raxelita

The sun rises and sets on Chubby Hubby once a month.

My beau was embedded in Iraq for a few months last year (he's a journalist). He reports that a thai chicken MRE laid him out for two days. Apparently it was quite old-- but after a diet of cigarettes and candy for a week, he was willing to take the risk. And he paid, dearly. edited to add: not that I'm trying to say MRE poisining is common...I'm sure the're well regulated and as safe as most foods we eat every day. I believe the date on the package was 1995, so he was taking his life into his own hands.

Just a heads up to you that Ciao Bella would likely make a very expensive shake, especially after shipment to the heartland. Maybe you can go cahoots with Ritters? I like your ideas so far, and wish you luck. R

Another Q. Their online wine list is fairly brief, compact. Do they have a floor sommelier, or do the captains handle wine? I don't think I've read anything on this thread referring to wine service yet. edited to add: And do people feel the list stands up to the food? What are responses to this type of list at one of the finer eating experiences in town?

I can say that they were happy with their jobs and otherwise would not have left. There is/was a great deal of comraderie among the staff such that much ceremony (outside of the restaurant) surrounded the group departure. I'm not trying to agitate, nor do I wholly stand against Keller's policy. However, I think though it would have been easier for the entire staff to open the restaurant with that policy. An abrupt cut in salary, even if it is a percieved one, is hard for any employee to take. I do know that Per Se lost some good people because of it. edited for clarity.

I sez, because I know personally servers who recently quit, and know from them of more. Obviously they can't be absolutely positive that their wages over a year will be less, but their hunch is enough that they quit.

But the front of house staff was already pooling. And they had benefits.

They are taking a pay cut, it's a fact. That's why so many FOH staff has recently quit.

My Blueberry Capirina adds muddled blueberries to the usual mixture of Cachaca, lime and sugar. The blueberries soften the drink a little, and allow you to use slightly less sugar, it also makes it a pretty pink. Blueberry juice would probably work as well, although missing the floating berry garnish. How bout a blueberry fizz?

As I suspected. Thanks chianti.

more caramely, perhaps with a hint of cocoa butter

Hey Sweets! Been brainstorming an economical, delicious, storable gift to give to family members at an upcoming gathering and have landed on jars of Hazelnut Praline Spread. I got the idea while pouring buckets of Le Pain Quotidien's Belgian Praline on my soup bageutte, something I can't help from doing whenever I visit. They import theirs from Belgium, so I haven't much a chance of obtaining a recipe. (the ingredients on the jar are simply hazelnut, sugar, corn oil) I've studied the two demos on Praline, and learned enough to get the basics, but I'm looking for something more goopy, spready than the end result of the demos. Is there a way I can alter one of the two demo processes, or does the spread require a whole different approach? So much thanks in advance. Rax

These look like superior brownies. Can you post the recipe? I'd like to attempt these after a shot at Ling's.

Would you share the lentil pate recipe as well? Those pictures are great inspiration for my upcoming dinner parties. Well done.

I found the desserts at The Modern uninspired--good ingredients, nice balance of flavors--but standard fare. If the focus is sweets alone, I'd skip it. However, if you're interested in great small savory plates and cocktails, their Bar Room is an excellent choice.

Well, "herb" in American English is "erb"; maybe someone pronounced "carb" that way, you know, "arb," and that kinda sounds like "erb." Or, then again, maybe not. ← The question was followed by "I'm on Atkins..."

A woman flagged me down at my restaurant recently to ask whether there were any shrimp in the appetizers she was consuming (including two crab dishes). She had started to develop a rash, and thought maybe her allergy to shrimp had been ignited. There were no traces of shrimp in the items she was eating, but it bothered me that she would not have asked before-hand, to aviod such a situation. We take allergies very seriously (even fictitious ones). I'd recommend against any place that doesn't. On a lighter note, someone asked me last week if basil was a carb. Yes, at least they asked.

Nut butters should become your new close friend. A vegan friend in SF makes an insane (and easy) tofu-peanut butter mousse with bittersweet firm chocolate layer. I'll search around for a comparable recipe. Almonds are also great for grinding and adding richness to cakes & cookies. Flax oil is great to have around too. I'll elaborate more when I dig up some recipes. R

Page Six revealed it on Thursday, in especially nasty detail. Don't have an online sub. to the Post, otherwise I'd link.

I'd suggest davidburkeanddonatella for the cheesecake lollipop tree and a couple of other cleverly envisioned sweets. Second Jean Georges for visual inspiration. There's that new "Chocolate Bar" place in Brooklyn, but I haven't been yet to assess quality.

Second La Folie.

What they do, they do really well. Ingredient-wise, execution-wise, they excell. I'm also surprised to see that there were no previous threads on Delfina. It was one of my favorite restaurants when I lived there. The food was dependable-- you always know you were going to get something well-prepared and solidly framed (by fresh, quality ingredients). The service was always so warm. I love how they demonstrate that casual can be professional. New York could take a lesson from them.

Hm. I stand adjusted. I'd always assumed miale referred to pork tenderloin.

Wonderfully surprised by this place last weekend. For the price, I've not met anything like it in a while. We started with an amuse of cantaloupe soup, which was uninteresting but worked to pique the pallate. Immediately after we were offered from the selection of bread that comes routinely out of the oven. No oil, butter, accoutrements, just the bread-- a very nice way to shift the focus on to the product itself. They were great little loaves, so good that I couldn't deny at least a piece each time the nice bread-fellow came round throughout the meal. Perfect crusts and interesting seasonings (one memorabe was a square-inch loaf of black cabbage foccacia). We shared an appetizer of Buffalo Ricotta that beautifully airy and melty and went perfectly with the Ribolla Gialla I selected. For entrees I had a special: duck breast with white asparagus and turnip puree. My partner had the pork miale seasoned by fennel and those ever-present cocoa nibs, with potato puree. I would go back for both, particularly the duck, which was perfectly cooked and sauced. The flavors and visual presentation point to a real focus in the kitchen. I was amazed by the subteties in flavor in each dish, especially for the price ($20-$24 entrees). Dessert was unbelivable. A panna cotta with superflavored dried strawberries, and a commendable assortment of petit-fours. When a restaurant gets those touches right--really good petit-fours, with care put into their making-- that's what keeps me coming back. Dessert wine was a Soave Recioto with nice acid to cut the panna cotta. Wine service was good, but our server(s) were spacey, unorganized and totally unhelpful regarding the menu. Nothing too horrible, but food that good should be better served. The wine list is small, and pricier than the menu would dictate, but the selections are fine and appropriate to the food.

A sneak peak at the db & Flay competition ended my guilty pleasure love affair with the show. Why do I want to hear ignorant (regarding food) celebrities' judgements on cuisine? Ah Food Network, whither?