ulterior epicure

Hmmm.... good point... they are all kind of wacky, crazed and/or LOUD aren't they... I had never really stopped to notice. So, now, in a fit of procrastination, I'm noticing: Those with too much energy or noise: R. Ray is always at volume 30... proving that mouth-size may be directly proportional to output capacity. P. Dean sometimes scares me... when she zones out and then cackles one of those cackles that is slightly endearing, but slightly Wicked-Witch-meets-serial-killer... Major manic... M. Batali comes off as a know-it-all sometimes... and well, enough with the orange clogs already... they were cute and novel, I'll admit, oh say, circa 2000 when he was scooting around the Amalfi with whathisiface, his Italian Poncho... A. Brown can do no wrong in my book. But he is super hyper... part of his charm, in my opinion. B. Flay... yeah, really though, joggin' to the fish market at 2 a.m.? That counts as "kicked up a notch." E. Lagasse... 'nough said. T. Florence: see Batali comments sans clogs and scooter comment... and, as I noted a few posts above (or somewhere), he's too grabby. Always using his fingers to snatch up food to try before his guests or anyone else... And yeah, I have a problem with his "Ultimate" show - really though, if I could afford truffles, don't think I hadn't thought of shaving them on my pizza too! Not very practical cooking. J. O'Conner - see A. Brown and S. Moulton comments above... that's a fun guy! Upbeat... okay, way upbeat... kind of crazy... B. Rivers - Cheez-E But, thankfully, a few FN stars keep things mellow: Sandra Day, er, I mean Lee - I'm not even going to go there... I get flashbacks of Pleasantville... Not my style.... G. DeLaurentiis - how does she stay so tiny? S. Moulton: see A. Brown comments above. She and DeLaurentiis manage to keep things mellow... but pleasantly so. I. Gartner: but really though, if I had the time and money to stroll through my perfectly manicured herb garden to take a snippet or two for my shabby-chic French dish, or nattily-dressed salad... or afternoon jaunts to the beach and the local florist who are at your beck-and-call, I think I'd be mellow too. M. Chiarello: the Napa version of Garter in the Hamptons... who just, ohsaythrowsaparty for his 10 employees in which he cooks all day... what exactly do they do? And is he hiring? D. Lieberman - tie your hands and you'll be alright kiddo! What happened to? J. Torres J. Oliver W.G. Puck G. Gand A. Bourdain Surreal Gourmet

I just checked their online menu. It looks promising, if not pricey... There's a $5 split-plate charge... Will be interesting to see how it does. I never made it to Quillec's last venture, Cafe Provence. u.e.

I see... and I understand perfectly what he means (even though I haven't been to either, I can relate with other restaurant comparisons). Yup... totally makes sense. I keep replaying my Per Se meal in my head as I anticipate TFL... and the weiner keeps gettin' me!! I feel the same way with, say Moto, Alinea and Avenues. Based on my 1, 2, and 2 meals at each, respectively, I found all of them to be very dynamic and very good in their own way... but I find myself much more curious about what Bowles might create next instead of Cantu or Achatz. Cantu, I would have to say, intrigues me more than Achatz, but the last time I checked, Cantu's menu had changed in ingredients, but not as much in presentation/form as I had hoped. I could completely be wrong... but suffice it to say, I'm returning for a 3rd meal at Avenues pretty soon... in fact, I'm travelling to Chicago just to eat with Bowles and leaving the next morning. I hope Manresa doesn't hook me as much - it's a much longer trek out to Los Gatos for me than Chicago!! u.e.

The above few posts are certainly interesting observations and opinions. I'm about to head out that way on an eating trip that will include both Manresa and TFL... it'll be an interesting comparison. I'm trying not to set myself up for either expecting too much or too little, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I will agree with what alanamoana and Zeemanb posted... I don't know why, but I'm getting an nimpression (perhaps based on eGullet posters) that Manresa will be the highlight of my trip... Based on my one meal at Per Se, I can't say that I was all that thrilled with Keller's cooking at that price... I would also agree that the intangibles certainly are a part of the Keller experience (or so it seemed), but I could do without. At any rate, I'm really looking forward to both meals, and will report when I get back. u.e.

I can't speak to what molto e and docsconz's menu cost, as I believe they may have gotten some supplements and additions not normally included, but the tasting menu at Manresa, last time I checked (about a week ago) is at $110. u.e.

This has prompted me to post a question on the Per Se thread. u.e.

An exchange on another thread prompted me to ask this: Does anyone know whether Per Se charges by the bottle (of bottled water), or just a flat charge for water service. The reason I ask is because the water bill, as I remember, on our tab, happened to be equally divisible by the number of diners and the number of bottles (so I was told, as I had lost track) we had consumed... u.e.

I think all the talk about her being sexy (right!) was what did her in for me... but she brought that on herself, wearing a bikini in her audition video... yuck! ← I know - and if I'm not mistaken - she was wearing high heels in that bikini shot! Can anyone confirm that for me? u.e.

Zingerman's flavors are awesome, but their consistancy ranges from good to really poor. Their chocolate flavors and some of their nut flavors are exceedingly hard - clay like. I know they have one called "Hazel's Hazlenut" which is so hard, I swear you could sculpt with it. Z's is slightly pricey too... If you read my blog, you'll know that I gelato - I mean *LOVE* the frozen treat. I scour the world for good gelato and have found moments of ecstasy when eating helados in Argentina (IMO, the best), Italy and even NYC and Philly... I'm hoping to find some good gelato when I head out West later this year... but, here in the Midwest... nearly nada - there is one good one that I've tried in Kansas City - a tiny shop called The Sweet Guy in old Parkville along the Missouri River... Z's gelato is just way too hard for me - some of their fruity ones are okay consistancy, but I tend to go for the harder-hitting stuff like chocolates and coffee flavors... Will have to try Zenaida... do they make it in-house? Champagne sorbetto I would try! I really miss American Spoon... although it wasn't killer-good, it was probably the best in the A2 area. u.e.

Oh, and a recent meal at Pacific Rim by Kana was near disastrous from beginning to end... By the way, their portions are not as large as their website pictures would have you believe. This was my second visit, and I was just as disappointed as my firs time. The only dish that they seem to have gotten right is their miso-marinated sablefish, which was very good both times I've tried it. u.e.

You're friend wouldn't happen to be Ms. Rector, would it? The lack of steak was the first thing that Rector noted in her write-up on the restaurant when it first opened about a year ago... Rest assured, I was told just recently when I called, that they are - on weekdays between Tuesday and Thursday. Well, if you do, please post your experience!u.e.

Actually, I would have to say that Carissa was one of the contestants that I actively disliked. She and Nathan both just came off as way-too-confident-for-their-own-good... Nathan much moreso... But, Carissa did show moments of promise toward the end... despite her "let's get crazy" speak, which did get on my nerves a little. I'm happy with the result, I guess. I agree with whoever posted above about wishing they had shown a little more of the contestants' family background/interaction early on... I think it would have made me like a lot of them better - except maybe Nathan, whom I thought was just downright offensive. I particularly loved Andy, but can see why he was axed...

Yup, I have to admit, it has happened to me on on more than one occasion... and it always comes to me as a pleasant surprise! In fact, I'm actually shocked the number of times extra dishes come out "compliments of the chef" or whatnot... Sometimes it's quite shocking, as in my last visit to a four-star NYC resto. Glad to hear that you're getting "friendly food," as I like to call it! u.e. [edited to add: Not that I'm complaining about the comping situation, but because I personally feel obligated to (and insist) pay for and tip on what I get, sometimes the whole comp thing can run up the bill... But, usually I'm more than happy with the experience because more often than not, the "extras" are things that aren't on the menu, or experiences that can't be gained as regular diner.]

1. Congrats to hubby on defending dissertation! 2. OHMYGOSH - gelato? Need to try!! What flavors... do tell all! Where is this chocolate lounge? u.e.

How was your birthday dinner? I hope it was better than mine... I have some pretty, okay miserably, poor-quality pictures of my birthday dinner at the Five Lakes Grill here. I was terribly disappointed... I had such high hopes... u.e.

I don't know which night my friend attended, but her name isn't Alison... Did you bring the spice or was it provided by Z's? I would agree that the Cluizel is the best - I think in terms of mouthfeel and the bitterness... Arriba tastes burnt and over-roasted to me... although I have eaten their 100% bar. Scharffen Berger's been weird for me... I think I'm laying off for a while while they go through the whole Hershey's transition... I hear that Z's is going to pick up a new line of chocolates that I'm really excited about having near me: Pralu... I *love* 'em and damn my expensive tastes! Pralu's chocolates, if you're not familiar with them, are naturally smokey and deep... varying from bacon-esque to ancho and chipotle... simply amazing. You'll have to try them when they get them in... Also, have you tried their Guido Gobino? I don't much care for its leathery taste, but it's certainly unique... u.e.

Isn't this where chef Brian Polcyn teaches? =R= ← Yes. I believe you are correct.

Yeah, and don't think I was tempted to lick the "glue" either! Ahem... u.e.

I don't think it's a new program... I think it's just more of Tyler's Ultimate... if it's the one where he's licking the meatloaf (which I found particularly amusing!) ← Not as disturbing as when he started spanking it... So, more of the Ultimate? Not a fan. Florence is too "grabby" for me - notice, he's always using his fingers to eat the food before his guests do! Especially on that 911 show, or whatever it's called... Sheesh! u.e.

I'm going to hedge that in little ms. foodie speak, "schmoo" means buffalo ricotta cheese with black truffle.. u.e.

In addition to Alton on the road (I wonder if he plans to cross paths with Al Roker ), Flay in-chaps-on-saddle - I saw a snippet advertising a reincarnation of Tyler Florence... didn't quite catch the gist of the new program though... u.e.

Don't worry, I'm not doubting that!As for beautiful butters, I have been tempted on a occasion to just go for the spoon... if it weren't for my mother's stern face appearing on who/whatever is across from me shaking her head, I might have actually downed a few pats straight-up... must try Liebrandt's olive oil butter - that'll be a new one... can't wait to see what he chucks into my version! u.e.

Oh right... that would work too! u.e.

I also found the butter delivered with the foie gras to be notable, except mine was even more decadent, being studded with black truffle! I have no concept of how olive butter would work--is that like a combination of olive oil and butter tastes? STOP!!! You're killing me!!! The decadence!!! Ohmygosh - butter with foie gras?!?!?! How does one eat the two together? I'm assuming the foie is served hot and the butter is lathered on... ?u.e.

I googled "Comfort Cafe Silver Lake" where Reggie Southerland supposedly works. The only online result that I found was for a cafe connected to a body builder's gym... or right next door? See here. Can anyone confirm that this is the same and right cafe where Southerland works? Thanks! u.e.