Duck Fat

I bought a mother on ebay for 4.99. But if you use a jug with a spigot, whatever you do BE SURE YOU ONLY USE AN ALL-PLASTIC SPIGOT!!! After a few months, many dregs of some great wines, and almost a solid gallon of what smelled like terrific vinegar, I discovered that the vinegar had dissolved the stem of the spigot to aluminum-foil thickness. It also completely dissolved the entire nut that held the spigot to the inside of the jug. The result was a a metallic tasting product that had to go down the drain

Andrew Nathan is now at the Cooked Goose on Watch Hill Rd. in Westerly. Great food in a casual market environment.

nibor is correct, you are out of luck in terms of "healing" the cracks, but you can certainly slow or arrest their development by filling them with food grade beeswax, available in many good kitchen stores.

Dooky Chase's is open, but only for groups. Dooky and Leah are having trouble finding regular help, so a full schedule is proving difficult. Family members are covering for last minute labor shortfalls. I was privleged to dine at Dooky's on Saturday, January 12, 2007 as part of a group organized by California winery Rideau Vineyards. The restaurant suffered from four or five feet of rancid water, as well as several lootings. However, it is in top shape after months (years!) of work. Even though nothing will ever be the same, it is the determination of people like Leah and Dooky who help make the recovery and rebirth of New Orleans possible. We were the first group to use the newly-refurbished Bar--no bottles, but plenty of wine. Regrettably, I did not take pictures of the h'ors d'oeuvres: mountains of fried oysters served po'boy style (in a hollowed out loaf of bread), falling-off-the-bone ribs, and crab pastry. I did, though, fully document the rest of the meal. I apologize in advance if I fail to properly name all the dishes. We soon moved into the Dining room. We started our meal with Mirleton (a pear-shaped squash) soup with crabmeat. After the soup, we were treated to redfish and shrimp salad. The redfish head and tail (complete with cherry tomato eyes and red pepper lips) offered a nice presentation. Leah Chase made her first appearance with the redfish. An octegenarian, she is full of the kind of energy needed to rebuild both her home and her business after such a loss. Plated redfish and shrimp salad. Lemon sorbet with sugared mint leaves made for a lovely intermezzo. The meal was served family style. Macaroni and cheese, collard greens, paneed veal cutlets, and turduckhen (turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with cornish hen). Macaroni and cheese--unbelieveable! Collard greens. Family style turduckhen, mac and cheese, and collard greens. A small portion of the first round of the main courses. The second round quickly appeared on the table. Candied yams. Eggplant farci--stuffed with crabmeat. Dooky Chase, Jr. (Leah named the restaurant after his father, her father-in-law) held court and was an absolutely charming gentleman. It also provided a needed break from all the food. Dooky and Joe While the restaurant suffered from multiple lootings, none of the many pieces of artwork were removed. They were also above the floodwaters. Leah's formal portrait. Just when we thought we couldn't eat anything else, a blue cheese mousse arrived. And last but not least (although mercifully small) Creole cream cheesecake and a chocolate strawberry arrived. Between the food, people, character of the place, and personality of the owners and chef, it was a phenomenal experience. My only regret is that I didn't fast for the two days prior to dining--too much good food was left on the table! Leah Chase and Duck Fat, who was feeling especially fat at this particular moment.

Be sure not to miss the Atwater Market (Marche Atwater), conveniently located near the Atwater Metro stop. The people working there really know their products.

Perhaps the reason that we hear so much about problems with Chinese food sources (and other products, for that matter) is because there are systemic, structural problems that are institutionalized around the country and its production methods. Certainly, we hear about US e.coli outbreaks for about 5 seconds of media time, but that is precisely because these are the unfortunate and highly publicized exceptions to a process that is much more highly regulated in the US. The examples delivered in both the NYT article and in the thread above make clear that pollution, toxins, and pharmaceuticals are the acceptable, status quo practices in China--not breakdowns in a regulatory system. As such, they deserve greater scrutiny and criticism than US e.coli problems. In other words, in the US, the problems are exceptions to the system, in China, the system leads to the problem. Patapsco Mike is correct that few seafood products are without baggage, so choose carefully. And as for the Patagonian Toothfish (aka Chilean Sea Bass) the species takes so long to reach reproductive maturity that a mere decade of avoidance is not long enough to effect a recovery of the stock.

Westerly, RI (and Watch Hill) has great beaches, too. And check out Guytano's on Franklin St (US-rt. 1) (don't be put off by it's strip mall location--the food's good) Stonington Borough, CT--Noah's, Water St. Cafe, and a great quaint little village full of antique shops, interesting architecture, and water views. Mystic, CT--For finer dining, there's the Capt. Daniel Packer Inn, Bravo Bravo, and Go Fish --an average seafood place, but the sushi is excellent. Avoid the Seaman's Inn at all costs. For a huge, creative, tasty, and somewhat rustic breakfast or lunch, Kitchen Little on Rt 27 right next to Mystic Seaport is outstanding for what it is. As for attractions--Mystic Aquarium, Mystic Seaport (Maritime Museum). Groton and New London have their ups and downs, a few charming dives, etc. worth searching out. To the west, the Old Saybrook Inn is pretty nice. The area has a lot to offer--it's not NYC, San Fran, or Boston, but it has some sleepers, and more than a few great pubs. (Harp and Hound, John's in Mystic, CC O'Brien's in Pawcatuck (Westerly), Bulkeley House in New London, Griswold Inn in Essex, CT). Fair warning--this list ranges from decent dives to historic, Revolutionary-era taprooms. Perhaps one of the best things to do once (or more) a summer is to put the car on the Long Island ferry (Cross Sound Ferry--www.longislandferry.com) at New London in the morning, and go to Orient Point. Drive down NY Route 25 towards Riverhead, stop at the farm stands, have lunch in Riverhead. Taste wine all the way back to the ferry. The wine trail, while not exactly Napa or Sonoma, is unlike anything else on the east coast. You can stop and taste at a couple of dozen vineyards, have dinner in Greenport, and take the 9 pm ferry back to New London. You get a boat ride at each end, don't have to drive very much, and get to taste some pretty nice wine in nice locations. My wife and I have done it a few times and it's been a blast every time.

I've used this recipe for my 75-year-old father and 93-year-old grandmother-in-law, both whom have HATED brussel sprouts for their entire lives. Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta Rinse and clean 1 lb. brussel sprouts. Removing small leaves, majority of stem, and cut in half. Dice 1 oz. pancetta, (+/- depending on fat to lean ratio) . Render over medium heat. This can be done at any stage of prepatation. 15-20 minutes before serving time, add sprouts, salt and pepper to taste, toss, and cook for 10 minutes on medium. Try to position sprouts cut-side down in pan to carmelize. After 10-12 minutes, add 2-4 cloves diced garlic, to taste. A minute or two later, add 1/4 cup water, cover, and toss while covered to degalze and coat sprouts. Steam until cooked throughout. Remove cover, cook on high to remove remaining liquid. Serve immediately (or ASAP depending on the rest of the meal). DUCK FAT (naturally!) may be substituted for rendered pancetta.

Directly from OT's website: If you do not arrive for a reservation, you will not receive any applicable OpenTable Dining Points for that reservation. When a restaurant assigns no-show status to your Web reservation, OpenTable will automatically send an email to inform you of this. Your OpenTable account will be deactivated automatically if you accumulate four no-show reservations within the same twelve-month period. A no show is: Failure to honor or cancel a reservation If you cannot honor your reservation, and you do not cancel online or call the restaurant to cancel your reservation ahead of time, the restaurant reserves the right to mark your reservation as a no-show. Late Arrival Most restaurants hold reservations for 15 minutes. If your party has not arrived or called via phone within 15 minutes after your reservation time, the restaurant reserves the right to mark your reservation as a no-show or cancellation. Like no-shows, cancelled reservations do not qualify for any applicable OpenTable Dining Points. Breach of Cancellation Policy Some restaurants implement 24-hour or 48-hour cancellation policies. *For example, if you make a reservation at a restaurant with a 24-hour cancellation policy, and you do not call to cancel until 8 hours prior to your reservation time, the restaurant reserves the right to assign no-show status to your reservation. Some restaurants require patrons to call one day prior to the reservation date to confirm the reservation, regardless of whether the reservation was made via phone or Web. When a cancellation policy is in effect, this information will be printed clearly in the reservation confirmation and reminder emails you receive after booking your table online.

Manzanita Creek makes several wonderful Zinfandels that need no improvement by blending. I agree with GordonCooks that Cabernet Sauvignon is probably California's flagship wine. I've always felt that the best Pinots come from Oregon's Willamette Valley, from a Benton Lane to a higher-end lable like Domaine Drouhin.

While no longer a 3 star, I had lunch at Taillevent in July. My wife speaks French, I do not. They gladly spoke French to her and English to me, although they slipped into English with her at times. Everyone was dressed well, pretty much following John Talbott's recommendations above. Everyone else's recommendations above pretty much held true. I'd like to comment on loud talking. Much of the dining room spoke in ranges from "library normal" up to normal "inside voice" level. However, there was one exception, which allowed us to observe a masterful level of service to the entire dining room. About 10 minutes after we sat down, a table of four was seated two tables over. One person, I'll call him the Hotshot, was having lunch with 3 associates. It did not seem like a serious business lunch, unlike the two (younger and older) financiers seated directly next to us. The Hotshot seemed to be a regular because the staff jovially chided him for never having a tie to go along with his jacket. The rest of the party wore ties. The Hotshot ordered the first bottle of wine and conversed at what I'd say ranged from normal up to "bistro" level. This attracted a server who began ot pay fairly close attention to the table. A little while later, a second server hung close, providing solicitous service to the party of four. As the second bottle of wine arrived, the Hotshot found it unsatisfactory. Monsieur Vrinat and the sommelier arrived. The sommelier tasted and said "that is how it should be" but offered to bring another bottle, which the Hotshot accepted. M. Vrinat remained at the table, chatting with the group, but standing behind the Hotshot's chair for the remainder of the meal. Three other servers stood close by, but not too close, and the Captain dropped in occassionally to engage with the M. Vrinat and the rest of the group. At no time did it ever look like the staff was threatening, nor did the table perceive it that way. What was clearly happening, however, was that the staff and owner were "managing" the table by engaging them to insure that they never got too loud. They wanted to guarantee that the rest of the diners were not disturbed, and it worked very well indeed. My wife and I remain convinced that the Hotshot thinks that he gets great service--he even gets to talk to the owner!!--every time he goes there. In fact, he does, but so do the other diners via the staff's controlling of the situation. This prevented M. Vrinat from making the rounds of the dining room. However, he made sure to follow us out and thank us for coming as we left. Finally, the payoff to this long-winded story that I've been dying to tell for months. There are a few lessons here: First, at such high levels of service (3 star or not), the staff insured that a potential problem was diffused before it happened. Second, there was no unpleasantness for anyone involved. The problem table didn't even knowing that it was being "managed." Third, the other diners either didn't notice, or, like us, were terribly entertained by witnessing such a brilliant use of good service to keep the situation under control. The final lesson is to go and have a good time. Even if you do something egregiously incorrect (which is unlikely, since you care enough to ask questions in advance) the staff will likely make it seem like nothing even happened. Enjoy!

Jumpin' Jay's Fish Cafe in Portsmouth, NH, has a nice raw bar. While the rest of the menu is OK, I'd have the raw bar there, and then go across the street to Pesce Blue for dinner. Pesce is seafood oriented, but the food has both diversified and improved under new ownership in the past year or so. Victory 96 isn't an oyster bar per se, but they seasonally have great oysters on their appetizer menu, usually topped with a touch of caviar. Their menu is a lovely, updated take on New England comfort food. There are others, and lots of Portsmouth, Rye, and Hampton Beach, NH and Kittery, ME restaurants have raw (and cooked!) oysters on the menu, but these are two with which I have personal experience. They also have enough turnover to insure good quality. These may be too far East for the actual question of VT/NH, but the glorious 17 mile NH seacoast shouldn't be missed!

I'm forced to agree with Carrot Top--culturally, standards are pretty low and mediocrity is accepted far too often. Sometimes, people really don't care, from top to bottom. I was recently at a local restaurant--one trying to be the best restaurant in town, and after a third evening of poor service and average food at top dollar, the owner happened by. He asked me how it was going, so I proceeded to detail all the problems with service and food, etc. When done, he said "I wasn't asking how your night was, I was asking how you were." I was floored. He then told me to call next time, mention my name, and he would make sure I had a good experience. I responded that it shouldn't take a special call to the owner ahead of time in order to get what should be standard procedure. I haven't been back. My point is that even in a restaurant trying to be the best in town, if the top of the organization doesn't care, no one else will. Contributing to the problem are the newspapers, especially small local rags, that serve up fawning reviews of average places to keep the wheels of commerce moving. These chamber of commerce reviews, as well as fear of alienating anyone, especially in a small town setting, prevent the critical lens from being applied. There is one solution, because the diner is ultimately at the top of the organization. Speak up--dont' be rude, but report unacceptable food or service every time. I think critical reveiws would help, and if your paper won't write them, or if you really disagree with a review, write one of your own. Better yet, write a letter to the editor of your paper disagreeing with the reviewer, and tell them why. Don't just say "it sucked," instead talk about specifics like the rotten lettuce, etc. Challenge the paper, not just the restaurant, to do a better job. If everyone stopped giving restaurants of any level a free pass, the culture would begin to change at my fine dining restaurant and Carrot Top's local Burger King. Tell your friends, and tell the owner that you'll be telling your friends. Bottom line: Take the time to point things out. People need to be told about problems. Talk to owners, or managers. Not everyone will react well, but not everyone will react poorly, either, and at least they'll know that everything wasn't "fine, thank you," which, by the way, we all seem to say far too often when the waitress reappears mid-meal. This is very frustrating to me as well. My small town has experienced something of a renaissance in the past 5 years, and the local populace seems to be enthralled with what would be merely average to anyone who has ever eaten in a city, or on the coast. The restauranteurs, though, have more cosmopolitan experience. If they know that not everyone in town thinks that "average" is "terrific," it might influence their behavior. Or, sadly, it might not, in which case, the only solution is to vote with your feet.

Go Go Go! But make sure you go hungry. My wife and I went there last winter and began with the codfish fritters--light and fluffy and delicious. Next came the poutine, which was our true reason for going It was decadent and an amazing preparation for a basic comfort food. She had the moose (elk?) liver and I had the Pied du cochon, which was nicely braised. However, I failed in not ordering the full foie gras stuffed pied, which looked amazing every time it went out around me. The place was packed, and they told us on the phone that there was "only had space at the bar." This turned out to be directly in front of the open kitchen and an amazing spot. My wife got to sit in the stool with the antlers! Among other things, we had the chance to see some of the "back of the house" stuff as a tray of cassoulet walked by. Also very interesting was watching the "duck in a can" preparation. I will definitely be going back for that one. I also didn't quite have my fill of organ meats, so that needs to be remedied as well. Martin Picard was a presence throughout the kitchen, but the line cooks were the real show. Watching and listening to a young staff work (and to the flawless transitions between English, French, and "French for the Americans") was a highlight. I would sit at the bar again even if the finest table in the house was available.

This is mostly about the process of salting cod. I worked at a major maritime museum and performed this process (albeit on land) for nearly a decade. Since the cod we prepared had not been health code approved, the museum used it in fireplace cooking demonstrations and the staff got to reap the rewards. I have eaten just about every permutation of a traditional New England salt cod recipe. johnny d wrote: The traditional method for preparing salt cod is as follows: Upon catching the fish, while at sea the fishermen divided into three positions--the "header," who removed the head by tearing it off to retain the triangular piece of meat on the top of the head. Next, the "throater" gutted the fish. Finally, the "spliter" removed about 2/3 of the backbone, therefore allowing the entire fish to lay flat to receive the salt evenly across all the flesh. Properly split, the fish was roughly triangular. Next, the hold of the vessel (usually schooners) was divided into tall bins (6-8 feet square and 4-10 feet high, depending on position in the hold). These bins, or "kench boxes," were layered with the split cod and salt at a ratio of roughly 4:1 to insure proper preservation. The weight of the fish pressed the salt into the fish layered below. Finally, upon returning to shore, the salted (pickled, essentially) cod were placed on drying tables called "fish flakes" built of wedge-shaped slats to reduce the surface area of the slats on the fish. These drying tables often took up major acreage in port cities like Gloucester and Boston, Massachusetts, Halifax, etc. The fish were air-dried. When the sun was shining directly, sun shields made of canvas were stretched over the flakes. When rain threatened, it is said that the youngsters of town headed to the flakes to earn money by stacking the drying fish under small houses that resembled 4-foot long barn roofs. The drying process took 10 days to 2 weeks and resulted in a fish that resembled leather. To reconstitute for use, the dried cod was soaked in water or milk overnight, changing the water occasionally. I have eaten it so bland that salt needed to be added back IN to season properly. Too true--they are two different animals (despite the fact that its the same animal!).And on another note, I friend of mine used to work in a fish market. One day I dropped by and he was holding a piece of cod over his head against the fluorescent ceiling light. When I asked him what he was doing, he looked around, and when he noticed that there was no one was listening, admitted he was looking for worms. He did say, though, that if any "real" customers ever asked, he had been told to say that he was looking for BONES.