Batard

Thanks, I've been able to come up with a short list for Philly that includes Fork, Catherine Lombardi's, Paradiso, Positano Coast, Mamma Maria Ristorante, Branzino, Osteria NJ, and a new place called Palladino’s. So I think that list gives me a good start. Thanks DJyee for the suggestions.

I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread on this topic or revive this one, but I figured the fewer threads the better. I have been looking for a place that will offer the Feast of Seven Fishes for Christmas this year in the NJ/Philly area, but haven't seen anything that looks very interesting. They have what looks to be a good menu at Grissini Restaurant, but the reviews for this place seem spotty. Some restaurants may not even have announced for 2014 yet. I was hoping for a little advice and some other dining options. Thanks. (Grissini Offerings for $75.00:) Vongole Origanate: Clams with Oregano and Breadcrumbs Alici Marinati: Marinated Fresh AnchoviesLinguine con le Vogole: Linguine with ClamsSpaghetti con le Cozze: Spaghetti with MusselsBaccalà alla Vesuviana: Salt Cod with Tomatoes & CapersGamberoni Casalinga Siciliana: Jumbo Shrimp Marsala Housewife StyleAnguilla Livornese: Eeel with Olives, Chiles & CapersSan Pietro intero: Whole Saint Peter’s FishZuppa di Pesce: Seafood Stew

I'd really like to own this book, but it's hard for me to swallow the $27.00 shipping fee. But I hope it does very well, and will soon have a USA distribution point. Thanks very much.

Dale's book had two reviews on Amazon before it became unavailable. Might we hope to see At Home with Sous Vide again?

It surprises me that areas that have a large Korean population, like DC does or in my area of NNJ, that there's no farmers or anyone growing these unusual vegetables for the local communities. It's hard to believe that there's no market for this stuff.

This is a great opportunity to segue into my own stupid question: some people swear by gently folding a small about of water into the meat (I forget the exact ration) before grilling, taking care not to compress the ground meat. Is there any factual basis for this? It is rumored to make the burgers lighter, but I would also worry about the meat tasting streamed.

Cool. Now that we know the Korean characters for it, I'll ask about it the next time I go to the H-Mart. But since Sheena's never seen it at a Korean market, and I don't think I ever have either, I won't get my hopes up.

After compulsively searching for an hour for some sort of explanation, I found nothing to explain it. I'm amazed that no one else has asked this question before! But you are right: Amazon, Alibris, and a lot of book sellers refer to the author of Bourdain's books as "Lord Anthony Bourdain". But when I search my county library's database, there's no references to anyone named "Lord Anthony Bourdain". Weird.

It's driving me insane too, because I shop at a huge Korean market every week and have no idea what you could talking about (large Korean community in NNJ). I also used to frequent the Korean restaurants and markets all around the Alexandria VA area when I lived down there (Annandale, Falls Church, Springfield, no market escaped me), and never saw anything matching your description there either. Baby nettle shoots are available in spring. Their leaves closely resemble the Perilla (Sesame) leaves that are always used in Korean cooking, and can be used interchangeably. Do they look anything like this? There's a moderator -- sorry, ummm, "host" -- here named Nakji (sp?) who was working her way through a Korean cookbook and I think lives in Korea. I'll bet she could set all of this straight.

"How are YOU feeling" might be a fair question, but asking "How are WE doing" is patronizing as hell. It's a restaurant, not sixth grade.

"How are WE this evening?" or "How are WE doing with that?" drives me nuts. Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine. Who the hell is "WE"? Me, my wife, and the waiter? Sorry, but that ain't happening. It seems very patronizing, if you'll forgive the pun. It's the sort of question you ask a class full of six-year-olds.

At $1.67 a pound, there's no way this is real prosciutto.

It is hard to believe that you could get 3 pounds of ends for 5 dollars. That's really cheap even for a shank bone. I doubt it's real Prosciutto, maybe just some cheap domestic stuff. But then what would an Italian market be doing with it? And no one is going to sell a shank that still has so much meat on it that you can't tell if there's a bone or not. It sure is a mystery. Either way, assuming what you bought isn't mislabeled, pea or bean soup is the way to go.

You honestly can't tell if it's boneless? For real? I'd be making Ribollita or some type of legume soup. I've seen prosciutto shanks at $5 per pound, so you got a good deal I think.

Just bumping this thread to post Harold McGee's yogurt making article in Tuesday's NY Times.

If you look carefully at the grains, the particles appear coarse and made up of different colors. The Spanish and Hungarian paprikas I've used just don't look like that ... not that I'm a paprika expert or anything ...

Prepared mustard dates back to the Romans, who ground up the seeds and added wine to make a paste. No one can say with any authority where mustard seed originally comes from: it's been found at prehistoric sites from Europe to China. McGee claims that mustard was the only native pungent spice in early Europe.

Spring Grill is close to my house and I've been there a bunch of times, though admittedly a few years ago. We found it just meh, nothing special, and haven't been back since 2005. I'm amazed that you are saying it can compete with Wondee's up in Hackensack, so based on your recommendation I'll give it another try.

Just one? That's tough. How about fresh, well-made baguettes.

I have despaired at ever finding ramps in NNJ. I know I can get them in NYC, but I don't get in very often.

Padma's introducing a big new line of Indian-inspired in May. Look at the jewelry she's wearing in the video. It wouldn't surprise me if the jewelry she's wearing in the commercial is part of her new line. The buzz the burger commercial creates will do nothing but stir up public attention among non-Top Chef fans and help with her name recognition. Overall, this is a win/win situation for her: she's picking up a nice check for doing the commercial while creating a public buzz around her name just in advance of her jewelry launch. Overall, it sounds like a pretty smart business move to me.

I always have both, and honestly never really considered grinding my own until I read you post. My Indian and Sri Lankan friends swear by keeping spices whole and grinding them at the last minute for freshness; their thinking is that the flavor in dried spices fades fast, and since they grind their own spices every week I'll defer to them as experts. I've read that Colman's uses a combination of yellow and black mustard seeds, so once you tweak the right ratio you'd probably end up with something just like Colman's.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/i...arls-jr-burger/

The paleron, or top blade, is cut from the shoulder clod and is what they use at Les Halles for their Beef Bourguignon. Around my area, this cut is called a "chicken steak" for some unknown reason. Any piece of chuck would work in a pinch, though I find the shoulder a bit tastier. In Bouchon, Keller uses boneless short ribs, but at twice the price of top blade I think it's overkill. But that would certainly be "delectable".

Also, Padma is -- or at least was brought up -- Hindu. Eating the forbidden meat must have been an ultimate act of youthful rebellion.