Jason Perlow

Updated: The virus in question, W32.Beagle.K@mm, is detailed here: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data...eagle.k@mm.html

Steven I think that in the post 9-11 world, many, many people would prefer to go to a casual restaurant than your typical dress-up environment that the "3 star" and "4 star" provides. With more and more places like Mix and Hearth opening up, we're going to see this whole two star/three star conventionality being put to the test as more and more fancy "destination restaurants" start tanking and restauranteurs have to completely re-think about how to make money and make diners happy. I think people want substance and good value in dining, even at the high end -- and dragging them out of their homes to go out to eat has to be a no-brainer and effortless.

Steven I generally agree with this assessment with some reservations, but as you say, if Hearth is a 2 star serving 3 star food, it requires that the entire "3 star" restaurants rating at the NYT be re-evaluated, because so many NY restaurants that have received 3 stars certainly don't merit them at all. Overall I have a problem with rating restaurants on stars alone, because you get into problems in some restaurants (like Hearth) with the food and service and decor being in totally different ranges. Hearth would be a 3 star restaurant in -your- value system if it wasn't for its setting and casual nature. The luxuriousness of the settings at Hearth compared to GT and Craft may be at issue here, but not the ingredients and service. The ingredients and food served there are on par with those other two places. The tight quarters and casualness of the restaurant may be what's hurting its star rating as far as the Times is concerned, but the only thing that matters for me at the end of the day is the quality of what is being put on the plate.

Yes, the food and service is on par with GT and Craft.

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Nah, this is wrong. The place is serving 3 star cuisine. STRONG 3 star cuisine. The review itself is good, but the star rating is completely off.

Here's a link to our Kamado thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...34179 I'm looking to pick one of these up this spring to complement my Weber gas grill. The Kamado is unique in that its made out of ceramic, and it can burn dual fuels -- both charcoal and gas, and you can smoke and do low temperature cooking in it, which is essential for real BBQ.

Actually I think Mr. B's has better BBQ shrimp than Pascal's Manale, but its a matter of personal preference. The PM ones are also very good. I agree that Commanders is a good value, but only for Lunch.

Kris, do any of the ingredients used in these traditional girls day dishes have symbolic importance? Why clam soup for instance?

We're going to be at Binh Duong at around 6:30 tonight. PM me if you'd like to attend -- the more people the better -- I beleive their larger table sits 6, so we probably have space for 4 others besides me and Rachel.

throw a few hocks of prosciutto crudo in with the sauce while its simmering. I understand thats the secret ingredient in Difara's sauce.

Flay has to cook WITH Morimoto? Oh yeah, thats gonna work well.

White Pizza needs a ton of garlic and olive oil to taste good. It also needs salt.

Okay, here's a theoretical. If Hamantshen got in a battle with Mandel Bread, who would kick who's ass? The Hamentashen, but then the Rugelach would swoop in from above and kick his ass with his heat vision and chocolate filling.

Yes, solid aluminum disc bottom.

The stockpots don't have the copper bottoms to my knowledge. But we use one about a dozen times a month on a 18,500 BTU burner and haven't killed it yet. The covered saucepan that we have has a copper bottom and is also a really well made peice.

Believe it or not ANOTHER Soup/Noodle shop is opening in that spot. They just put the sign up Saturday, although it's not open yet. It's a Chinese noodle and soup shop, not Vietnamese, but still... the coincidence is eerie. I'm not convinced its a noodle soup place. It doesn't have any seating. I think the noodle soup picture on it is just a generic indication its Chinese food. The sign doesn't say anything else about it being noodle soup other than that. Also, since the place has no seating, I'm not sure how effective it will be. KT's original place succeeded in there DESPITE the fact it was a crappy location. Every other restaurant or takeout business in that spot has failed miserably.

Please post all questions to the Kitchen Scale Manifesto Course here.

At 25 bucks, that 12 quart stockpot is a really good deal.

over the years i've found that if you order what the Perlows order, you'll be all sorted out. You're finally learning. Weiner: Sunday afternoon may not be a good time to go to this place. I think their main cooks are only there during the evenings. You want to go when the place is busy during a weeknight or a weekend evening. As to their Cha Gio (fried spring rolls) -- yes, they are heavier than Saigon's. For the most part the Saigon ones are mostly vegetables, bean thread noodle with a small amount of pork in them. I like both of them but Binh Duong's have a strong fish sauce taste to them, which some people may not like. As a whole the restaurant is catering to ethnic Vietnamese, not Americans. EDIT: I realize just now you were referring to LITTLE SAIGON, the restaurant that burned down in Nutley, not SAIGON REPUBLIC in Englewood. The comparison still stands, however. Pho tends to use the cheaper cuts of beef -- they are in there primarily to add seasoning to the broth. For 5 bucks a bowl, I'm not going to expect good quality eye of round roast beef like KT uses at Saigon Republic! As great as her soup is KT does NOT make a traditional Pho, and its 8 bucks a bowl. What you get at Binh Duong is what you should expect at a typical Pho stall in Vietnam. The restaurant as a whole is a very good value, they have a LOT of dishes there, its cheap as hell, so you can try a whole bunch of dishes there and not feel compelled to finish them if you find one or two not to your liking.

Lisa, we don't use pre-ground coffee in our moka. We grind our own coffee in a $50 Braun burr coffee grinder using fresh roasted beans, it works just fine and produces good results. In France you should have no problem getting fresh roasted beans. Any type that suits your fancy should be fine, I would tend to go with the more lower acid varieties personally. Coffee that is brought home from the store freshly roasted should be fine for a few weeks, Once you grind it, it will start to lose a lot more potency and go rancid in a matter of days.

New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with white chocolate or vanilla/creme anglaise sauce. Maybe soaked in Bourbon. That's right up most politicans alleys. Bannanas Foster is also an uniquely american dish too, but its a flaming dessert and has to be prepared at table.

Mun Hamentaschen are cool. You can eat just one of them in the morning, have a corporate drug test that day, and lose your job in about two seconds flat.

Wow. Talk about close to home. My old stomping grounds. Okay, I'm 34, but this particular Howard Johnsons is where I was basically introduced to fried clams. I think the location is either demolished or a Bobs Big Boy now, its been a while since I was in that area. It may have been the 1970's but my grandparents (Jack and Sylvia Perlow) never completely left the Great Depression. They always acted like it was feast or famine, it didnt matter how much money they had. This was a successful orthodontist and current president of the Nassau County Dental Society, who paid for two children to go to medical school, and had a condo in Florida. They got immense thrills from ALL YOU CAN EAT FRIED CLAMS at Howard Johnsons. Was it a Wednesday or a Thursday every week they did that? I forgot. These were people that always scrimped and saved, they piled up at the Sizzler salad bar and went back for thirds at Morrissons Cafeteria during their winter vacations in Hollywood, Florida. All you could eat fried clams at the Howard Johnsons in Douglaston was the ultimate and definitive Jack and Sylvia Perlow experience. They did this like clockwork every week. My grandfather could eat six or seven plates of those things. Jesus, I even remember Sylvia pocketing fistfulls of single serve packets of Tartar sauce in her 20 year old pocketbook and my mother freaking out watching her do that. Wow, that was a lot of images for me.

Hey, if the Turks can take a little bit of sludge, so can I. What are you, afraid of letting a few hairs grow on your chest?