rich

Listen guys, Rachel is a very positive TV presence. She works hard, her recipes (though simple) have an appeal to a very specific demographic type and that type constitues a large segment of the population. Rachel serves a purpose and is very good at what she does. Let her have her moment in the sun, she's worked for it. In the TV business, she may be gone in a year or so and never be heard from again. Let her make her money, get people involved in food and cooking and most importantly provide entertainment. No TV chef can be too serious as should no restaurant. This is eating. It's supposed to be pleasureable and fun. Me thinks there are some jealous vibes coming across here. Enjoy Rachel and the Food Network for what they are - no more, no less. But remember, if the Food Network programmed their shows for people like us, their numbers would never allow them to stay in business. We represent a miniscule percentage of the population. As a side note, I have one question. If so many of the people who have posted here dislike her as ardently as they profess, how do they know so much about her shows? Do they watch just to criticize?

I think it's Barbie Que from the old Latin meaning "cute blond toy doll." At least that's what I was taught by the priests in the seminary.

I going to start out by saying that I very much enjoy Bobby Flay's other two NYC restaurants. However, the meal I had at Bar Americain last week was very disappointing. It is grossly overpriced for what you get and the food that is served is just okay. I could give a litany of things that went wrong, but suffice to say the worst was the Rack of Pork experience. We were two couples and the other gentleman ordered the "rack." While waiting (for an eternity) between apps and main course we were discussing how many chops would constitute a rack. I was high with four, the two wives said three and my friend said two. We were all wrong, the "rack" turned out to be one (1) 3/4-inch pork chop about the circumference of bottle of wine. The chop would have filled up a small bread dish at best. For $27, the profit margin was probably $26.50. When I asked the waiter why the menu referred to a "rack," he told me that the chop was cut from a rack. Please - don't insult me! By the way, my 3-ounce piece of salmon was tasty.

Not only do the stars and/or categories have no meaning, neither does the person who does the weekly main "review" column for the NY Times. I thought said "reviewer" was leaving the food desk to become the private chef for BTP?

I know I've said this a hundred times before, but I feel it's necessary to re-state. Who really cares if they pour their own wine? Actually I prefer it. Sometimes I want just a small amount in my glass, other times a bit more. I've asked waiters not to pour wine for myself and/or guests becuase I preferred to do it myself. In the perfect four-star restaurant, the wait staff would serve the food, open the wine and let me alone to enjoy the food and company. If I needed anything, they should be within eye or ear shot so I can get their attention. They could even leave a water pitcher on the table (if that was deemed necessary). Ambiance is totally over-rated. The quality and preparation of the food is all that really matters. The only thing I require of a restaurant room/building is cleanliness, friendly staff and comfortable surroundings. The rest is just so much bull. Eat and enjoy - never mind who pours the wine, it just matters who drinks it.

here's what we say when we want to invite over our friends and not the kids, we say "would you like to join us for an adult dinner party?" that pretty much clues them into the need for a babysitter. Misa here's something else for you to consider, someday most of your friends will grow up and probably have kids-it happens. You keep up your mature attitude toward children and you won't have to worry much about inviting or invites, no parent will want you around with your "don't want to deal with that" attitude toward thier children. Unwarranted rudeness to children is untolerable, just because you're not into it yourelf. Back when I was younger, I too, thought that I didn't want to have children. I now have three, and they happen to know how to behave when mom and dad throw an adult dinner party. Never say never. Rich, I'm guessing your just looking to ruffle some parents feathers with you're well thought out comment. Peace to you. I gets pretty annoying after a while, as a parent to read some of the foolish comments on this forum when it comes to children. As its been said elsewhere, there are no bad children only bad parenting. My $.02. -jeff ← I was being funny/sarcastic because of the number of negative children comments. My statement, if taken literally, means the human race would cease to exist in 100 years or so if no one had children anymore. But the last part might be true - that may be the only way to achieve world peace.

I think no one should ever have children again - ever, no place in the world - ever. Think of all the problems that would solve. Within 100 years or so there would true world peace.

Chicago? You mean it's open? I thought Billy Sunday shut in down in the late 30's? Who opened it up again, and when?

Foam! Could you imagine where we would all be without the invention of foam, escpecially foam of beet or foam of celeriac? I shudder from the thought.

Great job Rachel & Jason! The food looked/sounded great. One observation - the Roasted Oyster. Do you think it would have worked better if served on a spoon? The dish seems to cry out for that. The glass (at least that particular one) seems a bit awkward.

The real bottom line on this is: invite people because you want to entertain them and enjoy their company, that should be enough pleasure. If it happens they bring a gift or return the invitation consider it a bonus, but don't expect or want it - that only causes disappointment and/or resentment.

I rarely get invited to someone's house for dinner because (as I've been told on many occasion) I would intimidate them (for fear of not being able to match what I made them for dinner). I think that's silly, but I do understand the thought process. So my guests compensate by always bringing a very nice bottle of wine or two. Fair exchange as far as I'm concerned. I enjoy cooking and I eventually enjoy the wine they bring. I normally entertain three Saturdays a month and one or two Sundays.

Rich: you get a gold star for getting the ice, the cups, the bourbon, the syrup, everything exactly right. The silver cups are the part most people skip (understandably - they're a pretty expensive investment). But they add soooo much to the whole julep experience. ← As a Thoroughbed owner (with the life-long dream of getting a horse to the Derby), I always try to do my best to get the Juleps just right. I attended four Derbies when I worked for ABC Sports and never had a better time in my life than during those four Derby weeks. It was fun making a dinner reservation at 1:00 a.m.

The problem may be simply that after a year, the kitchen is getting bored. Without Keller around and his famous pep talks and micro-managing skills, the staff might becoming hum-drum. The thinking could be something along these lines: "Okay, another nine-course tasting where I put these little morsels in these big dishes. No more challenges, just little nibbles of food that people will pay a hefty price, ask a few dumb questions, leave a tip and then go home - probably never to be seen again or at least for a long while. Oh, not only that but the boss is 3,000 miles away, he'll never know if I take a shortcut here and there. I just want to collect my paycheck and go home." Hey this happens in most industries. Thinking about it - that would get to me after a while.

Had a Derby party Saturday and made authentic Mint Juleps. Made the simple syrup the night before. Used the attachment on the meat grinder to crush the ice and then bagged it in the freezer. Slightly crushed the mint and had some whole leaves for garnish. Used Maker's Mark Bourbon, instead of Beam's mash. Bought a dozen silver-plated tumblers several years ago. Terrific, but most people stopped after one.

Rich, what is it? ← Well, I'm going to assume (dangerous notion) that Laura was referring to Peter Luger in Brooklyn for her "P." My "P" is Park Side in Corona, Queens. "D"omenick's in the Bronx would be a good choice, especially if we're looking at less expensive and for an "E," I would choose "E"ight Mile Creek on Mulberry Street.

I'm sure by the time you get to "P" you will find much more appealing places and won't need to go to Brooklyn. In fact the best "P" is not in Brooklyn, but in Queens.

I think to mistreat the animals that we consume is showing a total lack of respect for nature and the environs. And for parents not to teach their chidren this respect is unforgiveable. That said, I had an unpleasant experience last week. I was preparing soft shell crabs and as hundreds of times in the past, I cut the crab about and inch behind its eyes to kill it instantly. Unfortunately one crab (out of six) woudn't die. I had to cut it six times before it finally stopped moving. I wound up cutting about 1/4 of its body. This was quite disturbing as the crab was obviously suffering for about a minute or two.

Does it really matter what the person who reviews for the NY times says, writes, thinks anymore? Hasn't his significance become overwhelmed by his vast, relentless ego? Those who make personnel decisions based on said reviewer's writings and comments are suffering from "knee-jerkitis."

Don't fret - it's a natural occurence. The better you cook at home, the more it takes for a restaurant to overwhelm you. At this stage of my cooking life, I look for dishes with hard to find ingredients when I go out. I also look for food that can only be prepared properly in commercial kitchens, such as very high heat or with the assitance of several sous chefs/kitchen staff etc.

If Ducasse fired his chef because of the NY Times reviewer's problems, then he should re-read the review. As was the case with the Babbo review, said reviewer (AKA "laughing stock") cited more FOH problems than kitchen problems. Unless Ducasse thought the chef he hired was also a plumber, then the review shouldn't have led to this end. Newspapers that realize their significance is diminishing often take to reporting stories on their own importance in a frivolous, and most times futile attempt, to re-gain past glories.

The Oysters and Pearls turned out perfect - not one morsel was left. The guests enjoyed the the contrast in textures. I noticed someone posted the recipe. It has one major flaw (albeit obvious). The recipe says bake the tarts 5-7 minutes. It should read 25-30 minutes. Keller's "Bacon & Eggs" acutally were the hit of the evening and I altered the recipe slightly. After crisping the bacon, I added a tablespoon of Grade B maple syrup. It gave the dish a little more depth and eveness.

I guess we can't keep ignoring the mounting less than stellar reviews. Something certainly appears amiss.

Dinner has slipped badly, but one thing that's still as good as ever is their breakfast corned-beef hash served only on weekends. The brioche toast is great, but make sure you specify poached eggs, otherwise you get it sunnyside up - not terrible, but most prefer the poached. Worth the trip from Staten Island just for that. But now I need to find another dinner spot before going to the West Side's best little off-Broadway theater.

No, I just sprinkled a few on top (8-10). I also put a few into the tart about halfway through the baking process - it gave the tart a little more texture. I served the entire tart warm - kept the couscous warm in a covered pot until ready to use. And I used Lebanese couscous, not Israeli which are smaller. My wife likes big pearls.