Suzanne F

Kim, I've never thought of beets as tasting like dirt. And believe me, I've eaten my share of dirt. But Ranitidine is right, taste literally varies from person to person. If you want to try it, scrub the beets (skin on). Coat them with a little oil, and put them in a roasting pan. Cover with foil, or not. Bake them at a fairly high temperature (up to 400º F), until they pierce easily with a knife. Let them cool. Slip off the skins (wear gloves and cover the work surface; THEY STAIN!) when they're cool, chunk them up and mix with the other stuff. The reason I hated them when I was a kid was that I had to eat them AFTER my mother had boiled all the juice out of them, making borscht. Blech. Roasting intensifies the sweetness and flavor.

On the NYC list, I would add Phil Suarez and his partner(s), the folks behind Jean-Georges Vongerichten and several lesser lights. I believe they must have more input than just money. After all, whoever holds the purse strings can mightily affect the overall production. In fact, the position most analogous to restaurateur I can think of is the theatrical producer: bringing the entire artistic package together, and making sure that the vision of the playwright and director (= chef) is given the proper physical production (= designers) with the right actors (= FOH and BOH staff), in order to give the audience (= customers) a top-notch experience. A great restaurateur will know how to get the generators of each other element to compensate if one falls a bit short. Although in this case, the playwright/chef cannot be the weak element. (Or is there a culinary equivalent to Abe Burrows?) So, no, the chef's shortcomings cannot be hidden by even the best of wine lists, service, lighting, restroom amenities, etc. For the sake of argument, I posit that one might be more likely to have a meal of the highest quality at a restaurant that is NOT chef-owned -- but only if the chef and restaurateur share the same idea of what the food should be. I say this because a chef who is not the owner has the time and energy to concentrate on his/her art and staff, without the distractions of everyday business. In any case, how are we to determine if a restaurant is TRULY "chef-owned" or if the chef is merely the name, propped up by a list of backers?

Wow, I'll bet their stuff was fabulous. Too bad I can't see the show. On a related note: why do we thrill at pastry and sugar work set pieces yet turn up our noses at those aspic-imprisoned formerly-savory displays (even before they've been on display for 3 days )? The kind of stuff that ACF competitions require. Brad, ngatti, chopjw, 1x -- any ideas? SteveK, Cheffette, Wingding -- I'd be interested in your answers, too. (and of course any one else ).

Or grinding toasted chipotles to make chili powder?

Thank you for the answer, Jinmyo. Maybe I should have scanned in the bag, but if you say just those steps are okay, I won't worry. Just realized: I can show the bag to the fish man at the store where I got it; he'll be able to tell me.

Actually, it might. Maybe that first step is the tempura batter? Then again, ?? Thanks for trying, though.

In preparation for making tonkatsu, I bought a bag of panko. Now, I know how to bread food for frying, and the instructions (pictures with captions) confirm what I expected to do. Except for the first picture: it appears to spraying water onto a bowl of .... ???? A later picture shows a similar bowl with food being dipped into an egg/milk mixture (in between coating the food with flour and later with panko. All the printing on the bag is in Japanese, so I don't even know what brand it is. Can someone tell me what that first step is, and whether I'll fail if I leave it out? (Later steps are season the food; coat in flour; dip in egg/milk; coat with panko; fry.) Thanks for your help. PS: I also bought a bottle of Kikkoman Tonkatsu sauce; maybe another time I'll try Jinmyo's recipe.

In NYC, there's Bar Demi, connected to Verbena. Others here can speak with more authority about it, but they specialize in halves. And the food comes from the Verbena kitchen.

Grilled halibut steak coated with Vann's "Caribbe Rub" Buttered boiled white rice Steamed green beans Salad (romaine, greenleaf, baby spinach, radicchio, red & green peppers, cucumber) with balsamic vinegar and olive oil Schneider Chardonnay (North Fork, LI, NY) Tarte au citron and Mont Blanc tart from Payard Patisserie* Decaf espresso *because when I went out, Paul said "When come back, bring pie."

I seem to remember there being a thread on this issue sometime between June of last year and now. Can't find it, though. Anyway, I'll say now pretty much what I said then: If the hostess sounds condescending, respond confidently: "YES, just one." Exude confidence and pleasure at the prospect of eating there. If the other diners give you pitiful looks, ignore them. If the wait staff tend to forget about you, engage them early on, chatting about the food, wine, locale, or any combination thereof. Show them you're interested and knowledgeable (or want to learn) and they'll take an interest in pleasing you. If a slimeball hits on you, call over the waiter (who by now is your ally) and ask that the sb be escorted back to his table (or seat at the bar, more likely). Do not speak directly to the sb; it will only encourage him. This is my personal bias: do not read a book while dining. It shows a lesser interest in the dining experience. Pay full attention to your food and drink! Besides, you need to be able to meet those pitying glances with a big smile and a raise of your wineglass. And to check out the room, the other diners, the wine service, the waitstaff -- to me, there is SO MUCH to look at when I'm alone. Anyway, that's just my opinion.

There are two different kinds of Fontina: the real one from Italy (Fontina d'Aosta), and imitations from Denmark (or Sweden) . Max McCalman describes it thus: Does that jog your taste memory?

For regular dinners, I plan and cook and He Who Only Eats (aka Paul) ... no, actually, he almost always makes the salad. And he suggests the wine, at my prodding. He also helps clear the table, and some proportion of the time also loads and later empties the dishwasher. The only thing he NEVER does is wash the All-Clad or cast-iron pots. When we have people over, it's pretty much the same (now that I've told him that if he wants salad, he has to make it). Oh, and then he also makes the coffee or tea. He used to be good at cooking steak, but he's been out of practice for over 25 years now. He still makes GREAT chewy oatmeal, though. Just did this morning, in fact.

Ran, and just to think, I have been enjoying your posts so far! BEETS are the ONLY truely terrible food on earth..like eating dirt. I used to hate them, too. Then I had to make and serve them as an antipasto item: roasted, peeled, cut in chunks, mixed with torn basil leaves, dressed a little fresh lemon juice and olive oil. WOW! did that change my mind. Just a suggestion.

That's okay, Jinmyo. Anything spinach can do, swiss chard can, only better. It's great on a tart with a puff-pasty base, too.

Tough decision. Broccoli: steamed, sautéed with garlic, roasted, in Asian dishes, puréed into soup ... No, maybe potatoes, in all their zillions of manifestations. But wait, then there's Swiss Chard... and spinach ... and all those other leafy greens ... And in season tomatoes, sigh. Or even the humble green bean. Damn, SA, this is hard!

Well, we always know about the crackpot part. (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Meatloaf! of beef, buffalo, and sausage meat, with fillers and flavorings too numerous and embarrassing to mention. One of the tastiest I've made, though. Gravy from the skimmed juices (lightly thickened with Wondra, of course of course) Yukon Golds mashed with cream cheese and yogurt Frozen chopped spinach heated with olive oil and garlic. No salad -- -- never got out of the house to buy new. Beer. You see, Ellen, not every dinner we post has to be a gourmet tapdance. Just tasty and satisfying. Welcome!

Sounds like my parents. Someday, when I visit, I'm going to blitz through their pantry and their cabinets. I've always wondered why my mother still has a jar of someone's homemade jam dated 1995 (and never opened BTW). AHA!!! Now I know why lately I've been having dreams (nightmares?) of the kitchen cabinets in the apartment where I grew up -- that I left in 1970 and my parents moved out of in 1978! Jinmyo, Penzey's is a spice purveyor, in case you hadn't guessed. They are online HERE

I ate there in early December, on the basis of Liza's post here. My writeup of the experience is at the end of this thread. We enjoyed it a lot, even though the chef had changed, and we were there during the Zarzuela fest.

Thank you, Wilfrid, for defending our hono(u)r. It constantly amazes me how many little theaters (not to be confused with that horrible phenomenon, the Little [=amateur, community] Theater) there are, all over Manhattan. And elsewhere in the city, too -- such as the one in the Bronx that does Italian and Italian/American plays. And for every touring company we might get of, say, Fiona Shaw in Medea, we also have to put up with yet another ALW piece of dreck or something dreadful like The Beauty Queen of Lenane. I'll take Urinetown over those any day.

Does anyone know what they are serving for breakfast? Maybe if we're really, really good, they'll serve those sandwiches of gelato in a brioche-type roll?

I've heard that Murray's Bagels in Chelsea and the West Village (no relation to the cheese Murray's) has real bagels, but I have not yet checked them out. Probably some in the outer boroughs, but Nina would know better.

Indeed. I think they call them "gnocchi" because the shape is rather like the real thing (albeit larger, hollow and slit open).

I'm a fourth. Anyone for bridge? Someday I want to find or develop a dish for a restaurant using the big dark outer leaves; it use to break my heart when the prep guys would toss them in order to get to the heart. Oh well, as long as I'm here: Chicken quasi-cacciatore -- dark meat only, canned San Marzano tomatoes, carrots, lots of rehydrated porcinis (added the soaking water and reduced the sauce down). De Cecco (dried) "Gnocchi" -- more like medium-size shells with extra-wide ridges. Three-color salad: endive, romain, radicchio, with mixed herb/garlic creamy vinaigrette. Standing Stone Vineyards "Pinnacle" 1999 (Finger Lakes Red Wine)

Wow, thanks for that link, Grant!