tommy

msk, the fish sauce is mixed with an equal part of lime juice for the "dressing". some sugar sometimes as well. i'd say that if you wanted to leave it out, you'd need some salt or soy, and maybe stock or water to cut down on the acidity. additionally, if you are feeding people with different restrictions, you can certainly make one batch of dressing with fish sauce, and one without, and have people dress their dishes appropriately.

any critic who is greatly influenced by what he thinks he *should* like isn't a very good critic.

it's very popular, and a lot of people like it. It's very popular and a lot of people are not OFFENDED by it. yes craig. and still others ENJOY it. why is it that people who are really into wine and fancy themselves experts so often have such a hard time believing or understanding that not everyone shares their taste? was everyone born drinking the "best" wine from their mother's nipple? no, i don't think so. it's a learning process, and ultimately, it comes down to personal taste and preference. questions like "why would anyone drink this", as if there's some ultimate truth in wine, can ultimately be offensive to people who do drink it.

it's very popular, and a lot of people like it.

msk, i'd just use crushed red pepper for heat if you want it. in fact, i don't use any dried chilis in larb. i'll only use fresh thai chilis, or the pickled variety, which are readily available via mail order on the internet. nothing can replace fish sauce. well, nothing vegetarian i'd say. question: what are you making the larb from if it's not going to contain meat?

are you suggesting that people are supposed to know how each place handles this? are the acceptable percentages different from place to place or something like that? or is it really true that one tip amount is all any place really needs. There is quite a difference between places that pool tips among the staff and places that don't. An example of the pool: You ring up a check of $500 and leave $100 tip for the good service. 33% is taken off the top to be split among the busboys and food runners, leaving $66. If the restaurant has 3 teams of captain and waiter, $66 is split 6 ways yielding $11, which becomes $8 after taxes, so the $100 tip you gave the nice captain actually puts $8 in his pocket. i'll go back to my question of "are we supposed to know how each place handles those 2 or 3 lines on the check for tips". and from there, obviously, regardless of the answer, i still say that i can't be bothered. the restaurant is not getting any more out of me than any other restaurant would. edit: i should add that i've seen the separate lines at places that aren't exactly temples of fine dining. i suppose i could see a need if for it if you're ordering 2k in wine, and don't feel that the busboys and food runners should get a huge percentage of the "wine bill". but even then, i don't think the customer should have to worry about it. it's certainly not the standard these days.

all clear.

Benny's? Is that Benny Tudino's. I moved out of Hoboken in 1980 and have hardly been back since, but is Benny Tudino's still in business. Up Washington somewhere around 11th or 12th? Best Albanian pizza I hever had! yes, but down on 6/7 iirc.

thanks prasantrin. i did just that. it was fine. couldn't tell if it lost any flavor over the last 10 yrs. i'm with you on the tubs as well: i use them until they are gone. and they're hardly air-tight.

ta hell with all of ya. i already decided on granite.

c'mon people. it's almost dinner time.

generally about 19 or 20 dollars in northern NJ, although you can find it for as low as 16 or 17. suzi, below, brings up a case discount. i'm usually seeing 15 or 20% off at the places i shop. that might get the price down below 15. edit: the least expensive place in my area is selling it at 17.01, with no case discount. so as far as northeastern NJ goes, that's probably about rock bottom.

that's a pretty extreme generalization. and in my experience, not all that accurate. How else do you explain drinking from the bottle when glasses are readily available? gee, preference for one. i've never come across anyone who thought it looked "cool" "to others" to drink from a bottle. that strikes me as absurd. i find it odd that it's the only rationale that you can come up with to explain behavior that has clearly been shared by many people for many years.

i'm looking at this can of Prik Khing. it was canned in 1994, and i'd imagine i bought it at about that time as well. i cracked it open and all seems fine. should i chuck it? otherwise, it's going in with some oil, pork, and kaffir leaves pronto.

i always plop my butt down at clos du val for lunch. not a big lunch area by any means, but it's just kinda my spot.

i don't think many pizza places in NJ do the kind of business volume that would enable them to offer a good, fresh slice. Benny's in Hoboken might be an exception. but just about every pizza place i've ever been in has a cold nasty looking pie sitting around for slices. i'd be interested in finding the exceptions.

I did. Thought it was delightful. There was an official "tasting" going on. Ten bucks got you a "souvenir glass" and samples (about 1/4 cup each) of three ports, a cab and a reisling. in my experience, if you hit him on a slow morning, he'll talk to you for a good hour and pour everything he's got. that personal touch is what i remember. i'm certainly glad you stopped in! i agree that the Sterling tram ride is fun.

No more unfair than reviewing a new restaurant and publishing it immediately. obviously, i don't agree. a brand new restaurant often goes through a rough period. publishing a review 2 months after the visits increases the chance that the restaurant may have ironed out the kinks, rendering the review inaccurate. your mileage may vary. Tommy, please clue us in on how you determined that? what does mean in this context? it's my opinion. the reviewer, in my opinion, was needlessly harsh. your mileage may vary. please let me know if you need any more clueing in.

jason, aside from "Peking Duck Exhibit D" , you've outdone yourself with these photos. beautiful.

are you suggesting that people are supposed to know how each place handles this? are the acceptable percentages different from place to place or something like that? or is it really true that one tip amount is all any place really needs.

i like angel's recipe, but if some of the ingredients are hard to find, i'd certainly leave out the kaffir, lemongrass, and ground galangal.

i might be in. chunk #1

i always tell people to stop by Prager Port, although i'm not sure anyone ever has. john prager will pour you 6 or 7 ports. and he doesn't skimp. just don't try to touch his web window. he gets kinda upset if you do.

which restaurant was this? that's such an old-school practice. you don't see it very often. i just tip the 20% or whatever and let them worry about it. i can't be bothered.

as i continue to "remodel" my kitchen in a completely back-asswards way, i'm now considering countertops as well. does anyone have an estimate on the cost of granite vs. silestone on a square foot basis? i'm assuming they're about equal (well, at least for my 26 sf of counterspace).