Orik

I associate a low probablility with having a dinner at PA that is as enjoyable as one at L'Arpege, or PG, say 20% This means that at a cost of at least $750 for dinner, probably more, an enjoyable meal at PA is going to cost me around $3750 (not counting opportunity cost, partial travel costs, the emotional cost of a bad meal, etc.). The reason why I may eventually end up dining at ADNY is that the opportunity cost is much lower. So while dismissing (or not dismissing) his food after tasting it makes better philosophical and culinary sense, economics have to be factored in.

While I rarely get any PMs, I agree with SP on this one. Most people I know with relevant dining experience find Ducasse's cooking uninteresting (but well executed) and have often said PA makes them feel like dining in a tourist trap. Granted, my circle of acquaintances is not statistically representative and some of them will never take my advice again after I sent them to L'Arpege, but I still find it hard to argue with such wide concensus. Having read Ducasse's menus and recipes, I've never had more than a passing curious urge to dine at PA or any other establishment of his, but eventually I'm bound to find myself going to ADNY. Anyway, in planning our coming Paris trip, I will have to consider whether it's time to forgive Passard for his veggie nonsense, Ducasse is certainly not an option...

A rather odd question: At the end of a meal at GS last year (a very good meal, but quite disappointing compared to PG the night before), the chef approached our table and handed her a bag, which cotained a small decorated plate bearing the Guy Savoy logo. Has anyone else had a similar experience there?

In the north of Israel. The Druze hunt them (not that it's all that hard) and turn them into lovely soups and stews.

It is clearly the same thing, I was wondering about the spelling. Some versions I know use cumin (about a tsp of ground cumin for one cup of rice). I've also seen this prepared with chicken broth or porcupine broth instead of water.

What a disturbing proposition As a side note, I thought Haeberlin's truffle was not very impressive although I enjoyed his cooking in general. Certainly the cream of truffle and parmesan at L'Arpege provided a much more intense culinary pleasure at a somewhat lower cost. (I think it was priced at 450FF at the time, or maybe 500FF)

I've always known this as Mujaddarah. Where (geographically) does 'Im Jaddara' come from?

Surprisingly (to me), there is a restaurant list with quite a few reviews in: Time Out Dubai

That is absolutely true, but: 1. Someone with an agenda in minneapolis can sometimes be a blessing. 2. Her list of favorites greatly coincided with ours when we lived there.(with a few exceptions, such as auriga and the bayport cookery). 3. She was the only food critic there who would write the truth about certain high end downtown restaurants. 4. Her most prominent peer wouldn't know good food from spam, or at least that is what his reviews reflect.

Errr...the Mall of America area is not that much of a cheap eats neighborhood. If you're reasonably mobile, I would suggest the following: Quang - an astonishingly good vietnamese noodle shop. Depending on what you define as 'weird', you might want to try their weekend special rice porridge with pig entrails. http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/5583990/ A couple of blocks away from Quang is Jasmine Deli. Their soups are not quite as good, but the bbq pork and anything else off their grill is very good. http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/11624931/ Hoban is an ok Korean restaurant http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/5537766/ You may also want to check the review archive of citypages - http://www.citypages.com - Dara Moskowitz, their reviewer, is a James Beard winner (2001) and the one and only trustworthy food critic there.

At the premium charged, I would probably view cold plates as more than just a quirk. I would imagine that if it's consistently a problem there, they are well aware of it and should have solved it by now. Don't you agree?

Are recipes protected by copyright, or is it just the use of the specific words from the book?

Looks like a related title (or is it just the american edition?) is going to be available early next year.

Someone asked this on an Israeli board, which brought back memories of being an unsuspecting tourist in Germany and getting a shot of this liquid fire 'on the house'. Other than alcohol and ginger, does anyone know what it contains?

In wav: risotto-con-gli-asparagi.wav In mp3: risotto-con-gli-asparagi

To the best of my very limited musical skills, my pronounciation policy is (taken from RFC 793): "be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send", which seems to be just the opposite of what most Americans do.

it's falafels

Things I learned from this thread: - Some people actually go to Sparks for the steak and pay for it with their own money. - Most people prefer Peter Luger's steak. There are dissidents, but not among prominent critics. - Derek Jeter (who?) is better than Ray Ordonez (who?)

That is true, but I'll bet it's only because the starter is made of old bread ashes. Just wait for the outbreak of mad loaf disease. As for New York, I don't really have much to add - Pain Quotidien and the Balthazar rye (which is, imho, much better the next day).

They don't do it as often as they used to. Most of the prime cuts (especially from the Charolais beef they raise there now) are sold as non kosher as the market for 'punctured' porterhouse is not that significant (people who eat glatt kosher won't eat it anyway). Although I'm tempted to agree with Steve, I imagine it's a purely economic issue as Nina suggested.

GSNY is on Lex between 33rd and 34th and seems like a branch of the GSI on 9th ave. GS Eastern is not a branch of GSI ("same family, different boss") and is not as good.

what jordyn said and the black cod with miso.

I like to add some minced garlic and chopped olives.

I was always under the impression that cacik was a yogurt and cucumber salad/sauce. Isn't that the case? The turkish salad I think Suvir was referring to has no yoghurt in it (see the recipe).

I think you're referring to two different dishes. Turkish shepherds salad (the onion, cucumber, tomato dish) and "turkish salad", the chunky saucelike salad, often served alongside hummus and tahini. The following link contains a reasonable recipe for turkish salad from Ruth Sirkis' book (the Israeli parallel of 'the joy of cooking') http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/rfcj/MEDITERR..._-_pareve_.html