Suzanne F

Sounds good to me. And HWOE, too. Between couches, loveseats, and chairs, we've got enough seating for all, if anyone needs a place to crash in-between (or after, if MJ is included for a late snack).

Dare I admit that I don't use recipes? I just take whatever fruit I've got, add about 75 to 80% sugar, and whatever else I feel like adding, and boil it until it seems done. Seal in jars and store in the fridge, so it keeps for years. (I just checked, and we are FINALLY on the last bit of gooseberry jam, which celebrates its 9th birthday tomorrow! ) I've also got some currant-ginger from 3 years ago. They might crystalize a bit, but they don't go bad. (The only one I ever had get fuzzy was a microwave-cooked plum jam. Take that as a warning.) My most recent -- this past week -- was sour cherry-ginger: a little over 4 pounds of pitted cherries, about 3 1/2 pounds of sugar, 4 "thumbs" of ginger grated in, and a splash of lemon juice. It's a little loose even after 45 minutes of boiling (very juicy cherries), but so what? Used some in cream-cheese and jelly sandwiches yesterday, and it's good. In spite of what I said at the start -- Kayaksoup, how do you make the ginger marmalade? We love that stuff!

We here in NYC read with envy about the lunches enjoyed at Salumi. Is there any chance that your dad will make an extended visit here and work his magic? Or has he already taught you everything he can, so we just have to run around to all your places?

Ah, another topic for us to come together and vent and learn that we are not crazy! Had a situation yesterday, opening one of those allegedly resealable bags of cold cuts that comes in a reusable plastic container. Didn't even see the "pull here" tab until AFTER I'd scissored open one side of the bag. (To be honest, I bought it because of the container -- knowing that whatever havoc I wreaked on the inside packaging, the product would still be protected.) And bricks of cheese? Snip off the end, then run the scissors straight along the middle lengthwise seam -- then pop the whole thing in a bag to store. I've got 3 pairs of food-grade kitchen scissors for this sort of thing, plus a couple of nonfood ones. Invaluable!

It's a whole different part of the state, but are there any good places for real TexMex in Dallas? (Planning for my visit next spring. )

Gee, I wouldn't know. I was brought up Conservative. My, how we change. But hell, even in NY there's no agreement about food. No consensus, that is. How could there possibly be any so far apart (in so many ways)? I'd be interested in trying Pure Food and Wine -- how else can one make a decision about the merits of a place? Bruni's writeup helped me figure that it's worth checking out, nothing more nor less.

So is this a way to bring "normal" people to understand the joys of really fine dining? I'm all for that!

How does Jager compare to Unterberg? I had my first taste of the latter at the Fancy Food Show -- a perfect venue! -- and loved it. But then, bitter is probably my second favorite flavor (after meat )

Cool! then we can finish off with a party at my house! OH. Maybe I'd better check that with HWOE first.

How intriguing! I'm in if the date works out. Probably not HWOE, though, he's not as much a steak lover as I. And for the record, I'm a rare gal, but if the meat is really good, medium-rare is okay. On second thought, we can probably count on HWOE to be our lamb chop tester.

As already mentioned here, some of us (both SethG and I) bought sour cherries, which we have each turned into preserves. I grated a lot of ginger into mine. Don't know yet how well they will gel, but they sure taste good! Ah, this is when we turn into estivegetarians -- when all the beautiful produce is available.

We finally made it back to Landmarc last night, and had an excellent dinner. They must read the comments here -- and elsewhere -- because some of the earlier problems were fixed. To whit: the goat cheese profiteroles, and the sorbets. But a few other problems popped up, which I hope they fix. We arrived a little after 9:00pm -- the downstairs was full, upstairs (where we sat) about half-full, including the little balcony off the front of the place. Even with the exposed brick walls, not too loud -- there WAS music which went off sometime during our meal but returned loudly as we were finishing about 11:00pm: 1940s pop/big band from XM Radio. HWOE thought perhaps it was a signal that it was time for everyone to finish up and leave. I started with the Ice Wine Martini -- and everthing Sam said about it is correct: big enough to share, and the blueberry garnish was a great touch. Yum. For apps, we shared the profiteroles and a half-portion of the linguine con vongole. The cheese is now smooth, moist, and creamy, just goat-y enough, and the red pepper salad was a terrific complement. HWOE said he didn't miss the chocolate sauce at all. The linguine was perfect: pasta cooked just right, flavor of clam/oil/garlic/hot pepper/herb in perfect balance. With these we had a half-bottle of a Premier Cru Chablis (Christian something) for $16. Mains were the Rabbit Loin and the Boudin Noir. The rabbit consisted of three large chunks of on-the-bone loin, plus a large portion of frisee salad containing lots of slivers of rabbit confit, dressed with a summer truffle vinaigrette. To me, overdressed -- as others have already observed. Plus, I've never seen much point to summer truffles. However, taken as a whole it was a delicious dish. The boudin noir was fabulous -- intriguingly, gently spiced, and meltingly soft inside the casing. I almost didn't want to go halves on it. Does anyone know, are the onions and (wonderfully tart and crisp) apples cooked in duck fat? I got the mashed potatoes with the boudin -- but these had a bit of a problem: uneven salting. There were pockets of salt, which made some bites inedible -- a shame, because the potatoes themselves tasted so potato-y. Salt distribution was an overarching problem for us: according to the waiter (more on him later), the little crock of butter supplied along with rosemary-infused olive oil for the excellent bread was plain butter with a sprinkling of salt on top. Which does not work for people like me who are used to the butter being too cold, so we scrape it off the top: in this process, I got all the salt in one "spread." Nice crunchy granules of coarse salt, but not all at once, please. I hope they do something about that practice. With the mains we finished up the Chablis (great with the solid chunks of rabbit), and a half of Turkey Flat Shiraz, already mentioned back on the second page of this thread. We were both so thrilled at the number, quality, and price of the halves. A brilliant move on the Murphys' part! Hardly any room for dessert, but at $3 how could we not? And found that another problem has been solved: the sorbets -- coconut, honeydew, and orange -- were delicious, each with its own strong character (I loved the tart edge of the orange, and HWOE was gaga over the coco) and proper texture. The decaf espresso was rich, flavorful, and not the least bit bitter. And OH! the caramels given with the check! Now, the waiter: as you can imagine, we hit him with a lot of questions. Even after -- especially! -- he said it was his first night. He did find out the answers to all our questions. Overall, he was, well, kind of hyper, but in a good way. Anyway, he seemed more hyper than any of the other staff. By the time we left, I had learned that this was only a temporary job for him, until he leaves in 3-1/2 weeks to go to Italy to get married (he is not Italian, but his fiancee is). Normally, I do not care to buddy-up to this degree, but somehow it was okay. In fact, his breeziness added to our evening. But the main elements -- the food and wine -- were clear stars. How nice to know that we have another excellent neighborhood place to drop in.

Got my catalogue a couple of days ago, and have been drooling ever since. If you have a copy, check out the Fish-Shaped Knives on page 45: Mutsugorou, Kawhagi, Fugu, Manbou, and Kingyou. Talk about practical artwork! Also, the woman who owns the company is really warm and gracious.

You are the third or fourth person I know who is knowledgeable about food, who raved about V & A's. So it must be true! Who'da thunk Disney could do it? Or whomever they have managing the property.

I dare not comment on other people's carts, much as I'd like to. And the only comments I've gotten are from the check-out clerks who, after asking what a new-to-them vegetable is, sometimes ask how to cook it. That's the best!

Ah. The stuff I have, I bought in Brattleboro, VT. But I think in the past I bought Certo at The Food Emporium. Ediot: oops. Never mind. I must have used it. But sure, I'll trade!

Jubilee might have some or you can take mine; I won't need it for the cherry conserve I plan to make.

Yup, on both counts. If you go to the MTA link I posted above and click on Grand Central Market, you get the list of which stalls are there. My particular favorite stand is Wild Edibles; had some ivory salmon from there a few weeks ago that was super. And mussels. I've never actually tried their prepared foods, but I trust them. Especially since a sous chef I used to work under developed some of their recipes, years ago.

Zocalo is still there. Junior's is, too. It's mostly the stands that have turned over or just disappeared. No more Shoebox, no more Christer's (wursts), City Bakery is long gone, as is Caviarteria. They closed all their "tasting bars" except for the original one, shown here. Nam is no longer listed at the MTA's site for GCT -- click on Restaurants and Dining. That was actually the first place I ever had banh mi -- and undoubtedly the most expensive I think it was more like $4.50.

pudding? Peaches?? Banana?? No, make that Avocado can be a very nice addition. Except that it can make the whole burger squirt out the other end as you bite it.

Just when I need a destination for walks! Oh boy. Thanks for the great report and pictures :drool:

Hmmm, do they do take-out on the pan roasts and stews? (Since Pan is looking for portable stuff) We still like them for simple fish -- NOT for more complicated, saucy things.

(and a better typist, too, but so what? ) Thank you BOTH for the descriptions!

Cool! I noticed the place from the bus yesterday. It's like you read my mind. Do you remember what distinguishes each city's burger, since apparently the condiments are available for all?

The Dining Concourse downstairs is still in flux, and some of our favorite outlets are gone. Such as Shoebox Cafe, which supplied the four major food groups: bacon, ham, sausage, and muffins. BUT: some of the stalls in the Market (with entries from the station and from Lexington Avenue) sell ready-to-eat prepared foods that are worth getting. In particular, Wild Edibles has seafood salads and other items packed for "grab-and-go." And, of course, one can always pick up items at Murray's, Corrado (bread from Balthazar, among other sources), and the produce stands.