Suzanne F

What, no shirt? No pants? Don't think I'd want to eat at those places. Well, maybe no pants would be okay, if there are tablecloths.

Oh, yes please, tell us whatever you can. Signed, Another lover of rendang

Don't worry. If it had enough garlic in it, you'll make it through tonight.

Ah, Los Paisanos. Isn't there a Dominican restaurant next door? We had supernal pernil there once. (Couldn't pick from among all the trendy places on Smith Street, so we opted for homey.) Los Paisanos makes their own sausage, right? Colombian Chorizo?? Yum.

Well, that sounds good. But what should SHE wear?

My two cents: maybe part of the problem is that some of those "chefs" haven't eaten enough good food to know when to gussy something up and when to leave it alone. They just have not developed their own palates before they start "creating." And maybe they don't know the classics, or don't want to know them, but feel they have to be "self-taught creative." Which requires a hell of a lot of tasting and analyzing before one is ready to even consider trying that.

HWOE was away last night, so: Hard-cooked egg on whole wheat toast with swiss cheese, dijon mustard, mayonnaise. Very satisfying. (HWOE does not like egg sandwiches)

Dunno if you'll want braised short ribs in the next couple of days -- 90s and thunderstorms are still threatened. But wait: what about doing them "en gelee"?? Braise, debone, defat the juices, and turn into a terrine to serve cold with that great-looking bread? Now that sounds good to me, at any rate.

Ah, but Nero, you're young yet! You have your whole life ahead of you.

Mr. Bartley's is still around? That's one of the places HWOE (M.I.T. '69, SB Course 16) talks about, still. Also Jack and Marion's (where the asterisks on menu items led to this at the bottom: "High Markup Item").

As hard as it will be to tear yourself away from the kidlets, just remember: LUNCH! We might have to start the LMLC (Lower Manhattan Lunch Club) to welcome you back. Fergus Henderson might call those happy radishes. I haven't received my copy of The Whole Beast yet, but as I recall he's got a multi-course "recipe" for radishes AND their tops. When the book comes (this week), I'll paraphrase for you. PS: I'm not afraid of being tagged; I was one of the first bloggers. And I must say, the blogs now are definitely more interesting than mine was.

I'm thinking perhaps it's seasonal -- that it might be mating time wherever the mussels were from and, like oysters, they have put their energy into being attractive to each other and not to us. Or, to be more scientific (sort of): that it's a function of water temperature, and where/how they're grown. Farmed rather than gathered? Bred to be fat and happy because bigger is supposedly better? I don't really know (can't you tell? ) but it all sounds plausible to me. FWIW: I bought mussels just last week (from Wild Edibles, in NYC), and they were pretty big and moderately flavorful.

Ah. NOW I get it. The problem was the uncertain quality of the freezer-plan meat. Well, in that case . . . maybe if you weren't such a good cook, dealing with what she gets?

Totally OT: dumplin, I hope all goes well and you're back in your kitchen soon When I had laparoscopic surgery, I had more discomfort from the gas part of it than the surgery. Hope you have minimal discomfort from all of it. Back on: I was going to wait until everything was here, but I don't know when the rest of the Amazon order will make it, so: Alan Davidson, Mediterranean Seafood from Amazon's sale books, and from the IACP silent auction, 3 by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger: Mesa Mexicano, City Cuisine, and too hot tamales. So those bring me up to 660.

Well, maybe at least she can learn to LABEL what she puts in the freezer?

I am firmly on the side of those who dislike seeing others pick stuff out of food just because they don't like it. That said, I see it as the picker's problem, not mine. Especially since I ask if there is anything my guests cannot eat. Note that it is CANNOT, as in: what would make you ill if you eat it, not WILL NOT, as in: I will cater to your private mishigas and change my menu just because you don't like something. And as for: Both guest and host benefit. Perhaps guest discovers that the dreaded pepper is not so bad after all, and remains a POLITE GUEST; and the unknowing host has the opportunity to ASK WHAT'S WRONG, and then decide whether that guest is worth cooking for ever again or not.

Birder, I'm with ya! Who has had the forethought to infuse 1 pint of simple syrup with 4 oz of ginger for 2 days, or 6 oz of turbinado with 1 oz of ginger for a week, shaking the jar every day? A recommendation: if you're in the nabe and unable to get into 66, head up Church Street one block and check out Kori. They've got some good ginger-flavored soju drinks (and good Korean food, too). Add-it: But I feel a little weird admitting that I read the "Styles" section.

Last Thanksgiving (2003), Bond Girl, SobaAddict70, HWOE, and I went there for dinner. They served a regular sort of menu, not their small-medium-large dishes. The only specific dishes I remember were the family-style-served cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, and the dressing, provided gratis to all tables: I would have been happy eating only those. Not that the other stuff was not good; in fact, it was great and I would love to go back. Wait: I just looked back at Oakapple's original post: the salmon 2 ways. One quibble: But it has NOT been the same restaurant througout all those incarnations. The only cause for surprise might have been during the days of The Tonic, when Chris Gesualdi left and Joey Fortunato took over the kitchen. Otherwise, it has been a distinctly different restaurant each time.

I think I just found the best lox-and-bagel brunch value: at Le Zinc. $12 for a decent nouveau-bagel, at least 1/4 pound of excellent smoked salmon, at least 1/2 a smoked trout fillet, two large globs of good cream cheese (1 with fresh dill; one with scallions), and a 1/4 cup pile of pickled onions and capers. AND "the first cocktail is on [them]" -- and apparently the only one, if that's all you have. Although I had a second Bellini at $9, so getting one gratis was definitely worthwhile. Of course, you have to put up with the sight of a zillion strollers, and lots of toddlers. But it was pretty much only the sight, and not the sound.

When we lived in Detroit in the mid-1970s (Indian Village and then downtown), we would have to travel to Ypsilanti for decent Chinese food, at Old China. I doubt it's still there, but if it is, I hope it's still as good. Get the Hot and Sour Soup, but remember to stir it before you dole it out.

How about pot-roasting/braising it? Doneness is then not an issue, and you can make up for any lack of moisture. AND, it's great for sandwiches -- easy to slice once cold.

In my recent cleanup, I found an article in Nation's Restaurant News about using teas in cooking. Once I can access their website, I'll post a link.

Those porcini are very ... um ... evocative. So, Big T, have you been able to decipher any more of your notes? Pretty please????

And not taste and feel pasty/starchy. Many versions have too much gunk added -- and you can taste it. Tangy, but not too tart. As JJ says, the flavor of cream has to come through. BTW: one of the few times I ever threw out food that had not gone bad was when I tasted a brand new container of "Fat-Free Cream Cheese." That certainly belongs on the list of foods that should not exist.

Oh, man, I'm going to have to buy more oranges just to do everything suggested so far. I want to make them all! Thanks, and keep 'em coming!