phaelon56

LH has never made it onto my list of places to try out in NYC only because I like a quiet spot for dinner and don't feel like schlepping downtown to eat at the other location. I do love brasserie style food but the espresso thing now has me convinced that I have to try it, even with the noise levels. I have never ever had good espresso in a restaurant in NYC or anywhere else (the exception was a small Italian place on Caye Caulker Belize but it's changed hands and a bit off the beaten track, therefore a moot point).

I've been saving bones and freezing them in anticipation of stockmaking. I rarely see people discussing pork bones - is there a reason why or are they good to use, perhaps mixed in with a larger quantity of beef bones? Also.... I just smoked some spare ribs over the weekend (having been convinced by eGulleteers that if properly prepared, they can be superior to baby back ribs). The results were spectacular but should I keep the leftover bones after the ribs have been consumed and freeze those for stock use as well? I'm not worried about cooties as the handful of guests are all close friends. I know it would be unwise to bring home leftover bones from a restaurant but am curious to know if it would be okay at home.

In my neck of the woods the Viet restaurants just call them spring rolls if they're uncooked and fried spring rolls if they're fried. Hmmmm... Flintstoney vitamin taste - sounds like a watered down version of the "Can of Whup-Ass" beverage that I tried (just a sip - it was too disgusting to drink more than that). Great blog 'Nessa. What's up with the "pays well"? I bet they've doubled or tripled that pay rate since I did mine (what's 3 X 0?).

Saffron rocks - it's one of the reasons that I'm always looking for an excuse to make paella or boullabaise. What does "Diet Rockstar Energy Drink" taste like? If you can find someone at the Ethiopian restaurant who speaks English, inquire if they will do the Ethiopian coffee ceremony for you. It usually runs about $12 - $16 for four people and is best done with a group. It's a cultural tradition and dictates a very specific way of roasting, grinding, brewing and serving the coffee. Do it when you have time to relax and enjoy as it's not for those who are in a hurry to get anywhere. The coffee is always delicious.

Actually... that's a good idea. Simple syrup made from raw (turbinado) sugar would be my preferred sweetner but I'll have to work on where to get the best fruit and bitters elements.

He and I would get along just fine Pace is my top choice for store bought salsa but needs to be doctored with cilantro, onion and habanero to give it some zip. Love that brisket - great stuff. Do you make the injera bread yourself or can you buy it locally?

I wish someone would follow the lead of many Italian soft drink producers - better raw ingredients (e.g. sugar rather than HFCS), much less sweetness (thus fewer calories) and lower carbonation levels. I've never been much of a soda drinker but I don't like drinking lots of fruit juice and don't consume alcohols. I've been trying out a number of Italian alternatives lately and theyr'e great apart from the high price. I think the biggest dilemma is that a huge marketing campaign would be required to get a significant enough number of people shifting in that direction. In the meantime I'm paying $4 for a six pack of 6 oz bottles. Ouch.

Doubtful. If all they're selling are drinks made from Colombian beans, it's conceivable that they'll offer a good cup of regular coffee (if they use the select export grades, roast properly, use careful process control on brewing etc.). Espresso is an entirely different beast. Colobian and Brazilian beans can make a good base bean (i.e. neutral) component in espresso blends but it's tough to yield the desired complexity of flavor notes in espresso when using beans from a single country. Most espresso blends contain anywhere from 3 - 5 bean types, usually from different countries and more often than not from different parts of the world. Colombia, like Brazil, grows lots and lots of cheaper commodity grade coffee but there are some select estate coffees of excellent quality as well. Whether those will make it to the Juan Valdez cafes or not is open to question. The first cup of coffee I ever drank that was good enough to drink black with no cream or sugar was an export grade brought back to me by my GF, who spent a year in Medellin back in the late 1970's. She decried the typically mediocre quality of the coffee she could buy on a daily basis (apparently the watered down "tinto" described in the article). The Supremo export grade, sold only certain stores for tourists etc., was the one she brought back to the US and it was amazingly good.

I haven't figured out what to bring yet, food-wise, but it will have to keep in a cooler chest with ice as I'll be arriving the previous afternoon from Syracuse (about a 2 1/2/ hour drive). Edited to add: I'm thinking about one of those Thai salads with crispy duck, pineapple and cashew. Either that or Vietnames chicken salad (Goi Ga). And yes... something with coffee or espresso in it For those considering attending from other areas - hotels in Saratoga Springs have prices jacked up through the roof during the month of August due to racing season and often have 2 - 3 night minimum stays. I usually opt to stay in the Latham area, just off the Northway (I-87) - it's about a 20 - 25 minute drive from Saratoga Springs. There are decent choices there in the $50 $90 range if you shop carefully. Hilton Garden Inn and Marriott Courtyard get as cheap as $110 - $120 and the Latham Microtel (IMHO the best budget chain out there, hands down) should be at about $60 - $70 for AAA rate. I'll be arriving sometime on Saturday. For those in NYC who have an interest in attending but no car or no driver's license.... there is Amtrak service to Saratoga from NYC and cabs are available to the track. I'll have room for two passengers if anyone plans to come and is going to stay in the Latham area - PM to discuss. Edited to add: for those of you who are new to the forum, long-time lurkers or perhaps just join in discussion on rare occasions... this is an open event to which all are invited and encouraged to attend. I'm fairly active on the board but apart from a few folks who post only on rare occasions... there appear to be only a few of us on eGullet who are from far upstate and central NY. Here's a great chance to meet interesting people and socialize with like minded folks. I just recently attended my first eGullet event (NYC Pizza Survey outing) and had a great time - I arrived as a stranger and left parting with a group of friends. It's great to connect faces with names and personalities. Hope to see a good turnout at this event.

Are we considering an eG group dinner at Chez Sophie the night before the picnic? eGullet picnic - A Day At the Races in Saratoga Springs Might be fun for those who are arriving the previous day (I will be among them). if that's too formal or too pricey for the group gathering I'm sure Doc can suggest some good alternatives.

Does this mean that the cork charge in some restaurants that let you bring your own will now be replaced by a screw charge?

So..... you're implying that we should bake them into brownies?

Dudette... in the oft used words of my current drinking hero (yes that's you NeroW)... I am NOT gonna touch that one. And you shouldn't either. At least not in your state.

We'd have to make it a bit more diverse than pizza - there's exactly one place (outside of my own kitchen) in town that makes good pizza - Cosmo's on Marshall Street by the SU campus. Melkor and Ms Melkor joined me for lunch there during the holiday season when they were passing through town. We do a bit better on Polish, Vietnamese and BBQ (one good choice for each). I'm definitely in unless unusual circumstances arise - count me as a definite. How adding in a visit that new spot in Park Slope - "bpearis" mentioned it in an earlier thread - Franny's

Part of the draw of being talked into joining Claire for this festival is that I haven't been a hippie chick in so long I want to make sure I remember how. No problemo. Stop shaving your underarm hair immediately and get busy on Ebay looking for some deahead style hippie chick clothing. Should be easy enough to find right about now - Phish just announced their permanent breakup

If you live in lime green Adidas sneaks then you may find the shoes at Shoe Mania to be just the ticket. They've got an amazing assortment of comfortable shoes at good prices (for men - I know they sell women's shoes also). Their location on Union Square South (corner of Broadway and 14th Street) is almost within spitting distance of some restaurants I know and like (e.g. Steak Frites) and at least one I'd like to try on my next visit (Casa Mono). Or you could just step to the corner and get a halal kebab that's burnt to shit but tastes great with hot sauce

Dude, you seem to hang out with your former girlfriends an awful lot. And they all rush to cook for you. What gives? You don't want to know.... on second thought, maybe you do I don't drink so I have to make up for that with other skills... Actually, it's usually just one of them that I hang out with and I generally do the cooking - that's why it was such a treat to have someone cook for me. As for the rest of the circumstances - not that complicated but belongs on a bio thread (or best left undiscussed ). I guess I should start a bio thread now that it looks like I'll be hanging around here for awhile.

Yes - a coffee grinder. You can get a cheapie electric blade grinder at $15 - $20 if you shop around. I suggest reserving it for use with nuts and spices only. Coffee beans tend to leave an oily residue that might impart a noticeable taste to the nuts. Used grinders are often a great buy at garage sales - I just sold my old Waring for $2 last weekend and it still works great. Use Dawn Power Dissolver to remove the coffee oils and residue from a used coffee grinder before using it for nuts. Also wipe down with warm water and dry thoroughly after using the Dawn.

The only thing better than bacon and eggs is bacon and bacon Paraphrased from "the only thing better than meat 'n potatoes is meat 'n meat" - damned if I can recall where I heard it). Attributed to pop/schlock/philosopher Alan Watts: "The mystery of bacon is not a question to be answered - it is a reality to be experienced."

To my surprise look what Google finds. Pepsi Light still exists... in Russia. If I'm not mistaken, the Russian Pepsi Light is actually Diet Pepsi. When I traveled in Central America and Mexico a few times in recent years there was no "Diet Pepsi" but they had Pepsi Light - exactly the same as standard Diet Pepsi but for the name.

Folks who grind a few pounds per week every week all year long are the ones who've reported the burr wear - for the average person it's not likely to be an issue for years. Replacement burr sets are not terribly expensive and IIRC are easy enough to install. I've purchased from Aabree a few times and was very satisfied with both the purchase and the followup service. The web site Espressopeople is also theirs. Have had similarly positive experiences at 1st Line in NJ and Sweet Maria's. SM's primary focus is green coffee beans but they do sell grinders). My favorite vendor, due to their stellar follow up service reputation (which I can vouch for first hand) is Chris Coffee. Chris Coffee has the Isomac Gran Machino on sale right now for $179 - a good price. It's not quite in the same league as the Rocky but is a much more heavy duty piece of gear than the Solis grinders. The vendors I've mentioned are the ones that seem to get the most discussion and feedback in various espresso and coffee discussion forums etc (Coffeegeek, alt.coffee etc.). Equally widely discussed but with both adherents and a fair number detractors is Whole Latte Love. They have the best web site of any online coffee vendor - easy to negotiate and chock full of useful information. The down side for some is their follow up customer service. I bought my first espresso machine and grinder from them and found their phone support to be very helpful but a number of friends and acquaintances I've spoken with have experienced difficulties with them when an exchange, return or repair service was required after the sale. YMMV.

I've made Key Lime Pie both ways - with fresh squeezed juice and with the Nellie & Joe's bottled stuff. I could not tell the difference nor could anyone else who ate it. This, of course, is based on the small and very hard to squeeze fresh Key Limes available here in the Northeast. I've actually been using the juice on some other cooking experiments lately as the acidic element of some sauces and really enjoying the unique tang that it adds.

I second the nomination for Gimme! Coffee and the Ithaca Farmer's Market. Gimme really knows espresso and milk frothing - the whole deal. Their roast/blend style is a bit dark with some bite - great for milk drinks but not everyone's cup of tea as a straight shot. That said... theyre one of the best espresso purveryors on the East coast. The Farmer's market only allows goods to be sold that are produced within 50 miles of Ithaca and has some excellent products. Just south of the market on Rte 13/Meadow Street is Ithaca bakery - you can get some good quality breads, prepared foods etc to take to the festival for lunch or dinner - they do a nice job. if you're into all that healthy stuff , the Greenstar Coop is open to the public a few more blocks south of there. They have some really good take-out like sushi rolls with pickled veggie etc. Lest I forget the good stuff.... Purity Ice cream is right at the spot where Rte 13 splits when it comes down the hill into Ithaca. Great homemade ice cream with very generous servings - it's one of my favorites anywhere. A few hundred yards north of them just off Rte 13 on the east side of the road is Roma Pizza. great NYC style traditional pizza. Toothy, chewy crust with substance, not too thick and gooey with mozzarella - really good. For the eG connection I'll point out that the proprietor of Hosmer Winery was a neighbor of our own bleudauvergne when she was but a young lass. Not to mention that yours truly ate his way through Ithaca back in the 90's for the four delightful years that I worked and lived there. Have fun and bring your dancin' shoes... uhhh.. Birkenstocks

Pio - Thanks for the good first hand user info on the Zass. I anticipate buying one of their little Turkish style grinders for travel use with a portable Moka pot if I ever get $$ again Static is an issue on some grinders and an excellent question. I have personally used the Mazzer Mini, the Solis Maestro (regular model not the plus), Krups and Waring whirly blade grinders (several models), a cheap Melitta burr grinder (probably a different model than the one someone referenced earlier in this thread - the one I tried was horrible), the solis 166 and also the Rocky. Static is often a chronic problem on the inexpensive ($30-$80) burr grinders although some have also reported such problems on the Solis Maestro (BTW - Starbucks sells a Barista grinder which is actually a rebadged Solis 166 - the predecessor model to the original Maestro). Static problems on most grinders appear in the grounds collection bin or doser and can often be eliminated by just cleaning the plastic with a solution of water and a bit of liquid dish detergent. If it still persists I suppose one could use one of the anti-stat cloths they make for computer monitor screens but I'd check for any issues related to whether it's okay to use those on surfaces that will come into contact with food products. I suspect it's not a problem as the treatment just relates to surface ions and their charges - I don't think there's any residue. Static is a non issue with the Zass knee grinders as the grounds collection bin is made of wood. I've not yet heard of it as an issue with the Rocky's or similar grinders either.

Yes... thanks for the update and if I lived in NYC I would stop in for a drink to show my support. It's a sad fact that such things still go on elsewhere. sometimes subtle and other times not so subtle. I ran into such a situation last week when going out for dinner with my former GF, her adult sons and her sister (they are all people of color). We were staying out near BWI aiport and there are only thre restaurants in the area. At the first one, the young assistant hostess immediately informed us that it would be "about 30 minutes or perhaps a bit longer" to get a table. The "senior" hostess looked up, took a quick glance and said "No... she's wrong... we have no idea when a table would be available for a party of five". It was transparent and pitiful - there was no attempt to pretend anything else. After a polite additional question she insisted that no estimate could be made and it was our choice whether to wait or not. We walked out and had a good dinner elsewhere - everyone had traveled too many hours to be bothered with further protests and sadly, it was hardly the first time that any of us had seen this.