Jump to content

CooksQuest

participating member
  • Posts

    119
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by CooksQuest

  1. CooksQuest

    Kang Suh

    I was there just before the Rangers/Flyers game recently. I had trouble finding it. I don't believe they have a visible sign. (If they do, I completely missed it). Even from directly across the street -- looking *at* the restaurant -- I missed it.
  2. Loved Tampopo. Now that's a *great* movie. You'll never eat ramen again without occasionally thinking of that movie. Sadly, Dinner Rush may not have the same effect on me.
  3. For stocks, beans, soups, stews, and odd/delicious cuts of meat (oxtail, short ribs) I use a pressure cooker. I can't imagine why I would want to make the same dish in 6-8 hours that would only take me 40 minutes at the most in my pressure cooker. But, hey, I've never used a crock pot so I may not be the best judge...
  4. CooksQuest

    Chili con Carne

    My favorite breakfast made by my grandmother (in New York, and also in Connecticut) was a chili omelet. The chili (from the night before) is used to fill the omelet and also placed on top. It's one of my favorite combinations. I was happy to find it on a menu in Northampton, Massachusetts at a local diner (called "Jakes", I think). Almost like the one I remember from childhood. It's hard to find it on menus in the Northeast though. Thanks for the memory...
  5. Bradley's (on University Place in New York City). For the amazing jazz...not necessarily for the food. And also for that amazing table (kind of private -- and perfect for a date) in the corner. Do you remember the Seinfeld episode where the sax player had a special problem with Elaine? That was Bradley's! Oh, man. I just realized this was supposed to be a NJ post. So, I vote for "The Secret Ingredient" on Washington St. in Hoboken. Great (but small) place for brunch. The marshall (or some other city official) shut it down.
  6. Nikujaga (beef and potato stew). But, man is it difficult to find. More of a home cooked dish...
  7. Zaru-soba... Oh yeah.... But they taste best in the little round bowls stacked high. Had 'em once in Tokyo like that.
  8. CooksQuest

    Reputation Makers

    I've found that another very impressive sleight-of-hand is when I release the valve on my Magefesa pressure cooker (usually just before serving my red lentil soup (homemade stock) with crumbled sausage and chives (both added for garnish)). Since it's a second-generation pressure cooker, it is virtually silent until I release the pressure. A great surprise. There's nothing like loud, hissing steam to impress the guests...
  9. An ad hominem attack. Not necessary. Nevertheless, I felt the need to feed the meter after only 20 minutes because I figured, by the time I got back I would be seated (or just about to be seated) and would have only 60 - (20 +8) = 32 minutes to eat my food. Just under an hour would have been much better. Also, he watched us drink his drinks for the 20 minutes. He knew we existed. If I made a mistake, it was not first speaking to him. But he had no right to take such a harsh tone with them. Also, I used to live in Manhattan at 77th and 3rd! I still feel as if it is my neighborhood. It's been many years, and even the guys at the corner liquor store still recognize me! That's why I suggested J.G. Mellon in the first place. I love the burbs, by the way. And I love Manhattan. But....I don't live in the burbs. Hold you breath... I live in.......Hoboken (another State). Holy Cow!
  10. I found myself visiting a friend on the Upper East Side last sunday with my wife, and thought I would catch a brunch a J.G. Mellon (3rd and 70 something St.) I parked 5 blocks from the restaurant (one hour meter) and proceeded to brunch. We put my name on the list and was told it would be about a 20-25 minute wait. After waiting 20 minutes inside the restaurant -- drinking some drinks purchased at their bar -- I thought that I should put a full hour in the meter and walked briskly to the car (leaving my wife and friend at the restaurant). When I came back no more that 7-8 minutes later, I found the two outside. They had walked out. The owner (an older gentleman who has been selling J.G. Mellon's burgers for the past 30 years or so -- according to yesterday's New York Times) said he couldn't seat them because I wasn't there. They explained I would be back instantly. He was extremely rude, reportedly using a very harsh tone (strange since he had been "flirting" with them just prior to the waitress calling our name). I had even told them exactly what to order for me (a bacon cheeseburger with fries). He reportedly said, "where did he park, in the Bronx"? We were left to search for a new brunch place. By that time it was 2:00 in the afternoon. Luckily for the restaurant, my wife and friend did not allow me in to have a word with the old guy. I'm still upset about how lousy they were treated. Seriously -- I would have been back immediately. And we had been waiting there, putting in time. It was not a situation where we were waiting for a friend that may or may not show up. Oh, and about those fries.... We saw the waitress eat a few of them off of the plates waiting at the warming rack just before she served them to the unsuspecting guests. (The plates were waiting for about 5 minutes even after the bell was rung by the cook). Apologies in advance for the venting.
  11. CooksQuest

    Reputation Makers

    There's nothing like a good appetizer to set the tone for the rest of the meal. I like to serve eel sushi. I'll make a few rolls, and present them (cut into average size) and throw a couple of large non-rolled eel slices on a pat of rice tied with a small piece of nori. For some reason, many of my friends believe that sushi is something one can only get in a restaurant. They are *very* surprised to see it presented. They are also surpirsed how delicious the eel is. (I like to use fresh water eel). And it's so easy... Since I buy the eel pre-cooked in a frozen package, I just broil it, peel the skin, and slice it. It's the sleight-of-hand stuff that FG was referring to. Hey, and you get to demonstrate as you prepare...
  12. CooksQuest

    Panko

    I once heard that their "low" sushi prices are a result of robot-sushi making. Many of their pre-packaged goods, apparently, are produced with minimal human intervention. Can anyone confirm this? I've had the soba a few times, but wish they would bring back the cold soba they used to offer. I never noticed panko in the soba soup. But I defer, of course, to Soba Addict! The name is Daikichi Sushi.
  13. Don't forget "Cooking with the [New York] Times" for a great duck recipe. With a high-speed connection, you can easily watch an instructor from the French Culinary Institute go from prep to plate...
  14. CooksQuest

    Bagels

    Hoboken Bagels on Washington St. (in -- of course -- Hoboken) is excellent. (It's the one right next to the ice cream store. It's got a screen door, a line to the curb sometimes, and a small table outside in front). I always ask for the well-done ones. They are very close to the ones I used to get on Union Turnpike in Queens, New York (a very traditional New York Jewish bagel store which burned to the ground several years ago). Go onion!!!
  15. CooksQuest

    Brown Rice

    Why does cooking brown rice take *so* much longer than cooking white rice?
  16. I've got the Magefesa (6 qt). It is simply one of the best appliances I own. Great for risotto, chicken stock, and yes you can even make demi-glace (after roasting the bones). Also great for artichokes, butternut squash, soups!!!, tomato sauces... Not to mention oxtail and short ribs (requires quick degreasing, but comes out great). I never thought I would use it so much. A sous-chef friend of mine recommended it. I purchased the Magefesa on Cooks' Illustrated's recommendation.
  17. Northeastern Brazil (especially the State of Bahia) is famous for its use of dendé -- palm oil. The smell is intoxicating, thick, and musty, and lends an amazing color to the dish. It'll bring you back to memories of a prior trip in a split second. It's also available in the States (easy to find in New York City). How bad is the stuff for one's arteries? I stopped using it some years ago after getting a lot of flack... Any good recent New England Journal of Medicine or American Medical Association studies on the health effects (positive or negative) of palm oil?
  18. Sorry, Wilfrid. Thanks for the original post.
  19. There's an annual fee of $2,000 - $5,000 (apparently yet to be determined). Check out: Article.
  20. Texan -- That's probably it! :-) I do take the step of toasting the french bread, but it inevitably is not the right size. Next time, I'll cut it to fit as you suggest. Spoonful -- I use a mix of provolone and gruyère for the top. Sometimes I'll throw some Jarlsberg and gruyère in the bottom for added effect.
  21. I love making french onion soup. But, for some freakin' reason, I can't get the cheese to stay on top like you get at some of the NY restaurants. It *always* melts into the soup. I've tried: 1) french onion soup bowls; 2) oversized cheese; 3) not so oversized cheese -- shredded cheese (pinched also on the sides of the bowl); 4) high broil; 5) low broil; 6) close broil; 7) more distant broil; 8) crusty french bread underneath the cheese (right on top of the soup); 9) soup filled higher in the bowl; and 10) soup not so high in the bowl. What's the trick?
  22. I cook for people who don't feel bad. And, especially, for those who do. i pity those who don't cook for people who feel bad. I feel for people who cook for bad people. I feel people who cook and aren't bad people. For I cook people who don't feel bad. I don't cook for bad people. Don't feel bad, for I cook people. Feel bad for people who I don't cook. I don't feel bad for cook people. I don't cook, I feel bad. I cook. I feel. I bad. If you stare at this thing for long enough, the lines start moving..... People are nice, flowers are nice, people are flowers.
  23. CooksQuest

    Buffalo Basting

    Excellent. Thanks. I will try Frank's, as well as Dave the Cook's mix. You know, that thread Dave referenced got me thinking I should restock my Cholula.
×
×
  • Create New...