Catherine Nash
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Posts posted by Catherine Nash
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So I SWORE that I would not post about my meal at Manresa (last Saturday night). After all, so many people have done so, and done so well, and it's all you read about on many of the food blogs. I just figured that at this point, whatever I would say would just be treading old ground.
But after that dinner, I had to write about it. It was incredible, amazing, ecstasy-producing food. If anyone here is looking for yet another rapturous blow-by-blow account of our meal (alas, without photos, I can't enjoy the food and have fun when I'm pulling out my camera every 10 minutes) let me point you to http://foodmusings.typepad.com/food_musing...05/manresa.html
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I'm jumping on the Zuni bandwagon. The setting is rustic, but elegant in a relaxed way: copper bar, glittering bottles of booze littering the wall behind it, urban views of Market Street (which somehow manages to look nice from inside the restaurant), the semi-open kitchen and wood burning oven crackling in the far room. The service is excellent, not just because it's well done but because the staff knows their menu and their wine list exceedingly well. We've never been steered wrong. I never fail to find one ingredient on the menu that I can't identify, which is always fun (unless you're an egomaniac who hates being stumped, or a professional who's better informed than I am). The roast chicken salad is simple, hearty, almost peasant food but it's damn good and worth the 45 minute wait. The oyster selection is fantastic and I've literally never had a single bite there that didn't make me sigh with happiness.
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My two measly cents, since I have only eaten in a few of the places mentioned, is that Chez Michel and Taillevent were probably my two favorite dinners when we were in Paris last holiday season. Obviously very different in food, price, service and atmosphere, but both are at the top of their game. If you go to Chez Michel - which we surely will next time we visit - they have amazing smoked salmon that they layered in a tiny crock with purple potatoes, thinly sliced carrots, raw red onion, fresh dill and of course olive oil. It was incredible, as was the rabbit (I think...) rillette. The portions were pretty big and we made ourselves eat every bite it was so damn good.
Taillevent, well, what can I say. Even with the burden of my high expectations, it did not disappoint.
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Hi there. I have had a blog since about February too and I've found it's great for getting seen and heard, as well as for developing a voice and trying your hand at different types of writing (e.g. recipes, personal essays, restaurant reviews, single subject features etc.) I haven't gotten any work yet from someone going to the blog and emailing me, but I do mention it when I pitch and I store all my clips there, which makes it easier to share them when I pitch via email.
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I just prepared baby artichokes last night and used them in a risotto (with fresh favas and peas). Some of them were great, but other pieces were incredibly bitter. What did I do wrong?
After cutting them, I soaked them for an hour or so in lemon water, then drained them and added to the risotto.
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At the risk of being pelted with imported edamame or heirloom tomatoes, I'll say that I like RR. Her cooking is a certain kind, admittedly, but there's a place for it in most kitchens. I've made several recipes from the show and they've all turned out well. When I first started watching her, I hated her. It annoyed me that she called olive oil EVOO and her ever-chipper smile rubbed me the wrong way, but I kept watching and grew to like her. She's a real person and dammit, maybe every now and then we need a dose of cheer! The world's too cynical as it is.
Ahem. All finished. Pelt away.
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I second that. The pasta tasting we just did (and likely what you'll have) had no offal in it. Some beef shoulder, some lamb in the bolognese, some mushrooms, some ravioli with asparagus and scallions, and then one with peas and parm (though it was a squid ink pasta, if that would freak him out). I think the pasta tasting menu is exceptional and currently not very scary.
If anyone wants to read about our meal in detail, you can do so here:
http://foodmusings.typepad.com/food_musing...5/04/babbo.html
I'd post it on eGullet but it's really long and it's more than a write up of food, so...hope that's ok.
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I second that. The pasta tasting we just did (and likely what you'll have) had no offal in it. Some beef shoulder, some lamb in the bolognese, some mushrooms, some ravioli with asparagus and scallions, and then one with peas and parm (though it was a squid ink pasta, if that would freak him out). I think the pasta tasting menu is exceptional and currently not very scary.
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I just ate there on Friday night (amazing, mind-blowing, ethereal pasta, yum yum yum! and a sommelier who served us 3 different wines, all fantastic, unique, and none over $60!) and I am curious about the amuse. It was a dish of chickpeas, nice and warmed, tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, green garlic, black olives and an herb which I am desperate to identify so I can try to make this at home. At first I thought mint, then basil since it was more peppery than sweet but I kept detecting anise, so my final guess is tarragon. There was very little in there and it was hard to isolate to taste alone. Anybody know what it was, or care to offer an informed guess?
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Well, we went on the tour and I'm going to write up a full report later this week on my blog, which I'll post here too. The short version: it was awesome. Well worth the $38 and the 3 hours. Todd, the tour guide, did an excellent job highlighting the history of the Chelsea Market and the meatpacking district in general. We ate so much I had to cry "Mercy!" and we thoroughly enjoyed everything, from the sourdough twists with bittersweet chocolate (Amy's) to the coffee milk (Ronnybrook Dairy) to the best damn tuna fish salad I've ever had (yellowfin tuna with jalapenos and tomatoes). More later...
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I've heard (but cannot vouch for first hand) that Joyce Goldstein's Italian Slow and Savory is excellent. This from a full-time restaurant critic in the SF/Bay Area whose grandfather was Italian (Sicilian, I believe).
And it just got nominated for a James Beard award.
Anyone else tried it? I was thinking of buying Marcella Says but this recommendation might change my mind... Thanks.
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Once, as a teenager, I put a little oil in a deep pan to make popcorn on top of the stove. Then went back in the den and got caught up in the game on TV. Oil burst in to flame on top of the stove.
(tee hee) Me too.
But I was a complete idiot and didn't know what kind of oil to use to make the popcorn, so I used Karo syrup instead. Uh-huh. I set it on high and went outside to get the mail.
Came back to a blackened kitchen. When my mom came home, she laughed till she cried. "Karo syrup? You used Karo syrup to make popcorn?" She laughed a long, long time.
I am proud to say that I now make a mean bowl of popcorn.
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Please give me as much feedback, encouragement or discouragement as you’d like.
Bravo! I'm impressed. I can't imagine using a cookbook like TFLC for anything other than eye candy. Will be checking back for photos, frustrations and - I hope - victories.
Bon courage!
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My brother has spent a fair amount of time in Guam recently, and he suggests the following:
Siam or Marian's Trench (sp?) for Thai, and the Jamaican Grill. Knowing him, they'll fit your casual, not too expensive bill and have good food to boot.
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I have two upcoming Manresa reservations, one for my birthday (August, plan to do the Grand Tasting menu) and another May 21st.
In May, I don't think we're going to do the Grand Tasting, so my question is whether or not anyone has any recommendations on what to order from the a la carte menu? I haven't seen much about that on this thread.
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Just curious, do they offer you anything other than the tour for that money? Like, are they taking you there from your hotel by bus? Do you get any sort of free samples of foodstuff?
Yes, you get fed at each of the stops along the way, enough so that they say you won't need lunch. That might be worth some of the cost. Maybe the commentary/history will be really interesting - I'm not one for reading guidebooks.
I had a feeling I was going to get a lot of responses saying it was a waste of money. But ah well, we'll see. I'm toying with the idea of doing a food tour in SF and so this is part fun, part research.
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I'm going to be in NYC next week and signed up for a food walking tour of Chelsea and the meatpacking district. Here are the places we'll hit:
* Amy's Breads - an artisinal French-American bakery
* Ronny Brook Dairy - a dairy farm from the Hudson Valley
* Sarabeth's Bakery - a gourmet American bakery
* Lobster Place - high end wholesale/retail fish market
* Buon Italia - a wholesale/retail Italian specialty food shop
* Manhattan Fruit Exchange - largest produce shop in NYC!
* Goupil and DeCarlo - a classic French Patisserie
Has anybody been on this? It's by Foods of NY. If you've been, or if you've been to any of the spots we'll hit, I'd appreciate any tips (like what to buy to take home after the tour). Thanks.
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Hmmm...As I recall, the airport in YVR is quite a drive from downtown and the waterfront and all of the restaurants that I would recommend. So if you're thinking of heading downtown, and you'd like to enjoy a leisurely meal with wine etc., I think I'd have to suggest you stick to the Globe@YVR. Unless someone can recommend a place near the airport that's great - I just don't know of anything in that environs.
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This probably sounds a little "out there", but peanut butter and bacon sandwiches are absolutely delicious. Same with peanut butter and vidalia onion sandwiches.
Ooh, that reminds me of the PB&J sandwiches with bacon that my mom fixed me as a child. Also a delicious combo. As are:
American cheese and sweet pickle sandwiches
cream cheese and jelly sandwiches
potato chips dipped in cream cheese
popcorn with milk
macaroni and cheese (in a box) with ketchup (learned to love this in Moscow)
Another southern delicacy is the onion sandwich - white bread, butter, and slices of raw onion. Not necessarily unusual or gross, but not for the faint of heart either.
My dad combines red wine with OJ and/or coke. I haven't tried it and feel certain it's not only disgusting, but certainly not how wine should be drunk...but he swears by it.
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This is such an interesting debate, and it's hard to know if it is a tempest in a teacup or a real problem. Certainly, in his book "A Goose in Toulouse" Mort Rosenblum addressed the issue of EC regulation, not only on French cheese production but on meat and the retaurant business and a few other agribusinesses. He also addresses things like changing tastes, the difficulty in making money in starred restaurants, market forces and the like. An interesting book for those reading this thread who want another look, albeit one now 5 years old, into this topic. (It's not heavy on analysis, though, or particularly academic in nature, so take that into account).
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Okay, I have to respond. "There's no magazine left to read."
WHAT???
Are you kidding? There are pieces by Bourdain on the modern restaurant, by literary geniuses (albeit misunderstood) like David Foster Wallace who started the debate about the humanity of killing your food (in this case, lobsters), and much more (though I confess Calvin Trillin is doing some of his most disappointing work in that magazine). Don't tell me you're part of the anti-cupcake cake cover brigade...?
Explain, please.
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Thankfully, Reichl is a great writer with a fascinating life to draw on. All three books have been really fun, fast, juicy reads - you have to hand it to her, she doesn't keep her cards all that close to her chest (e.g. Colman Andrews affair). And I have made quite a few of the recipes in her first two books (brownies - which are the best I've EVER had, and the lemon pasta and crab cakes both immediately moved onto my list of favorites).
Catherine,
I was in Borders again today, (yes, it's an addiction), and her two earlier books, Tender at the Bone and Comfort me with Apples were on the buy 2, get 3 trade paperback table. So, I have loads of Ruth to look forward to. Thanks for the heads up on the recipes...I just checked out your blog too, and just subscribed to it!
:) Pam
You'll enjoy the books. And glad to hear you liked the blog! Thanks!
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Well, if anyone wants to try it, you can get a 20% discount through May 30 by entering "foodmusings" in the coupon code at check-out. I blogged about it, and the nice folks at Besos kindly extended this offer to my readers.
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Thankfully, Reichl is a great writer with a fascinating life to draw on. All three books have been really fun, fast, juicy reads - you have to hand it to her, she doesn't keep her cards all that close to her chest (e.g. Colman Andrews affair). And I have made quite a few of the recipes in her first two books (brownies - which are the best I've EVER had, and the lemon pasta and crab cakes both immediately moved onto my list of favorites).
La Folie
in California: Dining
Posted
A friend of mine who makes her living reviewing restaurants just went -- and raved. I guess Passot has gotten his groove back - there are playful dishes like quail foie gras lollipops, for example.
Other dishes on the menu that are reputedly good include:
- foie gras soup with truffled day boat scallop ravioli
- Dungeness crab Napoleon with apple gelee and pineapple chips
- pan-roasted sturgeon with leeks, oxtail and polenta cake with red wine thyme reduction
- butter-poached Maine lobter with glazed blood oranges
- roti of quail and squab
- l'assiette de boeuf with Painted Hills beef tenderloin, braised short rib, and a burger Rossini with truffle Madeira sauce
Obviously all tres, tres French and many of the dishes sound rich as well, but with the updated decor and at least one SF food critic enamored, I'm hoping to give it a try someday soon. Look forwared to any forthcoming eGullet reviews...