Suzanne F

Johnjohn: it's the "Maid-Rite." Struck me as something that absolutely relies on the quality of the meat -- they said they use ALL cuts ground together. Bland, yeah, but comforting, and showing off the essence of the ingredient. Too bad the buns looked so awful.

What he said. I watched it BEFORE eating dinner, and it was all I could do to NOT eat everything including the plates, it made me so hungry. Did you notice that in the Katz's segment, every slicer cut it a little differently? How to match the hands slicing with the face -- so that we can go to the guy who does it the way we each like best ? And which was the place that did put everything, including fries, on the sandwich? I missed the name. I wish they had spent some time on my favorite, though: the tuna salad sandwich. (So far, only Eisenberg's here in NYC seems worthy.) Well, that can be another show.

Shirley King, in Fish, the basics says In Fish and Shellfish, James Peterson starts his definition with: "(also called St. Peter's fish -- not to be confused with Dory) ..." Alan Davidson: Finally: some months ago there was a piece on NPR about someone who is attempting to start a tilapia farm in a basement in the Bronx, NY. He stated that he believed it to be the wave of the future for low-income neighborhoods.

The other night I poached a couple of tilapia fillets in fish stock, and served them over a ragout of baby artichokes, celery, and chickpeas. It was all done in order to use up some skordalia I'd made a few days earlier. In any case, couldn't taste the fish at all, but that was okay.

No question: GINGERBREAD!!!!!! I've always got ginger in the house in many forms, and there are so many wonderful versions -- wet, dry, cakey, bready -- mmmm, too bad we still have half a fruitcake in the house.

That's what I figured. I too transfer everything into glass jars or plastic containers (I love Rubbermaid!) or at the very least put the stuff into a plastic bag. But that last action doesn't work if the flour (in my case, 2# of Hecher's Whole Wheat) is already infested when it's purchased; at least the bugs don't spread, though.

Just thought of one more consideration, which is actually very important to me: when I'm wavering between ordering dessert or not, because something sounds good, I will ask if it is house-made. You'd be suprised how many good places bring in the cakes and ice creams/sorbets. And if you ask directly, they'll tell you the truth. Hell, they might as well -- the "frutta di bosca" tart and Bindi filled-lemon look the same everywhere. Needless to say, if they don't make it there, I don't order it.

Does chicken shawarma count? Alphanoose, on Fulton Street in lower Manhattan, takes the usual gyro-type chicken, but after cutting it off the slab they cook it some more on the flattop with onions and spices. Then they serve it in superthin pita with tahini, hot sauce (if desired), iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, turnip batonets pickled with beet juice, and maybe a couple of other things as well. When we were finishing the Peterson-roasted chicken I used the last half-breast for sandwiches on baguette with bacon, watercress, sliced grape tomatoes, and Peterson-recipe mayonnaise. Club sandwich without the extra bread. Nice. Although as a rule we prefer dark meat. Much as I like Popeye's chicken, their sandwich is awful. Likewise the sandwich from Pluck U., and the "Chicken Pojarski" from what may now be the late, unlamented Blini Hut across the street from me. Because they are not made with chicken, but some sort of pre-chewed patty. Ugh.

Why?

By the time I get to that part of the meal, I'm usually tired and already satiated. So I look for lightness, sharp or acidic flavors -- almost never chocolate although I love it. Or just some dessert wine, eau de vie, or a flavored grappa. Crème brûlée and tiramisu are rich, relatively soft, mild (if not made well, which they rarely are ), and safe. And, yes, BORING!!!!! It takes a really interesting variation for me to order c.b., such as a ginger version or some other strong flavor. As for the soufflé question: actually, last Friday, at Bayard's. Choice of chocolate, Grand Marnier, raspberry, coffee, and something else. And I believe La Petite Auberge still offers them as well. Do you mean a REAL (classic) napoleon -- milles feuilles pastry, etc.? Or the New-Age type stuff, deconstructed, or made with bizarre ingredients?

Andy, I enjoyed reading your review very much. Told me what I want to know about a book. And now that I've tasted the food "live" I look forward to attempting it at home; sounds like it's quite do-able. Thanks!

I admit to an almost total inability to throw out any food that is not spoiled. So this thread is making me hyperventilate. However, one of the advantages of being so anal is that I date almost EVERYTHING -- cans of tuna fish, jars of salsa, boxes of spaghetti, not only the stuff I put away in the freezer -- so at least I can rotate my stock in good FIFO (first in, first out) order. I use adhesive labels on the outside of the jars, cans, and plastic containers, and inside the outer-most plastic bag for frozen stuff.

Firebird just changed chefs, according to last Wednesday's NY Times. Ari Niemenen has gone to Café des Artistes, and Edward Tracey (?) is now at Firebird.

Wondra is "pre-gelatinized" -- which makes it the flour equivalent of Minute Rice or "instant" couscous. Kind of precooked and then dried. If I remember right, gelatinization is the property of expansion of the starch when flour is mixed with water and heated (think of the thickening of a sauce). Wondra has already been expanded, and will not absorb as much liquid. That may be why it gives such a light, delicate crust. Also, it is relatively low in protein -- so it isn't as stretchy as even all-purpose. I learned about using it as a coating flour when I trailed at Artisanal: they dip the skate in milk and Wondra before they sauté it, and it comes out with a wonderful crust. Now I'm weaning myself off AP for coatings. Edit: If I got the science part wrong, please correct me, anyone who can.

I just checked, and it appears that the Craft website has never been updated since it went up before the opening. Does amazon.com still have its online menu component?

Tonkatsu?

I miss the spiced fried waffle-cut potatoes they used to have at Shea Stadium. Now that I've finally found the outlets for decent beers, as long as I can get a well-done Hebrew National hot dog at Madison Square Garden, I can survive the game.

My guess is that they dip them in the silicone implants they take back when they fire a waitress.

Add some pomegranate molasses to the ground lamb when you make kofta. Sprinkle the salt on poached fish. Chuck the vinegar.

In my (admittedly limited -- 3 visits) experience there, everything always arrived at the table hot. Everything then cooled down, because I am a fairly slow eater. It was only that dish that turned dowright nasty when it cooled off. But maybe now I'll remember and not order it yet again. (edit to correct verb tenses)

Soba: I too figured that that bit of information was yours to reveal. What I should have said, though, was that it was your counsel about the deficencies of the of the secondi that swayed me to agree to the pasta tasting. I didn't want to be disappointed when losing my Babbo virginity, like ... oh, never mind

The only dish I've ever had trouble with there is the potatoes boulangère -- by the time they make it around the table, they are cold, congealed fat. But OH, the mushrooms! and the hamachi! and cardoons! and salsify! and farro! and meats! and and and ...

That's why I asked.

Is this a positive assessment? I can't quite tell.