Jason Perlow

We're working on it.

Well of course you can mix some in with KFP Coke and have a chocolate coke. Plop in some KFP ice cream and you got a nice ice cream float, although of course you'll want to do that with a dairy meal. How about some over Matzah Brei pancakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream?

In the Northeast United States, its Beet. The cRc in Chicago might use something different than what the OU uses with the stuff made in New York, but I doubt it. The Northeast KFP Coke made by Coca-Cola Bottling of Hawthorne is also distributed to other cities in the US as well.

My understanding is that Coca-Cola of Hawthorne, NY, who makes the OU KFP stuff for the Northeast, uses beet sugar, not Cane sugar. Cane sugar is a very expensive ingredient and it has other residual compounds in it to give it that "caney" flavor besides just the Sucrose that is processed.

That has to be an aberration. I can assure you Forno's is not an improvement over Casa Vasca.

I know... that's why I'd like to see the pics! ← That -would- make a great TV special, wouldn't it. "The Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy Passover Comedy Variety Hour." Sponsored by Hallmark, Manischiewitz and Barton's Chocolates. They could bring in all the goofy Jewish guest stars, like Jeff Goldblum and Steven Spielberg. Have Jerry Seinfeld do the four questions and re-broadcast the Passover skit from SNL where he walks in as Elijah with Jesus (played by the late Phil Hartman).

Well, Quadrotriticale is definitely chometz. Romulan Ale is also fermented from some sort of cereal, so that's out too.

and Kirk is now 'Denny Crane' .. highly successful Boston Legal star ... now back to Passover and its complexities ... how shall I use my U Bet chocolate syrup?? anyone? ← Oh come on Melissa, like you need some kind of tutorial or something?

I bet you we can get the exact recipe.

I never thought of that, but I it does. I am sure Spock and Captain Kirk would have had an interesting seder with it. ← My G-d. I'd like pictures from their seder. ← Well, Spock and Kirk ARE Jewish, you know. Nimoy grew up Orthodox, actually.

That looks like a seder plate they would use on Star Trek!

Why, Matzah and Brisket kugel, of course.

I recieved a communique this week from USHG PR that Shake Shack will now be serving Billecart Salmon Champagne. Burgers and Fries with Champagne. Brilliant. They've apparently had beer and wine for a while, but something about them serving Champagne now makes them a destination restaurant. I wonder how many proposing couples they'll get now.

They make solid fried clams, at least the Paramus and Palisades Center Mall locations do. There really isn't any seafood restaurant in the area that's a good choice for Ipswitch belly clams, everyone else has the cherrystones and they really aren't good for frying. Having just gotten back from New Orleans, you really can't compare fried clams to fried oysters, but still, the fried clams at Legal are really excellent. I like the fact they have a lot of half bottles and the wines are quite food friendly to begin with, a lot of stuff which matches with my taste.

Glorious.

Ronnie, I'm actually quite jealous that you have access to the KFP Coke from Chicago. The OU sponsored KFP Coke we get in the NY/NJ area is only readily avaliable in 2-liter bottles. In Chicago, Passover Coke is overseen by the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc), and they've been making a lot of it in cans. The 2-Liters go flat after about 3 months, whereas cans can last six months at the very least.

BTW, if you want a real treat, hit your KFP Coke with some KFP Fox's U-Bet for a old-time "Chocolate Coke". Fox's also makes vanilla and strawberry and raspberry syrups as well.

Its funny, more than anything else I have posted on Off The Broiler since I started it, This particular entry seems to get more attention than anything else. I agree that KFP Coke is the bomb, although I prefer Mexican coke, since it comes in glass bottles. However, at 99 cents per two liter, you cant beat KFP coke.

Here's an interesting take on carbonara that I had in New Orleans at Herbsaint Restaurant: An egg is poached and then deep fried, with guanciale bacon in large peices. When you puncture the egg, it leaks the runny yolk all over, really good.

Day 5: ACME Oyster House and Herbsaint We ran out of luck when heading to Johnny's Po Boys only to find out it was closed for the day when we got there. A local lady, noticing our distress, suggested that we head to ACME. Now, ACME is one of those places that is heavily promoted in all the New Orleans tourism books, so we were reticent to go there on previous visits to the city. But I was willing to throw caution to the wind, and frankly I thought some more raw oysters and perhaps a Po Boy might be good there. A view of the shucking area. A plate of raws on the half shell. These were pristine quality and for the most part free from sand and grit. The shuckers are doing an excellent job here. Unlike Casamento's, the sauce is pre-prepared, so you won't look like a Yankee doofus trying to mix your own. Here I managed to convince Rachel to eat a raw oyster, which she is normally freaked out by. Guess what, she liked them! ACME's Oyster Rockefeller Soup. Other than the fried oyster its the only discernible oyster in the soup, although there is a small amount of chopped up oyster in it. We felt that the soup itself was too thickened with roux and Rachel's version that we made a few weeks ago was a lot better. The Acme Special Po Boy. Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef Debris and Gravy with Melted Cheese. Excellent. The Fried Peacemaker Po Boy. I thought that the oysters were fried a bit too done and the small shrimps really didn't improve it. So overall, I would say if you definitely want raw oysters, head on over. The Special Po Boy is excellent, and if they happen to have a supply of crawfish or shrimp for a boil (they didn't that day) you might want to check them out. Herbsaint, in the New Orleans central business/downtown district on St. Charles Avenue, was one of the first fine dining restaurants to re-open after Katrina. Chef/Owner Donald Link is preparing some of the finest cuisine in the city, blending traditional French and Italian influences with modern Louisiana ingredients. We had dinner at Herbsaint that evening with Mayhaw Man, and it has been one of our best experiences in the city so far. The entrance to Herbsaint. Daily menu. Champagne cocktail. Green bean amuse. Fresh bread emerging from the oven. Tomato and Basil bisque. Beet and Ricotta Ravioli. Gumbo of the day. Housemade Spaghetti with Pancetta and Fried-Poached Farm Egg. Everyone loved this one. Shrimp and Green Chile Grits Cakes with Tasso Cream Sauce. I thought this was stylistically similar to Upperline's Cane River Shrimp appetizer, but in an even richer and creamier sauce. Not necessarily better, but certainly a great dish. Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms and Basil. Of the three pasta appetizers we sampled, this one was the least interesting, but it was still very good. Fish of the day, sauteed Redfish with mashed potatoes, butter beans and turnips. I liked this one a lot, the butter beans were a great compliment to the dish. Duck Confit with Dirty Rice. Rachel really liked this one. Herbed Hangar Steak with Pomme Frites and Pimenton Sauce, which was kind of like a red pepper aioli. I enjoyed this a lot. Caramel Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips Louisiana Strawberry Sorbet. This was a knockout. Chocolate Beignet with brandied cherries. Fresh Louisiana Strawberries. After eating so much food we needed the walk back to our hotel. We passed by Gallier Hall at 545 St. Charles, a massive three story high Greek Revival structure which served as the City Hall for over a hundred years. Today, several notable local notable persons lay in state there including Jefferson Davis and General Beauregard. You can book it for weddings too. This building is so big I had to go to the other side of the street over a hundred feet away just to get it in frame. The doors are probably close to 20 feet high.

So last night I headed over to Lockhart. I have all the hi-res stuff that I'm going to post to eG in my Austin summary that I will write up in a week or so, but if you want to see what I did yesterday, have a looksee: http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/04...lockhart-texas/ I'm heading back to Jersey tonight for the weekend and coming back sometime next week.

I thought everyone would like seeing these: Hubig Pie Videos (Google Video)

http://www.cochonrestaurant.com COCHON is Donald Link's (of Herbsaint fame) new restaurant, set to open this week. I didn't get a chance to try any of the food there, as the were just getting the kitchen online when I spoke to him (of which I will have a podcast up on OTB when I get to it in the very long queue). As you can see, its a very traditional style Cajun restaurant, with German influences and a focus on pork. Pigs are actually going to be slaughtered specifically for this restaurant and they will be butchered onsite, where they will be made into all kinds of charcuterie. Sounds like its going to be very, very ambitious and it will be one of the new go-to restaurants in the city. One thing is for certain though, Link definitely has a lot of balls to be opening a brand new restaurant in New Orleans's current atmosphere.

Try them all, then give us a blow by blow comparison of what you think. I know everyone has their favorite for personal reasons. I would do that, but then everyone would comment how fat and disgusting and callous I was. Who am I kidding. I'm going to do it anyway.

Lockhart itself counts as Austin Area... I have a car. Where should I go there? Smitty's? Salt Lick? South Side Market? Kreuz? All of the above?