ahr

I've got little to add, save to reiterate the beauty of the matching of the two Italian whites with the first two dishes. Regarding the relative absence of carbohydrates from the menu: Shall we ask the BH team to orchestrate an all-Atkins menu, including desserts?

FG, sucralose is sold under the brand name Splenda in two forms: - Single-portion, light-yellow packets similar to Sweet 'N Low (saccharin, in pink packets), Sugar Twin (also saccharin, in yellow packets), and Equal (aspartame, in blue packets); and - Bulk granular, in boxes, that replaces an equal volume of sugar in recipes. The highly refined white Stevia powder found in health-food stores has less of that characteristic licorice taste than the brown liquid form or, I presume, the plant itself (which I have not tasted). Splenda Web Site

As a weight-conscious carbohydrate watcher, I’ve long had an interest in artificial sweeteners. Cyclamate was my favorite until our masters at the FDA removed it from the market, though it remained available in Canada. The older saccharin took its place, despite sensory defects and some apparently less critical health concerns, which the FDA has since renounced, over potential carcinogenicity. Aspartame seemed a godsend, save for its deterioration with time and/or heat, until health concerns ruled it out for me. (As I recall, aspartame metabolizes into the stimulant amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, and methyl alcohol, a poison.) Stevia, an herbal sweetener used widely in Japan, remains untainted healthwise, but has a distinctive, though not unpleasant, taste. Sucralose looks to be the best yet; Dr. Atkins, whose opinion I respect in this regard, is unimpressed with criticisms of sucralose, while warning against the dangers of aspartame, and, of course, sugar. I’ve had good success baking cheesecake with the measure-equivalent version of sucralose. For my daily coffee and tea, I use a mixture of sucralose, saccharin, and stevia, based on Atkins' theory that mixing one’s poisons averages out both their defects and their dangers. I'm not sure whether I'll continue this practice when my stores of saccharin and stevia run out. I was moved this evening by boredom and the Fat Guy to conduct a limited taste test: SUGAR. Tastes like… sugar. SUCRALOSE. Reasonably close, even down to its granular structure. SACCHARIN. Bitter aftertaste. STEVIA. Intensely sweet; slight licorice aftertaste. I’ve never tasted acesulfame-K, and long ago discarded any remaining aspartame. For whatever it’s worth, an extremely sucraholic friend, who got hooked on aspartame when I reminded him that his father was diabetic, recently said that sucralose tasted “just about as good” as aspartame.

Steve, enough pussyfooting around. Perhaps the time has come to open a thread on Natural Law.

Has Cones' management, "ice cream chef," or philosophy (if it can have a chef, it can have a philosophy) changed since it opened? I recall trying the place twice, sampling chocolate and one or more other unrecalled, probably fruit, flavors, and finding it too sweet, less to my taste than the subtler Ciao Bella. In fact, I found it so sweet that I sent my sugar-cube-munching sucroholic friend, who pronounced it his kind of place.

I held off on posting this, in response to pleas by Messrs. Fat Guy and Plotnicki to “just let it drop,” but with three subsequent pages of thread under the bridge, what the hey… Mr. Whiting’s article was, as always, beautifully written and highly entertaining, and I will defend unto the death his right to see it published. Whatever its charter and target audience, however, it also had two related agendas: to rehabilitate a disgraced eGullet coordinator, and to denigrate, in a medium in which they could not readily respond, certain eGullet members whose circumstances and attitudes might diverge from his own. One wonders how different the article might have been had some coordinator and/or his surrogate posted messages like, [Here I’ve deleted a bit of beautifully elegant scatology, modeled on actual eGullet posts, reflecting on Mr. Whiting’s genealogy, appearance, personal habits, politics, and worthiness to remain an eGullet member and living, breathing human.] Repeatedly. Note again the purely hypothetical nature of the above. It is in no way intended as a derogation of the estimable Mr. Whiting, nor is its context meant to suggest in any way that any eGullet coordinator past or present might actually have engaged in posting similarly disgusting material, either directly and/or through a surrogate. --- By the way, I’d be among the saddest to see John cease posting. His wit, concision, and minority opinions should always be welcome. So, of course, should be member discussion of those opinions.

Are you looking to point out similarities, like quenelles and gefilte fish, or the fact that most cuisines seem to have some kind of dumpling?

Good thing that eG doesn't have the sort of resident Sripraphai heresy-detector that Chowhound used to have for DiFara's.

I'm creating this place marker before I collapse into bed, just so I get to name the topic. Dinner tonight at Bid was a bittersweet affair: beautiful food with matched wines; attentive service by a sweet staff; elegant, comfortable room. Chef Matt and company did themselves proud, though ours was the last table that would ever be served. The other participants may identify themselves if they so choose, but I do hope that two of them got back to Jersey safely, what with the garage foulup and all. More tomorrow... er, later. Edit: 3 a.m. errors corrected.

The Big-Dog?

Were there tables out back on the grass, overlooking the water? I think that's The Lobster Pool, on Route 127 northwest of Rockport, just past Pigeon Cove. If you'd care to sample the very best of local seafood, you must try the fried clams at The Clam Box in Ipswich and Farnham's in Essex. If you're a real trouper -- a Fat-Guy in training -- you'll compare those two places in the same day, as well as Essex Seafood and even Woodman's of Essex, which to me is more a local scene than a destination for the finest meal. Essex Seafood and Woodman's do lobsters as well as fried food. These are all informal, self-service shacks, perfect for a seaside vacation. The White Cap in Ipswich, which also used to be such a shack, went slightly upscale a few years ago but should still be good. Those relatively fancier restaurants in Gloucester always struck me as being simply tourist traps, so I've never tried them; I could be wrong. Descriptions of some of these places should be available at Jane and Michael Stern's Roadfood site.

Steve P., will you be bringing the salt? Vertically or horizontally?

I planned the other morning to weigh in that evening on matzo brei, but I see that the subject has been pretty well covered. For the record, however, I’m sweet (not savory) and crisp (not pancake, my Bubby notwithstanding): Break three matzos into large pieces in a bowl; pour in very hot tap water; soak for about a minute; pour off and press out the water; add to two eggs beaten in a bowl with a few tablespoons of heavy cream, some melted butter, a teaspoon of sugar or equivalent sweetener, and a little salt; press into a large non-stick pan with LOTS OF butter just at the point of beginning to brown; and either flip pieces around to brown on both sides or, if the pan is large enough, leave in one thin mass and flip when the underside is done. Serve with granulated sweetener, i.e., sugar or, more recently, granulated Splenda. Ratner’s used to do a mean brei, but I haven’t been there in a decade.

Wilfrid, are you making an elaborate English/German/Yiddish(!) pun at the expense of your tablemates? Ornament in German is "schmuck." Schmuck in Yiddish is... And expose? Dear, me. Edit: Fixed two late-night typos.

He appreciates fruit tarts about equally, but observed at the time that he had been served the same dessert on his previous visit, and that the woman at the table on that visit had also been served the chocolate. He offered to switch, but you professed indifference.

Holly, you must have visited Waterman's on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Filled with Beard expectations, I visited a few years ago one sunny Wednesday, only to find them... closed. Other food trippers, be cautioned.

I'm apparently also more expert in finding old posts than the eGullet or Google search engines, both of which failed miserably. See Torres discussion from February for my impressions. Note to Jason: We know about the built-in engine, but what about Google? Is there something about the structure of IB that makes it unindexable, or the fact that the boards were recently reorganized? Even a search for "plotnicki site:egullet.com" came up with only a handful of entries.

I had a blast. Special thanks to Maria for hosting and Stefany for arranging. The marvelous mushroom provided two delicious meals: an omelet, and a sauté with shallot, garlic, and fresh thyme.

Quote of the day: “…the pupu platter features a nice assortment of appetizers that can satisfy two appetites: $1.95.” This refers to Madras Woodlands, an Indian restaurant. Second Installment EAST SIDE 34th –42nd STREET Akasaka Bowl O’Rice Dosanko Larmen La Maison Japonaise The New Korea Shanti Soup Tureen Szechuan D’Or (1 of ?) EAST SIDE 42nd-59th STREET The Back Street Restaurant La Bonne Soupe The Brazilian Pavilion Broodje Chick-Teri Electra Ganges The Indian Pavilion Khyber Madras Woodlands Monya’s Home Cooking Mr. Yakitori Shanghai Deli Take-Zushi EAST SIDE 59th-86th STREET Atran The Carrot Chez Netta East River The Ideal Lunch and Bar Nataraj Nisho Oscar’s Salt of the Sea Let Petit Pavillon Pinocchio Schaefer’s Takis Tip Top EAST SIDE 86th-126th STREET Ponce de Leon San Juan WEST SIDE 14th-34th STREET Asia de Cuba (no, not that one) The Carving Board Cuisine of Szechuan (2 of ?) Gefen’s Dairy Restaurant Hershey’s Jamuna Mesón Flamenco Paddy’s Clam House Szechuan Seventh (3 of ?) La Taza de Oro Woo Dong WEST SIDE 34th-42nd STREET Alanbess Café in the Cradle Dining Commons Mabuhay Manganaro’s Grosseria Italiana Manganaro’s Hero Boy (relegated, interestingly, to the “Short Takes” capsules in the rear) Paradise Inn WEST SIDE 42nd-59th STREET Bangkok Cuisine Belcrep La Bonne Soupe Brazilian Luncheonette Cabana Carioca Château Brasil La Españolita Hide Sukiyaki Restaurant Mamma Leone’s Max’s Restaurant Mediterranean Fish Company La Milonga Bar & Restaurant Molfeta’s Moon Garden Peruvian Restaurant Pierre au Tunnel La Potagerie Pot au Feu Rincón Argentino Sushi Ginza Sushiko Syntagma Square Towne House WEST SIDE 59th-86th STREET Amy’s The Cherry Restaurant The Front Porch Sultan’s Table Szechuan Royal (4 of ?) Szechuan Taste Restaurant West (5 of ?) Taco Villa WEST SIDE 86th-126th STREET Bombay India Dollar de Oro Fairmont Viennese Green Tree Harbin Inn Ideal Mi Tierra El Mundial Szechuan (6 of ?) Taco Villa La Victoria China Keep those pledges rolling in. I’ll need a bit more enthusiasm if you folks want me to keep on typing. The Village and Chinatown are last.

Steve, you must just not be an East Side Below 34th Street kind of guy. We haven’t even yet gotten to Oscar’s Salt of the Sea (not ethnic, nor, as I recall, especially cheap) or Szechuan Taste (“the only Chinese restaurant with a French café”). I’ll post the next installment shortly.

So, is anyone here close enough to Chef Valenti, his staff, or his publisher to ask about the bean recipe?

Sandra, you are correct. The Fat-Guy recipe is essentially a direct paste from the book, with some minor formatting changes, but it doesn't help with the beans.

Holly's announcement of his upcoming trip to Boothbay Harbor made me search out an earlier post of mine on another food site. Neither that site's search engine nor Google seemed able to find it, but fortunately I had saved a copy locally. I'm guessing that the post was deleted because it contains, quite innocently, the four-letter word "Shaw" unmodified by disparaging adjectives. Speaking of which, the Fat Guy may find this thread useful as he heads back east. ----- From 5/15/99 As I prepare for a clam and lobster trip up the New England coast, I thought I'd open a thread on lobster pounds. Besides the Sterns' well-known choices (Abbott's, Beal's, Chauncey Creek, Five Islands, Nunan's, Ogunquit, Two Lights) and the ever-popular Lobsterman's Coop and Robinson's in Boothbay Harbor, my own very favorite is the Muscongus Bay pound at the left rear of the parking lot at Round Pond, near Pemaquid Point, Maine (the more distant of the two establishments that share the lot, though, for all I know, they may be under the same management). It's simple, uncrowded, inexpensive, and, at least as of last summer, nearly perfect for a casual outdoor waterside meal of steamers, lobster, and corn. You may, if you wish, pick up beer, wine and/or bread in Damariscotta on the way out. Shaw's pound nearby is also perfectly fine, but somewhat overcrowded and touristy; Shaw's also sells a variety of fried and other foods. For what it's worth, one of the locals claimed that Pemaquid is the optimal spot on the coast for trapping lobsters, due to an abnormality in the Gulf Stream that makes its waters especially chilly. ----- The Muscongus Bay pound was sold a few years ago and has been slightly enlarged. As of my visit last year, however, the new owners had not ruined it. Other pounds culled from other venues: Thurston's Lobster Pound, Bar Harbor; Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, near Bar Harbor; Waterman's Beach Lobster Pound, Rockland; Young's Lobster Pound, Belfast. Any other opinions or suggestions? Edit: Fixed a typo ("opinions").

In preparation for maybe considering participating in the eG pot-luck dinner, I began to study the copy of "Welcome to My Kitchen" so kindly awarded to me by whoever was responsible for kindly awarding it to me. Recipes, aside, it's a pleasurable read. The instructions for the white bean puree that will accompany those famous lamb shanks read in part as follows: ... - Warm the beans in a sauté pan over medium heat. - Add the cream, thyme leaves, and minced garlic to the pan and season with salt and pepper. - Raise heat to high, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and add the vegetables to the pan. - Cook until the cream is reduced and is almost dry on the beans and the beans are heated through, 4- 5 minutes. ... I'm having trouble identifying those italicized vegetables, since the only veggies involved are some diced aromatics that became one with the beans long ago. Has anyone else read this recipe? Also, the picture of what I presume to be the lamb shanks on the dust jacket's rear is a stylist's conception. During cooking, the shanks and the vegetables come together in a roasting pan, not a sauté pan, and the vegetables are strained out of the sauce before serving. I note this merely as a warning to any pot-luck attendees expecting to be served exactly what's pictured on the jacket.

"Hats AND candy?" I think of TUG as the progenitor of Messrs. Leff and Sietsema, as a city cousin of Roadfood. Did the Agora also sell food? "The Foccacceria remains the place for pig spleen sandwiches!" Maybe the only place? "...vastedde--a bizarre Sicilian sandwich, made with boiled ricotta cheese and boiled spleen, topped with grated Romano cheese, in a sesame-seeded Italian bun." Does it still cost 65 cents?