Gustibus

Hey all, I would like some help in deciding between two restaurants for a birthday dinner for two, romantic-ish. not quite romantic, but romantic-ish. The choice has been narrowed down to two. Any recommendations/advice for either of the two restaurants: Perilla or Morandi? thanks

oh how right you were. the blutwurst was phenomenal. and the knockwurst was a knock out. ha. haaaaa. i kill me. i ate one with some mustard and the rye bread and threw the rest in a pea soup. fantastisch. so, karl ehmer is also worth a visit?

agreed krispy kremes are delicious. just never binge on em, no mattr how accessiblethose flat boxes make them. i have since walked up to krispy kremes, money in hand, and still been unable to order a donut. just turned and walked away, crying a little inside. as far as donuts, there used to be a "farm" in closter around where i grew up that had fresh donuts which i remember were really good. of course, this was some time ago. but if your ever in massachussets, and you find yourself on cape cod, and happen to fall onto a boat to nantucket (an entirely plausible scenario), hit up downy flake. ive never had a better donut than theirs, when they are warm.

anyone know of any deli's in northern Jersey in the Edgewater, Ft. Lee area? im not talking the whole foods or pathmark selection, and not italian either; I'm looking for a deli in the german/eastern european vein, which is probably closer to a butcher than a delicatessen. something that might have good wursten is a plus. Im familiar with some in new york, but suggestions from there are welcome, too.

These were just general things that would happen that someone might not really think about. I didnt mean absolutely under any circumstances dont, sorry about the misunderstanding. thank you anyway, but you all probably cook with some proficiency, and although you know how good spaghetti carbonara is, and although you have made a salad dressing before, and although you know what dumplings are, that does not mean for people who have NO idea about cooking it doesn't make sense to just, for example, add flour to a hot sauce to thicken it (not with the INTENTION of making dumplings). Or in a very simple pudding, adding eggs to hot milk. or why not throw some brussel sprouts with some sugar? sugar tastes good...? these sorts of things. Ok, ok, true enough im sure there is someone out there who adores brussel sprouts and sugar. or a sharp cheese and sugar. Or whatever. I was just looking for some opinions, which are sometimes ok to voice without any equivocation. im not talking prohibitive bans, but general guidelines. i suppose its hard to put yourselves in the position of someone who is not quite so...energetic...about food and just wants to be able to make some things, to not be completely ignorant in the kitchen. i doubt theyll find themselves making pate a choux. so thanks, but it has to be simpler. And sugar dissolved in vinegar is one thing. Straight sugar is something very different. With corn, ok. But over onions? if you have seen it as i have, you would include that proviso as well. And i bet youve also never heard (since it was over the phone) a cup of water being poured into a pan of hot oil. that vinegar in milk, however, is great idea, never thought of that. thanks. but it still curdles the milk, doesnt it?

Anyone out there have any firm opinions on things that do NOT go together? I'm making a list for a friend who likes to make things sometimes but slides away from recipes as inevitably as butter would off a hot teflon roof. i figure a basic list of such things will cut down on the experimentation time. Here are some examples: Oil and water - The result can be very exciting if done when the oil is hot. Beaten eggs added to anything hot – you will inevitably get scrambled eggs. So prepare for this contingency. Melted butter and any cold liquid – Many little buttery flotation devices. Acids and Milk – Curdles milk. Mmm. Flour and hot liquids- You will get gross tasting dumplings. Sugar and fresh vegetables - do not taste good together. so anything that does not mix, in other words - chemically, pallet-wise, or logistically. whatever. thanks

So I've read over the topic from long ago about the presence of German restaurants in New York, but in honor of the current World Cup coming to head (beer joke) in Germany right now, I wanted to form a more definitive list on German food favorites and where to find them in New York. I've been to Zum Schneider, and appreciate the food, but I'm really aching for some frisches mett on a nice brotchen, perhaps some schwinehaxe, and maybe a place that serves a Kopi among their beers. Any input? I dont have high hopes for finding any of these particular things, but its worth a shot. Translations: Frisches mett is, near as i can tell, cured ground pork meat tartar served cold with onions; derived from mettwurst. a brotchen is a german roll, sort of similar to portugese rolls. Schwinehaxe is pork knuckle, fried until delicious Kopi is a Konig Pilsner. Not in a bottle, theres not real point in going to a bar to drink out of a bottle unless your just there to get drunk. which is valid in it self, I guess.

Now I have an "oo lee" (don't know how to spell it. but that's how it's pronouced in italian ) for SS crabs. It means a " yen for" So which shall it be..Wondees or Oceanos...? Oh, decisions, decisions.. ← i may be wrong, but i always got the impression that Wondee's has soft shell crabs well beyond the actual season, which suggests to me that they are, at times, frozen. Oceanos, on the other hand, is dealing with top-notch seafood, as i ramble on about here. they're in different leagues. although, that basil and chili is quite tasty over at wondee's. ← Just to mount a feeble defense for the merits of frozen foods, I will stake the claim that seafood frozen when fresh is still good. Its feeble because, hell, there is no beating fresh. With regard to soft shells, yea, fresh and live is obviously optimal, and for a restaurant, you would expect nothing less, but don't discount frozen softshells as far as home cooking. They are hand cleaned and packed and immediately frozen. I've found that seafood instantly frozen keeps pretty well. A little relevant anecdote: We went Alaska a few years ago, caught the limit of halibut and helluva lot of salmon, but the only way to get it to NJ was instantly vaccuum freezing them and shipping them. Three months later, we were still pulling halibut and salmon packages out of the box freezer, and they werestill delicious. So while if we pay restaurant prices we like to see them fresh, aint nothing wrong with frozen. But nothing beats preparing them at home; a lot of places in NJ have a tendency to over-deep fry, or Kentuckify things (in accord with a lot of american taste buds). I dont live in NJ anymore, and i haven't been to either restaurant, so that is a gross and unfair generalization, and certainly don't take that for gospel truth. But there (was) a great fishmonger in Closter, NJ, which will definitely prepare them. Then just soak em in something like buttermilk for a while if your squeamish and dont want to deal with live crabs, then dredge in a little cornmeal and flour, and pan fry with a little garlic. maybe a little basil mayo - but thats already getting close to overdressing. Not really too much to ask for good crab. (Or if you feel like having an excuse to go to new york, Citarella's often has sscrab, though Im not a huge fan of their seafood - fairway sometimes has sscrab too, but dont depend on it.)

Poor Montreal...she will have to wait. But it is in the nature of the Quebecois to feel overlooked, so I trust she'll survive. Cheers, and thanks for the correction, I suppose I was a bit impatient to say it.

Please, just say that, maybe, you might consider possibly getting near the city of Montreal, for once. I lived there for four years, and am still sampling the seemingly infinite number of good bistros, holes in the wall, and restaurants. From haute cuisine to the best damn sandwiches you have probably never tried, from chocolatiers to prototypical quebecois burgers and true cafe au lait that will ruin other coffees for you forever, montreal is full of great food, and most of it is irresponsibly (and luckily) placed far from the admiring eye of society. Yet because most montrealers have a good taste, these places still thrive, while the whole city has this inexplicable 'small town' feel. So, unless all members of food network have outstanding parking tickets in that city, you have no excuse for the recent neglect poor Montreal has enjoyed. Even that doesnt serve as an excuse; I still go. So go, dammit. P.S. - Sorry to be inappropriately adamant, but this is food we're talking about, not something inane, like politics.

P Cubed Chops Serves 2 as Main Dish. While not wholely original (green peppers, pineapple, and pork have long been seen about town as good friends) These are designed to be lighter, sweeter summer pork chops. They go well with sweet potatoes, or fruit chutneys if you are particularly ambitious. P cubed, for Pepper, Pork, and Pineapple. *Scaled this down, so use your intuition regarding the taste. 1 c orange juice 2 T sugar 1 lime 2 thick cut pork chops 3 tsp salt 3 tsp black pepper 1 pineapple 1 red onion, sliced into rings 1 green pepper, sliced into rings 4 T olive oil 1/2 tsp (or to taste) cayenne pepper preheat oven to 350deg Pour the orange juice into a saucepan; add the sugar and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, skin and slice off the meat of the pineapple, and mince about 1/3 of it with a knife or food processor, then add it to the hot orange juice. juice the lime into the mixture, stir in the cayenne pepper, and let simmer until reduced by about 1/2. Then pour though a strainer, and return to the saucepan, reserving the strianed pineapple bits for later. Continue to heat until it is even more reduced- the goal is a light syrup. This sauce can be prepared significantly beforehand, just bring to temperature when pork chops are being cooked. For really thick pork chops, you may wish to marinate them in a brine before hand, to soften them. 2 hours is normally enough; too long and they become too soft (if there is such a thing). A good brine would be about 3 cups water, 1/3 cup salt, 4 tbsp pepper, 1/4 cup melted OJ concentrate, and 2 tbsp sugar. You can experiement with the brine, of course; its purpose is mainly to tenderize the meat. For thinner pork chops, this isnt really necessary. After brine bath, rub pork chops with the salt and pepper, on both sides. Do the same to the pepper and onion rings. Heat the oil a heavy skillet until good and hot, then lay the pork chops in and sear on both sides, about 3-5 minutes. Then transfer to a baking pan and put in the oven. While those are in the oven, lower the heat on the stove a little and carmelize the onion rings and pepper rings in the skillet with a little more oil. They should be soft with nice color. Reheat the pineapple orange sauce. Remove the pork chops from the oven, lay some onion and pepper rings on top, and drizzle with the sauce. Keywords: Pork, Dinner ( RG1749 )