Chris Amirault

You could hit any of a number of SE Asian markets for lort (ground pork and taro rolls), pad Thai, steamed bao, and more. If you're interested, go to Trinity Square on Broad St (where it joins with Elmwood) and hit the Mekong Market or the place across the street next to Pho Paradise. The same few women make all of those things and sell them at different shops in town. You could also go to Meeting Street Cafe on Thayer Street for good sandwiches and massive cookies. I'll keep thinking....

You want C&B or Nick's then for brunch. Both have high quality, locally sourced ingredients, and both feature those in their brunch menus. Tell me what "takeaway dinner" means. That's gonna be tricky...!

Sunday most places at "lunchtime" are serving brunch. The quality favorites are Cook & Brown (where I work -- disclaimer), Nick's on Broadway (expect a titanic line), Julian's, and a few other places. You can also get extremely good dim sum at Lucky Garden in North Providence, and Minh Hai is a great bet too. but I'm not sure how local etc. that is.

They're very accommodating! Other possible toppings include radishes, cilantro, minced red or white onion, crema (or sour cream), pickled onions or jalapeños, chorizo or some other minced or ground meat.

I know. It's precisely how I usually feel, as my typical state is CAF-free.

Pare a cocktail garnish from a lemon using a bread knife.

Where do things stand?

In this press release, the PLCB announces "its new Fine Wine & Good Spirits store at 6542 J Lower York Road in New Hope, Bucks County, as part of its effort to enhance the shopping experience for its customers." Read on: Anyone been there? Thoughts?

Where are people buying all this stuff? Fish stores? Supermarkets? High-end stores a la Whole Foods?

No fanning, but I have been known to blow. Hard, even.

Made a Tipperary with 2 oz Redbreast, 3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula, -1/4 oz Chartreuse, and three drops of Fee's OF bitters. Lovely.

Did the stuffing cook? I can never do that without overcooking the bird itself....

I'm one of the people who got hooked on the Dian Hong Imperial from Norbu, and I'm starting to think about this fall/winter's selection. For someone who strongly prefers this type of black tea, what other options should I consider?

Therein lies Rick Moonen's biggest obstacle, I think. He rightly identifies supply chain concerns: However, I think that these sorts of "life-long bias[es]" are really at the root of the problem. Without a massive push at the consumer level, I don't see much changing, and even with marketing (remember "monkfish, the lobster substitute"?), only relatively bland stuff like tilapia is likely to catch on.

Why no mackerel love? Too oily or fishy or something?

I agree. I was tempted to add smelt to my list, but buying them once per year doesn't really qualify.

Top Chef Masters fans are familiar with Rick Moonen, for years a fixture on the NYC restaurant scene and now ensconced in Vegas. He's a proponent of sustainable practices concerning seafood, and in today's Nation's Restaurant News there's an interview in which he explains his theory of the "big five": It got me wondering about my "big five" -- salmon for sure, then cod, haddock, mackerel, and bluefish, I think -- and about the concept itself. At our local Whole Foods stores, for example, you can reliably expect to see tuna, salmon, cod, and tilapia, with regular appearances by halibut, sea bass, arctic char, and a few others. But chats with fishmongers there suggest that the less typical species that the article refers to as "outside-the-box fish" often don't move at all. Of course, these preferences are all relative. When I was in Tokyo a few weeks back, the local supermarkets had piles of tuna but a much wider array of fish including a lot of what I'd call mackerel, not to mention copious eel, squid and octopus. If I wanted to get eel or baby octopus here in RI, I wouldn't even know where to look. It makes me think that there must be quite a lot of diversity among Society members concerning seafood preferences and consumer options. What is your personal "big five"? How about at your local stores? When you leave that group of five, what do you usually get? What "out-of-the-box" fish would you love to try -- or will you avoid at all costs?

Hrm. Still curious. I feel like there must be a way to make tamales work.... Meanwhile, pulled the pork belly strips after 48 hours. One's been iced down and is in the fridge. Here's what I did with the other. Reserved the liquid in the bag. Cut off the skin and cut it into julienne. Cut the rest of the strip into 1"x1"x1/2" tiles. After sautéing the skin and removing it from the skillet, did the same to some ginger, black beans, and onions, added the liquid, and then added the belly tiles. Served with rice and an assortment of pickles. It needed more salt -- I'm clearly too wary of salt in those bags -- and I might have pulled it a bit earlier than 48 hours or cooked it at 59C or 58C. But I'm niggling: I'm astonished at the porky power of these SV proteins. The ginger, shaoxing, and dark soy sauce were excellent both for the low-temp cooking and for the sauce, which was infused with the pork and the collagen from the skin. There are dozens of Chinese, Thai, and Cambodian braises that will benefit mightily from this technique. The mind swims.

Secret ingredients around here are rice, black, and sherry vinegar, for the reasons mentioned above. Both are subtle enough that a tsp or two goes unnoticed as "vinegar," but the flavors boost in dozens of dishes. Just added a dash of black vinegar to a black bean pork dish tonight, in fact.

Back at it with the Suze. Trying to figure out something that takes advantage of the Carpano Antica Formula I've got. Starting thinking about Chuck Taggart's Hoskins Cocktail, a personal favorite, and modified it a bit to account for the Suze. I had lemon on hand instead of orange, which works just fine. Indeed, I think that this is a great drink, from the ginny front end, through the rich, sweet middle, and into the long, bitter end: 2 oz Plymouth gin 3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula 1/2 oz Suze 1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino dash Angostura Stir; strain; lemon peel over the top; discard. ETA: As it warms, it becomes almost chocolaty. This is a keeper.

Tried that Scotland the Brave with modifications: 2 1/2 oz Talisker 1/2 oz Fernet Branca 3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula 1/2 oz Grand Marnier Built on the rocks, no garnish. Very nice indeed. Scaling back the Fernet brings out the Carpano Antica Formula nicely.

Absolutely. I get tempted to rock and roll with that rounded-end nakiri and it just doesn't work the same. Best to adjust technique to the thin, sharp blade and use that long, straight edge to your advantage.

Have been using the knife quite a bit and it's a dream. Light, great size for my big hands, and great design.

As someone who sat through a few interviews for both kitchen and FOH staff last spring, I would encourage you to note that you're a team player, a quick learner, and put the interests of the restaurant and customer above all else. The chef (at Cook & Brown Public House, in case you're interested) stressed these issues in his interviews and training, and he's put together a strong team that avoids petty BS and does amazing work in a tiny, hot kitchen night in and out.

Another vote here for Broker's. I blew through a liter a while ago and haven't been able to find it since.