Jason Perlow

Joe's Stone Crab. If you leave florida without eating Stone Crabs you're crazy. Joe's is a very old restaurant... the place dates back to 1913. the oldest operating stone crab place in Florida, I think. Not "high end" or "haute cuisine" but stone crabs are expensive as hell. but very much worth it, if you are a seafood person. You may have to wait to get in there. http://www.joesstonecrab.com/

Goldstinger This evening Jhlurie and I invented a new drink after opening a bottle of calvados and wondering how it might work in a stinger. In a moment of sheer brilliance we realized that perhaps a cinnamon schnapps instead of peppermint might match well with the French apple brandy. It does. 2 Shots VSOP Calvados (or Applejack) 1-1/2 Shots Goldshlager or Cinnamon Schnapps In a shaker with crushed ice pour in the ingredients, shake well, pour thru strainer and serve in martini glasses. Keywords: Cocktail ( RG839 )

Goldstinger This evening Jhlurie and I invented a new drink after opening a bottle of calvados and wondering how it might work in a stinger. In a moment of sheer brilliance we realized that perhaps a cinnamon schnapps instead of peppermint might match well with the French apple brandy. It does. 2 Shots VSOP Calvados (or Applejack) 1-1/2 Shots Goldshlager or Cinnamon Schnapps In a shaker with crushed ice pour in the ingredients, shake well, pour thru strainer and serve in martini glasses. Keywords: Cocktail ( RG839 )

FYI for those of you watching at home, Purim, otherwise known as "Hamentaschen Week" is March 4-7.

I think EVERY restaurant gets "pinched" after they open. Saigon Republic did too, and the health inspectors actually EAT there.

Tommy, according to our server, who was a former Little Saigon employee, it will be re-opening somewhere in Bloomfield, not in its former location.

Essential Oil of Bergamot is the key flavoring agent in Earl Grey tea. So while use in Tea itself may not be your objective, certainly, combination of bergamot zest with some black tea in a dessert of some sort may be an interesting idea. Also oranges and citrus fruit zest goes very well with chocolate, and coffee. Infusion is also probably a good thing to do with these, I'd infuse some Rum or vodka with it.

Pho Van Tuan has closed and has been replaced by Binh Duong at the same location. Please see the discussion here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36469

And in fact, Bouley and Boulud are friends and worked with each other in the same restaurants, which makes it even MORE confusing.

BTW, my apologies for the crappy pictures, I had the settings messed up from our last photo session.

Goi Cuon (Summer Rolls) Lotus, Shrimp and Pork Salad Cha Gio (Spring Rolls) Spring roll interior Grilled Pork over Rice Noodle Sauteed Shrimp with Lemongrass Grilled Pork Balls Pork ball & garnish ready to eat wrapped up in lettuce Bun Bo Hue Satueed Chicken with Curry Sauce Pho Garnish (sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, bean sprouts, Thai basil, shredded red cabbage and shredded lettuce (in back of the plate) Pho Tai (beef nice and pink) Hu Tieu (Egg Noodles soup with pork & seafood) Combination fried rice The aftermath. Pictures by Jason, Captions by Rachel

Big fanned out skinny segments.

eGullet is pleased to announce that Marian Burros will be joining us for a Q&A which will run from February 2 to February 6, 2004. An award-winning cookbook author and journalist, Marian Burros has been a senior staff writer at the New York Times since 1992. She is best known for her work in the fields of health and nutrition education, as well as consumer affairs issues and food safety reporting. She has won a multitude of awards, ranging from the James Beard Award for feature writing, an Emmy for local consumer affairs reporting while acting as a consumer reporter on WRC-TV, to the National Press Club award for health and consumer reporting. Along with her weekly column, "Eating Well", she is the interim restaurant critic for the Times. Marian has written several cookbooks over the years, including The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook, Twenty Minute Menus: TIME-WISE RECIPES & STRATEGIC PLANS FOR FRESHLY COOKED MEALS EVERY DAY, The Best of DeGustibus and Keep It Simple Her most recent cookbook, Cooking For Comfort: More Than 100 Wonderful Recipes That Are as Satisfying to Cook as They Are to Eat (Simon & Schuster; April 9, 2003; $24.00), celebrates a return to a style of cooking that has a powerful yet universal appeal to most people. Click here for the Marian Burros Q&A.

eGullet is pleased to announce that Marian Burros will be joining us for a Q&A which will run from February 2 to February 6, 2004. An award-winning cookbook author and journalist, Marian Burros has been a senior staff writer at the New York Times since 1992. She is best known for her work in the fields of health and nutrition education, as well as consumer affairs issues and food safety reporting. She has won a multitude of awards, ranging from the James Beard Award for feature writing, an Emmy for local consumer affairs reporting while acting as a consumer reporter on WRC-TV, to the National Press Club award for health and consumer reporting. Along with her weekly column, "Eating Well", she is the interim restaurant critic for the Times. Marian has written several cookbooks over the years, including The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook, Twenty Minute Menus: TIME-WISE RECIPES & STRATEGIC PLANS FOR FRESHLY COOKED MEALS EVERY DAY, The Best of DeGustibus and Keep It Simple Her most recent cookbook, Cooking For Comfort: More Than 100 Wonderful Recipes That Are as Satisfying to Cook as They Are to Eat (Simon & Schuster; April 9, 2003; $24.00), celebrates a return to a style of cooking that has a powerful yet universal appeal to most people. Please note that this is a moderated Q&A. Your questions will not appear until they are reviewed by the moderator. There will be a limit of thirty (30) questions.

There's also a new BBQ place opening up in Teaneck on Teaneck Road -- Stickey's. The owner told me (when I saw him in the parking lot dragging in some building supplies, the place is about a week or so from opening) that he plans to smoke his own pastramis as well!

http://www.restauranthearth.com/ Hearth is truly one of the hottest new restaurants in the city, and I mean it. For starters, I don't know how he does it, but Marco Canora is a true wizard at cooking in tightly enclosed spaces -- the open kitchen at Hearth is unbelievably close quarters, and they seem to not miss a beat or bang into each other in there. For those of you who are single diners and would otherwise feel uncomfortable at a table by yourself, you should definitely sit at the counter in the kitchen and watch Marco's perfectly executed cooking technique and the colorful repartee between the kitchen staff. First class entertainment, definitely. Rachel sums up our experience pretty well, so I don't have much to add, other than that if you are a big fan of Craft, you MUST go to Hearth. Its a cozier, somewhat Italianized version of the food served there. The Red Snapper Crudo was definitely my favorite appetizer and like Rachel said, its a very easy one to share. The Black Bass was really, really good, and I'm not really a cooked fish eater, so that should tell you something. The Octopus preparation was very interesting, very tender, and if you like octopus, you'll enjoy the dish a lot. The Monkfish itself in the monkfish osso buco I felt was a fairly plain preparation, and it was pretty bland compared to the Black Bass dish -- although the fish itself was perfect. The super rich, creamy saffron risotto milanesa accompaniment (with tender squid rings!) really needed a better contrast. Actually, the risotto milanesa with some other seafood in it would have been a really good dish in and of itself -- its almost as if the monkfish component was the side and an afterthought. What can I say about the short rib and sirloin other than the fact the steak specimen was perfect and the preparation was perfect. No sauce, just a little kosher salt on it, cooked perfectly medium rare and accompanied with some nice (roasted?) shallots and sautéed mushrooms. The braised short rib that came with it -- extremely tender, falling off the bone -- reminded my of my grandmother's brisket. I was yearning for a green vegetable side like creamed or sautéed spinach or sautéed haricots verts to go with this although there were no such offerings on the menu. However, the whipped potato and mushroom sides went incredibly well with the dish. The polenta was very buttery but compared to the mashed potatoes we all sort of felt like it was an under performer. The Gnocchi were amazing, but like Rachel says, you must eat them immediately otherwise they deteriorate quickly. Desserts were good although none of them truly blew me away -- but all of us were pretty stuffed at this point so we were probably in sensory overload. I'd also like to add that Beverage Director Hailey Rose who did the wine pairings did an amazing job of matching with each course, and she picked some interesting stuff that normally we wouldn't have picked. I highly suggest that you allow her to do the same for you as well. The wine list, with many selections by the glass or half bottle, is large and eclectic for such a restaurant of its modest size and they should be commended for picking some really interesting stuff. For a new restaurant Hearth is putting out some amazing food -- their highs are very high indeed, and although not all their dishes are home runs from a conceptual standpoint, they are all prepared with Marco's perfection and skill that he attained working at Gramercy Tavern and Craft. I'm really looking forward to going back and watching the restaurant mature and see what other seasonal offerings they have during the spring and summer.

Sorry, I thought this topic was about something else.

Wow, that IS an incredible site. The stuff in his photography section borders on porno. I mean look at THIS one: http://www.durianpalace.com/images/photoga...g04-jpg^spg.jpg

Excellent report Curlz, we'll have to check it out soon.

What a most amazing photojournalistic tour of Delhi street food, Monica. The things you do for us!

Pierre's also does nice Prixe Fixe lunches on the weekends.

Actually, I -did- give a set of Steak Knives to Fat Guy for Xmas. Really.

My liquor cabinet got so overflowing, I had to dedicate an entire room to booze storage. No, I'm not joking. I'll post pics later.

For me, its a toss up between crumbly Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Spanish Valdeon (with Cabrales coming in at a close second to Valdeon).

Yeah, I totally agree with that. Corn Dogs are a sign of summer and evocative of happy childhoods at the county fair, which I never $%^&* went to as a kid because I lived in the suburbs of NYC and not rural America.