Suzanne F

Apart from the slap at USans, I agree with Jackal10. Mostly. DO salt and pepper heavily: it will be a lovely crust. And a light thin soup or fish app would be perfect. What's in season that you could use for soup? The advantage to roasted root vegetables is that they can be done in the pan with the beef, and pick up flavo(u)r from it. The disadvantage, though, is that people might be sick of them by this late in the winter. Lightly sautéed greens would be excellent. And if you don't roast potatoes, what about just a simple mash, with lots of butter? If it's really a good slab of meat, you'll get a good jus. Just make sure to use good wine to deglaze the pan, and a really strong beef or brown veal stock. I would not do much more, maybe throw in some herbs but then strain them out before serving. Panna cotta, YES -- how about a buttermilk version, with rhubarb compote? Mmmmmmmmmmm.

What a unique thought!

Mrsadm -- for an absolute beginner, I think one cannot do better than Mary Berry and Marlena Spieler's The New Cook, available on Amazon, among other sources. I just adore that book. It's got very clear instructions, and pictures of almost every ingredient, piece of equipment, and technique a beginner might need. I have not looked at Ms. Berry's other books, of which there are many, but if they are anything like The New Cook in thoroughness and clarity, they'd be great for someone who already knows the basics. I also like Peterson's Essentials of Cooking, which I had not seen before I wrote about Glorious French Food. If I had, I probably would have said, "Get Essentials and then everything in Glorious will be a snap." And yes, Brad, Pepin's Complete Techniques is easily available.

Just off the top of my head -- I'd love a system that includes a formula by which - the quality of the ingredients, - the availability of food-appropriate beverages, - the neatness of food presentation, - the cleanliness of all public areas, - the attitude, willingness, and circumspection of service, - the noise level, and - the lighting level are all factored in according to a standard set of criteria. Then that number is multiplied by the inverse of the average dinner price. This levels the field, so that an inexpensive, "ethnic" (forgive me) that caringly serves excellent food made from less-fancy (but good) ingredients still has as much of a chance to be rated as highly as a "fancy" place that charges much more. Each of the these categories can be quantified on an absolute scale -- as Steve P. just said, it has to be absolute. But in addition to the final rating, people have to know the individual components as well. So they can decide whether to put up with dumpiness for excellent pizza. Anyone want to discuss, or refute? Fine with me.

Hey: look what I just found on another website that shall remain nameless: PS: the one response that actually named a critic mentioned . . . Fat Guy. According to the post, he "blows away the competition."

I'd probably keep them close to the same amount, or reduce slightly. After all, unless you're using first-rate, carefully raised, really flavorful meat, it will need all the help it can get. Besides, sometimes the meat is less important than the GRAVY in which case you want to make a good gravy with a little meat in it.

Thanks for reminding me why I don't even watch public TV.

Well, I am pleased to report that my 12" is now a beautiful black seasoned pro. Used it twice yesterday: first to shallow-fry some curried red-lentil/chickpea flour fritters. After the remaining oil was cool, I poured it out and gave the pan a good wipe with paper towels. No washing. Later, I sprayed it very lightly with canola and cooked a 1-1/2" thick shell steak (heavily salted and peppered first). Best crust I've ever gotten on a piece of meat! I did have to rinse out the congealed fat afterwards. But I think unless I start to get flavor transfer, I'll just keep wiping it out without washing. Mon Colonel is dead on with his procedures.

Ah, this explains some of your other posts!

Um, Mark, see: this pronouncement.

Coat one side of a slice of rye (or whole wheat) bread with butter. Coat one side of the same kind of bread with dijon mustard. Peel and slice one or two eggs. Place egg slices on top of butter. Sprinkle very lightly with salt, somewhat more heavily with pepper. On top of egg slices, place slices of Emmenthaler or Gruyère or sharp Cheddar, or some other well-flavored-but-not-too-strong cheese. Optional: on cheese, place slices of dead-ripe tomatoes. Cover with second slice of bread, mustard side down. Cut in half, if preferred. Eat.

I'm with Elyse on this: too large a pan means more surface area, and a less-deep layer of liquid. Also, did you, um, cover the pan?

Well, that's two of us. Actually three: also He Who Only Eats, as well. But today at my local Food Emporium, I saw for the first time in several years, OAT BRAN English muffins. I never believed they have any particular health benefits, but they taste good. Welcome back. And not just prune whip (Dannon, 40 years ago before it got all popular) -- mandarin orange, too. The whole point is: if WE like them, of course no one else will, since our taste is so clearly superior to the average eater's.

Jen, if you really want to have some fun, look up the old threads on "offal." I don't really remember being picky, although I probably was. Although I do remember trying to live on Triscuits, cheese, and dry cured sausage so that I wouldn't have to leave the bedroom to eat dinner with my parents...

Wait a minute, you mean people actually BUY coffe mugs? Not just get them as premiums from their public radio station? Or as party favors, or awards, or "gifts" from the New York Knicks? (Those are THE BEST -- café au lait size, and they came with a pint thermos!) Go on, you're all kidding! BTW: what I drink my coffee IN is usually my bathrobe, or sweats; I drink it FROM a cup from WNYC or Hallmark or Minnesota or the City Planning Commission. Or the Knicks.

I was thinking the frozen pre-sliced meats you can get in Chinese stores for hot pots. No extra weight of bone and trim. And, OF COURSE, don't forget a nice slab of bacon.

No. Because then it wouldn't be pastrami!

I'm with Wilfrid on the "drain off the soaking water and remove the crap" idea. I am in the "always stir" camp, at least for stove-top cooking: you never know when something might be sticking to the bottom of the pot, even in masses of liquid. It's less a worry when cooking in the oven, since the heat is more evenly distributed around the pot, not concentrated only at the bottom.

and that's exactly what will make this thread interesting, and, no doubt, a long thread of cyclical debate about objectivity and subjectivity, unless, of course, the 10 people who always debate this type of thing are too engrossed in the other 3 threads about objectivity/subjectivity that are motoring along quite happily as we speak, he said. Ooops, sorry. I misread. Thought you said "cynical debate."

I have a story about taking notes, which I already told here, so I won't bore people with it again. All I can say is, if you want to take notes, take notes. If you want to ask questions of the waiter, ask away (a well-trained waiter should be able to answer almost all of your questions, or else know when to bring in backup). What do you care what you may look like to the staff or other diners? And if someone asks you why you're taking notes, um, sounds to me like the proper way to answer.

Numbers by themselves are meaningless. What are the criteria for ranking places? That's part of the problem with reacting to any such system: no one reveals their criteria (certainly not the Times), although possibly with careful reading the criteria could be deduced. I daresay each of us here has a different set of criteria, even different sets for different types of restaurants; some might be subjective, some objective. I'll have to think about this seriously before I can list my criteria.

That says it all. And shandy, but I haven't committed that sin against good taste in about 30 years.

Right now I get my ducks at Great NY Noodletown, but I'm not entirely thrilled with their (lack of ) spicing. It's convenient, though, since we eat there often. Note, though, that they just raised the price -- from $13 to $14 (I checked ) But it seems to be more consistently tasty than before, and not overly soy-sauced. In any case, the temperature will probably depend on how long it's been hanging in the window.

I was all set to pick up some Pret a Manger sandwiches, but the store was already closed by 6:00p.m. So after class, bought a piece of swordfish at Grand Central Market. Was that all right? I can't remember if we're still not supposed to eat swordfish. Dinner started at 9:15p.m., ready at 9:35p.m. Swordfish grilled in cast-iron pan, finished in the oven Sauced with ponzu + orange oil (a little O Orange and a little Boyajian) Basmati rice (leftover, reheated ) Almost-but-not-quite-totally-unlike-oshi-tashi: spinach cooked with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame seeds and oil. (no fish flakes) The usual salad suspects with balsamic vinaigrette Paumanok 2000 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

No, but it's one of the best.