Jason Perlow

Rachel and I went there once, I'm not sure if we ordered badly but we didn't find it as good a restaurant as China 46. Food didn't seem as fresh for some reason.

You really want to look at varietals of coffee themselves as opposed to vendor in terms of acidity. Both Kona and Jamican Blue Mountain are relatively low in acid compared to other varietals. You want 100 percent in those cases, not blends with them, and unfortunately they aren't cheap either. They are also some of the best varietals you can buy, in my opinion. Light roasting your coffee as opposed to espresso or french roasting them is also going to result in less acid. This site lists acidity levels for other varietals, your mileage may vary. http://www.coffeebeanqueen.com/coffee-bean...y-and-body.aspx In addition to pursuing lower acid varietals themselves there are some companies that use proprietary roasting processses to lower the acid, such as these guys: http://www.puroast.com http://www.hevlacoffeeco.com

I think Kaiseki is a good analogy to Alinea or a place like El Bulli in terms of the aesthetics and the progression of tiny tastes of things. Although somehow I think that walking out of a Kaiseki Ryori meal at an exclusive Japanese inn would still result in a more satisfying experience than a meal at Alinea, but that's just me.

Silver Pond, its another favorite of mine. Try Dim Sum Dynasty in Ridgewood. Different items in a more elegant atmosphere. I alternate between both.

I'm not sure if Gramercy Tavern is 100 percent completely owned by Tom Colicchio. I think Danny Meyer is the majority owner. Tom is a minority partner. http://www.ushgnyc.com/ That being said if I had to choose a Colicchio establishment I would chose Craft. I think Gramercy is an excellent restaurant, however, and completely different restaurant concept entirely.

I think you're right, the other one is called "Spicy Capsicum" something or other.

The Hubig's Pies web site has now been re-launched with a virtual tour from some little-known food blogger from New Jersey: http://www.hubigs.com

Appetizers sound good. The restaurant seemed geared to more of a bar crowd, in any case. I'm also curious as to why Bonom chose to review a place that is proportedly an "Oyster Bar" and didn't order any oysters or anything else from its raw bar? I mean isn't that the main draw of the place?

Yes, actually both CHOW and Chowhound will now be under the auspices of the re-launched chow.com webspace, although they will be managed separately.

I agree, they actually have some good items such as the BBQ Korean short ribs. Also, the sushi is good if you go on a VERY BUSY lunch hour or dinner (such as friday/saturday night) because nothing sits.

Latkes.

That's what my therapist says now that I'm no longer a stress head.

Temporary insanity.

What're those? Seriously. I've never seen a leftover baked potato. ← Well, the key is to make more baked potatoes than you actually need for a particular meal. So when I am grilling outside, I throw 10 potatoes on the Weber instead of say, four.

You totally gotta use potatoes that have already been cooked. Leftover baked potatoes are great for this.

Again Tracey, very different type of cuisine. Hong Kong / Dim Sum versus banquet style Shanghai. But I agree DSD is a great place. Totally different concept though.

Yes, these are leftover grilled shrimp from this meal: Cinco De Mayo Isn't Just About the Coronas

Dinner tonight:

Stacey, there's no comparing China 46 to Minado. To say that it is "better" is an absolute falsification and an improper comparison -- Minado is a buffet restaurant that centers on sushi. China 46 is a Shanghainese and Sichuan-style restaurant with some Hong Kong dishes. If you're going to make comparisons at least compare it to another Chinese restaurant. Now, Lotus Cafe is a very good Chinese restaurant. However they serve Taiwanese -style food with a particular focus on Noodles and they have a primarily American customer base. However, they do not have a seafood focus or cater to mostly Chinese like China 46 does. So again, it would be better if we made appropriate comparisons.

Or perhaps the house special saute with the sesame buns. But that would kind of eliminate 50 percent of the dish.

Just out of curiosity, which dish with the hot peppers did he order?

That's where the "black box" comes in.

I think part of the problem, Steven, is we don't actually KNOW how restaurants are actually chosen in these categories and who votes on them. The process itself is a black box. All the participants are sworn to secrecy, aren't they?

Yeah, I'm curious as to why the heck Bourdain would be voting in a southwest category anyway. You'd think that strictly people with regional expertise would be chosen for those committees.

That's an excellent plan, really. And I may note in addition to the cookies at Madonia, get some cannolis.