Rail Paul

Aperture is sponsoring a photo exhibit in Biloxi featuring Blues players and the Delta. The exhibition has been on tour for 3 years. A NY Times article featured a Chicago writer's pilgrimage to Clarkdale where his grandfather share cropped in the 1930s. If I can find it, I'll post the info. Lots of local commentary on the area from old-timers who endured the poverty and oppression. Apparently there's a cottage industry emerging of old timers who play and reminisce. Aperture on the Delta

Nice review over the weekend. It's interesting Jean Graham rated it so highly, since she found fault with so many items. I've found her comments are usually bulls-eyes, but her ratings are a puzzle to me Bella Rosa

I didn't take notes on the wines at Bid last week, but my recollection is a reasonable price list. Many wines in the $40-60 range, a few in the $25-40. I do distinctly remember that Dee's glass of Chablis was $13, and the bottle was $40, which struck me as not excessive, if you figure 4 glasses to a 750 bottle. (Have to go out and get the mag and see if our pix are in it!!)

i seem to recall Rick Bayless did a bus trip down the southeast coast of MX, looking for recipes, food ideas, etc a few years ago. I'll look thru my old F&W magazines, or Gourmet and see what I find...

I tried the Ducasse method last night with a 3" thick, 2# prime rib, bone in. Cooked it on the grill, with a cast iron skillet specifically reserved for outdoor grill use. Very impressive results. The meat was wide enough that it could stand upright on its fat side and render the fat. I pressed cracked pepper and dried green chile powder into the wide sides. Added a little canola oil to the pan, along with salt, fresh rosemary, and crushed garlic. Nuked a few Idaho potatoes, and finished them on the gril. Then, mashed with butter and cilantro. Might as well have injected rubber cement into my veins for all the cholesterol I ingested, but it was very good.

P&O is a good choice if there's a vegetarian in your dining party. We go there twice a year (my mother in law loves it), and we've never had a bad meal. Never had a spectacular, this is wonderful, this is exciting, wow, wow meal there, either. It's nowhere near as cutting edge as it seemed 10 years ago, though. Or, maybe it's exactly as it was 10 years ago, and I've changed.

Ben Benson's? I haven't even thought of it in years, until I walked past last week. It was closed (early on a Sunday afternoon), but the menu looked interesting. Moda, IIRC, had a fascinating menu, as well.

re: Bid. Figure the six element tasting menu will set the diner back by $90-100. A typical bottle of wine there will be $50-60. That may require a fourth list (cost $150+). Whether they'd even let in a group similar to the NJ bunch is open to debate. Tommy - re: Basque There's a pleasant little Basque place on 49th street, halfway up the block from First Av and the UN. Lunches run $15. Mirachu. Nice garden out back.

Julia also had a famous "wall of pots" with a hook for, and outline of, each of her many pots. I think a portion of that wall is visible, adjacent to her head in the picture. When the Times had its article on her relocation to CA, the wall received its own picture

Rosie - that's the point I was trying to get to. Thank you. I had Serenade pegged at about $50 a head plus wine (which they provide), and Scalini at about $40. The last time we visited Serenade, everything was up $5-$7. I don't think RS is worth $20 more per person. But that's just my opinion (and my $20)... Paul

PaulaJ - Last time I visited Scalini, I thought the menu was very compact (relatively few choices). Is that still the case? Also, may I ask the price range for sample items now? I have the feeling Restaurant Serenade (across the street) has priced itself unreasonably higher than SF. I've long felt RS is better than SF, but not $20 a person, excluding wine, of course. Paul

Dee and I had dinner at Bid last night. Pleasant experience, thanks to all posters for the recommendations. Started the afternoon with a performance of Albee's Who is Sylvia? at the Golden. Very thought provoking, but I expect the director will make a few adjustments before the opening. Bid's bar manager was training a new bartender, so we watched, critiqued, drank free cosmopolitans, and watched a photo shoot. Over the course of 30 minutes, she made apple martinis, cosmopolitans, learned the layout of the bar, fine points of spraying orange oils, etc. The photo shoot was of several specific dinner items to accompany a review in New York magazine next week. Matt Seeber, the stylist, the photographer, an assistant, a place setting with candles, a corner of the bar with butcher paper: interesting to watch. Our table had been ready since our arrival at the bar, but the bar was fun. Two paid drinks plus tip was $30, additional drinks, kibitz were free. Very empty restaurant. By 630, only one other table had patrons. Dee ordered a foie gras with bluberries reduced to the color of prunes, which made the foie gras taste like butter. I had the sea urchins with rock shrimp in a celery (& Chapagne?) cream sauce. The effect was a very nautical, briny, invigorating result. An amuse bouche of a grilled scallop was intriguing, with a dusting of Asian spices. Dee ordered venison, which arrived cool, but with the desired redness in the center. A roundel of potatoes was served on a separate plate. Both were fine. I had loin of lamb, which was fine, warm and cooked to order. The lamb was served with an assortment of root vegetables (turnips, potatoes, carrots, etc) infused with spices. Dessert wasn't quite up to the same level. Dee was not impressed with her apple tart. Nothing specific, but seemed pedestrian compared to the other items we tried. I found the pear croustillant to be fine, with pear infused ice cream and granita. We left about 830, and the restaurant had filled just 6-7 tables. The main room was briefly photoed. The maitre asked if we had objections (witness protection? not with spouse? on the lam?). The house then provided the maitre and bar manager to fill one empty table, and another employee to sit at a second table. They were relocated, shot by shot, to fill out the room. Total dinner bill was about $170 with tip, two glasses of white burgundy, and a Fuller's ESB. Tasting menus of 4-5-6 courses are available, wine pairings are noted on the menu. Service was exceptionally attentive (our waiter, Richard, and two bus boys had just two tables). Bid also states that on days of wine sales or tastings, guests may bring their own wines to the restaurant without corkage charges. That's an exceptionally generous offer.

On the urging of many Chowhound folks, we visited Lotus of Siam on our last visit to Las Vegas. Very impressive food, every thing else was a terrible turn off. Tacky, formica inside, almost sleazy strip mall outside. Extension cords hanging from uplifted ceiling tiles. A steam table in the center of the room. Dee had already turned to leave. Captain said "I will order for you. You want to taste our best?" From that moment on, every thing which emerged was better than the last. Rice soaked in vinegar and deep fried as it exploded to thumbnail size burts of taste. Scallops, lobster, and peppers in a peanut sauce base. Vermicelli with diced something (cat?) in a lemony broth. More, and more, and more. Bill for the whole shebang was $25 at lunch...

Tommy - Given how wretched some of us looked in the photos taken at the eGullet dinner in Newark, a fear of photos isn't unreasonable. I'm sure several hours of drinking won't improve the appearance of otherwise attractive people. The weather forecast is mild, so your absence of trousers shouldn't pose a frostbite risk tonight... Paul

I'd also add a suggestion to consider the presentation of food on your plate. Carefully sliced carrots in long, thin julienne strips make an excellent color focus on a plate, and take just a minute to prepare. Shredded raw spinach (washed) makes a great platform on which to place any prepared food, even take out. If you eat occasionally alone, or with just one other person, consider a variety of plates and bowls in different colors and shapes. Last night we had fresh cream of tomato soup (I let Florida tomatoes ripen in a paper bag with two apples). I added a little Ortega salsa, topped with 2-3 chopped left over BBQ shrimp. Put chopped spinach a wide Dansk Tropez bowl (lots of bright yellow and blue) and ladled in the soup. Served with fresh home made bread. The colors of the bowl highlighted the soup. In a tan Mexican bowl or plain white bowl, the visual would have been much less interesting. Soup took about 20 minutes, start to finish, including browning the garlic and adding the chicken stock and quick pass with the wire whip. Ate the seeds and all.

Rosie - following Walter Maier's excellent directions, it's about a quarter mile past past the Pompton Waterfalls, Maroon Auto, and the enormous CVS store. Less than five min from Rosemary & Sage. An alternate way would be to come up 23, take the 202 north exit, and follow 202, which goes directly past the joint. Dee and I have it on our list of places to visit, so e-mail me if you're interested in joining us. Paul

Hi Helena - I get up there occasionally on business. Farmington is about ten minutes south of Avon, and 20 from Simsbury. Several places in the area you might consider are Avon Old Farms Inn dining room in Avon. (Also a fine inn, I understand, but I haven't stayed there) Hop Brook Tavern in Simsbury on US 202. Not special, but a nice steak place. Simsbury executive inn is a few minutes away on 202. Clean, cheap I've had excellent rib platters at Brannigan's (best ribs in CT, they say) at the I-84/Plainville/CT10 junction. It's just south of the freeway, up on the hill (SE quadrant of the interchange). It's about five minutes from Farmington. US 202 runs parallel to, and about 10 miles west of I-91 in the Simsbury area. The airport connector brings you back to I-91. Paul

Mr Cetrulo is now chef-owner of four ? places (Scalini Fedeli NY & Chatham, Il Mondo Vecchio, and Adagio). I remember it took him a while to re-discipline the Madison team after he went to Chatham. PaulaJ's report is almost a carbon copy of that 1996 experience. Fortunately, after a slashing review in the Ledger, he brought the restaurant back to good form. It does sound like a reach to describe the amuse as a "course" though.

Parsley & Rosemary in Riverdale on Friday night for a delayed Valentine's Day dinner. For the actual Valentine's night, Dee worked late, so I made fettucine with lightly browned garlic, chopped bacon, parsley and coarsely chopped asian greens when she arrived home.

With Chinese food served family style, there's always the advantage of watching folks who've tried the jellied eel before your turn...

When we did our potato chip face off at work last year (don't ask), Zapp's various flavors took several of the high marks. Great chips, mail order worked perfectly. The bags were date stamped, and shipped about three hours after they left the kettle. This year, I'm considering an andouille and other sausages grilling feast, so I'll likely be soliciting suggestions soon...

It sounds like each of you had a delightful time. The IALW is on our list of places to visit, perhaps in our Skyline / Blue Ridge parkway trip. Of course, we'd probbaly have to walk the 500 miles to work off those calories...

pampered chef also has a good stone, $14 or so. Works very well with homemade bread, too

"Chef was at the Olympics cooking..." Wouldn't it be nice if restaurants had to put in a little insert when the chef was (travelling in Cambodia, visiting his tokyo or las Vegas places, off that night, etc)? Not that the named chef really cooks much any more in most places, but it's nice to know he or she is at least on the property. The role normally played by Bobby Flay will be played by Jackie Malouf, etc. When we saw the Alchemist's Wife last year, they announced Linda Lavin would not be performing that night. Fully 30 % of the audience got up and left.

Sweet Tea Deep fried sweet potato sticks (Doesn't help your cholesterol much, though)