Jason Perlow

Wait, I LIKE Pan Bimbo. Its toasty.

OTTO isn't a pizzeria either by that definition, which I would probably agree with.

BTW, here is an interesting factoid from the press release as to why Switzerland has never entered the spirits market:

Good question. That info was not supplied in the press release.

http://www.xellent.com/ I received this bottle as an evaluation sample from our friends at Spirit of Hartford, who are now importing this Swiss-Made vodka into the US. According to the website, this vodka is made from bread-quality Swiss rye and then is distilled to 96 percent alcohol in a small batch alembic still. It then goes thru a second phase in which the spirit goes thru purification in a column still with 45 plates, after which it is distilled a second time. After resting for several months, the distilled spirit is cut with water coming from the Titlis Glacier at the heart of central Switzerland resulting in an 80 proof Vodka, and then the product is filtered several times. The result is spectacular -- this vodka has a very clean taste, almost a little sweet. I would compare it favorably with the $40 and up specialty vodkas out on the market such as Belvedere, which is also Rye-based, as well as Grey Goose, which is a multigrain vodka and has been lauded for its 5-step distillation process and cleanliness of taste. the packaging as you can see is also pretty cool -- they are clearly going with the "Swiss Army" motif here. The vodka itself is clear but the bottle is stained that red color.

Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Theologian (201) 567-5072 353 E Clinton Ave Tenafly, NJ Thu June 3 6PM to 11PM Fri June 4 Noon to Midnight Sat June 5 Noon to Midnight Sun June 6 Noon to 9PM http://www.gonj.org/festival.html Inside the church gymnasium, as well as outside on the festival grounds, these ladies have lots of different kinds of Greek pastry for sale, plus they make one Hell(enic) of a strong Greek coffee. This is a glass of Ouzo, a very strong licorice flavored spirit, and after drinking it, all my photos went downhill. A cold appetizer sampler platter. Pastitsio Mousakka (my favorite, and a really tasty version) Stuffed Peppers Cheese Pies (they also have spinach) Greek Meatballs served with Spaghetti. Greek Salad Me Eating. Okay, time to go outside. MORE FOOD! Rides for the kids. Loukomades (Fried Dough) Souvlaki being grilled over coals -- these are sold in stick form for $3 each, in both the regular grill tent and the Ouzeri tent which also has the sausage and the octopus. The Ouzeri tent isn't as busy, so I suggest you go get stuff to eat there first. Octopodi (Octopus) being grilled. Loukanikou (pronounced lou-CON-ee-ko, emphasis on the CON), a type of Greek sausage flavored with lemon and spices Gyro and Souvlaki on a stick (by far the best grilled item along with the Loukanikou) If you guys go (which I heartily recommend you do), bring along a bag with some bottled water and sodas in it, because the drinks are expensive. BTW they have a pickup service, so you can call in with your order for take out.

See, I like the pickles on the Chick-fil-A. I even ask for extra.

Actually, because Steven Jobs pisses me off so much, I think I'm going to add sauteed pancetta to this recipe when I try it. And then I can imagine myself force feeding it to him. Muhahahahaha!

What goes into the construction of a radish sandwich?

Alton Brown is a serious mac freak. I had a recent email dialogue recently explaining to him what a nut case Steven Jobs is. When he heard I used a PC, I had to reassure him I was using Linux, not Windows, so it didn't count. Oh yeah, I told Alton that Jobs is a VEGAN. I think that hit him pretty hard, considering that macaroni with apples recipe contains cheese (Vegans don't do dairy) and Alton is a BBQ freak. http://www.flamingmailbox.com/maccomedy/ar...10509vegan.html

You mean Bruni, I think. Not Prial.

That restaurant has switched hands at least 10 times, and gone under different names, but I know which one you are talking about. It was MY local chinese restaurant growing up -- my mother and father live on Horace Harding Blvd, on the Little Neck/Great Neck border. During the 1970's/1980's it was Szechuan Palace or Szechuan Inn or something like that. There was another really old Chinese place in Little Neck on Horace Harding in the shopping center mall, called Ho Wing, that was pretty good as well. I don't think its there anymore. it was right next to a pizza place called Centre Pizza (which I think still exists) that had amazing NY-style pizza, which was next to a Carvel and a cards/gifts store that had all kinds of cool junk in it, plus there was a coffee shop with tons of candy and comic books in it. That shopping center had everything you could ever want as a kid.

My entire family is from the Hollis Hills/Hillcrest area. My mom went to Martin Van Buren and my dad Jamaica High. Jack Perlow, my grandfather, was one of the people that donated the money for the doors of the Hillcrest Jewish Center (the Synagogue right next to King Yum) when it first opened. King Yum is where I was first introduced to Chinese food. They lived across the street, he had his orthodontics practice there. I think a Chinese or Korean doctor lives there now.

This dish is still on the menu. EVERYTHING is still on the menu.

The main drag of Union Turnpike in the Fresh Meadows/Hollis Hills/Hillcrest area has a very large amount of Chinese restaurants -- several of them almost as old as King Yum. Another one of note is Peking House, which opened in the late 60's. It has been redecorated several times though, and doesn't give me that warm and fuzzy feeling of eating out with my grandparents when I was 9.

I can confirm that the Ollies egg rolls at that location are very good.

For more retro chinese goodness, click here

BTW they arent pictured here because we brought them home for take out -- their spare ribs are utterly mind blowingly retro good.

Thats pork egg foo young, dude. THE classic. Eggs, onions, bean sprouts, and lots of char siu, with a rich gloppy gravy on it. Its scary, I know, but you need to take a leap of faith and eat it man.

By the way, I think this place would be an awesome location for an eGullet dinner event. I was expecting the place to be quiet and filled with grey/blue haired old ladies, but it was Karaoke night -- apparently wednesday thru friday, they have a Laser Karaoke guy and gal come in and they shake the place up. A large group of teens was in tonight, presumably for a birthday party or something -- and as we got our main course they were screeching out a completely discordant and ear-splitting rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, and various selections from Grease and 'Ol Blue Eyes.

King Yum Polynesian Chinese Restaurant 181-08 Union Tpke., Fresh Meadows; 718-380-1918 King Yum, established in 1953, is the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant in Queens (Wo Hop, in NYC's chinatown, opened in 1939). This makes it probably one of the oldest in the country as well. (edit: Hawaii has some that are considerably older -- Wo Fat in Honolulu opened in 1882 (rebuilt twice) and Lau Yee Chai (demolished and moved locations in 1968) since 1929, and San Francisco has Hang Ah Tea Room, 1920. None of these have continuously operated under the original owners/families to my knowledge, however). King Yum's original owner, Jimmy Eng, 84 and still going strong in the restaurant biz after 51 years, is a man of legend. He doesnt look a day over 60. All of the Tiki/Polynesian fixtures you see here, including the bar and all the bamboo accoutriments (all the walls in the main dining room are paneled with bamboo, the place looks the restaurant that used to be in the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney world), are ORIGINAL. The restaurant appears as its was, back in 1953, with little or no changes. This also goes for its food -- it was created for a simpler time in our country's history, and when this particular neighborhood -- Hollis Hills/Hillcrest/Fresh Meadows -- was 90 percent Jewish. You know the adage about not opening a Chinese Restaurant unless you have Jews in the area? It was probably started because of the huge success of this place. The local synagogue is only about 300 feet away, just down the block. This is a shot of their Subgum Wonton Soup for 2 -- it contains fried wontons, as well as big slices of roast pork, white meat chicken, shrimp, bok choy, mushrooms, water chestnuts and snow peas. A portion of the wonton soup in a retro chinese soup bowl. These are King Yum's famous egg rolls. As you can see from the closeups, these contain ample amounts of roast pork AND shrimp, and even the cabbage has a strong pork taste in it, due to the penetration of the grease. These are AWESOME egg rolls and are the benchmark to which I compare others to. The "Boco Loco", one of the many Polynesian drinks that can be ordered from their drink menu. Yes, its served in a coconut. Shrimp in Lobster Sauce. The classic, the way it is meant to be. House Special Fried Rice. The way you remember it used to taste. No, this is not the Horta from the classic Star Trek episode, "Devil in the Dark". It is no less scary though -- Pork Egg Foo Young, smothered in gravy. It is as delicious as it is scary. A blurry shot of the main dining room -- I had a few sips of that polynesian drink. It was STRONG.

Not WEVD ... aren't they extinct?? WEVD (Eugene V. Debs) is sadly no long with us. It's now ESPN Sports Radio. We have a local station called NY1 that does a segment called "In the Papers" where they highlight assorted articles in the local press. One of the articles they featured was the one in the Times about the water. This is what I awoke to this morning. I'm still shaking my head. Bloviatrix, being orthodox, how are you going to handle it? Buy a filter?

And that fact alone acts as a motivation for the seniors at the Hillcrest Jewish Center to sing along with each other "Staying Alive"? Or do they simply content themselves with "take out" on Sunday evenings? I, personally, would sign up to move in there (HJC), based entirely on this cuisine, when I am of a sufficient age .... Its not a nursing home. Its a Synagogue. And yes, I've even seen the rabbis eat there.

The best egg rolls in the entire NYC metro area can be found at King Yum restaurant in Fresh Meadows, Queens, on Union Turnpike next to the Hillcrest Jewish Center. It is the oldest operating Chinese restaurant in NYC, opened in 1953. They contain ample amounts of chinese roast pork as well as shrimp, and even the cabbage in it is laced with the flavor of pork fat. They are amazing, and are a throwback to the polynesian pu-pu parlors of the 1950's and 1960's, as is most of the cuisine there and the decor (it features a Tiki bar, complete with fru fru polynesian fancy drinks, and decorations that look like it came out of a Fijiian or Tongan pavilion in Disneyland or Epcot). I highly recommend it, kitsch and all. The food at this place is American Chinese at its finest. Its eggrolls, egg foo young, shrimp and lobster sauce, wonton soup, spare ribs -- all the dinosaur standbys -- are reproduced exactly the way they were when the restaurant first opened. I am also convinced that some of these dinosaur dishes were likely INVENTED at this restaurant, as is this entire style of chinese food. Trader Vic Bergeron may have invented the drinks and the polynesian kitch, but not the cuisine. http://www.queenstribune.com/archives/dini...ews/kingyum.htm http://www.queenscourier.com/dining/1998/kingyum.htm (1998) Aright, now I guess I need to take a picture of this place and its eggrolls so people beleive me.

Also colored with lots of caramel.