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Thanks, Dave. The Amazon links are especially helpful because I can check out those sample pages! By the way, I think Awbrig would buy Charlie Trotter-brand snow tires if given half a chance! edit: typo

Cafe Miranda's menu is pretty ambitious! What sorts of dishes have you ordered on your visits there? Sometimes it's hard to tell where the chef's true expertise may lie within so many options.

Someone please tell me he's kidding! You ARE kidding, right?

This sounds VERY helpful. And so does this!! Part of what makes it so frustrating is that this is one of those circumstances in which I want to be instantly fabulous, you know what I mean? I want to be able to just jump in and make extraordinary things, but I know that's not going happen. Still, I'm making this my New Year's resolution so that I don't give up and just go out to eat when something goes wrong! (I do love the dining out experience though... there's no danger of me learning to cook so well that I'll stop going out. I'll just get enough skill that I don't have to eat the same dishes for the rest of my life.)

The more I read eGullet, the more ashamed I am that I'm not able to cook. Well, I mean... I can make certain basic things (mostly revolving around grilling and breakfast items), but I really don't know what to do with the vast majority of ingredients. So, here's the question... can someone recommend any books that give some very basic cooking knowledge? I don't mean cookbooks exactly; I need something that starts at the BEGINNING. Something that will explain the terminology used in cookbooks (i.e. simmer, reduce, poach, etc.) and give some detailed instructions on those processes would be nice. Alternatively, should I take a cooking course? Obviously, I really don't know the best way to go about this. I have some friends who are chefs and cooks, but I really don't want to impose on them until I get to the level of basic competency. Lil' help?

"Occasionally Lunch is cancelled due to tiredness, international sporting fixtures or other important reasons ...... if you have booked a table then don't worry, we will be here." AWEsome.

Sounds decent. Sorry to hear that you weren't able to order in Italian though... I know that you usually have the time and are comfortable doing so. This is a really second-hand recommendation (as I've never been), but a friend of mine always recommends Puzo's in Hawthorne for a good red sauce kind of place. Have you been there yet?

Your bit about the bit about it being overpriced seeming a bit too subjective seems subjective. You know what I mean, subjectively at least.

I've never been there, but I know there's a Trader Joe's about 10 minutes away from me. Sounds like that's where I'm heading!

Nina - Can you remember if they serve any larger entrees along the lines of sukiyaki or udon soups? [rhetorical]Why can't every restaurant have an online menu?[/rhetorical]

Well, I don't think there's much more that you can do at this point. Did you by any chance leave a phone number along with the letter? That might have increased your chances of hearing back from the management, but probably only slightly. It may be that they don't care to hear constructive criticism at all, because they do seem to fill up their dining rooms without it. I mean, I think they're somewhat overpriced as well, but I'm probably heading back again this month. The only thing I would've done differently is to substitute a different adjective for "cheesy". Though I'm not sure which adjective that would be... I'm curious though, did the previous letters you have written all address similar service issues? Have you tried speaking with management on the nights when something went wrong? edit: I originally substituted subsitute for substitute. I'm ok now though.

Thanks, Kit... but I have a couple of ingredient questions (since I'm new to this)! First... chopped, crystalized ginger. Is this readily available at a supermarket? Second... parchment. Same question with a slightly dumber look on my face. I know what wax paper, aluminum foil, and Saran wrap are though!!

Was this a pun (in relation to the bung)?

Let's just say that the word "hole" commonly follows it.

Where the hell is that "eGullet Hall of Fame" when you need it??? This definitely wins the "I can't believe it's not scripted" award! Great character development, through and through. Thanks, guys... that was a good laugh! edit: I quoted Tommy for some reason when I didn't mean to

I've got no problems with tripe in my pho or tongue at a Korean bbq, but other than that, I'm not very experienced with offal. Of course, I wouldn't know trendy if it bit me in the ass (which is just awful, but not offal).

I'm just going to follow the questions for now, but I might be able to free associate a bit later. Every answer here is broken down into "a" (my immediate family/everyday life) and "b" (my grandparents house on Sundays/special occassions): What was your family food culture when you were growing up? a. I'd describe it as the typical American-Consumer Culture. Anything advertised to make dinners quick and easy was fair game. Hamburger Helper, La Choy Chinese "Food", etc... b. Germanic/Colonial. Roasts, home-grown vegetables, etc... Was meal time important ? a. Yes. If I wasn't within "calling distance" when dinner was ready, I was in trouble. b. Yes. If I wasn't setting the table 15 minutes before dinner, I was in trouble. Was cooking important? a. No. See the first answer... b. Yes. My grandmother always took great pride in preparing a proper meal. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? a. Generally just the question, "Now what would Granddad do if he saw that?" b. Granddad would smack the table (or my arm) with a butter knife for resting an arm on the table (or for slouching, or forgetting a napkin in the lap, etc...) Were restaurant meals common, or for special occasions? a. Pretty common and a welcome break from home cooking. I'd say about 1-2 times a week, usually to a Chinese or Mexican restaurant. b. Special occassions only. Always to rather stuffy places where the reserved atmosphere seemed to be much more important than the food. Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? a. Only if it was required by sheer numbers. b. Depended on the company. If it was just family, no kiddy table was required. If there were professional friends of my grandfather present, than kids were removed to the kitchen. When did you get that first sip of wine? a. No wine... beer. I was about 8 and my father poured me a glass expecting that I would hate it. He was right. b. I was about 6-7. I hated wine too. After trying various other drinks, I eventually came to the conclusion that I didn't like the taste of alcohol. Of course, I was partial to wine coolers for a while, but I haven't had a drop of alcohol now for more than 10 years. Was there a pre-meal prayer? a. No. b. Yes, but only for special occassions (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc.) Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? a. Only that Friday night was pizza night. Other than that, the number of dishes prepared was limited so there was a lot of repetition, but it wasn't tied to specific days of the week. b. Every Sunday was dinner at the grandparents' house, but the menu was different. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? Well, the fact that I'm here should show that I've obviously taken a pretty big break from my family's food culture. The couple of relatives who know that I read/write about food on the internet think it's very funny (but not at all surprising). I try to get my family to be more adventurous, but it generally doesn't go over very well. The people that really got me into loving food were all outside of my family. Growing up, I was very close friends with a Vietnamese family that lived two houses away. The mother and ALL of her sons are terrific cooks and I spent lots of time at their house! For special occassions, she would make all these terrific barbecued meats and I could smell them from my backyard! I'll never forget the day the youngest son told me, "My mom doesn't care that I'm fat. She wants me to get fat. She said that one day when I get REALLY fat, she's going to cook me up and eat me!" I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but it's a funny story. Then I moved to El Paso, Texas when I was about 11. The majority of my friends were Mexican-Americans and their moms could COOK!! I loved going to street fairs and parties, because there would just be booths and tables set up with all kinds of great food. We'd venture into Juarez and get some street food (and into some trouble) and love every minute of it. I moved back to Jersey three years later, but I ended up hanging out with a very diverse group of friends in high school. The only thing we really had in common was a love of food. We would grill almost every day after school. Of course, I was still a trouble-maker back then so we'd steal ham steaks and sausages and sometimes even turkey/chicken parts from the supermarkets. We'd open up every sauce and dip our fingers in to find out which ones were our favorites. Basically, we did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but we did it all for the love of food. In college, this all continued, but on a larger (and thankfully legal) scale since we all had jobs and money. I never progressed much as a grill cook, but I really started expanding my dining horizons. I was like Steve Martin's character in The Jerk, "If this is out there... think how much MORE is out there!!" And that's about where I'm at now, except that most of my eating buddies have moved away and I'm stuck with less adventurous people. I joined eGullet to fill that void and I must say that it does pretty well. edit: spelling

Can you post a recipe? I'm incredibally inept at baking/cooking/following directions, but I'm trying to learn and I'm a big fan of ginger!!

(My emphasis) Awbrig, I don't think he's panning the place or the chef. He's stating that his own experience with the restaurant is not as consistent as yours obviously is. Granted, "crap" is a very loaded term, but he has also written rather eloquently about Charlie Trotter's strengths. I think Woody Allen is (was?) a brilliant film-maker, but I also think he put out some "crap" films.

Fink currently has some damn big burgers on his daily (umm, weekly?) specials list!! A bacon double cheeseburger made with 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 pound patties!! Unfortunately for me, I didn't see it yesterday until I had already ordered 12 wings, chili, and a half-rack of ribs... but I'm sure they could make this monster for you anytime. They're nice people like that! Oh yeah, and that full breakfast on top of a burger that I talked about earlier in the thread? Fink and company made that dream come true too... two times, in fact!

Given the laws of probability, I guess that with 40+ people each eating several courses we were bound to find at least one cooking error. I'm so sorry it was in your basil chicken though! Mine was about the juiciest piece of chicken I've EVER eaten and certainly one of my favorite dishes from the evening. Did you happen to ask the others at your table if their chicken was also dry?

And I hope that all of your future posts make me as happy as this one did!! Thanks for the update!

I'd love the lingo if I knew what the hell it meant! What's a "Frenchy"? I also used to go to Rascals, but it was so long ago that I can't trust my memory to compare it with other places. I do remember liking it (though I also used to like peanut butter & butter sandwiches).

Double O mentioned "dogs with coleslaw (I've only seen this at the Hot Dog Hut in Hackensack)" but I think Tommy's talking about the Dog House Grill (not sure of the name... it's on River Street right by the bridge into Bogota). I haven't been to either of these (and for all I know, they might be the same place ) edit: First post on a new page has to look nice!

Wuss! It was spicy, but it wasn't the "This is VERY spicy... let me get a sip of water while my eyes tear up" spicy that you made it out to be. Personally, I loved the paneer, but I did think it was an odd pairing with the basil chicken (then again, what do I know about the Indian Holy Trinity?). The basil chicken was incredibly succulent and I wonder if the same quality could be present in a larger piece of chicken as well. The tomato chutney's flavor and heat were strong enough that it was a joy to eat all by itself! I thought that the spiced potatos which accompanied the venison chop were delicious on their own, but when paired together with the venison on a single fork, the combination was outstanding. The same can be said for the apple/cranberry chutney with the lamb and wild boar chops (my personal favorite course for the evening)! The ice cream served as dessert had a subtle and interesting texture about the outside. Of course, Tommy got no chance to experience this as I stole his dessert while he was away from the table (in retribution for the bread I never saw)! Again, I've only had a few Indian meals prior to this one and I've had mixed feelings about the cuisine previously. However, I can honestly say that last night's meal was fabulous on so many levels and certainly a steal at $50. Thanks to all that made this happen and that includes everyone who put their time in on the front lines eating this fabulous food and providing the conversation for the evening! Suvir, how would you say our experience at Diwan last night would compare to the experience of someone walking off the street? edit: typo (and spelling)