Bobby 2 Shakes

I nominate lobster rolls. Like the ones they had at Yann's patisserie.

Thanks, rose_ayn. It's great to have something to look forward to on Monday nights again. And let us know in advance if Adrian Ferran is going to have a tailgate party at El Bulli. (what with the limited space in the restaurant and all)

On the plus side, forbidden liver tastes a lot better than just plain old guilty liver.

Your NOs say no... But your AYEs say yes. Duran Duran

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this guy has the makings of a superstar. He's genuine, he's funny, and he's genuinely funny. I haven't seen so many knockout punches from one guy since Roberto "Hands of Stone" Duran. And he seems to have Roberto's killer instinct, he really enjoys moving in for the "kill." (Hey, comedy is a violent business) That scene with the guy sticking the spoon on his clear mask is comedy gold Kenny Banya could only dream of mining. I don't blame them for running that clip with every HOTS commercial, but there's other stuff that's funny, too. Maybe he needs a new sobriquet, maybe George "Hams of Stone" Duran.

Are all of these shows filmed yet? Or are your handlers still taking suggestions for where to go in any of these countries?

How about if those in our ranks familiar with the nuances of law assemble defensive strategies for those accused and challenges to the law itself, both from a PR standpoint and a legal view. The first move I'd make would be to compile a list of likely allies. Card-carrying members of the ACLU could form the first phalanx. Opponents of the bill should be wooed and encouraged. We should avoid sounding elitist but rather press the issue of our liberties being commandeered. The fanatics don't have a monopoly on anthropomorphism. Our representatives from the duck world could say something along the lines of "I'm not going to sit here and let those politicians take food out of my mouth." (it may be necessary to improve that one) Tony Bourdain can even rally the troops by posing for a picture of him blissfully stuffing his face with foie while wearing a "No Snitches" T-Shirt.

What a bunch of gloomy Guses! Can't you see Chicago is trying to bring back the glamour of the Speakeasy age? Before you know it, we'll have old fashioned gangsters like Martin "Pimpaz" Picard, Mario "Bag O' Bacon" Batali, and, of course, Tony "the Shiv" Bourdain getting the whole town worked up in a liver-divvyin' frenzy. As Frank woulda said back in the old days, "The best is yet to come, won't that be fine? You think you’ve seen the sun, but you ain’t seen it shine."

The Complete Book of Pastry, Sweet & Savory - Bernard Clayton, Jr The Complete Book of Bread - Bernard Clayton, Jr Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts LaRousse Best Desserts Ever Beard on Bread Williams-Sonoma Breads Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques

Abba dabba doo! I'm getting an idea how the Vikings were able to conquer so many countries so easily. The theory is that the style of music Abba made popular may have been handed down over the centuries but people became immune to it until an especially virulent form surfaced in the 1970s. Eventually, folks were even able to develop an immunity to Abba, but not before it conquered most of the ostensibly civilized world. A little disappointed that there weren't any movie references this week. I was expecting something along the lines of "Wad O' Lou." Or maybe the censors were burning the midnight oil after last week's laxity.

Good point about the clusters. And as far as the Habs, maybe you'd better check out the champagne forum after they shot the lights out in Raleigh yesterday. Careful how you cheer, though. When we say Go Flyers Go they usually do... in the first round.

So, did this guy climb your squirming conscience from the churning water to the life raft, or from the life raft to the yacht?

My own personal marvel is that he could get through an entire hour show about the largest concentration of French people in the world outside France without once making a joke about Jerry Lewis. For this herculean effort of self restraint alone, he should be made an honorary lumberjack hockey star with maple leaf clusters.

Next time put your camera where they can see it...

Check out back cover of & cartoons in Apr 24 issue of New Yorker.

Probably too recent... buzz is that Anthony actually has a cameo and is credited as "the saucier"

This PSA is for those considering a foie gras festival or poutine party. The latest iteration of the Joy of Cooking has a spreadsheet in the back with rows of ingredients and columns of metrics. The metric you'll want to be concerned with is fiber, and it appears that black-eyed peas and almonds are leading candidates for clean-up duty. Bringing up the rear, so to speak. As always, let cabbage be your comrade.

For me, when I need a coffee fix I go to Le Petit Mitron for La Colombe. Besides only being 5 miles from my house, they have the best croissants I've ever eaten (especially chocolate-almond). Patrick & Isabelle are a national treasure. I'm glad I don't have to drive 7 hours to Montreal anytime I want to eat something that wonderful. But what to do about Mondays? They sell coffee by the bag, too. I dust off the old Krups and grab a croissant from Sunday's stash (before noon Sunday).

Just as long as it's consensual. (not in the "not prosensual" sense, either)

Excellent job, Ian. This really was one of the best NR episodes. I've always had a soft spot for Montreal & Quebec city, since they are the only cities outside of the US I've ever visited. Definitely well worth the 10 hour drive up & 7 hour drive back to Philly (I know which way to go next time). Maybe you'd like to consider starting a thread in the Quebec/Montreal forum discussing places you'd take Anthony if he started a Quebec spinoff series. Put a link in this thread (and a link to this thread in that one) and you could introduce a sizable number of eGullet's membership to Quebec's more secluded charms.

And for all you up-and-coming alchemists out there, John Reynolds's "Brew Your Own Beer - Wine Making Too!" has begun to offer coffee beans for roasting at home. John's pretty good about making sure you're informed about the process and is always available to answer questions. The address is 2026 Darby Rd Havertown, PA 19083 (610) 449-5496 byob2026@aol.com

Cleveland is closer to almost anywhere in Quebec than it is to Vegas, so it would be easier to get to than Saigon, or Fez, for instance. ← Right ... Interesting logic. ← simple logic, really. (though not necessarily apparent) While he might not have made it to Viet Nam or Morocco, he could make it somewhere as close as Las Vegas (like anywhere in Quebec, for instance). Your original stumpage was worded, after all, "Not sure how Cleveland is 'relatively' close to Montreal, let alone Inukjuak". ;-)

Cleveland is closer to almost anywhere in Quebec than it is to Vegas, so it would be easier to get to than Saigon, or Fez, for instance.

The insurance company would probably charge him two dollars for every dollar of coverage. I'd not be surprised to find out there was some nicotine in his oxygen tank. I hope Ruhlman shows up in the Quebec episode. It'd be a shame to waste all that good chemistry (NPI, keeping earlier posts in mind) when Cleveland is so close, relatively speaking. Here's some dialog I'd like to hear; MR: How do you do, Anthony? AB: How do YOU do, Ruhlman? (sharp emphasis on "Ruhlman") Jerry Seinfeld: Excuse me? Excuse me! We may be in Canada, but I do believe they still recognize intellectual property rights around here! Ruhlman makes the perfect nemesis for Anthony, what with the conscience and all.

I was making a garlic sage brine for 8 1/2 lbs of what was marked "pork picnic shoulder" at a local Korean supermarket (Hmart) when I realized there was another application for something I had in my freezer. I keep a 72 oz plastic mayo jar filled with water (becomes ice, duh to the duh power) to keep the freezer cold and take up empty airspace. The original idea was to chill my hands when my wife said they were too hot in the summertime. Anyway, I found that the ice in the jar cools off the brine faster after heating it up. Being the analytically retentive person that I am, I first wrapped it with 2 sheets of plastic wrap first, to keep the jar clean to use another day.