SobaAddict70

my rule: If I am cooking for myself, I'll use anything I damn well please. I'm not out to impress anyone, and sometimes convenience really does matter. On the other hand, if I'm entertaining, then Mrs. Dash and her siblings, College Inn and Patak's go into the skeleton closet where they belong. ...until it's time to take them out again. Cheers, Soba

Monday: tomato confit (this was served as an appetizer, along with some torn basil leaves and sliced fresh mozzarella) penne with tomato oil (from the confit), sauteed garlic, oil packed Italian tuna, Gaeta olives, and chopped Italian parsley. This was topped with some fried breadcrumbs. Evian. macerated strawberries over mascarpone. (Slice and hull strawberries, toss with sugar, add a splash of cassis and macerate for about 20 minutes to half an hour. spoon over ice cream or mascarpone cheese, in wine goblets or dessert bowls. also good with poundcake, shortbread or biscuits, along with unsweetened whipped cream.) Soba

In the summer when tomatoes are in season and can be had for less than the price of supermarket hothouses, greenmarket varieties are what I try to get. These will go into pasta sauces, bruschetta, salads and confit. The rest of the time I make do without them, or if I really need to, then Pomi tomatoes come to the rescue. Soba

I'm single and live with a roommate. We're essentially both kids who are trapped in 30-something bodies. Our apartment usually looks like a slightly messy dorm room. (When I'm entertaining, which is infrequent, things are much neater.) We eat anywhere, either on the futon in the living room, at the table, or sometimes in our bedrooms. (I think eating in my bedroom is a direct response to my childhood when such a rule was forbidden. ) I'm not much of a tv watcher...I mean I'll watch it if its in front of me but its something I could live without very easily. Soba

If you mean, do they add anything to the appetizer, well yes. By themselves, I'm not sure. Soba

Why not? I regularly use substandard ingredients all the time and I even post about them. In the end, only you know what went into your dinner, and its like no one on eglutton's gonna know about it unless you choose to expose yourself. Um, Mrs. Dash, EVOO and skinless boneless chicken breasts? I think people are still getting over that one. Soba

NY Times article regarding sea beans Soba

Just my opinion btw. There is simply NO comparison between Craft and Craftbar. Go to Craft -- you'll be glad you did. Craftbar is pretty much a bar that happens to serve food from Craft. Soba

Jonathan Reynolds' view of ''Les Nouvelles Meres Cuisinieres" at Le Bernardin Recipes: 1. Ariane Daguin's French Kisses and Gascogne Sushi 2. Classic Duck Foie Terrine 3. Caroline Rostang's Warm Truffle Sandwich Cheers, Soba

New York City. Anything that doesn't involve alcohol. Take a look at the Dinner thread and you'll see that things range from Edensoy soy milk to oolong tea to apple cider to Evian (or insert your favorite mineral or sparkling water here). I will imbibe alcohol on occasion (like maybe three times a year), and then only a thimble-sized glass or sip. It's not that I don't like wine or beer, its just that I can't metabolize alcohol properly. Soba

Inspired by Jinmyo's return of gyozilla menu on the Dinner thread, I've decided to try my hand at making potstickers sometime over the next week or weekend. I have a recipe for five onion dumplings with a shoyu-mirin dipping sauce from an old Natural Health magazine article that I saved over the years. It calls for, among other things, a dough made from rice flour and sesame oil. I'm not sure whether it will work, so I was hoping people could mention a couple of their favorite recipes or processes when making potstickers or Asian dumplings. Or should I go for the store-bought premade dumpling wrapper route? I want thin wrapper skins but sturdy enough to hold the contents within without falling apart. Ok, discuss away... Soba

Friday: the soppressata turned out really well. I think the fact that I went overboard and let things sit in the refrig an hour or two more than normal had a lot to do with it. took me two or three tries getting the damned block out of the pan though, I ended up whacking the pan on the counter. Sliced thinly and served with shaved fennel, EVOO and lemon juice. Made for a great appetizer. Think I'll have some with pasta tonight. penne, with pureed roasted cauliflower, EVOO, sauteed garlic and anchovies, Italian parsley Evian raisin biscotti, vanilla ice cream ---------- Saturday: dinner at Craft. Read all about our hijinks on the NYC board. --------- Sunday: was supposed to do dinner at China 46, but had a domestic crisis at home. congee, topped with minced pork stir-fried with fermented black beans, minced ginger and scallions. jasmine tea seedless green grapes Soba

Saturday evening, Jason, Rachel, Bond Girl and myself had dinner at Craft. We had a 5:30 pm reservation and didn't get out until close to 9:30. It was my first experience at Craft, but not my first experience with Tom Colicchio's cooking. (I had a less than thrilling time at Gramercy Tavern in 2002, but that's another thread. ) Quite simply, Craft blew me away, and I *will* be back on many more occasions, just to get a taste of everything else on the menu that I missed the first time around. As this is Monday and we didn't take notes, my memory might be a little hazy, so here goes: Apps: salmon belly: EVOO, sea beans, sea salt foie gras terrine: fig mostarda, citrus zest mostarda, brioche quail: with rosemary and herbs, balsamic reduction Kumamoto oysters: mignonette, lemons baby beet salad: golden and other beets (unsure about accompaniament) Mains: Kobe steak (unsure about accompaniament) Ruby shrimp (guys? can you post a clarification?) Monkfish: tomatoes, olives, fish broth Sturgeon Baby carrots, tossed in butter and herbs roasted Jerusalem artichokes sauteed lamb's quarters morel mushrooms, sauteed in butter (I think this was one of the outstanding dishes we had; it oozed butter, but in a good way) polenta (if I had a criticism, this was it, as I like a more solid and less soupy polenta) gnocchi sugar snap peas (I know I'm missing at least a few other apps and entrees) Dessert: chocolate souffle sorbet and ice cream sampler -- licorice, buttermilk, black mint, and caramel ice creams; strawberry/lime sorbet and grapefruit prosecco sorbet. (Buttermilk was a nice mix of tang and sweet; black mint was overwhelmingly minty, very clean tasting and refreshing; licorice seemed like an afterthought, with just a faint licorice flavor; strawberry/lime seemed like a nice combination although there seemed to be a more pronounced lime-ish flavor but that could be my imagination; grapefruit-prosecco didn't really resonate with me at all.) petits fours Jason can fill you in on what wines were ordered (Rachel and I stuck to water.) A dazzling experience. I think they just gained a new customer. Cheers, Soba

William Grimes goes to town at The Steakhouse at Fairway Cheers, Soba

Different people place different meanings on "value", unfortunately. One of the ways the chains lure people in and make them suck up to their concept of value is by making it seem that you're getting your money's worth by perpetuating the concept of "bigger is better". Well, yeah, that's sometimes the case, but not, for instance in a salad bowl with lackluster wedges of iceberg lettuce and tasteless cherry tomatoes as opposed to a good mix of flavorful spring lettuces and in-season, ripe, juicy tomatoes. The chains are able to get away with it because they try to go for the next to lowest possible common denominator (foodwise) without making it seem too obvious, and then tuning up their marketing and public relations people to package things in a way that makes it seem like you're getting your wallet's weight in gold. I'm not sure what you can do to convert people who define value in purely economic terms as opposed to a mix of economic and aesthetic terms over to your side. I suppose one way you can do it is to introduce them, slowly but surely, to the finer points of eating and cooking. It might take months, sometimes years, but hopefully, eventually, you'll win out in the end. But then again, you might be a more patient person than I. I'm also unsure if the surge in chain restaurants is a reaction to a nation of individuals who don't know how to cook, or for whom, cooking is an exercise in tedium, or perhaps, cooking is a thing to do -- not an act that one finds enjoyment or pleasure in doing. If that's the case, then we're on a worrisome path, eh? Cheers, Soba

My problem with chain restaurants is that people often tend to equate them with "fancy" or "high end" places. They become exposed to the danger of being unadventurous or having lowered expecations by virtue of patronizing these places to the extent that they do. If the highest form of cuisine that you know of is Olive Garden's best, how will you react to a place like Jean-Georges or March? Its possible to have chains that serve praiseworthy food (HoJo in the early 60s and 70s), but not in this day and age, where downsizing and costcutting are the mantras of the moment. Soba

At least once a week, if I'm not working tons of overtime. My confession: I'd go to Jewel Bako for the rest of my adult life if I could. Oh well, reality bites. Soba

Thursday evening: very simple supper, and also was consumed with making an octopus soppresseta for tomorrow pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato soup -- EVOO, leeks, onion, garlic, white wine, basil, tomatoes, water, stale bread, salt and pepper, Parm-Reg) green salad w/lemon juice and EVOO Evian leftover vanilla polenta, this time with mascarpone and pineapple/ginger preserves I had to scrounge around the house to find something heavy enough to weigh down a couple of pans so that the soppressata would come out right. Time will tell if things are ok tomorrow. I hear boiled octopus is a good substitute for a volleyball. Soba

Tuesday: cremini mushroom salad (cremini mushrooms, arugula, endive, Parm-Reg, EVOO, lemon juice, salt and pepper, fresh oregano, Italian parsley) pan-seared dilled salmon, with chickpeas and scallions socca Evian sweet risotto with mango, roasted pineapple and mascarpone ---------- last night: Pasta with tomatoes, thyme and pecorino pan-seared pepper-crusted tuna steak roasted vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers), tossed with frisee (EVOO, salt, white pepper) Evian vanilla polenta with mascarpone Cheers, Soba ps. clearly I belong in the dessert camp. I'm on a "can I make it into a dessert" trip though.

Mississippi Chinese fusion in the American South (Joan Nathan) Sons of Wal-Mart: Chain Restaurants in New York City (Marian Burros) Kitchen gadgets that Inspector Gadget would be proud of (Amanda Hesser) FreshDirect vs. Fairway (Florence Fabricant) The Chef: Suzanne Goin (Amanda Hesser) Restaurant Review: Bolo (William Grimes) Restaurant Review: Khao Sarn (Eric Asimov) Wine Talk (Frank J. Prial) The Minimalist (Mark Bittman) Bits and Pieces: Middle Eastern Dips, Bulgarian Beluga, Slow Food, Wine Carriers and The Mixing Bowl Off the Menu (Florence Fabricant) Letters Recipes: 1. Hoisin Roasted Chicken 2. Stir-Fried Collard Greens 3. Crayfish Cantonese 4. Grilled or Pan-Grilled Steak with Chipotle, Bacon and Tomatoes 5. Orechiette Carbonara with Peas 6. Lemon Cake 7. Potato Salad with Shaved Ricotta and Green Sauce 8. Anise Cookies Cheers, Soba

now? stuffed cabbage, kasha varnishkes, pierogies and borscht!!! add a kielbasa or two, maybe some bratwurst and sauerkraut. unfortunately I work too far from Vaselka's to schlep there. Soba

Maybe its lemon flavored tuna. You know, genetically engineered with lemon genes. Soba

More precisely, it's the packaging the waters come in, not the contents themselves. Hopefully people will think things through before engaging in a boycott of Evian and Poland Spring. Soba

a coconut dosa smeared with some cashew chutney and a smidge of mango powder bedtime soon, Soba

Monday: Roasted peppers, briefly macerated in EVOO and raspberry vinegar Angel hair pasta with ricotta, caviar and a splash of vodka leftover brussel sprouts from last night, added a bit of garam masala to perk it up Pellegrino since I had a craving for gulab jamun, I got some from Amma on my way home. Amma, btw, is a neighborhood Indian restaurant located literally across the street from my apartment. I'd rate Amma about a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being top end. Soba