tommy

i didn't suggest lying. I don't think Denise suggested that you had. shew! so i think we most of us agree that lying isn't a good idea. people will waste their time, and money. and, if they find out you lied to them, well, you'll be a liar, which isn't a good thing in any circles. putting myself in the position, if someone asked me and didn't accept that i didn't want to share the recipe because it was one that my great grandmother brought over on the boat from italy 100 years ago, well, i think it would be time to find another friend. i'm not even sure what i was doing cooking for them in the first place.

i didn't suggest lying.

the point is that being honest with some doesn't seem to be enough. they'll still be offended.

rachel, they're available at Kings near me. perhaps not the same brand, but they're certainly no joke and do the trick. fat guy turned me on to these over 2 years ago (damn, i think i'm still using the same two! time to get more).

sam, that's an incredible story. if they can grow there, i have to ask: why can't i grow them? or at the very least, why can't your parents' neighbors grow them?

mario's bolognese recipe. i don't feel unethical.

oh grant, why so nasty?

i don't know of many people who don't share, say, batali's recipe for bolognese. given that it's in books and on the internet, there doesn't seem to be much reason.

So you'll only share other people's work? That's an interesting application of intellectual property rights and ethics. errr, perhaps she meant that if she got it from a book, TV, class, or one of many other sources, then it's not hers to share.

i think that crud tends to add to the smoke problem. proper cleaning helps in my experience.

again, this might fall under "works, but not for the reason suggested". i don't think it's general knowledge that a tablespoon of sea salt is vastly different from a tablespoon of morton's. as soon as everyone knows that, then yeah, that "rule" will be useless.

my friends doctor told him that he could have 1 regular beer, 2 light beers, or 5 ultras. he now drinks ultra. so if the public is all that stupid, it includes doctors as well. i'm a little miffed that A-B has done such a poor job with Ultra. i'm tempted to drink low carb beer, just as i am low calorie beer. however, the stuff is undrinkable. and this is coming from someone who drinks Bud.

the "the" isn't an addition, but rather the word "dish" is being left off at the end. one might say "i'll have the lamb chop dish", or, "i'll have the lamb". or "i'll have lamb", not much unlike a robot. doesn't bother me though, although i tend to use "the" without "dish".

mikec, given my little knowledge of italian wines, and the amount of disparate courses generally served with the tasting, i find the wine pairings fun and appropriate. it's also a chance to learn a bit more about italian wines, and offers a chance for additional discourse with the sommelier throughout the meal. given that the pairings are probably at least 40 (and the reserve is 60 or 70 iirc), i'm sure you're correct in that a fine bottle (or two) could be chosen for the same price.

judging from some of the comments on this thread, that approach wouldn't fly, and you'd end up getting talking about and dissed by that person.

and one should assume that making oneself known to the restaurant might be necessary to achieve the level of service and perhaps food that those glowing reviews suggested.

And at No. 4 HollyEats doesn't even show. That sucks. if you google "tommy new jersey", a post by me comes up as the second link returned. scary, if not a bit off topic.

both, i think, are commonly used. but if it makes you feel better, yeah, you're right, i meant "pink".

it's clearly not silly to others. and it sounds like those people have given it considerable thought. but i can't think of, nor has anyone presented, another reason to not share. i'm looking forward to more!

where did i leave my white elephant. i could have sworn it was right in the middle of the living room.

i should add that our house of self-absorbed kids was very thankful for the comradery and food. not to mention she cleaned the house to keep busy, including the occasional pools of vomit, i'd imagine. very thankful indeed. she loved us and had a few nicknames. like "the little white boy", who was this skinny pale dude, and "the brown one", who was an indian guy. not politically correct, but endearing somehow. she also had really interesting theories, like how the sun broke up into the stars at night, and then reformed in the morning. endless entertainment. so it doesn't hurt to be a little kooky too i suppose. always let them think they're smarter than you. i suppose that goes with most relationships, though.

we were lucky enough to have the best cook on campus. an old italian lady. she worked for next to nothing, but made some decent food. it was a huge selling point, and something that we were proud of. and, she was like a surrogate mom (or grandmom). in years following, they had a string of random alcoholic and down-and-out types. they didn't work out so well. given the awareness of food in general these days, i would think it would be a good opportunity to work out some chops, and really impress, and possibly inspire, some young adults at the same time. i'd imagine larb might go over well. i wish i had larb once a month when i was 19.

at a party not too long ago, i lit a cigarette with the stove. the cigarette was in my mouth. i smelled something odd for a day before i realized i burned my hair. the ends of the strands get a cool little ball on them. a stupid mistake easily avoided.

generally with omakase, you tell them what you want to spend.

details here.