tommy

i forget the exact temps, but there is a "danger zone" of temps that where microorganisms thrive. i think it's approximately 50 to 90 degrees, or something like that. i'm sure a basic cookbook might have this range, but i don't have one handy. so, it's not a matter of time really, but a matter of temp. unless food is frozen, i rarely let it sit out before cooking. if anything, i'll keep it in the fridge. i don't know of any reason to do otherwise, especially if you're roasting or doing any kind of slow cooking. hope this helps.

the scourer i used did in fact seem to scratch the surface of the outside of my pan slightly. the all-clad website recommends a product called bar keeper's friend. i may give this stuff a shot, as it might keep my pots prettier. and as you know, everyone likes pretty pot.

i'm still trying to count them! actually, upwards of 170 notable restaurants in one year. quite commendable. if you paid for all of them, i'm quite impressed. and if you have a job that affords you the luxury of expensing for business purposes, i'm envious. either way, i'm hungry, very hungy. nice job.

i use the sponge-on-a-stick(handle) too. works great on glasses and dishes. but what about the countertops and sink? i think that's what were talking about when we say how disgusting the sponge gets.

there is certainly some scientific validity to that. boiling water (that in a pot) reaches 212 degrees, give or take a degree. that's about all you get. the dishwasher produces water at higher temps (steam is a factor i'd imagine). although, i'm not sure if any germs survive in 212 degree temps. maybe dog germs. and i certainly wouldn't "cook" my dog toys with my dish towels. ;) regardless, i think i'll retract my earlier statement: i am going to continue throwing out my disposable sponges...at least until i get a dog.

apparently someone is spending an unhealthy amount of time on olivegarden.com! steven, i'd love to go into detail about the flaws of individual dishes, but jeez man, i didn't exactly have a pad and pencil that hung-over afternoon!! if i could have thought clearly, do you think i would have went to begin with?!?

there is a thai place called bua thai on washington ave in belleville. i'm not the biggest fan of it, but it's good in a pinch, and there's no other thai around as far as i know (with the exception of montclair). it's byo. Bua Thai Restaurant 137 Washington Ave Belleville, NJ (973) 759-7425 there are also some great ethnic grocery stores down in belleville on washington. there is a thai place on the southbound side, and an indian place on the northbound side. great places for those extremely hard-to-find ingredients. worth a trip even though they don't look like much.

same owners as the Franklin Steakhouse, which is across the street. my friends dig it as well. i don't think it's fine dining necessarily, but they enjoy it for a reasonable and decent dinner. also, if you're waiting for a table at the Steakhouse, you can wait at terrazza, which is a little more quiet, less packed, and has wines that you might actually want to drink. they'll call over to terrazza's when your table is ready.

i was going to bring up the same point. but then i re-read marcrosan's claims, and realized that although bacteria was mentioned, it wasn't suggested that the bacteria would remain after washing. only that the "dirt that oozes" out of the center would remain. this might be accuarate! :) but if rinsing and squeezing works for real sponges, as suggested by macrosan, wouldn't dishwashing and squeezing work for the fake ones? hmmm. ok ok, i'll start a thread on sponge washing. ;)

you gotta love the tag line "what do you get when a bison and a turkey fall madly in love?" i'm looking at the site, and i see that for a serving size of 3.5 ounces, Bison has 62 mg. of cholesterol, turkey has 65 mg, and the bisurkey, which is a mix of the two has only 62 mg. this tells me that there's: 1) very little turkey 2) some filler (which they claim there isn't) 3) not enough significant digits in the stats to give them much meaning. 4) someone is not telling the whole truth! they also claim it is "award-winning". any idea what type of award is given out for strangely named meat products? ok, enough from me.

i've always considered sponges to be, umm, disposable. maybe i'll give it a shot. if anything it will save me from digging around under the sink to find a new one every couple of days.

i know a guy who has that on video. it's just not right. :shocked:

i appreciate both of these places on different levels, and for different reasons. it might be unfair to compare the two (i don't think harold's claims to be jewish as much as "new york" - whatever *that* is). so, try both! kosher nosh website Harold's New York Deli 10 Polito Ave Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 935-2600 there's also a "new york deli" in a hotel on rt 17 south near the paramus area. can't find it on the internet though.

oh i have. several times. my first time was the night i graduated college. yes, my parents aren't big spenders and don't know much about food. the second time was while i was spending time in columbia, SC. when i saw that an olive garden was opening, i was actually excited. this tells you a bit about the state of food in columbia in the early 90's. more recently, i went with mrs. tommy, as a lark more than anything. it's not a cheap lark either! had really horrible pasta and overpriced wine. the high point of the olive garden, IMO, is the salad. it's crispy and dressed just right. there is something holy about oregano, salt, pepper, vinegar, and onions on a salad. it just doesn't get much better than that folks. i must mention, the lines outside of our local suburban OG are enormous. i can't believe that many people would line up for that stuff, day in and day out. and like i said, it ain't cheap!!

and that harolds NY deli place is in lyndhurst, about 10 minutes away. huge sandwiches and pickle bar, etc.

my only exposure to bison is generally at diners and the "bison burger." this is probably why i've never had it. do any restaurants even serve it?

isn't it a little far fetched to suggest that each Olive Garden has a "chef"? silly people.

scuttlebutt's is pretty darned good, and bizarre at the same time.the franklin steakhouse has decent steaks and a pub atmosphere. the steaks are probably a step above arthur's, which may or may not sound good depending on your opinion of arthur's. i find the sandwiches and salads very good for lunch. lots of beer and hot sauces and TVs as well. Dish in passaic park is (well, was the last time i was there) very good. the High Street Brewery in nutley is basically a pub, but has good bar pies. as rosie says, montclair is filled with reasonable choices.

for further dicussion of this restaurant, go to this topic. Edit by RPerlow: Fixed a broken link.

i took fat guy's advice and searched out these little scourers. they work like a charm. i actually found them at a King's supermarket. 2 for 2.50 or something silly. the brand was o cedar. they have a website, but it doesn't seem to include these scourers. thanks! and my pots thank you.

yup, i'm a big fan of most grapes. email me through egullet if you're interested in meeting for a quick one. i can't email you because egullet doesn't let me. says i'm not logged on even though i am. (Edited by tommy at 1:47 pm on Jan. 2, 2002)

i went back to Kinchely's last night (586 N. Frankling Turnpike in Ramsey) after a 10 year hiatus. wow, it was just as good as i remembered. the thin crust pizza is delicious. it's tough to compare it to anything else, even my favorite Brooklyn's Pizza. it's a pub atmosphere, but can be lots of fun if that's the mood you're in. as an aside, the pizza reminded me a bit of the bar pies at Lady Janes in hoboken (14th and hudson). i forgot just how good those bar pies at lady jane's are!

it said tommy will send you a dollar if you go out and buy the paper instead of having him summarize. ;) actually, i'll type some of the verbiage in later for the benefit of those who don't have today's paper or don't have a way of getting it.

is siam BYO? if not, what was the wine list like? thanks.

i cut the potato (any kind) and toss with olive, salt, and lots of pepper. low heat (about 350) in the oven for at least an hour. the last 15 minutes, i might throw in chopped onion and rosemary. they come out well-done, with a sweet almost chocolate flavor. the first time i did this (almost by accident) i was quite surprised with the chocolate outcome. they go over quite well, and the best part is they can remain in the oven and served whenever everything else is ready. timing, i find, is the biggest problem for me when preparing dinner for more than 2 ppl.