CheGuevara

when preparing for a competition - do you cater to a specific taste, or adjust dishes in any way? -che

a card which does not have a chip - or one which is incompatible - simply needs to be swiped. smart chips are simply capable of storing more infomration than magnetic strips, as well as being more secure to fraud. bank charges and usability are not affected at all by this change. most places around the world use - and will continue to use for decades to come - magnetic readers.

the extent of my knowledge is: he's from san sebastian, in the cote basque. his food is greratly influenced by the region and he has 3 stars in the little red book - or he did at one point.

societies and social organizationn arose as the population growth increased beyond acceptable levels, in order for humans - animals competing for limited resources - to coexist and prosper as a species. a social contract was devised by which an individual exchanges certain freedoms for a degree of security, prosperity and again, coexistence in large numbers. at the heart of any social contract is a balance, like any democratic undertaking, a balance between differing needs and desires, opinions and ideals. your position is just as fascist as the extreme smoker's - who does not care if he imposes his tobacco on others in any situation - and does not belong in the framework of democratic society. do you complain about co2 emissions, carbon monoxide fumes, and the like? or do you drive your car when you could walk or ride a bike. smoking is - and has been for years - part of our societal habits, and should not be considered a criminal act. in fact, that belief is absurd when placed in the larger context of our society's problems and inequalities. both arguements on either side lack tolerance, and that's the problem with the proposed law. on the specific issue of restaurant smoking - i would hope one day government realizes it should be up to the restaurant owner to decide on a smoking policy. and for the consumer to decide whether he wishes to dine there or not.

if you do find a suitable establishment, please come back and let us know. i rarely if ever eat sushi anymore - ever since i moved to london. -che

i would have to disagree with your reasons for the lack of quality sushi in london, barring the few exceptions at the very high end. prices aside, the quality of sushi in London is far below its US (coastal) counterparts. as a note, conveyor belt sushi should not even enter the discussion, as i believe david is interested in "sushi", characterized by good variety of fresh fish, prepared to order - preferably while you sip cold sake at the bar where you will be enticed by the next bite size creation - by a trained sushi chef. shouldn't be too much to ask for in a metropolis like london. on to your points: 1. proximity to the pacific ocean. NY is just as far from the pacific ocean as is london, moreover traditional sushi is not specific to a variety of fish from a certain area, at least not anymore. it is just as expensive to import fish from london than ny. a more feasible scenario is that the lack of demand, has not created the readily avbailable supply of fish variety. 2. large portions. sushi - except for the odd exception - is never "american sized" in the US. however itsu portions are shameful. i don't have the answer either, although i am certain it has nothing to do with raw material availability or cost, but more to do with local consumers and their notions of sushi. could it be the lack of a strong japanese copmmunity? someone commented that sushi is cheaper in london than paris...they probably haven't gone to the right places in paris. dave, you either spend the money and go to ubon, zuma, nobu, etc. or revel in the notion that the lack of sushi in london will proportionately increase the pleasure of your next meal at your local sushi joint.

i have the same request...didn't realize how many poeople had signed up already...if any spaces left, my lonely self would join in. thanks -che

likewise. to anyone who is interested, there's a semi-decent article in the latest restaurant magazine on suckling-pig - in spain. unfortunately the article lacks substance, but it points out two supposedly excellent places for SP in or near madrid. while on the subject, there's also a good aritcle on old-school french cuisine and a great recipe for turbot a l'amiral...looks impressive.

mrs. w - would have been useful to click on your link... -che

take a look at Restaurant Magazine, they have a recruitment section on their site. to be honest i don't know how good the online version is, but the magazine is excellent, and the recruitment section is quite important. -che

it was a bit farther than i though - i found linwoods and picked up some salmon fillet, tuna and a swordfish steak. the salmon looks excellent. they had some very fresh makarel - but im not the biggest fan when eaten raw. good week-end. -che

great - i'll be off in about 30-40 minutes....can't beliebve it's only 5 minutes away and i've never been there. i'll let you all know what goodies i managed to get. -che

im looking for a good fishmonger close to the liverpool street/spitalfields market area. otherwise, one between this area and south kensigton. i've been craving sashimi for a few days now - and i'm hoping to deliver today. thanks in advance -che

it's about time bluebird shuts its doors. the quality of fresh food was very poor - especially in relation to the absurd prices. although not surprising since the turnover is minimal. -che

thx gavin.

where's pizza metro?

it's probably some of the best pizza in the neighborhood. although i haven't been to pucci's in a very long time. when going to MiI, avoid the table upstairs in the far back - which they tend to want to seat ASAP. -che

you said it man! - great way to define italian food. i dont know who said this - but your reply reminded me of it - "french cooking is about the chef, italian cooking is about the ingredients" now that im thinking about the question, cappelletti in brodo is one dish which when properly made leaves you speechless. in a way so simple yet contains a level of taste-refinement which is hard to find in other dishes. -che

it's been two years since my last visit to taillevent, and this is a sour post to read. (especially if you consider that given the choice of three items to eat till death part with me i would choose wine, cheese and bread.) i remember having some great cheese at taillevent - i particularly remember the st. nectaire and a marvelous livarot. has the food declined in quality as well? i would add my 2 cents to barthelemy. -che

i think JT's comments sum up most of the considerations when preparing a menu. great idea to work around your main ingredient, if not main dish. that's usually how i begin. after that, work on contrast, but at the same time ensure the dishes go well together. che edit: always a good idea to let the season decide for you

by quality i meant quality of the end product, not of the ingredients - that is unless you are comparing two carrots - although a carrot in that case would be the end product. using the carrot as an example, if you've never tasted a carrot in your life, you could enjoy the first one you ever try - but could you comment on how good the carrot is? what do you compare it to? how do you know if it's the right crunchyness, flavor, etc.? for all you know you could the carrot that to you tastes incredible, tastes like a courgette. no one can argue about your taste, but one can sure as hell argue that does not taste like a carrot. che

Earlier, a post 'turned the argument on its head' and compared margarine and butter. It seemed that if you preferred the former to the latter, you were in some way wrong. If I can find it, I will post a thread you commented on regarding a sauce which you found disagreeable but your brother enjoyed. By the way, when are back 'oop north'??

depends how you were raised as a child - and what you were/were not exposed to.

for afternoon tea i would reccomend the ritz hotel...on the pricey side. che

couldn't agree more with you regarding the US - to most eating is akin to filling up your car at the station. on the above fish & chips comment - to me anyone who can't appreciate good fish & chips (same goes for a bacon sandwich) is not truly passionate about food. che