SobaAddict70

Are the artichokes still on the menu? I love artichokes like there's no tomorrow. Soba

Oh yes. If you don't, it'll make Suzanne's adventure with oil look like a stroll in the park on Sunday. Soba

Not to mention bland. Click here for a review of Hangawi. Soba

Me. Solves my breakfast problem in a heartbeat. And once I'm back on my feet, I'm hitting the gym like nobody's business! But if bulk shipments of clear liquid goo isn't your thing, there's always souffles. Soba

Because they like it? Because it tastes good? Gee, I dunno. I liked tripe, kidneys, liver and other "garbage"/offal long before I became a foodie. I don't need to eat them on a regular basis to prove my "foodie" badge. Do you feel the need to have gefilte fish and matzah brei on a regular basis to prove your "Jewish" badge? No, I didn't think so. Get over it, sister. Soba

I've vacillated between, love, hate, outright disgust and just plain old resignation. Welcome, fwiw. Soba

And try making it as a component for either a flan or a souffle. If it's great with hot milk, it's even better as part of a custard. Soba

Reading that web site is making me hungry. heheh. Ok, well I've had wiener schnitzel. That, I get. If y'all can recommend a good place in NYC that serves a passable version of CFS, I'm definitely in. Soba

I too, don't quite get it, and I'm not even a West Coaster. Isn't the point of steak to taste all that beefy goodness and marbled fat, and just have a meltingly beefy flavor in your mouth? Why would you want to coat it in breading and deep-fry it? I mean, steak isn't chicken. There's no crispy skin and chicken-y lickin' good to gnaw off the bones. Right? Help me out here. Soba

Who do you consider to be a major influence, if any, in your career as a food writer? Are there any food writers that especially inspired you or that you look up to? Soba

Worcestershire (sp) sauce sandwiches. Take a slice of bread, smear with butter. Or toast bread lightly, then smear with butter. Add Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder to taste. Eat. Soba

Does toast with butter and sugar count? I used to do that when I was a kid. Made my mom mad b/c I'd just use up the butter that way. But it was GOOOOOD. Haven't had that in years tho. heh Soba

Sounds like a well-publicized critique of a certain restaurant critic for a San Francisco-based paper. Said critic shall remain nameless...precisely because I can't remember what his last name is at the moment. The critique made the same exact case in point (except with respect to this critic) that Bux refers to in his post. Soba

adrober, be thankful you don't work for a law firm (yet). If I were at work, it would depend on whatever the cafeteria of horrors had. (When I was working out, I made it a mission to get my share of protein no matter what I had to sacrifice as far as taste was concerned. Then again, I'm not a picky eater.) Now that I've fractured my heel, it's whatever I want, and lunch is whenever I want it. Heel update: followup visit at St. Vincent's on 2/18. Soba

Can't help you here, but whatever you do manage to order in the end, know that I'm anticipating every delicious moment. I hear the frog's legs soup (can't remember description) is one of the more amazing things on the menu. Soba

That depends on the diner. I would think that the basis used to judge Craft would be a diametrically opposed yardstick than the basis used to judge Le Bernadin, for example. "Better" is not quite the word I would use here. Soba

Right, but how many other restaurants make the ingredient, to the extent that Craft does, the focus of their offerings? Not very many, off the top of my head. Soba

Further to my post, a sampler of reactions. --Soba Saturday dinner at Craft Vienna's dinner at Craft From Britain, With Love Craft (with pictures) Craft, Deconstructed A Review From The Other End Of The Spectrum

At Craft, the ingredient is the point. At other places, the relationship between ingredients is the point. Now, it may be that perhaps you missed the forest for the trees. That's perfectly all right, sometimes it takes more than one visit to see things in perspective. I recommend the morels (or for that matter, any of the mushrooms). Soba

So would this explain why, at the grocery store near us they keep the unsalted butter in the freezer section, and the salted butter in the refridgerator section? I imagine their turnover of salted butter is quicker. Right, because it contains no salt (which acts as a preservative), unsalted butter is more perishable than salted butter and is therefore stored in the freezer section of some markets. I should point out that any package that is labelled "sweet cream butter" may actually contain salted butter. Unsalted butter is exactly that, butter made without the addition of salt. Soba

You definitely don't want to use salted butter in place of unsalted butter. For one thing, there's the flavor profile. Although unsalted butter has a shelf life of up to three months vs. salted butter, which has a shelf life of up to five months, the salt in the latter tends to mask flavors and overpower the sweet flavor of the butter. The amount of salt varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so its not quite as simple as not adding additional salt -- you might have to ADD additional salt. Best to use unsalted butter in any event, since you'll be able to control the amount of salt added to the final product. Freshness is another factor. Salted butter tends to not be as fresh as unsalted due to its longer shelf life. As time goes on, it tends to develop "off" flavors from absorption of everything from its packaging to the contents of your refrigerator. Ultimately, whether or not your butter has oxidized (grown stale) will determine the taste of your final product. The water content is a third factor. Salted butter tends to have a markedly higher water content (which will produce a corresponding product in a sauce) than unsalted butter. HTH, Soba

Having worked at a Burger King in my past life, is it any wonder that I preferred to be BOH rather than FOH? God knows what I would've done had I been subjected to the process that project went through...only on the other side of the counter. Soba

Let's not forget his soon-to-open English pub in the West Village, whose name escapes me at the moment. It depends on what you like. Mario's restaurants are all excellent, but each has a different focus or style. I like them all. It's worth noting that in general, people who dislike Babbo love Lupa and vice versa. I'm not one of those people however. If I had to rank them, I guess my list of choice would be: Babbo Lupa Otto Esca I'm not sure where Casa Mono/Bar Jamon fits on that list, as I haven't been there yet. I suspect somewhere around Lupa territory. Otto is third only because of the sound issue. Places on the list are relative, they're all good -- each in their own way. Regards, Soba

I had to resort to endless amounts of noodle soups from our local takeout places. Worked like a charm. Also ginger tea, with lemon and honey. Boil some water, add a THICK slice or two of ginger, steep. Add lemon and honey to taste, sip. Theraflu as well. And sleep. Feel better soon! Soba

Eric, I love just about any cheese that's not strongly flavored or strong-smelling. A bad experience with a cabrales purchased from Dean and Deluca whilst at a dinner at the home of an eGulleteer has put me off from cabrales for the time being. Otoh, paneer, mozzarella and Brie are particular favorites as are most cheeses from Bobolink Dairy. Queso de blanco is a perennial favorite, especially with spiced guava jam or sliced pears. Camembert, Gruyere and Jarlsberg also share star billing. You haven't had quiche until you've done a quatre formaggio quiche, in my mind. The list goes on and on. I don't think however, that pouring a glass of port into a wheel of Stilton is going to be an experience that's on my "to do" list anytime soon. Soba