waves2ya

I posted a note here. The pork dish was pretty interesting, if I remember correctly...

I have been twice in the past week, week and a half... Truly thankful they have graced the greater Montclair area. The soups are wonderful and spring rolls, sweet potato fries and summer rolls - really everything - have been a dream. I've had beef soups (well done & rare beef), wonton soups, ginger & duck soup and a seafood soup - all equally interesting and capable.

Opps! My bad, Mr. Flirt...

Better go soon, if you're thinking about it; according to this Ledger article things could get... complicated.

This thread has a deja vu quality to it... Over Rated/Under Rated

This NYT article has created a stir in the BBQ/Roti community; seems difficult to find a recipe for 'Peruvian chicken' - one with soy sauce and bird well 'Jaccarded'... Here's one recipe... Any others?

Could be folks are sick of Sideways; anyhow - this 2000 WOW got an 84 on WS's rating but was less than 'wow' at our table. My sig ot felt it akin to better wine served at art openings... 13.5%, it didn't really need to breath and was not changed by time/air. Full bodied fragrance yielded a very jammy taste that didn't become more refined as the meal progressed. Not a jam taste with legs, rather a kind of big mishmash that refused to develop into something more subtle. At $9.99 a bottle and very easy to find - I bought a couple. We served it with a lentil stew (ham, sausage) and leeks; pairing was about right. Maybe next go 'round will be better...

Martial artist two cents - I've eaten in enough downstairs/basement restaurants to choke a horse; you had to be pretty good w/ chopsticks at the end of some of these affairs or - no food for you! (Hip Sing was/is right on the corner of Pell & Doyers...) Hop Kee seems always capable, cheap & open late. Good fresh killed chicken, pork chops - simple things. Staff always knew the local teachers and guests. Not swanky but old fashioned NYC Chinatown... Say Eng Look - great casseroles; ate at China 46 (NJ) other day and, thanks to eG'rs, was spot on.

There's a long thread on Wine Consumption with everyone's mea culpa's; btw - I would not consider 12 drinks a year drinking anything. How ridiculous. Anyhow - a tangential thread - my GP (Dr.) says it's fairly common for folks to develop an intolerance to wine (and rich foods - aghast!) as you age. Presentation is usually around 40... May account for 'little purple pill' sales (and all those antacids). I know as I've past that milestone the degree to which I can bash myself with food, drink - whatever - has diminished. I require more time to mend and find self abusive behavior less amusing, more confusing and particularly vengeful during 'recovery'.

(edit: Chelsea) Had the Aui Zhou Chicken about 2 weeks ago and the memories of the pepper make my tongue weak. Was almost medicinal in quality - but I couldn't keep away from the alluring tart, then overwhelmingly pungent quality of the dish... A note - they had only been open for about an hour. I'll bet later in the day the spices blend more predicably (and as I've had them before). But that taste - really extraordinary...

How 'bout that Curlz - right there w/ ya! China 46 has lived up to the hoopla for my family; festive lion dance (Bergen Co. Lion Dance Assoc?) and a wonderful menu. Ding-Poo pork was a special for eG, we had the Ruby Pork (a shoulder slo' cooked with sesame biscuts), the tofu flounder, soup dumplings, etc - all very good. Lunch yest'rdy was just out of bounds; a buffet and the owner (don't know names yet) kept plying us with goodies - just how many kinds of dumplings do they make? All nuanced and different, sticky rice, soup dumpling, chive... And do they know tofu, or what?!? I'm impressed - and thankful. C46 is the real deal & Chinatown is so hard to get to these days (parking has become impossible)...

Our Simplex Kettle gets rave reviews. When its time for sockjuice the kettle sings fast. (Ok, ok - we have *lots* of nice teas, too...)

I'll second Norman's wine, especially the Cabernet Merlot. In the minefield that are these clunky Aussie wines, his Merlot is less overwhelming, a great price and been predicable over a number of bottles.

$26 here in N. NJ; last one the vendor had (Total Wine). Paired with Veal chops in creme fracihe, leeks and risotto. This 14%'r needed some breathing room; but after was spectacular with the veal. Delicate floral tones, light in a California way (my wife's take), the wine was very well balanced and seem worth all the hub-bub. Stood up just fine to the cheese dish (better with the Gouda than the Reblochon) but remained delicate and complete to the last drop. Would have again (if I could find it!)...

Thank you for the ideas; here's url for Imperial Tea, a very nice site...

I did. It was god awful wretched. But my q's stand (freshness, etc.). In fact, I found a thread where Owen asked just the same to no reply...

Yes. Balls. Leaves are kind of large, maybe on the wider side... Smells like common tea... That's one of the things that got me thinking (beside gullet timeliness) as a podmate was espousing his ideas about green tea (is kind of a 'hot' topic 'round the 'cooler) and he opined that green tea, rolled into little balls can have ginseng in it (my box doesn't say anything in english) and is *really good for ya*. I dunno... But he was describing the tea in this fancy box under my desk...

I can see there have a few discussions on 'green tea' (like this one) - but I can't seem to get the search tool to divine the answer to these tea q's... Is tea like coffee in that it should be consumed within a period (?) after roasting/prepping for market? Is fresher tea (whatever that is) better for you than tea that's in bags (and boxes)? Here's why I ask - I, like the folks on this thread advocate, have green tea during the day. I prefer Eden's Bancha (boxed & bagged tea) because it tastes best (lots of tasting went on; learned about various roasts) and the package/their other product lines gives me faith that this is a quality product. However... I received this rather ornate box about 6 mo's ago from a friend who went to China. In it was a bag (ziploc, after digging thru more fancy packing) of 'green tea'. Really dark green tea. Prolly been in the box, like, forever. I can imagine this will taste strong. Chinatown herb shops are full of these nice boxes with somewhat strange products with undocumented authenticity & efficacy - tea aside. Anyhow - tea pro's, green tea experts - would you drink the gift? Can you guide on q's...? Many thanks.

We (my lovely & I) consume a bottle 5 days, or so, of the 7 night week. One of the weekend nights (Fri, Sat) we may have a cocktail, and then leave some wine. Or not. Should one's corporal repair require Ibuprofen, cold medication or something stronger the patient refrains. That said, I find our own apothecary more rewarding than those remedies suggested by the pharmacy and suffer accordingly until nightfall.

As the host of this bi-weekly libation, god yes - have you seen the replies on this thread?! Not exactly over whelming... Have noticed, rather chagrinningly, that Rieslings (hopefully everyone knows this is an Alsacion) are not well favored, or, difficult to pair. Let me say - as one who's never waxed poetic about white wine - that I have been served more Alsacion Rieslings in French households with fish, than anything else. It is a go to wine when folks who might be tempted to drink a Chinon or a Brouilly decide "... it's time for white." (disclaimer: French wife, French family; yes, I am the proverbial fish out of water) Now - whether the board this Riesling is up to the standard is another thing (tho' I can side with Mr. Kulman's review however I don't find the acidity he does). Enuf pimping...

That too! Congrat's Owen - in Paris, no less - wonderful! Sounds like you had quite the time in the City of Lights - hard not to... Could be quite the career teaching the French (!) something about fresh beans and espresso technique. They'd resent it but begrudgingly line up at your door for the better cafe experience and before ya knew it, you'd be the toast of the town. Need a hand?

Leg of Lamb Provencial Lima Beans, Garlic Spinach, Boiled new Potatoes Lehmann 2001 Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon Assorted Cheeses Cherry tart Listened to the weather man & shopped well yesterday. Will sleep late tomorrow...

Curious departure in this thread was suggestion that water should not be boiling... One of the reasons (among others) I French Press is total control of water temp; making sure 205 is achieved. I bring to a boil, coarse ground (like sushi's suggestion!), wait 5 min's & consume promptly. And really wish Maria's had that gold filter thingies for sale (can ya make one from the drip version...? Any have the drip version...?)

Least newbies think 'cupbearer' status can't be passed to them, Coop has requested I 'pimp up a wine'; so, for your consideration... Trimbach 2002 Riesling We've a few recent notes on whites in the forum - however I've found Alsatian Riesling's a bizarre endeavor stateside. This 12%'r seems a pretty capable reference.... "The house of Trimbach is based in the famous village of Ribeauvillé on the "Route des Vins" in Alsace..." (blurb) Hope you'll agree; should be about US$14... Bon vin!

Greetings. Please forgive me as this question seems so basic - but I searched the forum to no avail and you folks have nothing like a FAQ on q's 'pinned'... My lovely French wife has done a lot of baking. Not here, mind you, but somewhere in another life - and it is delightful when she gets to it here, too. Well the other day she was trading notes with a rather prolific American baker. The two (naturally) were comparing techniques and when it came to butter the American said that... "any American recipe that calls for butter, and does not specify the kind of butter (sweet or salty or... whatever) infers the use of salty butter". Well - the sig ot was pretty aghast. The French take is, given the same parameters, that the default is the use of sweet (no salt) butter. Of course, she looked at me (as tho' I'm the silly American who started this) and said "... and if you want salt, you add it!" Can 'pastry & baking' gulletteers weigh in on this conundrum...?