tupac17616

Finally found some guanciale! I didn't think it would be that difficult to track down in NYC, but if I had a dime for every person behind a meat counter that looked at me like an idiot when I asked for guanciale, I'd be a rich, rich man. Anyhoo, I finally have my beloved pork cheek, and the first of several meals using it had to be some good ol' Spaghetti alla Carbonara:

I suspect Sneakereater's reply above was not a smartass answer but rather his way of trying to convey how incredibly nice and accomodating the Room 4 Dessert staff is. And if so, I definitely agree with him on that account. Oh, and just fyi, on my two visits, I saw everything from hockey jerseys to suits and ties. Just wear whatever you feel like wearing. Go. Eat. Drink. Enjoy. It's a fun place.

On another random note, made it back to Kreuz in Lockhart this past weekend. The ribs and sausage were outstanding, just as I had remembered. But the prime rib. Dear God, the prime rib. The stuff dreams are made of...

Made a nice BBQ discovery last week when I was home in Texas for spring break. My brother had a competition in College Station, so during an intermission in the afternoon, what better way to kill time than drive around in search of some good food? Knowing the Bryan/College Station area is not exactly food heaven, I figured we might have our work cut out for us, but I insisted we hit the road and look for something beyond the terrible chain restaurants that seem to rule the area. Driving around randomly in Bryan, a beatiful barbecue aroma enters the car, and we know that's our signal that it's time to stop. Fargo's Pit BBQ. We order a sampler with pork spare ribs, brisket and sausage. (A couple of sides were included, too, but, ahem, there is meat to talk about...). The brisket and sausage are decent, not great, but the ribs are wonderful. Not quite as good as, say, Kreuz in Lockhart, for example, but some mighty fine ribs. Best I'd eaten in quite a while actually. So next time you're in the Bryan/College Station area, fear not, lovers of good 'cue. Sometimes all you have to do is follow your nose to the good stuff.

Seeking a way to kind of celebrate the end of the first half of a difficult semester and ease nicely into spring break, two friends and I tried out Del Posto last Thursday evening. Knowing they had a 1-month-in-advance reservation policy, I figured I'd call that afternoon and see if they might have any cancellations. The result? The nice receptionist offers a 9:00 table for four. Sweet. Three of us arrive at the restaurant at around 8:45 (after quite a walk from the subway station, by the way...this place is not exactly the most accessible place I can think of). We wait outside for a bit, but our fourth has not arrived by this time, and is not answering his phone, so we decide to head inside. First thought: whoa, this place is big. On second thought, it's damn near massive. A staircase directly in front of us leads downstairs, the bar is off to our left, piano music comes from over by a second staircase that leads up to the balcony level. We stand there dumbfounded for a few seconds taking it all in before the hostess comes over to greet us. Telling her we are still waiting on the fourth member of our party, she asks if we would like to wait in the bar/lounge area for a bit until he arrives. Sure, we say. By the time 9:20 rolls around, we are getting hungry, so we ask to be taken to our table. Expecting to encounter a stern face and short speech about not seating incomplete parties, we instead receive a smile and are quickly led to our table. Water comes, wine list comes, the waiter kindly mentions that there is no hurry, as the table is ours for the rest of the night. 9:45 rolls around, the three of us are quite hungry by now, so we give up on our AWOL friend and ask the waiter for menus. The menu is huge. Too big if you ask me. And for someone who dislikes as few foods as I do, it is an indecisive diner's nightmare. Several items on the Traditional Tasting Menu ($120) sound wonderful to me, but neither that menu nor the Del Posto Tasting Menu ($120) is an option due to my friend's dietary restrictions. So we decide to go a la carte. Here is what we had: First of all, the bread. Oooh, the bread (1). Five or six different kinds of bread are brought out as we peruse the menus. Focaccia, semolina rolls, baguette, whole wheat rolls, and bread sticks fresh and hot from the oven. Add a bit of wonderfully soft butter and fluffy whipped lardo, and the meal is off to a great start. Mmmm lardo. ANTIPASTI: I ordered the Cauliflower Sformato with Skate Salad ($15) (2), which I enjoyed immensely. The sformato was a silky smooth custard. The grapefruit and vinegar that accompanied the skate offered a nice tangy and bitter counterpoint to the natural sweetness of that fish. Overall, I thought the flavors in this dish worked quite well together and were perfectly balanced. One friend of mine had the Vegetable Fritto Misto with Bagna Cauda ($15) (3). I did not get a chance to taste this, as he loved it so much that he wouldn't part with a bite for the other two of us, but it looked wonderful. And luckily for me, he is not a big anchovy fan, so he passed on the bagna cauda (basically anchovy and olive oil) to me, which I enjoyed as a third bread accompaniment for the rest of the meal. The other friend had Seafood Salad with Seaweed and Borage ($19) (4). This dish was not so successful. She did not come close to clearing her plate, and you could definitely tell by the look on her face that she did not particularly enjoy it. After trying a few pieces of it myself, I can't say that I blame her. I thought it was both bland and overcooked, not the greatest combination of attributes. PRIMI: I wanted to do the tasting of three pasta dishes for $27, but this option was only available to the whole table, and again my friend's dietary restrictions made this impossible. Oh well. Next time. Anyway, I had the Chestnut Ravioli with Partridge and Myrtle ($24) (5). This dish was merely mediocre, not bad but not great. The ravioli filling was smooth and somewhat sweet. The accompanying partridge meat was tender and flavorful. I didn't think the myrtle added much to the dish. Overall, I think the flavors in this dish were too one-dimensional. There was no real depth to the flavors. Every bite was the same. I think a little bit of spice, perhaps just a sprinkling of hot pepper flakes, would have elevated this dish nicely. My two friends shared the Risotto with Barolo and Castelmagno ($50) (sorry, no pictures). Resting on a vibrant orange bed of carrot puree, the risotto looked tasty, but I did not get a chance to try it out for myself. They both seemed pleased with the choice, but it merited no particular raves from either one of them. SECONDI: Having the equivalent appetite of a normal family of four, I was the only one to opt for a secondo piatto in addition to all we'd already had. I was tempted by the Cacciucco, a seafood soup the waiter enthusiastically recommended as one of his favorite things on the menu. Yet, once I saw one particular item on the menu, I knew I'd have to try it....Bollito Misto with Traditional Condiments ($35) (6, 7, 8). I had never had this dish before, and had never even seen it on a menu, so I was excited to try it out. The meats were Veal Shank, Beef Short Ribs, Beef Shoulder, Pork Trotter stuffed with Zampone, Calf Tongue, and perhaps something else I am forgetting. The condiments were a very tasty fruit mostarda, salsa verde made simply with olive oil, garlic, and herbs, and horseradish based sauce that included diced pieces of pear. Also, before I knew it, the one of the wait staff had grated a generous amount of fresh horseradish (one flavor I HATE, by the way) all over the meat. Grr. I suppose I should've realized what was happening and just told him I'd prefer not to have horseradish, but what can ya do. Hindsight is always 20/20. Anyway, overall, I thought this dish was good but not great. The meats were juicy and tender for the most part. My favorite of the bunch was probably the veal shank, which was fork tender and full of flavor. Least favorite was probably the beef shoulder, which I found tender but largely tasteless. The rest of the meats were tasty as well, but nothing particularly stands out as being exceptional. I enjoyed the accompanying condiments on their own, but didn't feel the flavors worked particularly well when paired with the meats. I figure they are just a convenient diversion from the fatty richness of the meats. I am glad to have tried bollito misto, and I'd be glad to try out other restaurants' renditions, but I wouldn't be itching to order this dish again on a future visit to Del Posto. FORMAGGIO: Surprise, surprise, I am the only one of the three of us to opt for a cheese course. Have my companions really waved the white flag so soon? Anyhoo, this cheese course is a Taste of Three ($16) (9) different Parmigiano cheeses, aged 2 years, 4 years, and 6 years. The cheeses are accompanied by Aceto Tradizionale di Modena, Lambrusco Jelly, Honeycomb, and Pear Mostarda, as well as two hot mini baguettes. The condiments were quite tasty, aside from the pear mostarda, which literally took my breath away as it opened up my sinuses. For someone who dislikes horseradish, not such a thrilling sensation. The cheeses were wonderful. Between the 2-year and 4-year, I did not notice much difference, aside from the fact that the 4-year cheese's flavor seemed to linger on the tongue a bit longer. The difference between those two and the 6-year, however, was night and day. The 6-year aged cheese needed nothing. No bread. No condiments. Niente. If you ask me, this cheese is near perfection. I can't imagine a plate of pasta worthy of being graced with its presence. DOLCI: For dessert, I chose the Apricot Cassata di Gelato ($15) (10) -- Almond Cake, Baked Meringue, and Apricot-Moscato Brodo. This Italian version of baked alaska was wonderful. The meringue housed a smooth mound of vanilla gelato and apricot sorbetto. The cake was nice and moist. The meringue was just slightly sweetened, just enough to be flavorful without being the least bit cloying. Great combination of flavors, temperatures, and textures. Very nice. One friend ordered the Budino di Fichi ($15) (11) -- Warm Fig Pudding, Pomegranite Sorbetto, Zabaglione, Salty Caramel. He seemed to enjoy it, but didn't really say too much about it. But again, he didn't share, so it must not have been too bad He and my other friend also each ordered the Assagi di Cioccolato ($18) (12) with three accompanying rums. This was a very generous serving, even if it was for two people. And with three pretty generous pours of rum, the $18 price tag starts to seem more reasonable. I tried the three chocolates (64%, 72%, and 90% if I recall correctly), but was not particularly moved by any of them. Then again, I am not a big fan of dark chocolate, so I guess that was to be expected. I didn't sample the three rums, as I don't drink much besides the occasional glass of wine, but the two of them seemed to enjoy the offerings. If all of that food hadn't been enough, a cart full of several kinds of petit fours (13) makes its way over to our table, and we are given a few of each. The icing on the cake of what had evolved from a meal into an all-out feast. THE DAMAGE: $220 pre-tax for the three of us (after a manager very kindly removed the two chocolate tastings from the bill after a timing mix-up that brought the two chocolate tastings and my friend's dessert simultaneously while my dessert lagged several minutes behind. An unsolicited, unnecessary, but very kind gesture on his part.) THE SERVICE: Present and attentive without being overbearing. The sheer number of servers present at the table carving, pouring, plating, etc at any one time can approach hilarity. I think at one time I counted six different people around our table at the same time. And frankly, I think much of the table-side pageantry borders on parody as well, but that's just me. It just seems so rehearsed and unnatural (especially in comparison to the much more polished service at Jean Georges a few weeks prior, but that is another thread). For the most part, though, we were pleased with the service. THE FOOD: Flashes of brilliance (cauliflower sformato) and beautiful simplicity (6-year aged parmigiano) mixed with occasional blatant mediocrity and blandness (seafood salad). THE VERDICT: I will be likely be back at some point, but not necessarily any time soon. I enjoyed the meal, but not as much as my three visits to Babbo. On tap for next time: gnocchi, spaghetti with crab and jalapeno, and pici with cibreo and black truffles. Oh, and maybe a little Cacciucco as well. Then either the strudel or zabaglione for dessert. THE PICTURES (sorry, a little dark and blurry ):

Here are 10 meals that really stand out in my memory for 2005, in no particular order: Le Reve -- San Antonio, TX Kreuz BBQ/Smitty's BBQ -- Lockhart, TX Salt Lick BBQ -- Driftwood, TX wd~50 -- NYC Casa Mono -- NYC L'Impero -- NYC Babbo -- NYC Gramercy Tavern -- NYC Barney Greengrass -- NYC Balthazar -- NYC

Meeee too. I kept trying to think of other dishes that really stood out in my memory from this past year, but found myself coming back again and again to that beautiful dish from L'Impero.

Why? I haven't been but it's very well-liked by many. ← It was several months back, so I don't remember all the details, but I found some notes I'd written about it on my computer, which I'll copy below: BLACK'S: Our second stop, we arrived here to find a practically empty restaurant, just one other couple there. Here we sampled 1/4 lb of brisket, 1/4 lb of pork ribs, a link of regular sausage, 1/4 of a chicken, and one 1/4 lb turkey (along with a few non-meat things like cornbread, potato salad, and peach cobbler, but back to the good stuff). The brisket here was only passable. Not good but not bad. Very little smoke ring evident, and the flavor and moistness were kind of lacking. The ribs were terrible. The sausage was practically inedible. They were too loosely packed, leaving a soft wrinkly casing. They were so incredibly greasy that any attempt to cut or bite them left a nasty trail of grease in its wake. Just disgusting. The chicken was juicy and pretty flavorful, and the turkey was boring and dry, but we were not terribly fond of either. After all Texas BBQ is about beef, not birds, darnit. FWIW, the sides were very weak as well. And unlike Kreuz and Smitty's, Black's offers BBQ sauce. Says something about the quality (or lack thereof) of their meat if you ask me, but that's just my two cents. I really doubt we'll be back here next trip to Lockhart.

Best: Tie between Le Reve in San Antonio and Kreuz in Lockhart (very different, I know ) Worst: Black's BBQ in Lockhart.....pathetic.

Wonderful post, Doc. Looks like a truly wonderful meal. Lunch at Jean Georges is definitely high up on my list of things to try here in NYC. One dish in your description particularly caugh my eye. This Black Sea Bass: Interestingly enough, I had the exact same dish (same components, same presentation, everything) less than two weeks ago at Perry Street. I agree with your assessment of the dish, it really had a nice depth and complexity but also great clarity of flavors at the same time. The only thing I would have changed is perhaps to use a smaller amount of the chopped lime on top of the fish. It was a particularly assertive flavor that threatened to steal the show if you happened to get too much of it in one particular bite. Really a delicious dish, though.

Welcome to eGullet, Susan. In San Antonio, fine dining is not as prevalent as it tends to be in many other large cities. I agree with BigBoyDan that many of the better quality places in SA and Austin have a much more casual atmosphere. That being said, you must go to Le Reve. It put every other restaurant I've tried in San Antonio to shame. It is truly a wonderful dining experience, easily on par with many of the best restaurants here in NYC. For more fine dining options in SA, you might consider: The Lodge of Castle Hills, fine dining in a very beautiful and secluded setting. L'etoile, a French place located in Alamo Heights. Biga on the Banks is also a nice option, and has the advantage of being located on the river, if you are curious to check out the Riverwalk a bit. Bistro Time for the city's best crab cakes. Not fine dining, but truly a special place that kind of just says "Texas" for me is Liberty Bar. Great food in a laid-back setting. It's my favorite place in the city besides Le Reve. (Two very different places) Lastly, as BigBoyDan said, it would be a shame to be in SA or Austin without sampling some great Tex-Mex and Barbeque (just a short drive to Luling, or Lockhart, or the Salt Lick...). Have fun, and eat well!

Italy. Definitely Italy. Never been, but always wanted to go. Next summer, I've decided to take a month-long trip there with my best friend. Sooooo excited! Now I just need to check out the Italy forum to figure out where all I am going to go. Definitely Emilia-Romagna, home of prosciutto di parma, parmigiano reggiano cheese, and pasta bolognese. And some wonderful balsamic vinegar, unless I am getting my regions mixed up. And I'll definitely hit Naples, the birthplace of my favorite food, pizza. But where else? The options are so overwhelming. I must seek the wisdom of my fellow eGullet-ers, and soon. To the Italy forum!

You poor, poor soul. I feel your pain.

Only on eGullet! I love it!

Wow, that an incredible report. Thank you both so much, Ellen and Fat Guy!

I enthusiatically second this recommendation. Liberty Bar is probably my second favorite restaurant in San Antonio (behind what I believe is hands-down the best restaurant in Texas ---- Le Reve, which definitely doens't fit the "reasonably casual setting" criterion the original poster was looking for).

I definitely agree with Fat Guy on this one. That grape sundae was incredible. Wonderfully sweet, tart, and refreshing right to the very end. The concord grape sorbet especially was undoubtedly among the better sorbets I have ever had. The champagne grape sorbet tonight was very good as well. It had a rougher, almost icy texture, almost like a granita. Between the sorbet tonight at the Bar Room and the sorbets I had a couple of weeks ago at wd-50, I'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite between them. I normally prefer ice cream or gelato to sorbet, but if I keep trying sorbets this wonderful, I may soon be converted into a full-fledged sorbet lover. This dessert was a beautiful ending to what was a very pleasant meal tonight. I had: Artic Char Tartare with daikon and trout caviar Sorrell Soup with roasted foie gras and barley Cobia with buckwheat noodles, cockles, and lobster sauce Artisanal Cheese Selection Concord and Champagne Grape Sundae My friend had: Veal Shank Terrine marbled with goat cheese and watercress Artichoke Soup with Maine lobster Wild Salmon with horshradish crust, cabbage, and riesling Artisanal Cheese Selection Modern Cheesecake Without going into details, everything was good (especially that grape sundae!). Besides that dessert, though, nothing else comes to mind as being outstanding or a must-try. However, the food was solid, and the price not bad ($60/per person before tax for what we had). This was my first visit, but definitely will not be my last. I especially would like to try the liverwurst, the wild mushroom soup with toasted chorizo ravioli and the muscovy duck and "gesiers" with lychee and mint, among other things.

All I can say is...this place is special. Having told myself for so long that this was a restaurant I needed to try, I finally made it there last Sunday night. A friend and I did the Chef's Tasting Menu. Absolutely wonderful. The different textures. The different flavors. I find it impossible to believe that anyone who goes to this restaurant with an open mind would not enjoy themselves and end up with both a tasty and thought-provoking experience. I will be back. Soon.

Since I was in the neighborhood (actually like a mile away, but hey, that's walking distance ) yesterday, I figured it was time for some Shack Shack frozen custard. I'd had it twice before, and loved it both times. First time, vanilla custard with rainbow sprinkles. Second time, pumpkin concrete. This time....Code Blue. Concrete consisting of vanilla custard with blueberrie pie mixed in. Sooooooooooo good. Wow. I love this stuff

Thanks for the replies so far. Please keep 'em coming! The more I can learn about this sweet treat, the better.

The exact same thing happened to me. I make pumpkin pie, they each have a small piece. I make pumpkin gooey butter cake, they enthusiastically go back for seconds. What can ya do?

Sorry. Not much time for me to provide a whole lot more help (sorta supposed to be working ), but here's a picture I found of one: http://www.brunobakery.com//images/Dsc_1326.jpg

Actually, I'm familiar with sfogliatella (which I find quite delicious in their own right, but that's neither here nor there ), but that's not what I'm talking about here. While sfogliatella are smaller and shaped like clams, lobster tails are usually larger and shaped like, well, lobster tails . The cream I am thinking of is also smoother than the ricotta filling of the sfogliatella, so it must be something different altogether.

Quick question for all the wise eG pastry and baking gurus here: What kind of cream is it that typically fills the classic Italian-American "lobster tails" you can find in so many pastry shops around NYC (and I'm sure many other places as well)? I was thinking it was called Bavarian cream or something like that. I know it's not just whipped cream, since it's kinda more custard-y. I think it's the same kind of stuff that often fills fruit tarts as well. Does anyone know the stuff I am talking about? And more importantly, anybody have a good recipe so that I can make some of my own? Thanks for the help.

Well said. I agree with ya.