Rail Paul

Hi bean - thanks for posting, and welcome. A question on Lupa. The $45 sounds like a steal for what you got. Is this standard for Lupa? If that price is standard, maybe the NY eGullet dinner team should add Lupa to the list! I wonder if they cure their own salami? Will you be posting about the Morrocan place in Bay Ridge? It sounds like an interesting experience, and outside the DUMBO - Cobble Hill places often discussed.

Mark and Ken - could you elaborate a little on the format? It sounds like everybody brings something, but do you cook / warm it there? Is there a formal judging, or a round robin tasting? sounds like a lot of fun! Paul

Saveur's hamburger issue has appeared on the check out racks in two local markets in NJ (Shop Rite in West Caldwell and Pathmark in Livingston). Saveur hasn't previously been displayed. It has been displayed in the marginally more upscale Kings Market for a several months. It's located adjacent to the Martha Stewart Living, and below Gourmet and NJ Monthly.

fuckin a brutha. i'm there asap. Tommy - ask for the sampler of sauces with your burgers. Fink's has 5-6 different bbq sauces to go. RPerlow - Do you think the claim of the "best big burger in north jersey" deserves its own thread? A 12 oz burger sound like a monster...

TCD - thank you very much. I'll post my thoughts on the NY board. Tommy and Glenn - Deja Vu is open relatively long hours (lunch goes to about 3 pm and dinner begins at 5). Getting there after 130 almost guarantees a negotiated (some of this, some of that) lunch, cooked to order. Lunch has been delivered by the chef more than once. On food consistency, I'd rate TC and DV even and both very good. With 4-5 meals at TC, I'd give it an edge on service. There's a caveat in that we rarely dine at peak times anywhere, preferring an earlier or later shoulder.

We have tickets for metamorpheses tomorrow evening, and reservations at Triomphe. Looking forward to both. Had take out tonight from Desert Moon in West Caldwell. A mexican pizza (tortilla slathered with refried bean paste, roast peppers, small amount of chicken, fresco) and a Baja burrito (chopped chicken, mushrooms, and peppers). Very fresh, and a welcome change from pizza. I wouldn't define it as wonderful, but ti was OK, Fresh Mexican food.

There's also the question of what constitutes "cheap eats." A boiled two pound lobster, butter, and your own wine will set you back about $8 in many Maine lobster pounds. Is the ambiance of a manhattan restaurant worth another $40 for the same lobster and your wine? Of course, if you aren't in Maine, it could be, and they give you a tablecloth in NY. If the argument is "how much is the value of the theater experience which surrounds certain dining worth?" my answer tilts to the NY location. Add a David Rockwell interior, Riedel, highly skilled waitstaff, and glamour to our humble lobster for an upscale treat.

Never? Not even one?

Straub Brewery has a tradition of offering free beer to visitors, as many breweries do. Up until 1960, the beer was delivered via a small pipe and faucet on the side of the brewery, by the guard shack. I'm not aware of any US brewery which had such an open policy. Since 1960, the beer has been provided in the hospitality room, at the end of the free tour. St Mary's, in extremely rural Elk County PA, doesn't get many casual visitors. Most people are there to hunt, fish, or drink free beer...

The German Benedictine monks in western Pennsylvania (1846) built a brewery at Saltsburg, and another at Latrobe. By the time the local bishop forced the sale of the enterprise, the monks supplied the libations for wholesalers west of the Allegheny mountains. In general, most German, Swiss and Bohemian monasteries in the US brewed for local use into the 20th century. The current Rolling Rock brewery derives its roots from the Latrobe business.

Nina - congratulations on your decision, that sounds like a rewarding step. I've heard good comments about harriet lembeck's wine courses over the years, generally four to six weekly classes on a specific topic. This summer, she's running one on introduction to wine, and another on champagnes. Fee is $190 plus $97 for materials. I haven't attended the class. Lembeck at NSU

Walter Maier - thanks for your comments. Will you be posting your Scandanavian comments over on the Europe boards? I'd be delighted to read them. Rosie - I'm sorry to hear about your experience. In retrospect, perhaps our initial greeting and the general appearance of a 1940s film noir movie set (grimy bar, guy nursing a beer, tired woman with a drink, etc) prepared us for a downer, and we received a pretty good experience. It definitely sounds like a lack of housekeeping supervision (rugs, sweeping), poor service standards, and a badly out of whack kitchen. Some of your elements were identical to ours (glass plus bottle) while others varied (crisp, warm tortilla chips, very tasty meats). Did you go on a weekend? Was the place packed, empty, etc? I think we went in the middle of a week, and had the place to ourselves.

En francais, "moderne" -- with an "e" -- is the correct spelling. merci

Bux - You're being much too hard on Mr Boulud. We know that HE can't spell ("moderne"). Perhaps he has the same disability as Mr Quayl and his potatoe Paul

The Times article only said he was no longer associated with Po. It didn't say, nor did I imply, the departure was recent. But, I'm still interested in Tommy's ability to see tomorrow's headlines today. It could do wonders for my investment (lack of) expertise

You are correct. The NYT mentions Mr Battali remains a partner in Esca, etc but is no longer a partner in Po. Nice picture of his home kitchen. So, Tommy, do you have an idea of what will be in tomorrow's NYT business section? Any stocks we should be looking to load up on, or divest now?

Add Sirin in Morristown to the "Open on Monday" list but, they're closed on Tuesday...

There's a genuine cave available for storage of wine. Located in Kingston NY, and the ad states it is a bonded NY State facility. Wine Storage - click me The ad says they deliver twice weekly to Manhattan, and will pick up your shipments at the airports. I have no personal experience with them.

My parents organized a group and did that trip last year. They had a great time. I'm sure you will enjoy it, the mooring location was exceptional, and the ship's height provided an unobstructed view over the forest of smaller boats.

Yeah? So, where's your locomotive? Your food credentials, on the other hand, are widely respected

Question - are you basing your evaluation of the writer (Karla Cook, if I recall) on this single review? Or have you considered other reviews she has written in the past? Have you agreed or disagreed with the other reviews, and why? Have you called the restaurant to express your support for them, and your interest in re-visiting it? Reviewers express a point of view, sometimes loyal partisans need to express their support, too, if they disagree.

Your kitchen sounds like it is coming along nicely. Nancy Stern (the kitchen designer) showed us an interesting piece of cookware last year. A self -filling / self-draining stock pot equipped with an insert. Designed to fill at the range top, and drain there, as well, via a tap at the bottom which led to a drain pipe. The result eliminates the trip with a boiling 20 qt pot to the sink and colander. The pot unsnaps from the drain line and can be hung on the wall. The other device was a deep fry unit modified to be a 10 qt pot. Also self filling, and self draining (remove the insert!). This item was designed as a counter drop-in model. Because the sides heat, as well as the bottom, a more constant heat delivery is alleged.

Singapore tends to be an early adapter on the "gee whiz" aspects of air travel. Among the first to have seat back videos in coach, a dozen different channels of TV or movies, staggered movie starts, etc. I believe they also allow coach pax to select when they would like meal service, or at least they have on the flights I've taken. SQ also has intermittently aggressive pricing on some flights. Dee and I flew r/t Newark to Amsterdam two years ago for $259, and one of my colleagues flew LA to Singapore for $699 r/t. Usually they are in the pack pricewise, and let service tip the balance to them. Our Amsterdam price was $300 under KLM NW CO etc's offering.

Welcome, Matt! Dee and I were pleased to dine at Bid the night New York magazine stopped by to execute a photo shoot for their review. You thoughtfully took a few minutes to discuss with us the many items as they were being lighted and styled adjacent to the bar area. Watching the parade of delicately executed, wonderfully plated marvels march over to the photo area was an event in itself. Whatever you choose to do in the future, what you and your team accomplished at Bid stands out as adventurous food, well executed, by individuals who truly engaged their customers on many sensory levels. We were delighted by our two dinners and regret we won't have more with that team in the same venue. Thanks for the experience!

They usually stay away from places that have had a formal review in the S-L within the recent past. I'm guessing their one time visit approach clashes with the more studied and formalized process (multiple visits, different days of the week, etc) used by many quality reviewers.