cpl55

Hi, all- I've gotten really into Omakase lately, and I love learning more about all aspects of sushi and its ingredients. Can you recommend a resource for learning more about high-end sushi, fish, grading of things like tuna, etc? Thanks very much! Christina

Hi, huiray - Oh no, I'm not looking for California cuisine/experience in the least. Just don't need a full formal Southern meal every night. (Also going to Charleston this trip, and have that type of dining covered). Trying to mix it up a little, and I always enjoy low-key neighborhood-type places as well as formal ones. (Plus, the big production/staid sorts of places tend to have plenty of press, and I find they often - not always - are tired and rest on their laurels, resulting in food quality that is less than stellar. Just my experience.) I'm asking for recommendations for the "finds; places that are perhaps lesser-known, maybe not the ones that will come up on all the websites because they're not necessarily the oldest or most touristy, but have good food and that the locals enjoy. The place that your friend in town tells you about vs. all the touristy websites. That's what I'm hoping for. Thanks!

Hello, all - I'm going to be in Savannah in September, and I'm looking for some recommendations... I've booked Local 11Ten, plan to eat downstairs at the bar area of Olde Pink House (I heard that was better/more fun than booking a table). I have one more night there and I'm looking for ideas. Considered Elizabeth on 37th, and it looks good, but honestly I'd like to find something maybe a little less formal. (Price isn't really an issue, but being a Californian, I like the slightly more casual, "find" type of places: the ones with amazing food, whether simple or fancy, the places locals love, the up and coming chefs, etc.) Also looked at Alligator Soul, but I've read both really good and not-so-good things. I greatly appreciate any recommendations you might have... Thanks much, Christina

Hi, all- In NYC, looking for a low-key, neighborhood sort of Italian place with great homemade pasta... Any recommendations? Thanks so much, Christina

Thanks so much for the insights, Patrick. Good to hear your praise of il Buco. Diner sounds great (though I'm hoping to make reservations for most places if at all possible, and they don't take 'em). Also, as of the last hour, looking at Craft, Lincoln and Fatty Cue, any experiences with those? thanks to all, Christina

Hello, all - I'm visiting NYC in mid-February, and looking for suggestions. So far I have booked the chef's tasting menu at Torrisi, and am contemplating il Buco. Also read with great interest the review here of the new Acme. Basically, for the balance of the lunches and dinners, I'm looking for good food, probably on the more casual side (flexible on that, but probably not looking for Per Se, EMP or similar). What are some of your "finds", for a nice meal/nice space, but relatively simple? For lunch so far we're planning on Grimaldi's (touristy, I know, but I love their pizza), Momofuku (I understand there is more than one, which do you recommend?) I greatly appreciate any thoughts! Best, Christina

Sounds good, Chris... thanks for the information! Christina

Hello, Chrises and any other Hobart owners/restorers. I have just acquired a vintage Hobart slicer myself, a 410. I am trying to clean it up a bit, and it has the typical "crud" in the recesses. In particular, the thickness index numbers and marks, which are recessed. I would like to clean them out, and then repaint with black enamel. Can you recommend the best way to do this? (Trying to scrape them out isn't working too well.) Is there a product that will clean out the crud without damaging the burnished aluminum? I appreciate any suggestions... thanks! Christina www.sleepleessfoodie.com

Excellent point, guys. I did discover that (the difficulty in weighing out 2 g on my kitchen scale.) Ended up doing sort of what Dougal is suggesting... measured out what the book said for 3 lbs (and its t measurement) and eyeballed it. I just ordered a digital pocket scale from Amazon. Great suggestion, thank you! (And only $6.15; cheapest piece of equipment yet!) thanks again, c

Cool, thanks Chris!

Hello, all - Well, I have my humidity situation under control in my curing chamber now, thanks to all of your helpful advice. My question today is regarding DQ/Instacure/Prague Powder #2, and how much to use as a minimum. I'm making another bresaola, and I know the amount for a 3-lb eye of round is 4 grams (per Polcyn/Ruhlman. However, I have a small piece of meat, only 1.5 lbs. So is it as simple as cutting the cure #2 in half, to 2 grams? (Wanted to double check as I know too much or too little can have big consequences and I'm very new at this nitrite/nitrate stuff!) Thanks again for being such a wealth of information... Christina

Ah, thanks, Dougal. I actually had the same concern with putting the dehumidifier controller (along with all the electrical connections) inside the fridge. What I have done (and it seems to be working pretty well so far) is place the dehumidifier controller outside the fridge, and set it relative to the humidity in the room it's in... so that proportionately it manages to regulate the humidity INSIDE the fridge at the rate I desire. (Yah, made my head hurt trying to figure that out at first!) So far, so good... but it's good to know that the steady 60% isn't too much of a concern. (Would you worry at all with a bigger item like a bresaola, that the outside might dry out too quickly, or will 60% be enough to prevent that? (I have it in a collagen casing, incidentally.) thanks! Christina

Ah, thanks for the quick responses, Chris and Vice. So, just to confirm I've got this straight; I'll want to get this: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-Dehumidifier-Control-1UHG2?Pid=search and plug my dehumidifier into it, right? thanks! c

Hi again, everyone- Okay, so now I have my VT-28TEDS, with 4.5 pounds of Bresaola hanging in it. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I was having trouble with high humidity (steady in the mid-80s, mostly.) As Dougal suggested, I got the dehumidifier from ACE. That dropped it down promptly. Only trouble is, it drops the humidity a little too much, to the low 60s. If I turn it off, the humidity jumps to 85% within minutes, when I turn it on, back to the low 60s. Sooooo... anything I can do to help stabilize this? (Through all of this, the bresaola seems to be hanging tough; it's forming nice white, smooth mold so far.) Thanks so much for your help! Christina www.sleeplessfoodie.com

Thanks, Dougal and Chris, for all of your helpful information, I really appreciate it! My 12-bottle wine cooler was not large enough (thanks, Dougal, for pointing out the size of chamber-to-meat issue, which hadn't occurred to me). As a result, because I am completely hooked on charcuterie, I picked up a Vinotemp VT-28TEDS. The humidity dropped rapidly once I put the salami in there, and everything about it is much better than trying to work with the much smaller 12-bottle model. Chris, about how many pounds of meat are you able to put in there at one time without exceeding the space-to-meat "ratio" for acceptable humidity? Christina