Suzanne F

But didn't Craig Claiborne say: "Grits is good. I eat it every day"? I once went to a cooking demo by Anne Rosenzweig, who cooked grits in half-and-half. Mmmmmmmm. And yes, dlc, I've done the cheese-grits souffle thing. Might have gotten it off the Quaker package? Just made polenta last night (Bob's Red Mill brand, coarse grind). The directions they give say to cook it for 30 minutes -- that's pretty normal. But the odd thing to me was that in the directions for serving it as cereal, you're only supposed to cook it 5 minutes. Wouldn't it be too watery still, and too chewy?

You could call it "Chicken Scarface."

Gee, I don't know for sure, but here's one thread and yet another thread in which we've already discussed the scary possibility that it might be so.

Paging JAZ, Paging JAZ

Review of Blini Hut, for TDG competition #3 You enter from lower Manhattan; but once inside, you might as well be overlooking the KGB looking you over in Krasnoye Ploshchad (Red Square). With its rustic, fiber-board walls, splintered beams, and orange plastic trays, Blini Hut is the Russia of your dreams. A limited but enticing menu based mainly on potatoes and cabbage takes your tongue back to Mother Russia, and you'll be happy to follow. The pea soup will remind you of the Volga at its industrial-effluvium best. Pelmeni – those Siberian sinkers of dun-colored dough filled with the most mysterious of minced meats – truly shine in their slick of oil-topped, water-enhanced broth. Be sure to try to get an order of sour cream before its expiry to go with them. Nowhere outside of Kiev will you find a better Pojarski Cutlet, that magnificent melange of cottony crumbs and a soupcon of poultry by-product, blanketed with a breadth of breadstuffs, deep-fried to golden perfection, and served on the fluffiest, spongiest, whitest of Wonder-ful rolls. And the blini, you ask? The blini? Ah, the blini! They would bring a tear to Brezhnev's eye, if Brezhnev bit the blini bystroh (quickly). What a shame for Brezhnev that he's been dead for as long as the blini batter's been bucketed. The staff, all undoubtedly descendents of Pushkin, show none of that Soviet attitude one has come to expect in such establishments. They are well-versed in the beverage list, which includes vintage kvass and the best of bottled "Voda," and will gladly offer to "supersize" your choice. And they have the most endearingly socialist way of saying, "Chto vam noozhno – kartofl izshcharitz?" ("You want fries with that?") Blini Hut is at 132 Nassau Street, Lower Manhattan. NOTE: Unfortunately, since this review was written, Blini Hut ran afoul of the local tax collection authorities. The owner hopes that this silly misunderstanding will be resolved as soon as he applies the required emolument, and he will be able to reopen in the near future.

Uh oh, sounds like a job for...M I C R O P L A N E! jeez, i've got to get a life.

Two points: 1. Our member ShawtyCat is married to "the blind waiter." 2. It doesn't fit the physical description of a diner, but Dot's in Wilmington, VT sure fits the culinary profile. Great breakfasts (banana pancakes, berry-berry pancakes ), decent sandwiches, excellent chili. The waitresses don't have teased hair, but they're great and remember you from year to year. Oh, yeah, and the McDot's Deluxe: eggs, sausage, cheese, etc. on a double roll. Heart attack city.

Louisa, ditto what Holly said. From what I've "seen" of you, I believe that you definitely have your head on straight. And if you can't share your joy at being recognized for your hard work with your friends here, we would be a much poorer site.

Brooke, thank you so much for your responses. It does seem odd, since oysters used to be cheap cheap cheap. Thanks also for allowing Jason to post the recipe. AND for your batter suggestion, which is probably the way I'll go. Fried clams need the crunch of cornmeal, but fried oysters are better with the contrast of a light, crisp crust over the melting mollusk, IMHO. And Golden Dipt is so easy to find!

Whoever told you that???? I've kept the paste in my fridge for ages, and it's still okay (although perhaps not quite as strong as it once was). Tamarind concentrate also keeps just fine. But you'll probably find lots of ways to use THAT, so it shouldn't be an issue. However, it's the coconut milk that does not keep more than a day or 2.

Neither did I -- but it makes perfect sense to me!

I cannot tell a lie. Yes. It exists. I saw it the other day in a store. (Sorry, Ben )

But is this as bad as peanut butter in a cellophane-wrapped slice, a la American Cheese? To me that's THE worst.

Did you get the trio of dips/spreads/chutneys and flatbreads (the AZ version of bread-and-butter-or-olive-oil)? The two times I ate there, that was a highlight of the meal. I'm glad you enjoyed the meal, mostly. I like AZ.

It was up from the town. The view from my room was of the laundry line, so I can't be sure what else could be seen. It may have had a terrace, but this was 30+ years ago. ??? The reason I went there in the first place was that I had recently seen Eric Rohmer's film, "Claire's Knee," and I thought it was one of the most beautiful places on earth. Even though much of the "action," such as it was, took place in Talloires.

A colleague of HWOE stayed to dinner after a meeting: Fettucine (bought dried) with artichokes, peas, thyme, and scallions (inspired by Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) Pan-grilled veal loin chops Mixed salad (watercress, Belgian endive, radicchio, red leaf, and romaine) with mustard/garlic vinaigrette (mixed a couple o weeks ago and sitting in the fridge waiting to be used up) Paumanok Barrel Select Chardonnay; I finished off the Paumanok Festival chardonnay while I was cooking

Perhaps it was on account of her role in The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom. Naw -- probably because of her role in the revival of "House of Blue Leaves" a few years ago: Bananas Shaughnessy.

Yes to whatever everyone else has said. And: if they have the skate grenobloise with blood oranges and cauliflower, GET THAT!!!! It was the best skate I've ever had. (Oh, no, I don't get hyper about dishes. ) Also, they had great gnocchi with mushrooms. And the gougere (cream-puff dough with cheese) are always fun.

I've worked for chefs who demand black pepper only, and others who won't consider anything except white. But they all use some sort of peppercorn. While it is not as useful as salt for highlighting flavors in general (as Jinmyo points out), pepper does make a subtle contrast to certain flavors, especially the sweet notes that one might not otherwise taste. Anyway, that my analysis. Want to be scientific? Make something in two batches, one with pepper and one without. Can you taste a difference? I'll bet you can, even if you use that god-awful pre-ground stuff of either color. Then everybody come back here and we'll compare notes so that we can figure this thing out.

The award winners from tonight's ceremony are being posted even as I type! Check them out at: Beard Awards.

Varmint, you yourself have announced the way you can slim down, build muscle (which adds more weight, though), and be an all-around great guy: More! More!! all of the LV's, all the time!!!!! That will allow Dr. Mrs. V. to spend 60 hours a week healing the sick, and you will be more in touch with the young 'uns during their formative years. Just a thought. PS: is it really strep? I hope not. I had a bear of a sore throat a few weeks ago, to the point where I actually took antibiotics. Not fun. If you have to take antibiotics, remember to take acidophilus afterwards to rebuild your good eColi.

As I recall, at the old ballpark in Baltimore, they used to sell crabcake "sandwiches" on saltines. But they couldn't possibly have been as good as the crabcakes you guys had. Yummmmmmmmm.

The article that lissome linked to about Veyrat, Bras, et Marcon made me wonder about a place I stayed at in 1971: L'Hôtel des trésoms et de la fôret. Does anyone know if it still exists? I remember it being rather simple and bourgeois, but it was my first experience with French dining IN France.

But Fat Guy, isn't it possible that some mass-production facility DOES do that, the way the F. X. Matt brewery is the source of all those "microbrews" under other names? Of course, to be honest, I'm not sure they're not all just the same beer under different names.

96 Second Ave, between 5th and 6th Streets. 212-674-5870 Owned by the same folk who own The Harrison and Red Cat.