Chris Amirault

There are also kinds of rice that cannot be made in these machines. Any rice that requires sautéing prior to boiling (Italian risotto or Mexican rice with mint, say) can't be made effectively in this machine. But if you've ever found it impossible to make rice for sushi (I sure have), this will solve your problem pronto.

A recent recipient of a Zojirushi NH-VBC18 IH rice cooker, I can say that everything you've ever heard about these things is true. The difference in rice quality is stunning. We notice the benefits of this machine particularly with Korean brown rice, Kokuho Rose, and the older bag of Thai jasmine rice we're working our way through (I'm really dying to get some new crop Jasmine rice). I would never have purchased this machine for myself, but if you eat rice regularly and have the disposable cash to drop (or a kind gift-giver in your family) for such a thing, it's a bit like going from button mushrooms to truffles, I gotta say.

Not true. Many places do things from scratch because it's cheaper. Pre-made items are friggin' expensive. Things like egg roll & wonton skins are labor intensive so those are purchased (and they're relatively cheap) but everything in the back of most Chinese-American places aren't made from Sysco. The only thing that comes frozen in usually the shrimp, peas & carrot mix and scallops. ← That's fascinating! It's my understanding that the vast majority of chicken fingers, egg rolls, szechuan sauces, and the like served in C-A restaurants here in New England come prepared from New York City. Maybe my information is shoddy, though. Of what region of the US (or elsewhere) are you speaking?

What kind of "Chinese restaurant" are we talking about here? US Chinese-American? They rely on frozen items tossed into the fryer and premade sauces in large cans dumped on top of boiled sliced chicken pieces. Good margins there. If you're talking about regional Chinese places that focus on good ingredients and preparation, my guess is that a careful analysis of the cost of each dish reveals that the ingredient cost is pretty minimal. After all, most Chinese cuisines involve relatively small amounts of protein per dish. My favorite restaurant is Lucky Garden in North Providence RI. The time I've spent there (both dining and a bit in the kitchen observing) suggests to me another possible source of cost saving at some places: the entire extended family works there, prepping pea pod shoots, wrapping dumplings, and, of course, waiting tables.

What night was it, Steve? Was the place slammed? Not that it should matter so much. Sorry to hear it was so lousy.

What? No corn?

If you're going to fiddle with rye and Punt e Mes, make a Red Hook.

As with the Harmony/Sazerac discussion above, I'm not sure that the Raspberry Crusta shares much with, say, a Bourbon Crusta in the end, given the importance of the Bourbon (or rye, or brandy). Given that the base spirit is erased, the drink seems utterly different. Meet the old cocktail, same as the new cocktail.

Providence Journal article on this phenomenon, focusing on McCormick & Schmick's: I think that the comments above about these "twists" being marketing gimmicks are pretty well confirmed in this instance, with "updates" including "Bellinis" that include Absolut APeach and "Crustas" with Stoli Razberi. That last in particular confirms the particular focus on extraordinarily sweet renditions of already sweet drinks. Makes me think that "raspberry" is to drink menus what "crispy" is to appetizer menus: you can put the word in front of just about any drink and it'll sell like hotcakes.

Paul Prudhomme's recipe in Louisiana Kitchen is great. ETA: And what makes red beans and rice great is having some serious meaty smoked ham hocks on hand for the meat, flavor, and collagen.

The LA Times and several others are reporting that Consumer Reports named McDonalds coffee as the best of the chains: There are a few dozen jokes waiting patiently to be made here, of course. But I wonder whether this might be the first in a series of significant public declarations stating what a lot of the coffee geeks have been saying for years about Starbucks. Let's not forget that the speedy rise of Starbucks was built largely on a marketing campaign predicated on the assumption that their brew was better quality than everything else available at chains. McDonalds is many things, but stupid about marketing ain't one of them. If Holly Moore weighs in on this, he'll likely remind us that McDonalds was built on providing quality eating experiences to the masses when most people thought it was impossible. If nothing else, the report certainly made me want to try McD's brew at the place down the street from my house. But what do I know, given that I've been known to grab an "inoffensive" Dunkin' Donuts cuppa now and then.

A bit late to this party: If memory serves, Gary Regan's receipt is similar in Joy, with 1/2 oz simple syrup added to the gin, bitters, and lime, for similarly mouth-puckering reasons. ETA: different proportions, too, for the gin and juice: 2 oz gin 1 oz lime juice 1/2 oz simple syrup Angostura to taste

Those of us in the US are dealing with the destruction of the majority of the California citrus crop. Today, stopping at the neighborhood mercado for my citrus fix, they were out of lemons and selling out the last of the limes. I drink a lot of sours and don't really want to settle into endless Negronis and Martinis, but, frankly, I'm not sure what to do save for cracking out the RealLemon. What sorts of adaptations are you making to deal with this shortage?

A great piece, Rachel. I made a quick fridge pickle of beets this morning before work, and I smiled to read your perfect verb: peel-slipping. Thanks for dipping us in the brine.

I'm familiar with academic publishing and not trade cookbook publishing, so forgive what may be a terrifically ignorant question: does Famous Chef front the cash for these books? If so, it would seem that most of these books are, in effect, vanity self-publications, with authors and not publishers ponying up the cash and thus taking the risk. But that would also suggest, I think, that Artisan, e.g., is not taking much financial risk when they roll out TFLC, since it's Keller's dime to lose. What sorts of advances and contract structures are we talking about here?

It seems to me that deathwatch is an interesting barometer of a certain type of commentary, though hardly a bellwether of all things food and internet. It's unfortunate that its superficial understanding of what the Society is all about misses a great deal of our content, our community, and our acceptance of food and drink in all their many manifestations.

Inspired by Erik's excursion in the Savoy Affinity Cocktail (click), when I saw a bottle of the Compass Box Asyla scotch, I snapped it up. I made a few Affinity Cocktails and haven't been swept away. However, today I snooped around www.cocktaildb.com and found The Bairn, a fine simple cocktail with scotch, Cointreau, and orange bitters. The first, which was lovely, was with Regan's bitters; the second just now, which was utterly transcendent, was with Fee Brothers -- particularly with an orange twist that's a bit fatter than it ought to be. It got me to thinking that there are probably some fine scotch cocktails out there that get short shrift because of the overwhelming tendency to drink scotch neat. Others?

Here in the Biggest Little State in the Union, we've had six months of a law that allows diners to bring home unfinished bottles of wine. An article in today's Providence Journal (click) says that the "Buzz is So-So for Merlot-to-Go": When I first heard about this law, I thought it was a great idea and envisioned doing it a lot. Haven't done it once. Is RI the only state with this law? Has anyone ever gotten their Merlot, Grigio, or Bordeaux to go? What do the restauranteurs here think of it?

I think Stop n Shop has had them the last few times I've been there. Try the one on Branch Ave just off 95. And, of course, post here!

From the article:

S&P and Worcestershire. Hit the spot.

What does "delicious food" mean?

Who supplies your meats?

I've got two rib-eyes drying in the fridge with S&P and a small jar of homemade Worcestershire sauce (from Dave the Cook from a tweak of this recipe) with which they'll be served. Made me start wondering what other options I might enjoy next time. What do you make to put on your steak at home?

Are there ways to identify the good stuff? I've seen the same crappy "steak knife" sets at discount stores and high-end kitchen retailers both -- for different prices, of course.