supadisco

i think i'm the only person who can't stand Danskos. i've tried them multiple times, but they just feel too top heavy for me and my ankles tend to roll out. even worse, my back kills me after just a few hours of wearing them. been through multiple pairs of both Crocs and Shoes For Crews brands, but both seem to feel a bit cheap and i hate how the soles wear out after just a few months. these blundstones sound nice, but i bet they got hot in the kitchen after several hours. the z-coils might be good for a bad back like mine, but i can already here the ridiculing. so, i'm still on the lookout for a strong, supportive, back-friendly well-made shoe. the CrocsRx look cool -- anyone have experience with those? until i know more i can't justify shelling out $120 online to a company whose materials are cheaply made.

while no cook appreciates people dumping ketchup (or any sauce) all over their food, is there really no place for the condiment at all? i find it incredibly useful when making a quick cocktail sauce, or easy meatloaf, not to mention on the usual fries, hot dogs, burgers, etc. p.s. i've see jacques pepin use it to make everything from a reduced pomegranate glaze to salsa.

Yesterday's buys from the Costco in Brooklyn: 1 gallon whole milk $2.29 2 dozen organic farm eggs $7 2 lb acme smoked white fish salad $7 1 acme whole smoked white fish at $6.39 pound (more than 3x this much if bought at Sable's NYT piece) 1 6lb-can Nino San Marzano's $3.29 1 lb organic spring mix for salads $4.29 4 lb bananas $1.32 3 lb raw almonds, about $9 2 lb raw pecans, about $8 cream by the quart barilla pasta canola oil cat litter and food i've been buying my oils and vinegars at Fairway and/or Sahadi's, but might try the Kirkland stuff next time since ya'll speak so highly of it. j

Went to the Cake and Baking Supply a couple days ago and left a bit disappointed. They did have glucose, albeit $18 for 5lbs, but no inverted sugar and the rest of their stuff seemed too pricey to consider. The fellow at the counter was barking at the few customers shopping with a Tourette's-like shout of "NEXT STEP DOWN!" meanwhile no one was even on line. Strange. Would LOVE to place an order with Lepicerie, but i see that their free delivery option is limited to residential buildings only here as well as requiring a $125 minimum order. I'm over half-way to the $125, but would need to call in a favor from a friend to have it home delivered. If any kind Manhattan folks on here would be interested in going in on an order, feel free to reply or PM me...i'll put the whole order on my credit card and even bake you some cookies! -jason

You guys ROCK! Thanks SO much for the tips. After a couple of failed attempts to reach the NY Bake people on the phone, I'm just going to head over there today and hope they have stock of what I need. And placing an order w/Lepicerie too. They look fantastic...similar to the west coast's Le Sanctuaire. I wanted to buy from Paris Gourmet, located just a few miles away in New Jersey (http://parisgourmet.com/), but they require a restaurant account. They suggested ordering through ChocolateCrafter.com -- but they seem even more spendy than the others. Thanks again! j

Hello there helpful people! Did a search but came up empty. Would LOVE to locate a specialty pastry shop in the greater NY area, specifically one that carries such items as ice cream/sorbet stabilizers, glucose, invert sugar, tapioca maltodextrin, etc. I just moved to the area from SF and we had Le Sanctuaire out there, but having trouble finding a NYC equivalent. Any leads would be most appreciated! Thanks so much!! jason