Eric_Malson
-
Posts
362 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Eric_Malson
-
-
Hundreds of recipes.....how can one emit an informed opinion about the local cuisine by shying away from its main staple? It's beyond my comprehension. Bacalhau à Gómes de Sá, bacalhau a brás, bacalhau dourado, bacalhau a lagareiro... Mmmmm... It's the soul of Portugal.
Actually, having lived in Lisbon for 4 years, in this particular case I can understand it. Although there are literally hundreds and hundreds of traditional prepartations for bacalhau, in Lisbon especially it is quite easy to order it in a restaurant and be presented with a much-less-than-enthralling version, putting one off the whole idea of bacalhau for a good long time. Bacalhau also tends to be a "prato do dia" (daily special) in restaurants, so that if one decides that one wants bacalhau, one must go around to restaurants and look at menus to see who is making what that day (and if it's good, it always sells out early!).
I think I would pretty definitely put bacalhau in the "acquired taste" category, so it's important, I think, to first decide in exactly what guise you'd first like to try it. Then you need to figure out what it's likely to be called....many ostensibly different bacalhau dishes with myriad names are essentially similar preparations, and some of the fanciful names for bacalhau dishes give you no idea what you'll be getting. Then the next trick is finding a restaurant that will actually serve you what you think you want. Bacalhau à Brás and Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá are wonderful ways to eat bacalhau, but trying to find it in a restaurant can be very tricky. Bacalhau à Lagareiro is also delicious, but it's a dish from the north (where most of the best Portuguese cooking comes from, IMHO, and that goes double for bacalhau recipes) and especially difficult to find in Lisbon. The most common bacalhau preparations most easily found in Lisbon are, to my mind, the least appealing, usually involving boiling it, with boiled vegetables on the side (Bacalhau com Todos.....ick.....).
Was Stop do Bairro one I had recommended, or did you get that from somewhere else? I usually don't bother mentioning it because the neighborhood is just far enough away from anywhere I usually want to go, but as you found out, it has an excellent kitchen! I'm going to have to check out Tasquinha d'Adelaide the next time I'm there....it sounds great. Many of the fancier restaurants do keep the door locked and make you ring to be admitted. It's an interesting quirk, and I don't think I've encountered it anywhere but Lisbon.
It's too bad you never found O Pereira de Alfama open....it always seemed to be open (and, especially, closed) at the most unexpected times. For some reason, I'm pleased you took the trouble to look, and that joint really is worth the effort to try and find them open. I still have dreams about some of the delicious pastries at Casa de Matilde. Did you ever check out the restaurant directly across the street? (forever known to me as the one that serves "hare pie"....)
And congratulations on your excellent order technique, btw. In my experience, when in doubt it's the only way!
-
Dortmunder is from Dortmund, Germany. I'm surprised it's not available....I used to drink it in college (this was in Indiana).
If you could arrange to import the greatest Hefe-weizen of them all, I would be your undying fan. It's called "Unertl" and it's from Bavaria somewhere (Germany).
-
The jars in my refrigerator are made by Koon Chun. They're pretty good, and quite readily available.
Years ago I used to like a hot bean sauce that came in small, bright blue cans (don't remember the name). I haven't seen these in years, but also haven't looked in Chinatown for them in years, either.
Also many years ago I played some concerts with a wonderful cellist named Ben Hong. I don't suppose you're the same person, but the Bach/Beethoven reference made me wonder!
-
With one notable exception, most of my faves are covered in Jason Perlow's and Mr. Bourdain's lists (although I like my Hot and Sour soup good and sour--spiciness is secondary).
My favorite soup in recent years is one I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned (only because it's so very delicious)--sauerkraut soup. I bought a Hungarian cookbook several years ago, was intrigued by the recipe, tried it, and it was fantastic first time out. But how could anything but ambrosia result from bacon, onions, egg barley, sauerkraut, paprika, slices of smoked sausage and sour cream cooked together? Definitely a winter soup.
Thank you, Jason, for mentioning Spanish garlic soup....I haven't thought about it in years. The first time I tried it was in my first meal ever in a restaurant in Spain, and I've never tasted a sopa de ajo as good since. Not quite knowing what to expect when I ordered it, I was presented with an earthenware crock, higher than its width, crammed with chunks of cured ham, cubes of stale bread, a poached egg, and the garlic "broth", seasoned with paprika. It was heavenly, and several attempts to reproduce it in my kitchen have not produced anything nearly as delicious.
My second-favorite soup (if frequency of preparation is an accurate guage) is Portuguese sopa alentejana, a reduced-to-the-bare-essentials cousin of the Spanish garlic soup.....I made it once for bergerka and slkinsey, who can provide testimonials as to its garlicky goodness.
I'm also a big borscht fan, with or without beets.....my hands-down favorite is the white borscht you can get in Polish restaurants in the East Village (ok, I'm probably going to love anything with slices of smoked sausage, sour cream, and a sour kick to it....).
I can't wait for the weather to get cold enough to try that white cheddar and ale soup!
-
the LU "Little Schoolboys" (Le Petit Ecolier) . Also known as Crack.
There exists nothing better prepackaged. Period.
French-made butter cookies topped with a slab of milk chocolate.
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/bis...us.php3?item=51
Better - the ones with DARK chocolate.
Another Le Petit Ecolier addict here....dark chocolate only. They're literally the only pre-packaged cookie I ever buy. Except........
About once a year I'll buy a package of those Belgian waffle cookies (brand? Destrooper, or something like that maybe?). They're good for that rare occasion when I want a cookie that's not chocolate.
Since my mother was a professional Girl Scout, we had LOTS of Girl Scout cookies growing up. Speaking of changing recipes, I LOVED the Thin Mints the way they were made 25 or 30 years ago. Somewhere along the line they changed manufacturers (and recipes), and the new(er) Thin Mints don't appeal to me at all.
I liked Scot Teas, too (are those still made?). -
Of course, one has to be careful when one is eating a soft cooked egg and using one's laptop at the same time, lest the egg spill into the keyboard... Not that I know anyone to whom such a thing has happened...
BWAHAHAHA!!! I'm glad I didn't have a mouthful of cappuccino when I read that, or it would be all over the computer screen!
Full disclosure: One morning I was eating a soft-boiled egg and trying to answer e-mail on my laptop at WAY too early an hour and, in my sleepy haze, knocked it off its little perch. Naturally, the egg skated across the keyboard to its final resting place over by the screen, allowing the runny yolk to dribble down those little airholes above the wiring and circuitry....
Amazingly, that laptop worked off and on for another year (all right, more off than on) before giving up the ghost for good.
-
I have seen people put orange juice on cereal... never tried it, anyone do this?
I have a friend who is lactose-intolerant (or allergic to milk--whichever one it actually is....he calls it lactose intolerance for convenience) who puts orange juice on cereal. He claims it's good and that I should try it (uh, no, thanks.... adventure is not something I want in the morning). I suspect it actually is good, though...he got his boyfriend doing it, too, who has no particular reason himself to eschew milk in favor of orange juice.
The repertoire of foods I can face in the morning is very limited, and hot orange juice would not be included (I'm not even crazy about cold orange juice in the morning.....I prefer it later in the afternoon, preferably in a sunny outdoor cafe by the sea in Portugal). An egg is nice, especially in a ramekin with some butter, chicken drippings, and cream.
-
I was all set, mentally, with my reply when 22tango's post about Buffy's Cookbook jogged my memory: I had completely forgotten until that very moment that when I was 9 or 10 I was given a copy of The Peanuts Cookbook.
I remember even using it on occasion--the recipe for french toast in there was better than the recipe in my mom's Betty Crocker cookbook ("Frieda's French Toast", dontcha' know). I parted ways with it many years ago, but perhaps I shouldn't have--copies of it seem to be quite scarce and a quick check on the internet suggests there may even be some demand for it.....who knew?As an adult, my first cookbook purchase was Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook, and I still use it regularly....in fact, it somehow manages to improve with age!
-
With all of the above recipes, I would suggest bearing in mind that there are two basic kinds of Spanish chorizo: the cured, hard kind meant for eating immediately, and the softer kind, cured much less or not at all, meant for cooking.
Although you don't specify, my guess is you bought the harder kind....that would, in fact, be the only kind that would be good to nibble on with hard cheese. I find this kind does not stew well at all. If you cook it, the less the better, in my experience.
I think it could be delicious with eggs. Slkinsey has proven to me how delicious it is as a topping on homemade pizza.
-
When I lived there, I used to spend a fair bit of time in Porto, because I liked the city and the food up there so much. I should be able to suggest a place or two.... (Unfortunately, I had to live in Lisbon because of my job.)
Aha!....I knew I had posted about this before, and I somehow managed to find it. Quoting myself:
[in Porto] I had, generally, fewer stand-out great meals, although I found the level of cooking consisitently higher. One place that one could always count on for an outstanding meal was in the first suburb to the north along the coast, Matosinhos, called Marisqeuira Mauritânia. They specialize in seafood, but I also had many spectacular meat dishes....find out what the daily specials are and order what sounds good. You can hardly go wrong there.North of Porto, in the Minho region, is the town of Ponte de Lima. It's a charming town, as is its sister/rival town up the river a bit, Ponte de Barca. Worth a day trip to see it (especially on market day), but worth a trip from anywhere to eat at A Carvalheira, which is located across the river from the center of Ponte de Lima in the neighborhood called Arcozelo. It's in an old stone house, and the centerpiece of the restaurant is the big stone hearth, where some of the cooking is sometimes done....it's the perfet spot for a warming, winter evening meal. Although everything I tried was superb, the house specialty is pernil de porco assado, or roast pork shoulder (Filipinos, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are quite familiar with this cut), and it is spectacular. Crispy crackling...well, I suppose it's not skin, but fat....on the outside, perfectly tender meat on the inside, accompanied by roasted potatoes and greens (couve, something between cabbage and collard or mustard greens, wilted, then sauteed). The potatoes and greens have so much flavor that it's impossible that they're cooked in simply oil--there's definitely lard working its magic in there. As I recall, one of the other house specialties is arroz de pato (duck with rice, baked in the oven)....I saw some at a neighboring table, and it looked wonderful. I was so intoxicated by the meat and potatoes, I can't remember what else I had (dessert must have been good, but what was it?). At any rate, at about 20 bucks a head, VERY well worth the trip if you're in the vicinity. This place is extremely popular, especially on the weekends, so it would be worth calling ahead (258 742 316).
Chloe can second my recommendation for that last one.
Since you mention Guimarães (I love that town.....don't miss the Paço dos Duques de Bragança), definitely do not miss one of my favorite traditional Portuguese restaurants in the country, Restaurante Carreira. It's out from the center of town, if memory serves, to the west. It's one of those old-fashioned restaurants where you walk through the kitchen to get to your table. I've only had one meal there, but everything we tried was outstanding--I suspect you really can't go wrong here. Really about the best homestyle regional cooking I had in any restaurant in Portugal. It's the kind of place where most dishes come with a nice pot of arroz de feijão (rice cooked with kidney beans, and some bacon and chouriço, of course) on the side. And it's the only restaurant I ever found that has doce de aletria on the menu--a traditional Portuguese dessert made with spaghetti-like noodles, the ubiquitous sweetened egg-custard and cinnamon.....sort of like an eggy rice pudding, except with noodles. Sounds weird, but it's delicious. It's a bit tricky to find--the best address I can come up with for it is Rua 25 de Abril, 1, in the neighborhood called Silvares (there used to be a lot of car dealerships nearby). But ask around--it's worth the trouble! You also might want to call first...the last time I tried to go there it was closed, on a day when it was supposed to be open. Tel: (+351) 253 418 448.
If you think you may be doing some driving around to other cities in the region, I could recommend some other places. Viana do Castelo is a particularly nice town, and Monção is the home of perhaps my favorite Portuguese traditional dish.
-
Sorry I can't be more specific -- the vagaries of portugese labelling have mostly eluded me so far.
Yes, it all can be quite confusing. I did stumble across a website with a lot of general information in one place:
If something sparks your interest and you want to know more, a Google search can then often fill in some of the blanks.
-
This is going to sound incredibly narrow, but about 99.9% of my wine consumption is red.
I'm with you there, fresco.
When I lived there, I ate the vast majority of my meals in restaurants, and always drank red wine with my meals....if one drinks house wines, it is literally cheaper than water!
House wines can be somewhat iffy, but many of the wines commonly sold as house wines in restaurants can be quite drinkable. Naturally, no names come to me at the moment, but it doesn't cost much to experiment (take notes, especially so you can know what to avoid later on!). I seem to remember Alandra, Palmela, Lezíria and Cantanhede being pretty good.
Many wines on the lower end of the cost spectrum cost only slightly more than a restaurant's house wine (and I mean a difference of one or two dollars). My favorite one for a long time in this category was an Alentejo red called Terras do Xisto. I would order this one anyplace that had it (it was sometimes a little hard to find), until whatever year everyone had at that time (1995, I think) ran out and they started in on the next year. The next year tasted completely different (and not, unfortunately, in a good way as far as my preferences were concerned)....I don't know what it's like these days, but I think it would be worth a try. Others in this general range I liked were Periquita (mentioned above...that one used to turn up fairly often as a welcome house wine, but they've been going in for an image upgrade in recent years--still very reasonable, though), Porca de Murça, Duque de Viseu, Grão Vasco, Monte Velho (not to my taste, but popular), Duas Quintas (the non-reserva one--the reserva is MUCH more expensive), Serradayres, Frei João, Evel, Aliança (ok--not great, but I suppose none of these are "great"!), and Alcambar (after my long-lost Terras do Xisto, probably my favorite of the ones mentioned in this category, but quite hard to find).
There are a handful of wines I always seemed to gravitate toward when I wanted to splurge a bit (I never spent more than $15-20 on wine, so there are a LOT of wines I never tried), all quite enjoyable. These are Quinta do Côtto, Quinta da Bacalhoa, Esporão, Quinta do Carmo, and (less so) Tapada do Chaves.
If you find yourself in the mood to try vinho verde and you're in Lisboa, do yourself a favor and go to Caneca da Prata (Rua da Prata, 163/165, about halfway between the Praça do Comercio and the Praça da Figueira). They serve it tapped directly from the cask (de pressão), and it's the perfect accompaniment for their marvelous salgados (savory meat, chicken and fish pastries) made fresh throughout the day (almost uniquely in Lisboa....most places make them early in the day and they sit around until they're gone). For me, this was the perfect joint for a late afternoon snack--it gets very crowded at lunch-time.
-
I've had three brands of true absinthe--two from Portugal (actually not entirely positive the portuguese use wormwood, i've heard conflicting reports) and one from the Czechs.
FWIW, I have a friend in Portugal with whom I discussed absinthe once. He is quite familiar with "controlled substances" and was certain that the Portuguese absinto available now is not the"real thing"--presumably this meant "no wormwood". He also said there used to be a bar near Cais do Sodré (one of the seediest sections of town, near the docks) where you could get a bootlegged version of the real thing, but not for a few years now.
Does consumption of too much absinthe lead to absinthe-teeism?
-
I'm not much of a hiker (or particularly outdoorsy in general), but there is one food item "for the trail" that I love. Of course, my feelings about it are inextricably linked with the surroundings in which it is consumed.
In Asturias (northern Spain), perhaps the most traditional thing to take along to eat while hiking one of the many rutas throughout the province is the bollu preñáu (literally, "pregnant roll" in bable asturianu). It is stuffed bread, ranging in size anywhere from "large dinner roll" to "large loaf of bread". Inside are chunks of bacon, chorizo, often a hardboiled egg....the paprika and garlic of the chorizo permeate the contents. Food for the gods.
I have an indelible memory of hiking the Senda del Cares, a 12-km trail blasted out of rock face and mountain in the heart of the Picos de Europa, built by the governement to monitor a hydroelectric project, stopping when tired or hungry to perch on a rock and nibble some bollu. That hike is one of the most unbelievably beautiful and dramatic walks you can take anywhere, and a bollu preñáu the perfect accompaniment.
-
I personally think Portuguese "sopa alentejana" would fit the bill just fine. I like it any time, but its clear textures and more-or-less light quality make it well-suited for summer eating. Miss bergerka is especially fond of this dish!
For one portion: in a wide, shallow soup bowl, put some cubes of stale bread (enough to cover the bottom and then some), some chopped or sliced garlic (2 or 3 cloves, or more, to taste), some salt, some chopped cilantro, a good glurg of olive oil, a poached egg, and finally some water just off the boil (enough to make it a soup, but not so much that the other ingredients are swimming around helplessly....just use the water you poached the egg in). It's wonderful, and couldn't be simpler.
You can also combine all ingredients in a tureen and ladle out, but I find the individual bowls thing easier.
Edit: Oops! I just noticed the word "vegetable-y" in the initial request.... that this recipe isn't, obviously, but it's tasty anyway.
-
The best chain restaurant in the world -- and I have little doubt that anyone who has been in one would disagree with me on this -- is Autogrill. Nothing else even comes remotely close.
The one meal I had in an Autogrill was so delicious I still remember it quite clearly after 7 years (mmmm......stinchi!). In fact, I would love to eat in one, say, this week maybe.....unfortunately, I'm not in #@*!% Italy right now!!!
I almost never eat in chain restaurants of any sort when I'm home in NYC, and when I do always regret it. Last month I was visiting family in Ohio, and ate in several, including Outback for the first time ever. I really didn't like it much....given the choice, I would rather eat in a Houston's any day.
There is a chain restaurant there in Dayton, Ohio, that I actually like very much--The Chop House. Consulting the website, it appears there are only about 10 locations, all in Tennessee, Kentucky, or Ohio. But for what it is, and the price range-- excellent food.
I have had good meals at some Macaroni Grille locations, but unfortunately, quality seems to be widely variable among various locations. The one in Dayton used to be quite good.....the last time I was there, it had slipped noticeably.
Another chain, although slightly upscale, in which I've had excellent food is J. Alexander's, although the number of locations (about 25) is too low to qulify for this survey, I suppose. At least they're spread out over a much wider area than Chop House.
-
The way I see it, there is nothing wrong with your attitude and plenty wrong with the state of affairs that enables such a business to flourish.
It's not possible to buy a decent, freshly-made doughnut in this city (NYC), presumably because making doughnuts with a reasonable amount of care with real ingredients does not sustain a large enough profit margin to pay the overhead necessary to sustain such a business here.....we can thank corporate culture with its "make everything cheaper/maximize profits" mentality. Sounds like the Doughnut Plant is maximizing profits, all right.
(And let's not bring Krispy Kreme into this....those things are shaped like doughnuts, but there the resemblance ends. Not that they aren't tasty.)
I think the only thing wrong with New Yorkers that patronize establishments like the Doughnut Plant is....um, nothing--the fault isn't theirs. Deprived of the real thing (but still craving it), they have the ability to pay for a high-priced facsimile, so they do.
That's just my take on it.
-
Have fun!
We did!
Miss bergerka, Mr. slkinsey and I just now returned from an evening of carnal debauchery (perhaps that's not the right adjective.....) at Pampa.
It was, in a word, delish! We started with a big plate of empanadas (deep-fried turnovers), half of them humita (corn) and the other half the special flavor for the summer, spinach. The spinach ones were particularly nice, I thought...they used a different dough for these that fried up crisper, almost "lacy". Sam observed they were a bit like deep-fried spanakopita.
Sam and I split the, as he calls it, "gizzard plate"--Pampa calls it the "mixed grill". A veritable avalanche of food, and for 29 bucks for two, a real steal. Beef ribs, entraña, chorizo criollo, morcilla (blood sausage--especially good), kidneys, sweetbreads, and tubular intestine, all in more than ample quantities. Kathleen stuck with the entraña. Of course, we had the garlic fries. The only mediocre note: the potato salad. Skip it and get a different side....there were some mashed sweet potatoes at a neighboring table that were looking pretty tempting.
Crepes with dulce de leche and panqueca de manzana (a sort of crepe with slices of apple cooked in) were the satisfying desserts.
We had a bottle of Gascon Malbec--still, I think, one of the best bargains around in moderately-priced reds.
And now, I can barely move.....I think I just barely have enough energy to lie in bed and read some Balzac.
-
An oeuf en cocotte....egg steamed or baked (in this case, steamed) in a buttered ramekin with a bit of heavy cream poured on the white just as it's starting to set.
-
I'd always liked the idea of Alfredo sauce, but seldom the reality....usually too pasty or floury. Then I came across a recipe somewhere that was simpler than anything else I'd tried, and....bingo! Saute some minced onion in butter until soft, than add heavy cream, bring to a boil, and let it simmer slowly and reduce for 20 or 25 minutes. (A bit of grated nutmeg at the end is good with this, then grated cheese.)
It may not be an "authentic" Alfredo sauce (whatever that is....and from what I hear occasionally, it probably isn't), but it's the best cream sauce for pasta I've ever tasted.
-
Ah, thanks....I didn't know!
And no wonder--that's on the east side.
-
This article contains what I find to be a very curious statement:
Tableside guacamole. "Rosa Mexicano is the originator on making guac at the table in New York," says Douglas Rodriguez, who acknowledged the Aztecs did this centuries ago. "Everyone from L.A. to Minnesota to Washington, D.C., has copied the idea. It's an awesome one."I may be totally out of it (entirely possible), but hasn't Rosa Mexicano been in NYC only a few years, originating in L.A.? Were they in a different location from the present one before? They certainly haven't been at the Lincoln Center one for more than about 5 years.
I had guacomole made tableside at a sleepy Mexican restaurant in Dallas almost that long ago....one of those places that looks like it hasn't changed since the early '70's. I find the idea that they are even aware of anything Rosa Mexicano does quite hard to swallow.
-
During my recent trip to Vancouver, I had several late-night meals at an excellent Chinese restaurant called Tsui Hang Village (1193 Granville St., on the corner of Davie St.--tel. 604-683-6868). They are open every night until at least 1:30 a.m. (I know this from first-hand experience...)--on Fridays and Saturdays, even later.
I had several delightful meals here. Vancouver has wind-blowingly good Chinese food.....this place may not be in the very top echelon of Vancouver Chinese restaurants, but by NYC standards it's fantastic. Some standout dishes I remember particularly : fried rice with salted fish (the salted fish gives it a fermented, almost smoky flavor), a couple of delicious hot pots, steamed whole chicken with Chinese ham and black mushrooms (outstanding), and the most delicious oyster dish I've had in ages--it's called "oyster with black bean sauce", and you order by the oyster. I had no idea, really, what to expect and was quite pleasantly surprised when I was served four very large oysters that had been steamed in the half-shell, each with a dollop of black beans, which had been lightly mashed with a bit of ginger and garlic, and some chopped scallions. Somehow, the dish far exceeded the sum of parts....it was transcendent.
If I remember correctly, the restaurant actually specializes in seafood, but aside from the oysters, I didn't order any. Somehow a platter of seafood isn't what I (as a solo diner, anyway) often want. At any rate, the restaurant is quite comfortable (this one does have white tablecloths!), and has a pleasant, sedate atmosphere. And it's not too far from most of the downtown hotels.
-
Man, now I'm sadder than ever that I never made it there. During my two extended stays in Atlanta, I never knew anyone with a car to whom good food was important enough to make the trek up there (taking me along, natch!). It's the one place that I thought I couldn't miss from what I had read about it, and now Varmint's narrative and pictures confirm that suspicion!
I have to wipe the drool off my keyboard now...
Lisbon Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations
in Spain & Portugal: Dining
Posted
Miguel: welcome, alfacinha, and thanks for that enlightening post. I always suspected something like that was, in fact, often the case but was never quite sure. Then again, the last couple of years I lived in Lisbon, I was by then a regular at almost every restaurant I went to, or was taken there by a friend who was, in turn, a regular....
So, how about a meal together the next time I'm in Lisbon? (which can't be soon enough at this point!)
I loved going to the restaurants near Guincho.....out of curiosity, Miguel, have you ever had what is probably my all-time favorite seafood dish, the cataplana de marisco at Mestre Zé, just below Guincho?
I always heard that the Mercado do Peixe (near Alcântara, as I recall) was a good place to eat fish, but I never went there.
And vserna, I don't know where you meet your Americans, but I'm pretty sure I don't know a single one who actually eats Spam.