tazerowe

I went Friday PM, arriving at about 9:45. The wait was about a half-hour for two. I wanted to like this place, and there are certainly are things to like, but in the end the food just wasn't particularly good. I doubt I'd go back. The details: The lamb rillettes were interesting, smoother than traditional pork rillettes, but with a nice flavor. The chickpeas with sausage were also excellent. These were our first two items, so I was expecting very good things to come. We didn't stay at such a high level. The pizza with bacon came off like a warmed pita with some toppings. Harmless, but not interesting. The tuna in a jar was similar - just a small serving of acceptable tuna tartare, harmless. The cod fritters came off as a bit fishy. We ordered two chicken dishes based on the sides: ramp waffles and socca, neither of which had much character. None of this was really bad, but nothing would make you pause, either. Service was good, and the small wine list is well priced, especially by the bottle. We also ended up in the $60/head range. That pushes you close to the Momofuku Saam level. While this was certainly less of a headache that fighting the crowds at Momofuku, the food just isn't on the same planet.

I'm glad to hear this view - I just didn't have a guess given the weather.

I went last night and enjoyed my meal. The sweetbreads with romanesco were the highlight. I would put this place in the same category as Hearth, but maybe my meal here last night was a little better than my last Hearth experience from the food perspective. Monday BYO is a great deal, even though the wine list isn't unreasonable by NYC standards. My only concern is that the place was fairly empty - maybe 30 covers for the night as a whole. Hard to say if that was economy-driven or just a Monday after a major snow storm. From other comments, it seems they were doing ok, so I hope they stick around.

I'm not an expert, but I am not sure any American country hams were traditionally eaten raw. European hams are cured for raw consumption, but they use significantly less salt and rely on air drying. The climate in US ham country is too humid, so these are heavily salted and smoked to preserve them. As a result, then need the cooking to balance the salt. Now, recently, some of the better US producers have noticed the similarity between the products and the fact that some consumers went ahead and ate the country hams raw - there was an article in the NY Times maybe 10 years ago noticing the trend. Many of these, like Edwards (made about 10 miles from your Ivor ham), produce special hams for raw consumption. These are excellent, but my impression is that they are significantly less salty and rely on modern air conditioning, etc. to create a more European curing environment. Your Felts, while a fine country ham, is a traditional product and I would not expect it to be designed for raw consumptions. I have no idea if raw would be safe or would taste good. My gut tells me it is more likely safe that tasty. However, poached, sliced and on biscuits, it will be very nice.

I grew up about 10 miles from there. Honestly, most people wouldn't consider this to be a ham for raw consumption. Locals would soak it for several days to reduce the salt, then boil it before slicing.

Probably a mix of Chinkiang vinegar and soy. And thanks for the tip on the weekend cart...not surprising that they'd set up there. ←

There is a cart on the weekends that does these same crepe on Elizabeth and maybe Hester, on the northeast corner in front of the old Dynasty grocery store (it just reopened as something else). They are really, really nice, much better than the dim sum variety. I wish I knew exactly what the sauce was. It is thin and has the appearance of soy sauce, but is nowhere near as salty and heavy. I don't get much sesame flavor, either, just a richness that goes nice with the crepe and hot sauce.

Have you tried SOS Chef on Ave B near 6th Street? They have a cooler in the back with great mushrooms. They almost always have chanterelles and cepes, and the more common oysters, king oysters, etc. plus seasonal things like elfs and yellow foot. They mainly do wholesale to restaurants, but I stop by all the time for 1/4 ot 1/2 lb of something for dinner. Prices are about average retail, similar to WF or Garden of Eden (my #2 choice), but I find the quality MUCH higher.

Ok, to revive an old topic. I always seem to have the same problem with garlic scapes - what I get is fiberous and inedible - like eating the top of a stalk of lemongrass! I've tried different sizes and over multiple years, and cooked them in a variety of forms. Sometimes a portion of what I cook is ok, but I've never had a dish that didn't involve picking out tons of little twigs. If I had to guess, there might be a need to disgard some portion of the lower stalk - like mature asaragus? If so, where do you stop?

Based on the positive review, I also tried the place this weekend, in this case for lunch with a 10-month old in tow. The place was empty when we arrived around 12:30 and only had a couple of tables taken when we left. The service was good, and they were fine with the little one. We tried 3 dishes: Snow pea salad had shredded snow peas and pea sprouts with crispy Chinese sausage with a nice lighly spicy dressing. This was good and elegant, although not very substantial by its nature. Bershire pork from the grill was sweet and charred from the honey marinade and came with the mixed pickles. Excellent meat, with good texture for a quick-cooked version of pork leg. The prawn crepe was a little dry on its own, but was nice with the spicy fish sauce in a lettuce leaf. I'm sure you could do as well in a good Vietnamese place, but it was solid. All-in, the tab was reasonable, $43 with a watermelon juice, including tax and tip. I'd say the place is a lot like Spice Market, food-wise (and I like the food there for the most part), without the hype or hassle. There is plenty more I'd like to try, so I'll go back soon.

Yep, this is exactly why I was looking for dishes that naturally shouldn't have any heat, so we can order those plus the usuals and then ask for everything "thai spicy" (while stomping on my wife's foot so she can't show panic). So, generally the menu stars are accurate? Pork and greens sound excellent. I don't need many things, but last time every single dish was spicy, so I have to hit at least a couple of things beyond just sticky rice.

OK, I think I am heading out to Sripraphai this weekend for lunch. I haven't been in a while, so I appreciate all the recommendations above. However, I need further help: What do I order for the spice wimps in the group. I need a few things with little if any heat - assume "mild" or maybe "medium" in a standard NYC Thai-American place. Suggestions? Also, I think I understand that they now serve beer. Is this correct?

This is a request that circulates on the net from time to time, but usually without result. There was a taco place on 117th street (I think) that sold fresh masa on the side, but they stopped as demand didn't justfiy it. I know of no other place. That said, the Mexican community continues to grow, so there is hope.

I'll add the San Frittata from San Panino on Hudson near Christopher. It is the perfect take on the NY egg sandwich: slices of vegetable frittata on a hard roll with arugula, tomato and black olive paste. The rest of their sandwiches are nice too.

A few more things to add to your list: Get a proscuitto roll at Faicco's Pork Store on Bleeker. It's sort of a bagel stuffed with proscuitto. Split a donner kebab at Yatagan across from the Kati Roll place on McDougal. Falafel is a great snack. I like Mamoun's, a little further up McDougal. You can snack from the dosa cart in Washington Square Park. Jamaican Flavors on Sullivan has patties and coco bread. Don't forget Grey's Papaya. If you are out for breakfast or brunch, go to San Panino on Hudson at Christopher and get the San Frittata. It is the world's best egg sandwich: frittata, mozzerella, arugula, tomato and olive spread on a crusty roll. The rest of the sandwiches are good too, but that is special.

I love making my own tortillas as well, but I can never get the shape or thickness right. Specifically, long before they are pressed thin enough, the edges crack such that I am left with something that hints at a rounded cross. It isn't completely that way, but far from round. I tried making a moister dough, thinking this would help, but then it just sticks to the plastic or wax paper and won't come off. Any suggestions?

Ok, I've read the book and I've tried to follow the whole thread, but I do have a few lingering questions. I have some smaller pieces of fatback and venison that I am consider turning into lardo and bresaola, respectively. (Per the earlier discussion on the venison, I am comfortable with the parasite risks, I think. The meat has been frozen to take care of trichinosis and we usually eat it seared but rare without trouble, so I don't think I am taking much more risk...I hope.) Rather than the recommended 3-5 pounders, I have something closer to a pound each, maybe even a little less. Size-wise, the venison loin is maybe 2-3 inches in diameter and 6 inches long, and the fatback is something like 6 inches square by 1 inch or so thick. My questions: 1. I am concerned about how much cure to use to be safe but avoid excess salinity. Can I use the dredge method and assume I am ok? Does this work for both types of cure, #1 and #2? In the case where the cure is added in two stages, do I just re-dredge or do I clean off the first cure before dredging a second time? 2. For a curing location, I have very old, dusty basement. Right now, it is in the 60-65F range with maybe 60% humidity, so I am probably ok, if a little warm. However, I am very concerned about cleanliness. This is a very old house. The basement leaks and well, I wouldn't want to guess in what century it was last given a real cleaning - it just isn't that kind of space. I can't imagine it is a mold-free environment. My other option is the fridge. I know there are issues, but some have suggested that it might work, especially coupled with the smaller sizes I am considering. Any thoughts?

I had a PM discussion about this very thing with Michael several months ago. It was my belief that if you freeze the meat for at least 3 weeks prior to curing that you would be okay. ← Mine has been in the freezer much longer than that. I know that is supposed to take care of the trichinosis (sp?). I don't know what else I would be up against...

Speaking of venison: 1. I did the venison terrine from Charcuterie a couple of weeks ago and was very pleased. It had a nice texture, and the cherries worked well with the meat (although they remained rather alcoholic after a soak in brandy and a very slow cooking. 2. Has anyone tried an air-dried cured venison loin, something like bresaola? I've still got plenty of meat left and thought I might give it a shot.

any idea whether it's BYO until they get a liquor license, or a permanent policy? ← I am not sure. My understanding from something I read is they originally planned more of a coffee house / bakery and evolved into a restaurant. Based on that, they didn't plan to serve alcohol. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if they looked into it in the future. Right now it is a very small operation, so I guess (hope) we have some time.

We should add Ametller, a small Catalan place on Christopher near Waverly Place in the Village. I tried it on Monday, and it showed promise. They are a little pounded now in the wake of positive comments in the Times last week, but the duck crepes were good.

Funny, I was going to post yesterday and got busy. My two choices: Hudson, NY or Lambertville, NJ! Both have great antiques shopping - you could spend a full day either place. For Lambertville, you can also drive back up the river, on either side, and hit spots like Frenchtown. I am less certain about the food options in either spots, although I recall there being a couple of nice spots in Hudson.

Has anybody had the brunch here? I need a place in the next couple of weeks and thought I might give it a shot.

OK, so I finally got my copy and got started this weekend with the pate de campagne. I generally followed the recipe, only varying the spice mix a bit by substituting some grains of paradise for part of the black pepper. I also note that mine seemed to take longer than the recipe indicated to come to temperature (160F, as I had chicken livers) - probably 1.5 hours or even a little more rather than 1 hour as indicated. I would give the results a solid "B", but not better. That said, I think I would like to try it again in a couple of areas. Most importantly, the texture is much looser than commercial pates I have tried. The edges approach a good texture, but the middle is slighly crumbly (despite being appropriately moist and pink). My two guesses are a little more mixing to develop proteins and, maybe more important, I think I would weight it longer and heavier. I did a little less than 24 hours with about 2 lbs. That didn't seem like a lot of weight at the time. Any thoughts? A few other thoughts: my grinder (Kitchen Aid stand mixer attachment) didn't really do very much to the onion and parsley, so I would probably take more care in mincing those next time. In addition, while I did trim out my pork a fair bit, I was not 100% obsessed with getting all the silverskin, etc., and it does show a little in the final product. The other change I would make is purely personal. Any mixture of meat, garlic and corriander just screams hotdog to me. I think I would nix the corriander and play around a bit.

You want an excessive menu, try Shopsins, the place Calvin Trillian has written about in New York. Menu The scary thing is that most things are pretty good (certainly not everything, but most things) and the menu changes regularly. About every other visit I either ask about something that is gone or order something that the staff comments is new.