LESider

His version sounds tasty, but I would cook it lower and slower. maybe 250-300 for 4-6 hours. this will make the meat more tender. then you can blast it at 400+ for the last 15 min to 1/2 hour to crisp up the skin...

I enjoyed the review, the writing is solid as far as reviews go and not stylistically out there. I like the fact that he says it was expensive but didn't go on and on about the price.( ala New York's Adam Platty)Fine Dining isn't cheap and if it is your not eating the best product. Really Bruni wrote a few decent reviews and a lot of sh*tty ones. His best piece of writing wasn't a review but that piece where he went and worked as a waiter as Chris Schlessingers restaurant. Thank god he's gone. In particular that piece about the Charles restaurant was a waste of ink and one of the reasons why the NY Times Food Section lacks. So, bravo Sam sifton and a new era. Its early and he'll continue to improve no doubt. Although Iwas surprised he didn't like the seafood soup that many others said was good. ?

Gray Kunz @ Lespinasse

I still like Pho Bang and Cong Ly as well. I had a meal at the vietnamese restaurant on Doyers street this past Sunday and the Pho was the worst I can ever remember having. I hope my defense mechanisms kick in soon so I can forget it...

who knew that anger was gonna be the impetus for bruni's most interesting writing.

Had a few tacos the other day at Pinche Tacos , Mott St., nr. Spring St. Have to say it was the best tasting taco I've had in NYC yet. I find all the tacos I've had in New York city for the past 9 years pretty sh*t. ( I've had the ones on 10th ave. had the taco truck on 14th. La Esquina. made the trek on the F to Jackson Heights. ) I had a chat with the guy who owns it about the state of mexican food in NYC and he felt the same as me that none of them are very good, which is why he opened one here. He apparently owns a couple of taco shops in Tijuana and brought the cook from there to teach the cooks here how they should be made. the tortilla was delicious. I had the carne asada and the pollo asado . I'd give the chicken a big nod. the steak was good. going back to try more...

"I haven't spent a Saturday checking out Edison."-Fat Guy I've been to Edison and I don't need to go back , especially on a Saturday...

After much anticipation My wife and I had lunch in September at St Johns. She had the beetroot salad for a starter and I had the Bone Marrow Salad. Both were tasty. The room is okay in a sparse way . It was 90 percent full, mostly men. The mains were a little off for us though. My wife had the smoked haddock (finnan haddie?) with mash and I had the lamb sweetbreads with radish. The smoked fish was served warm and it was huge! but it was really salty. Now I'm not sure if this is part of the curing/smoking process, but it was what I'd call "hot" salty. The sweetbreads were good but I felt they needed a bit more carmelization. Little bit of letdown as the product was good, but technique slightly lacking. I'd go back and try it again if I lived in London. the bone marrow would be worth the return....

Yeah shanghai! good stuff. had the steamed buns and liked. but the winning dish we had recently was Eggplant with minced pork in pot . beautiful bite sized morsles of eggplant with a great zingy sauce.

Brian, I just visited Paris a few weeks ago and stayed in Le Marais at Hotel des Archives. I booked it through this hotel website (http://www.hotels-paris.fr/) and it was 115 euro a night. The rooms were small but clean and its right near the Pompadou Center,not far from the Louve, and walking distance to the Latin Quarter. We had a really nice lunch at les bouquinistes ( http://www.lesbouquinistes.com) which Guy Savoy consulted on the menu. Had a delicous lamb carpaccio for a starter and a perfectly cooked Brandade for a main. I would recommend skipping the Bon Marche. I found it expensive and there are many more small shops and marches that are cheaper and just as interesting. Truth is if you want to buy things like Mustard , Salt and wine ,visit a supermarket. Enjoy the trip !

Michael Collins was the man who lead the fight for Irish Independance from GB. There's a decent enough film with that title out ,Liam Neeson plays the lead. The film is good in that it gives a general explanation of the Irish History of that time. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117039/ If you watch it tell me who's Irish accent is worse. Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise in "Far and Away". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104231/ anyways has anyone tried the Connemara Whisky? I have and let me tell you its not for the faint of heart. Smoked Peat flavor up the wazoo. way too much for me. an aquired taste as far as I'm concerned. Also some of the aged Jamesons are really nice. I have to give a tip of the hat to the Crested Ten and the 12 yr old.

You can reheat them in the braising liquid on the stovetop. its the best way. when they are warm then trnasfer them to a plate and you can reduce all or some of the liquid and glaze the meat with it.

Went to the Pongsri at 23rd and 7th Ave. with a Thai friend and he ordered off their Thai Menu. Really amazing. We had Softw Shell Crab with Salted Duck Egg Curry and many other dishes unavailable in English. I always wonder why they only offer a watered down version of Thai food in NYC. probably to avoid people sending food back that's" too spicy or not what they expected." Anyway if you can crack the code they can make some really interesting thai food here. My friend oredered this one Larb like salad served in a coconut tuille that he called "thai taco" . He said that he's never seen this dish in a restaraunt in Thialand only served as "street food".

I recently graduated from a community college and am now working in a NYC four star restaurant. If you can afford the CIA or Johnson & Wales program , your going to get a good education. But if you can't it shouldn't stop you. You'll have some good instructors/bad instructors along the way. Really, you get out of it what you put into it. Then you may have to work your way through some decent kicthens to get where your going. You'll need someone willing to give you a shot. Doing an Externship at a multi-starred restaurant will help your cause. Best of Luck

Esti-hana W. 79th btw Amsterdam and B'way I was recently having a drink at the Dublin House and someone brought an eggroll and a dumpling from this Esti-hana in from there. It was by far the greasiest , nastiest piece of food I have ever tasted. Really I wanted to go over to the restaurant and throw it back in their face it was so gross, and I didn't pay for it. They should be shut down.

Russ's comment is a great description of how surprsed I was by the Truffled Popcorn Per Se was giving away as a taster on Chef's Night Out last week. It was pretty clever

Well I've lived in NYC for about five years now and have made some forays into Harlem to try some of the soul food establishments. Usually I'm just happy to have some soul food and am not too picky , but in the back of my mind I thought that there was something better to be had. I've been to Charles Southern for the Chicken and its good when it's fresh and the oxtails are a knockout when fresh, but I felt most of the items had been sitting on the steam table too long. Sylvia's is a tourist joint and the food not up to par with what it may have been in the past. Miss Mamies Spoonbread II was another one where it was ok, but nothing made me want to get back there in any hurry. Last night I ate at Amy Ruth's on 115th and I have to say it was the best meal I've had in Harlem. I had the Fried Chicken and Collard Greens and Corn Pudding. The make everything fresh to order, so you'll be sitting there a little while but it was well worth the wait. The fried chicken I ordered was a breast with the wing attached and had a nice crispy coating. I was with three others and they had the Lamb special, Roast Turkey special and Fried Catfish. I thought all the sides were good with the collards standing out for their smokiness and spice. also liked the bite of the coleslaw. I'm not much for sweet tea, that sh*t give's me a toothache and Amy Ruth's will make you call your dentist on your cell phone. So if that's your thing well good luck to you... This place must get pretty busy on the weekend and if your thinking of brunch I can only imagine the wait. Overall I thought that this is what some good Harlem soul food could taste like and I'll be going back sometime soon.

I don't see the posts as negative , more realistic. I am currently persuing a culinary career and everyone I run into says it's a hard way to live. and they are right. Bond Girl has no experience in a restaurant , which is why many are giving her the facts. long days and hard work( and in the case of chefs , not much money initially). I would suggest getting a job somewhere you like( or where you think it's done right) for even three to six months. maybe as an assitant manager so you could see how much food costs,how table's turn and the other details of service. I currently work at a restaurant that serves New American Cuisine for a prix fix of $25. that's 25 bucks plus additional beverage making the check averages around 40-50 bucks. In that scenario it's all about portion control and smart buying. It can be done. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle of running a restaurant and if your making good food and have good service in NYC then your already ahead of the other 85% of the places that exist in my opinion. Best of Luck.

I like Russ and Daughter's and Katz's. I think R&D might be a bit sweeter that Katz's

I agree, I've had some really tasty sandwiches there. The last one I recall was a pork sausage cooked to order made with apricots and an herb which I forget. It was excellent. It was not a sausage with casing, but trhe meat mixture flattened out into a patty. That said, there pasta's look depressing. and someof the other premade stuff seems mediocre. But its one of those, you have to order right kinda places.

I've used the Reynolds Oven bags in the past and they do reduce the cooking time. They keep the bird pretty moist. But that said I've had good results with cooking the bird breast side down and then flipping it. It gets a little tricky to handle the turkey once its cooking but it can be done, thing is you don't want to damage the skin. Nothing like a nicely browned bird. But one missing skin would be another thing...

Your right ,the place doesn't get the press(or mentions on EG) it deserves and many other's get the undeserved (Otto) . Guess it's up to you to filter through the dreck. That said, I went to Peasant with six others and we all loved it. real nice service and the room is warm and the smells from the oven great. I had suckling pig with some amazing crackling skin. It's the restaurant I recommend to people when they ask where to eat in Little Italy. (NoLita , NoThinkso.)

I had lunch there a week ago and it was just ok. I had a beef burrito. and my fiance had an avocado salad. I live only a few blocks away so I was crossing my fingers that it would be a worthy stop. I may try it again, but I have to say if they can't do a simple beef burrito... Why can't somebody open up a good taqueria in this town? damn. I was just in California this weekend and had a fish taco that was excellent. Not even a tacqueria but some random cafe in Mendocino. the flavors are fresh and bright. The salsa excellent pico de gallo, the beans : black and tasty, the rice fine. Guacamole. hit the spot. and fresh corn tortilla's. then search continue's

the Ecco's will probably do you nicely. I've been wearing lace up Clark's for a year now and can recommend them highly.