Lonnie

Okay, mushrooms it is. Already played with some yesterday, having learned last week that you need to do them in a very hot pan with enough space so they don't steam themselves. CIA-student-son demonstrated this over Thanksgiving, and there's a nice description of it in Culinary Boot Camp by Martha Rose Shulman (about the 5-day boot camps at the CIA). I highly recommend this book as a kitchen reference for the relative novice. It's a moderately good read, but it's got lots of technique outlined for the non-professional. But back to what y'all are really dying to know: no, I don't get high off the hemp bread. It's just the tastiest, healthiest bread I can find on a regular basis. It's made by French Meadow Bakery and you can learn all about it and their other breads and bagels etc at the website. They have a store listing, too, but be aware that those are not the only stores selling it. I've been getting mine in the frozen foods of the health food section at most Syracuse area Wegmans, not to mention the obvious health food stores. It takes to freezing quite well and, given that it's a natural product, needs to be refrigerated. One slice of this stuff is more filling than two slices of just about anything else. It's so flavorful I never want to put anything but butter on it. As an aside, I cured five years of depression with a change in diet, and a great, eggy breakfast every day has been its foundation. So more ideas on what to keep on hand for throwing into eggs would be most appreciated! Lonnie

Today, blueberries (frozen, defrosted) topped with whole milk plain organic yogurt, making sure to get a good dollop of the cream on top, home-made granola with lots of nuts and dried fruits, extra almond pieces, fresh-ground nutmeg. With a cup of coffee from my venerable vac pot, made with freshly ground beans, lightened with organic organic cream. Mmmm! Oh, and then the pile of vitamins. But normally I have eggs with a slice of buttered hemp bread. Two eggs in the morning, no matter how I fix them, turns out to make me feel really good. So I try to eat them just about every day. What do you keep on hand to quickly throw onto or into scrambled eggs or an omelet? I need a little variety! Lonnie

Amazing to read all of this, to realize how far Spain has come in the past 30 years since the transition to democracy. I lived in Asturias in the late '70's and there had consistently eye-opening food experiences which still nurture my imagination: steamed percebes (goose barnacles), angulas (real ones - baby eels) lightly fried with one chile in a clay cacerola stovetop, skate ten minutes from the water, fabada Asturiana made with home-made chorizo and onion morcilla. I learned how to do a sofrito and how to use a mortar and pestle. Bay laurel was growing on a tree outside the kitchen window. And everyone was dirt poor. When the dictatorship ended with Franco's death, the Spanish managed to prevent civil war while allowing a pent-up creative explosion to take place. The ripples have reached our shores, tienda.com is taking orders for jamon serrano a year in advance, and I'm hoping my son at the CIA will do his pastry externship in Spain, just to be in the ambiente. Got any ideas or connections for him? :-) Lonnie

We spent Saturday with our son, the CIA student, and his chef/mentor, Chef Eric Erway, a CIA grad who is still teaching at the Job Corps in Oneonta. The only Albany restaurant Eric mentioned as worth visiting was Shalimar, which we'd visited before and loved, so we just went back. The owner grinds all his own spices and insists on fresh ingredients. We asked him where we should eat, and he said that the only other restaurant he goes to in Albany is Bellini's, in Slingerlands or in Clifton Park, because the ingredients are all fresh. We tried out the one in Slingerlands. The food was very good, service was impeccable and atmosphere just right (read: correct lighting!). They were even serving a nice Ruffino Classico by the glass. However, nothing actually got me very excited. Tasty, done right, but not creative. Perhaps we happened to miss the creative dishes. The bread was exceptionally good - a slightly chewy, slightly crumbly texture that absorbed the most delicious warmed olive oil mixture - some cheese and a hint of herbs. But if I'm waxing eloquent about the bread, you know how impressed I was with the chicken and shrimp dish (Napolitan). The shrimp was, to be sure, done correctly - so very difficult to find upstate. But the sauce was something I could have made myself. While eating breakfast at the Miss Albany Diner (the most creative breakfasts in upstate, IMHO - omelet with tapenade and pesto, for example), we sat next to an Albany foodie who said the best place was Cafe Capriccio on Grand St. We probably should have taken his recommendation! It was "chosen by Metroland as the Capital area's best Restaurant again in 2005." We'll be back. Coffee at Professor Java's was pretty good and since you can get a variety of eggy sandwiches there served with fresh fruit, it's pretty close to my usually unattainable ideal: a great breakfast with great coffee. The barista confessed that he's as appalled by the two paintings on the wall as we were, saying they are favorites of the owner and have been up there for over eleven years and would we please tell him how awful they are? (I went one better and wrote an email with great detail.) So... where do you get great coffee and/or a great breakfast in Albany? We did do coffee and an excellent fresh apple pie at Daily Grind on Lark. The espresso was really delightful, bright and somewhat fruity, as opposed to the mud one usually finds. Ah yes... apparently there's a CMC at Jack's Oyster House. The menu looks enticing and not as expensive as I expected. Is this as good as it looks? Lonnie

A student of mine who lives in Saratoga Springs said, last spring I believe, that Little India had closed. We were devastated, as it's been THE place we eat when traveling north of Albany. I wish we'd known they'd moved to Court St! Well... hoping that's still the case, we'll definitely search them out. Speaking of Saratoga, is the gelato there particularly good or are we just that ready for a snack by the time we get there? Lonnie

Might I humbly remind the writer that Dinosaur BBQ started in Syracuse. Was a success there, expanded to Rochester and then to New York City, where it won New York Magazine's "The Great NYC Barbecue Battle." We often travel from Syracuse to Rochester to get away, drink good coffee, and try to find a good meal. If you're looking for great value, there's not much that can beat a Dinosaur meal. Stick around for the dancing whenever Grupo Pagán is there! The dance floor in Rochester is much bigger than in Syracuse, but you absolutely can't beat the vibe in Syracuse. Check out the beer menu while you're at it. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to trying out some of the Rochester suggestions. Lonnie

This sheds light on my son's experience at Terra Restaurant in St. Helena (at least one e-gulleter has said it's better than the French Laundry). Six months out there and he's calling everyone chef, even me! So I assume it was what they were doing in the kitchen. In fact, he got into the habit of responding, "Oui, Chef" to just about everyone. When I saw him at the CIA in Hyde Park, there was evidence of his buddies there already getting really tired of being called "chef" at every turn. That was two months ago; I think he's backed off using it. It's been interesting reading everyone's opinion. No, the coat nor the name do not a chef make. It's a useful uniform, not necessarily well suited to the front of the house. Are the FOH people considered to be part of the same team as the kitchen folks? Seems to me they're often on opposing sides of the same game. Lonnie

When our son was home for the three-week break the CIA gives their students in July, we happened to dine at a Bonefish Grill (not our choice). Our son, generally an easy-going guy, was pretty offended seeing the entire wait staff wearing a uniform he's worked so hard to earn. Yep - white double-breasted jacket, houndstooth check pants. They looked ridiculous, since they were not cooking and probably don't know how. This past weekend, we were in a small town in Pennsylvania (the absolutely adorable, gaslit - with real gas lights - Wellsboro), and ate at their best restaurant. Lo and behold, the wait staff was decked out in chefs' whites! Oh, except the pants were the most horrible pajama-looking things. They looked like they'd just fallen out of bed and grabbed the wrong jacket. What on earth is going on? Can a stop be put to this nonsense? Who thinks up these things and then foists them on a public that would like to see a little dignity in the dining room? Lonnie

The CIA is, above all, a college. So if you go there without a plan and no reservations, you'll get what they have to offer the public every day: access to perhaps the least exciting of the restaurants, and the gift shop, and a lovely campus. But if you plan a little (or a lot), you can really get into the experience there at a variety of levels. You'll want to make a reservation for one of the restaurants, at the very least. You'll want to take a tour, so go to their website and click on "Visitors" link near the top. If you really want a great experience there, sign up for one of their courses (see "Enthusiasts" from the home page). Their one-day (actually about 5 hours) hands-on courses are perfect for people who are comfortable in their own kitchens but maybe have never set foot in a restaurant kitchen. My husband took one of these courses and not only is still talking about it, he's still cooking out of the cookbook you get containing all the recipes, 20 or so, for all the dishes the class produced. I can't tell you how much pure fun he had. And such good food, too! Once you've gotten your feet wet and if you have the time and you're pretty serious, then you simply must do a boot camp. We're not there yet, but who knows? Maybe some day! As for the best time to visit, courses are taught in 3-week chunks throughout the year, except for a 3-week period every July when the whole place empties out. So you probably would do fine just about any time of year. You will contact them in advance, I hope, so you can ask the person you're talking to about this. Since graduations take place very frequently, they often have famous chefs, writers and the like to give speeches and do book signings. You may be able to time it to see someone you're interested in. There's plenty to do in the area, all up and down the Hudson Valley, one of my personal favorites being a visit to the dozens of antique stores in Hudson, NY, well north of Hyde Park. Lots of mansions right in the vicinity to tour, of course. Just do a google search on Hudson Valley and see what comes up! Lonnie

Oh, man! I wish you'd posted that picture - the one in which everyone is baring (teeth? asses? their souls?) with you! I realize it gets a bit wild at the CIA sometimes... (How about that guy that drove his car into the pond?) Imagine my reaction when I recognized someone in this picture. I probably shouldn't admit it, but the guy in the upper left corner is my son, Scott Turbee. (Lonnie ducks knives and spitballs) He's the one who calls everyone "chef" and God knows what else. He's the one who, from the age of four, was in love with fire and knives. Almost lost the house one time. Warning, chiantiglace: he wants to continue with the pastry program after he graduates from culinary. Okay, enough of that. You've done a wonderful job getting us into the everyday workings of the CIA. I remember Scott calling home about Sam's demonstration. Fascinating. Lonnie

Lonnie: Are you sure it just wasn't the RI accents you found annoying? ← Oh, not at all! Hubby and I were having fun the whole vacation doing our best at imitations. He won hands down. Lonnie

Okay, folks, a quick report on what we ended up eating and where. We wandered into Newport late the first night and the only thing open and easy to find was the Brick Alley restaurant. The food was delicious and kept being so each time we went there. Not totally spectacular, but good. The place is immaculate. Heard some horror stories about fleas biting the ankles of wait staff at another restaurant in town because they clean the kitchen mats only once a WEEK!!! Great coffee at Ocean Coffee - really great. And breakfast? We found the Blue Plate Diner just up the road from our hotel, in Middletown. We couldn't bring ourselves to have breakfast anywhere else, it was sooo good. Everything there is made from scratch, the coffee is Seattle's Best - pretty good for diner coffee - and the staff was not only friendly to us, they were a hoot to watch. They seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company. Very unusual in a restaurant! I kept ordering the same omelet because I'll never get it here in Syracuse. What-all was in it? I don't remember... let's see, some really sweet onions, some kind of cheese, and... chourico (pronounced there as "cherisse"), that marvellous Portuguese sausage that's all over New England but doesn't make it into upstate New York. It was pure heaven. Okay, the wheat bread was pedestrian, so on our last day we brought our own ridiculously meaty sprouted-wheat-and-seeds bread and asked them to toast it for us. The waitress was very kind and even said she did that herself sometimes. But from then on, we were the subjects of lighthearted jokes about "the Syracusans who bring their own bread." It was great fun, and we'll go back there first whenever we return. We did go to Providence one day, but it was raining hard and steadily and the wind was blowing. Very unpleasant for walking around much. We ended up holed up in Venda Ravioli up on Federal Hill, and that was quite alright with us. They had everything in there to keep us happy: Italian groceries, prepared foods, kitchenware, espresso, gelato, homemade canoli, and an Italian barista with that unique combination of charm and elegance that Americans just can't imitate, ever. We finished that day off with a visit to New Rivers, and it was, of course, outstanding. We ate fois gras for the first time (yeah, we're newbie foodies) and thought we'd died and gone to heaven. I do not remember the rest of the meal. Sorry. I do remember the effect: essentially we were very pleased with the meal. Something was a bit not quite up to snuff but it couldn't have been terribly important. The place is small and the conversation going on literally at my back was... well... annoying. Everyone trying to impress everyone. But what the heck. The whole thing was worth it just for the fois gras alone. Thanks to everyone for your tips. I'll refer back to them for the next time go to that area, which we hope is again sometime soon! Lonnie

I wonder if the fact that it's French has anything to do with the ease with which it was banned. After all, you know what *those* people like to do! My son just ate at Cyrus Restaurant last night and reports that he thoroughly enjoyed the "ménage à fois". (Yes, three different treatments of the item in question.) Is this X-rated aspect of some people's perception of the French part of the "retarded" reaction we're seeing? Lonnie

Oh my! I go away for a day or two and in come all these wonderful ideas! I don't think a week is long enough to do all the required meals.... Thanks so much to all of you. Lonnie

Isn't there some sort of law in North Carolina saying you can't serve any meat cooked red or pink? I can't remember if that's how the law reads, but that's how the waitress described it to me when I wanted a simple burger medium rare. Nope, couldn't get it. Illegal. But I never asked them to take care of that one itty bitty little part of my life. They'd be better off taking care of the really big things. Still, at least the concern was for the humans ingesting the stuff. Perhaps more care should be put into the care and feeding of the animals we eat so that they're not dangerous to us. I don't like to eat meat that isn't locally and, if possible, organically grown. But that's still all about me, which I think is just fine. But the goose? This is arbitrary and pandering. I look forward to hearing if there's any serious backlash from the right-to-eat bunch in Chicago. Lonnie

Well, I just couldn't resist this thread, being an old linguistics major who actually tries to teach English to people who were not raised speaking this devilish language when I'm not teaching the much more reasonable Spanish. I just had to check with my buddy Dick M., former office-mate and retired senior linguist for the software company we used to work at. (Okay, "at which we used to work.") Here's his take on it: "Ah, another earth-shaking linguistic issue whose resolution which will doubtless influence generations to come. My own intuitions on the matter are that the article can be used when the substance in question is usually conveyed to the end-user in a standard, relatively small container of some sort whose size more-or-less defines one "dose." The article then actually modifies the understood and omitted container. Thus, you can get a (cup of) coffee or tea, a (glass of) lemonade, a (shot of) whiskey, a (bottle/can of) soda, beer, etc.--even an ice cream (normally cone, maybe dish, but definitely not pint, quart, etc.) But you can't get *a rice, *a soup, *a spaghetti, etc. [note: the asterisks denote incorrect grammar] "That's my not-well-thought-out, off-the-top-of-the-head, response. Probably I'm wrong, but whatever the case, I have an opinion. Shoot me down if you can." What I'm seeing develop here is a picture of Owen preparing to have coffee - lots of it, which is logical. In his travels he will, also logically, be spending time with others who drink entire pots of the stuff - coffee. As opposed to one normal human having a coffee - in a cup, not a pot. Kinda reminds me of the difference between "un pez" - one fish still swimming in the sea - and "pescado" - a mess o' fish piled up in the fish market. Okay, back to coffee, no matter what the quantity or countability. Lonnie

Owen, you spoil us! I think I've been ordering the wrong thing in Ithaca, although you can hardly actually go wrong there. I wonder why I have never heard of a "Flat White" before. Is it really just Australian? Found in any other countries? Served named as such in any other cities in North America? Lonnie

Hubby and I will be taking a week's vacation in Newport for the first time ever. The last time I was in that part of New England was when I was a teen. We'll be looking to just eat our way around the area, and find some decent coffee, too. Our particular interests: solid quality in just about any cuisine, great seafood, anything "ethnic" (Portuguese? Asian? Latin American?), authentic old diners for breakfast. And the nearly impossible-to-find: a great down-home breakfast with really good coffee. We can do about two all-out splurges, then have to look for value the rest of the time. This is the list I've come up with so far having tried to do my research here at e-gullet: Rue de L'Espoir Lucky Garden Gracie’s New Rivers Breakfast: Rufful’s in Wayland Sq Skipper’s on Hope St. Modern Diner (maybe for dinner, too!) I think all of the above are more like in the Providence area. Are all of the above still good? What else is a must-do? Any recommendations for Newport itself, particularly breakfast? We'll be in the area from May 7 until May 12. Would love to do coffee or a meal with any e-gulleters from the area. Lonnie Syracuse, NY lonniechu@gmail.com

I just read the following in the April 26, 2006 "New York" magazine: "Mention American coffee, and your average laid-back Aussie gets all worked up like Russell Crowe attempting to dial overseas. Their quintessential cup, the flat white, is a strong, smooth espresso drink - less milky than a latte, and not as foamy as a cappuccino. It's done to perfection at Ruby's, a lively Aussie hangout (219 Mulberry St.; 2212-925-5755), and it's turned up recently in Fort Greene, where expat Basquali (he goes by one name) has opened the cafe Smooch (264 Carldon Ave., 718-624-4075)." This sounds like the cup of coffee I'm always looking for and can never find in the U.S. (okay, in the cities in the U.S. where I go). I have had it in Spain, I had it last year at Caffè Italia (6480 St-Laurent) in Montreal - it was their cappuccino. Of course, "less milky" could mean quantity, flavor and/or texture. Anyone know what this "flat white" is all about? Lonnie

I have to admit, I've been using Trung Nguyen in my old vac pot. I found it being sold in an obscure shop in Syracuse, so I bought it and the little drip pot that sets on top of the glass. I've yet spent the time necessary to learn the intricacies of that pot. I'm also not accustomed to waiting 15 minutes for one cup of coffee. So into the vac pot it goes when I want something different. It's such a stand-out that I feel like I've gone to a different city for a few minutes. Why does it make me think of chocolate more than any other coffee? Lonnie

Megan, I'm sitting up here in Syracuse just green with envy. It's been a very, very strange winter for Syracuse, more like New Jersey or even North Carolina. Hardly any snow, by Syracuse standards, and lots of sunlight. ("Hark! What's that golden orb up in the sky?") Life has been easier this winter. But something important is missing, and it's the big storm or two when neighbors come out with shovels to help the old folks get out of their houses or to move stuck cars out of the street so plows can get through. And get to know each other a bit. There is a seat in my 1931 kitchen at the old metal-top table (eBay) from which I can look out past my Depresssion-era curtains (eBay) and down onto the intersection that should be a 4-way stop but isn't. We are often entertained by the near-hits there (if they were near-misses, they'd hit, wouldn't they?). I can also see out the living room windows. A lot of sunlight comes in those windows, and one of the sweetest moments of the day is when I get back from the two classes I teach in the morning and find the remains of this morning's vacpot (eBay) coffee in the thermos. It's still almost hot enough, so I add a little half-n-half (not eBay) and zap it just the tiniest bit. No, it's not as good as the first, early morning sip. But at that time of day, around noon, it's still the best cup of coffee in the city outside of the cafe where Owen roasts the beans. The moment when I sit down alone, coffee in hand, neighborhood vistas out my windows, sunlight and silence bathing me, is when I think that it doesn't take all that much to feel really, really content. But... I should be seeing great big, fat, lazy snowflakes falling past my windows! How come you guys in New York got 'em all??? Take care! Lonnie

Ken, what a nice picture you paint, and a lovely way to show your wife you care! 45-60 minutes out of every morning. Whew! I've wondered about the manual grinders. At this point I don't think I could do it - they've got me teaching really early classes this semester (ugh!) so it's a bit of a stretch just to use the new Starbucks burr grinder (thank you, hubby!) and vac pot. But good habits and good rituals, like bad ones, are hard to break, so vac pot coffee it is. Lonnie

My Peruvian colleagues at Syracuse University swear by yerba mate. They say it gives you the kick of caffeine without the ill effects, and that it's very healthful. Check out this site: http://yerbamate.cc/ The English is charming, as it is clearly a translation. Scroll down and look long the left for the link to The Yerba Mate Legend. Lonnie

Well, heck, I sure don't mind trying good ones! No... superior ones. We have moderately good of all of the above in Syracuse but not really great. Got anything in mind? Lonnie

We'll be staying four days in Kendall Square and four days in Watertown. Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions!!! Lonnie