mikeyrad

You know, I think I have an idea for Mr. Bourdain's next Food Network series: $400 -- no make that $1000 (Or More) A Day. Yes, it's the upscale version of Rachael Ray's show. Tony Bourdain tours the world and shows you where to go if you have an unlimited budget and want to eat the best of the best. Even more important, he explains what makes a great restaurant great. And of course, if Mr. Bourdain ever needs a researcher or dining companion, I gladly volunteer my services.

I LOVE RAW!! Raw oysters, clams, carpaccio, sushi...

Are any of these places worth a special trip to Astoria?

Katz's

Was just there for lunch during Restaurant Week. Still fabulous. Service was also first rate.

As a restaurant, the women are beautiful.

I'm busy on Feb 28, but Feb 27 is good. I'm also good during the week.

I'd go with you. And I KNOW I could talk SarahD into going...and maybe slkinsey as well...Eric Malson? What do YOU think? By the way, Métisse has been there as long as I've lived in NYC, and I hit seven years this past October. K Sounds good to me. Is this the beginning of the UWS Bistro Club? I can just see it now. Scorecards for coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, cassoulet and pear tatin.

Just called Metisse, they've been around for nine years.

Don't know when Metisse took over the space. The last time I ate at Santerello was in June 1992. I'd like to try Metisse for old time's sake, sort of.

From http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails...staurantid=1750: Metisse French, Bistro 239 W 105th St, New York 10025 From http://www.allny.com/ct/ressh/restaurants/italian.htm: Santerello Italian Restaurant - 239 W 105th St. NY, 212-749-7044. Note: the copyright on this page is 1997.

Ah, makes me think back to the good old days (around 20 years ago) when the space currently occupied by Metisse was a little Italian restaurant called Santerello. B'way and 105th was pretty funky back then and Santerello was a beacon of genility in the neighborhood. Santerello was where I took my wife on our first date -- actually she took me. It's where I proposed, and also the last restaurant we went to before we moved to Nashville in 1992. Alas, when we returned to Manhattan at the end of 1998 it had changed to Metisse. Everything changes in this city.

I don't mind children or babies in restaurants as long as they are well behaved, and if not, their parents IMMEDIATELY remove them from the premises. Unfortunately, I've had too many dining experiences ruined by misbehaved children or crying babies where the parents did absolutely nothing, or even worse, caused a scene by loudly scolding their children in the restaurant. In these cases, I blame the parents who should know better, not the children who are simply being age appropriate. I also have to admit that even more dining experiences have been tarnished by misbehaved adults than by misbehaved children. IMHO, there are some restaurants that are "PG-13" rated -- no kids permitted. I'm sorry, but if you can afford to go to ADNY, you can also afford a baby sitter. There are also "G" rated "family" restaurants that are simply not appropriate for quiet, fine dining. Only a fool or a redneck would propose marriage at an Applebee's.

Great sushi, lousy service and atmosphere. The staff tries to rush you out if you have an early rezzy. For my money (lots of it), i'd rather go to Yasuda.

We visited all of the wineries that I listed in my last post except for Standing Stone. All had excellent tasting facilities. A buck or two will buy you tastes of five or more wines. As far as which wineries had the best wines: Wiemer: Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, Eisweins Dr. Frank: Rieslings, sparklers, Pinot Noir Hosmer: Cab Francs, Pinot Noir Lamoreaux Landing: Chards, Rieslings, Eisweins Chateau LaFayette Reneau: Rieslings, Chards Sheldrake Point: Rieslings, Cab Francs, Pinot Noir My favorite winegrower is Herman Wiemer for Germanic style wines. Hosmer has a kick-ass Cab Franc -- a great wine with food. Dr. Frank's "Champagnes" and Pinots are also wonderful.

I did a winetasting vacation in the Finger Lakes in October. I met Bob Madill when we dined at the restaurant at Sheldrake Point. I was most impressed with his knowledge of winegrowing and his dedication to making world class wines -- a characteristic shared by most winegrowers in the region. Many of the winegrowers have been educated or work in conjunction with Cornell's School of Agriculture. The eco-climate in the Finger Lakes is closest to that of Germany or Austria. The weather is comparatively cold and the vineyards are planted on hills situatated on the shores of very deep lakes that don't freeze. The result is great food-friendly wines, generally below 13% alcohol with great balance of acidity and sugar. Of course, the dessert wines are lower in alcohol and higher in sugar. You also won't find the heavy handed use of oak commonly found in California wines. As I said, these are serious winegrowers making quality wines. I wound up buying six cases of assorted Rieslings, Gewurztraminers of varying sweetness from dry to eiswein as well as Chards, Pinots, Cab Francs, sparklers, and other varietals. I'm happy -- maybe a little too happy -- to report that we're on our final case. IMHO, the best Finger Lake vineyards are Herman Wiemer (Seneca), Dr. Frank (Keuka), Hosmer (Cayuga), Lamoreaux Landing (Seneca), Standing Stone (Seneca), Sheldrake Point (Cayuga) and Chateau LaFayette Reneau (Seneca).

I've been to Lucy's. I do like the Mexican barbacoa, but the scene is far more impressive than the food. As a restaurant, the women are spectacular. This reminded me of one of the most ridiculous articles on dining ever published. The Nov 6 - 13 issue of Time Out New York made an extremely feeble attempt to compare the Upper East and West Sides in terms of dining. TONY concluded that UWS dining was better than the UES because: it has better Nuevo Latino cuisine it has better late night dining it has better brunch offerings whereas the UES: has better haute cuisine has better sushi The final score 3-2, UWS. What struck me is that the editors obviously considered Nuevo Latino cuisine to be crucial in their comparison. My guess is that most of TONY's readers, myself included, consider Italian, Chinese, Indian, Pizza, Burgers, take-out/delivery, and a host of other cuisines/criteria to be far more important in judging the livability of a neighborhood in regards to restaurants.

Don't let your property become unsightly, keep your lawn neatly mowed. Don't mow your lawn too early on the weekend. Oh, that's upstate ethics... Never mind.

Praise for Bikky: Pairing wine with Indian food is not easy an easy task. There are sommeliers who would argue that the spices are far too complex for wines. Some simply use wine as a palate refresher. I had the tasting menu paired with wines a couple of weeks ago and was absolutely amazed how Bikky's wine selections enhanced the flavors of our food. I wish I could remember all of the wines that we had, but by the end of the meal it was a miracle that I could even walk. I do remember a couple of wines that we had before I got totally inebriated and one after I was in lalaland. We started with two Chardonnays that were not over-oaked like most California varieties. The first was French, extremely crisp, no oak at all. I think we had it with the Bombay Bhel Puri and/or the Spinach Chaat. The other was either from Australia or New Zealand. It had a slight buttery flavor (but not too much) that indicates malolactic fermentation also maybe a little oak, but certainly not overpowering. After that, things started getting a little fuzzy although I think I remember a delightfully fruity Australian Shiraz with our Tandoor Grilled Lamb Chops. Next time I promise to write some notes -- that is if I'm sober enough to write. In any case I can tell you that I had another wonderful meal at Amma that was enhanced by Bikky's wine selecteions. He is truly the perfect compliment to Suvir and Hemant talents in the kitchen. Mikey

Problem is that you'll look like every other Fairway customer.

Yes, the Fairway on Broadway is crowded, shoppers and staff are rude, blah, blah, blah... It's a quintessential New York experience. I love it! As an Upper East Sider, I so long for a Fairway on our side of town. Give me their great selection and reasonable prices. As a matter of fact, I'd love to see Eli's fold and a Fairway occupy either the 3rd Ave or the 91st and York space.

Here is a short bio on Paris Hilton. She seems to be showing up a lot lately on Page Six in the Post. They report sightings at all the hot restaurants and clubs. Figured that it'll be any day now...

Suvir, Just wondering how the overwhelmingly positive reviews have affected the ability to procure a reservation. Has Amma become "hot" -- and I don't mean spicy? Has Paris Hilton called?

WOW! What a gushing review in today's NY Times, and I actually agreed with Grimes for a change. Much congrats to Suvir, Mathur, Bikky and the rest of the staff at Amma. All accolades are richly deserved. Mikey

or as the Governor of California would say, or said in Kindergarten Cop... fёrret