Rail Paul

"salti-and-pepperiness" Although some may consider it heresy, a dry rub (pat-on) over the surface which includes a bit of sugar will give a caramelized surface under a broiler, too. I often use powdered chipotle, fine black pepper, a little salt, and a bit of sugar to add about one teaspoon of mixture per burger. If City Hall isn't on the Burger Club's reference list, perhaps it could be added. I believe the lunch price is $10.95...

BK has has a more checkered and unhappy recent past than McDonald's. As BK was passed from owner to owner (Pillsbury, Gen Mills, Heublein, etc), corporate needs often limited investment in menus, national advertising, site planning, and quality control. In contrast to McD's generally company owned locations (with large, corporate franchise holders as well), BK's store operators tend to be more local, and often less willing to invest in national efforts and branding. Although McD's has slipped noticeably in recent years (rest room cleanliness is an excellent indicator from the kroc years), resale prices of franchises used to be much higher for McD than for BK. Ray Kroc maintained eagle like vigilance over all stores, and maintained a Gestapo of QC experts for bun warmth, fry temp, rest rooms, lot conditions, etc.

The Star Ledger has an extensive section in today's Accent section about the Italian heritage in NJ. Profiles of bakeries, food suppliers and restaurants, how the heritage of the many cuisines of Italy have enriched NJ. Bakeries to kill for, meats and pizza most states would die for... (When Dee's cousin moved to Louisville KY in the 1960s, his mom had to send him boxes of cheese, salumeria, pasta, etc weekly. Now people there are curing pepperoni, making their own fresh pasta, etc. I'd say An American Grill perfectly describes Lou's place, and probably a lot of American kitchens, too...)

Lou's place is damn fine cookin'. He also has an extensive wine list. Check it out, and report back. Don't forget to fill out a Zagat review and send it on to Andrea Clurman...

There's an upscale Vietnamese place in Chatham, on the next block from Taste of Asia, I went there last year and recall I liked it. Perhaps Danielle's?

what colors ?

Taste of Asia in Chatham and Montclair delivers consistently good Malaysian food. It's quite reasonable, under $25 per person at dinner, and under $10 at lunch

Gourmet is part of the Conde Nast publishing empire, which sells packages of ads for its various publications. Jewelry, fashion, liquor, and upscale autos pay very well. You can buy ad placement in various combinations of magazines, or tailor them to perceived demographics. There's a huge amount of cross selling, and many "food" articles actually have fashion (clothes by X), grooming, and styling credits. Location shots may have a subsidy from a tourist office or hotel, too. The chefs as rock stars actually had a root in the text. Several of the featured chefs do play serious music, although I'd suggest the cover was more playful than serious. It's not like foodies think the world revolves around Emeril, or Mario, or Bourdain or anything like that, of course.

Martha Stewart isn't in jail yet? She's had enough publicity, they say she stole the dime, she oughta do the time...

based on my humble experience, unless you're asian, you have to demand the chop stix and noodles in most places. Maybe they don't want to embarass occidentals? I've noticed that Chengdu 46 and Hunan in Fairfield treat you differently if you're with somebody who orders in Chinese.

Sounds good. What did the other folks have? Maybe we could get a discount for all the biz we're bringing them?

Here's the October 2003 summary Chefs as a Rock Band on the cover. Review: London. Guy Dimond visits Fifteen, Jamie Oliver's new place. Enjoys the scottish scallops in yuzu lime juice with coconut and shiso. Rich carpaccio of scottish beef, and a wild rabbit with sage. Enjoyed most of what he tried. Roadfood: New Haven Pizza. NH has long been known for its excellent pizza. The Sterns try out Modern Apizza, and felt it was the best. Frank Pepe had ocean sweet clams, and Sally's had a meaty "works" pizza. The sweet clam pizza at The Spot was excellent. The text suggested they tried four different types of pizza in four places over a few day period. The sacrifices people go through for art... Color Codes: What Does Your Cabinet Color Say About You? Next... Goods to Go: Truffle shavers. Wusthof swivel peelers, Sumeet Asian grinders, spray bottles, and a Turkish coffee grinder for powdery spices. The grinder looked very interesting Drinks: Gary Regan provides an overview of New Orleans sours, finds ingredients don't need to be precise. Good explanation of the interaction of tastes. House Wines: Chefs help make their own wines. All of the comments were very complimentary. ---Brian Duncan, Bin 36, Chicago. His Blend III (white) IV (red) for $58 list, $25 retail ---Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's, New Orleans, Classic Red '00, $13, Classic White '01 both from Fetzer ---Bruno Marini, Federalist, Boston. Cuvee Federalist '01 $65 from Newton Vineyards, described as very rich ---David Rosoff, Opaline, LA. Opalima '01, $18.75 per half liter from Steve Clifton Wine Notes keyed to menus: Laurent Gras menu: Chapoutier Condrieu '01 or a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise Ch St.-Sauveur. Cuisine goes well with Viognier Barbara Lynch menu: Eroica, a 2002 Columbia Valley Reis, also liked the Beneserre's Sangiovese '02 with short ribs or other full bodied foods Cauliflower the cabbage flower Fritters from Rockenwanger in Santa Monica, Cauli bistecche from Lucca in Boca Raton, and Cauli Maque Choux from Magnolia Grill. Wonderful pictures of the flower and the dishes. They speculate cauli may be the next hop vegetable, joing the fruit mangosteen. Travels Section York Maine: Carla's Bakery & Cafe. Ann Beattie wrotes of a woman's effort to create a warm place in an often cold land. Brownies, chocolate chip cookies, dream bar recipes are offered. Carla and her husband built the place from scratch and the love is reciprocated by their neighbors. [i don't usually comment on ads, but... The Sigrid Olsen line of women's clothes features real women in their ads, not size 2, 19 year old models. This month's selection includes Ana Sortun (Oleana) and Lydia Shire (Excelsior) with comfortable, elegant looking clothing.] Charlotte North Carolina: The United House of Prayer for all People was founded by Daddy Grace, a celebrated evangelist of the 1920s and 1930s. Daddy believed people hear the Gospel better on a full stomach, so his chapels provided chicken, grits, muffins, collards, etc. Still do. By 1920, Daddy owned a string of grocery stores, chapels, hotels and beauty parlors, providing work and skills training for thousands of people living in an inhospitable and segregated society. His kitchens still feed people, and good chicken and catfish isn't far away. Ashland Oregon. Just outside the town limits, Charlene and Vernon Rollins host the New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro with its improbable mixture of fine wine, fresh foods, and great lifestyle. Before they were 40, they had worked with Jermiah Tower, built the new Boonville Hotel and watched its meteoric crash. Now, in rural Oregon, they've built another gem. One time neighbors included Leonard Lake and Charles Ng, notorious characters from the past. Rapid City South Dakota. Ed Levine writes about MJ Adams. Once a celebrated chef at Seasons in Brooklyn, she moved to South Dakota. Her Corn Exchange is described as the "best restaurant between Minneapolis and Denver" with its selections of Maytag cheeses, buffalo frittata, and other foods of the Plains. When her first place burned to the ground, neighbors helped her build its replacement. Note to single guys: She's looking for husband #3. Being a French bakery chef is very desirable. Tucson AZ: All across America, towns are voting PF Chang's and the Macaroni Grill the best food in town. In response, Tucson restaurateurs formed an alliance to invite school kids and their parents to dinner. Fine dining, tablecloths, napkins, courses, nothing in a box, and no drive up. The restos also formed an alliance to help with purchasing. The article was picked up, and a version of it appears in today's NY Times. Lexington Kentucky: Bluegrass to Bluefin. When Toyota moved into town two decades ago, sushi was unheard of. In response, Toyota executives supported a new sushi restaurant, and eventually the "hard boots" came by. Tachibana brought sushi to the land of burgoo and bourbon, and has been joined by the Nagasaki Inn and others. Equestrian boots join slip ons in the lobby of the pristine restaurant. Dallas Texas: A photo essay which looks like it tries to name as many chefs who play in rock bands as it can. Next... Tasting menus: Shaba Narayan states the case against tasting menus. They're complex, many small steps, hostage to the clock. Often they're as much cef work as a whole entree. When two people left a table for 8 at Daniel to go to the rest room, the kitchen froze. As they were setting an item for 8 which would die in three minutes, they waited, and waited, and as the couple returned, the meal emerged. Batali notes that the thinner end of a cut may be used for a tasting menu, while the thicker and better center would be used for an entree. Profile: Moscow's restaurant Tsar Arkady Novikov owns Veranda and 52 other restaurants in Russia. He serves sushi, argentine beef, tapas and burgers in his far flung empire. Veranda would fit in fine in Marais or Tribeca, with large windows, helpful staff, and fine food. Novikov's first job was flipping burgers at McDonald's #1 in Moscow. He started a fish restaurant after he noticed the absence of fresh fish in Moscow. Now he owns the biggest importer of fresh fish. Atkins: Does it Work Well, you won't find out from this article. However, this isn't deprivation, it's pretty good. Profile: Nicolas Guardado at Jaleo A young man from El Salvador, working mops and salads, joins Jaleo in DC after jobs elsewhere. Chef Jose Andres sends him and two others to a finishing school for Hispanic chefs. There he learns the French technique, and innovation. He had been trained by formula, no changes were possible. Cook it exactly as we tell you. Now he can create and understands the "why" of what he does so well After working with salsa pincipales, he masters salsa veloute, salsa bechamel, salsa espagnole, etc. Now he has the tools to cook anywhere in the world... Bostonian Barbara Lynch swears her way into high regard in Boston kitchens. Now the chef at No 9 Park, owner of the Butcher Shop, and the Oyster Bar, she knows foods. Her gnocchi is made with pate a choux, and puffs up like a souffle. Her short ribs are meaty and tender Laurent Gras at Fifth Floor After 12 years with Ducasse, his Waldorf Astoria Peacock Alley won high regard. Now in SF, his Pistachio sea bass with crab salad has won many admirers. He's always experimenting, finding new flavors. Old Vienna Goulash soup with calves liver, Huth, Horvath, and a place called Stomach ("Chez panisse in Vienna"). Kaseland has a hundred Alpine cheeses, and Meinl has the world's best coffee. Kitchen Warriors With a half million Chinese people, this may be the best. Juon Yuan and Green Village, neighbors in a Chinese strip mall. The LA basin towns of Monterey Park, Alhambra, and Rosemead are largely Chinese, with a huge range of food establishments. At Juon Yuan the clam and melon soup is like velvet, and the chicken and chesnuts are sublime. Gourmet Every Day Seared Sccallops with brussells sprouts Potato parmesan puffs Blade steak with mushrooms deep fried portabella, rolled in rye bread crumbs Last Touch penne alla gorgonzola (sage, whole milk, parmigiano) blue cheese butter with port (over baked potatoes) Links to follow

My copy arrived today, so I'll try to get a summary up tonight or tomorrow. Based on the buzz here, it may not be a pleasant task...

I'm very pleased this thread has been restored. Rosie has applied her usual excellent judgement, in my humble opinion. Based on my experience, Tasserts is the real deal. I'm sure Rosie will agree when she gets there.

The food's good, I'll definitely go back. If you're going on Thursday, PM me. Tasserts has picked up a lot of notice on eG, although I had already decided to go before I saw the post. I was over at Kyoto, and saw the guys working on the place. They gave me a tour and told me when they were planning to open. eG has seen more than its share of insider rah-rah (that guy in Nutley and the place in Clifton / Paterson come to mind), but I'm reasonably confident that most of us can smoke out the rats. Even if we have to taste one or two along the way...

Elyse's pecan pie and her Mayan chocolate (Mexican love) cookies may have commercial potential. It's possible she might be able to construct a small professional business with these two. For people who haven't tried the pie, it's a slightly gooey, almost mahogany colored, very nutty pie with a brandy finish. The sweetness isn't a refined sugar effect, it's more the effect of a Drambuie, with a range of sensations on the nose and tongue. PS - did mrs tommy really describe the pie as "really fucking good" or is that your paraphrase of her description?

I had a conversation with a guy in the restaurant supply business this past weekend. He told me that espresso machines are among the most likely resto appliances to break down. Far more trouble than they're worth. I didn't think to ask him which he prefers and carries, but that would have been a good follow-up.

I had lunch there earlier this week. The restaurant was impressive. Empty at 1145, it was about 1/2 filled (perhaps 30 people?) by 1 pm. The room is dominated by very high ceilings and a large kiva type cooking hearth The menu has panini and wood fired pizza / foccacia, engineered sandwiches ($6 to $10), and true entrees in the $12 to $15 range. The sea bass was in the latter category. My companion made that choice, and reported it to be excellent. I had a Cuban pressed sandwich, sliced roast pork with chipotle sauce, and a thin sliced pickle served in a grilled flatbread. It was good, with ample quantities of pork, and a tang to the chipotle. I'm guessing they added a bit of Tabasco to it. An endive and aragula salad with a drizzle of walnut oil was also on the plate. Breads are baked on site, they said. An olive and garlic pane rustica was on the table with soft butter Service was attentive, even though the place filled quickly. There are two or three tables "outside" the French doors which appear to qualify as smoking territory With tip and a bottle of Saratoga water, the tab was $33.

Elyse's large cookies are often very chewy in the centers, which I think is a definite plus. I haven't had the small cookies. The Cuban bread is pretty good, too, and I don't usually care for Cuban bread as I've found many to be bland, in a cornmeal sort of way. I often add ground herbs, fine pepper and salt when I make it.

You are always a gracious and delightful host. I suggested to Donna Ryan at Chikalicious that she try the Farmersville Manchego cheese that you sampled. My sense is the very nutty taste would go well with some of the sweeter elements they offer. Eran is at the Union Square GM on Wednesdays, so it's possible that may be on the menu some day.

Didn't Big Paul Castellano buy it at Sparks? Yup. I believe he was on his way out of Sparks, so at least he had a good last meal. Although the history of Jewish and German gangsters in New York is long and interesting, there's no record of anyone being gunned down in front of Gage & Tollner or Peter Luger.

The layout is an L shaped bar seating about 12, which lets you look into the prep area, kibitz the chefs, listen to the why of prep, etc. There are an additional 10 - 12 seats at tables, where waiter service is provided. The tables don't have a view of the prep area. The waiter, when we were there, was Don Tillman, an owner. Nice guy. Looked like he could bench press me 500 times before he broke a sweat.

Pan - thanks for an interesting report on Chikalicious. Dee and I had dessert there on Sunday, and shared many of the same thoughts. Our amuse was a tiny scoop of cinnamon ice cream with the gelee of basil. Very concentrated taste which I thought might go well with lamb in another context. The "main courses" were made to order, directly in front of us. Chika explained each item, and made a melon sorbet as we watched. (The ice cream maker is on the back counter, as are all the prep tools. The main courses were similar to yours, although I understand the menu changes daily. I had a fromage blanc, soft white cheese plated on a bed of ice with chocolate straws. The plating of the courses was very careful, and I wasn't surprised to see Donna Ryan using a ruler to assure proportions. We had the same petit fours, except the creme fraiche had a lemon taste to it. Chika Tillman mentioned that it is unusual for a pastry chef to watch customers as they sample desserts. It was obvious that gives her great pleasure.

I received a solicitation for a charity event to be held at Bacari. It appears to be a chef's tasting provided by the restaurant, accompanied by a sale of crafts, collectibles, etc. Is anyone familiar with the restaurant and its specialties? I don't know Bacari at all Proceeds benefit Table to Table, an organization which provides food for persons in need.

I've been to Luger's and I love the place! If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, I'd eat there tonight. Where else have you had great steak (in Jersey)? I'm not a big steak eater, although I have enjoyed the steaks at Sammy's in Mendham, and Bacchus in Fairfield. Mignon and Frankie & Johnnies (based on Tommy's recommendation), and Strip House in Livingston remain on my list. Tommy tends to be a pretty good judge of food, and I'd think he'd enjoy Luger's. A group of folks visited there two weeks ago and pronounced it excellent. One highlight was the various steaks (four porterhouses) had distinctly different beefy tastes from steak to steak, although they were each wonderful. My venture was a party of two, so we just had one steak.