SobaAddict70

Belmont, Feel free to make anything you like. If you need direction, may I recommend doing something that's NOT a dessert, seeing as how people have suggested pies and a milkshake bar....but don't let that stop you from doing whatever you feel comfortable doing. Regards, Soba

Got a hankering for steak? Do as William Grimes did....go to Hacienda de Argentina Cheerio, Soba

Soba, do you make this or buy it? I haven't seen it before. it was homemade. the simplest recipe is 1 c. grated fresh coconut 2 or 3 chiles, seeds removed and deribbed handful (about 10 or so) mint leaves, washed and spun dry 5 coriander or curry leaves Roast coconut until light brown. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a paste forms. Or you can use a mortar and a pestle. (Me, I'm the lazy type. ) Use immediately or within 3 days. the ingredients in the chatni are limited only by your tastes, availability of ingredients and your imagination. some versions use asafoetida, some add salt and roasted peanuts, others add urad dal and tamarind. Soba

So, what do people plan on making? As for me, I'm thinking along the lines of either a) pasta, or b) a fruit soup. But these are early thoughts, and I really haven't decided what I'm going to do. I suppose a lot will be determined by whatever looks good at the market. I mean, you can only plan ahead so far in advance... Post away! Soba

Wednesday: broiled skinless boneless chicken breasts (EVOO, lime salt, cracked black pepper) roasted Italian peppers, onions and tomatoes steamed broccoli coconut chatni couscous iced green tea with honey Midnight snack: cottage cheese with a couple of slices of broiled paneer, with more coconut chatni. Soba

I get around the food dislikes by asking people in advance what they CAN'T eat or are allergic to. Very frequently, I can't serve things that most normal sane people such as eGers would be able to eat. Things like cilantro, pork, shellfish, bell peppers, eggplant, meat and jalapeno peppers to name a few things common amongst people I know. Sometimes, I'll need to prepare things with a completely vegetarian base for the veggies that might pop in at a moment's notice. Everyone gets a copy of the menu three or four days in advance of the get together, this way there are no surprises and everything is up front. Now, I know, some people can't be bothered by accommodation, but the thing is, I like to cook and I LOVE cooking for other people, not to mention I like to entertain (though if only my apartment were bigger, *sigh*), so making alternate things is not a problem for me. I will say though, that none of the people I count as friends have ever mentioned to me that they consider chicken skin to be poison. Thanks be to the food goddess. Soba Postscript: The cilantro, eggplant and jalapeno-hating friend used to loathe sushi and sashimi until I converted him to the joys of pristine, well-made sushi. I think the "all-you-can-eat" sushi palace for $20 a visit had a lot to do with it, and the fact that tuna tasted like roast beef to him. Ah well, one victory at a time.

An article that Cabrales would find pleasure in reading (Amanda Hesser) Hot Dog Wars in NYC (Alex Wichtel) Summer Cookbook Review (Florence Fabricant) All About Apricots (Kay Rentschler) Chocolate Bread Pudding -- Suzanne Goin (Amanda Hesser) Wylie Dufresne's second act at WD-50 (William Grimes) Korean Hangover Remedies (Eric Asimov) Summer Wines (Frank J. Prial) Bits and Pieces: Uruguayan Olive Oil, Ice Cream Chocolate Cups, Cheese Steak Fusion, and Plastic Tableware The Minimalist (Mark Bittman) Veal Mark-ups (Florence Fabricant) Dining at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tadashi Ono's new Chelsea spot (Florence Fabricant) Letters to the Editor Recipes: 1. Fluffy Hollandaise 2. Oeufs en Gelée 3. Îles Flottantes 4. Pan-Roasted Cod 5. Rhode Island Stuffies 6. Caramelized Chocolate Bread Pudding 7. Apricot Jam on a Whim 8. Chilled Braised Apricots With Yogurt, Honey and Pistachios 9. Grilled Meat Skewers With Bay Leaves ---------- Cheers, Soba

Monday was dinner at Republic, while hanging out with friends in Chelsea. I can barely tolerate the noise level. (The food was ok. Noodle fusion is ok by me if I don't make a habit of it.) Tuesday (tonight): pan-seared calves' liver with bacon, caramelized onions and apricot-Madeira reduction tomato, Vidalia onion and watercress salad Poland Spring Medjool dates and Brie for dessert Cheers, Soba

Just heard Signor Grimes give his weekly restaurant review on NY1. This time, he reviewed WD-50. And he gave the restaurant two stars, not three. Soba

chilled peach and buttermilk soup. (try this with white peaches, its great) champagne and kumquat soup. (sometimes serve this with a scoop of kumquat sorbet) strawberry fruit soup (when I make this, I like to serve a quenelle of sour cream or creme fraiche, although lately I've been thinking of doing a quenelle of panna cotta, not sure if that will work) Soba

Sorry for the late-comer post folks, I had a busy weekend attending to personal stuff. Soba ------------ A look at Pampano, by William Grimes The Earl of Sandwich in Post-Modern Times (Jonathan Reynolds) Recipes: 1. Po's Lamb Paillard Sandwich (Adapted from Chef Lee Mc Grath) 2. 'Ino's Roasted-Garlic-and-Arugula-Oil Panini 3. 'Ino's Tuna With Black-Olive-Pesto Panini

I live in east Midtown, a few blocks away from the United Nations. My neighborhood could probably compete with Greenwich Village for the title of Bar Hell, so you can guess what my response would be with respect towards sidewalk cafes. (For the record, I live across the street from a rather busy French restaurant with an open bar that gets pretty rowdy on most weeknights...forget about the weekend. The one consolation is that a sort of ok live jazz band sets up shop on Sundays when the weather's nice.) Soba

Poland Spring as for lunch, that was a melange of greens, sliced broiled skinless boneless chicken breasts, cauliflower and pepper salad, sliced red onions, minced parsley, EVOO, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Soba

Kate, you probably know this already so apologies if I'm saying something redundant, but try to get at least one kind of EVOO. For me, the default type is Italian, but sometimes I'll go out on a limb and get Greek (which to me, has a more full-bodied and deeper flavor profile than Italian). My preferences (in order of rank); yours and others may vary: 1. Italian 2. Greek 3. Spanish 4. Domestic American Soba

I'd like to get the ball rolling but my problem is I don't know what cut of meat bottom round is. I'm sure if I saw it in person I could get a sense of what to do with it. Soba

for pasta primavera, it doesn't matter what kind of vegetables you use as long as they're in season and fresh. plain old green beans are fine, along with zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. different veggies, different dish, same concept. (pasta, EVOO, garlic, in-season vegs) for starters, try any of the following: roasted cauliflower, cod and garlic puree, served with toast points sweet and sour cipolini onions tomato bruschetta (I like to do a variation using pureed roasted peppers and caramelized onions) roasted brussel sprouts, tossed with sauteed pancetta and red pepper flakes chilled white peach and buttermilk soup, served in wine goblets babaghanoush, taramosalata (sp) or hummus with toasted pita triangles tapenade

Saturday: sushi and eel don from a local mediocre sushi palace mango sorbet mochi (don't ask, but it wasn't as horrible as it sounds) green tea Evian ------------- Sunday: hot soba noodles topped with shredded duck, grated daikon and minced scallions (I got the duck from a Cantonese takeout palace in my neighborhood); regular (non-pink) pickled ginger on the side chilled silken tofu, topped with minced scallions, crispy shallots and hijiki gohan oshinko green tea Haagen Dasz (mint chocolate chip) for a late night snack Soba

um, I hope there aren't any all you can eat sushi places. Kind of defeats the purpose, since you're filling up on rice most of the time.... Soba

Thursday: tamago dofu (sort of like a chawan-mushi but simpler and served chilled) soba noodles with various toppings: a) wasabi paste, b) nori tempura, c) shredded plain egg omelette, d) minced shiso leavers and scallions and e) oshinko grapes set in jellied plum wine green tea Evian ----------- Friday: spicy shrimp soup with lemongrass stir-fried kale with crisp fried bacon (kale, peanut oil, garlic, bacon, oyster sauce, salt, white pepper, chicken stock) steamed rice jasmine tea bananas in coconut milk Soba

Wednesday: Carrot and red pepper soup, with creme fraiche and slow-roasted tomatoes Pan-seared halibut, with lime and jalapeno butter Fennel, mushroom and watercress salad, topped with shavings of Parm-Reg. (dressed with lemon juice, EVOO, salt, cracked black pepper) Crepes, topped with roasted apples and Calvados sauce, served alongside French vanilla ice cream. (Peel, core and slice apples into wedges; toss with unsalted butter, lemon juice and brown sugar and place into a pre-buttered baking dish; roast in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until apples are cooked through and tender. The Calvados sauce is just a reduction of apple cider with a little light brown sugar, a splash of Calvados, and a bouquet garni of cinnamon, cloves and crystallized ginger.) Lemon barley water. Soba Edit: added recipe for roasted apples.

It amazes me to no end when I go out with some of my friends and they make certain requests of their servers, knowing full well in advance what their allergies or dislikes are and yet still insist on having it THEIR way as if they can dictate to a chef or a restaurant how something should be prepared. Frequently I am tempted to retort that they'd be better off cooking themselves, but I usually bite back my tongue. For example -- one friend has a strong dislike of cilantro and jalapeno...yet digs Mexican food. Soba

Post-Modernist Wedding Cakes (Julia Moskin) White Gold in Devon and Cornwall (R.W. Apple, Jr.) Pig's Feet, Sweetbreads and Kidneys in Oregon (Anthony Bourdain) Cool Food on a Warm Day (Nigella Lawson) William Grimes takes a trip to Seoul while spending time at 36 Bar and Barbecue One of WD-50's competitors...think of Crudo as an opening movement to an extended sonata (Eric Asimov) Bits and Pieces: Gourmet Ice Cream, Chocolate Museum, Greenmarket Watercress, Spanish Aioli and Cocktail Lore (Florence Fabricant) The Minimalist: A Marriage of Sesame and Miso (Mark Bittman) Off the Menu (Florence Fabricant) The Case Against Wedding Cake (Jodi Kantor) Pairings (Amanda Hesser) Recipe: Warm Chicken Salad Wines of the Times (Frank J. Prial) Letters Recipes in today's section: 1. Tarragon Turkey 2. Dressing for turkey 3. Pasta Primavera Salad 4. Sauteed Veal Kidneys with Roasted Shallots, Madeira and Cream 5. Sweetbreads with Morels and Fava Bean Risotto 6. Broiled Cod with Sesame-Miso Sauce -------- Much speculation remains as to when Grimes will post a review of WD-50... Cheers, Soba

no, you weren't hallucinating. Pickled garlic and shallots are used extensively in other cuisines (i.e., Vietnamese), so its not as uncommon as you're thinking. Monsoon, a sort of quasi-chain Vietnamese restaurant on the UWS, used to serve pink pickled garlic cloves with their chicken bun and vegetable bun (a bun is sort of like a meat and vegetable noodle dish). Soba

Service was quite high on all counts. They were even technically correct (as in placing left and taking away from the right); as non-obtrusive as possible. Knowledgeable, helpful. (My view. The others might vary.) Soba

LOL I think that's the first time Spencer's style has brought a smile to my face. cool beans, dude. Soba