Pontormo

Well, I just discovered that I can stay on THIS computer terminal until someone else claims it. SO, I do have time to add that Heather's taste seems to correspond pretty much to my own. My favorite things that night, in order were: 1) The flounder that Malawry's husband ordered: moist, crispy, light... 2) The bean curd roll. I had heard a story on Mhz recently, broadcast from Taiwan that the preservatives used for making bean curd skins have been recently been analyzed and considered unhealthful, especially for children. New methods have been introduced with success, using more benign preservatives (??? any experts here wishing to step in, please do). 3) Oyster pancake. 4) Broth from clam and chicken soup. Clam itself: tough. chicken blah. Porcine ears were ordered by me just for the sake of being more adventurous and less judgmental about edible body parts since I just am not very Fergus Henderson. I was able to eat them, but was not enamored of them. Chewy texture with a squiggly linear design in each slice that reminded me of Rachel Perlow's jello mold is the way I'd describe them. There was only texturural interest, though. The sauce was red and spicy. I will also like to add that Bob was gracious and dsiplayed a sense of humor. Service was extremely accommodating.

I only have time to say everything was cool, everyone was a lot of fun and a pleasure to meet...and thanks to Busboy! More later.

Forgive me if this has been said, but on my city's library system, I think I have only four minutes. I just wanted to add to comments Alberto and others have been making about Lombardy as a diverse region. I hope this is new information some of you will find useful to keep in mind: in the early modern world (late 15th C or Quattrocento), the Duchy of Mantua was distinct from the court of Milan. Actually, the Visconti and later Sforza of Milan were rivals with the Gonzaga of Mantua, Ludivico in particular, who was more closely allied with the Este of Ferrara and the papal court. Thus independence. More later on Plautina.

So, one month down, eleven to go. How are you doing on your resolutions? Me? I bought a turnip...

Oh, and one last thing: Post here if you WANT me to call Bob's again and ask him to do that little thing he does, mindful that one of us is pregnant, the rest of us adventurous and wishing to eat tongues and (me) ears. Otherwise, I will simply wait until we're all there, make sure we're all there and accounted for, and see what on-site concensus proves to be.

P.S. Alas, alack, alay Haggis Man will NOT be joining us. He chickened out---or as he CLAIMS rubber-chickened out due to some sort of other obligation. This is the reason I urged any ONE member to send a PM to Busboy for that one last spot that is empty now. At least, I think it still is....

Hi, you all. Well, while I await the fate of my hard drive, let me pipe up on this usurped computer to say that Busboy and I didn't know how many would be interested in this event. Therefore, I elected not to pre-order. Another reason I made that decision is the fact that main-course soups are a specialty. (Saturday is not supposed to be particularly blustery; snow's coming the following Wednesday according to forecasts.) FYI: The take-out menu says "pamphlet"--i.e. for a lunch special. There may be new, revised menus. Our reservation is confirmed. Bob is expecting twelve of us.

One person cancelled. There is one space. Kindly PM Busboy instead of me since I have a dead computer. Please PM questions to him as well or post them here. Sorry, but I cannot guarentee I will be able to respond. I look forward to seeing those who reserved a spot on Saturday at 7 PM!

I recommend a very simple filling: just the squash, salt & pepper, Parm & maybe a little bit of sem-soft cheese (like Fontina, but only if you could find a better source where you're allowed to taste the cheese first. Nothing stronger than Gruyere) or a good Romano Pecorino. If that's too pure, add a little minced sage that's cooked first in butter. Tortelloni (the big flat pillows) allow the simple combination of flavors to dominate since there's more filling. They're also quicker to produce, even if they take up more space on a tray when you're preparing to freeze them.

Nathan, in response to your question about other wine enthusiasts, I started a new thread called A Year of Italian Drinking in the appropriate forum. I hope some of the experts here at eGullet will check in from time to time to see what we're cooking. ............................................................... Now, as for your bagna caoda, did you make it without anchovies due to personal taste or missing ingredient? .................................................................. Since I did not cook anything from Piemonte after Sunday last week, I have decided that my car broke down in Casale Monferrato, close to the Lombardian border. The mechanic is waiting for certain parts to be shipped. Therefore, I will be making a few more things from this month's region throughout the week ahead, including bagna caoda. This time, however, I will be using a recipe in which there's no danger of burning the garlic.

Throughout the year, a number of eGullet members will be cooking their way through Italy, moving from region to region each month. I brought the project to your attention in this forum's thread on Barolo since we began in Piemonte. I would like to provide a link to the first month of the project once more, since the subject of wine has been brought up by more than one of our members. In addition to opening bottles of wine to go with our meals, we have served risotto, trout and braises that were prepared with red wine. Please consider this an invitation to check in on our progress and pipe up from time to time. At the beginning of each new month, when cooks survey the local cuisine, your comments on the wines of the region would be appreciated. In February, we are moving on to Lombardy. Plans for March should be finalized some time soon.

This little piggy DOES NOT eat roast beef!

Brava, Chufi! I had no idea the cooking project down in the Italian forum was having such an effect on you ! This all sounds delicious. I do hope your husband has a skilled, dear friend or relative who could help you out on the day of the festivities, though it sounds as if you've planned a meal with many dishes that could be made ahead. First, I would like to encourage you to braise fennel as a side dish for the fish. You'll note that Marcella Hazan, in fact, has a recipe for sea bass with fennel simply because the flavors are complementary. (I've made it twice with different fish, once for guests. All were happy.) The other option would be to include freshly shaved fennel on your antipasto platters, dressed simply with lemon juice, olive oil and curls of Parmigiano-Reggiano...except that could not be made too far in advance of the meal. Yesterday I spent a long time looking at cookbooks at a bookstore and opened Martha Stewart's new baking book since I was curious about all the high praise here on eGullet; I admit a prejudice. I now understand all the enthusiasm. There were some beautiful things done with vegetables (tarts, galettes...) that would provide great opportunities for you to show off your pastry skills, especially braised leeks laid out, head to toe and toe to head (alternating green & white pattern) in what I think was a boxy puff pastry shell, made to fit the shape of the leeks. Something like that...or a Swiss chard gratin might be nice, though the latter would be redundant with the spinach. As for the stuffed pasta, a simple filling of winter squash or pumpkin would be perfect before the stuffed fish and fennel. I love tortelloni di zucca sauced with butter and fresh sage. Don't worry about spectacles. Trust what carswell told you about the main dish. There will be plenty of ooos and aaahhs. As for desserts, why not stray from the Italian accent? You proposed a great finale in your original post. A high, light, gorgeous lemon or orange cake after the seafood...unless chocolate is your husband's favorite. Italians usually reserve their glorious cakes and pastries for occasions when they are a main event, anyway. Sicily might provide the best sources of inspiration were you to keep all things Italian.

See the anecdote that inspired the thread Arroz con mango.

I have hunger, Nathan. Bravo! Your guests surely must worship you now as a god.

We have all sworn to respect and abide by eGullet policies at this event and plan on being on our best behavior. As the Organizing Member, I hereby assign the thread on paper-wrapped chopsticks in Chinese restaurants as required reading for all planning to attend. The link will be added some time in the very near future. Now, we are supposed to slurp our noodles, right? Or is that only in Japan?

Thank you for the tip about pineapples, Sailor Boi! I don't see any on the menu, but maybe there is fruit for dessert & it's simply not listed on the take-out pamphlet* I have. Now, of course, you've inspired me to get to the restaurant early since it's right in between two very good Asian grocery stores. Otherwise, there is also paper, yes. *Should I have said "brochure"? On the D.C. forum, Gastro888 has already told me that eating a whole fish is lucky.

Thanks for speaking up here, too, G888!

Sorry, all of you, since I seem to be interrupting. I have only skimmed the thread and will need to go back and look more thoroughly. Yes, I did notice you were discussing your own families and their traditions. I'll let you catch up with Gastro888, her move, et al. Once you're through, though, please tell me whether it's okay for 12 eGullet members to eat together at 3 joined tables that seat 4 each. What if we all wear red?

"Taiwanese"" are Chinese, so the usual rules apply. ← Thank you for responding. An old friend is, in fact, a sinologist who has lived in Taiwan for a number of years. However, here in the U.S., a very limited number of people know that you're supposed to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's and others gulp oysters. I thought there might be something idiosyncratic, local...a regional specialty....

Perfect timing! In Washington, D.C., a small group of us will be dining at the end of the week at Bob's Noodle 66. For some of us, this will be our first time in a Taiwanese restaurant. It's a modest family place, but one that comes highly recommended. Are there any specifically Taiwanese traditions for dining at the beginning of the Lunar New Year? ETA: There will be married and single members present, but I was thinking more along the lines of dishes to order.

We now number 12 since there was a response to the post above. The eGullet table(s) is or are full. While we will be a week into the new Lunar New Year on Saturday, February 4, you may wish to consult the Asian forum where a discussion of traditional dining is underway. So far, I have learned that bittermelon and fresh tofu (? I think...though woken prematurely by a construction crew and emergency generator, I am lacking in mental acuity) are considered unlucky. You may wish to prepare by learning what to and not to eat to secure good luck and fortune in the year ahead.

Yes, yes, I already know what the target audience of the Food Network would say. Tsk. And, yeah, okay, there is a telephone and enough cash to tip the guy for the pizza. But what else do you do? When I oversalt________________, I __________________. Disclaimer: This thread is NOT inspired by recent events. Not at all. Really.

Yummmm!

I'd like to second April's note of gratitude, Kanljung. I appreciate all the information. I wanted to bring to your attention the fact that a new cookbook covering Piemonte came out in December, i.e. written in English. Another is due out in April: Autumn in Piemonte. Both were discovered via a brilliant bit of marketing at Amazon.com: Italian Bookstore. Click on the box in the lower right corner and you'll be introduced to a 59-page inventory of cookbooks which you're free to reshuffle alphabetically or by date of publication. As for sformati, thanks for the suggestion, FoodMan. I like it! I conducted a search on epicurious and found celery root, celery, sage, mushrooms, fennel, carrots, butternut squash and blue cheese were some of the flavors that appear in savory dishes with chestnut. I have only a few chestnuts left, but enough to make at least four individual ones to try plain first, and then as islands. Roberto Donna's book is kind of expensive for a slim paperback, primarily because it was published by a small consulting firm for chefs in Cleveland. Despite the flaws I've mentioned, I must say that the book really is filled with the author's creativity and I enjoy the fact that the recipes often result from the kinds of dramatic statements that a chef makes in his flagship restaurant. (I've eaten at Galileo only once, but it was an excellent, unshowy meal.) Another thing I appreciate is the generous way that Donna gives full credit to chefs & colleagues whose dishes he's adapted. I'm going to make his mother's focaccia di ceci.