Suzanne F

Most of the recipes I have for Doro Wat actually call for regular chicken -- anywhere from 2 pounds to 2 kilos -- but it struck me that one recipe called for one itty bitty bird. And I'm pretty sure that when I've had it in restaurants, such as the late lamented Abbysinia, they used regular chicken.

Are you sure you want to do those for a crowd? Larousse Gastronomique © 1961 says they're made like Noisette potatoes -- balls the size of large hazelnuts cut out of whole potatoes with a melon-baller, then fried in butter until golden -- only smaller, tossed with veal glace after cooking, and sprinkled with parsley. Escoffier says pretty much the same.

One more bit of Rock Cornish Game Hen trivia: The comedian Victor Borge supposedly made a fortune raising the little cluckers. I've seen recipes for Doro Wat (an Ethiopian chicken-and-egg stew) that call for one of those birds to feed 4 or more people. Well, at least that will add some flavor.

Tasmania? Hell, there are probably still some counties here in the States where it's illegal.

The first review William Grimes had in the NY Times included a phrase something like "The rice pudding had too much nutmeg." That immediately made me dislike him. It sounded as though he were setting up as the ultimate authority on how much nutmeg there should be in rice pudding -- oh dear, what other pronunciamentos might he now make? If he had simply said, "The rice pudding had too much nutmeg for my taste," I would have trusted him more at the outset. Sometimes use of the first person can remind the reader, "Hey, this is my opinion, but I trust you to make your own judgment," which might not be a bad during the honeymoon between a new reviewer and his or her audience. (Please note, once again, I am talking only about reviewers as distinct from critics. To me, a critic is an expert deserving of attention for the knowledge she or he imparts on a subject.)

Oh boy! Even though I'm not much for desserts, Chika's are terrific! And she is a doll, too, really nice.

The recipe that Pixelchef posted is pretty much close to the one in Betty Crocker's Cookbook from 1969. That one calls for one pound of beef tenderloin cut in 8 slices, and says that rib eye steak can also be used. James Beard's American Cookery (1972) has two versions, both minus the mushrooms but plus "brown sauce" or meat glaze. One calls for 1/2 pound butter and 1/2 cup oil for four servings, but I think that might be a typo since the total used in the directions is only 10 tablespoons "plus another tablespoon or two" to finish the sauce. Besides, the other version only calls for 1/2 cup of butter and 1/4 cup of oil.

Just heard one in the "are you sure you want to know?" category: Strange Fruit Smoothie Bar and Restaurant, in the jazz district of Kansas City.

When we lived in DC and worked at a theater near Dupont Circle, we (He Who Only Eats and I) went to Annie's a lot. The only time we had the slightest bit of trouble was when we inadvertently tried to jump the line. Well, we deserved the nasty looks then, for being so rude! Then again, HWOE is pretty cute To me, it was far more uncomfortable walking into a "tavern" in Montreal 30 years ago with a bunch of male friends -- at that time, taverns were male-only. Believe me, a barful of hostile heteros is worse than anything!

"Cold pizza for breakfast, Warm Coke on the side" -- lyric by Christine Lavin. fifi -- never feel inferior here. There is always someone with even more bizarre taste than you. I mean, look at Jinmyo: steak, for gosh sakes! (BTW: I consume peanut butter from a spoon exclusively. )

Mmmmmm, nice sangweech indeed. Did a late brunch for us today (after very late dinner last night at Otto): huevos rancheros with eggs over easy, white corn tortillas toasted over the open flame, D'Artagnan chorizo, homemade salsa verde and bought (Old El Paso) salsa rojo. The beans were (canned ) red kidney beans mushed up with homemade pickled onions and roasted garlic, chipotle paste, Mexican oregano, and sherry vinegar. That was six and a half hours ago and we're still not hungry for dinner.

Aramark got the contract for MSG that HMS had, so maybe they do Shea also. This is just a guess.

He Who Only Eats and I finally made it to Otto last night (Saturday). We arrived about 10:20 pm and were told we'd have a 30 to 45 minute wait. Turned out to be about 30. Enoteca was close to full. While waiting, we started a bottle of Poderuccio Toscana 2000, a cheapie ($30) Super Tuscan -- the label only said "Indicazione Geografica Tipica." Not having had any ST before, can't say how representative a specimen it was. But as it opened up, it was very pleasant: a tiny bit smoky, smooth, maybe a little thin but good with or without food. Once seated, we decided that the noise level was many times higher than the Bottom Line, where we'd just come from (Olu Dara ). Our waiter didn't seem to like my telling him that no, we had not been there before but yes, I fully understood the menu. So he insisted on "explaining" (=listing) the daily specials, which are all listed on the menu anyway. And I don't think he wanted to answer my question about did they happen to have cardoons? But since it was so loud, we didn't have to listen to him. Anyway, he stopped coming to our table eventually and we dealt with someone else for most of the meal. We ordered: Antipasti: artichokes; cipolline; testa; scungilli. Pizza: Funghi & Tallegio (one for the two of us). The artichokes were wonderful: flavored with lemon zest and sweet onion strands. The cipolline were just okay; neither really sweet, nor sweet/sour. And there was a LOT of cooked green and red pepper with them -- not my favorite filler. The cipolline at Prune were much better. Testa was one of the best things I've ever eaten. Very obviously lots of tongue; I'm not sure of the source locations of the other bits of meat. What really got me about it, though, was the flavoring with orange zest (and maybe a hint of cinnamon?). Never had anything like it. Scungilli was also just okay. Seemed pretty much your standard scungilli salad, with lots of thinly sliced celery and a mild, lemony dressing. Unfortunately, I think the portion was peppered AFTER it was placed in the serving ramekin, so the first spoonful I took was way too peppery, and the rest lacked it entirely. Since we'd never been before, I can't say if the pizza has improved since the place opened. But once we got used to it, we both thought it delicious. Yes, the crust did seem to have some salt in the dough so it had flavor, and was nicely charred in places. A bit more chewy than crisp, didn't flop when picked up. Of course, with portobellos and tallegio, even matzo would taste good. This was much better than matzo, though. At one point, our original waiter came over to clear some plates, and asked if we'd like more bread. Yes. So he took my partially-eaten bread, and disappeared. For a long time. Eventually another waiter noticed my bread-deprived wild look and came over, apologizing that they had run out of bread. (!) Of course we had to have dessert: some each of the lemon-basil sorbetto, caramel gelato, and hazelnut stracciatella gelato. I was a bit surprised that HWOE wanted the caramel, because he's not that fond of sweet stuff. No need to fear, though. It was just this side of burnt sugar, with a little sugar sweetness left, a little bitterness starting to make itself known. The hazelnut was merely great. And the lemon-basil sorbetto was tart, herbacious but not overpoweringly so, and just sweet enough to still be dessert instead of a palate cleanser. Wingding, great work! Rich, fragrant espresso, both regular and decaf, with good crema.

Hear, hear. No parsley. No mint. No 6-inch sprig of rosemary. Not unless it complements the other food on the plate.

Wow, you guys are actually able to COOK? Not me: I have a tendency to drop things when I'm in that condition, things like knives, jars, etc. I just lose my grip (on lots of things ). So I'm for "whatever's in the fridge that's edible RIGHT NOW," like deli meat or cheese or leftovers.

Can't help you with sources (I'm in a different part of the country), but preparation is another matter. First of all, if you can, get them already cleaned (but then you have to cook them very very soon). If you have to clean them, remove the triangular flap on the underside, and the gills. Once they're clean, they are really easy to cook: coat them with seasoned flour and saute in butter (preferably clarified). OR dip in tempura batter and fry. By the time they look done (nice and golden), they are. All they really need is a squeeze of lemon, if that. Yummmmm.

Until I saw you're vegetarian, I was going to suggest Soul Fixin's on 34th just east of 9th Ave. But if you do a search on this forum for "Korean" you'll get tons of Korean places just a little to the east including ones that have vegetarian dishes. There are a couple of steak places: Nick + Stef's (33rd between 7th and 8th), and Tupelo Grill, on the other side of the same street.

Mine is never the same twice, like most of the rest of my home cooking. The only constants are that I prefer to keep the avocado chunky, and I alway add lime juice and salt. What else goes in depends on what I have in the fridge, and how much time I want to take. Add-ins include: - minced onion, either raw or pickled (white onions in white vinegar, water, salt, sugar, Mexican oregano, and right now allspice berries); - minced garlic; - finely sliced scallions (if no onion); - chopped cilantro (HWOE might refuse to eat the guac otherwise ); - finely diced seeded tomato, if they're in season; - chilies, fresh if I've got (jalapeno or serrano) or pickled if not (jalapeno, cherry, habanero); - chopped green olives with pimento; - pickled roasted red peppers. I think that's it for home. When I made it at work, it was only large-dice avocado, shredded scallion, fresh lime juice, salt and pepper. Nada mas. Avocado note: all I ever see are Hass and those tasteless monsters from Florida. Hass all the way!!!!!

Hi, Rev! Welcome. Never be embarrassed about what you post here. Besides, you can hardly go wrong with STEAK with this bunch.

I second this one. I've got a couple of others: Tapas by Ann & Larry Walker, and From Tapas to Meze by Joanne Weir. But Casas's book is the classic. Well-researched, well-written. And delicious!

Fear me not. I totally agree. They have their own delicate flavor that complements all others, and a sturdy flakiness that supports yet yields. They are the ideal "wife" of the cracker world.

HWOE points out that from an intestinal point of view, there is no difference between Krispy Kreme and Jiffy Lube.

Taking one specimen of each gender and holding each up as THE representative is just plain bad science. Besides, Bourdain is as self-indulgent as they (male and female) come, and if Reichl wasn't about sex, who is? "Conventional wisdom" ain't wisdom; it's just another way to continue stereotypes without making the effort to do serious research. Gee, I guess that means I'm a man, huh? Edit-ion: I apologize for helping this thread veer so far OT. No más.

Couldn't find any moss recipes, but PM me if you want to know how to serve cattails or milkweed stalks or water lily popcorn.

That's what I always disliked about Ruth Reichl's restaurant reviews. Although I do think it's disingenuous for a reviewer to try to absent him- or herself from the piece in an attempt to seem totally objective. Critics must be, but reviewers can't. (My opinion ) Many of us here are still working out our personal styles -- most definitely in the plural for each of us, unless we expect to only write within very narrow subjects and genres. Holly refines on that point when he says Just as humor is appropriate in some writing but not in other.Edit-ion: Take out the attribution to gender, and I'm with you all the way. Because I doubt the network execs who made the decision to add in all that crap were female.