GordonCooks

Maybe I should have said "Culinary Shortcuts" I don't feel the use of butter or cream is really duplicity - It's there for you taste. Maybe copious amounts are. I'm reminded of some less than stellar Lobster I put into a risotto. I pureed a can of green giant corn and dumped it in. "Oooh Aaaaaah, the lobster is so fresh !" yes, it was caught this month. I don't expect the pros to reveal much because it's a little like going to Barney's and asking what they paid for something. Most of the pros have little to reveal anyway. The competition is just too stiff out there.

The virture lies in the fact you can pass professional cuisine as you own. For me, it took a lot of sweat equity to get there.

Made a ton of Chicken Breast Sammies on the grill for all folks last night. One of the girlfriends spotted my Mega Dean and Deluca rack and window box herb garden - asked the recipe for the Rub ? Rattled off Ancho chile powder, fresh ginger, cumin. blah, blah, blah.......I was lazy - It was left over McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning and Dinosaur BarBQ cajun rub. A little drop of duck fat here, a little truffle butter there..........what's your dirty little secret - home or professional ?

Food costs typically run 25-30% Under 20% - You have a Thai restaurant.

I don’t see it as an ethics question. Facts are facts – you can only manipulate and take out of context so much. If I trust your writing – I’ll trust your opinion. I may not comprehend the type of guide but I can assure you that it’s not your fault if you someone has a bad dining experience. I rarely have a bad experience because I choose well. I know people what ALWAYS have a bad experience – who’s to blame? Don’t get wrapped up in people’s self serving sense of entitlement. When going to a new city – How do you qualify your dining destinations? Conversation with peers with first hand knowledge? Food & Wine periodical ? Review by local journalist ? When going to a new city – How does my girlfriend’s brother qualify dining destinations ? Can I wear sweats ? How far from the hotel ? Is their a Hard Rock sign ? Restaurant guide: Cheap eats listing ? If he put as much time into looking for quality food instead of strip clubs - he’d eat better. – I take dining very seriously, but after all…it’s only food.

Restaurant Review vs. Restaurant Guide I feel a “review” is expert journalism. Journalism to me is the assimilation, organization, and conveyance of facts in the style of the journalist. I may choose to read a certain person's work because of one or all of the previous motives. Most of the time a review is weighted upon comparison of it’s peers. I feel a “guide” is more journalism 101 – Factually correct snippets organized with proper grammar without opinion. Mostly, to transfer positive knowledge about a specific area or place of business. Not to take anything away from people who write them but I feel they both have a purpose but a not a common one

I sympathize with your disdain for "Corporate Food=aterias" pushing out the smaller homespun institutions. Is it very rare that I eat at any chain restaurant because of my desire to support local businesses. But...your statement of a spic & span environment relation to lower food quality raised my eyebrows. I've had a few hole-in-the-wall joints close to my dismay - but there may be a little undiscovered jewel around the corner. Change is always inevitable just like gettin' old. Greasy Spoons everywhere - I salute you !

How 'bout Imagine this...You own a lovely little bistro that the locals love and patronize regularly. Sophisticated culinarians come from miles for your seasonal offerings - How could you get some obnoxious out-of-towners with 3 screaming kids to dine here ? If your place is good - the right people will come via word of mouth and mediums like this very message board. Think about the tourists "like those" who give tourists "like us" a bad name. Does the French Laundry have a child's menu ? Don't List

Cookbooks I keep in the den: Trotters, Keller's, Nobu's. Cookbooks I keep in the kitchen: Jacques Pepin Techiques, Alton Brown's

Roasted New or Fingerling potatoes with a little evoo, lemon juice, Dill ? Baked beans ? Cheddar grits and haricot vert ? Couscous with roasted pine nuts and golden raisans ? Sweet potato pave' ? How about a Wild mushroom brioche pudding with chervil and white truffles? a kilo of Beluga 00 ?

I think this could be put on a stone tablet

I made a Peach / Southern Comfort BBQ sauce once with some habaneros - the heat was a little much - Chipoltes would have worked better. We slapped it on pulled pork burritos

The Petrus - Just for the bragging rights, pure and simple.

I can just hear "Stop or I'll detonate the Gingivitis grenade"

Do you really feel that way ? I feel a clean place is somewhere people take pride in what they do. If the place is dirty where you eat - how do you think the kitchen looks where they cook ? The place doesn't have to be a palace but I don't think my arms should stick to the table and I'm picking the cigarette butts from my onion rings Just because the equipment may be a little on the old side - that doesn't mean they don't scrub down the griddle or change the frying oil.

Db Moderne Rip Off night Stuffed Burgers ! I had some Maytag blue, some applewood smoked bacon, tasso ham, spinach, shitakes and porcinis, asst' oils, cheeses and the inspiring 1/2 terrine of foie gras mousse. Busted out the grill, ring molds, turkey fryer (for french fries and ORings) Highlights Tasso, Spinach, cream cheese Maytag, bacon, shitake Carmelized onion, foie gras Spinach, scallop, cream cheese - not my choice, but good Tasso, carmelized onion, shitake, foie gras

Waaaaaay upstate Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. I'm thinking that this will be a short thread.

GordonCooks, Thanks for your response. Do you have recipes for the two above? They sound great. I may end up buying more berries so as to try all these recipes. The trifle was just a simple layering of pound cake (brushed with lemon curd), english custard, fresh blueberries ( the kicker was simmering the half the berries in water, sugar, Grand Marnier, a shot of fresh oj into a syrup) I would make a layer of custard and drizzle in the syrup and give a few circular strokes as to "marble" the mixture. These were done single serving in big martini glasses and topped with whipped cream. The Upside down cake was a direct and blatant verbatim rip-off of the Pineapple Polenta upside down cake in my Trotter Cookbook ( I think Kitchen sessions, but it could be the First one - I'm pretty sure it wasn't out of the "Dessert" book.) I thought by adding blueberries, I would appease my guilt- but low and behold, I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore.

Any positve of negative dining experiences ? PS when I say Upstate, I don't mean Yonkers

I've made Blueberry Bananas Forster, Tapioca pudding with blueberries, Blueberry granite, Blueberry trifle, Blueberry & Pineapple upside-down cake, blueberries and shrimp, fried shrimp, baked shrimp, shimp and potatoes, shrimp sandwich, shrimp lo mein, ............oooops

There's nothing better than a big bowl of whipped cream in the bedroom - I like to eat ice cream when I watch tv sometimes and there's nothing better on ice cream ! I also like Reese's pieces and crushed oreos on my girlfriend's boobs

Make a peanut butter and jelly on Brioche and dip into a nice egg, cream, and vanilla batter. Deeelicoious Some Bananas Foster syrup and garnish with fresh bananas - When's Lunch ?

One of my favorites Oxtail stew Season Oxtails ( 5-6 large) and brown in cocotte, or roaster. Add 3-4 whole garlic cloves, 1 cup dry red wine, 3 cups h20, 3-4 cups stock to cover, herbs & vegs ( I use leeks, scallions, ginger, shallots, carrots, chervil, lemon thyme, coriander give or take a few) and the secret ingredients - a spoonful of Ko chu jung "Korean chili paste" and a few healthy shots of soy sauce let rip for 45-60 min at 350 or on the stove top in a rounder Soup ? Strain jus and add to saucier with more beefstock. I serve with asian rice cakes (very similiar to pasta consistency - you can find in any asian store in a variety of shapes) and chopped chives or scallions My last version - I reduced the sauce down - threw in a cube of Demi - a little butter Sauteed some shredded white cabbage in soy sauce, peanut oil, gresh ginger, and sesame oil - made a few rice flour scallion pancakes, sauteed some shitakes in butter and a hint of hoisin Pulled the meat from the oxtails a la confit Stuffed pancakes with meat, cabbage and shitakes and covered with sauce and a drizzle of chili oil Mu-Shu oxtail I guess ? A nice whack of lime creme fraiche would have rounded it out but I'll try that next time Matched better with the Chenin Blanc than the Gigondas I had because of the chili heat.

I am Lover of Zins, and find that most of my cellar purchases for consumption are zins. I favor Howell Mtn"Black Sears", Ridge, Justin, Turley (price/availability considered), and Raven"S"wood. Bought some 97 Cosentino CigarZin for 15.00 a bottle and it's drinking quite well. Zinfandel was probably the first Red I started drinking on a regular basis

This particular event was more of Shanken Communications event - Joint Cigar Aficionado and Wine Spectator with tasting seminars, single malt tastings. We sponsored a few of our top customers for the weekend and someone got stuck as chaperone ... funny how that worked out...moving on Most of the wine events are listed on the magazine. Go to the wine spectator website and check "Calendar of Events" Some of the biggest events are the charity auctions - pricey, but you get to meet and greet a lot of the winemakers. I don't think there are any hidden criteria for wrangling invites - most of the seminars and events are a package or a la carte if you desire. "First Cash - First Reserved" PS - when you go to WS website - get the full access subscription. It's only like 30.00 but you have access to just every wine rating ever published and a weekly news letter for new releases and ratings.