Jason Perlow

The proprietor of Pasta Factory told me they buy from the same purveyors other restaurants do. I assume since they are buying larger quantities of fish than your average home consumer would buy, they are buying whole fish from regular purveyors as bloviatrix says. I mean, you can't "slaughter" a fish. You CATCH fish. Maybe you need to beat a particularly aggressive Tuna or a barracuda over the head with a blunt instrument to make him stop flopping around, but still. "Glatt" means meat, so "Glatt Kosher Fish" in and of itself is a bit of a misnomer.

Well, I took the photos under ideal conditions with a lot of light. I agree, the pics came out really good, which means I am actually getting better at using this camera.

Funny that you ask: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=55246 Welcome to the site.

Yeah, totally.

Welcome Arthur -- I've been waiting over 3 years for you to join us on eG, and I am glad you finally did. In the last three years, many of NYC's iconic fine dining institutions have shuttered their doors or made major changes to stay afloat -- Lespinasse, Le Caravelle, Lutece, and Russian Tea room all have closed. La Cote Basque was downsized and made more casual, Bouley was demoted by Frank Bruni from its 4 star position and as a result has become more casual, and soon Le Cirque is moving and is to be significantly downsized. These are probably the most noted examples, but there are quite a few others. Do you think this is part due to anti-French sentiment related to the War and slow business recovery from the aftereffects of 9/11, or is there some other pattern in the dining habits of New Yorkers -- perhaps more of a desire for casual and innovative dining -- that is bringing this about? We've gotten a number of new high-end places that haven't quite replaced these past icons such as Cafe Gray and Per Se, and of course Masa (which is Japanese so its really not comparable) but those are the only few that really stick out. Many of the new upscale restaurants are quite casual in nature. I'm eager to get your perspective on this.

Another thing which I think patrons should know is that unlike meat, which has to be "Kashered" or salted in addition to being butchered in a process with lends it to have a different flavor and texture than normal meat and fowl, fish is inherently treated as "Pareve" or a neutral food item from a Kosher perspective. Thus (dairy) restaurants that serve fish can buy from the same purveyors that a regular high end fish restaurant buys from (with the exception of shellfish like lobster, shrimp or clams of course) so there is really no limit on the qualitative aspects on a fish dish served at a Kosher restaurant. For example, the tuna that we ate at Pasta Factory is the same sashimi grade stuff used in good sushi restaurants.

Yeah, we were thinking the same thing. Its really not a good name for this place, it does sound like a mass production joint like Macaroni Grill or Cheesecake Factory. But please don't let it stop you from eating here. I think they specifically chose that name in order to lure in casual diners (the place is not dressy at all) and they are trying to get clientele other than orthodox Jews to eat there. It does have that "Factory" type industrial look inside, with brickface walls and exposed ventilation ducts.

These folks have plans to open a meat place as well on the same block. They also plan to offer takeout of certain items, like their fresh pasta, for retail sale. I didn't mention it in the NYT Quick Bite as we were tight on space, but they had a nice Prix Fixe lunch for $20 which included a nice big salad (their field greens are very good) and a main dish.

BTW the backers of this restaurant are also responsbile for Sushi Mitsuyan, a kosher sushi restaurant, also in Teaneck, which I havent been to but has a very good reputation. After sampling the quality of the fish at this place, I'm now inclined to try it.

As I understand, Kosher meat is acceptable to (most) Muslims as a substitute for Halal. In NYC, Kosher and Halal meat actually come out of the same meat market, the only difference is who certifies it right there on the spot -- a Rabbi or a Muslim cleric. The main distinction between the two is that meat can be declared Kosher by the rabbi by blessing an entire room's worth of animals in the general slaughtering area, whereas in Halal, the individual animal must be blessed in the name of Allah with a prayer at the moment its throat is slit.

Yes. And actually as it turned out, we did try the mozzarella a second time, and it was considerably better. Apparently on the day we first went, they had run out of the curds to make the mozzarella inhouse and had to get some pre-made mozzarella from a different supplier, so it was not the stuff they normally made.

Speaking of upscale kosher Italian, here's some pics from The Pasta Factory in Teaneck NJ, a dairy/fish restaurant: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=56010&hl=

The Pasta Factory 1400 Palisade Ave., Teaneck, NJ 07666 TEL: 201.837.1000 (In back of the Goodman's hardware store building) Here are a few pics of some of the dishes we sampled at the restaurant: Tuna "Seviche" with crispy wonton skin layers Basic marinara pasta with home made rigatoni. Mozzarella (from curds) and Pasta is made inhouse, they use brass dies to make the pastas. Pasta Mediterraneo with Ahi Tuna, in a lemony sauce with black olives, arugula and fresh linguine. This was a fish special with wheat berries and truffle mashed potatoes and sauteed mustard greens. Day Boat Codfish with Roasted Beets, ginger Baby Carrots and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes Trio of ice Creams, with heavy Cholov Yisroel cream. Chef Barry Bonser, formerly of the 21 Club and Bouley, does all desserts inhouse. Chocolate Espresso Torte Spice Cake Pumpkin Creme Brulee, which was so good that we ended up fighting over spoonfuls, it got very ugly at the table. I'd like to stress that this is one of the best Kosher restaurants I have ever been to, its prices are reasonable even for a Kosher establishment, and even if you are NOT looking for a Kosher restaurant, its probably one of the better fish restaurants in the area. All desserts, pasta, bread (amazing foccacia) and even the mozzarella are made inhouse. The restaurant is housed in the back of the Goodman's Hardware Store building in the industrial part of town (West Englewood) next to the railroad tracks. Its a very attractive space, featuring high ceilings and a funky/industrial modern decor. You can view the menu online at http://www.pastafactoryteaneck.com The restaurant is BYO(K)B. Wine needs to be Kosher. If you don't have any Kosher wines, the restaurant has an arrangement with Teaneck Liquor, who has a nice Israeli/European/US Kosher wine selection and will deliver to the restaurant upon request.

Well, Saudi Arabia is an interesting country because they are extremely modernized for an Arab nation, but they also have a lot of traditional bedouin ways. They do have a few unique dishes besides all the usual Middle Eastern dishes, though. Here's a few interesting ones on Recipezaar. http://www.recipezaar.com/r/15/110/75 and some from the Saudi Arabian Information web site: http://www.saudinf.com/main/q021.htm and a whole list of them here: http://members.aol.com/JAlmansur/saudi_recipes.htm The stuffed Camel sounds a bit ambitious though.

Sauteed Sliced Chinese Pork with Long Beans and Garlic Shoots in Oyster Sauce Soup Noodles in Mushroom Broth with Shitake and Shanghai Bokchoy

Cookbook author and former radio personality, Arthur Schwartz, will be joining us for an eGullet Q&A during Thanksgiving week. When he was on the radio, Thanksgiving was always a big week, with lots of callers asking for help with holiday food emergencies. So, Arthur will here for all his fans to ask those last minute questions. In addition, he is a cookbook author who helps you figure out What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House To Eat, and put Naples at Table. His latest book about New York City Food, was just released this month. So there are a wide range of question possibilities to ask the Food Maven. Click here for the Arthur Schwartz Q&A Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food : An Album, History & Cookbook Naples at Table : Cooking in Campania What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House To Eat Soup Suppers: More Than 100 Main-Course Soups and 40 Accompaniments

There are other Latin American countries producing Coke and its being brought into the US. Ecuador and the Dominican Republic are two of them. I've heard good things about them as well.

I think Tenafly, because of the demographic makeup of its residents, is more prone to takeout-type businesses succeeding than full blown restaurants. While I agree many restaurants in Tenafly fail, takeout type busineses do very well. On Washington Ave, which is the main drag for shopping in town, you have quite a few places (the Bagel Shop, the takeout sushi place, Tea Garden, the pizza place, the cheese shop, the bakery, the Jewish deli) that have managed to succeed. The Asian/Korean businesses are also doing well. Sapphire, the middle eastern restaurant, also seems to be doing OK, and I was convinced it was going to fail a year or so ago. We don't eat there that often because I think its overpriced compared to some of the better middle eastern places in the area. Even that horrid Tenafly Diner that they spent gazillions on remodeling seems to be doing well. The takeout places probably don't have to pay as much rent as some of the larger commercial spaces, and they are more likely to suceed with Tenafly's wealthy busy lifestyle set. Tenafly is also a significantly smaller town than Englewood, which is densely packed with restaurants, and most of us are usually prone to going outside of town to eat anyway because there is physical a space limitation of how many places can be in Tenafly, just because of the way the town is laid out. The traffic patterns of Tenafly are also kind of weird.

I have a sudden craving for mashed potatoes. A lot of them.

Malawry: I'm pretty sure the CEO of Sysco was overheard saying "Alert my Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival" a few times.

Krinos is evil? I've liked what I've tried from them. ← Krinos has a low end line and their high-end stuff which includes goods imported from Greece made specifically for them. I like their higher end stuff. They are by no means an "evil" company.

Virtually all the commercial Gyro meat is made by Krinos Foods in Long Island City, NY. http://www.krinos.com It comes as a big conical shaped thing that you put on this spit/roaster appliance and it cooks the meat. Krinos is like the Sysco or Goya of the Greek food world. You need it they got it.

Omakase means you give the sushi chef a set amount of money, 50 bucks, 100 bucks, whatever -- and you say "serve me whatever you feel is freshest and is the best value for my money". And that's what they do. Except that instead of saying the previous phrase, when you ask for "Omakase, 100 dollars" they know exactly what you mean. Typically the Omakase price is listed on the menu, and they usually have a few dollar amounts. At a really high end place like Nobu or Masa or Karuma Zushi in NYC though, the sky is the limit. There's a more complicated description but essentialy thats what omakase is.

They're all called different things in different Middle Eastern countries. The ones with the shredded wheat birds-nesty type things are usually called Kataifi. Everything else is usually some variant of baklava using a honey syrup sauce with different kinds of nuts as a filling or topping. Theres probably a least a dozen different variants. In turkey they are called Baklava generically, theres one particular pistachio round one they call "Bulbul Yuvasi" that looks kind of similar to one of the pistachio ones above.

We've done it in the Weber for several years, Tommy. Just cook it breast down on top of a sheet pan to catch the juices (if you want to catch them for gravy) at about 300-350 degrees until done, which should be like 3 hours. It doesnt come out photogenic if you are all into the presentation, but it comes out very juicy that way. We typically do it with a Kosher turkey because its already brined.