Rail Paul

The Saturday NY Times has an article about the rapid expansion of case-ready beef in NY area supermarkets. Case-ready meat is prepared in regional service centers, and delivered in a container which goes directly into the meat case. It differs from boxed-beef which is delivered to the market in a box, and finished by butchers in the market, and may be placed in the meat case in a local container. Carcass delivery to supermarkets largely ended in the 1980s. Wal-Mart uses only case-ready beef since its loss in a butcher's union organizing situation in Jacksonville FL. Pathmark and Shop-Rite use a mixture of both CRB and BB in most Northeast stores. A new Pathmark in Staten island is the first to eliminate local butchers entirely. CRB is usually delivered in a styrofoam container, from which air has been driven by an injection of nitrogen and or carbon dioxide. A saline solution may also be injected into some cuts. Critics argue the liquid content of meat may exceed 12%, and "other chemicals" may be added. Some critics are calling for disclosure legislation. Case-Ready Beef

Six months ago, I was disappointed with the place. Burger was good, fries were fine, but the place gave me the creeps. the room had an off smell, service was occasionally lacking, rest room was foul. Didn't see any compelling reason to go back. Maybe they were having a bad day, maybe I was too critical. For about the same price, I can get a fine lunch at Taste Of Asia two doors away, or at the Show, fifty yards away. Ward's Coffee Shop across the street is a wonderful place for gift baskets, fresh roasted coffee, etc, and so I get down there occasionally.

I hadn't seen this response before, so forgive me for resurrecting it at such a late stage. I think there's a middle ground here, as there are ingredients which can cause serious or fatal reactions in some people. Aflatoxins in peanuts come to mind, or certain wheat or dairy intolerances. Other products, like ham or shellfish may have religious significance. If an ingredient known to have harmful results in some small fraction of the population isn't usually expected in a particular dish, I think there's a positive duty of the restaurant to alert the diner. People expect shrimp in shrimp scampi, they don't normally expect bacon fat in au gratin or scalloped potatoes. Unfortunately, it will probably be resolved when somebody croaks as the result of being fed some product, and their estate litigates on the reasonable expectations theory. And, they'll likely win.

For me, at least, Sara Moulton comes across as very high on the "believeable" scale. Maybe it's because she doesn't have a lot of outside publicity (Emeril's restaurant empire or Martha's legendary army of helpers come to mind), but you get the sense she can do it all herself.

I prefer to cook burgers outside, on the grill, whenever possible, but... I always roll the burger in a mix of spices (jalapeno powder, comino, oregano, etc). Holly, Elyse and Jaybee hit the big points (good beef, super hot cast iron, burger not too thick). I add just one more: cover the skillet when cooking the first side. The steam, grease, and retained heat provides a very rapid cooking effect. remove the top after 2-3 minutes, let the side crisp a bit, flip the burger, and finish. Cheese in the center works nicely, blue cheese crumbs work very well.

I did get down to Elmora Avenue on Thursday afternoon. interesting area, lots of people dressed in garb typical of certain Orthodox Jewish sects, many other folks speaking Spanish. The neighborhood runs from the CNJ railroad trestle for about three blocks to Jersey Avenue. Definitely suitable for wandering around. Stopped by El Depiste, autentica comida Colombiana. Jersey Ave corner of Elmora. Got a carne asada (slightly tough beef marinated in an onion broth) with rice, beans in a thick beef broth, and fried banana. Churasco, Bisteck a Criola, Higardo Encebollardo, Mojarra fritata were also on the menu. Asada was $7.50. Walked across the street to the Bakery of the Americas. Ordered a pan real con queso (large roll), and a small loaf of white corn bread. Although the counter women did not speak English, pointing worked fine. Walked back up Elmora to the Bakery Colombia, where I picked up several apricot and lemon filled pastries. One intriguing item was a hard shelled puff, with a sweet doughy center, a bit smaller than a tennis ball. I made note of the Jerusalem, and several shops with various Hebrew lettering in the windows. There's a Jewish school and house of worship just north of the railway trestle. On the way, I noticed a Polish butcher shop on Elmora by the college, and an interesting German sausage shop in downtown Union center. I will undoubtedly be back for another walk when the weather warms a bit...

It's mentioned in the article, but was closed on the Saturday the intrepid journalist made her visit to the area

He knew he was cooking for Grimes? Talk about being under the gun...

Thank you. As it happens, I will be in that general area this afternoon, so I'll try to swing by. My rusty Spanish will probably be of no use in a Portuguese place, but most Portuguese people I've encountered speak at least some English.

zachy's is on line Zachys Wines, so you can browse the catalog the store is directly across the street from the Scarsdale station of MetroNorth's Harlem Line

Brooke Tarabour continues her quest across NJ for interesting and unusual food treats. In today's Ledger, she reports on her visit to Elmora. (the Elmora section is roughly in the south-central area of Elizabeth) Starting with a recommendation for a Uraguayan coffee shop on the corner of Rahway Ave and Elmora (great looking food, but zero English), the reporter worked her way about five blocks northwest to Puerto Azul (128 Elmora). On the way she encountered a wonderful bakery (Las Americas, again good food, no English) and a Colombian restaurant (same problem). Azul offers Ecuadorian food on the weekends, including shrimp marinated in onions and lime, and a tuna, cabbage, tomato and cilantro soup. Stews include chicken, goat, and a sampler platter. Sounds like a weekend trip to Elmora Avenue is in my future, once I brush up on my rusty Spanish... Taste of NJ

thank you, will check it out...

If you are speaking as a US customer, that's probably a true statement. You can also add most meat and poultry to your list, with antibiotics and grain as food components. For a UK or EU customer, it would definitely NOT be true

We tugged on that issue in several previous threads. No conclusions, though. The issues are similar to the difficulty of defining "organic" The "GEM" may include (FDA), or may not include (UofI), piglets produced by pigs which had received a cow gene, with no trace of the cow gene in the piglets. That was the University of Illinois situation. If there's no trace of the parent's changed gene in the piglet, is the piglet a GEM? Corn which carries an engineered mutation which makes it resistant to the corn borer would definitely qualify. Is cow's milk with vitamins added a GEM? I'd say it is. Ditto for beef from cows which were fed hormones for growth.

where is Kamil's?

I considered Rosemary & Sage, but felt it might be above the "modest" price range. I've been there twice, and found it to run about $75-90 a head or so. Berta's Chateau is in Ringwood or Wanaque, close enough, I guess. Soembody (Rosie, perhaps?) liked it a few months back

Is Hunan Taste the place on the westbound lanes of 46 as you come down the hill into Denville from Mountain Lakes? On your suggestion, I would certainly try it...

southern girl - thanks for an exceptionally interesting and informative post. It sounds like you had a great meal. may I ask your thoughts on the Chehalem? Was it "not drinkable" or just not appropriate to the context of food ordered? thanks paul

Is GEM food offered at a higher price than non-GEM food in Europe? In the US, organic /nonGEM food usually sells at a premium to GEM. In my local market non-hormonal beef is 15% to 20% higher in price than GEM. Same is true for eggs and chicken. That the SureBeam irradiated beef is offered at a premium to the usual stuff is an item of note in itself. If I had a choice of whole wheat flour at $1.69 for 5# (organic, non-GEM) vs $1.99 (GEM), that would be an easy choice. It's more like $3.29 vs $1.99, unfortunately.

Orbis is very nice. In the same price range, and around the corner, is La Coronuta (?). On the circle in front of the train station. Figure 20-23 a head. Both are, as you noted, another 15 minutes down the road from Wayne. It's curious. Wayne is a moderately affluent place, with pockets of opulence, but nary a showplace restaurant. Even with the corporate HQs in the area, and lots of business people, no real bedrock of restaurants. This contrasts with Madison and Chatham, which are overflowing with good, reasonably priced places.

The NY Times has a sympathetic article in Tuesday's editions about the European lack of acceptance for American-style genetically modified food materials (GEM). It focuses on the generally accepted (by Americans) idea that science is good, and the generally accepted (by Europeans) idea that your food and your culture are deeply linked. Quoting the EU's health and consumer protection minister, the article says "The EU's position on genetically modified food is that it is as safe as conventional food." This position is not widely held in Europe, where successive waves of Mad Cow disease, and other contamination issues have raised significant levels of concern in the populace. The artisanal heritage of many food producers is also an issue for some. In particular, the minister, David Byrne, resents the unfair implication, held by some in the US, that European position on GEM grain somehow responsible for famine in Africa. "It is unfair. It is wrong." the next flashpoint may be a proposed EU directive which will require consistent labeling of some food materials. Although the result should be a standardized formula, some Americans believe it will exacerbate already sensitive concerns. The proposed rules would require identification of any altered substances in corn, tomatoes, feed and oils which contain at least 0.9% GEM. Consumers in Europe Resist

For decent bar-type food, steaks, pasta, I'd add Grasshopper's II in Mountain View, on US 202 adjacent to the train station. About one minute off NJ 23 I'm drawing a blank on higher end places in Wayne, other than the place that used to be the Paris Inn (Alps road), and the place on Hamburg Turnpike that had OK food but incredibly dreary atmosphere. Is the Swabishce Alpen in Lincoln Park still around? Is that the german place Tommy might have ben recalling?

Had dinner there on Friday. Buffalo fish with a chile/coriander broth, Dee had the shrimp, scallops and snow peas in a spicy sauce. We were the only non-Asians in the place.

save the reviews of your desserts, add them to your brag book, and get a digital picture or two, while you're at it. Might even send a note to the reviewers when you have a new item for the menu. you'll want to have them down the road as you look for your opportunity to move

I've found things like trash bags, paper towels, etc. to be much cheaper at Costco than any other place around here. definitely true in NJ. Packages of eight Scottowels at Costco are $1 cheaper than the markets' best sale price. Similar savings are true in film, disposable cameras, laser printers, large screen TVs, etc. Costco's and Wal-Mart's huge buying powers are driving incredible declines in retail prices. Local merchants are powerless to respond in many cases. if your broad based competitor is selling X (wine, batteries, tires, Dockers slacks) at a penny above their costs, you are toast.