phaelon56

I think between that and laughing in my face when I mention simmering the milk... you must be one of the happiest folks on earth Thank you, lalitha, for that wondrous and very personal recounting of the entire process, not to mention the priceless mental picture I have of otherwise staid and repsonsible adults whimpering for their filter coffee "fix" The bits of information I've been able to glean from web sites do imply that the pouring ritual has a distinct effect on the milk texture - makes sense. As for the filter mechanism, it sounds much likek the little contraption thast is used to make Vietnmese "espresso" coffee. Tiny holes, a filter that screws down onto and compacts the coffee and a very slow dripping process. Are there Indian restaurants here in the US, perhaps in areas like Edison NJ, that might serve this coffee?

Also... the better the quality of the coffee or espresso to begin with... the better it seems to hold up (or at least remain palatable). For my own tastes, acidic coffees or espresso blends don't seem to hold up as well when cooling off as the less acidic ones.

Using the incredible power vested in me as official forum host of the Coffee & tea forum ( which is inconsequential at best ), I'm humbly asking for some input on a South Indian Filter Coffee thread that I just started. One of our newer members, geetha, recently posted and also exchanged a few PM's with me about sources for good Indian coffee in the US. This piqued my curiosity but I still have many questions as I'm always intrigued by preparation methods and coffee traditions that are new to me. Will appreciate any help you India experts may be able to offer on that thread. Thanks!

That makes sense. The food and the service were both very good. The shrimp were larger and a bit tastier than what I typically see in Viet restaurants and the iced coffee was above average. The coffee was not quite as good as what I get here in Syracuse but up here they're using a brand imported from Vietnam rather than using the Cafe du Monde or Community Coffee that most places use (both are New Orleans dark roast brands).

A recent question posted here by Geetha about Indian coffee has left me very curious. It appears that although much of India is traditionally a tea drinking culture, there is a strong tradition of coffee drinking in Southern India. Thus far I've found only this information about the brewing device Indian Coffee Filter The description indicates that the "davras" is a two part stainless steel assembly with a mushroom shaped filter in the upper portion. The lower portion is used to collect the brewed coffee. It's unclear to me whether the entire davras sits on a heat source and pushes boiling water up and then down through the filter (as with moka coffee or American stove top and electric percolators) or whether it's simply some sort of drip device. Can any of you shed light on this? I also found reference to the desired coffee types as "Arabica from the Chikmanglur and Nilgiris mountain ranges and Robusta grown in the lower, more humid areas of Malabar, Salem, Coorg, etc.". India is known for growing some of the world's best Robusta coffee but very little of it makes it to the US market. Suggestions (these came from a variety of sources) also include roasting to a fairly dark level, even with the Robusta beans (which are not typically roasted extremely dark as it increases their bitterness). Here in the US I can obtain Kappie Royale Robusta, Coelho's Gold Monsooned Malabar AA, Pearl Mountain Peaberry, Mysore "Nuggets" and perhaps one or two other varieties. Is South Indian style coffee best made from a blend, as is often the case with espresso coffee, or do people typically make it from a coffee of a single varietal origin? To add to the confusion.... some people recommend that for those in the US market wishing to duplicate the characteristics of South Indian drip coffee, it is advised to used roasted chicory mixed with the coffee in a ratio of 30% chicory to 70% coffee. Apparently the chicory-coffee blend has been popular in South India for quiet some time but many discerning Indian coffee drinkers are now advising to just use 100% coffee with no chicory. India produces some very high quality coffee and I can see the wisdom of dispensing with the chicory. Finally... there is the question of the milk. Is it scalded on the stovetop by boiling or is simply heating it to the simmering point sufficient? I have seen reference to a technique whereby one pours the "decoction" (the concentrated brewed coffee that has collected in the bottom of the davras after dripping through) into a cup or glass and then adding the heated milk with sugar. the mixture is then poured back and forth between two glasses until a certain frothiness is achieved. Is this procedure typical and does it impart a better mouthfeel quality to the milk by introducing air or in your opinion is it really just for show? (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Coffee brewed directly into an airpot or brewed and then poured directly into a pre-heated thermal carafe: no more than twenty minutes is ideal. After that I notice a perceptible change in flavor but I'll drink it up until it gets too cool to be drinkable. I do find that coffee which has started coolign off seems much tastier black than it does when cream has been added. Espresso shots: if drinking it as a straight shot it should be served and comsumed immediatley (i.e. served withing 20 seconds of the shot being pulled and sipped over no more than a coupel of minutes before the crema dies off). If it's going itno a properly made milk drink and that drink is in a preheated thick walled china cup or a thermal stainless steel cup... it can stay drinkable enough for me to enjoy for up to 20 minutes or sometimes longer. Can't comment on tea as I'm just not discerning enough. I do know that rehated coffee that has beeen sitting around for hours and then gets heated up again is truly vile stuff.

Just back from a weekend in Charlotte. We had a very good Vietnamese dinner on Monday night at Ben Thanh on 4900 Central Ave. It was among the best Vietnamese I've ever had. I've been advised that the place on Shamrock is at least as good if not better but I was very happy with my meal at Ben Thanh. It's worth noting that the restaurant was close to being full with a predominately Vietnamese clientele on a weeknight (a good sign) while the Pho place next door was completely empty at the same time (a bad sign). We also happened across a Killer Taco Truck that I intend to revisit. Our attempt to have breakfast at John's Country Kitchen (5918 Central Ave - gets a rating of four grease stains from Holly Moore on hollyeats.com) was foiled by our inability to get out the door early enough on Saturday morning (Hurricane Frances had me stuck at Dulles Airport until after 1 AM). We tried the lunch at John's as they were not serving breakfast at 2 PM but it was seriously medicore. I'm still game to try them for breakfast as the breakfast looks like the real deal. Being new to Charlotte (she's lived there for less than two years and I'm still on visitor status), we enjoyed looking around the little business district in Elizabeth. Pretty cool little neighborhood and I think we might consider moving there once I get int town full-time. We stumbled across Dish, just around the corner from John's, on Thomas Ave (or Street?). Late Saturday night, our attempts to visit Latorre's on 5th Street for Cuban food and salsa dancing was foiled by the crowds that were enjoying the Hispanic/Latino festival. We went to Dish for a late dinner instead. I like this place. It's a bit noisy and the decor is sort of retro funky cool although not particularly warm or cozy. The staff was a different story - warm, friendly, efficient and down to earth. We really wanted the shrimp 'n grits but it was late and they'd run out. I had Cajun meatloaf and my GF had crab cakes. Prices were low, the mains were pretty good and the sides not bad. The garlic mashed potatoes weren't as garlicky or buttery as I like them but were certainly adequate. We both found the collard greens to be "different" from what we're accustomed to but tasty none the less (although they needed to be heated up a bit). The deviled eggs and biscuit that come with all entrées were outstanding. Dish is inexpensive, doesn't try to over reach and IMO offers a great value for the money - we plan to dine there again. Most entrées with two sidesand the biscuit/deviled egg included are $8 to $14 - very reasonable. We started with loaded black bean nachos, she had a Margarita, I had a ginger beer and we each had an entrée. Total bill with tax before tip was about $32 - very, very reasonable.

I made some for my GF this past weekend when I was visiting Charlotte. She had a recipe that called for using frozen chopped spinach. We used fresh cooked baby spinach (drained, water squeezed out and chopped) instead of the frozen and we also used real bacon chopped up instead of the recommended bac-o-bits (it was one of those magazine recipes). It also called for some apple cider vinegar and sugar. We were out of apple cider vinegar - used the red wine type instead and reduced the amount. I don't recall the other little things I did to spice these up but it was indeed the best deviled egg recipe that I've yet tasted.

I agree with the idea of adding beer but ale will be even better. The best pancakes I've ever tasted include ale, baking poswder and a small bit of cider vinegar. I think the vinegar helps to catalyze the leavening action of the baking powder. These are the pancakes served at Blue Heaven Restaurant in Key West FL and they are justifiably famous. Richard's Very Good Pancakes Quite possibly, apart from conch fritters and key lime pie, the one dish that Key West is best known for.

The Northern Spy is easy to find around here but we're only 15 minutes form NY state's prime apple growing region in the Lafayette Valley. My mom always used the Spy for her pies but I see the appeal of mixing in some other varieties. I cringe at the though of using Macoun's in a pie only because they're such great eating apples that it seems almost a crime to use them in pie!

I think the Ikea boards are not made of maple and that accounts for the difference in oil absorption characteristics. I agree that it's properly seasoned when it finally begins allowing the oil to pool up for a few minutes after being applied. That said... I like my old maple board much better than the Ikea board that I owned for awhile and dispensed of in a garage sale. My maple board was actually once the top of a portable dishwasher that broke and was put to the curb by my neighbors. It's so well seasoned that I only oil it a few times each year.

I suspect Ethiopia may be an exception to this apparent rule. I've never been fortunate enough to visit there but when I've had Ethiopian coffee prepared by Ethiopian people in the traditional manner as it is done in the Coffee Ceremony, it has been among the best coffe I've ever consumed. I know that the "tinto" coffee widely consumed in Colombia is nowhere near to exhibiting the potential that better Colombian coffees have for quality.

I was in Charlotte this weekend and insisted to my GF that we absolutely must have breakfast at John's Country Kitchen.As it turns out, they stop serving breakfast at about 11:30 AM or so and have only a lunch menu. Ouch. We'll go back there for breakfast some other weekend but the lunch was straight out of the Sysco frozen foods catalog - mediocre at best. That said, it really does look like the bomb for a good country breakfast and we discovered Dish, right around the corner, where we had a very nice dinner late Saturday night.

I respectfully submit that you're just insane I don't believe I've ever overtipped without good reason unless it was overtipping a female bartender when I was 18 or 19 and thought her attentions to me meant something other than her desire for a better tip. Bad service justifies a bad tip, good service justifies a much better than average tip and exceptional service that really enhances my evenign and makes my dining experience stand out deserves an exceptional tip. I have never once thought back and questioned how much I tipped. There was once an occasion where I left no tip at all and felt that it was still too much. Only an outright firing of the waiter in question would have left me feeling as though justice had been effected due to the circumstances of our dining experience. And I don't make that statement lightly.

I haven't been to the Rodeo Bar but looked at their website and read the reviews of it at Citysearch (it seems split down the middle between those who love it and those who hate it but no one raves about the service). Dino will be more of a roadhouse blues bar atmosphere and will not really have much if any of the faux-Western trappings. Expect the BBQ to be way above average for what one customarily gets in the Northeast. Have you been to Hogs and Heifers? Picture that place in a much larger setting with decent food and no girls dancing on the bar. I think that's a closer fit than comparisons to the Rodeo Bar but in their two existing locations Dino has managed to come up with a character that is all their own. It really is focused on the food more than anything else, thus their self-description as a "honky-tonk rib joint". I haven't tried Daisy May's, Blue Smoke or Pearson's but I suspect that most will find Dino's 'cue to usually be on par with the best of what those places offer. Although I have heard that Blue Smoke has truly outstanding ribs.

Lou - I almost never see a comment like that about coffee, espresso or cappuccino served in restaurants - not even when people report on the really high end places. What's your secret? Is there someone on your staff who has been properly trained on maintainign and operating the equipment and do you monitor coffee quality and freshness stringently?

Yes - absolutely right - except that the scenario I'm currently assessing is in a commercial environment with La Marzocco machines. They are not set up to do pre-infusion although they can be programmed that way. In a very busy environment there's a distinct time savings involved in skipping the pre-infusion. I'm hoping to try some A/B comparisons both with and without pre-infusion. When I received my La Marzocco trainignback in July, the engineer who trained me advised that in his opinion pre-infusion doesn't really change shot quality in a perceptible way on commercial machines. It may well be different on the E61 style machines that are popular for home use. I've always been under the impression that it does make a difference. His exact words were "if you know someone whose taste buds are so acute they can consistently pick out shot made with pre-infusion from those made without on a commercial machine.... send 'em my way - there are folks dying to hire people that good to be coffee cuppers." Edited to add: if I can verify that there's a tangible difference in shot quality I can easily convince the cafe owners to adopt pre-infusion as their standard.

First pics of the new Dino location are up. There will be plenty of bike parking (as in "hogs" not ten speeds ) Dino construction pics

That raises the question of what to do with the extra grounds that gather around the inside edge of the basket, above the compressed puck of grounds. Some folks gently remove them by tipping the portafilter basket above the knock box after the Swift does and tamps (that's my method). Others prefer to keep a traditional tamper on hand and do a polish. I'm not really keen on that as it creates a slightly uneven surface on the puck. Others just leave the extra grounds in there and gunk up the grouphead mounitng area with the extra grounds.

If it's anything like the Syracuse and Rochester location it will fit the bill. They typically have a relaxed but pleasantly rowdy atmosphere with biker bar / roadhouse ambiance, above average barbecue (certainly for the Northeast it's way above average) and live blues/roots music most nights.

I'm veering OT here but we can start another thread if it's appropriate (by the way - nice to see you here "waves2ya" - we always appreciate hearing another voice!). Lots of folks do really, really well with the Silvia/Rocky machine & grinder combo but it does take someone who has the patience to work with it and learn the idiosyncrasies. Having worked with a Gaggia Baby and a Solis Maestro, I bit the bullet and went to an E61 group style machine (Isomac Tea) and a Mazzer Mini grinder (stepless adjustment for grind). Glad I did. It's really so easy to pukll great shots once the grind is dialed in. I do know people, including some here on eGullet (slkinsey to be specific), who consistently pull shots with the Silvia/Rocky that are just as good as what my Isomac/Mazzer combo produces but I'll all for easue fo use.

In NYC the're not usually trucks - more often small to mid sized aluminum trailers that are towed to a particular street location and narrow enough to park onthe sidewalk. And the big deal is the tacos. They're often much better than what you can get for takeout form most any Mexican restaurant in manhattan - can't speak to the outer boroughs as I've never had tacos there (I actually tried to get some from a small truck in Long Island City but I don't speak Spanish and they wouldn't serve me I'm not kidding about that). The Mnahattan carts also have these great little breakfast sandwiches with a small round tortilla that's fried and cut oopen like a pita. It ha a few little crcunhy pieces of some meat (pork I think) in it and then gets a heaping load of onions, tomatoes, cilantro, chopped lettuce, hot sauce and grated cheese. All for $1 but your breath will smell of onions when you get to the office

Yes - that aluminum tamper is just like the one I was using for awhile. I really liked it and it does just as good a job as the pricier Reg Barber tampers but I love the balance and feel of the Barber tamper much better. A couple more things.... I've seen mention that the most savvy baristas (of whom there are many) are now advocating against those extra couple taps on the portafilter during and/or after packing. I'm not sure why - will have to look into that. As for carpal tunnel syndrome - it is a concern. Angled portafilter handles and espresso machines that are installed at proper working height (which is lower than a standard counter top are a good place to start. There's a new machine on the market (was called Trueh but goes by another name now) that has moved to levers for steam actuation rather than knobs as another way to reduce repetitive motion issues. Hand tamping remains a bit of a problem and many people are unwilling to move to the Swift auto grind/dose/tamp system. A better tamp can be achieved by hand if the barista has skills - no question about that. I've been looking at hydraulic lever operated tamping systems and find them appealing but the only one I've located thus far comes only in 53mm or 57mm. Very odd as the standard portafilter size in commercial applications is most often 58mm.

Alrighty then. I'll find out what's involved in setting it up as an "eGullet event" and start a separate thread with a proposed date and info once the folks at Dino can give me confirmation on a definite date for the soft opening. Look for the thread to appear within the next two weeks or so.

How about keeping the amount of rice flour the same but adding some gluten? Might that work?