Jinmyo

Lauren, there's no rule against a long post. Especially a long and enthusiastic one. Welcome.

Xanthippe, first post. Welcome.

There is in the kitchen. What's on the menu can be assembled in minutes, often by any one of several cooks. Off the menu can mean three or four times the work for the same miserable pay.

I got it, Adam. Did you ever see the episode of Bourdain's A Cook's Tour in which Fergus H (mad as a hatter and grinning like a Cheshire) appears?

I never use recipes though I read many. I never serve exactly the same meal twice, unless it's rice/miso shiru/tsukemono or a casual soup and sandwich kind of thing.

Boris, welcome to eGullet. I agree with all of your points on principle but sadly have little more to contribute. While waiting for more cogent comments from others, can I trouble you for further commentary on the meal?

cabrales, the components sound fine. What was missing?

The Wall Street Journal (sorry no link because it's $79 a year to subscribe) has an interesting article on a topic often raised on the boards: ordering off the menu. Here are a few points from (a zamisdat version of) the article. Diners Go Beyond the Menu, And Most Chefs Don't Mind by Pooja Bhatia and Shirley Leung. The restaurant industry is in deep recession and so seem more than willing to allow customers order off the menu. The authors found that twelve out of the fifteen restaurants were more than accomodating. The fifteen are: Smith & Wollensky, Chicago Barolo, Denver Commander's Palace, New Orleans The Dining Room, Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, Atlanta (Request refused by chef) De La Tierra, Delray Beach, Fla. Emeril's, New Orleans Sun Dial Restaurant, Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta Gramercy Tavern, New York (Request refused by waiter) Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas Le Bec-Fin, Philadelphia Morimoto, Philadelphia.(supposed off menu item was on the menu) Napa Rose, Anaheim, Calif. Spago, Beverly Hills Bin 36, Chicago Thyme, Chicago Of special interest to us, since Danny Meyer so recently did a Q&A for us, is what happened at Gramercy Tavern: The best tip in the article: Try busy nights, when the kitchen is well-stocked and the line guys are too in the weeds to care.

I agree. The cackling sets the teeth on edge. I don't have much knowledge of Baird off the show. On the show she looks like she stole Captain Kangaroo's toupee and is too busy spluttering and stuttering to finish a sentence. Naptha strikes me as someone who would strike me when I wasn't looking just because she could and just because I wasn't looking. The other one, Emily, seems less insane but I think it might just be the company. Isn't this fun?

Perhaps because I am not really that enamoured of burgers my preferences are pretty generous. Iceberg lettuce? The cool crunch can be a nice contrast. Jason's horseradish, mayo (if fresh), and Worcestershire? Sure. I also like jalapeno and a thin swipe of good cream cheese or ricotta. Some chipotle mayo is nice too. Caramelized onions? Okay. Not all at the same time though. Ketchup? Wait a minute. Let's not get crazy. (Suzanne, I like your method and will try it. Sometime.)

Risotto Milanese (saffron) with brunoise of roasted carrots tossed in. Chops cut from roasted frenched bone-in pork loin. Shoyu/orange/chipotle/cumin rub. Set atop risotto servings. Drizzle of porcini oil. Ragout of wild mushrooms (morels, lobster, huagu, porcini, cremini) with shallots and a touch of sesame chile oil. Maki of rolled blanched red Swiss chard leaves filled with ricotta and double-smoked lardons, melted lemon sauce (aka lemon "confit" or "jam" or whatever) dipping sauce. Potage of fennel.

So, now he's "a little song, a little dance" and she's "a little setzer down your pants."* I was only ever aware of Kostic and Mary Jo as things to avoid when scanning through a schedule. So I don't know that much about them. Something about a dog. A few bizarre unconnected images. Nightmarish, really. Too much broccoli. Perhaps they microwaved it. However I notice from a previous post, Lesley, that you rated Canadian Living Cooks above Kostic so I get a sense of vertigo at the depths the name Kostic might indicate. *Possibly obscure MTM reference. Chuckles the Clown.

Lesley, you referred to Kostik's downfall. Has he fallen? How far? Down and out? I think I saw a ridiculous high edged soup pot with his name on it a few months ago. Is he pan handling or handling pans?

Ken Kostik. Very strange, terrible shows, worse cooking. Lesley, has he suffered reverses?

Egad. It's Wal-Meat.

Bond Girl, there were condiment bottles at the table?

Dave, it's kind of like the collar bone, the bony section near the gills. Keller at French Laundry carves this down to create salmon "chops".

I've had it ready in a small envelope and slid it over. Quick bob of the head bow, eye contact then look up and over, talking about something else.

For my purposes I use a range of woks. Several largish steel woks, well seasoned. I'll be surprised if they don't outlast me. An electric wok for: steaming or quickly tossing off a very simple vegetable dish. Also for presenting something steamed at the dining table (seats 25) such as a dim sum or tofu item I want to appear at a particular time and for the blast of aromas when the lid is lifted. Two non-stick woks for egg dishes.

Do you have a good serrated knife to slice the gravlax with?

Anna, I'm sure it will be fine.

This is very true and any great sushi place takes tremendous care with sourcing and preparing rice. Morihiro Onodera, the chef of Mori Sushi, actually has his rice hulled at the restaurant daily. Only tourists to the cuisine overlook the importance of the rice.

jaybee, that's a prodigious quantity of sushi. By portion you mean two pieces?

Oh jebus, awbrig. You shouldn't have admitted to using Essence. You're dead meat now.

At least no almond milk.