Jinmyo

There is no doubt that for some persons a three-star meal can be a deeply uplifting experience. But the basic approach to cuisine in the French tradition can be transformative. I'll recount again a story from when I was seven or so, sitting in a courtyard in Normandy in the shadow of a barn built in the 1100s, eating a simple lunch of bread, butter, cheses, meat, and green salad. I had never, until then, realized that food could taste... good. I cried and cried with joy. No haute cuisine meal I have had in my days of youth in Europe, Africa, the U.S. or Canada at restaurants, hotels, or embassies have ever had such an impact. By the way, a few months after that occasion I first had an onigiri (rice ball) with some minced salmon and crushed ume handed to me by a neighbour in British Columbia. I cried then too. St. Jacques represents and presents as well as the haute food of the 1940s and 1950s but the middle and lower class foods of his youth in Lyon. He is not the "best" chef in the world and this kind of food is not "haute". But it is delicious. I strongly recommend his picaresque autobiography, The Apprentice. (mods may insert amazon.com link) Amazon link. --bux

Goat, sheep and cow. The next one is a very distant fourth. Agreed. And I can list at least twenty of each that are indispensible.

Smarmotron, decor and other elements (such as getting the elements to work and the fans to vent them) are often well over a $100,000 for a middle level restaurant. The start-up costs are staggering. And the difference between pre-cooked burgers shipped out and served from steam drawers and long dry-aged beef can't even be considered. Very very few people make any money at this.

Why only three?

All good advice. Nothing to it, really. One question, though: How thick are the pieces? What kind of tuna? If too thin, you're better off making tartare. If too high a quality, you're better off just slicing sashimi.

Agreed. A few points. "Kaiseki". While a kaiseki meal might be presented in a Zen context (at a monastery, temple, nunnery, or associated ryokan and as shojin ryori or vegetarian), most kaiseki have nothing to do with Zen.

A couple of riends will be driving from Ottawa to Asheville NC next Wednesday. Does anyone know of any amusing diners on the way? What is the best restaurant in Asheville for beef? Thanks.

Spencer, do you strain out the ham, shallots, and confit?

First..... You find a really tall ram..... Welcome.

Why, when he does that for free anyhow. All day, no restrictions? I'm in. Ta very much. I'll mention your name. Mention my name and you're sure to get---"That stalker guy from Memphis?" I've just found that out, thanks much. Now I've got a restraining order out against me.

Tenderloin. Feh. Never has any flavour without a sauce. Sauces should heighten by augmenting or contrasting. But something that needs a sauce to have flavour is like something that needs mouth-to-mouth to live but has no mouth. Short ribs and cabbage. Roasted asparagus. The fromage blanc was like queso blanco? Fresh, mild, hard (before melting)?

What else did you... sample, Steve?

"Genuine Tartar Sauce"? Says so right here on the label, I'll have you know. Geuine green relish mixed with genuine Hellman's.

Why, when he does that for free anyhow. All day, no restrictions? I'm in. Ta very much. I'll mention your name.

"High Ball Sandwich of Herbed Shrimp" Somehow, and this is only with shrimp, "Herbed" sounds to me like a caveat because some guy named Herb got into them. What's a high ball sandwich?

"Truffle scented popcorn."

Kristin, this is usually true. I'd rather pay Thomas Keller $400 to roam freely in his kitchen for a day than pay for a meal. Suzanne, Kristin is the new shogun-regent of the Japan board.

Wine was the heaviest factor. I don't even remember what it was and I'm not really that interested in wines.

Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, about 15 years ago. $500 per person, including wine. I've had meals that cost more in France and Italy but wasn't paying.

Prime rib!

Steak. Braised short ribs. Steak tartare. Daube. Bulgogi. Kalbi. Raw steak with shoyu and wasabi.

Thanks for posting this, Steve. Congratulations to all.

That's kind of you, cew. I think I've explained the tofu dish. Um. Well, rub chicken quarters with Chow Chiu chile oil, shoyu, minced garlic, a bit of ancho paste if you have it, kosher salt and black pepper. Let them sit out for a bit to take the chill off and let them dry up a bit. Roast for twenty minutes at (a well preheated) 450F, turn, reduce tempertaure to 350, turn, let go another ten minutes or so depending upon how well-done you like chicken. Cook rice. Saute mounds of wild mushrooms (morels, morels, morels, hedgehogs, black trumpets, reconstituted porcini) in far too much butter and shallots and a duxelle of cremini mushrooms. Season, dust well with smoked paprika. Perhaps add a bit of white wine after the mushrooms have sweated. Toss with rice. With hands, pull away skin and meat from bones, shred larger pieces. Using a ring (or packing into a bowl and flipping) create a mound of rice and mushrooms in the centre of a plate. Toss some chicken atop. A few extra drops of Chow Chiu oil around, some snipped chives atop. I also added a few pieces of tomato concasse. Easy peasey.

elaboration on this one PLEASE!!!! Hm? Round black bowl. White square of silken tofu. Coffee essence around. Toasted walnuts. Is it the coffee? It's just strong French roast coffee, rendered down, sweetened with mirin to taste. I suppose one could use Camp. edit: Claire, grilled cheese sandwiches can be sublime. My favourite right now is sourdough with smoked caccacavallo and porcini paste.

I just got off the phone with the company that supplies Bruno's and was informed that the preservative used is Sodium Metabisulfite. Brian Hm. Synonyms: Pyrosulfurous acid, disodium salt; Sodium Pyrosulfite; Disodium Salt Pyrosulfurous Acid; Sodium disulfite; Disodium disulfite; Disulfurous acid, disodium salt, Na2O5S2. Commonly used for postharvest decay control. A sanitizer, antioxidant, and bactericide. Thanks, Hickory.