SobaAddict70

And don't forget the gremolata. Finely chopped parsely (either curly or Italian flat-leaf is ok) Finely minced garlic Finely chopped lemon zest Toss together. The mixture should be 1:1:1, but you can vary the proportions to your taste. Top each serving with a sprinkle of gremolata, passing the remainder at the table. SA

Lunch at our Marriott cafeteria on Friday was actually pretty good: braised short ribs with tomatoes, herbs and red wine; orzo cooked in roasted vegetable stock, and zucchini/tomato gratin. (Yes, they produce some winners on occasion. Don't tell them I said so. ) Absolutely delectable. Mmmm--mmm-mmm. It got me to thinking that I might do that either tomorrow night or more likely dinner during the week. However, I don't have any ideas besides what's in my cookbooks, as this is not an item I prepare very often. I was thinking along the lines of what I usually do for lamb shanks -- brown first, mirepoix in butter and EVOO, add browned bits, deglaze with wine (or maybe beer), add stock, return ribs to pot and braise, etc. But there has to be something more interesting than that -- not that this is boring mind you. It's not jazzy enough I guess. So any ideas out there? And what do you do usually? Discuss. SA ediot: dinner during the WEEK, not the weekend.

GACK brings back memories of Stouffer's... SA

I'm still trying to parse the meaning of the word "is". You can take it either way...all I will say is that he's (in)famous for having a certain....style. SA

I thought the review read well and seemed consistent with experiences as posted here. However, I thought that last sentence was a little ambiguous. (Grimes has a certain reputation which may or may not be undeserved. The sentence only serves to reinforce his reputation in my opinion -- it could have been worded differently or struck entirely. Oh well, I guess the full review will tell.) SA

Grimes' mini review of Otto in today's NYTimes Not sure what to make of that last sentence -- vintage Grimes in any event. SA

But a ripe aged Stilton or perfect piece of Camembert isn't? There's not much you can do with cheese except to serve it plain or paired with a complimentary wine, or perhaps even with a chutney/spread/fruit/nuts/appropriate garnish, and by the standards expounded here, a simple piece of cheese would be appropriate in a nice restaurant -- but isn't complex in the same way that a white peach napoleon with peach sorbet and caramelized peaches and white pepper is. My two cents. I'll go back to the peanut gallery now. SA

I don't have a grill at home, so would broiling be an acceptable alternative? hopefully... thx all, SA

And of course there was the food article in last Sunday's NYTimes Magazine: Black Cod in a Salt Crust with Green Tea, served with Matcha Almonds... SA

Does anyone know of a place in Manhattan whereby one can pick up fresh uncooked sausages? I'm looking for garlic-heavy pork sausages in particular. Italian or Spanish style if possible. thx, SA

What Margaret said. SA

I've heard so much about these things, and how difficult they are to make, etc. Why? And what do they taste like? Are they any good? Where can one get decent versions of them? I understand there are different versions depending on the country of origin. (I also understand that the original version comes from Puerto Rico...altho that may not be true.) Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? SA

Liza, does the finished product look like regular foie gras? I've only had it once, and that was a couple of years ago, as the first course at Sugiyama's omakase. There, it appeared as a small, beige-colored tofu-like substance and was served with a wooden spoon. I think I took a bite and exclaimed, "WOW". SA

When I was a kid living in the Philippines, I was notorious for having a tendency to "ba-bad". (No English translation equivalent, but I would just sit there with a mouthful of porridge or rice and take an inordinately long time to swallow. This usually resulted in me with a plate of half-eaten food in pretty much the same situation as muon, but for different reasons. I think somewhere along the way I picked up an unreasonable fear of choking, which is why I developed that habit.) Obviously I grew out of that habit. Along the way, I hated: garlic, spicy food, peanut butter, Big Macs (I had a bad experience once where I pretty much vomited after having one), sukiyaki (it was the raw egg thing that got to me) and stinky food (cheese, natto, etc.) I've grown out of all of those dislikes, except for the last part. You haven't had stinky food until you've been exposed to durian. Nope, not even cabrales (the cheese, not the poster ) can hold a candle to a crate full of durian. ( ) SA

If it were a first visit to a restaurant I'd never been to before, then the critic stays out of sight. (It only pops up if something goes horrendously awry, or if the meal exceeds most or all of my expectations.) If it were a visit on most any other occasion (dates don't count), then the critic becomes my silent partner. Sometimes a piece of uni is just a piece of uni. SA

Do they have to be berries? (Maybe lingonberries, but I don't think they'd work with bananas.) Maybe a coffee sabayon to go along with the roasted bananas, Kahlua, whipped cream and chopped honey glazed walnuts. Try spiking the whipped cream with a little powdered cardamom, and partially soaking the pound cake in cognac. (Yes, this is an untraditional trifle, but you did ask for creativity...) SA

Try banana liqueur in place of Madeira, roasted bananas with a splash of light rum, and a sabayon with crystallized ginger. Garnish with oven-dried banana chips. SA

that depends on either the restaurant or my mood. usually either soba or ramen noodle dishes, or tofu. (Hiyayakko, e.g.) I have yet to find a place that serves broiled tofu with miso paste, but I'll keep looking. SA

Perhaps DStone, but my point is that the theme of "minimizing waste" is carried to such an extreme in Japanese cuisine and culture that it even carries over to impressing young children in school not to leave anything on their plate and in a myriad number of other ways I'm sure. The theme is present in how food is presented and cooked and plated; this can't be a coincidence so I was wondering whether anyone who lived in Japan or has experience with Japanese cuisine to the extent that torakris has for example, might have noticed it. You can't really say the same about Western culture. I mean, look at how much is wasted, relatively speaking. French peasants and American colonists may have wasted very little, but I doubt their modern day counterparts give much thought over what they discard. SA

Sunday: Dinner at a seafood ramen house in the East Village with a date. Easy, cheap, filling and well worth it -- given that it must have been something like 15 degrees outside. Can't remember the name of the place, but we also had really nice gyoza with a vinegary shoyu dipping sauce. Oolong tea. Last night: Onion confit over penne, sprinkle of fried herbed bread crumbs. Salad of wilted endive and frisee, caramelized apple slices, and chopped honey toasted walnuts (dressing of walnut oil, apple cider vinegar, and dijon mustard (on a 2:1:1 ratio)). Evian. SA

Of course, this is entirely consistent with the mutation of Chinese cuisine in the United States. I mean, the cooks probably changed things to suit the tastes of their adopted homeland, so it makes sense that an egg dish with a minimum of pork changed to become a pork dish with a minimum of egg. (Plus, of course, the evolution of the dish probably had an economic underpinning -- people who prepared it may have gone from an environment where meat was scarce and their cooking methods/food preparation methods reflected this, to an environment where ingredients in general were plentiful, cooking fuel was abundant, and the population was noticeably more affluent.) That said, just how is Moo Shu supposed to be prepared? And I take it that MS Pork is the one and only original. Everything else is an abomination. (MS Shrimp, MS Chicken, MS Vegetables, MS Beef, MS Lobster...) SA

I read somewhere that one of the main factors behind the development of Japanese cuisine is the tendency for almost every single cooking style or dish to have food which can be entirely consumed with a bare minimum of waste (i.e., bones, indedible parts) so as not to leave too many things on one's plate. Perhaps someone can clarify for me: is this true, that one of the underlying themes beneath Japanese cuisine is the effort to minimize waste? In earlier times for example, people would place shrimp tails in the folds of their kimono. (Is that true?) This underlying theme seems to be entirely consistent with other topics (see the Japanese school lunch thread for example). SA

In NYC, there is a restaurant called Honmura An (located in SoHo, on Mercer Street, between Houston and Spring Streets, closer to Houston) that's reportedly famous for making its own soba in-house, every single day. Not sure if there are other comparable establishments in NYC, but at least with HA, its the most authentic that I have visited to date. HA offers several dishes involving soba, both cold and hot methods. My favorite apart from zaru soba is the one involving shredded duck meat, daikon and scallions, with a duck broth. Second place goes to daikon, scallions, ginger and tofu. HA also has what I call a "sizzling soba casserole" involving soba. Another draw is their extensive "small plate" appetizer selection, which includes among other things, ground chicken meatballs served with hot Japanese mustard and sprouts, and deep-fried tofu stuffed with ground shrimp and water chestnuts -- but their soba preparations are the big ticket for me. (Hence my e-gullet handle, btw fyi.) For the sashimi addicted, HA will serve maguro and hamachi, but their soba/udon is the thing. Also, HA was the first place that introduced me to the tradition of drinking the soba cooking water as a sort of mini-soup after I had polished off the noodles. (Basically, combine the cooking water with the leftover dipping sauce and scallions/grated daikon.) SA

I swear, stefanyb, that text keeps getting smaller and smaller and smaller....pretty soon it'll be atomic sized... SA

May I suggest using butter-flavored Crisco (unless of course this product has been discontinued)? As M says, it won't be the same as if butter were present, but at least you won't compromise too much. SA