Suzanne F

I'm guessing that Suzanne has not been to the Loew's Astor Plaza Theatre in midtown Manhattan. . . . On a brighter note.... I see someone mentioned nutritional yeast as a topping. Not sure if this is the same as powdered brewer's yeast but I was amazed when I tried the brewer's yeast on pocorn - incredibly tasty. Quite correct. I should have said ALL FRESH POPCORN IS GOOD. And yes, a friend swears by brewer's yeast on her popcorn. I have yet to try it, though. I like Goya Adobo seasoning, myself.

I will back you up on Ronzoni. At least as far as American brands are concerned. All the others I've tried don't cook up right, are too gummy, or have no flavor whatsoever. As for readily-available Italian, DeCecco all the way. Consistently correct timings, and good flavor. Everytime I used to hear those commercials touting Barilla as "the most popular pasta in Italy," I think yeah, but isn't Budweiser the most popular beer here?

I've always had a hard time understanding how people could dislike waterchestnuts -- and even more so, once I tasted FRESH ones. Mmmmmm. And taro, every way, shape, and form. Do chilies and fermented black beans count as vegetables?

I don't remember having problems with the fillings -- but during Passover, I got sandwiches on matzo. Can you say "soggy wet cardboard?"

For those who missed it or only got part of it: check the website of your local station. It should have program information and schedules, so you can see when the show will be repeated. I plan to watch it this Sunday afternoon. (Didn't see it at all last night )

Kristin, did you get flooded? Oh, dear. Cooked dinner for the first time in about a week -- HWOE home, 2 houseguests: Mediterranean-style Fish Stew: Broth: fish/lobster stock from the freezer, plus fennel trimmings, shrimp shells, halibut skin and bones, orange zest, saffron, fennel seed, and lots of anisette; cooked down and poured over Vegetables: sliced shallots, carrot slices, and julienne fennel bulb sweated in olive oil, plus cut-up canned tomatoes and steamed tiny red potatoes; served over Mixed fish: sauteed chunks of U10 shrimp, halibut, bay scallops, plus mussels steamed with anisette and shao hsing; Garnished with Sourdough croutons and rouille (mayo, roasted red peppers, garlic, red pepper paste). Mixed leaves with mustard vinaigrette. Paumanok Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2000 and Festival Chardonnay 2001 Cappuccino Mousse Cake (brought by guests).

Italian Regional Cooking by Ada Boni. That's the one I go to first for just about everything. After that, Marcella Hazan.

A possible bright spot in the vast wasteland?

Toppings on steak are for tourists. I'm not a big fan of butter on steak; chalk it up to my sort-of-kosher upbringing. But I, too, like chimmichuri, to cut the richness. Any sauce or topping on the side -- always, and ONLY, on the side. Leaves me the mythical feeling of a modicum of control.

I'm glad to see Old Homestead mentioned favorably for rib steak. Not that I eat it much (too rich!), but I prefer their prime rib to all others. So it makes sense that the rib steak should be good. Does anyone REALLY believe that MarkJoseph is the Manhattan successor to PL? I've seen it written, but can give absolutely no credence to it (only judging by MJ experiences )

Trish -- thanks for the impartial review. I have yet to get there myself, and so was grateful to hear from someone who is not so invested (yet ) in the issue. But damn, now I'm hungry for steak!!

Pea shoots! All the flavor of peas (and more!) without the potential for nastiness. Sautéed with a little -- or a lot -- of garlic. And any other Asian veg with a bitter edge.

Beacon's "Dry Aged New York Cut Sirloin" is good if you like a less-rich cut. Not great, but very good. Love the crust on it. Just watch out -- the hot plate it's served on keeps cooking it, so a rare steak will end up with a thin layer of medium on the bottom.

So I finally made it to Beacon last night, and had the infamous Flaming Orange Gully. The way the bartender made it, it was definitely NOT a girly drink -- really sharp sweet-and-sour, with all those spice notes and the hovering aura of orange oil. The bartender acknowledged that she had trouble doing the flame-thrower thing. It looked to me like part of the problem might be that if you use a match, you need three hands: one for the match, one to striking surface, and one for the orange peel. Has anyone tried using a barbecue lighter? But, man, it could be LETHAL! From the taste, you have no idea how much alcohol is in it -- like a caiparinha. It sure would be easy to end up flat on your, um, back after a couple of those! BTW: after my meal I chatted with the chef de cuisine (Mario Landaverde) a bit about the possibility of setting up a private Beefsteak for eGulleteers. Whatcha think?

I made the gnocchi pretty much the same as the usual potato version. They were a little heavier, which was not necessarily a bad thing; just not ethereal (not that mine ever are ). For the fries, peel the taro, cut it into slices about 3 inches thick, then julienne it on a mandoline (Benriner works fine). Keep the taro in water until it's time to cook it. Then drain VERY WELL, dump it in hot oil, and there you go! I get the taro and Chinese sausage casserole at Great NY Noodletown; it's one of their clay pot dishes.

Sandy, thanks for the report. Definitely worth checking out! I think it's one of the most beautiful rooms in NYC.

Sea bean is a variety of seaweed. Very good, and becoming more available all over.

The reason whole butter makes the popcorn chewy is that it introduces extra moisture. Clarified butter might work better, since the water has been boiled out. But then you'd lose the flavor of the cooked milk solids. Hmmm -- how about using ghee? No water, nutty flavor --- 'scuse me, gotta go experiment.

And here I thought Tabla, by virtue of being on the expensive side, was more "haute." Live and learn.

ALL POPCORN IS GOOD.

There are sweet uses? Oh, boy!!! I adore taro: taro chips, dim sum taro cakes (soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside), with boiled pork belly or in a casserole with Chinese sausages, as shoestring fries -- I've even used it as the basis for gnocchi. Never had it sweet, though. I'm going to have to look for it!

You mean, eGulleteers bow to those "authorities?" I find that hard to believe.

What do you mean by real music? Sorry, Steve, but I don't want to take this as far off-topic as it might go. No synthesizers, no electronics, no scratching-a-piece-of-vinyl; words that, when present, are intelligible and meaningful; notes that can be written on a staff, not merely represented by an X: REAL MUSIC. The end. But of course the only money I ever made related to music was managing a concert hall box office, so my opinion shouldn't matter to you. And, as Yvonne just said, the view of South Asian food that you and some others are expressing is more than a bit of stereotyping, and simply demonstrates that you aren't particularly familiar with it in all its variety and glory. I'll admit I don't know everything about it, either -- who could? -- but at least I don't make the kind of blanket statements you do. But that's just one of the things that makes me, me, and you, Plotz.

I am definitely with g.johnson when he says: Now, I love spicy food, I love hot food, but most of all I love FLAVORFUL food. And to me, some of the most flavorful food is the subtlest. The stuff that makes me roll it around in my mouth and search for nuances of taste. (That's why I was so pleased with the Sweet n Tart dinner; my tastebuds really got a good workout.) Good South Asian food is multi-layered, with different flavors coming through at different times, and to different degrees. Hell, ALL good food is like that, whatever its country of origin. I think way back in this thread, Plotnicki said something about balance being important. Yes, it is! If all I taste is "spicy," it's not very good, no matter where it's from or how much it costs. If all I taste is "heavy cream," ditto. If one flavor thoroughly overpowers all the others, feh. That overpowering flavor could be anything -- cumin, basil, truffle, salt, lemon . . . or chili. The question is not: Is spice good or bad? The question is: Are all the flavors working together peacefully yet vibrantly? That has nothing to do with price or ethnicity. It has to do with intelligence, care, and pride in one's work. And Steve, watch it when you imply that were selling crap. Sure, not every piece was a masterpiece, but those artists generally made REAL music, and expressed universal emotions in an intelligible way.Edit: I got this thread confused with the other one. Sorry.

I "lost" my 10" Messermeister St. Moritz at a job recently, and have finally decided I've just GOT to replace it. Love that heft for whacking stuff. And the length for chopping more at one time. The 8" is okay, but seems so dinky in comparison. BTW: Once I know what I want to buy, I usually get it from Knife Merchant. Good prices, good service, and they carry stuff I can't easily find here.