schaem

The most common argument I've heard for a "No Substitutions" policy is that the food is meant to taste a certain way, and any substitutions could, potentially, leave the diner disappointed. For example (true story): a customer orders the salmon but asks for "steamed spinach only, no butter, no additional salt", then tells the server that the food is "bland". The concern here is, if the customer leaves unsatsified, through no fault of the restaurant, s/he will leave with an unfavorable impression. And what's the old saw about one unhappy customer telling everyone they know... I'm sure if someone with a shellfish, nut, gluten, allergy came in, the kitchen would make an exception.

Imagine that!

Sablefish (Black Cod) is much oilier than Atlantic Cod and cannot really be served in the same way (if we were to run low on Cod, for example, we would replace it with Halibut before Sable). I'm pretty sure Black Cod comes from Pacific waters, mainly Alaska. A lot of Atlantic Cod is mishandled; the boats are out for too long, or it's thrown around. The Chatham stuff from Maine that comes into New York restaurants can often be "rigor mortis" quality, ie fresh enough to be as stiff as a board. When Atlantic Cod is of this quality it can really be one of the finest fishes available; big flakes, moist, a lot of flavor. Unfortunately Cod has a bad name because the highest quality fish is rarely served. You'll probably never find it retail. This is the "Cod" thread, right...? Oops.

Wally Joe's is a very good, fine-dining spot. I'm not from Memphis, so my experience is limited, but I had an excellent meal there. (You'll have to get the location form someone else, though).

What does that mean? Do Bras' "froths" tend to be beurre blanc's frothed with a hand blender, foams made using a "whippet" cannister, or could this be a "hard sauce" more like a whipped butter. Believe me, I'd love to go and find out for myself, but it may be awhile....

"Roti a la braise" was one of the things I had trouble translating, as it seems to be two, contradictory, cooking techniques. Could the butter sauce perhaps be a whipped, compound butter of butter, beef fat, and garlic, served at room temperature to melt over the meat? Or is it more likely to be a foamy beurre blanc with fat emulsified into it?

I posted something obscure here a while back; what I meant to ask was: Can anyone translate this dish from Michel Bras for me, I'm intrigued: "Le filet de Boeuf Aubrac - pure race - rôti à la braise ; beurre mousseux au lard & à l'ail, riz au gras et blette."

Could someone translate this dish for me? I'm intrigued...

Espositos Pork Store on Court makes their own sausage and sopressata; they also make great rice balls. Sweet Melissa's bakery, also on Court, has something called the Brioche Bread Pudding Cake that is certifiably insane. Those are my two for best in Cobble Hill. I haven't been too impressed with many of the restaurants, much of the cooking seems lazy (poorly seasoned, cookbook-type stuff).

In my short, lovely, stay in Memphis, I found Payne's to have the best sandwich. Can't beat the atmosphere either; an older woman and her daughter, small kitchen stove, sticky counter. Granted this opinion is based on very limited experience with Memphis-style Q. I should also note that the heralded Abe's at the "crossroads" in nearby Clarksdale, Mississippi was disappointing.

I don't wanna be an elitist dick, but for those of you appalled by the "Chopin vs. pop song" ananlogy, consider this; Chopin has been dead for over one hundred years. Is anyone going to be using Clay Aiken in an analogy one hundred years from now? Like it or not there is a "high art" tradition that carries more historic resonance than the "low". What does this have to do with food? Well, the next generation of chefs (including those at neighborhood restaurants like The Grocery) are going to be carrying on a tradition of Escoffiers, Chapels, and Adrias (and Matsuhisas, lest I sound too Euro-centric). These chefs will certainly enjoy, and even be influenced by, the cuisine of the street (as I'm sure Chopin listened to polkas), but the dialogue of cuisine is carried through a "high", restaurant-based tradition. So all cuisine is not equally relevant, though it may all be tasty. PS I love the Grocery, know the owner, and know cooks who have worked there. I also think the best food I eat regularly is prepared by Mexican line cooks after service is over. But to argue that the Zagat abomonation is somehow an anti-elitist revolt and therefore praise-worthy, disregards the importance of well-informed criticism to the health of culture. And to argue that just because you like Pearl Jam better than Chopin makes anyone who argues the cultural, artistic and historical importance of Chopin an elitist is immature and philistine.

Actually, depending on the day, the Thai grocery on Mosco has fresh lime leaves, and fresh kaffir limes. Also: holy basil, fresh galangal, "mouse shit" peppers, and...really good pork rinds. Great people, too.

Do finer sakes benefit from cellaring? Or, is it important that they be drunk young?

I think the comments about Alice being in the kitchen or the question, "Can she cook?" are a litlle mis-informed. I don't think she was ever in the kitchen. I don't know that anyone ever thought she "could cook".

As an aside: When I was first learning how to be a restaurant cook (in SF, six years ago) someone who had worked at Stars under Tower had this anecdote: Tower storms through the kitchen, irate at the incompetence of god knows who, muttering, "Sometimes I regret ever introducing roasted garlic to this country." Well, you know what? He probably did introduce roasted garlic to this country. But, you don't gotta be a dick about it. Thats how I feel about Jeramiah Tower, and is California dish(es).

Yeah, New York is filled with people who judge people they've never met simply based on where they're from, or what they've heard. Or wait, is that you?

OK, I'm actually going to apologize for my last post. Not only off topic, but very old (and never to be resolved) topic. Perhaps more interesting is chez Panisse's and Tower's influence on the idea of the American menu. Surely the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook is advancing a concept other than shopping?

Geez, you mean using high quality, fresh, locally (or artisanally) produced ingredients (ie shopping) is more than a trend? I was hoping to move past that. (Insert appropriate emoticon.)

They won't be able to publicize the review, unless they take out an ad in a newspaper or magazine where they selectively site the review, much like movie ads do. The chef is secretly happy, because now it appears she is the only asset the restaurant has, so her position is secure (as long as the restaurant doesn't close). As far as the guy whose "role remains a mystery" -- gone.

I don't know how much has changed in chile since i was there (they do have a Socialist resident now). But, before when someone in uniform talked of "dangerous" and "undesirable" they meant "communist" or anti-Pinochet.

peugot.

Tomato-Bread soup with basil.

325 degrees is all you need to know. When the crust is dark, the meat is cooked.

I lived in Santiago a couple of years ago and found the restaurant scene a little bleak (granted I was poor). The food buying scene, however, is incedible. Figs, favas, avacados, tomatoes, artichokes, shellfish, among the best Ive ever seen. The one memorable meal i had out was at Mercado Central. After staying out all night my group went there, pre-dawn. Many Chileans do the same. Half-drunks eating sea urchins, stews, oysters, and "pico roco" (a crustecean unique to chile whose name, "beak rock", sums it up) at 5:00 am! BTW, most Chileans believe that Peruvian food is the pinnacle of haute cuisine in Santiago, and they may have a point.

i guess i should utilize emoticons, to indicate when my tounge is in cheek. (insert tounge-in-cheek face)