Chris Amirault

Has anyone noticed that the number of items popping up on many menus seems to be expanding? In the years I've been going to several area restaurants, I swear there's been an exponential increase at some places. It's drivin' me nuts, I tell you! I'm starting to want a drink handed to me before the menu. I'd rather see three mains than thirty at this point; after all, can most kitchens even do thirty mains decently? I'm not alone: I know one person who swears she became a vegetarian for a while to limit restaurant choices. Is this menu explosion just happening up here in the northeast US? Or are you seeing it in your burg, too? How do you react to the multipage menu miasma?

S/SE, for South/Southeast, as in South Asia and Southeast Asia? Gives you a bit more wiggle room if you want to have some Cambodian, Pakistani, etc. cuisine. I like kha a lot, though I'd use lower case.

I use a simpler version of Dave's above. If you have a double grate grill (like a Weber kettle, say), just place crumpled newspaper under the bottom grill, place the charcoal on the grill, open the vents, and light the newspaper. Fifteen minutes, tops. I've been doing this for twenty years and haven't had a problem once.

Neither do I. I'm convinced that it holds its heat better if cooked on the stove. And I've got the physics right here to prove it! (Bangs on phone book.) edited to add: Progresso split pea with ham takes chipotle hot sauce very nicely.

Sandy, what sorts of Latin American food is available there?

Welcome, Ted! What will you be using for your sous-vide experiment? Pix, s'il vous plait!

I was in Brooklyn this weekend visiting friends in Fort Greene, and in pursuit of a foolhardy errand, we drove down Fifth Avenue all the way to Bay Ridge. In the 70s and 80s, we started seeing a slew of Lebanese, Turkish, and Greek shops and restaurants, and we got some mezze at a little Lebanese place before heading into midtown Manhattan. It was great: homemade pickles, wonderful kibbeh, dolma, zatar bread.... Driving off, I realized that I had never heard anyone describe Bay Ridge as a great food neighborhood of NYC, but I'd be thrilled to spend a week there shopping, eating, and cooking. Everyone knows about the touristy hot spots in your town, whether it's NY, London, Paris, or Munich. What are the unsung neighborhoods across the globe that are tucked away? edited to clarify the scope of the thread -- ca

I'm going to get a few pieces of All-Clad, too, Marlene. Which line are you asking for? And though you don't want to hear about it, can I make a quiet little pitch for the Edge Pro knife sharpener? Best $125 I've ever spent on kitchen stuff, seriously. [ducks]

Burgers look great, but I agree with Ellen: those rings look like the real deal, Varsity class (not the high school designation but the ATL drive-in level!).

Moore Brothers sounds like it's just the thing: click here. NYC store to open in Jan 06, indeed, right near Gramercy Tavern.

I agree with EHPete. If you heat ceramic ramekins in the oven, they'll hold the heat plenty long to get the cheese down, I find. I do hope you'll have some, er, fiber at some point during the festivities. All fondue would be pretty... binding. Not that I have any experience directly with that sort of thing. Ahem.

Here's the shelf that's right outside our kitchen, in two snaps: That's the place where the oft-used books rest (as well as keys, mail, etc.). After I posted this, I realized that a few things (Glorious French Cooking in particular) really didn't get used enough to be up here, so they got banished to the bookshelf in the basement, where a bunch more books plus magazines are stored.

More information -- and photos, if possible -- please!

Outstanding! Who needs to cook when you've got that positive attitude? Let's see some rich, stinky, runny perfection!

So am I! I really, really hope you post about this! I have such unmitigated andiesenji envy.... One oven, one fridge, one freezer, all of which can be commandeered as needed, more or less. But amounts aren't huge; we're talking six people, max. Unfortunately, I can't do prep on Thanksgiving bc it's after the 19th, not before, I'm afraid.

Welcome, thdad, and great post! What is "water kimchi"?

Had some fine Shanghai soup dumplings at (New) Green Bo, 66 Bayard St, this weekend: crab meat and pork, as well as "steamed tiny buns." Most excellent. I can't compare them to any other place here, but we were very happy. Their mixed meat and shrimp lo mein was also swell, and the two of us left having spent $20 including tip. Plenty left over for black sesame and red bean ice cream across the street at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

Thanks to some recommendations from jogoode (thx JJ!) and to the perspicacity of my host, we dined at Ici on Saturday night. It's a great space, very relaxed and pleasant, sort of like the neighborhood restaurant that everyone should have three blocks away. Well, at least the sort of one I should have, anyway. The pricing is really quite reasonable. For example, we started with a great truffled mushroom soup ($7) that could've easily been over $10, and even in Providence the grilled squid with lemon and smoked paprika ($10) would've hit $12. They were both excellent, as was a beet salad ($9). For our mains, my tablemates had a swell walleye pike with fingerlings, brussel sprouts, and a few other things ($21) and some orecchiette with eggplant ($12) -- a smidge bitter for our host. I had a perfect, perfect braised short rib plate with sweet potatoes, mustard fruits, pickled shallots, and a wonderful reduction of the braising juices ($20). We had a spicy gamay (a Puzelat Le P'tit Tannique 2004 for $37) with everything, which really hit the spot. We may be back for Thanksgiving weekend, and if so, we'll likely hit Ici again.

I was in Brooklyn this past weekend and had the distinct pleasure of spending twenty minutes in The Greene Grape. As the website states, this shop is devoted exclusively to "everyday wine made with integrity, skill and pride," and while I haven't tried everything there, it seemed excellent. Their approach is to cultivate relationships with producers of artisanal wines made at the lowest price points, and to keep their on-hand stock food-friendly, pretty limited (there were about one hundred or so bottles on display there, I believe), and varied. My host got a Lauradores de Feitoria Vinho Tinto 2003 for 12 bucks, which was a hell of a lot more interesting than one of the Big Boy Chards, let me tell you. If I lived in Fort Greene, I'd be there every other night. I'd rather have a month's worth of interesting wines at dinner than three bombshells, and I'd enjoy being able to try such a wide range of varietals to boot. Made me wonder if there were any other shops in your area that support good, everyday wine first and foremost, and leaves the Bourdeaux futures and Penfolds Grange display cases to other folks.

A melon baller works, too.

But was that an heirloom banana?

As a Northerner with pretensions to a fine Southern Christmas ham many years ago, I bought a mail order Smithfield ham. I loved it, many of the guests did not (too salty). I won't repeat the many caveats here, but will add one: size matters. If you're planning to scrub, soak, or cook it, think about the size of your sinks, ovens, and so on. I took over the bath tub for a day, then finally, after much roommate abuse, went to the butcher to have the ham cut in half and then to the hardware store to find a bucket big enough to hold the thing while it soaked. Cooked it in two stages. But I still remember the pea soup I made with that bone....

Simple But Damned Fine Beans Heat a skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat and add a good dollop of olive oil or lard, about 2-3 T or more. (You can cheat and use another kind of cooking oil, but the fat is part of what makes them damned fine.) Toss in one large red onion, diced. Sauté the onion, stirring now and then, until about half of it has browned nicely. Throw a T or 2 of ground cumin over the onions, and stir for a minute or so. (If you have some ancho or chipotle chili powder, you can throw in a T or 2 of that as well.) Throw two cans of pinto beans, drained, into the pan. Sauté those little babies for a few minutes, stirring all the while. Turn down the heat to medium, and add 1 c of good chicken stock. You can get away with boullion here, but the body of good stock makes a difference even in this simple dish. Stir that in and let the beans break down in the stock for about ten to fifteen minutes. Feel free to mash a few of them with a wooden spoon, fork, or masher, if you'd like, and add stock if you think they're getting too thick. Salt and pepper to taste, and you're done! Serve these damned fine beans with warmed tortillas, over rice, under cheese, or any other way that you'd serve those lousy refried beans in a can. Keywords: Side, Beans, Easy, Mexican ( RG1461 )

Most excellent. While the cat's away, the mouse makes a damned fine looking cappucino! We'll all be pullin' for you! Get it? Get it?

Wendy, that looks fantastic! (As do the other ones, but by now it's probably clear that I'm a big meat chunk fan! ) What cut of pork was it? Looks like shoulder to me....