-sheila mooney

.the anodized pan just doesn't give the satisfaction of a cast-iron grill pan, in my estimation. i treat my iron pan like a pet (since i don't have a dachshund -- or the possibility to grill outside); i only bring it out when i am willing to go thru the scrubbin' trouble (with coarse salt or steel wool). but i do love the flavour, the grill marks and the whole atmosphere (smoky!!) it provides. after cooking i scour it, dry it and put it back in its baggie. hmm... maybe i should get a life?

i'm in awe. and o so hungry. philly in the house!

you put your swivel-bladed parers in the dishwasher??? anathema! and worse, rust! no?

i took a couple of Montreal colleagues there last week. they loved it. my pal marco was blown away by the manhattan, made with wild turkey and garnished with a silver skewer on which were threaded 3 amarena cherries. but i wonder: can they survive if we go in just for drinks? i almost felt guilty not ordering food (which i had greatly enjoyed during my xmas break in town), but we had a dinner rez right after...

truffles? phooey, i say! scrapple. mmmm scrapple. i followed the advice of phila egulleteers and had my last fix at the RTM diner with two pristine poached eggs. ahhhh, scrapple.

i use a Claudia Roden recipe from her Italy book -- maybe too simple for a big day. slowly cook scored fat side til brown, turn over, add balsamic, s and p, and either fresh or great-quality frozen wild blueberries or cranberries and a pinch of cinnamon - cover and cook til done to your liking. good with a pilaf of long-grain and wild rice. pm me if you need details.

just lived thru this in philly -- my daughter is going on 20. in paris you are served if you look like you are over 16; in montreal 18 is legal. but we don't (she doesn't) relish the prospect of being turned down when she orders a glass of wine... so i told her to just order up in a downtown wine bar (no names, no names!), as well as in a cool small plates place. at amada, she abstained, having been identified by her well-meaning godmother as "the little miss") -- but i shared my tempranillo with her. big bummer: she had to pass on an invitation to a friend's b-day party held at North Bowl where we were informed that only 21-plus were admitted after 9. back home in montreal we found the usual young usa crew stocking up in the state stores for new year's eve......

the asparagus waste annoys me no end. cut off the dry part -- usually an inch or 2 -- then peel the thing! works with white or green. just as julia said....

katie, thanks for the invaluable info -- the address of the nearest state store! duly noted!!

the thing i miss from philly (i lived in paris from 1982 to 2003) is (besides the ambiance)... scrapple! that sunday morning staple of my yout'.

you are so generous with your time and wisdom! greatly appreciated... -sheila

my daughter and i are homing in on dec 22-24: 2 nights at loews philadelphia hotel (they're my client) and our aim is to shop, chat and eat before heading out to see friends /family for the holidays. last year we stayed at sofitel and ate at rouge, la colombe, happy rooster, amada and sansom street oyster house (dinner, breakfast. lunch, etc). it was a blast. this year i'm thinking snack bar? raw sushi? and maybe a stop at dante and luigi's where my father used to take me... suggestions? (daughter = almost 20). thank you philadelphia! i'll return the favor when you come to montreal...

hmmm ... uncured olive -- that reminds me of something i really hated and i don't hate much: a fresh date. they look so pretty, taste so bad (in my mouth anyway).

iceberg vodka from canada -- so smooth! i bring it to my usa friends when i visit and they love it. half the price of grey goose. me, i like stoli. i like it a lot!

check out Daniel on the Dinner! thread -- he made the foie gras poutine at home! pix to prove it. Bravo, Daniel....

No running under water, agreed. But i was taught to clean them out as you describe, then let them sit for 15 minutes so that the "deuxieme eau" that the previous poster referred to can well up. i shucked a dozen for lunch a few days ago, using this method and i enjoyed juicy, briny, grit-free oysters.

I've attempted the Salmon Tartar with the Sesame Cones. The Tuilles didn't work for me and I tried it three times. It kept splitting on me. But I have made a bunch of other stuff and it turned out very tasty. The Quail Eggs and Smoked Bacon "Bacon and Eggs", the the Blini's with the Eggplant Caviar and Roasted Peppers, and the Gougeres....easy and tasty. ← i realize that i never buy cookbooks anymore! i go to the net: epicurious, marthastewart living or just google. and i cook out of magazines (gourmet and martha stewart; i guess it's because the recipes reflect what's in the market). For instance, this weekend i made raspberry cornmeal muffins (gourmet, via epicurious, tho i had seen the recipe in the mag a way while back- fabulous BTW); plum jam (a mashup of recipes in my torn-out-of-magazines folder and -- mainly french -- websites); and jarrets d'agneau aux herbes de provence (saved lord knows when in my epicurious.com recipe box). bottom line: i see an ingredient and get inspired, then check out my web resources. the comments from cooks on epicurious.com have kept me from cooking loser recipes... that's a big extra added bonus plus. and then i have a big manila folder of clipped recipes...a habit inherited from my dear mother... my cookbook library? odd french and italian stuff, plus all of julia, marcella and several claudia rodens. oh yes and those silver palates i haven't cracked in a decade...

i have 6 lbs of great plum tomatoes and sauce is on the agenda for tomorrow (sun) -- i want to make a marinara and cook them chopped up with skin and seeds then use my food mill, a favourite toy, to puree the sauce. but now i have a doubt: will the sauce be too bitter if i cook the tomatoes with skin and seeds? should i peel and seed them beforehand instead? this sauce will be frozen and kept for later. thanks for any insights...

i make a beet and goat cheese salad from the nytimes where you quarter them, put them in water and olive oil, boil then simmer 20 min. the juices are reduced and mixed with balsamic, s& p and tarragon == very good indeed. i love roasted beets but this salad is delicious and a textural change.

i live basically across the street from cube and i have to tell you, if i were a tourist looking for a high-end dining experience the mud and the rocks and the dust clouds that we have been experiencing for months (and months) now would discourage me. for heaven's sake you have to walk the plank to get inside! in the end it will all look fabulous but for now it looks like a war zone.

My co-birthday girl and i loved the pearls. in fact, the day-core and the view were the highpoints of our experience. re: wine = if you have a wine list as long as xix's, you should have a wine steward. that's my just my opinion. i saw the french guy and heard him interact with another table (and yes, i did assume he was the sommelier since he is french and a guy ) but he never came to ours. what disturbed me more was that our young server, who stepped up to the table and introduced himself like he's going to take care of us, literally disappeared until we asked for the check. a whole cast of waiters came with our dishes -- never the same one twice. anyway, people, what about the beef??? are you as dismayed as i am by that high-priced, low-flavor item?

Hello from Montreal -- was back in my home town last weekend and dined at Nineteen. We were a party of three (my 2 friends are life-long Philly residents and diners-out) -- all of us exited the dining underwhelmed. Especially by the scattered service, lack of savvy sommelier and the pricey, unremarkable 42-day aged steak. Was this a fluke? Or a strategic error on our part? Just wondering...

on my birthday a few years back i took the day off. i was wandering around my neighborhood (montmartre, paris) when in a local vintage shop I spied 5 nesting copper saucepans in all the useful sizes. a hundred bucks. they were from the early 20th century, tin lined and *never used*. nice and heavy, too, as i found when i hefted them. happy birthday to me! i love those pots and don't care that i have to have them re-tinned every few years. they conduct heat like Giulini at La Scala.

i haven't eaten in all the great restaurants of montreal, but i can tell you this: if you love beautiful seasonal ingredients prepared with spot-on skill and refreshing irreverence -- plus a killer wine list that will take you wherever you want to go, then go. i got a table the same night i called (maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago?) -- it was for 9:30 but that suited us perfectly. the place was still jumping, the service was adorable.