TAPrice

Despite the fact that rates are abysmal in my market (we're talking $0.10 a word average), I've found publication to be pretty fair with reimbursement. When I worked at an alt-weekly, they gave me $200 a week for three visits (no reimbursement for alcohol, which has been the case everywhere I've worked). That was more than enough. Typically I'd bring 1 to 2 people, depending on the restaurant. I might spent $500 one week and then $30 the next. The numbers worked out fine if I mixed budget spots with fine dining. At the city magazine I wrote for, they also picked up everything. I averaged $200-$300 a month for one visit each to three restaurants (this was not a review as much as a....well, I'm not sure...a non-evaluative description? You give the editor what he wants, I guess.). Now I'm at a scrappy culture magazine with a small budget. Not sure what that budget is, but I typically spent $40-$50 a month for two visits (it's only a 350 word review, so two visits seem sufficient). Sometimes more, sometimes less. No one complains even when I occasionally spend $150, because sometimes I only spend $20. If the publication are cheap (or legitimately don't have a lot of funds), then I think you either go the budget route or pass.

Bruni has reviewed restaurants 10 through 6 of his cross country tour. That means that Cochon must at least be in his top 5 for the places visited. I was talking to Cochon PR's agent, and she said it was the first time she was excited about NOT being in the New York Time.

All things that are hard to find in the U.S. I don't suppose any other sausage would provide the same flavor as blood sausage? Or even a distant approximation?

Do you know if this got collected in one of his book?

My guess is that in the Carolinas you feed that Texas stuff to the dogs. But seriously, the regional variations in judging criteria would also be interesting to know. Not knowing much about the barbecue circuit, I don't know if there are competitions that incorporate various regional styles.

I've always been curious about how barbecue competitions are judged. Are there specific criteria that judges look for in each type of meat? How are the various criteria weighed? And does sauce matter? Anyone who's been a judge want to spill the beans?

I've read many times that chicken feet are great in the stock pot. I've seen bags of frozen feet at the Asian market. But what do I do with them? Do I need to clean them in any particular way? (I mean, chicken once walked around on these things. ) How many feet should I add to a pot of chicken stock? How do I prepare the feet? Should I cut them up into smaller pieces? Are feet easy to cut up?

I'm in the mood for Spanish food, and a surprising large number of recipes in Penelope Casas' early book call for blood sausage. Not a lot of morcilla. And it's usually optional. But I want to make the dish right! Is there anything I can use to substitute (I could get blood from the Asian market, but it's not cooked)? Anything else that would get close? Are there any sources for morcilla in the U.S.? And if I found a supply of morcilla, is this something that I could freeze?

Moderator Note: As the discussion has drifted away from the original subject and has reached the point where no new points are being made, we're closing this topic. Thanks for participating.

Apparently I don't even know what I'm missing. I checked the shelf, and I've been happily drinking the bug free version for months. Maybe I just have no taste. Any idea why the change was made? Was this really pressure from vegetarians or a cost issue? Honestly, I'd prefer to be drinking bug juice.

This is the worst news I've heard in a while. Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the old and new formulas?

Assuming this is true, would that mean that bitters are functioning differently in cocktails with citrus? And why do bitter help flavors merge and draw out tastes sometimes in the way that salt does? I understand the chemical process with salt (actually, McGhee understands it and I can more or less follow), but I don't know what's happening with bitters.

Maybe this is obvious to everyone with more cocktail experience than me, but recently I've started to wonder about how to classify and understand bitters. I used to think of bitters as an added flavor. And I like the flavors, so I go heavy on the bitters in my drinks and even add a few dashes to sparkling water and juice. I recently started buying some very bitter, not from concentrate grapefruit juice for breakfast. Naturally, I eventually added some Angostura bitters to a glass of grapefruit. Yes, I got the Angostura flavor, but the bitters also completely rounded out and balanced the juice. The bitters, in other words, counteracted the bitterness of the juice. So should I be thinking of bitters as something to balance other flavors, in the same way that sweet balances sour? If so, then what would the bitters balance out? Could it be that this effect comes from the small amount of alcohol in the bitters and not from the aromatic components? I tried some Peychaud's, and the balancing effect was not as pronounced.

Is he a chef? I know he wrote the Antoine's cookbook and used to the run the restaurant, but I didn't realize he cooked. Although running Antoine's puts him squarely on the Creole side of that culinary divide.

You can download most of these episodes for a few dollars off iTunes. This is the U.S. vrsion of iTunes, so I can't guarantee that you'll haves access in Canada.

Recently I was talking to a Barcelona-born chef. He was really excited by the trends of nova cuina catalana in Barcelona. From talking to him, I didn't fully understand what this movement encompasses. It seems to take El Bulli as its inspiration, but how avant-garde is it? This chef talked about a new emphasis on plating, but are the flavors changing? How widespread are the changes? Is this a recognized movement? Forgive me if these questions are naive. I haven't been to Spain in almost five year and my last trip to Barcelona was in 1993.

Duh. Of course you're right, and you identified the trap I jumped into before I bothered to have an intelligent thought: Cajun = Louisiana, which is incorrect. But while I appreciate the desire to maintain some sort of purity with respect to defining "Cajun chef," it seems to me that doing so risks trapping the craft in somewhere in the past, not to mention limiting its practice to a specific geography. It's like saying that Batali can't be an Italian chef because he was born in Seattle -- or that he can't be anything but an Italian chef because of his last name. ← I don't think I ever suggested that. If I did, I didn't mean to. Prudhomme's label of Louisiana cuisine, or perhaps Contemporary Louisiana, makes sense. There are a lot of chefs in New Orleans, just like chefs everywhere, who are comfortable riffing on tradition and borrowing flavors from many cuisines. Here, though, a lot of high-end food still taste like it comes from Louisiana. It's not Cajun, it's not Creole, but it's certainly local. You also have to keep in mind that Cajun isn't just a cuisine, it's a people and a culture. Keeping the distinction clear is a way of recognizing a fascinating culture that has too often been reduced to a shallow stereotype (you know, an odd accent and too much cayenne).

Everyone says I should store opened vermouth in my frig. I'm been faithfully following that advice. But now I wonder if my wine cooler, set at 55º F, would do just as well. Any thoughts?

But what about making a good mimosa, properly measured and with triple sec. See this thread for some comments on that. People who aren't used to good drinks might still appreciate a well-made familiar drink--kind of like making a decent Magarita for someone to lure them into appreciating the cocktail craft.

Emeril is lot more low-key in person than he is on camera, but there was an undercurrent menace there. Bourdain is lucky Emeril is a good key, because I'm pretty sure who would win in that fight. I'm surprised the show didn't mention that Emeril's foundation has given $500,000 to Café Reconcile for a new culinary center. It will provide students with advanced training beyond the current program at Café Reconcile.

That's a great idea! I think you would easily find people willing to go. And well put Saydee.... ← I set up this topic in the Louisiana forum to plan a trip/food event. We can brainstorm ideas and find a suitable time.

I think Joiei was including all the chefs he quoted. According to this wikipedia entry (and I trust everything I read on the internets ) Wilson is half Cajun. Getting back to subjects for the school project...Marcelle Bienvenu would be a great subject. She worked on the Louisiana volume of the Time-Life foods of America series, publishes great books and articles and works with Emeril on his books. She even drops into the eGullet forums sometimes to leave a comment.

Sure, if you're definition of Cajun is not Cajun. You're confusing Cajun and Creole, I think. You don't get more Creole than Austin Leslie and Leah Chase. It's interesting that people mentioned Emeril and Jack Leonardi. Neither is ethnically Cajun, of course. I wouldn't consider them Cajun cooks. They both, though, follow in the path Paul Prudhomme. Emeril took over Commander's Place from Prudhomm and Leonardi cooked with him at K-Paul. Prudhomme, although he's certainly a Cajun, insists that his food is Louisiana food, which does really capture how it combines traditional Cajun cooking with New Orleans restaurant cooking into something new. Lots of cooks are still working that very fruitful vein.

Wow. Well done Tony. He handled New Orleans' story with sensitivity. A great show. And how bizarre to see Bourdain hanging out at the po-boy shop down the block from my house.

Not a single chef you mention is Cajun. Ann Cashion doesn't even have a professional connection to Louisiana, although she is around a lot (I just saw her down at the parades yesterday) and I would love for her to open a restaurant here.