiate, it wasn't about the food but rather the view. Here at Hearth, it was mostly about the food. I expect that the next review will be about the service or lack thereof. Amanda, you're a good food writer, but you still need to find your balance with respect to your restaurant criticism. Soba

Hooray! Not hooray. Being able to walk again is nice though. Soba

Babbo is a strong three star restaurant that serves meals at the bar. If it isn't three stars, it very well should be. Seems time to reinvent the star system, methinks. Soba

The trajectory of mystifying NYTimes restaurant reviews continues, and Hearth is the latest victim. It starts off promisingly with this: However, we next see this: ...followed by this: Hearth (Amanda Hesser) (from today's NYTimes DIGEST update. You may have to scroll down for the appropriate link.) Is it me, or is there a disconnect in this review? Two stars is not quite the rating I would give based on what has been said regarding Hearth on this and other threads. By the by, a friend and I have a dinner reservation there in two and a half weeks, and very much looking forward to it. Soba

NYTimes Weekly Update Wednesday, 3 March 2004 A. Dining In/Dining Out Section Hearth (Amanda Hesser) Click here to discuss the article or contribute your experiences. Mummified Tuna In Venice (R. W. Apple, Jr.) What To Serve At A Bris (Alex Wichtel) Restaurants, Restaurants Everywhere (Florence Fabricant) A Challenge For Modern Salad Palates (Kay Rentschler) At My Table (Nigella Lawson) The Minimalist (Mark Bittman) Chestnut (Eric Asimov) Click here to discuss the article or contribute your experiences. Bits And Pieces (Florence Fabricant) Wintry Delicacies At Lake Champlain (Paula Routly) Pairings (Florence Fabricant) Recipe: TAGLIOLINI WITH RADICCHIO AND SHRIMP Wines Of The Times (Eric Asimov) Sidebar: If you go to the NYTimes Dining In/Dining Out web page, you can hear an audio presentation given by Eric Asimov, Howard Horvath (wine director at Esca), Charles Scicolone (wine director at I Trulli) and Tara Q. Thomas (senior editor of Wine & Spirits magazine) on a selection of pinot grigio wines from Italy. Corrections Recipes in today's section not included above: 1. Cod Baked With Prosciutto 2. French Lentils With Garlic and Thyme 3. Smoked-Fish Risotto 4. Braised Chicken With Escarole and Sicilian Olives 5. Belgian Endive Gratin With Black Forest Ham and Green Garlic 6. Japanese Seafood and Rice B. Elsewhere in today's Times... Madison Avenue Style Kaffeeklatsch (Stuart Elliott) Soba