tommy

so many vietnamese dishes that i eat are light and herbal. i don't like reisling with those dishes. the sweetness overpowers them. i like something more crisp and acidic. unoaked sauvignon blanc from new zealand or bordeaux is what i usually reach for. especially those with herbal note. i save reisling for the spicy stuff, which, of course, can be found on a vietnamese menu.

seth, your approach to toasting rice seems right on. toast and grind away. and don't be afraid to have a few big chunks of rice in the grind. the texture is what you're looking for here. please tell us how it went.

i'd rather go a few times and have fun with it. i'll report back.

read a book. *the* book. this book.

seemed like he wanted to give them a chance to come clean. and he stated as much. i want to try it for many reasons. not the least of which is the fact that tony bourdain liked a few dishes.

regarding the pho, would you say it compares to little saigon's? all too often pho is way too lame, lacking that deep intense flavor that we all know and love. it's the benchmark.

jason, the menu that you posted, i suppose that's just one section of it?

what makes you think he didn't take their reasons into consideration? and i don't see that his concern and phone call to the hospital supplanted his meeting with them. in fact, they appeared to be quite separate. i can't wait to try the place, and i consider myself a "self-respecting new yorker." i don't think i'm alone either.

right. they used to, now they don't.

don't discount cell phones lamb. they did work to some extent on both 9/11 and thursday. on either day, i would have been completely fucked without one.

i wonder what would happen if that same jar were left in a warm fridge with all kinds of bacteria growing in it? folks, chuck your mayo.

chad wins.

umm, do you mean "faster"? if so, yes, i've noticed that too. i usually put out, in plain view, average wine for the people who don't care what they drink. those who do care have to do a little extra leg work.

whatever it is, i'm sure they could get a loan from Open. the restaurant cost what, 4 million? we're not talking about charging it on a credit card. we're talking about a line of credit or a loan. i dare say that i could get a loan for whatever amount it is. i'm sure they could.

i use a lot of mustard, usually for =mark's south carolina mustard barbeque sauce. you should too.

Sorry, but I find I just keep thinking that. regardless of the way he looks, he sure doesn't *act* like the junkies that i hang out with. as far as the payroll thing, i'm sure they have the appropriate type of corporation necessary to start the business and whatnot. i'm thinking that they simply haven't sorted out the payroll in the sense they they don't have anyone doing it yet, or haven't set up an account with an outside company. amex's Open, which we should all know by watching the commercials, provides businesses with lines of credit and loans. so i don't think they're be a problem getting a couple of grand out of them to pay employees. i don't doubt rocco's comment about setting up a company was either edited to the point that it sounded dumb, or perhaps he just didn't really understand the situtation. this is fun, trying to figure out what was going on.

i drink less *wine* when i'm drinking better wine. no doubt about it. otherwise i just dump it down my throat, hoping to avoid my mouth.

It seemed as if the camera's were on these three, the night they played hookey and didn't go to the hospital. a) Rocco had to know all about it before hand, as it was scripted, but didn't tell his mother. b) NBC knew about it all along, but didn't tell Rocco. c) That scene, perhaps like many others, was "re-enacted" for the cameras after the cooks were fired. i'm leaning towards b or c. the fact that cameras were on some sort of drunken meeting doesn't suggest to me at all that rocco knew about it. and i don't think the cameramen/directors/producers were in the habit of running to rocco every minute to tell him what was going on all over the restaurant and manhattan for that matter.

What do you use it for? Historically, I've always had some around but have never used it for anything. adding my two cents, i use this to marinate (along with soy and black pepper), skirt steak when making fajitas.

nero, i can understand the weed. i can even forgive the bud light. but the chardonnay is simply unacceptable.

i'm not convinced of this (after watching it twice). it seems to me that he was trying to convey just how much they crossed some of the people at the restaurant, who are presumably their friends as well as co-workers. it seemed fair, given their behavior. what i found odd about his handling of the situtation, was that he went back to everyone to give them his two cents to begin with. perhaps handling it just as he did during his first "talks" with them would have been the high road. let them think they got over. it seemed a bit childish and people like that rarely learn lessons, especially when coming from people for whom they clearly have no respect. of course, who knows what really happened with the editing and all. suggesting that rocco does too much coke just seems inappropriate. a lot of people have that look when they're working long hours and are under incredible amounts of stress. not to mention when they have cameras following them around.

because many school programs would lose too much money if everyone opted out and decided to eat ramen and pizza in their dorms.

now i just need your address. they make hand-cranker flashlights as well. seems like a great idea.

sounds like fifi doesn't like the perceived symbols of middle-class success.

i also "hide" 20 or 40 bucks in my wallet, so i'm never without some cash. i can't count how many times i've jumped in a cab and realized i had no money. obviously, keeping cash at home is a good idea as well.