SobaAddict70

Hm, I'd have to say Estiatorio Milos for the worst. Food and service combined. *Busboys taking plates with food on them; *We felt rushed throughout; *Orders were confused when it came time to serve. This was for a two-top. *Does it speak well for the restaurant when the only thing they do well are the mezzes? *Arctic char was bland. Roast chicken was a bit undercooked. And I'm sorry, but I don't expect scallops to contain gristle when I bite into them. Best is difficult to pick out. I'm tempted to say EMP but there are so many others to choose from. Edited to add: Falai (the restaurant, not the bakery) ties Estiatorio Milos for worst. Polenta, chicken livers, dried dates, wild mushrooms, 15 year old aceto balsamico tradizionale. This was supposed to be one of the mandatories. You could have served me cardboard bruschetta and that would have had more character. Green pea tagliatelle, fava beans, zucchini flowers, black truffles. Too much preciousness for its own good. The truffles overwhelmed everything, even the fava beans. Branzino wrapped in potato, leeks, white asparagus, huckleberry sauce. It's difficult to make asparagus flavorless but somehow, mission accomplished. This dish practically cried out for salt or acid or something. Alas, there was none to be had. They're charging midtown prices in a downtown setting. For $130, I shouldn't have to pay for mediocrity. Even the food (as blah as it was) could've been forgiven were it not for the service. *It took forever to get the check....even with the hostess and server standing not five paces to my left. *There was a slathering of attitude as if I was a rube New Yorker. I found that a tad off-putting. Be hospitable, not haughty.

Mmmhmm. This was one of the better meals I've had there. Something tells me it's time to return soon.

I agree with oakapple. If you're looking for intimacy, Little Owl isn't it. The back room near the pass at Hearth contains a number of tables that would seem to be the perfect fit for what you're looking for. Here are pix from a dinner several months ago at Hearth. By the by, this was a six course chef's tasting (not including dessert amuse and dessert) for $150. Yes there were wines. I think you can guess what my answer's going to be. Big Eye tuna, honshimejji mushrooms, capers, vitello tonnato sauce Seared scallop, hen of the woods mushrooms, parsnip puree, caviar viniagrette Sweetbreads, pickled cauliflower, shallot marmalade Lamb pappardelle, tomato concasse, picholine olives, black truffles Pork tenderloin, lentil ragout, winter root vegetables Orange flower water panna cotta, candied pistachios Apple cider doughnuts, creme fraiche sorbet, apple sauce

Here here... Roasted winter root vegetables (assorted fingerlings, brussel sprouts, red carrots, white carrots, purple carrots) with ginger-scallion viniagrette Mujadara -- lentils and rice cooked with spices and topped with fried onions. This is actually a pic I took some time ago. Last night's version used toor dal, the version in the pic had masoor dal.

I use them mostly in pasta, either salt-packed or oil-packed. If the latter, I get a large jar at Citarella that keeps for many months, refrigerated. Occasionally I'll decant into a ramekin or plastic container (like from takeout wonton soup), add the anchovies and top with enough olive oil to cover. Spaghetti with anchovies and squid Penne puttanesca Spinach fettucine with shrimp and anchovies Fusilli with caramelized onions, ramps and anchovies Conchiglie with smoked bacon and cabbage (anchovies appear in the breadcrumb topping) Fettucine with turnip greens and anchovy

La Ratte, French Fingerling, or Russian banana - those are great potato names! Do you know if they're available in the UK? Thanks for the recipe - sounds deliciously herby. ← Fingerlings from Union Square Greenmarket Top (left to right): Mixed fingerlings, Gold Nugget, Ruby Crescent Bottom (left to right): Russian Banana, Purple Peruvian, Ozette Fingerling, Ruby Crescent, La Ratte

Wow, the pork belly looks amazing. ========= Fettuccine with chorizo and mussels

We spent T-day at friends' place in downtown Manhattan. No turkey. I don't think I've had turkey on Thanksgiving for the past ten years. Not going to start anytime soon either. Smoked herring "pate" and water crackers Pickled okra Pistachios and walnuts Rancho Gordo Mayacoba and Rio Zape beans, posole, and wild rice, plus brown rice and onions caramelized in bacon fat Sautéed squid (marinated with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes) Baked delicata squash rings with butter, Rancho Gordo New Mexico chile powder, and maple sugar Green chard sautéed in duck fat Spicy mac ‘n’ cheese (1/2 pound of habanero cheddar, 1/4 pound of extra sharp, plus many other cheeses all added to the white sauce base, which began with almost a whole large onion sweated in the butter and seasoned with nutmeg, Old Bay, and dry mustard, and topped with cheese/cheese cracker crumbs) Sliced avocado and homemade pickled onion Homemade salsa verde Salsa roja/pico de gallo of canned and soft-dried tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, rice vinegar Mixed lettuce, cucumber, grape tomato, red bell pepper salad with olive oil and homemade tarragon vinegar Sachertorte from Andre’s Hungarian Chocolate cinnamon ice cream Almond butter cookies A couple of Spanish white wines whose vintages escape me Coffee and tea Pix on the blog.

Tomato salad Rotini with cauliflower, Sicilian style Don't be freaked out by the color of the cauliflower. It's supposed to be yellow. It's a variety called "cheese" cauliflower. Tastes the same though.

These were on hand as of last Saturday. So beautiful. The Green Zebras are my favorite.

I'm picking up some Gaeta olives from a local foodmart for tonight's dinner.

Recipe is on my blog. Congee is rice porridge. Proportions are 1 cup of rice to 9 cups of water or broth. I prefer water because I'm going for a neutral canvas if that makes any sense. Cook on an ultra-low heat setting for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the rice grains break down. If it gets too thick, add more water. You can make congee from raw uncooked rice or use leftover cooked rice. Some people advocate leaving the congee alone (as in don't stir, because if you do, you'll need to stir occasionally to keep it from sticking). Others, like my mom, say that if you need to add liquid, pour from near the side of the pot instead of haphazardly. I don't follow those guidelines. For this batch of congee, I added a handful of thinly sliced ginger and a dash of white pepper to the pot as the rice was cooking. I wish eGullet had software that could transmit smell via the internet because the aroma was divine! Monkfish was cubed and marinated in a mixture of soy, oyster sauce, wine and spices for two hours, then added to the congee at the last 15 minutes. Congee is a good excuse to make a variety of toppings. Besides sesame oil, soy sauce and white pepper, I like nam yu, gomasio, fried shallots, cilantro and scallions. No new dishes last night, I had leftover monkfish and potatoes. Poppyseed strudel for dessert. edit: corrected spelling

Lovely bread, isomer. Pan-roasted monkfish Crushed Adirondack blue potatoes with butter and herbs Skillet tomatoes Sort of an experiment that turned out ok. I don't think it photographed well though. I could've probably seared the fish a bit longer.

Thanks Country. Monkfish congee The best part is there's 2 quarts leftover and it freezes well.

This was from a couple months ago. Tonight will be fish congee. I have to see what's available at the market.

Breakfast for dinner Fromage blanc and chive omelette Roasted root vegetables (fingerling potatoes, red and white carrots, olive oil, sea salt) Sliced heirloom tomatoes

My bi-monthly haul at USGM today: "cheese" cauliflower brussel sprouts lemon verbena chives Italian parsley thyme kielbasa sausage from Flying Pigs Farm red potatoes blue potatoes assorted roasting potatoes (LaRatte and other fingerlings) onions from Paffenfroth fromage blanc from Jones Dairy unsalted butter from Ronnybrook heirloom tomatoes organic peppers delicata and kabocha squash Swiss chard mustard greens

Haven't been posting lately... Chorizo sausage from Flying Pigs Farm, with roasted peppers and Austrian fingerlings. White chocolate ice cream for dessert.

Not since they went full service five days a week a few months ago. Come to think of it, I need to go there soon.

Hainanese chicken rice Toppings include pickled ginger (shredded ginger, rice vinegar), chopped scallions and sesame oil It's not sexy but it's damn good.

percyn -- that's some serious food porn. it's hardcore, lol. c. sapidus -- those plantains made me sorry I didn't get any for lunch at the burrito place in our office building Autumn vegetable plate Just some odds and ends in the frigo. Wild mushrooms sauteed in butter, with garlic and herbs Roasted peppers and sweet onion Mix of heirloom tomatoes (Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Red Pear) and feta cheese Poached egg (sea salt, pink peppercorn)

Not the last day here in NYC (was yesterday but who's counting ) heirloom tomatoes purslane garlic ricotta corn fingerling potatoes (La Ratte, Austrian) herbs eggs kimchi plums peppers heirloom carrots mushrooms chorizo baby leeks tomatoes were in last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast, remainder likely tomorrow night's dinner. purslane will be in a potato salad later this week. part of the fun is figuring out what to do with the stuff.

I love all the poached egg porn. Wild mushroom and feta cheese omelette, roasted Austrian fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes For the filling: Mushrooms (I used shiitake and oyster mushrooms) sauteed in unsalted butter, minced garlic, salt and pepper, thyme. Deglaze pan with white wine. This was combined with some feta cheese.

Pasta with fresh tomato sauce (heirloom tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley) The flaky white stuff is shaved Parm-Reg cheese. One of these days I'll get a grater from BBB. Until then I've been using a vegetable peeler.

I've been meaning to try this place for the longest time.... hmm. sounds like a plan this weekend. but no pix until later next week because of issues with my internet account.