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hollywood

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Posts posted by hollywood

  1. I don't have my cookbook collection here. But if I did, what I believe I would find is that the recipes of Greece pretty much evidence a rustic cuisine, even in a refined setting. Turkish recipes in my experience have more technique loaded into them, which pretty much means doing things to change the textures of meats and chicken and having a more sophisticated saucing routine. Now if you want to say that both cuisines have dishes where chunks of lamb are roasted with potatoes, well okay, that is correct. But the method one chops and forms, including the spices one uses in things like Adana Kebab are much more sophisticated kebab cookery then what you see at Greek restaurants. Even dishes like Ezme, which is a dip based on ripe tomatoes, peppers, walnuts and spices, or a properly made Imam Bayaldi which is a stuffed eggplane, do not in my knowledge have a Greek equivelent  that is anywhere as sophisticated.

    I've heard people use the term "kebab cooker" as a putdown.

  2. I also don't get the problems with Cafe Du Monde - the coffee may be nasty, but if you order Cafe Au Lait there's so much milk in it you won't notice, and the beignets are a delight.

    I'm with you on Cafe du Monde. I get a perverse pleasure in seeing the powdered sugar all over my black jeans. At Commander's, I liked the alligator soup and the bread pudding with Jack Daniels sauce, but I think you are on to something--it's so big. I find Galatoire's more inviting. Maybe for the jazz brunch? Speaking of jazz...Snug Harbor.

  3. (I think we've all agreed that asking rudely, complaining about being refused, and generally behaving like a jerk, are negatives.)

    no no, i'd still like to discuss this.

    Haven't you perfected this? You have to demonstrate that you are entitled to VIP treatment. I know some names you can drop.

  4. Well it's a non-issue because they don't have any bad wines on their list to begin with. This isn't always the case at other places.

    The great thing about a place like Taillevent is that it can come up with a reasonably priced excellent wine you've never heard of. The aggravating thing is you'll never be able to find the wine stateside. But they do have a cave and sell their wines.

  5. The real issue comes down to being that if you don't know anything about wine, how would you know if what the sommelier/waiter chooses is good or bad? To most neophytes, most wines taste the same. But what people are really afraid of is being ripped off. Being sold a relatively expensive bottle of wine that is junk. That's why the best you can do is to stick to a realistic pricepoint and hope the establishment is honest.

    These are non issues at Taillevent. And they speak excellent English should you find yourself tongue tied.

  6. I feel certain that if you trust the staff at Taillevent they will be able to recommend a suitable wine, perhaps a half bottle or by the glass. They are very accomodating. Once you get over any awe re the appearance of formality, the situation is actually very user friendly. You may find their site of interest, and you may want to visit their caves.

    http://www.taillevent.com/english/frameset...calc2&b_1_7&5&9

  7. Ascevi Sauvignon from Italy. Very tasty grassy style wine. i also liked Dry Creek vineyard back in the days of David Stare. How about Mondavi to Kalon Block? Bit pricey though.

    Forgot about Mondavi. The Private Selection Fume Blanc (an appellation Mondavi somehow grabbed for himself in California) is very good.

  8. When I was a kid we used to use some sort of marshmallow cream sold in jars.  I shudder to think what chemicals were included.

    Not to worry - from the Marshmallow Fluff web site:

    • What is Fluff made from?
      Corn syrup, sugar syrup, vanilla flavor, and egg white. There are no artificial preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, or colorings in Marshmallow Fluff.

    Don't think it was called Fluff in the past. So, one making the stuff would be a fluffer?

  9. Being in Southern California without a car is like being in Paris without a mouth.

    I'd have to agree, but if you can't change that you will be close to the trolley which can quickly get you to Old Town where you'll find some interesting shops, some historical stuff and good food at Cafe Pacifica, 2414 San Diego Ave. 619/291-0122.

  10. As for the food, Spago is, was, or should have been, more than we experienced.  It was hearty, but not inspired.  First time in many that it hasn't been.  After checking around, other subpar experiences have recently been reported.

    Unfortunately, our last meal was also uninspired. One of the things that I could always count on was the consistent first rate experience at Spago. Although the service was exemplary, the food was mediocre - a first for us.

    Maybe it's deworsification. Maybe it's the divorce.

  11. I suppose I expect someone so strongly associated with so-called (self-styled) Californian cuisine to be producing delicate, fancy, fusion-ey titbits that wouldn't put a millimetre on Gwyneth Paltrow's waistline.  And Puck always wrongfoots me with things like beef cheeks and apfelstrudel.

    Well, Gwyneth does yoga to keep the pounds off. Orson Welles, on the other hand, never seemed to worry about his waistline. As for beef cheeks, they were a trendy item that suddenly started appearing on high end menus a few years ago, kind of the way tuna tartare showed up everywhere at once before that. And at his cafes at least, Puck loves throwing entrees atop mashed potatoes a la Splichal. I guess we forgot to ask what other celebs were there (other than you and Beachfan).

  12. The trashy pancakes designation is probably a nod to Joachim Splichal (Patina, Pinot, etc.) who uses clever wordplay regularly in his menu descriptions. While Puck is certainly known for pizza (it was the smoked salmon pizza that put the original Spago Hollywood on the map), he's been around longer than that. Eons ago he was a wunderkind serving haute cuisine to the likes of Orson Welles at Ma Maison. Now, he's got an empire of places including various Spagos, Postrio, Chinois, Granita, Lupo, Vert, Puck Cafes, Puck Expresses, etc.

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