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CMA

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Everything posted by CMA

  1. Hello everyone again. Since I got such a healthy response from my inquiry about "Emeril's vs. Cochon vs. K-Paul's", I decided to post an inquiry regarding the best weekend breakfast in the CBD/FQ that is casual but delicious (i.e. no Galatoires, Brennans, etc.). I've read wildly conflicting reviews about Cafe Fleur de-Lis for breakfast, for instance, and am seeking some guidance. Thanks in advance...
  2. Whoops...I apparently overlooked PopsicleToez lone dissention. However...the nearly unanimous number of responses preferring Cochon over K-Paul resulted in my selection.
  3. Thanks very much for the sharing of opinions. The responses were amazingly consistent with not one dissention. And so it is....Emeril's and Cochon. I am happy to report 7:00 pm reservations on Friday at Emeril's and for 6:30 pm on Saturday at Cochon have been secured. I'm already perusing their online menus. Any menu suggestions/commentary welcome. I'll be sure to report back.
  4. Hello everyone...I am going to be visiting the Crescent City the last weekend in September. I am hoping to hear some current thoughts/opinions of those who would know which 2 of the three (Emeril's vs. Cochon vs. K-Paul's) would be the best use of my two evening dining availabilities. I realize there are many other delicious dinner options to consider, but due to my dining companion's strong preferences, the location of the hotel, and the very limited schedule these will be the only three contenders (for this trip). Much thanks for any and all input.
  5. I live in the Bronx, New York so I don't know if this posting will apply much beyond the NYC area. However, I recently discovered Nathan's potato chips in a 99 cent bag. This is the same Nathan's that is famous for its hot dogs and hot dog eating contest every July 4th. The bodega across the street from my apartment building has them. I really enjoy Nathan's hot dogs, and since I had never seen their potato chips before I had to try them. They are crinkle cut yet somehow light, crispy, and delicious. If you happen to see them when you are out shopping, then I highly recommend you purchase some. You'll be glad you did.
  6. Stopped by Paul's "da burger place" just off the corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place this afternoon on a whim as I had not planned to eat there. However, I am very glad I did. The waitress was clearly a veteran, and the bacon cheeseburger and fries I had were AWESOME. It is an old-school establishment that still takes care of the details. If you want a superlative burger in a casual setting...GO NOW!!! You'll be very glad you did.
  7. Just wanted to relate the dinner experience my partner and I had last night at The Odeon in Tribeca. I had the Black Angus Hangar Steak main course and my partner had the Roasted Chicken main. I have not recently had a hangar steak anywhere nearly as DELICIOUS as that steak was. My spontaneous remark to my partner and the waiter was..."that was freaking delicious!!!" The accompanying potatoes were also extremely tasty with the asparagus being good, but not nearly approaching the degree of either the potatoes or steak. My partner enjoyed his chicken, but not to the level of enjoyment I found in the hangar steak. I did concede two bites of the steak to him and he agreed it was truly phenomenonally good. We encourage anyone to go and enjoy!!! The service was attentive and prompt as well. A very satisfying experience overall.
  8. CMA

    Salty Snacks

    Recently bought some "Sundried Tomato and Basil" Wheat Thins, and they are surprisingly good with strong sundried tomato and basil flavors. True to the topic posting title they are, in fact, quite salty as well, but I'd give them a B+ overall.
  9. I've seen two responses here I'd like to endorse as weird combinations yet indescribably delicious as well.... 1. The peanut butter, banana, and mayonnaise sandwich on white bread 2. Sausage patties (or links) or bacon covered with maple syrup Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
  10. CMA

    Salty Snacks

    It's hard to find "Bugles" since I have been living in NYC for the past 6 years, but when I lived in Florida they were ubiquitous. "Bugles" are a delicious salty, corn-based snack that are conically shaped somewhat like a bugle.
  11. This is a story from the period of time when my younger brother and I were sharing an apartment as we were attending the University of Florida back in the mid 1980's. There was a lot of potent marijuana readily available there back then (and probably still is), and of course, smoking it would give us tremendous munchies. One thing we would love to splurge on, when we had some extra cash on occasion, was to address our munchies by eating at a local barbecue restaurant located within walking distance of our apartment. On one particular occasion, the weed must have been especially good because, once seated, my brother suddenly developed a serious case of the giggles. I was having a hard time maintaining my own composure, but some way, somehow one of us was going to have to order because we were HUNGRY!!! My brother began to try to give his order, but when the giggles just couldn't be stopped, he simply put his head down on the table. It was then that I quickly realized the burden of communicating our collective order for delicious barbecue to the waitress had fallen solely on me or else. Summoning all my inner strength, I was able to focus on the menu and deliver our order to the waitress with reasonable clarity. I don't remember what we had, but I do remember whatever it was was sublime!!! Upon the departure of the waitress, my brother looked up and was still (semi-discretely) laughing hysterically......those were the days!
  12. My imagination created the Krispy Kreme Bacon (or not) Cheeseburger with no condiments whatsoever. Just a split glazed donut with a grilled hamburger patty topped with melted cheese and crispy bacon in between the doughnut halves. Maybe even with the insides of the doughnut quickly toasted under a broiler, if that would not happen to completely disintegrate/incinerate the doughnut itself in the process, but NO CONDIMENTS!!! That ketchup looks disgusting!!! Imagine mustard...gack! Imagine mayonnaise...urk!
  13. This is a two-part Haagen-Dazs/celebrity-consumption related posting: Back in the early 1990's I was living in Atlanta, Georgia and attending Georgia State University to earn my M.S. degree. I attended grad school part-time and also worked full time to support myself. At one point I was working as an assistant manager of the Haagen-Dazs store which probably still is located in the food court area of the basement of Lenox Mall. Being an assistant manager I worked the daytime hours when the store was less busy so administrative-type work could get done with less interruption, and attended classes in the evenings. Part of my job was to also wait on customers while I was working, as needed, since the staffing ratio was typically lowest during the day. One day, if I recall correctly, then it was a weekday in the early afternoon, and I was out in the front counter area by myself for whatever purpose. I noticed a group of people (5-8) who appeared to be approaching our counter. So, I quickly finished what I was doing and prepared to wait on them. I looked up, and standing there were the two Milli Vanilli performers, two women who looked like they very well could be hookers, and several other non-descript males. They had on clothes/outfits which you would expect Milli Vanilli to be wearing at the time, and apparently were not attempting be incognito that day. Also, the group had a weird collective smell. I'll probably never figure out exactly what that smell was, but I do know it was something funky/smoky I had never smelled before or since (and no, it wasn't patchouli or marijuana or that famous Indian incense whatever it's called...I do know what those smell like). At the time I was in my late 20's, so I instantly knew who they were and was totally surprised to see them standing there. Wow! It's Milli Vanilli in person! Of the two Milli Vanilli guys, only the taller one spoke, and unfortunately he was pompous, insolent, and condescending. UGH! The other, smaller one did not speak, but one of the other non-descript guys ordered for him. I don't recall what either one ordered, but I do remember the taller, offensive one wanted five flavors in one cup. The Milli Vanilli guys were the only ones who got any ice cream, and the females accompanying them never spoke. As all this was happening a large crowd of onlookers had congregated behind their little group, and no one else approached the counter for the 5 to 10 minutes they were there. Then they quickly walked away and the crowd parted. After they departed everyone rushed up and asked for whatever it was they had gotten, and I gave whatever it was to them...but, again, I have since forgotten. The other celebrity experience I had while working for the same Haagen-Dazs shop in the basement of Lenox Mall occurred in a similar manner as the Milli Vanilli encounter. But, this encounter was one-on-one with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. I will sum up the experience by saying it was actually a bit creepy, but at the same time truly exciting. I have definitely enjoyed Aerosmith's music for years (not a BIG fan, but generally like their music) and was astonished to come to face-to-face with him so unexpectedly. I was again in the counter area on a weekday in the early afternoon when the Mall was generally pretty empty. I was doing something in one of the ice cream cases up front by myself (preparing an order or something probably), and in my peripheral vision I see someone rapidly walking directly toward the counter. I look up and I quickly realize it's Steven Tyler from Aerosmith! What!!!??? At this point in my memory everything slows down to a movie-like dream sequence. Up close, he looked sort of bizarre. He had strikingly prominent cheekbones covered by a preternaturally taut and smooth skin that was somewhat unnaturally tinted, and had noticably large and wide, dark eyes. He was dressed mostly in black as I recall, and his unique appearance made him almost surreal. He spoke politely and with good diction, but somewhat quietly. He ordered one scoop of Honey Vanilla in a cup. I scooped it and handed it to him. When he reached out to grasp the cup, his hand resembled a claw during its seemingly ultra-slow-motion movement to reach out and grasp the cup. As his fingers laced around the cup, I noticed his fingernails had both black and white nail polish on each nail. The black and white polishes on his nails were divided vertically with one half being black and the other half being white. Creepy! Then he handed me a five dollar bill with his other hand sporting the same strikingly painted fingernails. Creepy again! I set the five dollar bill on the register rather than in the drawer with all the other money because I intended to replace his with my own five dollar bill later, and keep his as a souvenir which I did. While I was looking down to make change for him, he apparently walked away because when I looked up he was suddenly gone. That's when I first noticed a very dense crowd of people had formed a wide ring around the store, and had been watching this whole encounter transpire. I slowly closed the drawer and thought to myself...well, he must have just left the balance as my tip, after all he is Steven Tyler...so I put the five dollar bill in my pocket. As I'm doing this I happen to notice Steven Tyler walking back towards me. He got to the counter and said, "You forgot to give me my change". Then I sheepishly said something along the lines of, "I'm sorry for that, but when I made your change and looked up to give it to you, you had just disappeared". He said, "I went to throw away a napkin in the trash". To which I basically said, "o.k.". So, I quickly reopened the register, gave him his change, and then he walked directly away from the counter through the crowd. He did not return again. Immediately after he left, that large crowd rushed up the counter and demanded to know what he had gotten. I told them it was the Honey Vanilla. That tub was emptied and then we quickly went through another. These couple of interesting, fun (mostly...see tall Milli Vanilli guy part), and totally unexpected life experiences with a Haagen-Dazs twist happened within just a couple of months of each other...hope you enjoyed reading them!
  14. Having a plate of garlic shrimp at a street-side table in 2003 next to a shack-type seafood restaurant with the menu painted in red (in English and Chinese) on the outter walls of it in Hong Kong, China. The restaurant is on a street corner right next to the Night Market with basic, white plastic-type patio chairs and tables. The food was incredibly delicious along with the Chinese beer...the name of the beer currently escapes me, but it is common in Hong Kong. Very highly recommended.
  15. Having a slice of the Sacher Torte and coffee in the Sacher Hotel dining room in Vienna, Austria in 2002 was truly sublime. We did not actually stay at the Sacher hotel as guests, but a visit to their hotel dining room for a sample of the torte and coffee was a must. I can say I have had no better chocolate-based cake and coffee in one sitting at any time in my life. It truly was the epitome of delicious. Very highly recommended.
  16. Dinner with my parents at the Four Seasons in Manhattan when I had the Long Island roast duckling for the first time in 1999. After the waiter carved it tableside, he paused to observe my reaction. It was somewhat like a gastronomic orgasm, and I must have demonstrated my non-verbal enjoyment rather clearly because he spontaneously and candidly commented..."you really like that don't you?" And my answer was simply, "Oh, yes!". An especially memorable initial mouthful at an important and very enjoyable meal with my parents.
  17. I'll see your Frozen Totino's Pepperoni Pizza and up it to a Frozen Totino's Meat Combination Pizza (with extra mozz on top) for "a true guilty pleasure"! MMMMM...but, somehow I can never wait until it cools enough so the pizza doesn't incinerate the roof of my mouth when I eat it!
  18. I was recently in Amsterdam and stopped in at the Haagen-Dazs located in the shopping mall on Kalverstraat. They had one particularly interesting flavor which I had not seen before in the US, and so I was forced to try just one scoop in a cup. The exact name escapes me, but it was something like "Banatoffini" or thereabouts. And to think they say smoking marijuana causes memory loss! Bah! However, I do remember clearly it was banana ice cream with a macadamia nut and toffee swirl. That ice cream flavor was really, really, really delicious!!!
  19. CMA

    Shake Shack

    Was running some errands in the Madison Square Park/Flatiron District area on Sun. 03/26/06, and stopped by the Shake Shack for a quick lunch. I arrived around noon and the line was not long at all. When I was passing by again around 2:00 pm, the line was all the way down to the corner of Madison and 23rd St. I went to the Shake Shack on several occasions last season, and am familiar with the select items I usually order due to my dietary restrictions (primarily low-carb). I typically order the double shack burger and the Chicago dog along with my bottled water. I know the buns have a few more carbs than I should consume, but at least I don't order any fries or a concrete! And, I visit the Shake Shack only every few months or so as a treat for myself. On this visit, both the burger and the hot dog did not seem as fresh in terms of buns and toppings as in the past, and not as hot upon service, so not as good as expected overall. These minor errors may be due in part to just how extremely early in the season it still is. Given that the Shake Shack has just resumed service after a long hiatus, and with my previously excellent experiences, I will not dwell on this particular visit and try again. I continue to highly recommend the Shake Shack.
  20. HD has a flavor called "Bananas Foster". I had it recently...it was very delicious.
  21. While not a Willy Wonka candy product, there's a recent Hostess product promoting the new "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" film. In small print on the back of the package it says, "chocolate cupcakes". The cupcakes have purple and orange frosting and a purple cream filling. Haven't tasted them yet. I took a picture of the the package with my digital camera to post, but can't seem to find any way to upload it.
  22. CMA

    The Best Butter

    I had a source for Cabot Farms Vermont Salt-Free Butter that is no longer stocked in my area of NYC. It was nice to have such a high quality butter (noticeably more creamy and delicious than Breakstone's, Hotel Bar, Land O' Lakes (IMHO) ) available nearby. Not sure of the fat content, but from the taste I would suspect it is high. Very recommended.
  23. I'd like to add my votes for McDonald's McDLT and Popeye's Onion Rings as past fast food glories. Both deliciously memorable fast food experiences, and sorely missed.
  24. My partner and I had dinner at English Is Italian about 6 weeks ago. It was truly delicious and very reasonably priced for the atmosphere, service, plating, and quality and quantity of food. We each had the basic tasting menu for $39 without any supplements (as mentioned previously) and it was more food than we could eat. We are two 6' 180-200 lb. men with good appetites. I can not remember specifically the dishes, but they were presented as about 5-6 plates per course. I believe there were 3 courses and dessert...or possibly 4 courses plus dessert. It was a gustatory marathon. We were lucky enough to be seated in the first enclosed booth just to the right as you enter the dining area. The full view of the open dining room directly in front of us was very nice. There appeared to be a second-floor bar on the right side that overlooked the dining room, but we did not go up there. The waitstaff were clearly interested in explaining the dishes as they presented them and made sure we understood what the dishes were. They provided attentive service, but did not hover and allowed us to graze at our leisure. Highly recommended.
  25. Hi Chufi: I noticed you recently responded to an inquiry about restaurants in Amsterdam. I am hoping that you might be so kind as to provide comment about some restaurants my partner and I are considering for evening meals. We will be visiting Amsterdam Nov. 25 - Dec. 1. The restaurants we are considering include: Cafe Luxembourg De Schutter De Prins Spanjer & Van Twist De Waag De Roode Leeuw Cafe De Jaren Restaurant De Poort Piet De Leeuw Haesje Claes Thank you very much for sharing any insights you may have as to the merits of these restaurants. We are looking forward to our trip with great anticipation. Sincerely, CMA
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