Buckethead

Of the Starr places, I'd recommend the Continental Midtown for something like this. They have a bunch of big round tables in the middle of the dining room that may be perfect for a group this size, and the space is fun. The food is decent, too.

I just saw that Shola has a pictorial blog entry of the proceedings at M that evening: http://studiokitchen.typepad.com/studiokit...ner_retros.html

If that's the case, then I *really* missed out on StudioKitchen, because that meal last night was one of the best I've ever had. Every dish was spectacular. I particularly loved the fennel marmalade and lamb loin combination. Even though my expectations were very high for dessert in particular, I couldn't believe how great it was. I would like a vial of smoked chocolate soil to carry around and sprinkle on other, inferior chocolate desserts, please. We talked to Shola briefly before we left, and he said he was doing it again next month. Didn't say where, though.

I was at Matyson a couple days ago and they had an appetizer featuring Copper River salmon. It was tasty, served with a melon salsa or some such containing honeydew and cantaloupe (at least). It also had one bone in it, that was not on the menu.

You can see now, the menu is up on Shola's blog: http://studiokitchen.typepad.com/studiokit...m_dinner_1.html

Keep your eye on Shola's blog. I called Restaurant M on Saturday evening after seeing his post this past Friday giving the date of the dinner, I got a spot. I have also heard that this probably won't be the last time he does this type of thing.

Hmm, I hope something more serious isn't going on. I was at Osteria a couple weeks ago and I noticed that my favorite manager from Ansill/Pif, I believe his name is Mike, is now at Osteria instead. Is David Ansill still at Pif?

Did anyone go to the sale? I had aspirations to but was otherwise engaged.

There's a posting on Menupages from someone who was there on May 8th, so they were open then at least.

Frank Bruni likes Osteria too, and he mentions something I forgot to acknowledge: a sommelier, Karina Lyons, who’s as personable and contagiously enthusiastic a guide as any diner could wish for. Word to that. Our service was a bit lackadaisical, but she really stood out. Among our group of diners I was the designated wine guy. She was very helpful and taught us a few things about pairing wine with fish, without making us feel like uninformed wine amateurs (which is pretty much what we are). I even noticed her picking up some of the server's slack on the side. I also learned from her that 'seasoning' a wine glass (I said I'm an amateur) actually does improve the experience of drinking it, and it looks really cool besides.

I like my apron with lots of pockets for my kitchen timer, thermometer, etc. Mine came from IKEA and was originally intended for use in the workshop. The hammer loop can be used for a spatula, and there's a loop on the other side for a hand towel. Unfortunately the heavier fabric (meant to withstand wood tools and such) can be kind of hot to wear in the kitchen, but the utility makes it worth it.

That's funny, I was there last night and the service was off then as well. Much different than my first visit, which was spectacular all around. The food was not quite as great, either, but still very good. The truffle & robiola pizza was kind of a one-note dish, the truffle overwhelmed it but my companions seemed to like it more than I did. The octopus antipasti "carpaccio style" was oversalted, which was mainly noticeable because it varied so much from bite to bite. The cotechino "ciaregha" was very good, but again I think the spice level was off, I think they use allspice or something in the creation of the cotechino and there was too much of it, after a bite or two I felt like I was eating some kind of meaty dessert. Luckily the pasta (gnocchi) was as fantastic as I remember. Unfortunately I had to skip dessert, but has anything there really topped the polenta budino yet?

Rangoon it is! Thanks all. Reading the Rangoon thread, I now remember hearing about the thousand-layer bread quite a while ago, but not knowing where to get it. Now I am looking forward to it.

I was there not too long ago on a Friday night, and while it was a little bit past prime time, it was a lot less crowded than I would have expected. I can't say why, though, the food was as great as it's ever been.

Reviving this thread because I'm now in the same situation as mod*betty. Friends from out of town are coming in to see a show at the Troc and I'd like to take them out beforehand. I myself rarely get over to Chinatown, so I've probably never been to the best places, though I've been to Vietnam. I want to stick to some type of Asian place, BYO is preferable but not necessary if the place has a couple decent beers available. I was thinking of trying Banana Leaf, but any suggestions would be welcome. I'd prefer not to venture too far from the Troc, we won't have a ton of time to walk around before the show.

Bliss is a decent choice for vegetarians, the chef there will do a special vegetarian entree if you ask.

You guys get price tags on your groceries? I haven't seen a price tag in a long time, it's all done with lasers! The future is now! I actually will take a Sharpie and write the price ON bottles of wine after I get back from the store. That way when I eventually get around to drinking them, I can gauge whether or not the bottle is a good enough bang for the buck to buy again.

Is induction an option? The answer to 'is there such a thing as a really good electric stove?' is no. Some are better than others.

There are office water cooler machines that actually distill water coming in from the water supply, therefore not requiring bottle delivery/pickup. Of course, distillation makes the water kind of tasteless. I also don't know if the price of such a thing would be feasible for home use.

Yeah, I passed Alyan's on my way home from Lorenzo's the other night, and kinda went *duh*. The few falafel sandwiches I've had there weren't bad. How does Maoz compare? ← I like Alyan's falafel and hummus much more, but Maoz gives you a superior, stronger pita that doesn't burst open and leak the sandwich all over everything. Alyan's pitas are not as good, and they stuff those things to their limit. I usually just skip the sandwich and order the falafel and hummus platter to go, then make a couple better-proportioned sandwiches with my own pitas at home.

Southwark.

I don't suppose it's grass-fed?

Me too, they're very weak. You have to buy a shot to fortify them. I just stick to beer when I'm there, they have quite a few good ones on draft usually.

does anyone have the latest on Fuji's new location? Last I heard he was going to be opening in March 2007, but the month's almost gone and I've heard nothing. Haddonfield's website lists it as opening 'winter 2007'.

Thanks, that helps. I don't suppose you know of a place where I can actually buy the Induc'Inox line? I've found exactly one vendor online ($270 for the 14-inch saute pan, if I'm spending that much I kind of need to handle it first) and Mauviel's website is no help. I can't even find a brochure with photos of the pieces, so I can find one with welded tubular handles. The only other thing that worries me is that no induction range that I've seen has a heating element more than 10 or 11 inches in diameter. I'm looking at getting a 14" saute, which means the base would extend quite a bit beyond the heating element. I wonder if I'd be better off with an aluminum-disc bottom, which would distribute the heat to the pan's outermost edges a bit more readily.