tupac17616

My dad likes Oreos and butter. That is definitely one food habit that nobody else in my family shares.

A few weeks ago, I made flourless chocolate cake for my mom's birthday from the Gourmet cookbook. I thought it turned out well, and the family definitely loved it, although my dad said it "needed some ice cream", whatever that may mean for the cake, haha

Oooooh, yes indeed. She speaks the truth.

Oooh, 'twas a nice Christmas indeed. Here was part of my loot from Christmas and my birthday a few weeks ago: Atlas Pasta Maker Pasta Drying Rack Marble Rolling Pin Pizza Peel (had the stone already, but needed the peel ) Parisian Scoop American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza The Gourmet cookbook Bobby Flay Cooks American cookbook The New York Restaurant cookbook Looks like I'm gonna have a lot of good times making pasta and pizza in the near future

Heh heh. Nice work. The char check is indeed crucial.

I've gotta agree with the previous posters who have suggested Flor de Mayo. I went there a few months ago, and had their roasted chicken. Friggin' awesome if I do say so myself. Great price, great portion, GREAT flavor. Mmmm...must...go...back.....soon

You speak the truth One of the first "recipes" any good Texan learns.

Mmmm, me too. That stuff is sooooooo good It tastes just fine on its own right out of the pot, of course it is exquisite on pasta, wonderful with bread, great in Mario's Osso Buco recipe, hell, its good on practically anything! I had no idea it was even sold in stores. I've always just made it at home. That is one basic recipe that is definitely a hit with my entire family. We all love it.

Well said

I doubt most Italians would recognize the meals she makes as their own cuisine. ← I'm not saying your assertion is right or wrong, but it means nothing to me. Regardless of the authenticity (or lack thereof) of the meals she makes, it is Italian, or at least Italian-American food. I am neither Italian nor Italian-American, but that does not change the fact that those cuisines are my favorites, hence my enjoyment of a show which prepares meals in those culinary traditions.

LIKE Mario Batali --- love his cookbooks, his recipes, his restaurant, his philosophy about food and family Tyler Florence --- except for the fact that he says "That's fun-tastic" about 1000 times during a given show Paula Dean --- I am sucker for southern food and her desserts Bobby Flay --- The food he makes looks good, and I like to see which places he goes to here in NYC Giada De Laurentiis --- simple, basic recipes, but perhaps I am biased toward Italian food shows, as that's my favorite cuisine NEUTRAL Alton Brown --- Lots of good tips on his show, but I don't want to know the history of every single dish I make Ina Garten --- she makes some good stuff, but her personality to me is blah Emeril --- I hate the stupid catch phrases, but he does make some good food Rachel Ray --- I hate 30 Minute Meals, but $40 A Day is cool DISLIKE Calorie Commando --- "Cut the fat, keep the flavor"...gimme a break...cut the crap George Stella --- I'm not a big fan of the low carb thing...for me, everything in moderation Jamie Oliver --- Just can't get over the accent and the lisp Sandra Lee --- most of the stuff she "makes" (read: "buys") seems disgusting Sara Moulton --- not a fan of her food or her personality

No biggie. I just overreacted. Perhaps sometimes I am a little too passionate about my food

Whoa, whoa, guys. Pan and Soba, ease up a little on the quick culinary attacks. I went in knowing to go for the Sichuan and Hunan style dishes, hence the reason I was the one who ordered: 30. Dan Dan Noodle w. Chili Sauce 47. Jelly Fish w. Scallion Oil 110. Smoked Tea Duck Braised Pumpkin Not everybody eats like us here at eGullet; the average person is not a foodie. I was with some less adventurous companions, so they chose to stick with dishes that were familiar to them..lo mein, wonton soup, egg roll, etc. One of them even thought they were being "adventurous" by ordering pumpkin soup (which I forgot about, but did not get a chance to try). We all shared everything on the table, which is why I commented on all the dishes too, as well as my own. Sorry if I came off as a little defensive, your comments just seemed a little condescending to me. That being said, I am very glad to have tried this restaurant. I find typical Chinese-American food very uninteresting, so I very very rarely eat Chinese when I dine out. So it was nice to have a little more authentic depiction of what Chinese food should be like, and also to taste a side of Chinese cooking I have not tasted before. I always enjoy trying new places, new flavors, new dishes, etc, and I'd definitely be willing to go to this restaurant, or others like it, again.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Ended up having a nice meal, even though it was only myself and two friends, a much smaller group than I had hoped for. (What kind of college student chooses to actually do work instead of going out for a little Chinese food? C'mon now ). Anyway, here's what we sampled: 2. Wonton Soup (very flavorful broth, wontons had nice texture, good stuff) 16. Egg Roll (I did not taste this, but my friend seemed to like it) 30. Dan Dan Noodle w. Chili Sauce (quite spicy lingering aftertaste, pretty good) 47. Jelly Fish w. Scallion Oil (not a fan, found it very bland, lacking in flavor) 59. Beef Lo Mein (decent, nothing memorable, friend who ordered it thought it was okay) 110. Smoked Tea Duck (nice crispy skin, flavorful meat, good sauce, my favorite dish of the evening) Braised Pumpkin (yummy, this was dish was a hit with all three of us) Overall, good food, good prices, would be nice to go back to sometime.

On a completely different note, a friend also suggested going to Pam Real Thai Food instead of Grand Sichuan. Having never been to either GS or Pam before, I was open to the suggestions. I know it is probably comparing apples to oranges (er, uh, Chinese to Thai ), but how do these two places compare? Which would be a better choice for a nice birthday dinner? Grrr, the indecision....

Tonight to celebrate my birthday I will be eating with 5 or 6 friends at Grand Sichuan Midtown for the first time, then heading over to Rockefeller Center to watch the big tree being lit. I hardly ever eat Chinese food when I go out, but thought it would be a nice change of pace. Are there any dishes in particular that are not to be missed? I understand the chinese-american food should be avoided and we should stick with the more authentic chinese dishes, is that right? I saw the menu on menupages.com, and the smoked tea duck sounds interesting. Anybody had that before? How are portion sizes? Should we order some appetizers to share before the mains, or would that be too much food? How are their desserts? I'm just trying to get some idea of how much to order so we have a nice variety of good stuff to share. Also, is it cash-only, or do they take credit cards? Do they take reservations, and if so should I make reservations if my group will be about 6 or 7 people? Lastly, I'm looking for a good option for dessert either near Grand Sichuan or near Rockefeller Center. Any and all dessert recommendations in those areas would be greatly appreciated. Cafes, bakeries, ice cream places, sit-down restaurants with great desserts, all would all be fine, the only requirement is a very tasty dessert and it must be within walking distance of GS or Rockefeller. Sorry about all the questions. I just wanna make sure my birthday celebration will be a fun and memorable (and tasty ) one. Thanks everyone for the help/suggestions.

Well, I made the fritters, and they turned out okay. Due to some unforeseen circumstances regarding the location of my family's Thanksgiving meal, I wasn't able to make the Marshmallow Fluff dipping sauce. But here is what I did manage to do: Bake 4 sweet potatoes until fork tender. Peel. Mash. Add one whole egg, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin pie spice, a few finely chopped chipotle peppers, some ground pecans. Form into small hush-puppie-sized fritters using hands, spoons, or whatever you choose. Drop into hot oil to deep-fry (I used peanut oil and kept it at about 350-360 degrees). When done, take out of fryer with slotted spoon or spider and salt immediately. Make fresh whipped cream sweetened with a good amount of powdered sugar. Use for dipping sauce. Enjoy. I was pretty pleased with the results. The combination of flavors worked well. My family all loved the hot/sweet combination. The whipped cream turned out to be a fine replacement for the marshmallow fluff dipping sauce I had in mind. I wish the texture had been more crisp. When fresh from the fryer, the texture was better. By the time we had moved the fritters and all the other food from point A to point B, the fritters were barely even lukewarm, and had turned a little soggy Oh well. It was a hit with the family anyway. I will definitely try this (or something similar) again in the future and see how I might be able to tweak it to get a better texture. The flavors, though, were right on, so I probably will not tweak that too much. So all in all, I'd say the fritters were a pretty successful Thanksgiving experiment. It was fun trying something new. Sorry I wasn't able to take any pictures, but that situation was kinda out of my control.

Ricotta cheese, eh? Not a bad idea. I kinda like it. I am planning to deep-fry them, but I'll definitely do a small test batch to make sure the ground pecans are not going to burn. Could I roast the pecans a little to bring out a little flavor before grinding them up, or would they definitely burn later on that way. Hmm. I wonder. But like Kevin72 said, I don't think the fritters will require much frying time at all since the potatoes will already be cooked. As for the marshmallow fluff, I don't think the sweetness will be overpowering. I've made marshmallows with the recipe I have many times, and they are not overly sweet, so I know the homemade fluff won't be as sweet as the marshmallow fluff I could buy from the grocery store. It will also be a small batch, so it won't make or break the dish. I just thought it'd be a nice touch. I am looking for this to be a small appetizer/side dish, not a dessert, but I guess I will just see how it ends up. By the way, thanks for all the helpful tips and advice everyone

Thanks for the responses so far. I am thinking maybe I ought to use chopped pecans instead of breadcrumbs. They would provide a similar textural element, but the flavor of pecans would probably add something nice to the dish, as pecans and sweet potato are a natural combo. Do you think I should use the pecans to "bread" the fritters, or would they burn once fried if I do it that way? Maybe I should just mix them throughout the batter instead. Who knows. I am thinking I will probably just form them by hand into small fritters, and drop them into some really oil (peanut?) for frying. Sounds like it should work, right? I just worry about making them over-complicated, you know. Too many flavors going on at once. Hopefully it'll all work out, and turn out a tasty dish.

So with Turkey Day just a few days away, I was studying the library (Read: daydreaming about food) today, and thought it might be interesting to change up the old candied sweet potatoes recipe. My mother and I are still going to make the usual candied sweet potatoes, but I thought I'd try my hand at a variation on that theme. So I came up with...Chipotle Sweet Potato Fritters with Homemade Marshmallow Fluff Dipping Sauce. Of course, I have no recipe, no experience making any kind of fritters, but that just adds to the fun, right? Anyway, here is the preliminary plan... Bake some sweet potatoes. Peel. Mash together with cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, clove, allspice, salt, and chipotle peppers for a spicy kick. I'd like to add some butter as well, but will this hold up okay when I fry them? I am guessing I need to add some eggs and breadcrumbs to the mix to hold the fritters together, right? Planning on using the recipe for homemade marshmallows from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook I have, not whipping them up quite as much, and voila...homemade marshmallow fluff to dip the fritters in. Do these flavor combinations sound decent to anyone else, or am I going crazy? I'm all for kitchen experimentation, but it'd be nice if the family would enjoy the dish, too. Gotta please the crowds, after all, it is Thanksgiving. Any and all suggestions to help me make this dish a success would be greatly appreciated.

To me, there is no such thing

Wow. That looks good. Very good.

Hey, as a Columba undergrad and a Texas ex-pat, I resent that. I would never call eating BBQ in any neighborhood "slummin' it"

There hasn't been anything added to this thread in a while, but I dined there this evening, so I figured I would contribute my thoughts on the place. It was my first time here, and I have to admit arrived with a little hesitation about the place. I had wanted to eat at WD-50 instead, as I have been dying to try that place for a while now. But the friend I was with seemed insistent that we eat at 71 Clinton instead, so we ended up there. Sometimes I am too nice, but whatever. Luckily, we ended up having a very tasty meal. We ordered the tasting menu ($55 without wine, $80 with wine pairings) since we both thought the five courses offered would suit our tastes very well. Turns out we were right Anyway, on the the food: First course --- Cured sardines with radish, pickled fennel, green apple, some type of gelee, and some other mystery ingredients we couldn't hear because our waiter kept mumbling Whatever those other ingredients were, they all worked well together. The nice tart flavor of the apple cut through the normally briny flavor of the sardines, the gelee added a very flavorful top note, and none of the ingredients seemed to go to waste (which is a weakness of many salad-type appetizers in my opinion. Every single ingredient added something different to each bite, which was very nice. Second course --- Coddled egg, Maine sea urchin, crème fraîche, caramelized onions, shallots, coarse black pepper. Mmmm. This one was good. Once you first go the egg, and the yolk oozes out over everything, it assumes a rich soup-like consistency. The sea urchin added something different to what could have otherwise perhaps been an over-simplified dish. Again, the flavors in this dish just seemed to work well together. Third course --- Cod with olive oil something-or-other, potatoes, olives, some more mumbling from the waiter This was the least exciting of the five dishes. It was good, don't get me wrong, there was just nothing special about it. The fish had a nice light texture, and the olive oil was used sparingly enough that it didn't drown out the flavor of the fish. Decent flavors, but overall, forgettable. Fourth course --- Rabbit Bolognese with preserved lemon gnocchi and tomato confit with pignoli nuts, olives, and shaved parmiggiano-reggiano. The definite favorite of the evening for my friend and I. The gnocchi were pillowy and light, just the way good gnocchi ought to be. The bolognese sauce was deep and rich in flavor. The olives were unnecessary in my opinion, but then again, I hate olives, so perhaps I am a little biased against their use in the dishes I eat The pignoli nuts added a nice textural counterplay against the soft gnocchi. We both proceeded to use the bread on the table to soak up every last little bit of the wonderful bolognese sauce, so this dish was a definite hit. Dessert Course --- Warm chocolate cake with peanut butter ganache with vanilla bean ice cream. Ooooh, this one was tasty. I am normally not a huge chocolate fan, but this one really impressed me. The thing I loved was the saltiness of the peanut butter ganache. That nice top note of flavor really made me appreciate every single bite of that dessert. I would definiely get that again if I ever make it back there. The portion sizes worked well for us. We both left full, but not overly stuffed. I can't comment on the wine pairings, as I do not drink, but my friend did seem to enjoy the wines, especially the one served with the second course. The service, unlike the food, was terrible. Being Halloween night, there were very few people in the restaurant, yet you wouln't have known that based on the service we got. The first course took almost a half hour to come out after we had ordered, which is pretty ridiculous. We complained about this, yet no apology or explanation was given. They seemed intent on taking my friend's plates before he had finished. Very unnecessary if you ask me, considering they obviously did not need to turn the table over for any pressing reason. We were abandoned for what seemed like forever after we had finished the dessert course. Once we handed them the credit cards to pay the check, they took almost 15 minutes to come back to the table. I mean, cmon now, how hard is it to swipe a credit card, tear a receipt, and come back to the table 6 feet away? So, yeah, overall, service is clearly not very responsive at this particular restaurant. Also, the proximity of the tables is almost comical. There is maybe 3" separating the tables. We were lucky enough to be seated in corner, but the whole night, we noticed people having to slide tables in and out just to be seated, to exit, or to get up to go to the bathroom, etc. Pretty ridiculous and unnecessary, if you ask me. But anyway, despite the weak service, the good food did turn the night into a good experience overall. I found the $55 price tag for the tasting menu to be a nice value considering the quality of what we got tonight. I cannot vouch for the consistency of this place, as this was the first time I have been, but I can say that this visit was very nice. Would I go back??? Maybe so, maybe not. Next time I am in that neighborhood, it will be to go to WD-50. But 71 Clinton Fresh Foods does present a nice backup place anytime you want to eat in the LES, but don't want venison tartare with edemame ice cream

I stopped by the Shake Shack this afternoon for probably the last time before they close for the season. It was only my second visit, but I am already a devoted fan. The first time I just had a small vanilla custard. This time, I had a burger and a pumpkin concrete. Both very tasty, especially the concrete. Yum