Bueno

Restaurant: It's a tie. ADNY - Butter poached Maine lobster, rainbow of salsify/mango/hearts of palm, "jus de la presse". Perfectly poached lobster (which in itself is nearly orgasmic), lots of great texture interplay between crispy and unctuous, and a fucking phenomenal lobster sauce that was lifted to new heights with subtle notes of mango. Just delicious. Peter Luger - Porterhouse for two. What can I say? The most perfect specimen of meat I've ever put in my mouth. Just absolutely perfect. Nice char, exactly medium-rare, full of rich, beefy flavour, and surprisingly, very pleasant service. One of the best meals of the entire year; but the best steak of my life.

Next week, January 3rd, the new episode (09) will air. Took long enough. Yeeesh.

This is an absolutely mouth-watering account of what looks to be one incredibly well thought out foodie expedition to NYC. I'm planning a trip early this coming year and will use your itinerary as a guide. Thank you so much for such a detailed and yummy travelogue!

That is one of the most delicious posts in this entire thread -- and for this thread, that is saying one helluva lot. Great job!

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a restaurant that currently has a good Kobe/Wagyu dish on their menu. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much in advance.

I agree completely with the man above. 170 is beef obliteration.

See, now that I didn't know. I assumed that when you said "as you all know" you were talking about the information who do indeed know from this thread. This is the first mention of him leaving Par-fyum.

Actually, he left Beckta and went to Par-fyum.

I bought mine at the shop that sells that lovely Porkbeef. I believe it was called Captain Salmon's Poultry.

John, thanks for the report! As for the photos-- if you rest your camera on top of your glass of wine/water or an overturned bowl, and just press the button from over the top without touching the camera with your hands, your images will be crystal clear, regardless of how much wine you've had. Ruth Reichl feels pretty much the same as you and most others, by the way.

I agree with Jake -- stay away from Purple Pig, it is HORRIBLE. Imagine if Kentucy Fried Chicken did BBQ. Actually - you don't have to imagine it, Purple Pig is it! I agree also with the Beer Bistro suggestion. It's a great casual place for some tasty beer-driven Belgian fare.

Add gelatin to create a 'custard' and brulee the top a la creme brulee.

I've had 3 disastrous (and I mean really bad) meals in Toronto, and two of them were at Monsoon. Then I was forced to give them another shot, and they performed very well. Short after that, I tried again, and was met with another mediocre meal. So 3 bad meals in total, two of which were my worst two ever in this city. So clearly my suggestion to not include them is based on my personal experiences there, but I imagine that's what writes every single post on eGullet (personal experience). It very much reminds me of chain-food. Lots of fried crap, misguided pairings, amateur service, and a general "cheap" feel to the experience. I honestly find it quite horrid, I'm sorry to say. Canoe has a second wind at the moment, and is doing great things. I agree that Chiado is tops for seafood, and also agree that Treadwell is a lovely experience (think Blue Hill @ Stone Barns in NY). Red's truffle menu is said to be superb. I personally love Rain. You won't find a more unique fine dining experience, and while sometimes the flavours may not be ideal for my palate, it's always enlightening, and when the flavours do sing for me, it's fuckin' heavingly. Chef Rubino is phenomenally talented, and I truly think you don't want to short yourself of the experience Rain provides. It's pretty Zen-like.

I've gotta ask why you have Monsoon on your list? The rest I understand, but Monsoon? What sparked that addition. Personally, I'd replace Monsoon with Susur, or even Lee. Bymark, Perigee, Habitat are all performing quite well at the moment.

Great review - thank you! And I think your wine choices were incredibly well-made considering you CLAIM to have no wine knowledge. The off-dry riesling with the curry/apple was a great match. Rieslings typically marry very well with both fruit and spice in a dish, as well as seafood -- so you really couldn't have chosen better in my view. I may have chosen a merlot for the venison because of the dates (fruity, sweet) but anything red would have been appropriate. Truly, great choices on both counts. You done good!

7 Veloutes? Wow.

While not exactly a composed "sauce" per se, the liquor left over from a big bowl of freshly steamed mussells with butter, white wine and herbs is my favourite bowl-licking temptress of all.

What an interesting idea for a thread! My vote goes to the Cheese Boutique in Toronto, ON.

And I will stick with my Thomas Keller Signature Series MACs. This isn't a pissing match. No one was claiming they were Global-quality knives. For a budget knife, they're very good. For a $200 knife, obviously the criteria becomes a little more involved. But thanks for letting us know you've got some fancy Global knives. Edit: typos.

For the price, they are superb. I bought the entire set upon testing the Santoku (and truly testing it -- celeriac). Quality product. In fact, a lot of PC products these days are superb within their price range.

Do homemade pickles get more intense the longer they sit in the jar, or do they mellow?

New shows on FoodTV's page: Feasting On Asphalt Nigella Feasts Paula's Home Cooking Good Deal With Dave Lieberman Chefography With Ina Garten Ham On The Street Ricardo And Friends The Heat This Food, That Wine Top Chef And new seasons from a bunch of old favourites... these all can't be starting for the fall season.. (?)

OMG DALE DEGROFF!?!

Not in fridge, although the label instructs me to do otherwise: Ketchup (cold ketchup on hot fries is insipid to me). Oyster sauce Soya sauce Sriracha BBQ Sauce

The Bistro Stefan (in the Best Western) is the best restaurant in Kingston for a fine dining experience, in my humble opinion. Especially during summer/early fall.