Rail Paul

Until the 1980s, most railroads employed (male) persons who set the brakes on individual railcars to ease the descent on hills, etc. In early years, this person would walk along the tops of moving railcars to turn the brake wheel on each car in response to whistle signals. Although technolgy and improvements in brakes later allowed brakes and retainers to be set remotely from the engine or caboose, the brakeman lasted into the 1990s on a few lines. The movie "Emperor of the North" shows the walkways atop cars of the 1930s. NY required a "fifth brakeman" as part of its full crew laws into the 1950s, but CT did not. So, the extra brakeman would drop off at Fair Grounds, and work next train back into NY. With luck and seniority, you'd get 12 hours pay for 4 or 5 hours work.

Fairgrounds Mall at Danbury (the "Hat City" of the United States) is named for the county fair grounds which once occupied the site. Widely renowned into the 1970s, the Fall spectacular introduced many Nutmeggers to exotic foods, cotton candy, and other novelties. Persons familiar with New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad trivia will recall Fair Grounds was the stop where the "NY brakeman" dropped off the eastbound Maybrook trains. When I commuted up to Hartford, Blue Colony was a wonderful place for a burger, soda, and fluid adjustment break. Good food, great pies....

Paul, Where is bobolink farm? My kids live in Vernon so I'm familiar with the town, just haven't seen bobolink farm. Is it close to the NY Stateline? Thanks Lou Lou - based on the description from the website, I'd say it's about five minutes north of Vernon, past the Mountain Creek property, just off NJ 94. Figure a minute south of the NY state border on the road to Warwick. There are several very nice farm stands in the immediate area. About forty minutes from Rockaway Mall area I haven't yet visited the place, but will so within the next few weeks, I'm sure. Paul From NYC: GW Bridge to Route 80 West to 23 North to 515 North. In Vernon, 94N joins 515N. When 515N breaks to the left at Price's Switch Rd., stay on 94N, and make very next left onto DEKAY Road. Take DEKAY to end, turn right on MEADOW BURN Road. The farm is on the right Cows Outside

It's been so long since we've bashed the Record, I'm amazed. Is everyone on good behaviour or something? If they keep doing things we like, maybe we'll begin to like them, too

Conde Nast (Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Traveler) offers an electronic restaurant guide on their website. It's part of their city profile series, which lists restaurants in about 50 places ranging from Alsace to Washington, DC. Here are restaurants mentioned in the Pittsburgh page: Baum Vivant Baum Vivant page Cafe Allegro Isabela on Grandview, with its Jamison Farms lamb saddle encrusted with porcini mushrooms. Jamison is local, about 30 miles away in Latrobe. Soba Il Pizzaiolo

The former Osaka on US46E in Fairfield has reopened under a new name, haven't tried it yet. Adjacent to the Manheim Wholesale Auto Auction grounds. There's also Soukerou in Singac, on NJ 23, haven't been there in years.

Some of the links to the Gourmet articles are now available. The links to the article on Sichuan are not yet available, nor are the links to the Tastings column. My comments on the Sichuan article were not intended to be taken as a negative. Conde Nast usually integrates a range of fine dining, lodging and touring content into their articles, and definitely showed a very positive view of a fascinating area. I was impressed. Mood Mexico and low-fat recipes Recipes from Mexico Passover and Easter traditions Passover and Easter Spring Fling Spring Fling Cheesemaker Cheese

Wilfrid - how about a trip to bobolink farm, jonathan white's agri-venture in vernon nj? it's about an hour plus 15 from the gwb. your toddler could see real farm animals, beloved could taste artisanal cheese, and you could breathe sweet country air. Paul

I'll run these noble and informative comments past my single co-workers and see how they react. I'd still bet it's about meeting women while waiting, not about the food or the prices.

I wonder what caused him to believe rice noodles are better than flour made pasta? That's the kind of change that makes the General (General Mills, to you, private!) very uncomfortable. There are some extraordinary food dynamics underway with various generational cohorts...

I mentioned the original thread to several of the younger, single guys at work. Each one mentioned the same thing: great place to meet women while you're waiting for a table. Maybe it's not really about the desserts at Riverside Square.

Mr Fink offered to deep fry one or two when I asked about them. He mentioned the perception of salt seems to be elevated by the deep frying, so a sweeter batter may be in order. I didn't take him up on the offer. Not out of any dislike for pickles, but because I was eating Dee's ice cream and apple pie. Didn't want to give people the wrong idea. How do you habanero a pickle? Create a hab broth, let it cool, and steep the pickle in it? Sounds way cool....

Dee and I stopped over on Monday night to try the cheesesteak. It was very good. Full 8 inch roll, very absorbent inside, crunchy crust. A pile of rib eye pieces, with roasted red peppers, onions, other peppers, shreds of yellow cheese and a thin, vinegary sauce. There were a number of very strong tastes. It wasn't as drippy as some steaks I've had in other places, and the roll stood up very well. We also had the sampler plate of pulled pork, sliced beef, and meaty ribs. I'd rate the pork and ribs very good / excellent, the sliced beef a little drier than I like, although I know some purists favor it that way. I moistened the beef with the drippings from the cheese steak, which was great, then mixed in some of Fink's own bbq sauce. Cottage fries were OK. Warm apple pie was very good, with cinnamon, allspice, maybe nutmeg. Chocolate ice cream on the side. I was thinking about the cheesesteak on the way home. Perhaps next time I'm there, I'll ask for the cheesesteak with a carolinas type vinegar and mustard saucing. Same ingredients, though. Didn't try the deep fried pickles, maybe next time...

Fink - congratulations on your continued success! of ourse, if the Record likes your place (and I'm sure they will), we'll have to take back all the nasty things we've said about their reviewing skills, poorly written reviews... Paul

Kim - you might want to approach the sommolier on the "we often drink this growth of that wine, etc" and ask for her or his guidance as to what's on the wine list to be paired with dinner suggestions. Still, they do have a strange way of dealing with paying customers. Perhaps they have more than they know how to accomodate appropriately Paul

If time permits, reading the book"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is a good intro to some aspects of Savannah.

Youghurt! That what Iraqi and Georgian people eat in order to live to 120 or whatever. So, you have about 95 years left... I had a similar inspiration about the lamb. I've decided to prepare it this week with some form of bbq sauce and my new fave cheap wine, a rasteau cotes du rhone villages for 7.99. Hints of wood smoke in the wine. Maybe medium rare lamb with the spring vegetable saute DIGEST seems to be a summary of the food related magazines with links as available. The affiliates haven't precisely specified the purpose as far as I can tell...

Gourmet magazine, April 2003 Letters features recipes for mussel and carrot soup from Aquavit in NYC and pasta from Terra Mar in Old Saybrook CT. The campanelle pasta includes sausage and beans. Jonathan Gold reviews L'Impero in NYC and likes it. Scott Conant's "Italian punctuation" with punches of pepper and fresh flavors. Liked the spaghetti and sea urchin roe, and roast goat with an artichoke paste. Gold observes that L'Impero will resort to "store bought" elements rather than curing on site, as at Babbo. Caroline Bates falls in love with Nine-Ten in San Diego. Michael Stebner's focus on clean, honest produce, grown locally, stand out as a beacon. She loved the creme fraiche panne cotta, and appreciated the half portion, half price offer for most menu items. Roadfood sees the Sterns on the western shore of the Chesapeake. They visit St Mary's Landing in Charlotte Hall for stuffed ham (ham stuffed with chopped greens, peppers, and peppers), crab cakes and spiced shrimp. They also visit the Roost in Lexington Park and Bear Creek Open Pit BBQ at Callaway. A 16 year old cheesemaker's Vermont work is profiled. Mad River cheese has been compared to many Euro cheeses. Letter from Paris profiles Alain Soliveres / Taillevent and mentions Chez Catherine at 3 Rue Berryer, seeking its Michelin star. Tastings: Pinot gris --Jerman 2001 --La famiglia di Robert Mondavi 2001 --Erath 2001 --Ritterati 2001 --Villa Russiz 2001 --Cooper Mtn Vineyards OR 2001 --Attems Italy 2001 Fast Forward Elena Rovera's cooperative for growers who focus on ingredients, local produce, artisanal suppliers, etc. Alice Waters has appreciated her work. Interestingly, Rovera feels Slow Food has reduced its independence by accepting government money. Her group is Cooperativa Agricole Cornale. China Bold: Sichuan Overview of the Sichuan area, with recipes for Hedgehog buns, and spare ribs with chilis. The twice cooked pork sounded interesting. A Conde Nast mix of travel tips and restaurants Spring Fling Goat cheese phyllo, roast capon, and spring vegetable saute. Passover braised lamb with carrots, chicken soup with asparagus, haroseth (dried fruits nut paste), and matzo scallion pancakes. Jamie Oliver profile of the celebrity/rock star chef, some emphasis on his "in you face" class struggle language. Recipe for his baked onions. Low Fat Mexican Chayote soup, chicken legs with achiote garlic sauce, and black bean cilantro soup. Links aren't yet available, will update when available

Serenade did an heirloom tomato festival in September last year. Five or six different tomatoes worked into a menu with appropriate elements and wines. I like the idea...

Selling is a learned skill. Sometimes you, the chef, have to get in and pitch the product yourself. Pitch the servers, pitch the customers. Maybe even a digital camera picture on a "specials" dessert menu handed to customers before the dessert menu. If a server tries a dessert and likes it, that's half the war. But, the server has to be enthusiastic, and part of that is tasting. The other part is the additional $2 per person tip for each dessert order

=Mark and Klink as culinary ambassadors of the US to the French

Sounds like you enjoyed the place. What brands of chips did they offer? I've found the Zapp's from Louisiana to be among the best for exotic flavors, and Utz's Kettle chips to be the best all round mass market chips. Gotta get over to Fink's. I feel the craving for a giant cheesesteak coming on....Hold the pickles

I'm always impressed by nightscotsman's comments, so I made haste to Trader Joe's. pasta is called "Tusancia" and is packaged in a tan paper wrapper with a see-thru window. The Florham Park NJ shop had six varieties, I bought a Tacconi. That's a 1 inch by 1 inch piece, with fluted edges. Rough finish, about 1/8 inch thick. 500g cost 1.99 or about 1.79 per pound. Other varieties included a taglietelle, a fluted thing about four inches long, a penne rigati, and a vermicelli. The label says "authentic handmade Italian pasta" on the front. In the back it says "via statale del brennaro, 357" and S. Giuliano Terme (P) for Tusacania Ospedelaletto UPC fans may appreciate 36320 10001 It had a very al dente, toothy taste to it. Took 20 minutes at a low, rolling boil. Served with melted butter and lightly browned garlic alongside grilled giant scallops with a dash of pesto from last summer's garden. Had a mix of frisee and spinach with it.

Friends went there two weeks ago and were delighted. I may try to get there Thursday. It's a very nice place on the corner of Cattano and Speedwell, one block north of the Green. KimWB - re-reading my post, it's a BYO, I'm not sure where I got the wine reference. Perhaps from Pazzo, which does have a license. Schafer's place is also BYO, as I recall.

Who pays attention to that stuff? If it's not on eGullet, it's just not happening...