R Washburn

No, that is the story that was posted in the window. Actually they had so much debt that Didier was preparing to flee the country with the recepts from the Christmas sales when he was struck down with an aneurism. I suspect the stress of the failing business contributed to his illness. He seemed like a very proud man, as well as a brilliant pastry chef. Miel is good but I don't like paying Manhattan prices for pastry in Philadelphia. In fact I am not even crazy about paying them here in Manhattan.

I just wanted to note that "Science" is more than just a legitimate journal, but arguably the pre-eminent Scientific journal. I can't imagine that we could possibly consume via food products even a thousandth of the dose of growth hormone that athletes routinely take to enhance their performance. Diabetes is more prominent because people are getting fatter. No, you are saying you don't understand the risk level so you will assume it is high. It could also turn out that organic milk is more dangerous than hormone treated. You don't know the answer, and so can't really judge the risk.

My all-time favorite Philadelphia Patisserie is still "Mademoiselle de Paris". To bad it arrived a little before Center City was able to support a first rate Patisserie.

I always thought women excelled at cooking, but very few of them were good Chefs. Why wouldn't women be good cooks?

Even back in 1994 there were terrible service problems (and the waits!). The only time I have had really good service at Bouley was when they had just re-opened and were running at half capacity.

If the Michelin guide is thorough and reasonably objective it will easily displace Zagat, and even the Times reviews, as a guide for serious diners. Even if I don't agree with their rankings, if their descriptions are consistent the guide will be of great value figuring out which restaurants are worth trying.

Thanks. How much do you get for that price? ← 14 oz. and it comes in a nice sheet wrapped in paper. The Fresh direct is just a block. I am not complaining, since it would cost me almost as much to buy the butter and flour and make my own. I think the Dufour is $7.99 at Fairway and Citarella.

But would you feel the same way about Lutece if you relived that meal now? I don't think Bouley is all that different than when I first ate at the old Bouley in '94, but I am much more critical now then I was back then. I suspect the Bouley of 2005 would "change my world" if it was my first high-end dining experience.

Freshdirect sells there's for $3.49/# maybe they would be willing to FedEx you some. All butter Puff Pastry

I would be shocked if it is worth a 90 min. drive, but my mother-in-law lives in Columbia so I will probably try it next time I am out there. Now, if you happen to be a watch collector, it might be worthwhile to visit the Watch Museum in Columbia and have lunch at "Prudhommes".

He was a much better scientist than Ray is a cook, but you are right that his peers were not sufficiently impressed with him to vote him into the National Academy. I am not sure Ray is the culinary equivalent of an Ivy-league professor.

I thought she came off very well in the article. Definitely humble and aware of her lack of training or education. It was interesting to read that her infamous magazine layout in FHM was done at the behest of her employers at the Food Network. It certainly seems to have widened her fan base considerably.

Interesting article, oakapple. I will no longer be apologetic about buttering my steaks before grilling, if even Peter Luger butters there's.

If the poster meant that there is a lot of variation within USDA prime, and the best steakhouses have a superior source of USDA Prime beef then I agree with him.

Mimi, What is your theory on why Psaltis keeps getting these plum jobs when he is "mindless" and "taste blind"? How is he hoodwinking all of these top chefs?

I think they were referring to steakhouses serving wet-aged prime. Holly, do the Philadelphia locations of the big chain steakhouses (Palm, Smith and Wollensky's, Ruth Chris, and Morton's) serve wet-aged prime? Or is it non-USDA graded wet-aged beef?

It may be the same dog, as has been noted in this thread most papya places use Marathon, but the prep of it is what matters imho. Hell give two people a dry aged ribeye and some will cook it well, others will not. Product is essential, but so is method. I have only been there at lunch time, but there was nothing wrong with them then. I will report back if they are "different" late at night. I am more curious about the hamburger's they recently added to the menu. A decent burger in the neighborhood would be a major find.

Maybe the hotel guests were hungry?

I am pretty sure they are serving the same hot dogs as the other Papaya places. The ones I have had from their seemed identical to Gray's..

I had the steak frite's and the artichokes there yesterday and thought that the quality was very good for this pricepoint. I am looking forward to seeing what the offerings upstairs are going to be like.

The only Papaya King location i have visited is the one on 125th st., and I thought it was inferior to Gray's(72nd st.) or Papaya Dog (175th st.). I ended up tossing out my papaya drink after a few sips. Holly, Which Papaya King do you recommend?

Thank you Ellen and Steven for that wonderful report. I will have to start saving my pennies for a dinner at ADNY.

Yes, buying in bulk is the key. I bought 44# of Callebaut chocolate for $2.83/# from Fairway, butter from Costco and Tahitian Vanilla extract for $30/L from Assouline&Ting. Don't compromise too much on the quality of ingredients.

He could probably charge $250 and still be booked two months in advance.

Slkinsey, I think of the burger joint at the Parker Meridien's burgers as being a completely different style then Shake Shack's since it is "grilled" versus "fried". I do like the char of the burger joint burgers but I think the beef in Shake Shack's is much tastier. George B, No, it is "burger joint" (lower case) and the Parker Meridian is specified because there are at least two other unrelated "Burger Joints" in Manhattan.