phaelon56

Probably not much older than me but then again.... not that many eGulleteers are Custard never went away in central NY (which I like to refer to as "the real Upstate").... it just took a less prominent role. It's always been available in a dish but was customarily served as a soft serve cone. I imagine it does come from a commercial mix but is indeed softer, smoother, creamier and more eggy (in a good way) than soft serve ice cream. Gannon's here in Syracuse sells it as do most of the seasonal soft serve ice cream stands outside the city on county highways and byroads. We also have a regional custard chain called Abbott's with about a dozen locations in the Rochester area and one or two in Syracuse. It's the descendant of a business that started in Rye Beach NY in 1902 and once had many locations before the founders sold the Rochester location to the present owners. At one time Abbot's was in many resort areas along the East coast and may well be the custard that Bux recalls from Coney Island. I haven't tried their product but perhaps GordonCooks can weigh in with some info direct from Rochester. Abbott's Custard

Brazilia seems to get the most consistently favorable reviews on this site, of all the Newark rodizio places that are discussed. Terra Nova will be much pricier although the atmosphere there is nice. I think that perhaps Brazilia will offer a more "authentic" expericne also. I've also had the rodizio at Seabra's Manor on Rte 29 (McCarter Highway - just out of the Ironbound neighborhood) and it was good but a bit too salty (rodizio is salty by nature but Seabra's seemed to be saltier than the others I've tried). Bring a good appetite

I'l be the next victim. I don't have any current food pics to discuss but now that I finally produced a real rosetta pattern on one of my recent latte pours, it seems a good time to discuss. The first pic is more or less uncropped and has no adjustments of any kind. The next is with some brightness, contrast and color adjustments done but also a bit of touching up for things like espresso spots on the cup rim, marks on the cutting board etc. (I know it's anal but that's the way I am and I can live with it ) The reddish color of the espresso's crema is difficult to capture without manipulation - I think I've done an okay job of getting that aspect. I need input on composition and also some suggestiosn for how to eliminate the sheen of the reflected light on the foamed milk. This was shot with diffuse natural light - no flash and no artificial light. I still see reflections that are troubling and wonder if there's a simple solution. perhaps a sheet of frosted drafting mylar taped to the window to diffuse the light? Any and all suggestions appreciated. Jason - one thing I have noticed on both yours and Rachel's pics from time to time - some of the outdoor shots have a bluish cast and others don't. I'm wondering if your camera has been inadvertantly left set to the artificial/incandescent light setting when that occurs? Like others, I am also enjoying this thread and finding it very helpful

It's true that my GF is a wonderful woman but then again.... so is the charming Mrs. JPW. Mr. JPW and I are just guys and we do our best to look good next to our gorgeous lady companions. The aged cheddar mentioned was the "cheddar bleu" from Northland dairy Farms and it really is intriguing. Hattie's was much noisier than usual this year but as menioned, the chicken was fantastic - it's what I go there for and does not disappoint (my GF now insists that she makes better fried chicken - she'll have to cook some next time she visits - this is a good thing). I also agree on the corn bread although the greens were oddly a bit too sweet in as noticeable way.

It's the one thing I go into a Cosi's for (unless I need coffee and they're the only place available besides street cart coffee). They make rectangular bread in this style, slice off the rounded ends and then slice open the side, leaving a sort of squared off pocket (open on three sides) for their sandwich style. They brush the top with decent olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. The trimmings are tossed in a bowl for people to munch on when they wait to order their overpriced $9 sandwiches. I just grab an endpiece or two, get my coffee and go. No sandwich for me but the bread sure is tasty.

Can you clarify what you refer to when using the term "pulled"? I'm familiar with it only in the context of pulled pork. Is this something similar?

Usually..yes! Actually.... if they're like many of the line cooks I know, they're waiting for a call from their bookie Not food related but ironic enough to share was the young woman riding from NYC to Port Authority on the late evening bus that I was on. She carried on with a very loud 30 minute monologue on here cell phone about how all men were dogs and her soon-to-be-ex boyfriend was the slimiest one of all. Throughout the entire conversations she was reading Brides Magazine.

My first "on-the-books" job was at age 15, working in a Carvel store. I quickly became the "Flying Saucer King". I made them so well and so fast that the owner assigned that duty exclusively to me (I thought I was pretty hot shit for that accomplishment). I made, literally, thousands of Flying Saucers and still enjoy them to this day.

What, pray tell, is the HTST process mentioend on the can of Aroma Black coffee? I see mention of "preserving heat" on the can. Is this product served hot and if so, how is it heated up? I've tried both canned and bottled black coffee drinks here in the US but they're always served cold.

I'm going where you local folks lead me so please step up and make suggestions!

I've been very pleased with the quality of all the coffees I've purchased from Sweet Maria's - both regular and decaf beans. The only one I didn't really care for was a Kaui Hawaian bean but that was personal taste rather than a reflection on bean quality. I have used the decaf beans I currently have for a decaf espresso blend as follows. It's the best decaf espresso I have yet to try anywhere. 2 parts Brazil Prima Qualita 2 parts Sumatra 1 part Costa Rica Monte Cristo 3 parts Harrar Ethiopian

Although there may be a way to do more than one picture at a time - I haven't figured out how to do it either. Perhaps someone who has figured it out can help both of us out. Robyn If you're using Windows Pix Resizer freeware resizing utility. It's freeware and does batch resizing - easy to use and very effective. If you have a Mac... here's what one of my Mac geek buddies suggests

The trip is still on and Wednesday the 7th appears to be the best day for an eGullet hot pot gathering. I'll PM everyone on this list to confirm a specific place and am operatign undetr the assumption that 7 PM is still a good time. Participants (? indicates that they were tentative) White Lotus Malarkey Schielke? LaurieA-B laurel MsRamsey LEdlund sequim ned? Anyone else who wants to jump in and join us, please PM me or reply to this thread. I will be needing a ride or a bus suggestion - renting a bicycle has proven to be almost as pricey as renting a car and doesn't seem worth the trouble.

I"ve seen pepper jellies at the local Farmer's Market and craft shows up here in central NY state for about the past twenty years or so but you generally won't find them in grocery stores. It's not a common iytem that you'll find in the cupboard or fridge in most people's homes but there's a market for them none the less.

High quality decaf is available for both drip coffee and espresso but it's very tough to find. Those needing really good decaf should consider roasting their own beans - it's not that tough to do and the results are well worth the effort.

I represent that remark at least I used to. Those weren't the days.

One of my former GF's noticed that when I eat a really good creme brulee, I usually have an expression on my face and that matches one I have during other more private moments. I admitted that my toes even curl a bit when creme brulee is present and the gig was up - I was found out. For the record - I make far less noise eating creme brulee. It's TMI but I can say that among friends, right?

Years ago when celebrity branded foods became popular (the "Newman's Own" thing), some large food company test marketed a "Sinatra's Marinara sauce", named after 'Ol Blue Eyes. The test marketing was done in the North Jersey Hoboken area and it totally flopped. Comments from the pundits after the fact (which have more than a bit of truth) were that they forgot about the Italian-American 11th Commandment (or substitute eGulleteer): Thou shalt not buy sauce in a jar. Food just wasn't a big deal in my household growing up. My mom was concerned about making sure we got the basic food groups and made damn sure we ate everything on the plate but apart from that there was no real focus on or discussion of food. It was just sustenance to be enjoyed as a shared family activity but we almost never ate out and there was no sense of adventure or passion related to eating, cooking or dining. I see significant differences between passion, obsession and "problem". I'm no stranger to the issues and consequences surrounding addictive behavior . Having that perspective has enabled me to assess whether my... ahem... less self-destructive interests and passions are good, bad or in between. My criteria... which works for me... perhaps not for anyone else... is as follows: Does this passion take up space in my head such I'm often unable to think about other things when I need to? Is it interfering with my family and other personal relationships? Has it cause health related problems or financial hardships? Does it interfere with my "real job"? Does it cause a real problem in any area of my life? The last question on the list is the one that matters to me the most - it encompasses all others. At various times my passions/obsessions have included skiing, music, audio taping (of live music performances), scuba diving, travel, coffee/espresso and food/dining/cooking. The answer to all of the questions above is a resounding no for me when applied to my interest in food, cooking and dining. It's actually to the contrary. I've learned to eat better at home for the same amount of money I spent before, eat out less often (because the food is so much better at home) and even have an excuse to get women into my house to be unwitting victims of my seductive culinary practices (Note: it's officially just one woman now, she's coming into town tonight for a four day stay and you should not expect to see me on-line until she departs ) At various times my friends and relatives have thought that I was a bit crazy by virtue of how deeply I have thrown myself into these things but unlike some other.... obsessions.... that I've had in previous years, these have all enhanced rather than interfered with my life. I probably think about and discuss food far more often than the average person but it's never been a problem. I shared with several friends the link to the foodblog I did here on eG and they just didn't "get it". Not an issue - most of them are more than willing to try just about anything I whip up in the kitchen at home and occasionally even let me drag them to try cuisines they have not yet experienced. Despite that, apart from the occasional person I'd meet in the course of business travel, none of my friends or acquaintances have ever been interested enough in food and cooking to share more than a casual conversation about it. What a revelation it has been to discover eGullet and find myself welcomed so readily by a friendly, well-informed and tolerant (for the most part ) community. I can honestly state that the experience has enhanced my life and continues to do so. May all my obsessions in the future be so productive. I can only hope so.

heated crab dip is all wrong as well. So that's why it tastes so damn good. I always wondered about that... Prior to spotting this thread, I just made tuna salad for the first time in years. I've always like chopped celery in mine but have reached the conclusion that it should be added at the time the tuna is to be served - when I store tuna salad overnight with chopped cerely in it the whole thing gets way too watery. My latest take was to use a big spoonful of home-made chow-chow ( a pickled vegetable relish popular in the South), drained of its liquid, added into a can of white albacire that had been drained and throughly flaked/fluffed with a fork. Threw in some chopped cornichons, S&P and turmeric. Very good although red onion would have been nice if I'd had soime available.

And how do you make yours? Does it include only clear liquors? I have seen so many variations.... some with whiskey, some without... some that include peach schnapps, others that leave it out... When I was serving them I sometimes just winged it but the typical mix was a short 2 count (about 3/4 oz each) of vodka, gin, rum, tequila and peach schnapps, topped with generic bar sour mix and then just enough cola spritz to color it.

This statement alone will have me anxiously scanning the threads for the next installment

His adventures with tasting Natto that were described in the prior thread are priceless. For example.....

It's good but an entire pie would be a lot unless you had folks to share it with. I buy one slice at a time but I think the recipe they use (for the ones that I buy) could be improved.

Oddly enough.... between a widely dispersed family (geographically), good health and longevity (my family members generally seem to outlive most of their peers and none have had major surgery or other issues that had them laid up for any length of time)) I don't recall ever dealing with this issue. When I was taken ill and not up to cooking or getting out for awhile back when I lived in NJ, my GF at the time brought me soup from a Colombian restaurant and it was perfect. The only time my mom was out of commission for more than a day or so was when I was an infant. Apparently our friends, neighbors and relatives made sure that my dad, my brother and I were fed. The entertaining fact about that incident is that my father had insisted, up until that time, that we didn't need a dishwasher because his mother had never had one. After two days of washing dishes (my mom was seriously ill and expected to be in the hospital for several weeks) he immediately had a dishwasher installed and they have never been without one since.

Then there was the time I had lunch at Chili's - corner of 42nd and 8th in NYC (not my choice but we were in a hurry and my coworkers selected it). I told the young tatooed, pierced semi-Goth waiter that I wanted half unsweetened iced tea and half lemonade. He gleefully informed me: "Oh - I know that drink - it's called a Robert Palmer!". I ran into this on occasion when I tended bar part time here in Yankee country and found it confusing. If the word Coke designates all soft drinks.... how do you order when you want something other than Coke? (or are we to believe that in the South no one drinks anything but Coke when opting for soft drinks?)