phaelon56

I recall seeing this thread back when the concept first began gathering a head of steam nationally and prompted some discussion. My reaction at the time was... why? It didn't make sense to me. Fast forward to this past weekend when I attended a picnic and chatted with the wife of my employer. She chooses to work close to full time (doesn't have to but prefers to do so) and they enjoy a level of affluence such that they could eat dinner out every night (if they chose to but it's not their preference). One of her neighbors opened an independent version of this retail concept several months ago and it's been doing tremendous business. According to an interview with the owner (sorry - no link available) she looked at the franchises and believed that better food quality and a more inventive menu would offer greater assurances of success. They bundle meals in a size that provides six entrees at an average price of $3 per serving. I'll admit to having been skeptical but I might try it once to see if the "better quality" really exists or if that's a relative term

In some cases the regulations have enough wiggle room that the product meeets the letetr of the law but doens't match up to the idealized platonic ideal most of us have in mind when we see "organic" as the label. You're so right about mouthfeel. Many of the more progressive specialty coffee purveyors in North America have been trying out various types of organic milk lately and report wide variance in taste. Just as significant is a factor you point out - the variance in mouthfeel. I don't have as discriminating a palate as many folks do but the ultra-pasteurized products - organic or not - never have as good a mouthfeel to my taste. The stablizers can add to this in a negative way but in some dairy product they're crucial to ensure that the product doesn't separate.

90% of my at home milk consumption (apart from ice cream and cheese) gets into my system in the form of six ounce lattes (3.5 oz of foamed milk plus the espresso) - a few each day on weekends. Lately I have purchased organic milk on occasion to see if I can detect the supposedly superior taste and texture characteristics - but thus far I can't. That said... now that I'm well into reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" it's become evident why it doesn't seem much different (because I'm getting industrial organic supermarket milk). I'm surprised that North Jersey supermarkets (Ghostrider's locale) don't have much in the way of organic milk. It's in just about every decent sized supermarket here - not just in the big fancy Wegman's - and central NY state is a very blue collar economically depressed area. Even among the non-organic store brands there is always a choice between non BGH milk and the hormone laden stuff (and almost no price difference between the two). I think it's time for me to check out my neighborhood food co-op and see what locally produced organic milk they have - I'm curious to see if I'll discover the difference. But the seemingly contradictions and schisms in people among what they will and won't eat are not only amazing but preceded the current phase. I've met or known of more than a few people who won't eat pork because (their words) it's an "unclean" mea. But then they'll take a break from the holiday dinner table and go outside to have some cognac, smoke a cigarette or maybe even get a quick hit or two on a crack pipe

I'm now in a summer morning routine that's sure to change as fall closes in on us. Bleary-eyed I get up while it's still dark outside, drive the ten minutes to the shop, get a few airpots brewed and open the doors by 6:15. Some mornings my day starts an hour or more earlier when there's coffee to be roasted. At 6:30 or 6:45 one of my morning regulars, a boisterous car salesman who now owns the dealership, stops for a double espresso. The new ritual is that I make one for both of us... he does his with two Sweet 'n Lo's and I used about 1/4 tsp of raw sugar in mine... we toast the day, down the shots and both get back to work. At 8 AM I make a double shot iced latte with three or four espresso cubes and 1% or 2% milk and head to the office for the "day job". The iced drink has just the right balance to last until 10 AM and that's it for the day... for now....

Thanks for the reminder about Siro's. I have a friend who waited table there one season many years ago (probably in the late 1970's or early 1980's). he recalled diminutive Willie Shoemaker living it up at a table accompanied by three gorgeous (and very tall) ladies....

I use mine regularly. And for those of us with no range hood it's especially helpful.

These stories blow my mind. really. Up here in the provincial, unsophisticated hinterlands it just doesn't happpen like that - even when stores are busy and it's crowded. Having lived in NJ for four years I would have expected to read stories like this about shopping in the more congested areas of North Jersey (admittedly - I did have a few touchy experiences at the Stop 'n Shop in Lyndhurst back when I lived iin that area). Granted - Syracuse and cities liek it have a slower pace of life, few trafffic probelms and and far fewer stressful factors in daily life. But is there something about people's relationship to both food and shopping in the Manhattan environment that might account for this seemingly aberrant behavior?

So true. In some areas such as Saratoga it's the short length of the busy season that's the biggest issue (granted - summer is already a short enough season in Northeastern tourist destinations but the when the largest number of visitors is during a five week racing season the probelm is compounded). There are other locations where the cost of housing is so prohibitive that finding and keeping good FOH or BOH help is problematic because restaurant owners can't pay help enough to afford the cost of living. IIRC one of the big hotels in Key West was contemplating creating "dorm housing" for young workers in an effort to attract and retain people. A friend of mine once worked a summer as a line cook in Bar Harbor, Maine. He received a fairly generous bonus just for staying through the end of August and an even larger one if he stayed through the end of September or to mid-October.

Asthetically disturbing to my eye. I could live with the proportions and the lines in a sort of Ikea-Scandinavian-modern way but that pattern on the handles is just wrong.

That's your preference, but I think it's an unfair comparison/they're completely different styles of flavor. For me, I adore both for what they are. It's like saying "I think bouillabaisse is better than cioppino." Feh. And I agree Cho Dang Gol's seafood tofu stew is da bomb. ← No. Saying "I like.... such a dish so much better" IS stating my preference. I didn't claim that it's better - just that I like it better. Stating preference and making claims of superiority that pretend to be objective are two entirely different matters. By chance I also do happen to like bouillabaisse better than cioppino but once again - that's personal preference. And one of the ongoing mutliple speculations in this thread has to do with whether people's preference has anything to do with why Korean food has not become mainstream. In my case the answer is yes.

Although this is a NY-centric thread in light of its position in the forums I think it's relevant that the relationship between the type of restaurant owned and the cultural background of the owners tends to be different outside of major metro areas than it is in places like NYC. Here in Syracuse - a small city of 150,000 with another 150,000 or so in the suburbs (many of whom never come into the city to dine) - there's little deviation from a traditional pattern. Thai restaurants owned by Thai people, Chinese places by ethnic Chinese, our one all Japanese restaurant owned by a Japanese woman... Korean restaurants owned by Koreans and Japanese-Korean owned by Koreans. Korean cuisine may work its way into the menu and become appreciated bya few anglos at the Japanese-Korean place but mostly they serve a lot of sushi, teriyaki dishes etc. Our single solely Korean place is so small, so far under the radar and un-marketed that it's unlikley it will have much impact. And I've had dishes like the seafood tofu stew mentioned upthread. But I like the balance of flavors in the Vietnamese version of such a dish so much better that I'll opt for that every time.

In this era if I'm referring to any business travel or meetings it still means (to me) the Financial District. But I more frequently hear that general area described as Lower Manhattan these days because it also encompasses the residential areas of Battery Park City. But when people are talking about going out for dining and evening entertainment I generally... if they live in Midtown or further up - everything south of 14th is "downtown".

You're so right about that and there's such an abundance of things to do inland, such as Mayan ruins and caving expeditions, that a full week could spent there. But the dilemma is that the food usually becomes even less varied and of poorer quality as one moves further inland.

My restaurant service needs are typically a matter of context. I always need/expect efficiency and courtesy at a minimum. And I never want or need obsequious or fawning behavior. For a simple and moderately priced meal - the sort of every day or a few times each week dinner out that many of us have regularly - I j want the same basics that you mentioned. This includes timely service but extends beyond the food or beverages. I want someone to offer me the option of dessert after my meal is finished... and (major pet peeve coming) 1) bring me the check promptly when I ask for it 2) even bigger pet peeve - for cryin' out loud please come back promptly to collect the check and cash it out or run my card once you have given it to me! When it's a special occasion dinner or one of the rare times when I splurge for much higher end fine dining" I want and expect a smoother, more attentive level of service. The birthday dinner I had this past winter at Tom Powers Corduroy (Washington DC) is a good example. We had a five course tasting menu and as if by magic... every single course appeared at precisely the right moment when we'd had enough time after the previous course for a bit of digestion. And the only silverware ever on the table at any time were the items needed for that course. Not ocne did I even notiuce when the new silverware was placed on the table. It just seemed to be there when the next course arrived The service was so deft and unobtrusive (granted - I did have a charming dining and conversation companion) that it amazed me. No one fawned all over us nor did they try to be our new best friend. They just magically seemed to appear in a very low key way whenever needed and somehow anticipated so many things that it was a transporting experience. I don't mind tipping heavily and paying extra for that level of service - just don't need it on a routine basis.

I'm not usually a fan of "flavored" waters such as the various fake tasting fruit flavored waters on the market (although Vitamin Water Lime isn't half bad). But I recently received a gift basket that included a botle of Metromint and I thought it was good. Very refreshing and not really fake tasting. But I'll have to try adding a few drops of mint oil to a bottle of Britta filterted water and give it a shake - won't surprise me if it tastes about the same.

There's another compellign reason for some of us to not use the carafe to fil lthe reservoir on the brewer. Many of us, myself included, like coffee served as close to brew temp as possible but don't drink it all in short order. A room temperature crafe will draw heat off the brewed coffee as the coffee enters the carafe - until the glass or metal liner of the carafe has drawn off enough heat to stabilize. I've always preheated the carafe with hot tap water while I'm filling the reservoir, grinding and dosing the coffee etc. When I'm ready to hit the Brew button I dump the water and voila - the coffee enters a preheated carafe and stays much hotter for longer after being brewed.

I've never had the pleasure of dining at a "finer dininig" Indian restaurant such as Hemant's or Suvir's establishments. But the disconnect in our experiences may be more a matter of lack of Indian food experience on my part rather than inconsistency on the part of Karavalli's. That said - it's a darn sight better than any of the Indian places in Syracuse and the few that I tried in NYC when living in that area (apart from Mina Foods). I'm due for a visit to Saratoga in late summer or early fall. I'll try to fit Little India into my schedule when I'm there - thanks for the tip!

And by the same token... if it's a place that dccepts you for a rather late seating you should expect the same quality of food and service. And not be given the bum's rush to push you out the door so the staff can go home.

I can't help but think that these new flavors alogn with those launched by Coke in recent years are just part of the proverbial battle for more shelf space and thus more consumer eyeball time. Supermarkets have gotten larger btu msot fo that space goes to bigger prepared foods sectiosn, natural and organic departments and in store dining. The average beverage aisle doesn't have much more shelf space than it ever did but the surfeit of new specialty sodas and 'flavored waters" appearing of late must be driving Coek and Pepsi crazy. Thus... even if the new flavors only cannibalize their existing market share, e.g. by dividing their curent diet cola drink loyalists among some new flavors... it regains them some shelf space (assuming they can negotiate that deal with the grocers - an enitrely different can of worms).

There are two sofrito recipes at Rican Recipes - the recipe web site of Carmen Santos de Curran - the "Rican Emeril" The first sofrito recipe she lists is nearly identical to the one made by one of my former girlfriends - a Puerto Rican native who grew up in NYC but learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. It includes both Recao (aka "long coriander") and Ajies Dulces. The "gringorican" sofrito recipe on her site does not include those ingredients. The sofrito my GF made actually had only recao and no regular broadleaf cilantro. There is a distinct difference in flavor between the two. At the time (about eight years ago) we had a small neighborhood Spanish market that carried those items close to year round. The recao was sometimes in tough shape after being transported to Syracuse from NYC and had to be pruned to get rid of spotty parts on the leaves. The ajie dulces kept well and the green ones tended to be much less spicy that those that had turned reddish yellow or orange. We kept enough of the mixture if the fridge as could be used in a week and froze the balance. It was never cooked. I've tried some frozen supermaket sofrito and it wasn't nearly as good as the homemade. It's definitely worth the effor to seek out those two extra ingredients for a tasty sofrito - and by the way - never any tomatoes in the variation I'm familiar with.

Our local newspaper dining forum (don't ask - it's that bad) had a nice little tidbit today - a link to the web site of Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty There's a small but growing list of restaurant, farms and other producers along with events listings and information resources for area farmers wishing to sell to restaurants in the region.

I nearly forgot to mention... El Rincon - a Mexican place much touted for authenticity and freshness - has opened a location in downtown Canadaigua. Their original place in Sodus was opened primiarily to cater to the Mexican agricultural workers who used to be seasonal but have now settled in the area year round. Food savvy friends who recently tried the new one in Canandaigua raved about it. I'll be sure to visit there when I get a chance - there's nothing remotely approaching good, fresh authentic mexican food in Syracuse. We do have the terrific (and always crowded) Alto Cinco, right in my own neighborhood... but I think of it more as a Mexican inspired bsitro rather than a traditional Mexican restaurant. El Rincon

The pastry spot was up at a corner on Triphammer Road near the Triphammer Mall - in the small plaza called Community Corners - it's not large enough for a restaurant. Therte's also a place just off the Commons - abnout 100 to 200 feet north of the Handworks store. It's a basement place and has been many things over the years - most recently a Caribbean themed place. None of the many places in there was ever a success and IMHO the weird basement location is a killer (not in a good way. I don't know whay Roma ever moved. Their pizza was great but they failed in the new location - which remains empty. It's across Meadow Street from Purity Ice Cream and is empty at the moment. Maybe or maybe not big enough for 60 seats - I think that's a stretch. And a nice little Thai place went in where the original Roma was - great food and very moderate prices (it's called Thai Garden). As for that little area being "ghetto" it's worth noting that it's a relative term and in Ithaca is in my opinion a non-issue (not to mention that people who describe an area of Ithaca as being "ghetto" mean the houses on that block are a bit more run down than the average Ithaca abode - there's no such thing as a real ghetto in Ithaca). And Za Za's is right there a few hundred feet or so from the old Roma location - it's an upscale place.

I agree about "mouthfeel" being a crutch word for some foods but for certain liquids it's a crucial component of the most important characteristics. From the web site of Terroir Coffee They're referring to the elusive substance known as crema - the dense, rich, reddish-brown foam that appears on the surface of a properly pulled espresso shot. But mouthfeel is only the starting point of description in this case. The most crucial and most interesting flavor components are carried in the crema and simply saying that an espresso has "great mouthfeel" is pointless. Some do and some don't but it's the flavors that require detailed description if one wishes to proceed beyond fluffery.

If you're determined to have a built-in I suggest checking to see if you can find out who actually makes it for dacor. I'm sure it's some other manufacturer's system with their badge on it. Overall my feeling is that you'll get the same middling drink quality from the Miele or the Dacor - therefore I'd lean towards the one that will have the best warranty and/or best local support and service available.