ballast_regime

Fat Guy: It is true that there are "secondary standards," or secondary constituents, that can greatly affect taste -- such as calcium, sodium, iron, and so on -- that are outside EPA regulations. Often these constituents can change the taste, color or odor of the water. This is not to say that a lot of the guidelines set up by the EPA have no bearing on taste. They do, as turbidity (which can lead to eutrophication-related taste issues), acceptable contaminant levels, treatment technique, etc., all have a huge bearing on the initial taste of water before it's treated. A part of the EPA's evaluation of water quality does deal with the incidence of taste and odor problems within treated water. So, as I've said before, the higher the watershed quality number, the greater the level of overall purity prior to treatment and hence a greater likelihood of one having better tasting water. I.e., it would be hard to make Philadelphia water taste better than Colorado water, even if one removed the majority of dissolved trace minerals from the former and not the latter, because the Philadelphia already tastes bad to begin with. It is therefore safe to say that the watershed quality index is a good rule of thumb, but not necessarily fact. The only time I would imagine the index being unhelpful would be in the case of comparing two places that have rankings that are very close, such as Lawrence, KS (my hometown) and Cupertino, CA, because there could be minor differences in secondary standards, pipe quality, etc., that make one taste better than the other. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Cold Stone: Eh.

The difference between Adria and Wagner is, Adria will farm out the work for his restaurant, which means he trusts other people than himself.

The primary issue at hand with an eGullet tasting would be the subjectivity involved. It would work better if the tasting was like the wine tastings hosted by Frank Prial in the NYT, where a bunch of people sitting around could have every water sample in front of them. IML b/r P.S. Speaking of which, it's probably late enough that tomorrow's Dining In/Out section has been posted online. Time to hop over and see.

Fat Guy: Obviously, there are various factors outside the EPA's watershed quality that can affect taste. As a general rule of thumb, higher numbers denote greater levels of overall purity, and not just pollutants. Of course, there can be other factors that further degrade the quality of water before it reaches your tap (pipes, the number of water processing plants, and so on) that watershed quality does not take into account. It is probably best to say that watershed quality is a way of ranking the quality of water at the source: the "land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater," as the Purdue Watershed site puts it. The EPA does take into account the amounts of sediment, nutrient, pollutant, and bacterial loadings that affect the "taste-and-odor" elements of water. We could establish a more intensive system, I'm sure, but there isn't a lot of research about which cities use which processing methods, pipes, etc. I was mainly posting this as a reference point, and nothing else. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Go magnetic induction! Splurge, Nick! IML b/r

Fresco: Depends on who you are and what kinds of sediment you're referring to. I prefer softer water, like Fiji, with less of a metallic mouth-feel, but I know plenty of people who prefer the brittle, tinny feel of many mineral waters. For the most part, I cannot imagine sediment (of the kind the EPA is likely to measure) enhancing water's taste. Much peace, IML b/r

I decided to look up the EPA watershed quality of every city mentioned on this thread, just as a comparison. Watershed quality uses a formula established by the EPA that measures the quality of water by using 15 different indicators, such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The scale is 0 - 100, with 100 being the best. Some of the results might surprise you. Remember that this number doesn't necessarily indicate taste, but it has some bearing. I.e., the higher the number, the better tasting the water should be. Two cities with equal numbers may have different tastes, for obvious reasons. Chicago, IL: 31 Corpus Christi, TX: 74 Cupertino, CA: 41 El Paso, TX: 58 Houston, TX: 37 Lawrence, KS: 44 Louisville, KY: 13 Miami, FL: 48 New Orleans, LA: 41 New York, NY: 42 Philadelphia, PA: 1 (Really) Santa Barbara, CA: 42 Seattle, WA: 58 The city with the highest quality water that I could find was Denver, CO: 90. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Johnny Rockets is as mediocre as Fuddruckers or Hard Rock Cafe. If I had to choose a second place, it would be Fat Burger, since it is the closest to In-N-Out (fries aren't as good, though). IML b/r

To those who doubt the "secret" nature of the menu: Every item on the secret menu, lingo included, was invented by actual In-N-Out customers whose preferences slowly caught on with other diners. In-N-Out decided to officially "recognize" any innovations made by their customers, to the point where they have changed their training to include these preferences. There are few examples of this in the world of chain restaurants, and I think it's pretty cool. Much peace, IML ballast/regime

I've been to In-N-Out, Fuddruckers, Culver's, Whataburger, Red Robin, Fatburger, Back Yard Burgers, Wendy's, Sonic, A & W, Jack in the Box, Arby's, Carl's Jr., White Castle, Burger King, Johnny Rockets, McDonald's, and Hardee's. Of the eighteen I've experienced, only In-N-Out is worth the trip. Everything else sucks. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Tap water is never something to be proud of, potable or not. IML ballast/regime

I will link this NY Times article, even though I'm sure most of you will see it by tomorrow. Just to add to the fire. Stoke, boy, stoke!

I usually ate a double double animal style with my fries light. In-N-Out deciding to expand to neighboring states (in my case, Arizona) was the greatest part of living in Phoenix. I wish they would get their act together and expand to Kansas, even though I only plan on being here only another year. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

I'm sitting contemplating using my student loans to go, just as I did last year when Charlie Trotter honored Fredy Girardet in Chicago. I suspect my rational side will get the better of me. IML b/r

I've known a few people that have eaten there, all with mediocre to semi-favorable reviews. My vegan brother has yet to go, but I can't imagine it displacing any of his favorite veggie restaurants in NYC (Vegetarian Paradise 2 is one, and I'd have to agree). Moby stops in the restaurant nearly every day, and it's a great way to meet him, other than his infamous rooftop afterhours parties that he throws (I've been to one briefly). I'd be interested to see teaNY for reasons other than food or drink, since I can't imagine it being that good. Not that I dislike veggie restaurants -- I don't. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Funny, isn't that where British novelist Sarah Morton's on holiday, staying in John Bosload's summer retreat with a nice swimming pool? I know Sarah always went to a nice little place where there was a handsome server named Franck. It looked cheap (everything on the menu was approximately 4.5 Euros), but good. Say 'hello' to Julie/Julia or me! Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

My second house will one day be in San Sebastian. Sigh. Now I just have to get my first house. IML ballast/regime

While eating dinner tonight with some friends (one who was raised in Kenya and Spain and her boyfriend), we lamented the fact that it's very hard to find quaint, mom-and-pop bistros in the United States. I can only imagine a handful of places in the entire country that would intuitively estimate a "fair" price per person, eyeballing it based on what he or she felt like at the time. Sounds awesome (the scallops, especially). Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Most fast food chains are continually scaling down portions of their more expensive ingredients while upping the amount of filler per item. I.e., they're maximizing profit by minimizing the amount of costly ingredients, unless they can find more profitable ways to produce those ingredients. McDonald's fries are a good example. Their supersized container of fries are designed to hold less fries per cubic inch than smaller containers because the sides are tapered so the package's mouth doesn't open quite as wide. Taco Bell is another notorious example. They skimp on the amount of meat, which has been drastically reduced through corporate protocol over the years, and up the amount of other ingredients to give the illusion of big portions. While I agree with the general claims made about The Cheesecake Factory, it should be noted that big portions are used primarily as a marketing scheme for most fast food places. The actual amount of food primarily appears to be bigger, but in many ways has decreased for reasons that are obvious to any business owner. (Drinks are an obvious exception, since CO2, water, and syrup cost nothing.) It is doubtless true that the overall size of portions has gone up in scale over the last half century, as any American traveler has seen when comparing American restaurants to those of other (usually poorer) countries. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Twodogs: Thanks for the link to the website. I have compiled hundred of restaurant websites in my favorites folder, and I eagerly try googling a new restaurant's name whenever I first hear of it. I tried looking for a WD-50 site weekly beginning a few months ago, but I just plain forgot. I'm glad to see that the site is simple and nice. Thanks. To the rest: It's hard to take Gourmet's review seriously, even though I haven't read it (yet). I remember the Atlas review, and I just perpetually rolled my eyes for approximately a week, which is probably what I'll do when I read the WD-50 piece. We'll see. Much peace, IML b/r

Sona, then go to SF for the rest of the trip. IML b/r

Even if people knew it was a chain, I don't think they would care very much. Starbucks has been posting double-digit profit margins the last two quarters, even though it's used as the posterboy for why consumerism is bad. In-N-Out Burger is a respectably big chain with franchises in three states, but a faux-California nostalgia seems to propel its appeal to have an almost cultlike mythos. This sort of schmaltzy assocation works in Cafe du Monde's favor, even if it's a cookie-cutter business whose coffee isn't very good and whose beignets are mediocre. Then again, what other popular outlets are there for chicory-infused coffee and beignets? None. New Orleans is my hometown, but even I have been the good, unquestioning typical tourist upon returning. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Bond Girl: I second Michael's recommendations. Radius is definitely better all-around, even if Schlow isn't likely to be there, because it has consistency on its side. Clio, as noted, tends toward the avant garde lite, and would be more memorable over time, even if the meal provides a few slip-ups. Much peace, Ian Lowe ballast/regime

Jinmyo: The "enjoyment" of two Hooters girls on every flight. There was a write-up on the airline in USA Today a few months back, and I learned one thing: Do not fly the buxom skies. IML b/r