tommy

yeah, the red dot tells you when the pan is the right temperature. apparently the dot knows exactly what you're cooking and how you're cooking it. the dot also knows what you did last summer.

that ribe eye sounds like a big course, lou. but, i'm a big guy, so i can handle it. that said, what is the Berringer Alluvium like? if it's tannic, give me fat. don't care if it's cow or lamb. or in a ravlioli. the experts will giggle behind my back, but have you considered a beef tenderloin? easy enough to serve a smaller portion, and you can certainly dress it up with earthy, sweet, or whatever flavors that you think might work with the wine.

i'm not sure i understand the question.

Wow, that's gotta be pretty intense. I've made dipping sauce with it mixed with lime juice and garlic and chiles, but never alone. I'll have to try a dram straight up one of these days. to clarify, usually with lime juice or vinegar and some sugar. however, i've been known to just sprinkle it on dishes, not much unlike what people might do with soy. on larb especially, if i don't think the balance is right.

it is pungent. however, i mostly use it in its raw form, as a dipping sauce. can't get enough of it.

i haven't noticed it if it is.

thanksgiving, xmas, and sometimes easter. although i come from a family who didn't eat together very often to being with. those are still some of my fondest memories. not in a mushy way, but in a get everyone around the table and argue about useless nonsense way. kind of like egullet used to get sometimes.

Three Crab brand is recommended by Ming Tsai, and by me. it's widely available as well.

mostly kind. i think we probably had a conversation in person as well. still, i came away with the thought that it was better than i would have thought, which probably doesn't say a whole lot.

i'm no linguist, but the other night i was at a restaurant, and a wine salesman was conducting a tasting for the managers at the next table. he explained many wines, including the pooly foozy. i tried listening in to see if he was kidding, but i don't think that was the case. this, i think, smacks of what bux said upthread about knowing your product and your trade. not that i was offended by it, but really, the guy should try a little harder.

is Piccininni new? i've never heard of it. what type of stuff do they carry? might be worth a stop.

rosie, it's your lucky day! i've been tempted to try the Little Ferry location since hearing rachel's mostly kind words about the place.

a few interspersed thoughts on grinding pork.

and is it herb, or erb. on a different note, what i find more entertaining than people not knowing how to pronounce or spell a word is when people are so sure someone's wrong and they're right, and it turns out to be completely the opposite. now *that's* funny.

you don't usually see out-and-out fines in these things. and i get sandwiches from there a coupla times a month.

is hoboken really very italian anymore? i never considered it a destination spot for italian food. aside from 4 or 5 delis, a cheesesteak place, leo's, and my old landlord, i can't think of much italian in hoboken. obviously that wasn't the case 50 years ago.

in a soft tortilla with grilled skirt steak.

that could be a bad thing. she was handling the whole room (along with a guy, who i assume has an interest in the place as well). that's part of the reason i liked the place. if they throw an average 22 year old waitress in the mix, i'm afraid things might go horribly wrong. inconsistency is a bad thing ideed. i hope they sort that out. you're bumming me out. as far as breakfast and lunch, i can't figure out why they're doing breakfast. who needs the extra hours at a restaurant when you're running yourself ragged to begin with? how about this for the owners: skip the breakfast, and save up that energy to make sure you're always there for dinner. looking back, although the servers seemed overwhelmed, they were trying. we had a table of 10, which obviously took up a good portion of the restaurant. they were pretty good in handling our various requests and whatnot.

i can't get that steak out of my mind and i was about 2 seconds away from driving back tonite.

ryan gets a place in New Jersey Life magazine's top 25 toques. congrats on a well-deserved nod. the above link will self-destruct in a few weeks.

doubling the tax leads people to tip 16.5% of the pre-tax amount or so. i usually don't recommend it to the math impaired.

during some research, i stumbled upon this review. and the website given the structure of the url, i'm sure the review link will not take you there in a month or so. so read it now. also in that magazine (new jersey life) is a piece on the state's top 25 toques

holy cow. had a great meal here last night. hanger steak in the form of steak frites au poivre. great frites. a mix of pate and a cheese plate to start. 25 dollars a head. family run atmosphere. what's not to like? this place is a gem.

finker, was this wednesday night by any chance? if so, i was sitting right next to your table. i don't like those metal menus. there's another place that i've been to recently with metal menus. the smell of metal gets on my hands, and i have to wash them after ordering. that's just silly.

"drinking hours" are from about 10 am to 4 am in a good portion of the city (the UWS is probably an exception). people aren't staying as long and aren't drinking as much. this, of course, is according to these owners, rather than any completely unscientific analysis based on observation on my part. i think people *have* suggested that business wouldn't be hurt and people wouldn't lose their businesses. but i don't feel like reading through the thread to find any examples.