Jason Perlow

I'm actually going to be in Salt Lake City in mid November for a week. What's the latest on the dining scene?

I'll also cast my vote for Harris'. I've been there 3 or 4 times and I have always been impressed by the quality of their meat. Excellent wine list too, and great old-school ambiance.

So does the good Jewish cook render her own (I seem to remember a thread by Rachel on this topic) or can one buy cooking schmaltz? Having written that, my money's on yes, one can.... edited to add: Jason, just savory kugels, yes? ← Schmaltz is essentially a useful byproduct of making chicken soup. You buy some really fatty and bony chicken parts, you cook up a big old pot of soup stock, and you collect the fat that solidifies on top during the cool down/gelatinization process. Its the whole philosophy behind Jewish cooking, which is not to waste anything. Technically of course this is not true schmaltz, its just congealed chicken fat, and it has a high water content, so it will spatter in the pan when you cook it, so it may require straining or some reduction to get the liquid out, but its used in the same way as schmaltz made that is is rendered in a pan from chicken skin. Its fine for frying up onions because the water in it is going to vaporize anyway in the pan. Here is an AMAZING potato kugel utilizing schmaltz we made over the Jewish holidays: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1419.html

Its an integral part of any Jewish recipe that is starch-centered, particularly latkes and kugels. And matzo balls. And for frying up onions.

Yep. Although I think its cool that its thought that the grapes used to make the pharonic Egyptian wines may have originated from Caanan (Israel).

Well, I doubt that the original vines still exist. It may be even the varietals themselves might not exist, simply because of interbreeding or maybe they went extinct. 3,300 years is a long, long time ago from a vinoculture perspective. Major changes in varietals and extinctions have occurred in less than 500 years.

Here's an interesting blog entry about Egyptian wine: All About Egyptian Wine

Actually, I'm very curious as to what the actual varietals were and if they still exist.

Kink Tut Drank Red Wine

Address please ← Read this Sunday's New York Times NJ dining section.

Right, five. My subconscious mind keeps telling me that Bruni was on drugs when he awarded four to Masa. I think having only five NYT four stars is like some sort of cosmic constant, sort of like trying to go faster the speed of light. If you attempt to add a new four star, one must be docked -- ergo Per Se and Masa where Bouley and ADNY used to be (or if a four star closes, such as Lespinasse, you have to put one in its place)

I bought both steaks from Fairway Market (not to be confused with the ones in NYC) in Fort Lee, NJ -- two NYC Prime Strips. I then salted and peppered the meat on all sides, and let the spices penetrate for about half an hour. Right before cooking I lubed them up with a small amount of corn oil. I then pulled out the big cast iron pan and heated it for about 5 minutes at full blast until it got really freakin hot. I then put the steaks on, first on the side where the fatty layer is, to render the fat out and to sear that side good. Then, with a good amount of grease in the pan, I cooked each for about 3 minutes per side. I then removed them from the pan and kept them warm in the toaster oven at 150 for about 10 minutes until ready to serve and so they could rest.

Jay, you mean of course the EQUIVALENT of the Michelin 3 stars? Because the NYT "3 star" is more like a Michelin 1 or 2 star. A New York Times 4 star is probably more what you are looking for, and there are only 4. Per Se, Le Bernardin, Daniel, Jean Georges, and Masa. ADNY used to have 4 but it was docked by Frank Bruni this year. Bouley was also previously a 4. Crossposted with Fat Guy. Bastard.

Next weekend, probably.

You know with Krispy Kreme bread pudding and White Castle Turkey Stuffing, I think we're set for the carb and saturated fat quotient on dessert and side dishes for Thanksgiving. Awesome.

Penang in East Hanover is consistently turning out excellent Malaysian food. Tonight was no different: Malaysian Ipoh Bean Sprouts A noodle dish with shrimp and squid. Thai Basil Beef Ginger Chicken, which is poured over rice Shrimp Puffs wrapped with Bacon My only wish is that they open a restaurant in Bergen County -- which, if the moons are aligned correctly, may indeed happen. The owner is currently investigaing spaces in Englewood.

Tonight, I decided to surprise Rachel with a Prime NY Strip steak dinner, with oven roasted herb potatoes and sauteed spinach with garlic.

I admit that the artisinal store brands like Ben's, Barney Greengrass, Fairway and Russ and Daughters are excellent. But they aren't the type of type of thing that I indulge in very often.

I'm amazed at how pretty a country and how good the food in Uzbekistan looks.

Today I went to Callahan's, in Fort Lee, in order to get one of my last fixes of hot dogs and hamburgers from this landmark restaurant, which has been in continuous operation since the early 1940's. Originally owned by the Callahan sisters, Leonard "Artie" Castrianni purchased the restaurant in 1950, greatly expanded its offerings, and continued to operate it until his son, Rick Castriani, and his son in law, Ron DiMiglio, decided to run the business in 1977. This will mark the Castrianni family's 55th year of operation and ownership, and to quote Rick, they are going out on top. Even with its closing imminent sometime in December, Callahan's continues to do a brisk business. Rick Castrianni, current owner/manager of Callahan's. Artie Castrianni, who purchased Callahan's in 1950 and ran the restaurant for 27 years. Artie passed away in December of 2000. Although there is more than just the one Callahan's location -- Rick's brother, Lenny, runs the Hasbrouck Heights and Little Ferry stores -- The original Fort Lee location has a unique charm, because its one of the last vestiges of the culture surrounding the Palisades Amusement Park that closed down in 1971 (the park was located one mile away, on the site where the Winston Towers now stand). The entire restaurant is filled with nostalgia and ephemera from that time period. Onto the food. Callahan's is known primarily for its HUGE hot dogs. The standard dog is 1/4lb, but this is dwarfed by their Super Dog, which is at least 12 inches in length and probably close to a half a pound in weight. Callahan's other signature hot dog is their Italian Dog, which is a New Jersey classic. It features fried potatoes and Italian frying peppers and fried onions. The Super Dog and the Italian Hot Dog, for comparison. All of Callahan's hot dogs are deep fried (as they should be for a Jersey dog) and are manufactured by Marathon enterprises in East Rutherford, aka Sabrett. Callahan's dogs however, are a 50/50 pork/beef hybrid, as opposed to the 100 percent beef Sabrett dogs. Their burgers, or Callahoony's, are half pound in weight and are seriously good eating as well: And being a Jersey operation and of Italian heritage, one shouldn't give short shrift to their Italian Sausage either: Callahan's is due to close sometime in December, although the final date has not been set yet. It will be demolished and replaced by The Bank of New Jersey. Callahan's collection of ephemera is due to go into storage for the time being. Here's our previous Callahan's (and Hiram's) thread: Battle of the Fort Lee Dogs

Gochujang (고추장), which is a Korean hot pepper and fermented bean paste. There's a fried chicken joint nearby, owned by a Korean guy, which makes a dish called "Spicy Oriental Chicken". Its basically cut up chicken parts that are fried in a batter, and then are tossed in this BBQ sauce that is heavily laced in Gochujang (although I think it may also contain Ssamjang, which is Gochujang combined with Doenjang, which is like a very fermented Miso paste with spices) with crushed peanuts dusted on top. Here's a photo of the dish: Basically its a take on Hot Wings, with a funky Korean kick.

That's cool news, its a great place.

I find the best way to eat it is not with a marinara sauce, but cut in half, baked, with lots of butter, pecorino romano, parmesan, and salt and pepper.

Oh man do I want some of those now.

I thought you guys might like this one: http://www.cachaca51.com.pt/eng/home.asp?country=USA