ulterior epicure

Thanks, Moby. Just to clarify - even if I'm using a cabbage/leafy green wrapping, I should use plastic - right? As for the question on the unhingeable v. regular terrines, I guess I should have been more specific: Is there a difference in cooking times/methods since the unhingeable is metal and the other kinds are cast iron/ceramic? Thanks! u.e.

Great thread guys! Moby, now I see where all of the fabulous terrines I've been seeing on your flickr site have been posted!! Three questions, thus far (as I am looking for a terrine mold): 1. If you line the terrine mold with cabbage or some other leafy green, then you need not use plastic wrap, right? Or, do you butter/oil the terrine mold? 2. Any advantages of unhingeable v. iron/enameled over the other? 3. When doing an exclusively cold aspic terrine (like the asparagus one shown above), (a) how does one ensure that the aspic actually encases the filling, and (b) how does one cut through the terrine without it tearing, collapsing, etc. What kind of knife? Should I warm the knife? Should I put the terrine mold in warm water before unmolding? Thanks guys! Hopefully, I'll be buying and making my own terrine soon!!

Oh, fine, you had to go there... Yes, agreed, the Low Carb-O-Nara could have been put in a smaller dish or bowl. And, now that you got me going - the Scrambled Scallops were kind of sloppy - mine came with mis-matched eggshells - a brown bottom with a white top... and the caviar was coming out the side, I had to borrow my companion's to snap a photo (thank you, wench). Yes, "Duck, Duck, Beet" was just that - duck, duck and more duck and then some beet. Nothin' else. Not that I wasn't already pretty full by then, but still... a little veg would have been nice. A meat knife would have also been nice. Hrmm... "Le Kit Cat" was just perfect.

I recently attended the "Happy in the Kitchen" Michel Richard dinner at 40 Sardines. I'll give you the short here, but you can read a fuller report on my blog. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dinner, it was hosted at 40 Sardines by Rainy Day Books to promote Michel Richard's (of Citronelle Restaurant in D.C.) new cookbook, "Happy in the Kitchen." Chef Richard was there to sign books (a signed copy was included in the price of the dinner, which was $125) and to explain each course - all of which were selected from the cookbook. Ray Coursen from Elyse Winery was also present to talk about each of the wine pairings. Here is the menu from that dinner: Aperitif Elyse Winery Rosé First Course “Low Carb-O-Nara” Elyse “Le Corbeau” Second Course “Scrambled Scallops” Elyse “L’Ingenue” Third Course “Duck Duck Beet” 2003 Elyse “Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon” Dessert “Le Kit Cat” 2004 Elyse “Morosoli Vineyard Red Zinfindel” For the most part, the dinner was a success. My favorite course was, by far, the "Le Kit Cat" dessert course, which I have made at hope a couple times since. I also very much enjoyed the "Duck Duck Beet." Interestingly, those are also the two courses where I noted the wine pairings, which I thought succeeded wonderfully. If any other eGulleters were at this event, please do jump in. Hint, hint.... wench?

What is the current ETA for the opening? [edited for an egregious grammatical error.]

dinerminer, I would have agreed with you - 9 months ago. I think you need to re-visit zin (or not). They have a new chef and zin has lost it's refinement, IMO. The best chef at zin was Derek Nacey. I truly enjoyed a few of my meals under during his tenure in the kitchen. Since then it's been up and down. This new chef, Martens I think is his name, is rather ambitious, but doesn't quite have everything worked out. I've been in zin a couple of times since he's taken over and have been very underwhelmed, a little disappointed even. I haven't had dinner at Circe, so I really can't compare between the two, but my friend and I were both happy with our lunches.

I just got my monthly email update from Lettuce Entertain You. "Free lunch" caught my eye. Click here for the link. Sounds like a really good deal. The increase in business from this marketing might just more than make up for the once-a-week free lunch service. u.e.

Here i am, evidently i had an account this whole time......who knew? ← Hi Tim!! Thanks for speaking up! So, give us the 411 on your new place. I've been by Briarcliff Village a few times but haven't noticed any new restaurants except Piropos and Trezo Mare. u.e.

Another eGulleter, David Crum, informed me that the calamari steaks that I had were probably processed - in the sense that they had undergone a process called Jacquard (sp?) in which hundreds of needles are pressed into the steak to tenderize it. I imagine it'd be like pounding veal or chicken breast meat to tenderize it. Does anyone know about this process? Dave? u.e.

Fat Guy brings up an interesting point. Essentially, I interpret his observations as setting forth a tiered approach to rating NYC restaurants. And, with my limited experience and knowledge of the restaurant landscape there, this seems warranted. Whereas the star system used to be a way of tiering, or stratafying (is that a word?) restaurants, the restaurant scene in NYC has become so complex, multi-layered and broad in scope, that perhaps there is a need to break the field down and only apply the star system to one - the highest tier. Or, perhaps to apply the star system to each of the three (or however many) tiers, but with the understanding that the stars have different significance at each leve. Is this clear? So, maybe it (the star system) is antiquated in this sense? Or, it just needs an acknowledged redefinition/revision. u.e.

I'll answer my own question. Lunch found a friend and me at Circe recently. I had the Smoked Salmon Salad with capers, hard boiled eggs, pickled onions and Dijon vinaigrette. ($9) It was a pretty nice salad, except I found it exceedingly salty with the pile of capers they added. Thankfully, the slightly sweet-tangy vinaigrette helped pull things back a bit. The hard boiled egg also helped even things out. My friend picked a winner, the "Duck Club" ($9.75). A generous portion of sliced duck breast sandwiched between grilled bread with warm brie, bacon, lettuce and tomato. The sandwich was a little heavy handed on the mayonnaise for me, but it was very tasty. The breast meat was manageably tender. I only wish they had removed some of the chewy fat from the breast meat. When given a choice of French fries, cottage cheese, slaw or potato salad, without hesitation my friend ordered the fries. Generous portion, and not bad. We split an assortment of, what else, ice creams! Peanut butter was very much so - tasted like creamy frozen peanut butter. Not my thing. Caramel tasted more like butterscotch. Not really my thing either. The best of them all was the whole reason I ordered the dessert - sweet potato ice cream (No doubt a Thanksgiving inspiration). Spiced with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange (?), perhaps some cardamom (?), the sweet potato treat also had toasted marshmallows and bits of walnuts. It was every bit as good as I had hoped. ($6) Overall, a very good lunch (I'd just ask for them to go easy on the capers and mayo next time). I'd go back. Sadly, we were the only diners in the restaurant for a good hour. I wondered if our server was also the cook. It was only when the phone rang and it was for someone in the back of the house that I surmised he wasn't a one-man act. Circe is on 39th Street. u.e.

Great work JWest! Sadly, the last time I popped in, they were still installing their espresso machine and freezers. But, I did get to see the interior... very industrial, although the fireplace and plush couches helped. Gotta love the Elbow. u.e.

Okay, I can't help but crack myself up - I got the name of the flavor wrong - it's "One Drunk Monk!!" Ahem....

A friend just told me about her favorite Murray's Ice Cream flavor - "One Dumb Drunk." It's coffee with Frangelico, hazelnuts and chocolate in some vague form. Has anyone every had this? It sounds like u.e. heaven!! u.e.

Exactly what I wanted you to appreciate . . . even after I de-Colby-ized the spelling ( ) I was able to find little - and conflicting - information on taccozzette. It's an Abruzzese thing. 'Nuff said. ← Oh, leave Colby's spelling alone. I give him enough grief (he can certainly attest to that). At least he's not "depolorably" bad, like you know who.

Damn, wench, must you be my research assistant again? Sure thing, I do believe I need to dissect that pumpkin bread pudding again. Oh, and the scallop is calling for a closer look. And, yes, the Wagyu, I need to study its new stage of development - tartare. u.e.

It's worth a special trip. Well, I could, but I think you would find it more enriching if you researched it yourself. As for the rest: Yes, I believe the dessert was the spiced pumpkin bread pudding, but don't quote me. I'm just learning to eat the stuff - it'll be a while before I can parse it and describe it eloquently. I did not ask about the cheeses - we got into a ridiculous discussion about "WHY does the cheese stand alone?" and I'm sorry to say that occupied our sparse collective attention span for the remainder of the evening. Growing older but not up, obviously. ← .... obviously... thanks, moosnsqrl, that was all very informative. For those of you who are curious, I Googled "taccozette" (and other spelling variations) and was only able to dredge up a food blog, Mamma ho fame!, by some Japanese woman dedicated to cooking all things Italian (go figure). Since I don't have the script enabled on my computer, I was only all too lucky that: 1. She had a picture of the pasta, and 2. The picture was labelled. So, there you go.

I've had wagyu at bluestem in all forms but tartare. I hope they keep it on the menu long enough for me to get a stab at it!! Can you describe the shape of the taccozette pasta? Was it the spiced pumpkin bread pudding. If so, I will join in the praises. It was wonderful. Any idea what cheese your companions enjoyed?

I'm assuming you mean "food" goods? How interesting. Thanks for the info guys!

Okay, so maybe not "ethnic" in the sense that most Americans would define the term, but does anyone know what "European Delights," located somewhere between Metcalf and 69 Highway on 95th Street in Overland Park, is all about? I just got a side glance while I sped by... it't tucked in a strip mall. For all I know, it could be jewelry store...

Mocha rolls?, he asked meltingly...

I've got a hankering for calamari steaks - that ethereally tender 1/2"-thick cut of cuttlefish, grilled and served simply drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper. Does anyone have a recipe for it? I've had this, in various forms, in Italy and Spain - but rarely do I see one in the U.S. Would love to recreate it at home! Thanks! u.e.

What flavors of sorbets and ice cream? Were any of them Asian in nature?

Have I caught the venerable u.e. with a typo? Or is there a new type of baked good I'm gonna learn more about real soon now? A bit of Googling turned up this: <a href="http://www.wheatfieldsbakery.com/">Wheatfields.</a> I sent an email asking about their distribution sites; will report back if I get a reply. re: the soccer team... OK, Judy, I guess in some ways I'm more of a gourmand! ← *Le Shock!* Very very sorry for taxing all of you with my misspellings. Move along, nothing to see here...

Yes, it sounds funny the way she had described the pizza; but it seems plausible. Correct me if I'm wrong but can't the bottom crust of the pizza be crispy and the outside pillowy crust be soft and chewy? Although, she should have described the sensation of having the two different textures but being in different parts of the actual pizza. ← Ah yes, I failed to look at the picture... I see what you mean now. The bottom of the pizza crust can be thin and crispy. The outside rim crust can be rolled up to hold in the spread - that crust can be soft and pillowy.