Vadouvan

Regardless of how cold you get the ice cream, you *know* you cannot dip it into molten sugar that is deep enough to coat it without an explosive reaction. We are talking at least 4 inch depth of sugar that is over 300 degrees. Sounds like a very bad Idea. I would consult Torreblanca's book and research isomalt. Are you trying to get IC in a cramel shell like an egg ?

Those my friend are made by Bernadaud, Limoges china. Extremely expensive. $52 each. Bernadaud is based in NYC Or you can go to Michael C Fina on 5th avenue. toodle ooo

Thanks.

If this is true, Snackbar may be the first restaurant to honor it's No reservation policy which I applaud. A lot off restaurants in the city engage in that very annoying habit of taking people's names for a table which is completely absurd because what you are in fact doing is taking "reservations in person". What is the point of going to a no reservation restaurant, standing there for 45 minutes and then several people walk up to the restaurant and get seated immediately and you get the explanation that they came in and left thier names. Either take reservations or walk-ins. Wanna expand on your dinner ?

Another delicious meal......Phil ?

Sublimating the thread into a "local Vs not local" avoids answering the question by using a political slant. Correct answer is it depends on what cut of lamb and what the ultimate cooking method is. The argument with vegetables and produce of local=better wears a bit thin when it comes to properly handled high quality meat. It also becomes an issue of personal taste. New zealand and Aussie lamb legs seem to make better roasts, Aussie shanks have better flavor and yield for braising. The issue of distance is irrelevant, it's proper storage. Fresh australian lamb of exceptional quality is flown into this country weekly and it's quite possble to get these products from d'artagnan. The racks are fabulous. The only really exceptional domestic lamb is that which you can trace back to a farm with it's own feed and ranching philosophy. On that note, Jamison Farms Lamb is very good but it is *easily* blown away by summerfield farms lamb which may be just about the best domestic lamb in America. http://www.summerfieldfarm.com/

They have been better behaved since the corporate takeover and you actually have to sign in now.... that's why they are called discussion boards and not conclusion boards....

Shouldnt everything at a sushi bar be beyond fresh ? Should you have to ask what is fresh ?

Bresch.... Dont be so hard on yourself, awareness of what is or isnt the best sushi doesnt require sophistication, its simply about realising the points that make up the quality index. Type of rice. Rice holding temperature and texture. Quality of fish. Source of fish. Temperature of service. Wasabi powder or root. It is a great Idea at some point in the scope of all the BS people spend money on these days.. Guys going to cigar and single malt "tastings" For anyone who cares enough to want to know just to set aside 100 bucks and eat in a really good sushi place, it's a revelation. Here is how it shakesdown... Best quality sushi BYO Matt Ito Fuji Best quality sushi NON BYO Morimoto at the sushi bar. Best HOT Japanese food Sagami If its just 2 of you go to the sushi bar at morimoto. Though its a bit disorganized by Yasuda san's standards, its still fun to watch and .....really the sushi isnt that expensive, it's the hot foods and mildly inspired omakases that make it expensive. The morimoto sashimi plate is very good as are the kumamotos and the chicken soup, thats just about it. But when it comes to the really tasty hot food...hands down Sagami. For the record without a hint of reluctance, the two consistently best tasting dishes for the last 5 years in philly are both at sagami. Nasu shigiyaki. Hamachi Kama. Edited: to add Sagami is in NJ, I meant the phillly area.

Where SALT was...........

Far as I recall, nothing over 13 bucks....small plates.

Say what ?

I know Mr gordon well enough to know what he means..... It could be percieved as snobbery rather than a factual disagreement which is why I posted the following.... However seems those looking for flamewars are not deterred by disclaimers. There is a place for that kind of behaviour, it's called chowhound.

I believe the quote was "slide me some skin".......

....And most of the hot food isnt even japanese. the danger of threads like these it that it risks alienating people by trying to dictate taste. Clearly people should enjoy what they enjoy but who eats rock shrimp with blue cheese ..........

The reason the best is ambigous is because most who claim to be experts actually havent eaten sushi outside philadelphia, the point isnt to slam philly but fact is until you have experienced really good top end (in terms of quality) sushi, your frame of reference just isnt cutting it. Sushi Yasuda Karumazushi Sushi of Gari Urasawa Tsukiji If sushi were italian food, most "sushi" places in town are like olive gardens.....but definitely not Vetri's or Lupa's or Babbo's.

Greg Ling works at django now......he left raw.

To ad to Phil.... Everything was indeed delicious with the highlights being pork belly, chicken, brussel sprouts, polenta and ocean trout. Apples with wasabi peas were a revelation and addictive. Definitely a step in the right direction in Philadelphia. I would expect even better as the kitchen gets settled in. In most cases, we ordered seconds and prices are completely reasonable. Old macdonald may have had a farm.....but young macdonald worked on a farm in northern Spain and it clearly influenced his cooking. Good stuff. Pork belly smackdown ???

All are simply "acceptable". Raw is actually the only one I would actively avoid. Sagami's strength is in cooked food. and BYO. I Heard raves about Bluefin but it was just OK too. You really wont get great sushi in philadelphia. I would avoid anywhere that isnt actually a Japanese restaurant. Kisso is atleast as good or better than all the places mentioned.

The inherent problem with cheese plates isnt the number of cheeses but one dimensional pairings. I rarely see cheese plates in which all the accompanying ingredients are not sweet. The achilles heel of most well intended food compositions is that just because you taste certain things together doesnt mean they work. For some reason, people seem to think cheeses need honeys, jellys, chutneys, membrillo and what not. Manchego for example tastes a lot better with pesto than with truffle honey or membrillo. If most people would simply stop cheese with overwhelming sweet stuff, it would be more about the cheese. 3 cheeses are not enough for a cheeseplate, 6 is probably too many so the magic number is 4 or 5. Sheep Zamorano Blue St Agur Soft ripened La Tur Goat cabecou Complex Sottocenere

I checked out the Snackbar with uncle phil tonight and indeeeeed the pork bellies were quite tasty. Before I expand ..........uncle Phil with the Paparazzi action ..........???

Botulism will only occur if it is in a vaccuum, like really totally airtight. Dont grind and toast, it will burn. I have tried 4 different experiments in the past. Nobody died either, or got sick. 1. High quality porcinis were heated in the oven till fragrant. Transferred to a tupperware container. Covered with room temp ex virgin oil and covered refrigerated for a week. Moderate infusion, discernible porcini flavor. 2. The reverse. High quality olive oil was heated till warm but not anywhere near its smoking, denature point. Use a thermometer. EVOO smoking point is reputed to be somewhere around 250 F. I heated to 170F. Pour over porcinis in tupperware, cover and refrigerate 1 week. Much stronger porcini flavor. Strained oil whipped into mashed potatotes for example yeilded mash that was white but had a solid hint or porcini after taste. Yummy. Also used to Confit Black Cod (sable) that was brined in porcini brine....Fabulous. 3. High Tech Version. Triple bag olive oil and porcinis in cryovac bag and hold at 65C for 6 hrs in water bath. Remove, strain and chill in tupperware. Amazing porcini flavor. 4. Low Tech alternative to why High Tech Works. Hold porcinis and oil for some long period of time at requisite temp. I now use induction cooker which hold temp perfectly. Stove flame is too volatile and too much variance in temp. You can get away with it with a good thermometer.

It seems fair enough, it's just that sometimes it does not work in the customers favor. They called me while I was on a plane between JFK and Heathrow. When I landed in london, went home to catch some zzzz's, woke up and showed up for my 7pm reso, it was "rescinded" because they hadnt heard from me. I was at eventually with no harm done......but policies arent air tight in thier intent. Andy, I see you still like your signature line...hehe

And there lies the problem, the shift in emphasis is always obvious. It's just human nature. People always notice if other people are being treated better even if they are being treated well. It isnt about the specifics, it's simply making people feel less important. Indeed the true test of a good MaitreD is to do it transparently.

Indeed this is why VIP de facto policies are ill advised in the long run, though AG seemed a bit precious, the Ruth Reichl precursor to LC treatment seemed to set the tone. I agree with you in the long run Nathan, it's just that a slight flaw in confirmation bias theory is it does not account strongly enough for people who actively sabotage thier own experiences as opposed to those who are dubious at first but leave room to be pleasantly suprised......if warranted ....