Amida0616

Some people from work and I are going to a vegan dinner club. I would like to pick out some wines to split between the group that would pair well with dinner. Any advice as far as pairings, as well as recommendations to specific wines that might be easy on the budget would be welcome. 1st course "summer squash roulade with macadamia 'salata' and basil pesto" Gewürztraminer? 2nd course "wild arugula with sesame onion rings and sweet mustard seed tahini dressing" Dry Chardonnay? 3rd course "young coconut 'pad thai' with snow peas and almond chile sauce" Pinot Noir?? 4th chocolate 'cheese' cake with strawberries and black mint syrup I think 3 bottles will probably be enough for this group of 6 so maybe nothing with dessert. I drink a lot of wine for dinner but it is mostly just good bottles of dry cabernet that i split with my girl. This would be my first attempt at a "higher level" wine pairing. Tips? Suggestions? Specific wines you recommend?

Bourdain/Adria is already sold out. Anyone know if they keep some tickets on reserve for a later release?

I just got a bag of mangosteens along with some lychees and longons. There were about 3-4 stands that had them by mott and canal st. I got a bag of about 8 mangosteens for 20 bucks, i have eaten 4 of them and i think they are really good (with the exception of one overripe one that i threw out) kind of a mixture of peach, citrus, lychee with a soft creamy texture I have never tried mangosteen before so i cant compare it to say, one picked off the tree in thailand, however i found them to be quite delicious. For sure it was worth the effort and money to get them, although their exotic and rare nature added to the experience somewhat. Edit: The card claimed they were fresh from thailand. Not sure if they were ever frozen or not.

I ate at the fatty crab for lunch today and thought it was great. All i had was the pork belly and watermelon and i thought it was really good. Perfect mix of hot and cool, sweet and salty, fatty and fresh. I was able to contain my food lust and just order one thing. It probably would be much more fun with a group of people to share a lot of different items. I was full afterward and reminded myself that i can always go back to try other things. I think i had the same waiter mentioned before (irish guy with a short blonde ponytail) and he asked me if i had been there before, however i did not detect any bad attitude, more like just giving me a heads up that the food comes out whenever it is ready. Having just moved to NYC about a month ago, i find it bizarre that both people who live here and tourists are terrified that someone will think they are from out of town. Also i feel like him saying "its Ok to eat with your fingers" was not him being mean, i would assume he was just trying to make you feel more comfortable. It sounds like your friend was fairly rude to him, is it that surprising he was not that nice afterwards? People should not have to put up with others being rude to them even if they are a "lowly" server at a restaurant.

I have been making a lot of smoothies this year with my new vitamix blender (get one if you dont have one) Anyway here are some of my favorites. Berries Smoothie: Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, some fresh squeezed orange juice and some fresh coconut water. Tropical Smoothie: Mango, Pineapple, orange segments, banana, fresh coconut water.

Me and my girlfriend are going to Charleston, SC this weekend and i was wondering what a nice place romantic place for a date that is also vegetarian friendly (my GF is a Vegetarian, dairy and eggs are ok)... Thanks!

"Minor things: people paying for very cheap items with credit cards" I Pay for everything with a credit card, its just as fast as cash, IMO Checks however should be banned from use.

In my mind if you order Room Service any foodstuff that is brought with it is yours for the taking. Including mini jams, mini ketchups, ect I would say that stuff on a table at a resturant jams, butter, ect is not "free for the taking" it is in fact "free for the using" a big difference.

It looks like my downfall is a unique one because i havent seen it yet.... Fruit Roll Ups, the kind with 4 Different colors Blue,Red,Green and Yellow. I can usually resist them but once every couple of months i buy a box and eat them all 10 before i get home.

One thing i think people are forgeting is that no one forces people to work in GR's kitchen. I mean if it was a forced labor camp or something i would feel bad for them but they all make a choice to be their every day. (in fact its probably a very hard job to get in the first place.) I have worked in a couple of resturants and i will say this, i wish someone like Gordon Ramsey ran everyone of them. He takes the preperation and quality of food very seriously and has little patience for people who dont share his standards. Do you think he cold maintain the same quality of food and service by being a laissez-faire manager and never pushing his staff? maybe but i doubt it.

I find that most bottled water tastes about the same. I do however like glass bottles instead of plastic. Amida0616

I will never again come home drunk from the bar and try to make curry chicken, pass out on the couch, wake up in the morning and find my apartment filled with smoke and a evil-looking black sludge boiling in the wok. My apartment smelled like burnt food for a month.

The place in question was actually an Outback Steakhouse (I have gotten rare burgers there in michigan). In fact the reason i was there was to visit my friends fiancee who works there. I even asked her to see if she could pull some strings in the kitchen and she said no its against the law. Does this mean no steak tartare or kibbee nayee as well?? Hopefully Mr. Malik can shead some light on the subject. Also thank you for the welcome Gifted Gourmet!! Amida0616

I recently moved to greenville SC, and i ordered a rare hamburger and i was told that anything below medium-well is against the law. Is this true? if so why? Amida0616

Thank you everyone for the great ideas! I will defintly put alot of them to use. Amida0616

I am thinking about starting to pack my lunch to bring to work. I am tying to get away from sit down places that take to long and are too much money as well as unhealthy fast food. Unfortunatly the idea of a turkey sandwich or pb&j seems kind of boring and a microwave dinner sounds even worse. So let know what you pack for lunch and how you keep it fresh and tasty until noon. (We have a fridge and a microwave at work.) Thanks Amida0616

Does anyone know where/how to get the French Laundry dishware mentioned on FL's website? I have searched the net for hours and have yet to find anything about it. Also what are the prices? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks