wingding

Having only seen wine glasses 'primed' before pouring at Babbo in N.Y.,I also wondered how gimmicky this was.I just spent some time traveling through Bologna,Arrezo and enviorns,and guess what...the glasses were primed in every good restaurant that I dined at.There ya go...and it does serve a purpose..

For what it's worth,in my obervations behind the scenes in a few restaurants,a lot of cynicism about the customer[and the human race] is expressed by front of the house staff people.They see a lot of annoying behavior,and have to deal with a lot,and blessed are the ever increasing few who can do their jobs with skill and grace.People may order expensive wines for different reasons;some have a geniune interest and breadth of knowledge,others want to impress everyone by throwing their money around.Just like the customers,staff people are human-some are wonderful,some are jerks...and skilled help is a hell of a lot harder to find than you think.

Consistency;food that uses high quality ingredients,and is prepared and served with skill and presented with pride by the kitchen and waitstaff.Service that is professional,with a little friendliness that seems genuine,not phony.An attractive,comfortable room with some style-simple,not gaudy.The thing that I look for in food is clear,clean flavors[even though what it may take to bring them out may be complicated],and as the price level climbs,cooking that I can't or won't do myself at home.

Diane;While researching plants,did you find other parts of any commonly used vegeteble,herb,fruit[roots,leaves...?],that had useful[tasty?] culinary application?

Everyone's feet,and posture are different-super birkis have worked for me,for the past 7 years;no foot problems to speak of,they're cheap,and last a long time-you can replace the insoles.Blundstone.an Australian company,makes a comfortable,good looking slip on boot that is waterproof-also good for street wear,but can get a little sweaty in the kitchen.

Make sure that it fits in your oven standing up!,with good air circulation above.

I had dinner with a well known home cook in Naples last year,and asked her about colatura.She showed me a little ceramic crock with a spigot that was full of anchovies and salt,weighted down.After a few months,she extracts the liquid that is pressed and extracted from the fish-and gets and unrefined liquid[garum].I would guess that a fine straining of the liquid yields the more refined result[colatura],often combined in a jar with oregano or thyme...

I like three crabs,and Squid brand fish sauce.I know that I've written about this before;it was interesting to find the latter day descendant of garum on the Amalfi coast,and seeing how it is made.Colatura is a refined Italian fish sauce,used on pasta,and unfortunately is not exported,as far as I know...

Don't forget the 'World Famous' Wakamba Lounge,on Eighth Ave. and 36th st....architectural detail;on the corner of the building where Billys' topless used to be[24th &6th ave.],there's a little stone placard with great lettering above the 1st floor-it just says 'the corner'...I wonder what it once might have been..

I once roasted some figs in a tandori oven-glazed them lightly with honey and lemon-cooked them until they almost burst,and served them with kulfi.I would say take the good basic custards of India,and serve them with fruit;raw,roasted,etc.

I scored some capon from Four Story Hill farms,and made coq au vin,Italian style,with some porcinis,pancetta,and an Eyetalian red wine.This guys' poultry is the tops![served it with polenta..]winterfood

Matt isn't there anymore.Say hi to him at the Blooming Hill Farm stand at Union Square greenmarket,Weds. and Saturday.

You can find great old metal cake carriers at flea markets,and funky antique stores.Cheap and cool.Tip;the 'pawn' shop on 43rd st. and Ninth Ave...great old kitchen equipment finds.

I think that JG desserts suffer from the 'more is more' syndrome.Most likely,you've already had a lot of courses,and flavors.Knock me out at the end of the meal with some strong,simple flavors,not 14 different tastings,plus marshmallows and such.It's just too much by the end of the meal,and I'm incapable of appreciating it at that point.One REALLY good sorbet would be great...By the way,credit for the the desserts at Vong and Jojo way back go to Serge Dezcraut[whose name I may be mispelling,Sorry],who I thought did great work.

Unfortunately,I've always found the desserts at Jean George to be a letdown,having had a few meals there over the years.The great ,clean flavor matches that make his savory dishes great have always been missing when dessert comes around.I thought that the desserts at JoJo and Vong were much better when I ate at these places a few years back.

Make an ice cream base with some pumpkin-pieish spices that you like-ginger,cinammon,cloves..Roast some pumpkin or sqaush till it begins to caramelize.Puree it,and strain through a chinoise[this won't be easy]...Add pumpkin puree to base to taste,maybe some maple syrup or honey to combat iciness and add flavor.Strain the completed base again.and let the base sit for at least six hours,then taste again to adjust flavors before turning in your machine..

I've had incredible wood oven roasted partridge stuffed with polenta and pancetta at the River Cafe in London,and I've been served precious little glasses of parmesan foam and other geegaws elsewhere.Guess which of the two that I'd crawl over broken glass to enjoy again...me too.

I question whether peoples' palates are always 'pedestrian',or whether we try really too hard sometimes to find the meaning in 35 flavors being thrown together.I often find that one or two,maybe three, flavors predominate in fussy dishes,and the rest just gets lost.The few dishes that manage to pull this off are the exception,not the rule.In my[somewhat limited] experience of high end dining,I've noted that the flavors in my favorite dishes are really'clear',though deceptively so,given what may go into preparing them.

Bux;Thanks for mentioning DePalos'-I've learned most of what I know about Italian cheeses there,and have never met a more generous proprietor.A recent cheese that he had me taste,and that I love,is Bitto;a semi hard cows' milk cheese from Valtellina

Just plain old good cheese ,served at the right temperature for me too....maybe a little honey or poached quince for some cheeses.Those desserts with chocolate and goat cheese,etc.,really annoy and nauseate me.More press coverage for weird food,which will be forgotten by next month....

Yeah,I posted about it too,after eating there last winter,the $20.02 prix fixe.The food wasn't that bad,but the service was lousy,and the new decor was upper east side fusty decorator gone mad....what were they thinking?Jojo was a ground breaking restaurant when it opened....what a shame.

Did Chef Hemant cook at Bukhara in New Dehli?That was the best tandoori food that I have ever eaten...wish that someone would do tandoori pomfret[pompano],in N.Y.

I purchased the Sandwich book a few weeks ago,and it's a thumbs up-I'm not necessarily gonna run and use the recipes,but enjoy the ideas and the text,having very similar tastes to N.S.

A McLhasi,of course,and some pickles

In addition to the already mentioned;Craftbar,Gramercy Tavern,&Lupa all have nice wines by the glass or quartino,and also serve some food in the late afternoon hours between lunch and dinner.