montrachet

I totally agree with this last comment. -m

Yuji's Japanese Tapas last night. The wait at Vij's was 2 hours at 8:30 so we phoned around ahd luckily Yuji had a table for us. Grilled Sayori with smoked sea salt was the perfect match to the much needed pint of draught. They had sold out of mirugai (geoduck) so we had to settle for some top notch honmaguro flown in from Japan. The oily texture of the fish was a perfect match to the chilled sake. Wednesday evening was Connie's Cookhouse on West 4th. Needed a quick Chinese fix after a day of meetings meetings and more meetings. No hunger pangs an hour later as I was fast asleep in front of the TV. I don't know whether I prefer the Chinese Dry Ribs at Connie's or the Leroy's Ribs at Earl's. Hamilton Street Grill at the end of last week. Unfortunately, no sign of Chef Wyles but not to worry, the New York steak was top notch even in the owner's absence. I've had my share of top quality USDA Choice grade beef but CAB is right up there with the best offerings south of the border. What a match to the J. Lohr. When I need a protein hit, I'm there. Oh and great service staff too. -m

Jamie, Would you accept dinner certificates for the door prize portion of the evening? If so, let me know and I will start to work on those. -m

A minor point but the owner of Umami told me that he was born and raised in Osaka and that his food is Japanese-with-Tuscan influences using local ingredients. He said that he grows most of his herbs on the rooftop of his apartment.

Kalamata was still very good about a year ago. A general rule of thumb for Greek food eateries is "West Broadway over 4th".

Stephen, I also walked by Umami last night around 9:00 and decided against going in because it was empty. Ended up at the new Yakitori place on Denman near Robson called Zakkushi and had great yakitori, etc. Young crowd and noisy but nothing beats that kind of food cooked over real charcoal like they do there. BTW, one skewer starts at $1 with a min. of 2 skewers per order. As for the slow "Thursdays" at Umami, I overheard that Pair Bistro has snared one of their chefs and so you'll notice a similarity in menu and wines. m

I agree. Le Grec, when it was on Commercial was fantastic. Nowadays, I dunno where to go ...

Ling, I would stay away from the Circulon and T-Fal as I've had to toss them out after a few years as well. I too like the saute and frypans from All-Clad and Calphalon. All were bought during sales events. You may be able find a few pieces of Le Creuset at HomeSense (or even some Winners stores) at a decent price. They are not only nice to look at but cook wonderfully. Keep your eyes open for Lodge or Wagner cast iron frypans. They are economical and will last forever.