Weissman

Also, I saw my old next door neighbors last night. They went for the husband's birthday and had the tasting menu. They told me that the oyster and pearls was their favorite. It happened to be mine also. However, there were other parts that were just as excellent or exceptional: foie gras terrine, truffles, bread, and service!

I know that they take they have one table for 8 to 10 people in a private room that overlooks Central Park. They take that one table up to one year in advance, so no two month to the day policy.

I stand corrected Bux! I meant "trendy" as different and newer instead of traditional. It definately is a food destination, not a place to see and be seen like Tao, or some other Sex and the City place. However, the dining room is interesting as are the photographs of the bathroom. So in a sense, it is different and hip. I believe there are differnet kinds of diners: those who are hip, those on HIP, and those with a broken hip. Here is something to think about. Maybe I am using the word "hip" wrong!

I have a reservation for 4 people on Sundary, June 26th. I thought this restaurant would fit the bill. My sister is visiting from North Carolina for the weekend. My sister's friend and my mom are also going. Do you think this qualifies as an intersting place, considering they love Nobu? I thought that this would be unique since they like trendy places! I know that it isn't a traditional fancy restaurant in NYC. They like casual also! Hopefully, my company agrees with me or I am SOL!

I swear that it looked like him. On their website, there is a pic of him and Chef Mason. The description fits to a tee my friend. Plus the staff wears the same aprons as appears on the Iron Chef promo!! Or it could be a celebrity look alike!!

That might make the lobster over cooked at 165. Poultry should be cooked to 160 and allowed time to rest. ← Fish should be cooked to 140 for well done. 160 is pure death. It might be more safe, but then the flavor is nasty and the texture is tough.

That might make the lobster over cooked at 165. Poultry should be cooked to 160 and allowed time to rest.

According to the Food Network, new episodes air in July!

I saw previews today for a second season of Iron Chef America. Chef Dufresne is one of the challengers. However, I couldn't tell who he was up against. My guess would be Morimoto because of his challenging spirit! But who knows!! It still ought to be entertaining since I saw his menus online. Yet, I still have to get there.

Execellent meal tonite! Congratulations on your Bergen County magazine add. Good luck in the future. See ya sonn!!

I had a Culinary Institute instructor for skills you used to say "shalot" like shalom (replace the m with a t) instead of shallot. Also "bahsil" instead of basil. Tomahto instead of tomato! Potahto instead of potato!

While I was in Napa, I dined at French Laundry, of course. However, I also dined at Tra Vigne and Brix, which were both excellent. Brix was located on highway 29 and had a view of the back garden, which was beautiful. All the wineries along the Napa Highway were very nice. I thought that Mondavi setting was beautful, the wine was just OK. Adam from Jersey

Good for you!! I hate those cheap SOB's who think that they can get a full brim to the glass for nothing. At the restaurant where I work, there is one customer that comes to mind that does the same thing!! However, he gets it for nothing. The dining room manager lets it go on. WHATEVER! You have to take charge of your customers. Don't let them take charge of you!

At the restaurant where I work in Jersey, I use an inverted sugar to prevent the ice creams from becoming a brick. You replace a certain amount of sugar with the inverted sugar and boil the dairy and continue with the ice cream as normal. Dairyland is very good in ice cream production. Not too say that wd-50 uses any!!

North of the CIA, is the quaint town of Rhinebeck. In Rhinebeck, there are several restaurants such as Le Petite Bistro, Cripple Creek, and a Chinese fusion restaurant in Rhinecliff called China Rose. It serves unusual China Dishes and frozen Saki Margartias, and is located on the Hudson River. I know that the CIA reservation policy is up to 3 months, for lunch and dinner. The new Italian Colavita Center, has an informal Al Forno dining room that I have heard about. They serve pizzas, antipastas, and stuff like that. They do not take reservations and are open I think lunch time to early evening. I hope that this has helped somewhat. Adam

NY Times Rating System goes like this (at least it is in Jersey's NYT reviews): poor, fair, good, very good, excellent, and extraordinary. Maybe poor = 0 stars Fair = .5 star Good= 1 star Very Good = 2 stars Excellent = 3 stars Extraordinary= 4 stars Too many selections!! It's very iffy. In Jersey, there is only one "extraordinary" restaurant and that is Ryland Inn. It's expensive, and it sucks. I'm not sure, but I would bet Thomas Henklemen's place in Greenwich is also "extraordinary", according to my mom and her boyfriend when they visited there last year. NYC's Restaurant Reviews tell you the bottom line in stars, which is better! ← I have been to the Ryland Inn on several occasions and found it fantastic.. Most recently for a wedding.. What do you base your "it sucks" rating on? What did you get there.. ← I thought that the food for an Easter Sunday was high at $85 for 3 prix fix three years ago. We were a table of two and servers attitude reminded me of the country club scene at Caddy Shack with Rodney Dangerfield. The food was good, but it wasn't outrageous. The decor of the was very boring. The garden was the only nice looking part of the restaurant. Believe me, Nicholas was much better food and service, and less expensive. Their attitude reminded me of my signature for egullet. It really was their pleasure to serve you verses who the heck are you!

I went their for dinner tonite. The appetizer seared tuna with Asian Vegetable Stir Fry and Soy Bean Vinaigrette was delicious as was the diver scallop entree with vegetable julienne, squash rissotto, and white truffle sauce. The other entree was a grilled vegetable plate with feta cheese, which was also good. The raspberry panna cotta dessert with strawberries and raspberry sorbet was OK. The panna cotta itself had too much gelatin, resembling more of a polenta texture. I said that to the waiter and surprisingly, removed the dessert from the bill. The ambience is still wonderful and serene, like the tropics.

I went to Gary Danko a few years ago and it was excellent. You can choose any dish from the menu by the number of courses: 3, 4, 5, or 6 I believe. It was very quaint. If you can't get in, you might be able to order at the bar!!! Good Luck!! Adam from NJ

I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about this place. However, most people agree that the decor is unbelievable. It is like being in South Beach, Miami. I though the food was very good as was the cocktails!! This is a great place to see and be seen!! Very much like Tao and the Sex and the City vibe.

If you rotate every few weeks or so, wouldn't the standard of the dishes and service be spotty. One saute line cook may finally get settled on his dishes, and then, once again, it's time to switch. I believe that Legal Seafood takes three of four employees and take turns working in the back and front of the house. It is important to train your employees so they know and understand the entire operation. It's not a bad idea, but there are some professionals in the industry who are better suited for their positions. For instance, a line cook with tons of tatoos, visible piercings, and funky colored hair, would not be appropriate to work in the front of the house. However, a well suited maitre'd may have no idea how to cook a medium rare steak. This is of course the situation of fine dining.

Grapefruit and jalapeno!!! One extreme to the other: sour and spicy green raw pepper. That might make me fall out of my chair too! Was it awesome or was it awful? Hey, I give the pastry chef credit for producing bold flavors. Not for the timid at heart. Hell, I'll try anything once! What else did you have on your most recent vist, iheartoffal???

NY Times Rating System goes like this (at least it is in Jersey's NYT reviews): poor, fair, good, very good, excellent, and extraordinary. Maybe poor = 0 stars Fair = .5 star Good= 1 star Very Good = 2 stars Excellent = 3 stars Extraordinary= 4 stars Too many selections!! It's very iffy. In Jersey, there is only one "extraordinary" restaurant and that is Ryland Inn. It's expensive, and it sucks. I'm not sure, but I would bet Thomas Henklemen's place in Greenwich is also "extraordinary", according to my mom and her boyfriend when they visited there last year. NYC's Restaurant Reviews tell you the bottom line in stars, which is better!

Your boss is wrong. Cry-o-vac and sous vide doesn't even sound very appetizing to me, but it evidently works if done right. Sous vide is just about the chef getting more control over how he cooks his food. We had a long thread about home chefs using the technique successfully. ← Fair enough! I have no real experience using this method myself. However, I believe there are too many descriptions using quotation marks, location of food items, and Franglish: ie: lobster "en sous vide." I have a culinary background and I thinking what the hell does that mean. Not in the case of the homard. I am not saying that descriptions aren't nice, but there comes a point when the focus of the menu makes you want to see the inside of your eyelids.

Was it just chopped or pureed like pesto? If it was pureed: a funky colored mojito. Substitute grappa or amaretto for the rum! Also pour it into purple sugar rimmed glass. Here's an idea for you Ted on Queer Eye! Maybe the restaurant could have marketed it as an Italian Purple Punch! Of course, without the Parmigaino Reggiano, Pignoli Nuts, olive oil, or garlic.

I not sure what to think? When I was there, on 3/27/05, I also had the lobster mac and cheese, sous vide. When it comes to technology, nothing is perfect. Sometimes, having timing down to a science, can be dangerous, especially, when the price costs $175 for the customer. When you get something down to a science, the cook can become lax: like Lucy and Ethel at the candy factory. Speed it up!! Damn, I missed that lobster. Oh well, they'll never know! Maybe the problem isn't "sous vide," maybe it is the "sous chef." OK bad joke! The cry-o-vac machine is there to make reading the menu more of a challenge. Maybe my boss at work is right: the whole idea about this method is the make the food item sound more "foo foo!" The focus of the item should be flavor. Whatever happend cooking the old fashioned way. Is Per Se running out of burner space, or something? There are plenty of burners when I saw the kitchen.