Vadouvan

They stopped serving brunch sundays, not enough attendance.

um... Am I missing something ?

Interesting.

Interesting.

Perhaps this might convince you http://www.menupages.com/restaurants.asp?home=Y&cuisineid=60

True. But the dining public is sophisticated enough to know that one person cannot be in two places at once. Chef's inherently run this risk by working for other chefs whose profiles overshadows thiers. It all filters out eventually. I think Michauds contributions are duly noted. In fact he was in a big spread of 10 chefs to watch in philly 3 months before the restaurant opened. It's about teamwork, PR works itself out eventually. Benno does for keller. Alex Lee did for Boulud. didnt hurt thier careers........

Katie, that would actually be worse, it's one thing if a restaurant allows a couple with a baby thats loud. If the owners consciously allow their own baby to be screaming among diners coughing up high $$$$$$, they should be comping your meals. I seriously doubt Garces would do that. Here is more on the story...... http://www.philly.com/inquirer/ask/michael_klein

Sorry I am being harsh Michael. But responding specifically to your query, there is no discussion on the finer points of taking babies to tiny intimate or finer-dining restaurants. The answer is simply no. Get a freaking babysitter. Not to generalise but parents with new babies tend to have this absurd sense of entitlement to infringe on the dining experiences of other patrons just because they had a baby. We did not choose to have a baby, they did and thus there is no reason for us to be subjected to thier shrieking kid. If you can afford Tinto's prices, you can get a baby sitter. I would ask the manager to move them, or move me or I leave. I would put up with it if I chose to eat at chuck e cheese's.

1.Gas 2.Electric Coil 3.Radiant Heat 4.Induction. Induction happens to be the most efficient but it requires steel (magnetic) pots and doesnt work with copper or aluminium. You can bring the same volume of water to a rolling boil 3 minutes faster on induction than any other heat system. Partially correct bruce..... Mauviel pots have excellent thermal transfer without any claddding. In conventional methods, the differences in heat transfer as so marginal as to be irrelevant so cooking surface becomes the issue for me.

Several years ago Cooks Illustrated did a taste test in which the top saffron was from PA. It was sold at some point at the RTM pennsylvania general store. The full article can be read here but you will have to sign up for the website. At least it is free for 14 days. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/login.asp?...asting&iseason=

Matt you probably are correct re: location. Parking is a problem but that assumes that most people are driving. Remember what may be approachable to you or I isnt to the general population. In fact they are approachable the issue is communication and controlling perception.

Yup....you were mislead. Aluminium also reacts to acid foods unless you cover it with that grey crap that calphalon uses. It's garbage. Stainless heats evenly, has lower acid reactivity *AND* works on all 4 currently available cooking surfaces unlike aluminuim.

That is simultaneously irrelevant and exactly the point. Dana Cowin is in New York and thus her frame of reference is in New York. Basically everything revolves around New York. Magazine articles, James Beard Foundation, Conde Nast and all the other magazine owners,Food Network, Food in America is about NEW YORK. If you are not New York, you need a trump card (no pun intended) Chicago has Grant Achatz, Rick Bayless, Tramonto and Gand, Trotter, Paul kahan, Homaru Cantu, Graham Eliot Bowles........I could go on and on. Napa and California has better produce, Thomas keller, David Kinch, Michael Ciramusti, Michael Mina, Gary Danko, Alice Waters,Ludovic Lefebvre, Paul Bertolli, Nancy Silverton....and the list goes on. Philadelphia Has Georges Perrier and Marc Vetri.......done. There isnt any other chef nationaly known in the food community. Basically every city in America has to prove to New York that it is worthy. I dont like it any more than you do but that is the deal. Philadelphia and Pa as a whole ARE underrated. You just have to look under the surface. The effing French Laundry was buying it's smoked salmon from a guy in Doylestown and actually had by specific name on the menu "BLUE MOON ACRES MEZZA ARUGULA" which i believe is buckingham in freaking Bucks County. Reading terminal market is known worldwide and is on the list of famed markets that have pictures of each other, if you go to the Borough market in London, you will see a picture of RTM, aint no place in NYC on the leeeest.... Do you know anyone who has ever won a Beard award who did not cook the Beard trustees a free dinner ? It's Quid-pro-quo, it's bullshit. We dont need as a city to suck up to that, we just need to continue to quietly evolve. Declaring Philadelphia the next great food city is actually the worst case scenario as opposed to a quiet revolution because what will happen is the real estate owners will price the independent creative restaurants that might actually open out of the market and you will continue to get BYO's and Starr restaurants. Do we need another Perrier restaurant 4 blocks from Brasserie Perrier ? Do we need another Starr restaurant 1 block from Barclay prime ? Maybe, maybe not but we sure are getting both. The only issue I take with Dana Cowin's article is the whole Maverick Chef thing. I like her very much by the way and I certainly understand her point but the qualification of maverick chefs as those using lab equipment and Alginates seems a bit muted to me. The fact is that the word "Maverick" refers to independent thought and uniqueness and not the evolution or repeckaging of the specific ideas of others. While the case that cooking Sous-vide has become mainstream can be made and has been used for years, the specific use of Sodium Alginate and Calcium Chloride for encapsulation and spherefication is uniquely a Ferran Adria-El Bulli concoction and anyone in NY or Chicago who uses alginates to make anything is simply COPYING the Adria-ElBulli creations. Nothing about that makes any chef in the United States a Maverick as specific instructions can be found in the El Bulli cookbook. At the end of the day the real question is does it taste better ? In most cases it doesnt even taste as good.

Website, you dont have to walk by the restaurant. http://www.gaylephiladelphia.com/ Even the case can be made that the omission of cooking method is a problem for me. I would order crisp sweetbreads but not stewed or poached. Having to ask servers twenty questions just makes meals far too much work and time for me. Just an opinion.

This is a great point. Ultimately the article was positive and we should just be happy that it was not a slam. She did concede that there are more places she wants to try in Philly as opposed to NYC which probably isnt true but still illustrates an attempt at being contrite regarding her previous opinion. Regarding how Dibruno's is "all we have" or how "it has to be everything to everyone", in fact those two statements are partially true. In most other cities there are several options for those kinds of stores, we have dibruno's and whole foods, other cities may have Dean and Deluca competing with Fairway, Citarella,Agata and Valentina,Zabars, Balducci's and so on. Philadelphia cannot however support all those places. The cost of opening Dibruno brothers also forces it to sell a lot of overpriced and borderline adequate prepared foods thus those shopping for specialty ingredients have to avoid it between 11.30am and 2 pm since the lunch crowds are crazy. Sure we do have farmers markets but most of them are completely overpriced and even the amish deceptively sell products that are procured through standard distribution channels as opposed to farms but we automatically make the connection becuase our brains mentally translate thier outfits into intergrity of authenticity which is a complete fabrication half the time. Organic or not, there suimply is no reason but greed for any apple to cost $1.50. Matt Starr restaurants arent full all the time, Washington square for one has as much mental stimulation as watching a ball of tumbleweed roll by in the New Mexico desert. Regarding Ansil and Gayle, part of the reason both arent as full as they would like to be is that both chose the wrong way to control public perception of who they are and what they do. In Gayle's case the menu structure is silly. It uses cryptic language that makes no sense such that even well versed food knowledgable people could read the menu but have no clue what the dish actually means. Translation they keep walking. Literal creativity may be "fun" to some but using the term risotto and serving anything deep fried is simply asking for abuse. What does chicken "purple and green" mean ? Ansill also is percieved as a place that specializes in "organ meats" and such. In this case it isnt completely true but in fact the menu is peppered with enough offal type stuff that public perception focuses on the lowest common denominator. At the end of the day, it was a good article and there is much work to be done. Cheese steaks and pork sandwiches have been discussed ad-nauseum when it comes to Philly articles. I dont see the omission as a problem.

Bill you are correct. The weight of a heavy old copper pot multiplied by the current price of copper makes the old pan more expensive than a brand new copper pot of the same size. Additionally the new copper pot (in all likelyhood) will be one that is lined with stainless steel (which is permanent), and not tin (which erodes quickly). If you further add the cost of re-tinning (which is outrageously expensive assuming you can find anyone who still does it) to the old pot, the price by the pund becomes completely absurd if you are buying the pots for anything but nostalgia. Copper is really just romantic, stainless steel is the best cooking medium.

http://marquefoods.com/flavcompds.htm

The answer lies in this book. http://www.chipsbooks.com/prochar.htm Yes you can add some cream and even eggs to foie and still have an intensely flavorful Foie "Mousse"

Active, http://707restaurant.com/# http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/...ton_Square.html

Jeff. I believe capogiro uses Carpigiani machines. Even a small one might be in 5 digits and probably wired for 220v AC. http://www.carpigiani-usa.com/ If you are determined, the only consumer style of that machine that works well is the one by kitchenaid. Still a little over a grand. http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(4i2heg45...&source=bizrate

Diann I had a second brunch at snackbar today as in two weeks in a row, went with Rae and DG last week. We had the Turkey Scrapple with Custard Eggs, Egg Fry-up with sausage and mushrooms,Grits with cheddar, French toast of a brioche-ish nature, tater tots and some thick cut bacon. Basically you get one dish, One side and one mimosa or bloody mary for $20, a complete steal and lovely outdoor seating. Absolutely agree with you regarding Marigold's Brunch. To those who arent aware, the Snackbarons orchestrated the original Marigold brunch and have replicated it flawlessly. Easily the best in the city food-wise and value-wise.

i have a solution, PM Doc the names......?

You dont have to care. The acceptance of mediocrity doesnt exist in a vaccum. Walk the talk. Nuff said. I'm out.

Lisa is correct, the subject of cooking schools is for another thread but suffice to say Cordon Bleu Paris and Ecole Ritz is for enthusiasts is laughable...... What's shocking about this thread is how many people who sing the local-organic fresh-real food song and dance and agree with this absurdity of making mixed drinks with colored water.....

That is simply not true. How many years ago ? There have been cooking schools in France since the start of this century. Cordon Bleu Ritz escoffier at Place Vendome Yves Thuries Fauchon Pierre Herme La_Duree The notion of cooking school was not solely American. Youngs cooks in Europe trained and apprenticed. Some may have apprenticed alone but European chefs NEVER saw cooking school as an affront to the system. Name one chef who did ?