SobaAddict70
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Posts posted by SobaAddict70
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so who wants to go next?
Beans? Maggie? Dave? Bergerka?
Thanks, Sam, for giving us a window into your world. May you and your ferrets dine happily ever after.
Next victim...er, blogger!
Soba
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NYTimes Dining In/Dining Out Section
But the mantra of the environmentalists — to think globally and buy locally — applies to fish as much as it does to anything else. No factory trawler the length of a football field takes to the sea to haul bluefish or fluke by the ton, as happens with some catches in international waters.Global Fish, Local Fish (Florence Fabricant)
For winemakers, though, what's happened already has bordered on the miraculous. In the hilly vineyards of Piedmont, Barolo and Barbaresco, producers reserve their best south-facing slopes — the ones where the snow melts first — for nebbiolo vines, so that the grapes can absorb every last bit of sunshine in their annual battle to ripen. Each year, historically, was a roll of the dice. Maybe, just maybe, the weather would warm enough and the rains would hold off. But after a few below-average years in the early 90's, 1995 was very good, and '96 was great. So were '97 and '98, all the way through 2001. Nobody in Piedmont could recall anything like it.A Grape For All Seasons (Eric Asimov)
The front door to Candle 79 was built on a diagonal, which means it is slanted in Ms. Wendell's parlance, and she says that is no laughing matter.Vegan Ghostbusters (Alex Wichtel)
Chinese Inspiration, British Execution (Nigella Lawson)
Shavings of tuna bottarga, salty and penetrating, act as a catalyst for a salad of oranges, sliced onion and Sicilian tomatoes. Little squares of raw tuna, halibut and salmon, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, get minimal handling — a drizzling of extra virgin olive oils scented with dill.In Ms. Fada, San Domenico has a more than worthy successor to a long list of distinguished chefs. She doesn't need to live up to the restaurant. The restaurant needs to live up to her.If Only It Weren't For The Service -- Shortcomings at San Domenico (William Grimes)
The arepas are superb, with a subtle corn flavor that is amplified by the various fillings. Almost all the combinations I've tried are excellent, like reina pepiada..., a chicken-and-avocado salad that is a Venezuelan classic, and guasacaca..., a sort of Venezuelan guacamole made with avocados, lemon juice and olive oil.Caracas Arepa Bar (Eric Asimov)
A broad satisfied smile crossed Mr. White's face. The sandwiches, the exquisite pastries and the hundreds of other reasonably priced delectables in lovely arrangements in display cases and on the counters at the vast food hall were vivid proof of a point that he has been trying to impress on me for some time: If you look around, you can eat as cheaply in Tokyo as any in other major world city.$300 Melons in Tokyo (Joe Sharkey)
Best NY Wine of 2003 (Howard G. Goldberg)
Recipe: Tomato and Bread Soup
Recipes in today's section:
1. Pineapple and Molasses Spareribs
2. Ginger Semifreddo
3. Weakfish Grilled Over Basil
4. Blackfish Stewed With Corn
5. Flounder in Saor
6. Skewered Chicken Thighs in Peanut Sauce
Enjoy,
Soba
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PS. Nonstop work today, so sorry for the late appearance of today's Digest.
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oh god Kristin.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry...
Soba
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How can you not watch?
Very easy. I just don't.
Never mind that modern TV is about as interesting (to me) as watching grass grow. That's another topic for another board though...
Soba
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So maybe organizing the pantry is a first step, because once you have everything down pat, then it'll be hard to go wrong in that direction. (Sounds like a project. Wish I could help.)
Soba
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Ice cream in most any form.
Haagen-Dasz and Godiva ice creams are two of my favorite brands.
Soba
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Several items:
Congee with white pepper, minced scallions, sesame oil. Really simple when all it is is rice, water, a pinch of salt and those three ingredients.
Pasta with chopped tomatoes, herbed fried bread crumbs, minced Italian parsley, EVOO, salt and pepper. Take out the bread crumbs and its even simpler. Ripe tomatoes are best (but then I'm preaching to the choir.
) Bread crumbs are basically crumbs from a slightly stale loaf of Italian bread, minced garlic, 1 oil packed anchovy fillet, minced Italian parsley and EVOO. (Make crumbs, brown garlic in EVOO, add anchovy; mash anchovy till it disintegrates, add crumbs, stir to coat but do not let crumbs absorb oil, add parsley; fry for 30 seconds, and remove from heat. Makes a great substitute for those times when adding cheese would be a good idea.)Pasta with garlic, EVOO and herbs. Try this with garlic chives in place of the garlic.
Chinese fried rice, the way my mom makes it: leftover rice, peanut oil, minced garlic, minced scallions. Maybe on occasion, slivered Chinese sausage.
The steamed oysters at Oriental Garden (remember those, Jason?): oysters topped with black bean sauce, minced scallions and ginger.
Well made miso shiru. This can be absolutely divine when made properly. Clean, pristine balance of flavors.
Hiyyayako tofu. Cubes of silken tofu, topped with slivered or minced scallions, bonito flakes and/or grated daikon radish. I once made a version that subbed bits of bottarga for the bonito.
I could go on and on...
Soba
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A few tips:
1. Make a list of everything that you have in stock, and a list of everything that needs to be bought. This way you can't go wrong in at least one respect -- getting the ingredients you need to ensure that what you're preparing doesn't get lost in the shuffle because someone forgot to get the garlic (or whatever).
2. Prepare, subject to your time availability and keeping in mind the freshness factor, as much as possible in advance. This way, you won't screw up due to time constraints because you will have things on hand at your fingertips whenever you need them.
3. I would imagine Mr. Hjshorter can lend a hand as far as #1 or #2 is concerned, if things are in a pinch.
And then, there is always takeout.
I frequently do (menu planning at home, that is), but then again, I'm single with no dependents and too much time on my hands...when I'm not working.
Soba
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My roommate has his TV turned on to NBC and I happened to walk into the living room just now.
I can't believe the amount of whining that goes on on this show. (And this is just from a 10 minute glimpse, folks, me having never seen it at all.)
And you guys managed to watch an entire hour, over several episodes? You're all made of sterner stuff than I am.
Soba
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I think Fusha must be losing money on some of their selections. For instance, they offer a toro scallion maki roll for $7. Now, there might be different kinds of toro, but where I usually have it, expect to pay at least $10 or $15 for a piece of toro sashimi or sushi.
Getting back to their chirashe-zushi, it was a pretty large container. The radish pickles were carved into the shape of roses, the wasabi was a small-ish ball of paste, and we're talking at most, one or two slices of fish. Generous serving of ikura.
And this was had for less than $16, which is damn good for the amount of fish at that price.
Soba
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Does it matter if, for the purposes of making a mirepoix, if the veggies are all cut the same size? Just wondering.
Soba
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For the uninitiated, chirashi sushi is usually a mix of raw fish on a bed of seasoned rice.
Tonight's dinner is chirashi sushi from a pan-Asian restaurant in midtown Manhattan called Fusha. I've had lots of chirashi from other places, but I think Fusha's version is one of the definitive versions. Most chirashi ranges from a boring mix of fish to mediocre selections -- tuna, salmon, yellowtail, octopus and mackerel being the mainstays. Fusha's selection included all of the above, along with striped bass, tamago omelet, unagi, salmon skin, ikura, shrimp, spanish mackerel, squid, fluke, nori tempura, radish pickles, lemon slices and toasted sesame seeds, along with the obligatory wasabi and pickled ginger.
Had any lately? What's in your favorite?
Soba
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DIGEST: NYTimes Weekend Report
Adventurous palates will jump for innovations like plantain and goat cheese pancakes, the side dish that comes with tamarind-glazed sirloin steak, or chicken and squash blossom enchiladas in pumpkin-seed sauce.Mexican cuisine for the new century at Sueños (William Grimes)
The cocktail is as basic as a bet: liquor and soda, tequila and Mexican Squirt, which is a grapefruit soda. Squirt is a sweeter, tarter version of citrus sodas like Fresca.The pousada's caprese salad, tangy with sun-dried tomato pesto, became a favorite: served with a basket of focaccia and olive bread, it almost made a meal.Destination: Rio's Riviera (Susan Stellin)
James Beard served figs alongside crisp bacon, and in Eric Ripert's latest cookbook, ''A Return to Cooking,'' there's a recipe for figs wrapped in bacon and baked and accompanied by a shallot confit. Inspired by two different Jeremiah Tower recipes, I made a relish out of the figs I toted home from George's trees and served it with some thick pan-fried pork chops.Recipes:
1. Fig and Almond Tart
2. Fig Relish
3. Judy Reed's Fig Preserves
Have a good week folks,
Soba
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There's nothing stopping anyone from making their own tomato paste.
Of course, of course.
Soba
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Dinner at Otto last night with pim and myself. This was my first time at Otto, btw. It's threatening to become my last.
First impressions: the waitstaff was a bit pushy -- it seemed as if they wanted to turn our table quickly. Several times our waiter would happen by and interrupt our conversation without missing a beat. I wanted to say something at the time, but thought better of it.
The acoustics are atrocious. I felt wrapped around in a wall of sound -- it was a miracle that we managed to be able to hear each other. Sound level is one of my biggest pet peeves. If I can't comfortably talk to my partner(s) without having to raise my voice to rise over the background noise, then it'll be quite some time before the restaurant sees my patronage again, if ever. On that note, the food had better rise to the occasion to improve things. Unfortunately, it only comes halfway.
For appetizers, we had testa (headcheese), and eggplant caponata, anchovies with breadcrumbs and mint, mussels with roasted peppers and caramelized onions, roasted cauliflower with olives and capers. Bread and breadsticks were also served prior to the appetizers arriving. Where does the bread come from? I'm not sure of its pedigree, but it was a bit...burnt. No butter or other fat, not even a dish of EVOO was provided.
The anchovies were too acidic to eat more than a couple of bites. I'd rank in order of preference, the eggplant, the cauliflower, followed by the mussels and the anchovies last. In particular, the caponata was a nice balance of sweet, sour and piquant. The testa was a wonderful plate of luscious fattiness that left me craving more. *sigh*
Pim ordered a pizza margherita and I had the fennel with bottarga and taleggio cheese. I sort of wish I had gone a more traditional route as I felt the "otto" style pizza seemed a bit too busy on the plate, tastewise. Or perhaps it was because I was approaching my limit, having indulged in the appetizers a bit much. Or perhaps it was due to having lowered expectations from reading this thread.
I will give Mario credit for at least having a crust that has some modicum of taste. Dessert was a split between a cantaloupe sorbet and a lemon parfait of lemon curd, lemon meringue, whipped cream, limoncello and lemon granita. (The lemon parfait was a dessert special, along with a lemon and limoncello granita.) The lemon parfait was outstanding in particular, having a layering of flavors that hit you from different angles -- first sweetness, followed by an intense tang, then creaminess from the whipped cream, then a slightly bitter-intense sourness from the limoncello and the lemon granita.
As others have said, Otto deserves high marks for the appetizers and desserts. However, I won't be back for some time to come (if ever) due to the problems noted above. It's no fun to eat out and watch the clock at the same time.
Soba
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now, I otoh don't get EGG SALAD with pickle relish.
And that's da shiznitz, folks.
Soba
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that's because y'all are talking about commercially produced crap peanut butter like Skippy and Jiffy peanut butters. Those peanut butters ARE too sweet because they have sugar as one of their listed ingredients. OTOH, a peanut butter like Smucker's All Natural, or even a peanut butter from a health food store or one that you could make yourself doesn't or wouldn't have any sugar, and would therefore solve the sweetness problem.
Me, I like pb&j using other types of jellies, jams and preserves than grape. So for me, its pb&J with pineapple-ginger marmalade, or pumpkin-walnut butter, or lime marmalade, or apple-cranberry jelly. Makes for a more interesting sandwich, eh?
And then, there is pbB&f (peanut butter, bananas and fluff) sandwiches.
Or pb, banana and melted Cheddar cheese sandwiches.
YUM!
Soba
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penne with roasted cauliflower, garlic, chopped Italian parsley, cracked black pepper and EVOO, topped with fried breadcrumbs
Evian
pound cake topped with roasted bananas, slightly sweetened Earl Grey-infused whipped cream, and chopped walnuts. (Need to tweak the recipe more. Maybe add roasted pineapple instead, and use a different flavoring agent for the cream. Maybe use creme fraiche instead. A little acid needed.)
Soba
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Anything with Mrs. Dash.
Broiled boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Big Macs.
Soba
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Ok Sam, you're next. (We've already heard from Varmint on the official "not quite ready for prime time eGullet Diet" thread.)
Impress us, why don't you?
Soba
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Sure, either way is cool with me. (The tag idea is cooler imo.)
Soba
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Skewered shrimp, lightly breaded and deep-fried, come out as crunchy and light as tempura. The dipping sauce, a thick peach compote fired up with chilies, is a simple but clever Asian-Southern combination. Even a highfalutin ingredient like foie gras can do the two-step, if you put it together with an apple fritter and a little salad of black-eyed peas.
Yankee Southern Food At Ida Mae Kitchen-N-Lounge (William Grimes)
Amon Orchards in Acme sells the most luscious cherry jam I know. "It's just lots of fresh, mature fruit," the owner, David Amon, told me, "with as little pectin and Michigan beet sugar as possible, cooked fast and hot to retain flavor, in five-gallon batches." Worried that dietary concerns will put people off cherry pie, Mr. Amon has been looking for ways to "take away the goo." Among the improbable results: cherry mustard and cherry barbecue sauce.Midwestern Tables and Cherry Country (R.W. Apple, Jr.)
"I wish they would take out that godforsaken frisée," said Mitchel London, the resident chef at the produce giant Fairway, when asked what goes into the mesclun salad he offers on the lunchtime menu at the Fairway Cafe. (The frisée won't budge, however: customers want it. The store's produce manager, Peter Romano, said Fairway sells a ton and a half of mesclun every week at its three locations and the restaurant.)Notoriously Trendy Salad Greens (Julia Moskin)
If consumers applied the findings to the environmental agency's 1999 guidelines, they might be wary of eating farmed salmon more than once a month. Farmed salmon accounts for 60 percent of the salmon consumed in the United States. The E.P.A. standards, which are far stricter than those used by the food and drug agency, are used by states to issue weekly consumption advisories for recreational fishing.Surgeon's General Warning: This Farmed Salmon Could Potentially Kill You (Marian Burros)
He gently pulled at the fish with his tongs. It was done, and furthermore did not stick, and he placed the fillets in the pan. Then he squeezed the lemon over the whole and swirled the mixture around. Added the parsley. And moved the whole business over the center of the fire. "We'll just let that all mingle for a moment and get hot," he said, and walked to the kitchen as if to his dugout, smiling a little.The Chef: Chris Schlesinger (Sam Sifton)
Grapefruit, luckily, is available year round, since it makes one of the restaurant's most popular soups: a thin gelée of pink grapefruit laced with orange blossom water, lavender and honey, topped with a cloud of fromage blanc and candied lavender.A Menage A Trois of Fruit Soups At Atelier (Diane Weintraub Pohl)
Green Table could offer no better advertisement for its catering business than its superb mezze plate..., which would make perfect bites for any cocktail reception. One night it included tiny cubes of apples, beets and ginger, cool and refreshing on an endive leaf; a dollop of rich foie gras perched on a juicy, acidic apple slice; a tantalizing brioche crouton topped with North American caviar and crème fraîche; and a savory little spanakopita.A Good Excuse to Visit Chelsea Market: Green Table (Eric Asimov)
Off the Menu: ChikaLicious, New Openings, and Hue (pronounced "whey") (Florence Fabricant)
Recipes:
1. Grilled Bluefish With Chourico and Clams
2. Pasta With Mint and Parmesan
A bit short on the recipes, eh?
Soba
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I haven't seen a single minute of Rocco's and I doubt I ever will.
Besides, why bother when I can live vicariously through this thread? This thread is way more interesting than Fear Factor: The Restaurant.
Soba
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the first thing I thought when I saw this topic was
"good god, cheesecake fried in a deep fat fryer full of oil used to deep fry fish cakes'
lord knows why I thought that but it seemed like another case of deep fried snickers bars gone awry.
thank goodness the reality has no bearing whatsoever on the fantasy.
Soba
"The Restaurant" Reality Show Season 1
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
Grimes gave two stars to San Domenico because of the lapses in service that he found while dining out there on many occasions.
He mentions the service lapses in at least two places in his review.
Clickety for the review -- scroll down for the relevant link.
Soba