Jason Perlow

I know. I feel the same way a few hours after a full meal at GSI.

Penthouse Pets will be there doing what they do best. and that would be

Was it a difficult decision for you to leave the Fifith Floor after 8 years, considering your involvement with all aspects of the operation?

I drink the more expensive and longer aged stuff neat. Most gold rums between 3 and 7 years old I'll drink with a single ice cube to let the flavor out. "Dark" rums I tend to drink with Coke or mix into fruity cocktails.

Hunan Cottage is a solid Shaghainese-style and Taiwanese-style Chinese restarant, despite the regular American-style Chinese menu you get by default if you walk in as a roundeye. You have to ask for the "Chinese" menu to get the authentic stuff. Although it is a Shaghai-style restaurant it is called "Hunan Cottage" because of some link to a famous similarily named restaurant in Taiwan. I would say between Hunan Cottage and China 46 we have some of the best Shanghai-style food in the tristate area.

Rochelle: Can you supply us with a recipe for the Kung Pao? Its one of my favorite Chinese dishes, if done well. By far my favorite rendition is the "freshly killed" one at Grand Sichuan International Midtown in NYC, which uses a lot of fresh ginger, dried chiles, Sichuan peppercorns and really good peanuts. How was your trip to NYC? Sorry Rachel and I couldn't meet up with you guys, we were pretty beat this weekend.

He seems to be some sort of motivational speaker/management consultant/guru kind of guy. I can't find any cooking/eating/food/restaurant posts he's made. He seems to have just showed up here in order to trash his former friend with whom he is now royally pissed. Here you go:Drrevenue.com A motivational speaker who calls the co-founder of eGullet an "idiot" when confronted with a contrary opinion. Remind me not to attend any of his seminars.

Henry Harris is head chef and a partner of the recently opened and very well reviewed Racine restaurant in London's Brompton Road. Henry's career began front of house, working in his father's "Le Grandgousier" restaurant in Brighton during school holidays in the late 70's. His first job was as commis waiter in the town's sea front Old Ship Hotel, but it was the opportunity to observe chef Karl Loderer in the kitchen whilst waiting tables at the 1 Michelin starred Manleys in Storrington Sussex that ultimately inspired Harris to learn cook. During 1983-1984 he obtained a diploma with merit at Leith's School of Food and Wine, and whilst there was introduced to chef Simon Hopkinson, an event he describes as "a defining moment in my life". An apprenticeship at Hilaire in South Kensington under Hopkinson followed. He achieved the rank of Sous Chef six months before leaving the restaurant in 1987 for a sojourn in California, eating in many restaurants of the Bay Area of San Francisco, and working briefly at "Chez Panisse". Later that same year, Henry was back in London, reunited with Hopkinson, this time as his Sous Chef at the legendary Bibendum restaurant. During the period 1992-2000, Henry firmly established his reputation as a leading practioner of the eclectic "Modern British" style as Executive Chef, Fifth Floor Restaurant, Cafe & Bar, Harvey Nichols. Starting nine months before The Fifth Floor opened, Henry designed and set up the kitchens for the restaurant, going on to establish it as a destination in its own right, garnering awards and recognition in the process. It was on the strength of this success that Harvey Nichols were able to expand their restaurant portfolio. The Fifth Floor was also home to The Foodmarket where Harris worked with the department buyers on the development and marketing of own label retail food brands. In 2000, Henry was headhunted and took the position as Chef of "hush" in Mayfair, where he was tasked with raising the standards of cooking and overseeing the opening and development of three private dining rooms on the top floor before working on the expansion of the company to other sites. Henry has also developed a supporting career as a food writer. Below is his current entry in the Directory of the Guild of Food Writers: JOB TITLE (S); Food, cookery and restaurant writer, TV presenter, demonstrator Magazines; Harper's and Queen Harvey Nichols Magazine London.co.uk Black Sheep Brewery Quarterly Caterer and Hotelkeeper Sainsbury's Newspapers; The Times, Weekend (recipes, features, restaurant reviews and product testing) Saturday Express Television; Thoroughly Modern British (26 part series for Carlton) Ainsley's Gourmet Express Classic Dishes Light Lunch Junior Masterchef Network Food Daily Great Chefs of Europe Food for Thought Superchefs Books; Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Cookbook, with Hugo Arnold (4th Estate)

Rachel emailed Applebees a few days ago and the manager of the local Applebees (the email got forwarded to him from Kansas City HQ) just called and said that the riblets come from along the backbone. So I guess Fat Guy was right.

Actually Jon they DO have a robot there but its only used to mold the nigiri rice. They hand cut the fish and place it on the pre-formed nigiris.

Looks like I'll be able to join you on the 7th Ed. Do I need to do anything special to go?

Actually the Florida Matusalem Gran Reserva is an excellent rum and a damn good value if you can find it for under $30. In florida I was able to get it for about $25.

I hate the joint. Its incredibly noisy and overpriced. And they rape you every time you need to go to the mens room. They make a fun coconut shrimp appetizer though.

Dead on. Simple pasta always does it for me especially when desperate.

Call me crazy but I actually like Badlands Tacos in Oradell.

thereuare: If you didnt order a side of mole sauce to go with your tacos you missed the whole point of the place.

hmm, Peanut Butter and Mint?

Christ, that sounds like Iron Chef Commando school.

tomato and mayo sandwiches. BLT's. salt, pepper, onion and tomato sprinkled with Peter Luger steak sauce as an appetizer Basically, dont screw with these too much, eat them effectively plain.

Thats a shitload of lassi, Suvir.

Oh glorious day, calloo callay, they chortled in its joy.

I could go for this, but 6oz tubes are too small. I'm thinking caulk gun sized. The thing that ticks me off about peanut butter is the pain it is to get out the stuff towards the bottom. In a tube theres virtually no waste.

How would you compare the food, service and envionment of Cafe Boulud and DB Bistro Moderne to Daniel? Are they strictly "properties" in Bouluds' eyes or does he have a particular fondness and interest in them? Are they as serious restaurants? Are they at all covered in your book?

Kervan in Cliffside Park has felafel but its not a cheap place. Your best bet is Teaneck where the orthodox Jewish community there is plentiful and you have your choice of "felafel joints". Englewood is probably a 15 minute drive from where you live (go straight up river road to the end, under the GW bridge, keep on going, at the dead end make a left on Palisade ave and drive into Englewood, Bennies is right at the start of the business district (on your left).

You could buy a food drier and dry the mint for use to mix with green tea during the winter. Thats what I intend to do with all of ours that is left over this summer. We've already dried a ton for some friends, and it quickly grew back.