tommy

oh they know me. i'm famous. i'm the top poster on egullet. actually i said "you don't have to ask *me* twice." they are renovating the grill over there, for 3 million or so. apparently, the look and feel will remain the same when it opens next week.

S&W's burger again today proved to be wonderful. tasting of ground beef, juicy. burger to bun ratio just perfect. complimentary champagne was nice, as there was a fire next door that filled the room with a faint haze. the haze, strangely enough, smelled like food.

would you say that the people at your table were experts? is blue smoke's burger available for din-din as well? how about tavern on jane? good sloppy burger.

well that pretty much answered the question of "gee, what am i going to have for lunch today?"

mario says "bah-bo". that's what i'm sticking with. to do otherwise might sound pretentious.

perhaps your perception of "dramatic" has changed as well? people, generally, become more conservative as they age. it's no surprise that the most exciting chefs coming out, still, are in their 20's and early 30's. they're not afraid.

here is another interesting salt thread.

how does one properly pronounce "babbo"? i've heard many different versions. "Esca" i think i have down. but "babbo" i've heard pronounced many different ways. ba-boo? ba-boh? BAH-bo?

i'm wondering if i could eat the best that they can cook at JB, as i was told i didn't at Blue Hill, as i didn't know how to order, or something like that. if so, i'll be sure to go.

if you're happy being wrong your entire life, then, yea.

Fair enough. At least I can pronounce it without one. nah nah-nah nah nah. smug articulative bastard.

what if *they* all pronounce it differently? they run a tight ship. i'd assume that the management has instructed all of those who answer the phone on how to pronounce the name of the restaurant.

i think i'll call the place and see how *they* pronounce it, as it doesn't really matter how ron, macrosan, or someone from a small village in tuscany might.

pool or the pond. the pond'd be good for you. last night: tuna tartare and bulgogi.

Ah nockerl, that's why i don't remember that! i thought i was nuts there. also, i don't recall the decor being all *that* offensive. in fact, all around, it said "mom and pop shop" to me, which i can appreciate on many levels while forgiving the occasional faux pas.

bux, there have been several suggestions of cheeses to pair with the duck. a few of those from actual experience. why would you proclaim "there isn't an obvious cheese to accompany duck confit"? as far as my choice goes, i explained my motives above. i don't feel that i need to again. thanks to everyone for their input.

oh that's so very tempting on so many levels.

ok. well, maybe it's just me, but the recipe is a little vague as far as how much mix to use. maybe you could take out the "1/2 package" bit, which kinda throw it off. the only downside is that i made up making twice as much. :) a pic is on the dinner thread if you're that interested. thanks again. it's quite good. and sure to impress guests.

suvir's brilliant bhel poori (photo obviously not as good as ellen's on TDG ) with NY riesling. and tagine chicken with a red from languedoc. i don't recall ever mixing oil and water to cook meat, but the recipe called for it. a very decent (if not a little too sweet) dish.

suvir, question: does the recipe call for 400 grams of bhel mix, or 200. btw, it turned out fantastic.

that's actually just enough time to quell the shakes.

i'm going to put this thing in a mold to get that perdy round shape. i'm hoping it doesn't stick to the mold. thoughts?

yeah. that's always good for at least one fork on the floor before you even dig in.

clams in shells are pretty much the standard i'd say. i mean, when i order linguini with clam sauce, i fully expect the clams to be in shells. however, in this particular application, it seems odd to have to remove the unopened clams before eating the pizza. for some reason, in a bouillabaisse or pasta dish it's no big deal (although i wouldn't expect to have to pick out many deaduns at Esca or Babbo). perhaps the kitchen can chuck, rather than shuck, the unopened clams before sending the pizza out to the table? my thoughts on the place are mixed. i haven't really put them together yet. however, as 201 mentioned, the garlic and hot pepper pizza made a real impression on me. so much so that i attempted a version today, which actually came out pretty good. the simplicity of the dish struck me. i sensed sweet, spicy, salty, and sour elements. it was really quite special. i probably won't return for dinner. but for lunch it seems like a good choice. then again, it's so inexpensive that for a fun dinner with an interesting selection of wines, it might be spot on. (see above about me not having my thoughts together yet ) the heat of the back room, coupled with the volume, made the dinner slightly uncomfortable. the volume made it very difficult to enjoy conversation with more than perhaps 3 people at a table. the back room might be suited for 4 tops rather than larger groups. the middle room, however, seemed more intimate. but, it's a runway for servers and people traveling to the rest room. the bar area in the front seemed very suited to hold the many people who will no doubt be waiting for a table every night, given their no-reservation for parties less than 7 policy. a nice little money-maker i'd guess. the service was very friendly. if our server was representative of the rest of the crew, then i'm impressed. friendly, eager, sharp, and on the ball. the bus peeps, however, were a little rough around the edges. but in fairness to them, the table was situated in such a way that service was difficult. water was filled up non-stop, which i like. mrs. tommy spoke with joe b briefly. he seemed flustered overall and said something like "getting restaurant off the ground is a fucking nightmare. i can't believe i'm doing it again." (paraphrased of course). but i'm sure he's loving it.

ok, so i went to the indian grocery, and like a dodo, i forgot the asafetida. and i have no idea what it is. any thoughts on leaving this one out? also, as far as garam masala goes, what's the deal? i found preground stuff at the grocer. i also found a package with all of the ingredients, that i suppose are in the right proportions. also, the regular ol' Kings grocery store has this stuff as well, with what appears to be a reasonable mix of spices. so, should i use the preground stuff that i bought at the indian joint?