Nina C.

The website for Diary of a Foodie is finally fully up, and announces episodes 1-5 Episode 1 - "One Billion Foodies" about China with Bruce Cost Episode 2 - "Anatomy of a Meal with Jose Andres" Episode 2 - "Italy" Episode 4 - "H20" Episode 5 - "The Hungry Luddite"

Ling - that is gorgeous! I bet it tasted good too. Last night's dessert was a bowl of hazelnut gelato, topped with two (okay three) korova cookies and a couple of roasted figs. I'm not usually one to toot my own horn, but last night, my trumpet was blazing. Although I think you could add korova cookies to a bowl of dirt and it would still make a delicious dessert.

I don't cross picket lines, and I try to avoid patronizing companies that are exploitative, so yes, such a thing would probably make me avoid a restaurant. However - it is not about the ratio of cost to salary. How much does an auto factory worker get paid? How much does an intern get paid at most companies? As someone up thread noted, the people there may be there for more than just salary. If the management is union busting or using unfair employment practices that's one thing. But using stagieres is another. Unfortunately restaurants are an industry where it is often hard to meet the bottom line - many great restaurants fail. But when a restaurant is successful, wages don't always rise to meet that success. It is interesting to note that I couldn't find mention of this in the news or in any blogs. I'd hate for a talented restaurant to suffer from the rumor mill.

I spend a few days away from the internet and you guys have finished the month off with a bang! I shouldn't be surprised. Elie, my mouth is watering. Last night, inspired by this thread, I put a few extra eggplants into my shopping basket and came home to make Alberto/Il Forno's pitticelle di murignani. They weren't too hard to make, other than the fact that I'd left myself too little time and thus was trying to scrape the steaming hot flesh out of the eggplant while cursing. They probably could have used another egg in the batter, as well as a few more herbs or garlic. My food co-op didn't have either of the specified cheeses, which also might have upped the flavor. (I substituted pecorino and mozzarella). But I was decently happy with them, and my sweetheart and our friend who dropped by were estactic (It could just be that they are easily pleased when someone else is cooking). I served them with some (shhh...) store-bought tomato sauce, and a salad of mixed greens and pomegranate seeds. Dessert was the easiest - some fresh-from the oven Korova cookies, hazelnut gelato, and roasted figs. Now I've got the eggplant soaking for the chocolate eggplant torta to bring to a break-the-fast dinner tonight. (I'm not fasting, but I hope it will be a tasty thing for those hungry people. A grand experiment!)

Thank you Doc for such a wonderful and thorough report. I've been waiting for the end to add my comments and it just kept coming! But now that it is the end, I'm speechless. The quality of chefs, cooking, and information at this event is breathtaking. Thank you thank you thank you!

John - that menu looks very tasty. You have a lot of meat and starch, so I think I'd be ready for a nice crisp green vegetable at that point. Roasted Brussel sprouts would be very good.

Pontormo - does that look something like the one you remember? I think I might make a half recipe but I'm intrigued. I'll report back to you when I have a second to make it. It won't be before Saturday but hopefully then.

John.....how can you go back to work after eating that amazing thing? It seems like you should be lying on your back comtemplating the clouds and remembering the sweet taste.

The friend is someone who should know and when I asked the same question I was met with a shrug of the shoulders and "that's the direction they're going in."

The big oversized cupcakes in NYC run $3-$4, especially if they have lots of icing decoration. But the smaller ones (like you'd bake at home) are $1.75 or so. Which kind will you offer?

I dashed through a party at Porter House New York at the Time Warner Center. The chandeliers and red velvet of V Steakhouse are gone, and instead replaced with a clubby cherry wood decor with banquettes and a long bar - not too much to write home about. I only tried a few things, but the burger was unsurprisingly excellent. A sweet brioche bun coupled with juicy beef, approprietly rare in the middle and not too much else. Steak tartare was very light and served on a crispy flakey cracker. Fried oysters and fried mushroom balls were good but not outstanding All the glitteratti were there and the room was packed. Porter House is opening in about a week, I think.

Of course right after I posted that, a friend told me this news - apparently the new place will be much more casual, although they are trying to retain the same team and management.

Bret Thorn writes that he spoke with Tony Esnault at the Chefs Congress: What think you all? IMHO, Eater can get a little overzealous with its need to create news every so often. I'm wondering if that's not the case here, with the Post then leaping on the bandwagon.

This is why I love eGullet! Tons of ideas, including a member with a database of 5000 menus. Good luck - you're sure to have fun with the party. Do let us know what you decide to make.

I just had Filipino-style deep fried pork belly at a unremarkable pan-asian place in Manhattan. Unlike most DFPB I have seen in pictures, this was lightly fried so that you could still see the striations of fat. I didn't order the dish, just nibbled off a friend's plate so I had one piece as soon as it was set down on the table, and one piece about 10 minutes later. The first piece was incredible - a literal burst in my mouth of porky goodness. The second piece was still hot, but not hot enough to burst like that, and wasn't as good. So my goal now is to once again go to that restaurant and get someone else to order DFPB who won't mind my scavenger ways. Of course I could just make it at home, standing to eat right next to the deep fryer. Any oil burns will be worth it.

John - So glad you are blogging! I had been thinking that all the NY bloggers had been Manhattanites; although I haven't checked for sure, it is certainly great to have our fair Borough represented. Your kitchen turned out so nicely. My favorite part is the combination of the red color and the tile floor. Jacques Torres is a favorite destination of mine - my favorite things to get there are his pastries especially the chocolate doughnuts and croissants. How lucky you get to go there on weekdays when the buses of tourists haven't taken over.

Thanks Sneakeater. I suspected that was the case, but hoped to go in with some prior knowledge anyway.

You might find this link helpful: http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#1920s Oysters Rockefeller was created in the 1890s but certainly opulent foods were popular before the stock market crash. It is my impression that this was the decade that caused the popularity of the cocktail - you needed juices and other mixers to cover up the harshness of bathtub gin. BLTs, triple-decker clubs, grilled cheese and other sandwiches were invented in the 20s

This girl with a sweettooth would strongly consider making that if someone could send me a recipe. I really like fried eggplant with confectioners sugar (sounds strange but when you try it it's like crack.) Eggplant has a sweetness to it that works. (One caveat is that it will probably be this weekend before I have a chance to make it).

Also, I've heard that Julia Child's french bread recipe in MtAoFC is a good one to start out with because it is so thoroughly tested and explained.

The first loaf of bread I made was in Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking. The chapter is called "Bread Baking without Agony" and it's a pretty foolproof loaf. I was very happy with it. I've since made bread that I think was tastier, but not as easy.

I just started a new topic in the wine forum asking for help but thought some of you who have been might have suggestions as well. I'm going to Tintol tonight. As someone who doesn't know very much about wine, that wine list is a little intimidating. What did you drink? What should I look for? Thanks for any help you can give!

I really know very little about wine (Although I'm trying to correct that.) I'm meeting friends and foodies at Tintol, a wine and tapas bar in Manhattan and the wine list might as well be greek to me! or...well...Portuguese Egullet thread on Tintol Tintol wine list - pdf If we end up doing wines by the glass, I'd rather not just do the "I'll have what she's having" or throw my money away. And even by the bottle, it would be nice to have suggestions. I like medium-bodied wines but I'm pretty open. We'll be eating rather heavy food - the menu includes things like fried deviled eggs and lots of red meat. On the other hand it has seafood too. What would you drink from this list? What's a good value?

What a fantastic idea Kerry! I can't wait to see this idea grow. My first thought is that pineapple upside down cake is a rather sweet dessert, and I've repeatedly heard Ling say that she doesn't like things so sweet. So...I might try to add things like cardamom, cinnamon, etc. to add to the complexity. Definitely no maraschino cherries, sorry! For what it's worth as an American I don't think I've ever seen pineapple upside down cake in a bakery either. I've had it at people's homes and seen it on the menu at a few restaurants though.

Given the late hour, I could post this in the "3 am grub" thread, but since I planned this genius idea earlier at the grocery store, I'll post it here instead. Ice cream sandwiches made with peanut butter cup ice cream and still slightly warm korova cookies. SO FREAKING GOOD. The cookies fell apart as I was assembling them, let alone eating them, so this was a solo messy excursion with ice cream dripping down my fingers. Fortunately I had made the cookies on the small side so they could be quickly gobbled down with a dirty pan as my only witness. But with the gooey chunks of guanaja and sweet creamy ice cream, I think I'll be indocrinating others into this fraternity. There is still most of the batch of cookies in the fridge waiting to be baked properly tomorrow.