shacke

Let me be ignorant and bourgeois here. I suspect that the restaurants of the caliber we praise in here are not frying in partially hydrogenated fats. Perhaps they are exposing use to margarine or shortening in desserts. Unless you are a fan of packaged baked goods, you are not going to notice much. As Vadouvan touched upon, the big shaft is getting rammed up the have nots. I can't say I am in favor of that. ← Yes, the burden of cost will fall pretty heavily on "have not" restaurateurs. But I think you're misinterpreting V's point. These "have not" restaurateurs do HAVE restaurants, and that's pretty darn good. I don't think this ban will be the death of many restaurants, especially with the non-monetary penalties it imposes. What I think V was saying was that the customers of these restaurants are the real "have nots", and they are the ones that are, dietarily speaking, getting the shaft. The ban will help them the most. ← Let me clarify. When I said I was not in favor of shafting the have nots - I meant that it is the have not consumers who bear the brunt of the trans fat problem and this should not be. Rereading my post, I see that one might infer that I do not support a ban against businesses themselves. Quite the opposite.

Let me be ignorant and bourgeois here. I suspect that the restaurants of the caliber we praise in here are not frying in partially hydrogenated fats. Perhaps they are exposing use to margarine or shortening in desserts. Unless you are a fan of packaged baked goods, you are not going to notice much. As Vadouvan touched upon, the big shaft is getting rammed up the have nots. I can't say I am in favor of that.

Like second hand smoke is someone else's jolly harming you, trans fats are someone's way of harming you (not with malice) as well. A gazillion people eat them without knowing it daily and they are vicious for you. Sugar and alcohol - not bad in moderation unless you have specific restrictions. Trans fat - not a molecule is necessary for you. Thought up by the corporate man to improve shelf life and had the benefit of providing mouthfeel, what is not that common in nature has become a staple. In the meantime, many of us crow now because our Oreos won't be as tasty. Waa waa waa. 5 year olds shouldnt be eating this on a regular basis. Many of us can restrain or moderate, but most people are clueless. Most kids are clueless - even ones who have good parents to control their intake. Ridding them from the larger corporate produced food supply (Keebler, McD) is a good thing.

FWIW.... "Average web retail" CS wines using winesearcher pro: $21.99 Chateau Citran 2003 - 1 retailer in US has it - $29.99 $29.99 Chateau de Veyres 2003 - 2 retailers in US have it - $44.99 and $59.99 $19.99 Chateau Haut Barrail 2003 - 1 retailer in US has it - $19.99 $19.99 Chateau Lalande Borie - 0 retailers With more widely available CS, I have found mixed pricing in my experience - some better some not and occassionally a very good deal. granted, many abnormally low prices on WSpro are bait and switch or non existent wines.

Don't hold your breath on that one. The Whitehall Lane stunt was not the Chairman's finest hour. In fact, it was downright trickery in my book - however innocent the sentiment may have been.

I should try J&K another time. I had them once - through Caviar Assouline - and they were so subtle as to be nearly flavorless to me. Maybe it was a bad batch. Evan EDITED TO ADD: Where do you get em? Do you have to ship them from like across the street?

Looks like another great meal there. When I get there next - and hopefully soon - I will try and get detailed instructions on making that sauce for the entrecote. I love that. Evan

18%. and in philadelphia sales tax is 7%... ← The cement of the PLCB prison walls is fashioned with the Flood tax, shipping laws and the oligopoly of distribution. The Chairman's selections and the smiling warden made the food taste better for some of the inmates but that's about it. The locks are gonna get tighter.

My impression is that he's been working a lot and is getting tired, and, in more or less his words, "wants to have a life". Dunno if this means he will be investing more of himself in Ansill, though I doubt it; in any case, it sounds like Pif in any form is done. It does sound like they'll remain open until the building sells, though, so it's unclear how much longer Pif will remain. ← It was David's intention to open Ansill and leave the cooking to David Kane who left shortly after. Since then, he has been in the kitchen and while that is a boon to us, this is not what he expected and I am not surprised having had a chance to think about it. Since Ansill is doing really well, Pif is probably going to slaughter. My last two meals there were totally on the mark. Evan

Not everyone - still a few more dreggies like me - hope to fix that soon. Evan

I called today for a reservation and they are only taking reservations 30 days in advance as the building is for sale. I asked if they are planning to relocate or close and got static. Uh oh - anyone have a scoop on this? Evan

Bringing up the thread again this year. Last year's first attempt was not very good but since I bought a fryer, I am doing it again. I bought an indoor (yes) masterbuilt fryer and I must say that unless you are drunk, you shouldn't be afraid. Nonetheless, if anyone has one or is looking to buy one of these... My notes from last year are: Don't trust the timer. At 360 for 40 minutes, the thigh was 177 and the breast 201. This time I will preheat to 375, drop it in and set it for 350 for 30 minutes and check the meat temp. Don't fry a heritage turkey. The shape is longer than a regular bird and does not completely submerge. This time - a standard frankenbutterball creature. We'll see how it goes this time. This year I am roasting one also. It works out well since we have a huge crew. Will report back. The oven time saved is glorious and I would like to get it right one of these days.

Anyone have a phone number? Can't find it - duh....

Banana and Creme fraiche. Very nice combo. We got there at 10:15 yesterday and we were packed in there like sardines.

Was back at Amada tonight for another very good meal. The stand out for me was the shrimp and mushroom shirred egg plate with truffled toast as well as the octopus. The only dishes I would say to avoid would be the filet with foie gras (didn't read the above) and the baked goat cheese in tomato basil sauce. Dessert special was not great either - "chocolate salami". Should've known from the name. The chocolate 5 ways made up for it - very tasty.

We were there for lunch on Thursday. After your experience there, I figured it was a worthwhile option. Since dinner is a set menu, I don't think my wife would have liked that option. I would do the same meal again tomorrow - you are a lucky dog! Carloyn, I am pretty sure they were not what you have linked to. I asked since mattone means 'brick' in Italian whether they were cooked under brick and the server said they used 2 cast iron skillets. Snekse, I can only assume they were one on top of each other since otherwise there would be no contact. I assume they used two really hot skillets and cooked it stove top but I don't know for sure.

There were 4 of us. My wife took the 3 course option. I wisely chose 4. The other two nut jobs went for 5. My brother, one of said nut jobs, could not touch the last course (he decided to forgo dessert as a course and ordered 5 big plates). I can't blame those guys really - the menu was rife with a ton of great choices. Even after I ordered, I second guessed myself - that has to be a familiar feeling for many of us in here. Evan

My recent meal at the French Laundry is posted here.

Final stop was Chez Panisse. It was the one restaurant we were upset that we never visited when we lived there briefly and so we made sure to return. Baked Sonoma goat cheese with garden lettuces Pizzetta with house cured pancetta, potato and rosemary Pizza with wild nettles Grilled Hoffman Farm chicken al mattone with shell beans and sage Warren pear-huckleberry crisp with vanilla ice cream I can see how Chez Panisse was such a culinary revolution. This meal was so outstanding in its simplicity and I can only imagine way back when, when it was the first discovered restaurant of its kind built on the use of local, ultrafresh and high quality components. From the looks of things and the descriptors, you can be lulled into thinking this is ordinary fare. It is not. Case in point was my chicken entree. Apart from the amateur photography, it really is nothing to look at. Each piece of the dish was eye poppingly delicious. The chicken - a boneless thigh and leg - was seared in between two cast iron skillets and was perfectly perfectly perfectly cooked. The jus was so good it needed to be sopped up at the end with more bread. Even the beans were some of the best I have had anywhere. I overheard a diner at the next table tell his friend it was the greatest chicken he ever had. My wife said the same of her taste - 15 minutes earlier. It was ethereal and yet not at all avant garde. I very much get the sustained hype and it's well deserved. I will never return to the bay area without going back. you can bet your bippy that I will be testing out the dual skillet method before then.... What a great trip we had ...... ... stop

Next up ..... We arrived a few minnutes early to find the other couple we were dining with already relaxing in the garden, wine glasses in hand. I visited the vegetable/herb garden across the street but at this time of year, it wasn't nearly as striking as some of the terrific pictures shown in the FL thread. I was much happier with this meal than one I enjoyed at Per Se. Not that that wasn't great food but I thought it didn't live up to the hype and the cost. Here in yountville however, the atmosphere alone is worth a few points. I remember Shola (of Studiokitchen fame) telling me a while back that looking at concrete vs a garden affects the two dining experiences. I have to agree. Gulleteer experiences at TFL are well documented and I will leave restating the obvious to others. The meal was exquisite and the service top notch. This time around, we let the food dominate and did not drink too much wine. A bottle of cali chard and a new world pinot was all we ordered and we didn't finish them amongst the 4 of us. I did not use flash but thanks to Adobe photoshop they manipulated nicely. I know I should get thrown out the the club for admitting this but I forgot to grab the menu for recall purposes and by dessert the constant camera clicking was irking the mere mortals at the table. What-e-vuh... Oysters and pearls Torchon of foie gras over fennel Hamachi sashimi Sunchoke salad Pan seared suzuki, chanterelles, artichoke puree Lobster cooked in sweet butter, beet essence Duck breast, applewood bacon, cornbread croutons, swiss chard Chateaubriand of veal, sweetbread ravioli, baby artichokes, carrots Some specific comments... I have had the oysters and pearls twice now - on both coasts - and this may very well be the greatest dish I have ever had. The complete and total shizzy. Give me this 9 times and call it dinner. After reading much of the lobster cooked in sweet butter, I must say that it was one of the best presentations of the night. Served over a beet essence, this flavor combinations were innovative and delightful. One did need a knife to cut it but from a flavor standpoint it was top notch. The chateaubriand of veal aside sweetbread ravioli was just supremely delicious - each with its own terrific mouthfeel. The silkiness of the meat along side of generous chunky filling of the stuffed pasta. All in all, if you can get a table go go go. If you have been and can go back, do do do. To be continued.....

Up we then went to stay in Sonoma. Eagerly awaiting our French Laundry meal, we stopped down the road for a little bite earlier in the day. The small breads (pretzel rolls and pain mie) you see in the racks on the right showed up at dinner at TFL The signature chocolate bouchon was a mini marvel. Holy cow. This was an amazing banana creme caramel tart topped with coffee cream and candied nuts. This was a perfect snack in the sun, with an espresso. aahh... to be continued.....

When we lived in SF, there was one place in the "new chinatown" section in the Richmond at 6th and Clement that was serving these wild tapioca drinks. Now we all know of "bubble tea" but back then it was the first to serve them. Since then, it has come across the coast to Philadelphia but no where is it the same. These drinks are based on milk and coffe mate (yes) rather than black tea. We were just dying to return and it was like old times. If you can, stop by there. It's called "Sweet Delite". They were featured in one of the major food mags a couple of years back which made me homesick but I also knew it meant they were doing well enough to survive until my reunion. Beware an imitiation down the street called Sweet 'Delight'! My stand-by was always hot coconut but this is a custard tapioca - cold. Rockin! to be continued....

Dinner on Sunday was at Ozumo. I had gotten this recommendation from a friend. It was too dark to photograph anything. The sushi was excellent and the atmosphere quite hip. There was a lot of hot food offered on the menu as well but we stuck mainly to the fish. Word of caution, it was not cheap at all. Granted, we drank a fair amount of sake Dinner on Saturday was at Bacco which IIRC is in Noe. This was very good Italian. I had wanted to get to Delfina but it wasn't in the cards this time around. To be honest, after a week and not a picture to help jog my memory, I don't remember everything we had. Suffice it to say, it was a very good meal. Limited wine list. To be continued....

Sunday morning dim sum ....... I had not planned on a dim sum run but friends wanted to see us and chose Yank Sing. The food is solid if not a little timid at times, perhaps more geared to less adventurous Americans? That notwithstanding, it was a very good meal and my first time trying "soup dumplings". Despite the large Asian community in Philadelphia, I haven't really seen them here. There was a thread in the local PA forum a ways back about them too as someone was searching for them. Luckily, I didn't burn my tongue. The soup dumpling Har Gao and Siu Mai Shrimp in rice noodle Poultry in lettuce cup topped with pine nuts (presumably squab or chicken) baked pork bun To be continued......

First stop was the Ferry Market, fresh off the plane. Both my wife and I wanted to get to Acme bakery so we thought we would stick to bread and cheese for a snack. Cowgirl Creamery I am a big fan of strong goat cheese and the first cheese is known as "Pave" and since it was locally made in Healdsburg, I was all over it. The other cheese is Pata Cabra, much more mild and firm. Acme Bakery We settled on a Pain Au Lavain to go with our cheese. It was beautiful and you just have to have sourdough in this town. True to form, it was still great eating the next morning in the hotel room. Afterward, we strolled around the building and were impressed by this chocolatier.... This very much reminds me of a local chocolate made in Philadelphia called John and Kira's (fka Jubilee). The flavors are very subtle. In some cases I actually could not detect the advertised addition (ie lavender). Nonetheless, these were some good bites. The rose caramel was particularly good. To be continued.....