phaelon56

I thought Marqiseria was much less Spanish and more truly Portuguese in terms of the menu, relative to the "Spanish" restaurants in NYC and north Jersey that I've been to. Might the place you're referring to be Pulaski Grill, which specializes in grilled chicken and ribs?

I think the place you describe is discussed or listed on this thread Authentic Portuguese Restaurants in Newark The top three recommendations I hear consistently in Ironbound (on or just off Ferry Street) are Seabra's Marisqueria - Authentic Portuguese with a focus on seafood - have eaten here many times and love it. Quite often our waiter could speak only Portugues and we had to point to menu items to be understood (i.e. it is definitely not tourist oriented) Brazilia - A second floor establishment a few blocks down from Iberia - said to be very authentically Brazilian in nature - not Portuguese. Casa Vasca - More of an upscale Spanish restaurant than Portuguese but not really a tourist joint. I wasn't really thrilled with my meal for the money spent but other forum members who've been more often speak highly of it - my experience may have been a fluke or it may just be due to my taste in food. NY forum host Jo Goode recently ate dinner with Rolling Stone restaurant reviewer Robert Sietmas at some relatively obscure Portuguese place in Ironbound. It is apparently very authentic in terms of the types of dishes etc but I can't recall the name. I'll point him to this thread and see if he can offer some info.

The salt deposits also form in areas where ancient seas once existed. There are huge deposits underneath Cayuga Lake in NY state's Finger Lakes region. Cargill has mines there for rock salt, some of which are 1/2 mile deep and extend close to one mile out underneath the lake. Similar deposits once existed in the form of huge brines pools near Syracuse and the surrounding areas. When it was still labor cost-effective to do so, most of the US salt supply was produced here by pumping the brine to the surface and evaporating it to collect the salt. Beginning in the late 1800's, soda ash was produced locally by pumping brine from an area twenty miles south and mixing it with crushed limestone to produce soda ash (known as the Solvay Process). The pumping and the soda ash production stopped about twenty years ago - ten years ago the empty spaces began to collapse, taking a few houses down into the chasm

A friend recently brought some chilled soup for our Memorial Day get together. It consisted of frozen strawberries pureed with fresh raspberries as the base, a kiwi lime sauce to drizzle on and some small chunks of cantaloupe as a garnish. In the interest fo minimizing caloric intake, she used Splenda as the sweetener for the base soup and used lime flavored seltzer to thin the kiwi for the sauce. If it had been sweetened to a greater extent it could have served as a good dessert soup but we had it on the tart and tangy side - very refreshing and good as the starter course.

Coming from a long line of redheads myself and having a predliction for petite women.... I just have to say that 'nessa is da bomb! (all the incredible food helps as I so rarely end up dating women who cook. You've opened my eyes up to so many food related attractions in Dallas - I've only been there on business and staying downtown without a car - there's obviously so much more to the place than meets the eye. Count me among the many who thoroughly enjoyed this fabulous blog and also feels indebted for the tip about what this sauce really is. When I order moo shu I use the sauce carefully and don't run out but I always, always, always order extra pancakes - four is never enough.

We didn't arrive at the market until 10:30 AM or so - it's conceivable that they may have been out of it by then but there was definitely none on display. I look forward to the "antique" apples but I'll be surprised if anything offered can exceed the phenomenal Macoun. It's a shame that Macoun's have such a short season. I've also found that not all Macoun's (like so many foodstuffs) are created equal. I've tried some that Wegman's grocery was selling and they didn't come close to the crunch and flavor of those from the local orchards just south of Syracuse (Wegman's gets theirs from some farms either in the Hudson Valley or west of Syracuse but none of those places can duplicate the terroir of the Lafayette Valley - it's a superb applegrowing area).

I think you may be referringf to the same place I tried in Dallas when there for training. Our host was footing the bill and we had quite a large group (30 people or more). I found the meat at the Dallas rodizio to be of comparable quality to Plataforma, but Plataform had more space between tables and a better salad bar.

Hopefully they'll get respect along with discerning coffee and espresso drinkers. The quality of the brewed coffee in some of the hoitiest fine dining restaurants in the US ranges from below average to decent but not great. The pity is that it's really not that tough to make great coffee. Don't get me started on espresso - I don't bother ordering it in restaurants anynore because I am consistently and routinely disappointed.

I think there are two schools of thought / taste preferences in ribs. Many restaurants that aren't in a position to set up and maintain smokers follow a system akin to what kechefs describes. Some do it more successfully than others. I often hear people (not here in eGullet - I refer to people in the workaday Northeastern US middle class milieu where I spend my workday) saying how great the ribs are at one restaurant or another because "the meat is so tender it falls off the bone". Lots of people like that quality and I suspect the brasing method is great for them. I always found ribs prepared that way to lack the texture and character I look for in meat - they were very rich and too fatty for my taste. Properly prepped and slow smoked ribs are an entirely different story - the meat is tender enough, has loads of good texture and the fat is cooked off. Thanks to eGullet I've now been converted to KC style prepped spareribs and won't go back to babybacks. It's worth noting, when considering what people think good ribs are, that here in the Northeast, the great majority of people have never had proper barbecued ribs and simply like what they know, not having a reference poitn for comparison (not much good 'cue up here unless you do it yourself).

I attended the Ithaca Farmer's Market this weekend for the first time in years. I was totally blown away by the quality and variety of organic, artisinal and unusual foodstuffs. Really healthy seedlings were available in abundance among other things. I brought home a Black prince heirloom tomato plant, orange citrus thyme seedling, thai basil, thai hot pepper plant and others. I'll return there in a few weeks and will file a complete photo report - it was truly amazing. The biggest surprise for me was specialty cheese. NY state has long been a major dairy producer (probably third or fourth nationally in terms of milk poundage and cheese production). Some of the better consumer grade cheeses sold in my area include Colosse and Heluva Good from the Sodus NY (Lake Ontario) area. A variety of cheddars including some good extra extra sharp have always been available along with the usual suspects like the softer farmer's cheese, Monterey Jack, string cheese, cheese curds etc. We even have a few producers such as Cuba Cheese (southern tier southwest of Rochester) that produce outstanding extra long aged cheddars (e.g. 5X which is aged for five years or more) that stand head to head with the best that Cabot can offer (IMHO the Cuba cheese is better but I digress). Among the producers selling at the Ithaca Farmer's Market is Northland Sheep Dairy Located in Marathon NY, about 30 minutes north of Binghamton, they're in the middle of maple syrup country (the annual maple festival is held in the village of Marathon). The web site is worth a look - the farmers are using a variety of organic and holistic practices with an additional focus on education and energy efficient practices. More significant is that they're producing some cheeses that are not traditonal for this area - to me it's a harbinger of good things to come. Docsconz has mentioned the burgeoning artisnal cheese industry that is flourishing in Quebec - perhaps we'll see such a development in NY state - one can only hope. I'm sure there are other quality cheese producers in NY state now producing things other than the mainstream "grocery store cheeses". Who is your favorite and what do they offer? There were three sheep's milk cheeses available - the folies bergere that I purchased, a second bergere variety that was a bit more pungent and a third variety labeled as "pepperino". The latter was akin to a peccorino in texture and reminiscent in flavor. Also quite intriguing as I'd never heard of such a thing was the "cheddar bleu". It has a hard texture that's akin to but a bit softer than a parmigiano regianno. The mold is marbled throughout but less throughly than in gorgonzola and far less so than in a Stilton but that's a good thing. The tanginess and bite of the mold is subtle enough to allow the cheddar flavor to shine through, yet the bite of the cheddar itself is much softer and far more subtle than conventional cheddar.

I think the place Johnnyd refers to is Brasil or Cafe Brazil - I've heard others mention it favorably and believe it's a second story spot on Ferry Street. I agree that it's supposed to be salty but the meat at Seabra's Rodizio was much saltier than any I've had elsewhere - almost unpleasantly so - it was a bit heavby handed. And I like salt I suppose the logical progression of meats makes sense but knowing that this is the typical progression.... for those without huge appetites I still suggest skipping the chicken and sausage or sharing it to save room for the other cuts of meat. they will always bring chicken or sausage back around if you want some.

Sam - it was well over three years when I went and it was close to $40 each to get in - it's now up to $44.95 plus tax and tip (according to their web site). Pretty steep for roasted meat but the atmosphere, location and quality certainly justify paying more than one does in Newark. I think a comparable rodizio there would be about $25 - $30 tops but with a much less upscale atmosphere. In Newark I've eaten only at Seabra's rodizio on Rte 29 McCarter Highway. It was good but the meat was a bit too salty and the salad bar was no comparison to the one at Plataforma - their salad bar (if you have an appreciation for that sort of thing) was far and away the best I've ever encountered.

I'm sure you already know to arrive with a ravenous appetite - Plataforma is the best rodizio I've tried but is also by far the most expensive. Last time I ate there was over three years ago and the tab for three people with three Cokes, one dessert and two coffees was about $200 with tax and tip. Perhaps others who've been more often can confirm if it's a valid suspicion - it appears that the cheaper meats are brought first - chicken, sausage etc.. I suggest passing on the first few items that bring or sharing those with a fellow diner. The better meats all arrived later when I was close to being full.

Thus far the prices arent having a major impact on me but I've already noticed that I'm trying to plan shopping a bit better to avoid unecessary driving. I've also begun driving a bit more conservatively - not acccelerating as quickly and taking longer to slow down (all this yields better mileage). I just dumped my 330,000 mile Toyota and got a new one (new to me - it's a baby with only 108,000 miles on it). The new car has more space but not as good on mpg - I went from 27 city/34 highway to 20 city/27 highway. If it jumps to $3 or $4 from the current $2.05 to $2.20 range that's in my area.... the little impulse trips like "Let's go to Ithaca for dinner!" (60 miles each way) will beocme much less frequent. Compounding the problem is the fact that my employer instituted 40% "temporary" pay cuts due to a business slump and other issues. the pay shortage is deeply felt but the good news is that it has me cooking at home much more often - my cooking skills improve and more often than not I eat better than I would in local restaurants.

"Breakfast pizza" has been available - in central NY state for years but al that I've tried was uniformly mediocre. It is comprised of standard pizza crust (most of which sucks in this town) and is toped with beaten eggs and bacon or sausage - sometimes broccoli is added to the mix. The egg bakes on the pizza until it has a sort of dry omelet like consistency. As for the prices at Franny's - this gets right into the point of diminihsing returns discussion that has surfaced on the Per Se thread and elsewhere. The jump from very good pizza to nearly stellar may prompt a price increase that seems unreasonable but they appear to know what they're doing. If customers line up to pay the price they must be doing something right.

Heads up on lodging for those planning to arrive on Saturday - it's racing season in August (have to hammer that point home even though Doc has already mentioned it) - rooms go fast and rates are higher. I just reserved at the Microtel in Latham and it's $89.99 per night with the AAA discount - $30 more than I'm paying to stay there in late June for Jazz Fest. That high a rate this early means they know they'll be sold out well before August, at least for the weekend nights - best to reserve now.

"..... total abandon and no fear of failure." Not to mention that you should act as if no one is watching Havn't been to central market - just guessing.

I think that perhaps I've never tried it with the right type of pie. When I did have pie with cheese, the apples were not crisp and tart and the pastry not flaky enough.

Here in central NY state where I was raised, excellent locally produced cheddar cheese is a staple and we also produce some of the best apples in the country (my local espresso purveyor used to run a fruit anf gift basket business in Alaska and flew in 10,000 pounds of Macouns every year to Anchorage, where they sold immediately to those in the know - the Macoun is that good). I grew up hearing the phrase "Pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze." Is that just a regional saying? I always assumed that it was a widespread phenomenon. Some of my parents' friends always served apple pie with a wedge of sharp cheddar on the side. I love cheese with fresh apples but the combination with pie has always puzzled me - I just don't get it.

I've been eating Memorial day leftovers all week. Collard greens with white balsamic and smoked turkey leg meat, potato salad, chopped pork BBQ, smoked spareribs... Last night I had a cryovac frozen yellowfin tuna steak that had been defrosted on the weekend and had to be cooked. dash of butter and EVOO in a non-stick skillet set very hot, rubbed coarse salt, adobo and fresh ground white pepper into both sides and seared for about 2 minutes on the first side and 90 seconds on the second side. Wonderful... so tasty... I was feeling very fishiverous and ate the entire steak with nought but a bit of potato salad on the side. One of my local grocery stores is carrying these cryovac yellowfin steaks at $6.99 per pound. I'm guessing that i'ts the frozen at sea type from a fish factory boat but pretty damn good. With fresh yellowfin running $17 per pound in this area I intend to stock up on these.

I suggest checking with an auto supply store. There may be a sort of liquid paste or goop that you can apply in thin successive layers to pinholes that will seal them up adequately. If that fails you can probably find a shallow mixing bowl that will fit in well enough to rest inside the existing bowl. I'm amazed that after five years of life and four winters outdoors (the last one without a cover on it!), my $70 Charbroil electric smoker is still cranking and oing a great job. There's a small bit of rust on the flat plate unde the heating element but it's still in one piece and cleans up nicely.

$7.60? Wow!!! That's significantly cheaper than Pio Pio on UES and it's also cheaper than the Dominican place in my old neighborhood up here in Syracuse. IN light of the fact that it's Peruvian, I'll guess that what appeared to be a rub was really the residue of the marinade that was caramelized onto the skin. I'm curious about the darl syrupy appearance on the platanos. Is it possible that it was just the caramelized sugars from the plantain itself? They're often quite ripe at the late maduros stage and lots of sugars have developed. That said, when I've seen the dark appearance it was like a glaze on the surface, not a separate liquid.

Sounds like something the average eGulleteer would like to try on their pizza And since when does a pizzeria have to yield to the expectation that toppings should always be familiar if not downright pedestrian? (I love the traditional toppings but am not wedded to them).

As a self-confessed espresso and coffee freak who also loves ice cream, I felt compeled to peruse this thread, depsite havign no immediate plans to make my own ice cream. I've used Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso powder when making a frozen frappuccino cloen drink and yes.... when milk and sugar are involved the amount can be bumped up beyond normal. The characteristics that idetnify a truly great fresh espresso shots include mouthfeel and crema but these are irrelevant to soem extent when using espresso in a frozen drink or dessert. Bitterness is a different story. Acrid bitterness in brewed espresso can come from a variety of sources including incorrect temperatures or brewing times, overroasted beans or variety of beans used. I suspect that instant espresso is a good compromise but the real taste is in the taste - reconstitute it with some water and taste - if it's excessively bitter in an acrid way it's not good. In my frappuccino experiments I had very good results by doing the following: Make some drip coffee that is extra strong by using about half the amount of water. Add a tsp or two of espresso powder to the coffee to punch up the flavor, allow to cool and blend with dairy and ice ingredients. One thing worth noting is this: using good quality fresh-roasted coffee beans will produce the quality of coffee needed for best results in a dessert product. Don't use Folger's, Maxwell House or even the bulk whole bean coffee that's been sitting in your grocer's bulk coffee bin for weeks at a time. Try to find a good local micro-roaster who pays attention to roast dates or find a good mail-order source for same. People often insist on using the best quality, vanilla, cream, butter etc. in their desserts - don't skimp on the coffee!!!

I ended up with a grand total of three people including myself (although I'd only projected five maximum and two were always tentative). Lots of leftovers. We had: Salsa and lime-tortilla chips Baked pita wedges with hummous and roasted red pepper Chilled raspberry/strawberry soup with kimi-lime sauce and cantalope bits Collard greens with smoked turkey - cooked w/blood orange balsamic white vinegar Smoked spareribs with dryrub Sweet corn Potato salad Red Ame (beverage) This may be the first holiday I've ever done the cooking for and it was great fun - I just need a larger crowd next time.