tommy

that's some great info PJS. thanks for taking the time!

have you had past years? if so, was it much different? i'm trying to figure out how that mussel thing fits in with the profile that i know. this is killing me. i can't wait til the wine stores open tomorrow! i just hope they have 2003.

if the meat was dodgy, then it was dodgy, and i'd say cooking it in broth wouldn't do much to help it anyway!! i know what you mean about some things not looking "right". i'll make note of the meat. but i definitely draw the line at Frank and Omosa. i mean, frank's been dead for years, and omosa, well don't even get me started on that guy.

if 2003 goes down as new zealand's "year of mussel wine", they'll probably lose a lot of momentum. i gotta get me a bottle of this mussel wine. pronto.

curlz, are you saying that you don't eat the meat in the pho unless it's totally cooked? many people, especially those who like red meat rare/med-rare, prefer it the same in pho. in fact, i usually request that the meat be brought out on a plate so that i can control how much it (doesn't) cook. thanks for the report. sounds like a place i'll be trying very soon.

i don't know what most of those words in that passage meant. although i'm not looking for anything but sichuan peppercorns. you know, those things that are really easy to find in NYC if you know where to go and the secret handshake.

you're joking, right? brancott has been relatively consisent over the last few years (or am i thinking 98-2000?). sounds like quite a departure to say the least!

Damn! Which of Nigella's cookbooks is this recipe from? it's not. it's from michael chiarello.

the rub is from the very handsome and charming michael chiarello. his book "easy entertaining", or somesuch, has it. it pretty much consists of fennel, coriander, chili power, and cinnamon. i use it on ribs and peoples' heads fall off.

well duh, it's on the stove already! the thing about the rub is, i have this excellent cinnamon-based rub that is just absolutely fabulous, and i want a reason to use it. i think i'm going the no rub route this time. i'll probably pull it and serve it with slaw and mark's excellent sauce.

had i known you were going to suggest the Chart House, i wouldn't have brought up Ruth's Chris. but yeah, nice views.

that was my thought too, susan. i'm just worried that it'll be, you know, kinda of flavorless if i don't do *something*. i suppose that's what the cheese and broccoli rabe are for.

El gone-o. El Crazy Burrito took its place.

there's always Ruth's Chris.

a salad and water? this whole thing makes little sense to me.

this sounds like a good idea. i'm making a butt for the super bowl (not smoking, but rather cooking slow and low in the oven). should i prep or otherwise molest the butt in any way before or during cooking? i plan on brining, but that's about it. thoughts?

that was the first thought that went through my mind. he'd clean up over there.

please don't cook them.

[boring story alert] oh yes. i just remembered a very stoned conversation that my roommate and i had back in college. we were out of our minds, and got to talking about food. i suppose we didn't order Dominos (peppers and pepperoni) that night, as we had done pretty much every single night of sophomore year. but, he started talking about cheese sandwiches, waxing poetic actually (we were starving), and how they were "crispy and crunchy and squirt water into your mouth when you eat them." now, you see, he was talking about a cheese sandwich with iceburg lettuce. i don't eat lettuce on cheese sandwiches, so i had no idea what he was talking about. i think the conversation/argument went on for what seemed like 4 hours, with me trying to figure out how a cheese sandwich could squirt water into your mouth when you bite it, and with him not explaining what he meant all that well. iirc correctly, it wasn't until sometime junior year that we revisited that discussion, and he made it clear that he was talking about the lettuce on the cheese sandwich. we still talk about it to this day. although the conversation makes a lot more sense now. [/boring story alert]

how could you possibly know anything about NYC prices when you live in NJ.

i don't even recall *any* doors on the men's room at CBGBs. maybe a curtain. either way, best to hold it. oh my. oh look, the ladies room!

yes yes. it's one of my many charms. report back if you go tonite.

i understand this place is now under new ownership. i'm told it's called "bihn gouy" or something like that. i'm also told it's a bit better now, and some of the FOH staff are from Little Saigon. Note by Rachel -- just thought the address/phone should be at the top of the thread: Binh Duong -- in the East West Shopping Plaza 61 1/2 Belleville Ave Bloomfield NJ 07003 Phone 973-680-8440/8441

the torque would then be a consideration, as it might be perceived as making the pan "heavier".