tommy

if hank doesn't bring his own stemware, i know we're onto something good. i don't know why i haven't gotten here yet.

good for him. i don't. and 75% of others at the above mentioned restaurants probably don't is there a point at which you'll accept that perhaps you're possibly wrong?

i had the balls to bust the balls of an irish bartender (at an irish bar) that didn't throw me a buy-back. now this was a place that i found myself in several times a week on a good week. the guy damned near threw a pint glass at my head. i took something away from that little exchange.

we sit around and scream at each other and debate meaningless topics just to get each other going. antipasto, consisting of various meats and cheeses, is a staple, and usually fills ever guest long before any sort of dinner (usually italian-american fare) hits the table. this is all on christmas day. christmas eve isn't a big deal where i'm from, although i'm trying to work in a new tradition of drinking and eating there as well. no yelling though. gotta save that for christmas day proper. i've inherited, from my in-laws, a tradition of using these british "poppers" or somesuch before dinner. i don't know what they are, but they have a little toy inside, and a paper hat, which is meant to be worn throughout dinner. i'm usually the only one who does that, though.

a queue or a cue? ;-) just messing with ya. i agree tho - i think it's never a good idea to be rude when you work for tips. yeah. i looked at it three times and figued "eh, that's close enough". the math dork comes out in me when i least expect it. and least need it.

that's another problem with going to the bead house.

i'd say that any snippy reponse from a bartender is a queue that it's time to find a new bartender.

i don't know if my stomach could take it.

one possible problem with the beard house is that it might turn you off to trying the actual restaurant. i know you're smarter than that, and i sure hope you get to i trulli soon.

i fixed the link.

hell, i'd trade places with her in a minute. i'm sure her night will be more interesting than mine.

i hear they're made with rare earth magnets. i'm surprised they work. i have to admit that the commercial left me curious.

if ketchup doesn't need to be refrigerated, how does it get that off/sour taste at times. i've had some pretty bad blobs of heinz at restaurants over the years. i can't help but think this is related to the lack of refrigeration, the marrying of old bottles, and that nasty gloppy crap that builds up around the rim of the bottle. i keep mine in the fridge and i've never felt bad about it. and i certainly don't get angry when others don't.

i do think his definition of "casual" is different than ours. clearly lupa is a better restaurant. clearly the Tasting Room is a better restaurant. clearly countless others are better. while i'm sure he thinks Otto is special in some regard, and a great addition to that area's dining scene, perhaps a more appropriate descriptor would have been in order. unless, of course, he wanted everyone to talk about him and the restaurant, which i suppose was pretty smart. Admin: the thread for 2004 discussion of Otto Enoteca Pizzeria may be found here.

wow. maybe "best italian wine list at a casual restaurant". methinks he needs a few more qualifiers in that "award".

and because they want to be around people just like themselves. which i suppose might be considered a good thing for others.

i don't think most would feel out of place at USC without a tie at lunch. and i don't think they'd feel out of place at lunchtime at Picholine without a tie.

the tire people?

so who is the chef? and is he notable?

exactly. and everyone gets PBS. i get about 3 PBS stations. there are certainly enough cooking shows on PBS to keep me busy during the week. i'm quite happy to watch those several hours, and catch a few travel/fun shows on TVFN.

yes. right. it's about advertising dollars. it seems that most people across the nation, who watch the food network, aren't food obsessed freaks like we are. go figure.

egullet: where snarky comments reign supreme!

these are italian-american pronunciations. right or wrong, that's they way they're pronounced in a community that is very large. obviously there are pockets of italian-americans living in the northeast, and i'd guess some other places around the US. this is probably becoming the exception, though, as people tend to move away from their families as generations pass.

what do you generally discuss?

FoodTV has done more for food and cooking than any other source, as far as reaching millions of people over the years. bravo.