Suzanne F

Well, actually, the only thing we have that comes close to double cream is . . . double cream imported from Britain. Heavy whipping cream here weighs in at 35 to 40 percent butterfat, while double cream is about 48 percent. I suppose creme fraiche comes closest in texture, but it still doesn't have the fat, and the flavor is quite different. Since there's really no widely-available substitute for double cream, I left it in Nose to Tail as it appeared originally. And for all the rice-challenged: have a look at the USA Rice website. It's actually pretty helpful.

I'm not surprised you loved the dessert at Farallon: Emily Luchetti is the pastry chef there!

Okay, Cakewalk, so you don't feel so bad: Use canned pears to top your frangipane tart -- because of course here at eGullet we all have almond paste on hand at all times (well, anyway, I do )

But Monica, you're in L.A. What else would you expect?

There are no good bakeries in Little Italy. Even though it's a chain, Le Pain Quotidien might be worth a visit if you're at all interested in bread. Amy's Bread (Chelsea Market and 9th Avenue in the 40s). Also in Chelsea Market: Fat Witch Brownies, Sarabeth's, and Eleni's Cookies. But NOT Ruthy's. Yuck.

I'm going to test that first part out when I finally have time to go to The Biltmore Room. And as for the second: I can't imagine being so desperate for any one place, although I suppose others might be.

The foam is coagulated gunky bits of protein. If you don't skim it, your are likely to have cloudy stock as the clumps of foam break up into tiny particles dispersed throughout the liquid. I have a tiny (about 2-inch diameter), flat strainer on a long handle that is great for skimming -- I can gently push the solid stuff out of the way and scoop out the crud. (It looks like a miniature version of a strainer for cleaning out a deep-fryer.) Before I got that, I used a very fine small strainer; the only problem with it was having to keep my hand directly over the steaming liquid to dip it in.

Just back last night from Baltimore (longer time at the same event AB was speaking at). Yesterday JAZ and I had lunch at the branch of Wharf Rat across from the Convention Center -- also right by our hotel; convenience was the reason. Well, convenience, and the beer. Wow, GREAT beer: we both had the two cask-conditioned beers, which were really, really good. As was the "shrimp salad" sandwich. Yeah, the place could have been Anywhere, USA, but the beer is worth it. And I will admit to having had lunch at the Rusty Scupper -- not by choice, but as part of a conference event. :hangs head in shame: Well, at least after lunch, we went out on a skipjack in the harbor and learned a lot about oysters. THAT almost made up for lunch.

Re: Native American: There used to be a place, Silver something, on Broadway just above Houston. We lost it, though. And unfortunately, the Smithisonian museum down in the Custom House doesn't have any concession stand.

Bad cooking odors: Oil from deep frying Asafoetida Anything that hangs around too long (such as overnight) Good cooking odors: Everything else I have spoken.

Don't feel bad, Jenny. The exalted status comes after you've made lots and lots of reservations. Just keep eating, girl! And one hint: if DC also has the 1000-point reservations, go with them! I've got a lovely $50 certificate I will apply to my anniversary dinner, and am well on my way to more. Oh, and I don't think I've ever gotten any extras for having VIP status; it pretty much depends on the restaurant, I guess. All I get is extra points, which is fine with me (see paragraph above).

Thanks for the reviews, oakapple. And to think that our own Andy Lynes said pretty much the same thing, sight unseen. Is that man prescient, or what?

Thank you, Ms. Bloviatrix! And to add yet another point: get a liner for it. That way you can load your groceries (also laundry, whatever you have to schlep) directly into the cart, without all the extra plastic bags. The only down side to them is that you cannot bring on onto a bus unless it is folded up -- so you always have to walk home when it's full (or else bounce it down and up the subway stairs, which is no fun AT ALL).

Oh, lord, another comedian!

One tiny dissent: Pathmark frozen chopped spinach in the standard 10-ounce block is not good; probably not packed or stored well, so there's a high proportion of dried-out bits on the outside of the block. This might not be important to you, but in case it is, beware. Other Pathmark products are okay, though. Only the frozen spinach is bad. To elaborate on FG's story: I live in lower Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall. I have no car, so no access to the suburban stores, and only limited access (via subway) to Costco. But I have a huge shopping cart, big enough to hold the contents of a normal-size grocery-store cart. I do a "big shop" once a month, loading up at Pathmark and/or Food Emporium on canned goods, staples, paper products, meats that I freeze after cooking, and so on. (And if I buy more than I can load into my cart to drag home, these stores deliver -- a godsend.) I buy most of my fresh vegetables and dairy from much smaller stores, an Associated and a local specialty/grocery store called Jubilee (also my source for fresh meat and fish). Depending on where you are, and whether or not you have a car, you might be just fine doing things as you are used to doing, or you might have to scramble a bit. BTW: if you're in Brooklyn or Queens, Waldbaum's is also pretty good (Same corporate ownership as Food Emporium, I believe, but not as self-proclaimed-upscale.)

Ranitidine for me. But a book I just worked on talked about "Spaghetatta" -- a late night dish of spaghetti with raisins and pine nuts (just a little oil). Sounds pretty good to me.

Roz, you beat me to it. (We like D'Artagnan, too, but they're gone, sigh, and anyway Gascogne is more straightforward.)

You could also have a look at this thread, in which I recently asked for recommendations. We never did get a group together, but ate at: Wildwood, clark-lewis, Ken's, and a few other excellent places.

The Art Institute of New York (formerly New York Restaurant School) also has a pastry program. When I was at NYRS there were day and evening pastry classes, all professional level only. Not sure what the program might cost now, but I would guess it's less than FCI.

The measurements are U.S., although you could be correct about the water in the bread. To be honest, I don't remember whether it started out imperial or metric. Whichever, I can understand your problem with the bread -- flours are different, humidity is different, so that can happen with any recipe, converted or not. The dessert and baking recipes are not the book's strongest suit, IMO. But I'm glad you got the bread to work.

Ya-Roo, you are a brave woman indeed.

I just had skate last night at Dominic (fka Pico) in Tribeca. It was great -- soft, sweet, not the least bit ammoniac. Prepared just as I'm used to seeing it: sauteed, then sauced (in this case, artichokes barigoule). To sautee, dip in milk, then in Wondra flour (that's how it's done at Artisanal; I like that better than in cornmeal, which is how we did it at Soma Park). Sautee in a very hot pan in a little oil and/or clarified butter.

Maybe one of you would like to review it for TDG??? I do not feel qualified.

Not sure about restaurants, but I had to sign one when I took a job as Kitchen Manager for a food manufacturer. Not that I'd ever want to use their recipes, virtually all of which were developed by people who had no idea of flavor. So it's been easy keeping my word. Besides, they made me surrender all my disks when I left.

Oh, please, this has been great! But you know . . . I kind of hope you'll do another blog when you're back in Oz, however briefly.