Vadouvan

brad is right, microwave dries it out and ruins the texture, i just tried it

Interesting Megan,I was thinking about the legal issues so i actually fowarded the article to 2 prominent foodie attorney's in NYC and they both seem to agree that the health department cannot fine you for using SV because they dont have an approved plan for it. They say that while it probably isnt in the restaurants interest per-se, if anyone actually challenged the rulings in court, they would be thrown out simply because there isnt anything in the legislative or food code that forbids it. People dont catch up with legislation, legislation catches up to people. Until they actually write a code for it, it would basically be ruled "unconstitutional" to force any restaurant not to do it. Certainly everyone know's taking on the health dept is as wise as taking on the IRS. Its just another case of the clueless beurucracy acting in the guise of public interest while kids are being hit by stray bullets walking to school.

the show was actually not bad. I did think the Sommelier guy was absurdly pretentious other than that, I would watch again. Ummmm have you eaten at Olives, Todd English or "English is Italian" ? Most TE restaurants are crap. Being praised by him isnt actually a redeeming compliment. I also wouldnt name him in the same breath as Trotter.

I cannot overemphasise how much you do not want to reheat it in any other way but in the braising liquid. Reheating it in the oven defeats the purpose of braising it in the first place. In the oven, high or low heat, you are dehydrating it and it gets dry and stringy. The best way to do it is.... Put the braising Jus back in as small a pot as possible to hold the meat. Note the approximate liquid level and bring it to a boil. Taste it to see how strong /reduced it is. Add about 1 cup of plain water. Bring back to a boil add your meat and turn it down to a simmer and let it reduce to the original level/strength. This way, it gets heated through and stays moist hydrated. cheeerio.

I would think 2 is plenty for a small menu. Any menu that includes any main Item featured more than twice may run the risk of being interpreted as limited in creativity. Unless of course its on the same plate... Foie gras 3 ways ?

Actually the arrogance got in the way. They came out guns blazing..."we are going for 4 stars" What were they thinking. Only dummies set the bar for which they will be judged higher. Restauranteurs should learn not to say anything when they open places, bad things happen.

At the end of the day, one just has to focus on good food and service, consistency would be nice....absent of that, PR wont save you. There is an old Joke in the biz about short lived restaurants. "The only person who made money on this place was the publicist"

I think it's inevitable that they would focus on the fact that Mr Stern used to be the executive chef at LBF. I dont see that as being negative at all, all the Gayle PR I have seen mentions it too so that's besides the point. If anything, his food is credited towards bringing back the 5th Star. Did you say you added a "couple" of Foie (gras) dishes to the menu ? isnt that a bit much ? I have a reservation for next week. I am excited to go.

Interesting......very interesting Indeed. I had become suspicious that Mr Augie is somewhat affiliated in some way with the Starr restaurants due to the repeated expensive meals, mostly glowing reviews and access at Morimoto... Now he is at The "Family Meal" and has the menu.....at Buddakan. Just like the congee, the plot thickens......

hey gulleteers.... For a pretty high profile chef, I am suprised there is little discussion of Gayle here. Sup wit That ? Just read a philly mag review which gives it a B for food and nails it for "cutesy" undecipherable menu language. Interestingly, they Gave Marigold an A for food........so perhaps Philly Mag's anti BYO slant is a bit overstated ...no ?

1. In sort Yes. Soft poached eggs do not taste like hard boiled eggs so texture makes a difference. The flavor is also enhanced by the technique if you use high quality farm eggs. The custardy texture also is perfect for the emulsion of maple vinegar. In this particular dish, its worth the trouble because the original inspiration as TimH noted is from Alain Passard's dish. I think if you have the Arpege egg, you would see that it's worth the trouble. 2. There is no extra time and trouble. You set your bath temperature, you put the eggs in, you wait approx. 1 hr. You crack the eggs. Done. Simpler than *any* other method. One never goes overboard. Continue to push. In fact there is already a variation you speak of. Parsnip Purre+Gellan gum. Cool.Pane Anglaise.Deep Fry.

Took a tour of the facilities yesterday. Restaurant opens monday. I have to say, design wise it steps it up a notch for NY restaurant design. Bar and cocktail seating with a few low communal tables upstairs and a lovely Matsuri-esque subterranean dining room. As for the food, we shall see, different menu from Philly but not a whole lot "new" that Nyers havent had before.......but then again what havent we had before...

I just read it too..... You should direct this rant to the political patronage and greed that keeps the LCB going not Aliza Green. I know her personally and while you may disagree with her, she know's her stuff. BYOB's are good for the city and they should not be closed or "ended", Liquor licenses should just be cheaper. The LCB isnt protecting the public, its money and greed. I do agree with her that philadelphia is not evolving culinarily. BYOB's are great but we are getting to a point where nothing new is happening in town. We need more mid priced restaurants that arent BYOB's, Starr Restaurants and Old city bars disguised as restaurants, Amada is the first Salvo and I hope more places like Amada with talented chefs and fair alchohol prices open. I think that is the crux of her argument. By the way, seems like this month is the attack on BYOB's as evidenced by philly weekly's review of OUT OF THE BLUE .....

I have seen pulled skate only one time 2 years ago. Josh Dechellis of SUMILE restaurant here in NYC.......Now at JOVIA.

Shola is good friends with Alex Talbot and his wife Aki Kamozawa, he said some of the inspiration for this dinner was provided by thier "working relationship". For more info on who Alex and Aki are .... Click...http://ideasinfood.typepad.com/ These two Rock.

Morimoto South in philly has a rock Shrimp Tempura with Roquerfort cheese, I am assuming its the same dish. Ding Ding Ding Ding......correct answer. So I am curious why supposedly food knowledgeable people go out and order a dish that is the only food combination that has never been pulled off by any chef on the planet. Bleu Cheese/Shellfish. Ewwwww!

Ok, I have to break my rule for this one.... But seriously.. who goes out to order shrimp tempura with blue cheese sauce ?

At those prices, I just head on down to Masa.....or Yasuda blowouts

Yes but the Matyson Issue was resolved and the conversation just evolved. The Thread was actually about KRETCH trying to decide what restaurant to go to....It went slightly off topic after resolution.

Its been no secret for a long time but Perrier doesnt generate anywhere near as much revenue as SRO. While the client demographic isnt entirely the same, he realises this. La Mas doesnt really know what it wants to be. The food at Brasserie Perrier hasnt changed since the day it opened Le bec does OK but even that is hurt by other high end operations in the hood. I hear he is opening a new place in center city in the comcast building ? Any truth to that ?

Also Keyah Grande....

You present an excellent analogy BOB. I think part of Bill Wine's point (though not entirely similar to Laban) was that certain characters are so attached to a particular person ie Inspector Clouseau/Peter Sellers. For those who come to appreciate it, any change is viewed with trepidation sometimes even before viewing. The same thing happened in the 1st changeover of 007 Bond. Certainly one would hope food critics would see past that and rate a restaurant for what it is not what it isnt any more. On a sidenote, the whole business of Chef certification CMC,CEC,CPC isnt taken seriously in the restaurant business and is strictly in the realm of hotel chefs and "culinary olympians". In fact any rudimentary top 15 list of the best chefs in America, i would be supried if any of them were certified.

Greg,I actually brought this up upstream in a general context not accusing you of doing it but discussing the practice and how it works for new or desirable restaurants. My context of it was that it does happen and some of the notable restauranteurs in the city do it. I tried to go to the old Django but just as Philadining said, the perception of unavailability made me not bother. It wasnt directed at the previous owners or the new ones. I have actually never been to Django period new or old owners. I understand this is a former owner of a restaurant named after a seasoning agent on Rittenhouse who hates Rx but I am pretty sure he doesnt post here, you arent suggesting a connection are you ???? I agree with the first half. Though Katie hast been there, I think her and Philadining's perception is that people whom we all know have gone and had excellent meals post old ownership. I have known Mcduff personally for years and he isnt easy to please. Based on that, the two bell demotion seemed Harsh. At the end of the day, this is what it comes down to: Anyone who opens any byob restaurant should be happy with 2 bells. I am not saying BYO's dont deserve more(in fact I agree they do), but the baseline of doing a great job is two bells and then one improves. I think a lot of the shock and anger about the subject of the New Django getting 2 bells is that in fact most are looking at it as a demotion. As Buckethead said, it basically a new restaurant with new staff and owners. It is a double edged sword to buy a restaurant and keep it's name and concept. The name recognition that keeps the client base also works against you in the sense that a critic who has previously reviewed it feels a drastic change because his previous expectation is different. I dont know Brian well but I know and worked with Aimee Olexy and i gotta say, that senora is super efficient and one of the most food and people savvy restaurant people I have ever met. Restaurant reviews arent just about food, they are about people too . While everyone seems to agree that the old Django wasnt worth 4 bells and maybe 3 (I think a solid 3), then we are all getting what we asked Laban for. If the contention is that the original place was overrated, should the new place be overrated too ? Again, this are not my personal opinions or specifics to the case as i havent been there but the initial outrage cannot be consistent with the current outrage without bodering on inconsistency. Who know's maybe had Django not been sold, the same thing could have happened. Its all subjective and you just roll with the punches.

ICEBERG....DEAD AHEAD. He he