Suzanne F

I'm with you, kiddo. It's the best to use for spreading on bread, crackers, matzo, pita, WASA, Finn Crisp, melba toast, English muffins, etc. etc. etc.

Welcome, jjpuss! Have you had a chance to read the threads on other kitchen renovations -- the Perlows, Marlene's? We'd love to hear your war stories, and see pictures if and when it's done, if you can.

If you time it properly, you can vote twice in one day. It used to be easy, but now I think they record the time better, so you have to do it 12 hours apart. Vote early and often, as they used to say in Chicago. Or Jersey City. Or Five Points. Whatever.

Ditto. I also second those who say wrap it very, very well. Otherwise it will definitely pick up off-odors. Previously-frozen butter works fine for making clarified butter, something I use a lot for sauteeing.

No mint. No cherries, raspberries, strawberries, orange, or any other fruit. No nuts, except for maybe hazelnuts. No milk in it. Maybe coffee. But mostly, just plain CHOCOLATE (70% minimum)

Now, now, Wilfrid. I quite enjoyed a shrimp cocktail I had there some months ago: the shrimp were quite large, not overly chilled, and served head on (and the whole rest of the shell as well, of course).

Cabrales, welcome back. I notice that there have been several posts in the hour or so I've been working on this; any bearing they might have on this is purely coincidental. I don't understand what you mean when you say: To me, "stark" connotes simple in the extreme. Related to food that would mean, among other things:- with no complexity of flavor other than that inherent in the (generally sole) ingredient - with no contrast of textures in the finished dish as served - perhaps unsauced - cooked by one single method (steamed; poached; roasted; sauteed; boiled), not a combination (braised; escovitched, stewed). While some of those characteristics hold for some South Asian food, I could never apply them to all the various cuisines taken together. So please explain what YOU mean, that I may understand your position better. Thanks. As for personal relationships -- I agree with Tommy that being "known" probably has no effect on the quality of the food we are served. On the quantity, most definitely (as I've experienced in other restaurants of whatever ethnicity) -- the extra dishes unordered yet served. As I've noted, the tandoori dishes Chef Hemant prepares are consistent; it is the other food that is not. Some, I might add, had been better later, than on my initial visit; this when Suvir was not present. And on the question of expectations: I first went to Diwan expecting a much higher level of food than one gets at restaurants on Sixth Street or Curry Hill. I expected better than I get at Salaam Bombay and Spice Grill, both of which are (objectively) considered better than those two locations. True, my only experience with South Asian food has been in this country; so I cannot make comparisons to the best served on its native soil, whether in a home or commercial establishment. But I was not merely surprised at Diwan; I was astonished at the complexity, and the (unexpected) flavors and preparation methods. My delight was based on objective criteria of comparison (did the spices taste raw? did they sound only one note? was the chicken dried out?) as well as subjective taste. After all, I do not believe there can possibly be any absolutes when it comes to food.

Not entirely the case -- Ruth Fertel is gone, but her empire lives on. But then, I doubt many people even knew that there WAS a real live Ruth. To get back to LEYE and such: an Ed Debevic's opened here in NYC some years ago, on Broadway near New York University. If it lasted a year, I'd be surprised. Ditto Schlotzky's, ditto J. Bildner. Okay, Bildner was ahead of its time, IMO. But the other two come out of successful corporations. How could those corps. have miscalculated so badly?

Sorry Stephanie, it wouldn't have helped. This thing only covers index, middle, and ring fingers. Pinky and thumb are left to their own curling under. Think flat stainless steel version of brass knuckles. boy, do I wish the picture were online!

Jennifer -- edit the url (delete the extra http stuff) and it works fine.

Could be. There were definitely nuts in the cake which, btw, was a fairly thin layer, about 1cm in height.

There's a picture in the hard copy. It wraps around the first three fingers -- poor little pinky is left out on its own. Appears to be flat on the "bottom" (at the fingertip end) and curved on top, up near the knuckles. Comes up about halfway between first joint and knuckle, so you have to keep your fingers straight from knuckle to tip. Ouch. Think Elsa Peretti cuff bracelet? but mostly flattened. BTW, there's no mention as to whether it's ambidextrous.

Wilfrid, life is unfair. Therefore we should just keep toddling along as we have been. Although Tommy does have a point . . .

This is what I meant about it being unfair to critique a restaurant on only one meal. Although now I'm not sure to whom it's unfair. Maybe "inaccurate" would be more accurate.

Pan -- our dinner: 1 app, 2 mains, 1 dessert, 2 sherries, 1/2 bottle of wine, 1 coffee and 1 cappuccino -- totaled $107 before tax. As I recall, mains were generally in the low-to-mid $20s; apps hovered on both sides around $10. Portions were quite sufficient (except the sherry, which seemed to be a one ounce pour at $7 ).

Sauteed veal cubes with mixed wild mushrooms (mush. left over from dinner at Beacon a few weeks ago and stored in freezer), reduced veal stock Rotelle Baked sliced chayote topped with cheese/herb crumbs and sliced almonds The ubiquitous salad, made by HWOE, with white balsamic and olive oil Paumanok Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, 2000

You are most welcome. I blush to admit that the cracklings never last long enough to make it outside the kitchen, if you know what I mean. Sincerely, Tubby Suzanne

FLASH: AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE (nearly) LOST THEIR FINGERPRINTS WHILE SLICING: I just received the February 2003 newsletter (yeah, well . . .) from La Cuisine in Alexandria, Va. Unfortunately, it is not yet online; they're only up to November 2002. In any case . . . They offer for sale the Chef's Knife Finger Guard, The sizing depends on the length of the user's middle finger.

Well, you're talking about two very different dishes. Baked, as I assume you mean it, is really just custard with pre-cooked rice in it. Nowhere near the creamy, full-flavored, outrageously rich stirred version. (Guess which one I prefer? ) I grew up on the baked custard kind. I wouldn't quite call the skin revolting, but it was not pleasant. Especially as the days wore on and it got more leathery. What bothered me more was the rice all sinking to the bottom.

That haroset recipe reminds me: for that same Italian-Jewish seder, I made haroset with a combination of fresh and dried fruit, and used a half-bottle of dessert wine we had received as a gift from our non-Jewish brother-in-law. I forget what all exactly went into it, and what the wine was, but it was sensational! When I mentioned what wine I'd used, the bro-in-law turned pale. Turns out this was super-duper wine, that retailed at something like $35 for the half. Well, yeah, it WAS great! Foodie52: I hope those Manischewitz jello shots were made with Ko-jel. Actually, sounds like a pretty good use to me.

Thanks. Guess I'll try it, once I go get some Accent.

Since I posted that it moved again, to the Front Street side of the Prudential building (that huge granite thing). You can get information on the location, hours, and such at the TDF website. It says you MUST buy matinee tickets a day ahead at the South Street Seaport location.

To get back to The Harrison: we finally ate there last night, and I most gladly WOULD go back. We split one app and one dessert, and shared two mains. The app was jamon serrano with grilled quince and manchego -- served as a layered dish with a couple of triangles of tomato-rubbed toasted bread. Seemed quite Spanish. The ham was superb -- much sweeter than proscuitto. The bread and cheese were also excellent. Quince was a nice idea that didn't quite work: the light grilling didn't develop the flavor much. We were surprised by a gift from the chef after our apps: small portions of salt-crusted black cod atop a ring of avocado slices filled with brunoise vegetables, in a pool of tomato water. (On our way in, I saw the chef -- Joey Campanaro -- and asked how and where his brother was; Lou was a sous chef at Zeppole when I worked there, and I learned a lot from him, and liked him. So I guess that qualified us as PPX. ) It was a wonderful appetizer: the salty crust on buttery big-flaked fish, and strongly tomato-flavored jus -- and very beautiful with shades of red and green and the golden crust. I'm not sure it would work as a main -- don't know what could accompany it, and much more salt crust might be too much. But it made a lovely app. Mains: grilled artic char, and braised lamb shank (well, it was cold and rainy and snowy out). The char came with braised napa cabbage (tomato concasse garnish) and a lacy little potato pancake; sauce was somewhat creamy, but had more flavors as well. Excellent piece of fish, with crisp skin but not too much grill flavor. The huge lamb shank was served with slightly lumpy mashed potatoes, garlicky sauteed greens (escarole, I think), and "onion rings" which turned out to be not the fried kind but crisply sauteed naked rings of onion. A very reduced -- almost too much, since lamb jus especially congeals as it cools -- meaty sauce. Half bottle of a Sancerre Rouge went well with both dishes: not to heavy for the fish, and acidic enough to balance the rich meat. Dessert: frozen blood orange souffle on "love cake" with passion fruit mousse and a sauce flavored with lemon thyme. A very impressive-looking dish: in a soup plate, from the bottom up: sauce, thyme leaves and orange supremes; a diamond of cake; an extremely crisp cylinder of some sort on non-sweet pastry, filled with the mousse; a disc of the frozen souffle, on edge -- all speared through with a candy straw. Vertical food is not completely dead. I have no idea what "love cake" is other than nutty and rich. Great flavor and texture contrasts in this dessert. And not really as much to eat as it sounds. I could have eaten it all by myself. Tables on either side of us ordered the signature fried clams (HUGE portion) and liver -- and exclaimed over how good they were. Now I'm definitely looking forward to going back, and to trying Jimmy Bradley's new Mermaid Inn in the East Village.

Soba and I were offered -- and took -- the tasting menu when we were there a couple of weeks ago. It is generally available. I would not take it again, though, for several reasons. The most important is that it is just too much food. Even without the little extras that the chef sent us. Second reason is that there are still many dishes I haven't tried, that I want to (tandoori and regular). And finally, as much as I adore the food there, alas, it can be inconsistent. Rather more than a restaurant should be to merit the praise I initially gave it. Don't get me wrong, it's incredibly good sometimes; but at other times it's just very good, and sometimes just all right. Or all three, even on the same visit. Chef Hemant's tandoori dishes are always spot on. But the "cooked" dishes can vary wildly. Case in point: the crispy okra. At the banquet, heavenly. The second time, not as crisp, and just okay (that was a huge disappointment to me). Third time, back to heaven, or pretty close. Ditto the crab beggar's purse. But on the whole, even with the inconsistencies, Diwan provides a taste experience I have not had elsewhere. That's what keeps me going back.

Soba -- well, there's also Dok Suni's more upscale sibling, Do Hwa, on Carmine Street. And Kori, on Church Street in Tribeca. But yes, their food is Korean-based rather than real Korean. Which is precisely what makes them New Yorkan. From the very little I know (ten years ago I worked with a Korean-born intern who graciously shared the lunches her mother packed ) Cho Dang Gol is the real deal. And do they love it there when we order stuff like boiled pork belly with raw oysters -- "Oh, you like it? You are willing to try it? Oh, thank you, thank you." My theory is that cooks of immigrant cuisines want SO MUCH that other groups should like their food,* that yes, they change it based on what they imagine others would like: tone down the spicing, subsititute "more familiar" ingredients, etc. until it isn't really their food anymore. As had been said before in this thread (probably by me ) THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT NEW YORKAN. *oops, that's my NYan linguistic background popping out: I want you should . . .