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Paul, Nations Restaurant News had a pretty in depth story in last weeks issue about a major fast food chain test marketing the stuff. I gave the issue away . I'm sure they have a site. sobaaddict70, Yes, technically that's true, the meat is irradiated with microwaves, but I believe the process works differently. Microwaves excite the water molecules in food to move rapidly, creating steam and causing the food to cook from the inside out. I THINK that the radiation used on so-called 'Irradiated Beef' is somewhat more akin to an x-ray or a radioactive isotope. Rather than cooking the meat to a certain temperature (and destroying the bacteria) the radiation acts on a nuclear level disrupting the bacteria's cellular structure thereby causing the death of said bacteria and leaving the meat itself relatively unscathed (its already dead ) YMMV Nick

Cafe' Panache, Ramsey BYOB Nick

Thanks shugga. That's United Meat. I sent her there as it was the first thing that came to mind. I must pass it several times a week, though I've never been inside. Courtzzz and TheBoatMan, This sounds promising. I'll certainly make that recommendation. Twenty years in the food business in Bergen County and I've never been inside Fairway. For shame Nick. TheBoatMan, I spoke to my meat guy in Passaic and he also recommended Lobels. I'll make the suggesstion, but I don't think she wants to travel to NYC. Tommy and Rosie, Thanks for the suggestion. Though I wouldn't have any problem with Market Basket, I think Franklin Lakes is prolly too far for this lady to travel. But I'll tell her. It sounds worthwhile. Thanks all. You've given me plenty to work with. You'll all get credit, but I'm keeping the grat Thanx Nick

Steve, I am not familiar with any Kobe beef but the Texas stuff. Prolly the same stuff you got from Balduccis. I don't know Kobe beef, but I know dreck and this Texas stuff was that . Beaucoup purge in the cry-o-vac marbled like...like... well like the worst grass fed, which means no marble. Wet and mushy, no fat cap to speak of. I've seen better looking ungraded beef. Stuff was soft and tasteless like poor quality filet mignon. Priced like high season Dover Sole. I guess name licensing has its drawbacks. I like to taste a little dessication and decomposition on my beef. YMMV Cabrales, Thanks for the pointer. I'll head there and let y'all get back on topic. sorry for the digression. Nick Thanx Nick

One more thing. I find steaming the potatoes in their jackets cuts down on the moisture content. I relize that most people don't have a commercial low pressure steamer. I wouldn't know where to begin to improvise one. Nick

Did you like this, Steve? If so why? Which is the same question I asked myself when it first made an appearance in my kitchen . This could be the start of a really good flame war. Nick

Yeah, lotsa buzz going on. Quite a scene. Nick

Try Esty Street in Park Ridge or America in Tenafly. Nick

My wife prefers The River Palm's non-smoking room (fairlawn). I prefer the elbows in your face atmosphere of Edgewater YMMV Nick

Steve, is this 'frutta mostarda', the Italian tinned mustard fruit? Nick

Hey..Hey...HEY Golf at The Silverado! (ducking and running...fast) Nick

Does the IACP = Intl. Assoc. of Culinary Professionals? If so, how does one join? To this list I would add 'Culinary Trends and the ACF's 'National Culinary Review'. Could you give an example of what Chef considers '"cutting edge" in the REAL America' ? I used to hold 'Fine Cooking in the same regard as 'Cook's Illustrated'. Have you seen the last issue? The editorial staff sem to taken a knew path. The magazine seem to have been dumbed down by about 50 culinary I.Q. points . If this continues, I shall prolly cancel my subscription. I like Gourmet. It isn't nearly as leaden since Ruth Reichel took over. Lots of tested recipes and travel articles that provide a nice balance to the food and do not seem overwrought. On the other hand I have had problems with Saveur since its first issue. I do like the photography and I get suckered into the style of the magazine. BUT...I find the writing just a bit too breezy. Sometimes don't know if I'm reading 'Saveur' or 'People Magazine' . Like the chinese meal adage: "one hour after eating, I'm hungry again". Kind of like looking for John LeCarre and getting Robert Ludlum. I never find that 'Saveur' fully delivers on each issues promise. Reminds of a Bob Guccione publication (along the lines of 'Omni' NOT 'Penthouse'). From someone who has also recently arrived...Hello. You'll like it here. People are for the most part polite and knowledgeable. Of course there's Tommy, but we pay him to be the house curmudgeon . I saw nothing in your post that would tick anyone off. Some of the people here have some serious chops. So the only advice I would offer is to know what of you speak before you post. You'll quickly be called on it. There are some serious food people here and though I don't really know them well, my first impression is that fools are not suffered lightly. Just sent to Coventry Seriously though: Check out "A Consumate Passion" Thread in the 'General' topic area. Read it from the beginning. I feel it's worth the price of admission and will give you some insight into the level of much of the discourse on this board and a good cross section of the egullet members. (My opinion only, YMMV) Although if I'm wrong, they'll either have me singing soprano or I'll start making travel plans Nick

Someone asked me this weekend if there were any good butcher shops in northeast Bergen County. She expressed dissatisfaction with T&A (local butcher shop in the Englewood Tenafly area). I don't know T&A and am not qualified to post pro or con. Evidently what I could gather was that she wanted 'restaurant quality type beef, lamb and veal. She lamented the fact that many butcher shops were no better than the local Kings supermarket meat department (not too shabby IMO) and was looking for a shop that could do a 6-bone rack of Plume de Veau type of thing or steaks of a certain weight cut from a prime dry-aged strip or lamb loin chops of a certain trim level. Anyhoo. I know a fair amount about meat but my knowledge is woefully inadequate about where to buy it at retail. Any tips or suggestions that I could pass on would be greatly appreciated. Nick

Yeah. But there was no Seattle Mariners when I first Heard this. Does this mean I'm old? Nick

Stefanyb, If the Tuna rolls are still on try them. I had them once. Interesting presentation. Also the Calves liver was very good. Breaded in what seemed to me to be danish onion crumbs. The Tuna I ate there was very good also. Though i would have preferred a bit more char on the fish (personal preference). The menu is kind of 'Craft-like', or what I Imagine craft to be(never having eaten there ). You build your own dishes, selecting from mains, sides, toppings, and sauces. It can be a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy yourself Nick

I don't believe you need a Costco membership to shop in the liquor department. Not in Jersey maybe. But my only experience is Hackensack. I know for certain you don't need one there. The liquor department has a separate entrance. Nick

Not strictly speaking Costco. I believe the company is Western Beverage. They have the contract in all the Costcos. I think. Very aggressive outfit out of Texas. Techno savvy to the extent that all stores are live video linked to Hdqtrs via computer. Big brother can always access the managers. Real traditional team-building Rah-Rah management style. Brother in-law is GM of Hackensack store . Loves working for 'em. Nick

Marcella's Classic Italian Cooking has a recipe that works. I make very light pillows and I owe it to her recipe and watching lidia Bastianich give a demo. I wouldn't worry about classic form until you get the tendency to 'glop' out of the equation. I don't use whole eggs I use 2-3 yolks per 5, 70 count Idahos. But remember that the more egg, the easier to handle. However they will get denser. I don't strictly rice. Use a Mouli, not a potato ricer. (one of those stainless steel handcrank jobs). Riceing too fine contributes to the tendency to glop. Use the next courser set of holes than the ricer plate. Flour a board and roll out like Play-Doh (just like when you were a kid). Cut into small pillows and let 'em rest (in the fridge). Give 'em a flash freeze. Not enough to get 'em solid, but enough so that they're easier to handle. So time it for just before you want to cook them. Hope this helps Nick

Nice Site, Mamster. I'm angling for a trip to thailand this coming February. I'll certainly be spending time on your site before I go. Nick

I don't go to many BYOs. My loss. A few times to Chez Dominique in Bergenfield and a couple of times to it's former Incarnation, Chez Madeleine. Always on somebody elses nickel so I wouldn't know what fees if any there would be. We charge corkage at the club. Prolly 'cause we try to sell our own wine. Good to hear. Have get out more and try some other BYOs. Uh oh. Do you hear the footfalls of the Topic Police? Nick

Errrr...That the professional baseball team whose home field is geographically furthest north is not the Toronto Blue Jays or the Montreal Expos. But is, in fact... the Minnesota Twins? Nick

Yes I finally did tommy. This very evening in fact. I did NOT have my kids with me and I ate with a much more critical eye (mouth? ) than I usually do. I must say that it was the best Thai food that I'd eaten in years! Hands down better than anything I had previously eaten at Wondee's OR Bangkok Garden. I attribute this to several things. Number one I started with the Moo Ping, which as you know is going to set the mood for the rest of the meal. The second thing is I ate things which I hadn't eaten before and the flavors were new and exciting. We ate very early (5:45) and were the first dinner customers in the place. That suggests to me that the mis en place was fresh and the cook(s) focused. We were very complimentary to the manager/waitress/owner(?), Noy. Explaining to her the Wondee's vs. Bangkok debate going on here on Egullet. Also informing her the level of high regard that you Egulleteers hold Wondee's in. She was impressed, to say the least and repeated the name Tommy several times, as if trying to fit the name to a face . She passed this to the Chef immediately Now for the meal. As previously stated we started with a shared order of Moo Ping. Excellent, as was the chili paste dipping sauce. Perfect slathered on the cuke garnish. Next my wife and I split a salad called Som Thum. Green papaya with ground shrimp and chili. Was spicy but at the same time very refreshing. The flavors were very round for spicy food. Something that I feel is difficult to achieve. But in this case seemed effortlessly produced. For mains my wife had Chicken Pad Krapow, ordered medium spicy. Tasty, but a little muddy flavored for my taste. I had Keang Pedt ordered spicy (hey, I like duck, sue me ). Five dollars cheaper than at Bangkok but tasted ten dollars more expensive . Again spicy but with clean round flavors coming through. Compared to this the dish at Bangkok has a hashed out quality. We brought a 1998 Argyle Willamette Valley Reserve Chardonnay with us. No corkage fee (kewl ). Total damage was $38.00 + tip. cons and caveats: 1)The uncomfortable chairs. 2)dueling soft rock stations; one from the cashier/waiterstation and one from the kitchen. 3)summer sunset makes a significant portion of the dining room uncomfortable for early diners at this time of year. Thank you egulleteers. I wouldn't have tried it again without your opinions on this thread. Nick tasting a little crow and finding that he likes it

Lreda, Please accept my very public apology for my crude joking at your expense. Things happen and one really shouldn't go for the cheap shot. If I had a nickel for everything that ever left my kitchen in less than satifactory shape, I could retire. Some things we have no control over no matter how hard we try and no matter how pure of heart. Things go wrong. You are to be commended for your gracious offer. You obviously take very seriously what goes on in your place. My apology for implying in any way that shoemaker sh*t goes on in your kitchen. Mea Culpa (hand extended) Nick

FRY-O-LATOR...The worlds largest sautee' pan. "Hey Chef, I forgot to fire that table. Want me to give that steak the old Dunkeroo?" Sorry you had such a bad experience. Nick

I don't know but funny you should ask, Rosie. Back when Foy opened it the decor was the only rap that I ever recalled hearing. Which means that I prolly would have liked it. YMMV Nick