Luckylies

whoo hoo! done. pictures to follow.

To quote you: "I'll do the budget later, ..." I would be interested to see your complete detailed Cost of Goods (COGs) worksheet. In other words, list of all materials used, their cost and ultimately your 'plated' cost. ← yup, that's a big part of the project... as a matter of fact, when the project is done I'll post the whole shebang. or maybe I'll post in bits. piccs first etc. we'll see. I'm so excited. 0800 hrs..

i've ditched the turnips, for now it's a lobster corn broth (with a touch of cream) perhaps I'll throw in some fiddleheads if I can get my hands on them... the squab is served with zuchinni ribbons and red pepperflakes. the squab will be marinated in a lemon juice marinade. Potwashers not only eat, but they get the best seat at the table

Collaboration is encouraged at school but not forced, it seems that they understand that all of our visions will not mesh, but oftentimes we must actually undertake cooking shared ideas together, in which case we bite the bullet and just do it. On collaborating on homework, I'm not really sure. We have not gotten any assignments that ask us to create on our own. I'd think that discussing my project on a forum would be no different really than discussing it with a few hundred of my closest friends. We have not been told not do discuss out homework and we often "shoot the shit" about our projects and what we are cooking extracurricuarly. We have also been encouraged to discuss the projects with our chefs for ideas and suggestions etc. I believe the spirit this project assignment was given in was more of a food cost budget assignment I've decided to make it worth more to me...I'm thinking more of a portfolio. Besides, I figure at the end of the day I will heed the advice that I find worthwhile and consistant with my style and ignore the rest. Thus producing a totally "me" menu- with a little help from my friends. I figure, in life we all have access to great ideas and great people, it just a matter of harnessing that good fortune and alchemizing it. ps. I also have to cook the food, not just write the menu, if you guys came to cook, that might arise some concern though I am accepting positions for potwashers

I like everyones opinion, we all have to eat! 024:00 hours until commencement of kichen strike

Do you guys think I can make the custard mix for the creme caramel a day before and fridge it, then ramekin and bake it the next day? thanks...

Thanks Chef! I grew up in New York eating everything. My whole family consists of food writers and foodies and I have grown up eating everything. The foods that most move me are soft and supple in texture and rich and mouthful in body. I dont like very chewy foods but I love crunchy foods. I hate wet crunchy foods and overly medicinal smelling herbs (cilantro, saffron) I love braised meats, marrow, liver, oysters, tomolley, creamy sauces, slow roasted tomatoes, rosemary, poultry skin, potatoes in all incantations, stinky rich cheese, hot oily peppers, toro, yellowtail, eel, boiled seafood in old bay, brown gravies and reduction sauces, anything that begins as a sabayon, things with melted cheese, crisp breads, rare meat, raw meat, arugula, morels, pulled pork, fried things. for sweets: burnt sugar, vanilla, lemon curd, shortbread, custard, puff pastry, almond paste, apricots, prunes, strawberries, cherries, rasberries and other berrys. I've totally changed my menu. I just found out that we were not limited to four courses! I'm going to do a six course of small tastes. each portion will be a few bites and get bigger towards the end. I think this is a bit lighter. I'm not really sure of the theme yet. Seared Sea scallops. Parsley olive oil emulsion. microgreens Yellowtail sashimi in the style of carpaccio. frizzled leeks. not sure of accompanying sauce yet. Zuchinni blossoms fritti w havarti and hutlacoche. dandelion greens. poached lobster in a corn flavored cream sauce, woods ear mushrooms, turnips grilled rosemary squab w/ yellow and green zuchinni w/ red pepper seared duck breast with a cherry balsamic reduction. for dessert hybiscus granita

at Jing Fong a lot of the meal must be taken in "seek and destroy" mode. you kind of have to have yor eyes peeled. Also, bother the cart ladies as they pass you to show you every single thing they have. Don't worry if you don't want there wares, they'll come with something you'll like. As you start to go more frequently you'll get to understand the combinations that the carts carry, adn be able to ask for what you want. I never order off the menu, but also I'm a bit lazy. For dim sum, that's really all I want. Some things that are nice at Jing Fong; the shrimp rice noodle (it's shrimp rolled in a white rice noodle, served in portions of three) it comes with a sauce closely related to worstcher sauce. ask for extra sauce, this is my favorite. Also good, the spare ribs. little mini rib bits in a silky fatty jalepeno sauce. not spicy, just excellent. spring rolls, these are some of the best in chinatown, just make sure they are not the last ones on the cart (that would mean they are cold) the "salt baked" shrimp really fried whole shrimp. also very good when hot. pork sui mai, dark greens in oyster sauce, chicken feet, bacon wrapped shrimp (with dipping mayo), shrimp dumplings, jook (or congee, same dif) they really don't have alot of roast meats at dimsum perhaps on the menu. also unless you like turnip cakes skip the banquet table. sorry for the spelling had some tequilla tonight. see you on sunday!

thank you so much for your replies...this is exactly the kind of criticism I was looking for (really) It's so hard to take a look at a dish and move away from what I think sounds yummy to what is yummy. This weekend is my test run... so more suggestions! thank you kindly.

Hi Gulleters- I have a school project due in the next few months and I'd like to get a good jump on it. The project involves creating a four course meal. and then writing a budget summary. I'll do the budget later, it's the food that I'm most concerned about. We are to choose a theme and go with it. I'm in a french cooking school, but any theme or style is welcome (I assume showing off technique is most of the point). I hope you can help me with my menu. Sometimes it's hard to take an objective stance. All the things I'm proposing I can pull off without a hitch ( ) but I would like to know where I may be going wrong creatively. All suggestions are welcome, really. My theme is Spring Lunch. I can source my produce from anywhere, I live in New York. I will also need to take photos of my work. Here's the menu. In descriptions. Fried zuchinni blossoms. stuffed with huitlacoche, havarti cheese and anchovy. Plated with a horseradish cream sauce. Grilled squab (or quail??) marinated in a citrus marinade. With parmesan risotto, arugula and a parsley brown butter emulsion. Roast rack of lamb. Coated in a hybiscus/panko/garlic/parsley crust (persillade with hybiscus powder) over mashed roast cauliflower with red pepper flakes rhubarb / aged balsamic reduction on the plate petit fours for dessert. (the almond cake- fondant kind) so what do we think?

damn, I've got a reservation at March...guess I'll have to tape this one. it sounds so interesting!

ooh good question, I have ther same dilemma. I love the fatty pork shoulder, but i'm in a rut too, I'd love to hear some good ones on this too. you've probably thought of this already; cubanos or media noches use the shoulder insted of the loin ( )

I just opened two different containers of paprika. In one I found a fully growing colony of little bugs with brown shells, in the other there was a white caterpiller-like bug walking around. Both of these jars came from my moms house (infestation?) but they were from different stores and countries. What the hell? anybody ever hear of these freaky little bugs? Hope I haven't been eating them

Joes? Dipaola's? Where are these places? ← Joe's on Carmine and whoops, DeMarcos on Houston. Both standards to which I hold certain pizza elements..

went last night. the decor reminded me a bit of cosi or xando a bit. the room is big and has a concrete floor and all of the furniture is happily mismatched. The lights are multicolor blown glass, which I thought were quite pretty. It was a bit like eating inside a third graders watercolor. The place was about 2/3 full when we got there a 7:15 and though the room looks like it has the potential to be very loud the din was a mild one. There were a few families with their children ( a few young ones running about) and the staff were very friendly and accomidating. They didn't even seem to notice the rugrats trying to trip them up. The pizza was very, very good. We had the Margarita D.O.C. The crust was (I dare say) as good as the one i had a dipaola's, just needed to be a bit crisper and the sauce reminded me of joes, but sligtly less sweet, cheese was fine, would have liked a bit more basil on top though. My glass of house wine was quite good too. They had run out of arugula for the carpaccio though (rats!) so I had a different version from their carpaccio menu. The beef was thin and lean and quite tasty, and the artechoke was very nice as well. The staff was extrordinarily friendly though a little overeager with plate clearing. I will certainly go back, it was a very nice time. oh, also quite inexpensive for what it was. the bill with tax and tip about 50 bucks.

Jing fong and Golden unicorn for that big banquet hall chinese dimsum feel Oriental garden or Hsf for a more cozy experiance. Perhaps cozy is not the best word, both places are still huge, but these two are too small to hold, say, the summer olympics in. my personal favorite right now is Jing fong. great variety, never a wait, very good food.

When I complained to the manager I wasn't looking for free drinks, I was looking for an apology. From one person to another. Not from a manager to a customer (I didn't even know he was the manager until I asked the waitress later ) I wanted him to voice the fact that he knew what he had said hurt my feeling and he was sorry. When this person failed to apologise personally (rolling eyes etc.) I figured perhaps he would later muster up some managerial skill and try to make right by the restaurant. Sometimes in life it is hard to say "sorry, I acted like a dick" especially if you feel like what you said or did was justified. This was no normal life though, it was also a business transaction. I lost money and time on this transaction for food that was not eaten, time that was wasted, and feelings that were hurt. If the manager could not eek out a personal apology, an apology from the restaurant, in the form of free drinks or food or whatever would have at least shown an awareness that this was a business transaction that went terribly wrong. Nobody is suggesting that this man is the restaurants brain trust, but c'mon, it's standard practice to comp drinks or food when customers are upset with an aspect of their meal.

here's the thing- I'm not sure they did anything... I also suspect they did not. Again who knows? What I do know is if they did stick gum to the table or whatever, it is gross and certainly deserves contempt. Yet, I said it was besides the point because the manager showed contempt towards me, and had there been anybody else in the establishment they too would have been also put down. He made a comment about the quality of the customers as a whole, siting my friend as an example. I did not mention it before, but the manager was also quite rude while collecting their check (he treated them as if it was beneath him to collect their bill - while they had tried in vain for a few minutes to get the attention of the waitress) he said something alsong the lines of " ah, yes, I suppose I can take care of that for you" while again making a face as he turned around (I could see, they could not) The percieved attitude of the people in the restaurant biz is brought down by people like this, but in no way indicated by him. There are assholes everywhere, why they choose to get involved in a service industry is beyond me.

//forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=63632 sorry linking is not working for me today... check this out in the new york forum.

maybe robo them, stick them into some cheesecloth and twist the top to extract the juices? or perhaps cook, puree, then squeeze through chinois?

awwwwww but today is perfecttttttttttt. waaaaaaaaaaa...now what am I supposed to eat? waaaaaaaaaa....

I think the margaritas were about 12 bucks (even though they have an advertised happy hour where the drinks are 1/2 price) I sub'd my choice in tequilla for something that cost the same on the menu so who knows why I was charged full price...also, the waitress did not mention that they had half price drinks at all The place has a nice selection of tequillas and if the maragaritas were good, could justify the price... they weren't, they couldn't.

what's fake blue moutain? I love the real stuff ($$$$$$$$) - but I also like to drink my coffee with food, in an apartment

ooh are they open yet? anybody have news?

Has anybody been to Agave? it's in the West Village on 7th ave south- Anyway I went there yesterday evening with a friend to grab a snack and a margarita. I had been there before, but only for drinks. It seemed like a place with ditzy staff generally, but I figured since it was not busy (read : two other customers) they should have no problem accomidating us. Turns out the two other patrons were my dental hygenist and a friend of hers! neato, I like my hygenist, very nice lady. Anyway my friend and I opted to sit at a table next to them in the glassed in sidewalk portion of the restaurant. the view was nice for people watching but it was a bit chilly as there were not many people to warm up the room. My friend and I ordered the queso fundito and the guacamole (each about 12 bucks) I had to have the queso warmed up a bit because it was not entirely melted, even thought it was served in a little fondue pot over a candle. Cute, and once it was warm- tasty. It was served with some chips and one tortilla. One? a little skimpy, but I figured if I ate the whole thing I could just ask for another one. The guacamole was wonderful and big fist sized portion served in a fried tortilla cup. The avocado was perfectly ripe and well seasoned, it was really good guacamole sereved with a big heap of blue corn chips. The margaritas were okay. I say this because I asked for them "not too sweet" and the waitress gave me a confused look and refered to the bartender by saying "she makes them the same way every time" duh, that's why I stated a preference. anyhow she was a bit of a ditz but nothing especially noteworthy. So anyhow, as we are snacking and eating some of the staff are entering for the dinner shift, they keep coming in and out of the side door of the patio for cigarettes, this of course lets cold air into the already chilly area (couldn't they go out the front? the only four patrons were sitting directly next to the door) I thought it was rude and thoughtless but whatever, not the biggest deal in the world. Here is the story of what made Agave, the worst: After chatting for a while back and forth between the tables, my Hygenist friend and her friend get the check and leave. The manager and a busboy begin to clear the table and I hear the manager make some sort of disparaging remark and then say "what trash, the quality of our clientle has really declined, those people were really disgusting" while raking up a fuss and rolling his eyes. my jaw dropped, so did my friends. We were both three feet away from him and heard him clear as day. I could not believe my ears. What was this man talking about? he was clearly talking about my friend and her friend (customers) right in front of me (a person) and a (customer). What the fuck? I must of been misinterpreting I thought, so I gave it a moment to set in, one look at my friends face suggested, nope, this dude just insulted your friends- bigtime. I had the waitress call the manager over (yep, the schmuck was in fact the manger) and I asked him what business he had insulting customers infront of other customers. I also made it clear that we were friend of the people he had just put down. His first response was "who? those people who put gum on the table?". He still had tons of attitude and was rolling his eyes. Listen, I hate the idea that my friends may or may not have put gum on the table, but who knows? They really do not seem like the type of people who would do something like that, but you really never know. Anyway, what they may or may not have done was far beside the point, he had insulted me and my friends without any allusion that he meant to do otherwise. After explaining to the the manager how upset and angry I was that he insulted me and my friends he gave me a weak pretend apology and walked off. Still I couldn't believe what had just occured. I had been insulted and dismissed. My appetite was gone, as was my friends. We asked for the check and not a single drink was comped, nothing. No way of apology, nothing. 60 dollars for two drinks, two half eaten appetizers and plenty of insult. I will never go back. What kind of establishment allows such a crass, disgusting person serve as their liason to the public? My feelings are still hurt, and my worldview altered.