Wilfrid

Reflexions?

Ditto on Corrigan. And La Trompette's overachieving as a neighborhood place, but I cannot see why it's rated higher than The Square or The Captial - an inconceivable result.

Didn't we conclude a while back that lists of restaurants by stars are no longer available on the NYT web-site? Still, you can look 'em up individually. Sammy's currently has no star rating, although it is correctly described as "expensive". The reviewer quoted is Reichl, April 1998.

My heart always sinks when visitors from the UK ask to be taken to Little Italy. But in addition to the food shops, I would recommend the atmosphere in Mare Chiaro, an ancient and cavernous bar on Mulberry where you will still find young Italian men in expensive suits smoking vast cigars. A little bit of 'Mean Streets' if that's to your taste.

Yep, I'll be doing Simon's goat too, if you see what I mean.

Twice-cooked rabbit with creamed puree of sorrel and home-made baked beans. The rabbit very gently poached in stock with fresh sage leaves until just cooked through. Then an olive oil bath, sprinkled with breadcrumbs (not coated, just enough to give some crunch) and browned under the grill. Sorrel from Union Square, quickly blanched, then chopped finely (like chopping wet tissue paper - weird), and warmed through as a little heavy cream is stirred in. A 1996 AC St Emilion was very nice too, along with a slice of Cato Farm Vivace.

I've been using a Le Creuset grill for several years, and it shows no signs of wear despite the high temperatures. Unlike the one picture, it's rectangular with a single handle (like a saucepan) which makes it damn heavy to lift. Otherwise, it's fine.

You are absolutely right. I misread lxt's post. Apologies. Raise a flag. Someone just courteously admitted they were wrong about something. I guess us Brits are just a little bit special.

Thanks, because I had plans for the weekend. So, Steve, what does all this tell us?

Claiming that an author's (or other kind of "creator"'s) peers are best placed to evaluate a work is not the intentional fallacy. That's what lxt said.

Antoine's in N.O. Oysters Rockefeller. And Oysters Foch. Caesar Cardini. The Caesar salad. (I looked that up). Antoine Careme. Lamb chops with Reform Club sauce. Can someone say when we're allowed to stop?

And so in love with himself.

Tommy posts a "restaurant report". Doesn't happen "often enough", say fans of his "polished prose style", while others despair at his "all lower case" "laziness".

I just wanted to mention Chiado briefly; it was a little disappointing, although it came well recommended. It's a self-described Portuguese restaurant, but I found that - a little like New York's Pico - the Portuguese traits are more in the decor and wine list than the cooking. There were a few Portuguese specialities on an otherwise fairly general 'Mediterranean' menu. The decor is nicely old-fashioned - wood panelling, oil paintings - but the restaurant was a little too dimly lit to appreciate this, or indeed to read the menu. They didn't seem thrilled to see a single, even on a Sunday evening, and I was seated in a fairly draughty space near the front door. The more cheerful back room might have helped me enjoy the food. They had clam and chorizo stew, but the version I ate at Pico was so memorably nasty that I couldn't face it. I tried grilled sardines (they also offer them raw). They were meaty enough, served on the bone, but not exactly bursting with flavor. The menu was confusingly laid out. It offers first, second and third dishes, so I thought I could order an appetizer, fish and then meat, but when I ordered a fish dish (under second courses list), and then rabbit, I was told I had ordered two entrees. Whatever, I discarded the fish dish (maybe a mistake as the restaurant has a reputation for fish) and settled for the special rabbit Portuguese-style. They warned me it would take some time to prepare, and it did, but at least it was served hot. Saddle and leg of crisply roasted rabbit, quite acceptable, but again not sensational. A glass of Grao Vasco white to start, then a Portguese red, and a Canadian ice wine with the dessert, Tocinho de Ceu, which turned out to be a sort of squash version of pumpkin pie, and was pleasant enough with an interesting texture. An okay meal rather than stellar, although the $70 US price tag ($113 Canadian) also helped digest it. By the way, what depressingly small measures of spirits are served in Toronto. An apple martini I drank as a nightcap was mainly fruit juice!

I did once braise a goat shank in Barcelona, in white rioja with lashings of frsh rosemary. Stock? I can't remember. But it was very good, and the sauce left, in the fridge overnight, set as a lovely beige goat jelly! Simon Majumdar - please post your goat with apples recipe.

I think I might take the plunge tonight, as I spotted the amusingly named "Manwich" in my local pharmacy (I kid you not). And I am too infirm to eat anything fancy. I have some home made baked beans to accompany it, and I can "phut" gently to myself while watching the ball game.

Cabby: beyond parody. Rich, I did think of you, but to be fair - the people on this thread have been pretty fantastically rude to each other.

You think I'm not getting these PMs? Ha. Trouble is, at a second level of irony, I believe the Pms are being sent to me as a parody of the PMs Plotters reports receiving.

to put it in the borg's words, resistance is futile. it's a lot more fun to watch. and for the record, i'm the one who used the words "pompous and presumptuous." however, wilfrid took my comment way out of context. clearly i was being supportive. I think the member who said "obnoxious" was basically sympathetic to FG too.

Yes, there's a consensus there. ADNY's mailings are the consistently least interesting of the ones I receive from restaurants.

I got another PM describing Fat Bloke as "obnoxious" and "confrontational" on this thread. Cabby, most members are just scaredy cats!

Will it include ADNY, or are you omitting chain restaurants?

Oh, you're parodying him. Didn't you know you're supposed to start your posts with "Gee" when you do that? eGullet etiquette.

That's what you said, Steven. I agree it's reminiscent of some things Plotters has said in the past, but I don't think we all need to adopt his idiosyncracies. By the way, I just received a PM describing your tone as "pompous and presumptuous." Love these PMs.

Thanks for the tip, Steven. That's very useful. Do you really want to send out the message that people need to have had considerably more experience of restaurants than Cabrales before they can participate in an eGullet discussion? Trying to reduce the membership for some reason? Or did you just get out of the wrong side of bed?