Suzanne F

It's a covered roaster made of clay -- roasting pot, that is, not roaster chicken. Supposed to be GREAT. I don't know; it's one of the few really useful kitchen things I don't have. If you're an oddball, so am I. When I order chicken at a place like Les Halles, I always say "Bien cuite" -- well-done. And when I tested James Peterson's recipe for a review in The Daily Gullet, I couldn't believe that he actually expected people to be able to eat pink thighs. Oh, the horror! That's why I'm so interested in this topic; I would eat roast chicken every day, if I could. But so much is so inedible.

I will be sending this as an e-mail:

Oh dear. Visited Strand today: 10 more: Feng Shui Food by Steven Saunders and Simon Brown The Cook Book Decoder, or Culinary Alchemy Explained by Arthur Grosser (1981) -- for the food science geek in me Long Ago in France and As They Were, both by MFK Fisher Simon & Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices, Gualtiero Simonetti (John Gilbert, trans.) The Cheese Companion by Judy Ridgway The Penguin Atlas of Food, for the statistics lover Women Who Eat, edited by Leslie Miller (straight food writing pieces) Snail Eggs & Samphire, a collection of pieces by Derek Cooper The Primal Cheeseburger by Elisabeth Rozin. Yes, it's the BC equivalent of Much Depends on Dinner. At least I kept my promise to myself: nothing but literature and reference works. Uh-huh.

Ooops. was I supposed to? k. Ta-Da! Announcement: The next semi-annual New York Potluck will take place on Sunday, January 18, 2004, in Lower Manhattan, at a time to be determined. The theme will be: PIE: think outside the crust. Which is not to say that inside the crust will be ignored, nor the crust itself. Just that if you can call it pie, it is pie. And it is good. Watch this thread for more details.

I do not believe the smoke is from the seasoning burning off. I say this because the seasoning on my grill pan appears to be perfectly intact, and I almost always use it on the highest output of an extra-strong burner. I DO know that smoke comes first from bits of food from the previous use not completely cleaned off, and second from the vaporizing juices of whatever I'm cooking. And as time passes and I use the pan more and more -- and clean it thoroughly after use -- that initial smoking has diminished. In my experience. As tommy said, your mileage may vary. I prefer to keep my grill pan seasoned because I often use an acidic marinade, and because my seasoned pan is easier to clean, so it smokes less.

Dave, when I first glanced at that list, I thought they did powdered mice.

AHA! Thanks, Bux. I've been trying to figure it out since August 28th.

Hard-boiled balut?

I am always searching for the height of chicken chakra -- Annisa came the closest, Les Halles is mostly reliable but never thrilling, and I miss Bellevue. So if I may be permitted a follow up: is there any restaurant whose roast chicken comes close to the perfection you described above?

Oh, please please please can't there be a sequel to part VIII? and a sequel to that? Welcome home! It's great to know you're safe and sound (now that you're back in NYC ). Thank you for sharing your experiences and talent with us.

Right. But it IS pronounced in vichyssoise and nicoise. In fact, between those two words there are 2 ess sounds and 2 zee sounds.

LJC, we're not ignoring you. We're just waiting for The Man With The Data (aka picaman) to notice your request. Besides, we've only done 2 en masse (Molly's, and Tavern on Jane), and they were far from anyone's ideal.

fifi wins.

This thread reminds me of my early days in college. The Midwesterners had never met any Easterners, and vice versa. So we sat around comparing how we said words like "orange" and "roof." As you can imagine, THEY said them wrong.

Whether Balthazar is hot or not, it's a good place to eat. Especially breakfast, when it's quiet. Mmmm, big fat sausages, perfect omelets, excellent cafe au lait.

Oh, man, I wish. It's flourishing in City Hall Park.

We talk A LOT about roast chicken -- more than you'd expect of such a humble dish. Or maybe BECAUSE it's such a supposedly easy thing to make, yet so often fucked up. Some time ago a member who knew absolutely nothing, no LESS than nothing about cooking, decided to roast a chicken. Thousands of eGulleteers hung over their screens all night as she gave a running account of her efforts. (What's that? Oh, all right, hundreds. . . ALL RIGHT, tens ) Anyway: some say it's so easy to make roast chicken that they would never, ever order it out. Others say it makes a perfect test dish, and that they will order it specifically to determine the restaurant's capabilities. What say you?

Thank you thank you thank you. I've been waiting to see who would bring that up. Now that we've gone totally OT: what about the different ways to indicate that you are trying to leave the elevator or bus? "Getting out" versus "Coming out." The latter took some getting used to, when I lived in Detroit. That's dee-TROYT, not DEE-troyt or day-TRRWAH even if it was named for both a French gentleman of that pronunciation AND the fact that it's on a strait (étroit in French).

Brought this back up because: The October 15 issue of the NY Times had a little piece about hand-painted pie birds. So adorable. Made by Bob Carmack, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Available through: Piebirds America.

Sorry, Bux, I think Jinmyo and Fimbul have got it right. Sort of. but probably they just use all the nasty bits. Anyway, this company makes powdered meats; no lamb, though. Scroll down to the bottom for their meats.

I dare not speak for the other BC members -- how could I? I don't know who they are, in this most secret of secret societies -- but Mr. C would be most welcome, even given these proscriptions: - Mr. Cutlets always travels with both a security entourage and a social entourage. In this regard he has been likened to Jackie Chan. Great! So long as they all order burgers, too. And pay. - All seating charts must be approved by Mr. Cutlets' social secretary at least 72 hours prior to the event. This could be a little difficult; can we work something out, given that the time is fast approaching? - In a tradition similar to that of "Prima Nocta," Mr. Cutlets reserves the right to take the first bite of everybody's food. Is that the same as Le Droit du Saveur? - Please do not touch Mr. Cutlets unless he asks you to. This will most likely occur if he needs you to scratch his back. Wait -- you mean he's the guy on the far left of that photo? - Mr. Cutlets suffers from narcolepsy, a serious medical disorder. Should Mr. Cutlets fall asleep during a conversation, please continue speaking until he wakes. Can he teach that to us, for non-BC social events? - Mr. Cutlets requires the installation of special light bulbs at all venues where he is to appear. These allow his flesh to appear normal. He should have been with us at Molly's.

Lamb and mint flavored potato chips? You're joking, right?

If you haven't, HURRY! It's closing in mid-January, because the theater it's in will be knocked down.

That is so neat! Does he have them for other animals?

NY Magazine has always been fond of Gary Robins. Every time he's moved to or from a place, they've had coverage. I don't know why they love him so much -- by which I mean I don't know how they choose their favorites to follow over the years. What the internal politics of their continued attention may be . . . who knows? For the record, I worked under Gary at Match, Mi, and another (unmentioned) place in between, so I'm pleased that NYM loves him so much. I learned a huge amount from him.