MikeHartnett

My immediate reaction is that it's probably some sort of pooling of the curing liquid. I haven't seen this, but it strikes me as unlikely that your bacon would develop some sort of problem while curing, as opposed before or after. If it were me, I probably wouldn't worry about it, but as a disclaimer, I don't worry about all that much when eating, and I certainly would wait for someone else's opinion on this, rather than accepting mine.

I agree. Unless your catering aspect is distinct from your restaurant, I think it's sort of confusing to be serving something your restaurant will never have. That said, serving things that are in the same "genre" as your restaurant, but pack more of a one-bite punch might work. For example, instead of just a piece of steak, maybe a steak ravioli with a nice sauce. Just something that fits the canape concept without breaking out of the borders of your restaurant.

Perhaps high food prices could have a purging effect on the market... If people have to spend more, maybe they'll think harder about what they spend it on. Or maybe they'll eat at Taco Bell.

No one else has any thoughts on this? I find that impossible to believe...

I think it's more a sign that Bennigan's sucked. Even among those types of restaurants, Bennigan's was bad.

I think that, while Reichl is a better writer and comes off as more passionate about food, she also can be quite snotty about it. Often, I get the sense that she feels compelled to tell me that even the most basic of ideas (i.e. Italian cuisine = fantastic ingredients) need to be re-explained to me because she can do a better job of it than anyone else who could have possibly taught me. ETA: I posted this while Fat Guy was posting his last... And he has a fair point that many Americans misunderstand Italian food. However, I still think that the way she explains things makes it seem as though she were ordained by God to enlighten the dimwitted earthlings about food.

I completely agree, I think calling a Pastry Chef a dessert chef is more the narrow view or lack of understanding of the american public. Many have no idea really what a pastry chef is, they understand baker, chocolatier, etc. But pastry for americans is confusing, is it bread, cookies, muffins? they have no idea of the big picture that being a Pastry chef is... So perhaps media, or less skilled people call themselves dessert chefs, and people go "OK i get it now, you make desserts" I do not think you would hear anyone address themselves or the media address them as a Dessert Chef in Europe/outside of the states. ← For a member of the American public who seems to be lacking understanding, could someone please explain to me how "pastry chef" is more encompassing than "dessert chef," which seems to me to include both pastries and a wide array of other things? All I've seen so far is the repetition that Pastry Chef is a much more befitting title, and dessert chef is degrading, etc., but nobody has been able to explain why this is the case. To me it seems as though it's a silly semantical dispute.

That looks delicious. Care to share how you made it?

Really, it's this paragraph. "So it does seem a shame that gastronomes who don't click fast enough to get a reservation will never eat at Ko. Yet this isn't a restaurant for people with long attention spans and a limited appetite for novelty -- even when the individual ingredients are superb and superbly prepared." It just seems as though he lays too much reflection on the fact that it isn't a typical restaurant. Maybe he doesn't like the reservation system, chairs, etc., but the suggestion that you might as well get dim sum from a neighborhood place doesn't seem to gel with his assertion that the ingredients are superb and superbly prepared. I suppose that it may be because I tend to take much less stock in restaurants outside of the food. i notice when service is very good or very bad, or when other things are extremely noteworthy, but for me, if the food is at a very high level, I can look past quite a bit else. In reading the piece again, I will note that apart from the end, the piece is not crammed with bitterness. I just get strong tinges toward the end, which make me question the sincerity of the rest of the article.

This is the only method I use now, and it's absolutely incredible. It's my go to dish for company or just me. I swear, I've been known to eat close to the whole thing standing up at the counter... I've turned a number of friends onto this method as well and they all swear by it too. ← Absolutely. I've turned what could have been an awkward weekend with the girlfriend's parents into a much more comfortable occasion with Keller's Roast Chicken. Unfailingly delicious.

Why would you assume that? Here's a guy who has spent decades writing about restaurants. Sometimes, he's just not going to like something as much as you or I do. One need not invent subtexts ("bitter", "old", "jealous") to explain it. Anyhow, he didn't dislike it; he just failed to "love it" as much as some other people. That's why I say marvel at the amazing excuses given whenever anyone is the least bit critical of David Chang. ← I would assume that because that's how it read to me. I don't make an effort to come up with "amazing excuses" for David Chang. I've never eaten his food, and I have no bias toward either party in this matter. But given that I perceive Sokolov's article as sounding particularly harsh about certain aspects of the Ko experience that others have quite easily gotten over, it appears to me as though his review overemphasized certain faults in arriving at "not loving it" as much as others. Also, I think Fat Guy and others have made excellent points regarding the inaccuracy of Sokolov's comparisons to other establishments. Please, though, don't jump to the conclusion that I'm blindly defending David Chang, when I have backed up my unbiased responses with my own support and the support of others' opinions.

To me, it reads like he's a little bitter about it being trendy, and also like he simply doesn't "get it." Maybe, like Fat Guy said, it's an age thing. Maybe not. Regardless, he comes off as an outsider looking in on this trend, perhaps jealous that it doesn't work for him. Eerily similar to how I feel about Cochon... Another topic, though.

Certainly a much better way to handle the situation. The customer in question, though, may not have dealt with it any better. He seemed a little nutty.

I agree that my personal preference would be that they act hospitably, but I'm still sticking with the notion that it may not be a universal preference, and it certainly isn't this owner's preference. Different strokes...

Nope. It's delicious. In fact, I made some this weekend. So good.

Whoa whoa whoa... I don't agree with this statement at all. This "sloppy, self-indulgent way" is the Melting Pot we're here for. Sometimes freedom leads people to make decisions you may not agree with. But it also allows you to make decisions for yourself that may ultimately make you very happy. There are upsides and downsides, and while I may not agree with the customer's decisions in this case, I respect his right to like iced espresso, just not to enjoy it at murky's.

There used to be a place in Old City Philadelphia where the chef owner would not serve the chicken entree to any more than one person at a table for four. He wanted tables to experience the gamut of his wonderful cooking. Key words are "used to be." The owner is the south end of a mule heading north. Where's Jack Nicholson. "I'll take an iced coffee, hold the coffee, and my friend will have a double espresso." ← I'm not saying it's a fantastic business decision... although I'm also not saying it isn't. My point is that regardless of how successful it makes the owner, it's the owner's prerogative to run his business however he chooses (within the bounds of the law, of course). If that puts him out of business, so be it, but I'll be the last person to tell him he has to sell his product in a way he believes disparages the quality of it.

I'm passing on the trade! I brought some bacon into work, and a coworker was so enamored of it, she's decided to make her own. CHARCUTERIE REVOLUTION!!!

That's the issue I've been puzzling over. Really, the policy only makes sense if they think that you'd be taking over a spot they could be generating momre revenue from, due to a full meal v. snacks. But if there's nobody else there, and if they had room to sit you for a full meal if you'd chosen that route, it makes no sense that they're refusing to give you an open seat and thus generate some revenue instead of none at all.

I think Whole Foods (at least the Uptown one) is out, due to not-so-interested meat people. Cochon is probably a good bet. They're also building a meat market across the street. Not sure when that'll be done, though. Thanks Dave.

I agree. It seems like the name "Chocolate Chip Cookies" technically includes any cookie with chocolate chips. While one recipe may be more traditionally thought of as being a "Chocolate Chip Cookie," I don't think you can disqualify a different recipe for additions.

Up until now, I've been using some pretty low-quality belly meat from an Asian market near me. Now that I'm more confident with my bacon making ability (and after purchasing a poorer-than-normal belly), I'd like to try out some higher quality meat. I've looked at Niman Ranch, and while I'd really like to, I don't think I can justify paying as much in shipping as the belly costs. $75 bacon seems just a bit extravagant. Does anyone have any suggestions as to good-quality meat that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg?

I think this is where a restaurant walks the fine line between hospitality and profit. Since they need to profit, I think this policy is just fine. However, I think that in this case, they've neglected the hospitality aspect, and perhaps they need to consider a new way to explain it to the customer.

Does anyone know anything about the V3840? I'm looking at this package, and wondering if it works as well as the ones that lie flat... http://www.jardenstore.com/product.aspx?bi...pid=5500&cid=79 I'll be using it mostly for sealing curing charcuterie products, and occasionally for sous vide.

what is the white stuff on top of the fries with the curry wurst? mayo?