Jinmyo

Rochelle, then there are the burns. No matter how proficient you will become, flesh is still heir to error. But as your skills become more embodied and fluent, the energy of the work becomes more and more vivid. You're going to have a great deal of fun.

Wow! Really?

Robert, then thank you for enduring.

Robert, why is writing hard for you? You do it so well. Or did you just mean writing this kind of clarification is difficult on you?

I had assumed you had steamed them for a loooong time. Removing them from the shell andbreading and frying them or roasting them in a marinade and laying them back in the shells has worked for me. Yes, weird guts.

If the fluke sold out before the yellowtail, it's because the potatoes over the lotus root frites. But both dishes sound delicious. I could have the razor clams and brodo with a few crostini and be a very happy woman.

Nick, do you mean "wakame" seaweed rather than "hakame"? A very nice menu.

Very interesting, cabrales. I'm actually not that familiar with Wells so I will also mine her site.

How much for that steak Pie?

Nina, on eGullet, of course. With all of the cool kidz, hanging out on the balic bio thread.

Nina, I agree that formality is an important aspect of certain dining (and other) experiences. When this is at best, it is really just a matter of having enough respect for oneself, the environment, others, and the experience to want to allow space for everything to unfold vividly. Casualness is sometimes cowardly, a self-involved blurring and turning away.

In general yes. But I've done some with shredded scallop, brunoise of red pepper and shallot, with a light Dijon sauce that I think turned out rather well.

Jelly.

Another great installment. With many memorable Momo moments.

Robert, as so often, a very fine and lucid post. Thank you. Special K, thank you for the precis of your article. This was from before I subscribed so I had missed it.

Leek congee with peanuts, gomasio (roasted sesame salt), and lots of fresh white pepper; deep-fried breaded chicken livers and hearts with a dipping sauce of pureed garlic, ginger, scallions with oil and red wine vinegar; stir-fried shaved fennel with Thai bird chiles; steamed red-stemmed dandelion greens dressed with mirin and lemon.

An excellent term for this kind of "heated" discussion.

And morphology.

Any steak that is not made with or is not served with frites is categorically not a "steak". How do we know this? Because steak and frites are better than steak with some non-steak-derived sauce like a simple jus and some kind of weak mashed stuff. How do we know this? Because it is better, better being necessarily and obviously defined as steak frites. Would there be a term such as "steak-frites" if "steak" and "frites" were not mutually defining? Of course not. History and geography and music all tell us this. Q.E.D., man. Q.E. and D. Ipso facto, the fact is: no frites, no steak. As my lawyer Seymour will tell you, "The party of the first part without the party of the second part ain't got no party. It might be your party and you can cry if you want to, but no frites, no steak." This pseudo-trollish message brought to you by The Steak-Frites Consortium For Epistemological Certainty, a not-for-profit charitable organiztion.

coolranch, no the noodles are ocha-somen, thin wheat noodles with tea flavouring. And macha for the dashi.

jordyn, perhaps get more better.

A word to describe a preperation of dried, salted fish roe. I've used it in cucumber maki as well. Quite fun. But one has to use a mandoline. Even a truffle slicer makes it break up too much.

A nice range of clear flavours, Nick. And I certainly think the truffle oil would be appropriate in that context. What is your shrimp cocktail like? Do you ever do rabbit?