tommy

i'm not a big fan of reading. the pictures here are so incredible that it's almost as if i don't have to. thanks for sharing all of this, ellen.

iirc, one of the best ones yet. i haven't reviewed and deciphered my notes yet. perhaps tonite after dinner. it was a good one in Bologna at Battibecco. thanks for listening.

i think it's *better* than outdoor grilling for some applications (assuming you're talking gas). i can't help but think it gets hotter than even the cast iron grates on my Weber, if heat's your thing.

Yeah, I have it turned all the way up. I like my toast that way. freak.

jason, i can't help but notice that some of the bread i these pics seems a bit too burnt. is that by choice?

i just want to bump this back up and ask this question again, as i'm planning on doing a test run of a deep fried turkey soon. what's the best way to make gravy without the benefit of pan drippings? any help would be appreciated.

TMTM, i'm on board with you a bit with Nellie's. a really good bar pie. thin, crispy, and tasty. i just don't think it's better than kinchely's. plus i like the whole vibe at kinchley's. don't get me wrong, i love nellie's, and i'm glad you reminded me of the place!

the best part was the woman at the register with whom i initally started the transaction. she was basically rolling her eyes behind this woman as if to say "what a bitch." i smiled and waved good-bye to her. the nasty woman didn't get much in the way of a good-bye.

i have been a pretty big proponent of this place. the slightly inflated prices never bothered me, as i felt they were balanced out the convenience and selection. however, that all changed today. i bought a soda water maker a few days ago. these things run on CO2 charges. i asked the guy who was helping me for a box of charges, and he ran behind the counter, got them (i'm assuming), and told me that they were there waiting for me (i was in line at this point). the computers were down that day, so it was a bit of a madhouse. they were writing things up by hand on one line, computing the total, and then sending you to the register line. the fellow wrote up my stuff, including the soda water maker, and i told him that the guy helping me had got a box of charges for the thing and not to forget putting them on. he added them and ran around to the counter to get me the box. when i got home, and used one, i realized that he had given me charges for whipped cream. i used one of the 10 or whatever is in the box, and soon realized that this was *definitely* not what the manufacturer recommends. now, if this was 10 years ago, i would have just put them in a balloon and got high. but it's not, and i figured i'd just take them back, as i was going back to buy more boxes of the correct CO2. i went back today, with my receipt, and told the woman at the register what happened. we had some laughs about getting high and whatnot, and she passed me over to another woman to finish the return. i'm not sure if this person was a manager or what, but she told me that she couldn't accept the return "because you used one." i explained, again, that this is what the person gave me when i asked for charges for the seltzer maker. she said "well did you tell him it was for seltzer?" i said "yeah, i did, and i was sitting there with the 50 dollar seltzer maker in my hand." she got all indignant and said "well i can't sell these. it's 'defective merchandise'". i said "well that's not my problem. you sold it to me, and it was the *wrong* merchandise." her next comment was "it says 'cream' right on it", as she reluctantly proceeded with the return. i was tempted to say "no, it says 'creme', and i don't speak whatever language that is." but i opted for "well you might want to tell the guy who gave it to me that. he works here and he should know better." this see you next tuesday acted as though it was coming out of her paycheck. even if it was, she should have eaten it without the third degree. what did she expect me to say? "yeah lady, i'm trying to get over on you for 7 fucking dollars." and from a store that honors others' coupons and regularly sends out 20% off coupons (which i didn't use). i've spent countless dollars there, and would have continued. i've sent countless people there. all of that has quickly changed. and yes, i'm writing a letter. all over a 7 dollar return that was their mistake to begin with. ok. i feel better now.

"The bread at Boccondivino is excellent," he said with a firm voice. craig, i really don't remember the bread at boccondivino. this might be because it was my first meal and it didn't suck. so it didn't really make an impression. besides, i was quite busy with the other delicious things being brought out to the table.

The cheese cart at Boccondivino almost all of the bottles (and what was left) of the wines at Boccondivino

people think that the jersey accent is the accent that i'd say comes from Long Island and Staten Island. i've spent the better part of my life explaining this. they donewannahearit.

as you know, it's coming from the seasoning and the meat. however, i doubt that all of the seasoning is coming off, just as i doubt that all of the fat is coming out of the meat. i see this turning into one of those "i'm right and you're wrong and i simply can't believe you because i know better" discussions. i'll bow out now, with my still-seasoned grill pan.

that, to me, is the caveat. i'm not always grilling meat at 15,000 degrees. sometimes i even find myself cooking a chicken breast on it. and i'll reiterate: my seasoning pretty much stays on, even with repeated use at the highest heat my burners can put out. your mileage may vary. smokes the whole freakin house up, though.

on a recent trip to italy, an american was sitting next to us a dinner. towards the end of dinner, she asked where we were from. when we said NJ, she said "i *knew* it. i couldn't detect any accent!" (she grew up in NJ) and she's right.

here's what i posted. just so you guys are clear: vito's makes the best sandwich. ok. continue. thereuare, i can't believe you were seated next to someone flamboyant and obnoxious on New Years Eve!

An excellent point, one missed in all the chortling about how hipper-than-thou we are (myself included). I assume that most of us have had some high school/college French or have dined with those more knowledgeable than we are, filing away those pronunciations for later use. I took Latin in high school and college, which is of no help whatsoever in a restaurant setting. If I don't have someone with me who knows a little I usually ask for a pronunciation. i took german.

there's a whole thread or 5 on seasoning. the reasons, i'm guessing, include, but are not limited to: they won't rust. their non-stick properties really come out when seasoned.

that was my thought as well. but yeah, the other thought was that it just sucked. i mean, every place had bread that sucked in a different way. so it wasn't as though there was one style and i didn't "get" that style and thought it sucked. apparently, i didn't get about 10 styles and thought they sucked. didn't make it to Osteria La Zucca cleo. worth a visit?

damn kid. that was about 2 years ago. tell me you've had some since then.

there were plenty of pigeons. unlike 'scilly, i didn't see any cats in venice. but i saw tons in rome. i have picks. getting them back tomorry i think.

"winged rats". i'm pretty sure that the pigeon food industry, which seems to be flourishing in san marco and elsewhere, would be shut down by someone here in the US.

rut-roh. sounds like leo is no longer with us? that's a shame. i haven't been in quite some time. that was a great spot for anitpasto and a bar pie. and a pitcher of beer.

lori, you might want to poke around their website here.

Are you sure you were in Venice? You did go to St. Marks, right? It's the pigeon capital of Italy. http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articl...s_of_venice.htm i was kidding. hence the . as an aside, i'm not sure about others, but i use the wacko to refer to myself. isn't it slightly obnoxious obnoxious to use it any other way?