patrickamory

In-N-Out removed the bible passages a couple years ago, didn't they? I get the general point that many restaurants have religious (or other) symbols conspicuously visible... think of the photos of Thai royalty at many Thai restaurants. However Christian revivalism in the US right now feels very threatening to members of other beliefs, and I think that's probably the reason for the OP's disquiet. Not to get all anthropological (and possibly seen as condescending or something), but if it felt culturally in synch with the restaurant and the food, I probably wouldn't let it bother me. By contrast, if Gramercy Tavern put up something like that, there's no way I'd patronize the place.

JAZ, I actually think the pile of pastrami at Katz's (and other comparable places like Schwartz's or Langer's) to be in perfect proportion to the bread and mustard. Places like Carnegie Deli or Stage Deli take it to the extreme for tourists, but for me the Katz's sandwich WORKS. And I'm not a fan of unbalanced sandwiches. Of course, everyone's mileage varies.

Sure, the tomato was brought to Europe in the 16th century. And it didn't really gain favor in Italy until much later. But I think it's been long enough that we can stop calling it an import. So what if the tomato is an adopted child in the food culture of Italy? It's still family. Right, plus there has been centuries of breeding, grafting and cultivars - plus the terroir claimed for the DOP. There's no need to be jingoistic about the tomato.

I just ordered two cans of the Dani Coop San Marzanos & will report back.

Hope you make it to J Sheekey, and it's worth splurging a little - you don't have to go as far as the sole if you don't want. I recommend: - cold shellfish plateau (truly awe-inspiring) - potted shrimp - atlantic prawns by the quarter- or half-pint - fish pie - market fish: turbot if they have it Rules is wonderful but best in game season If you want truly mind-bending seafood, lunch, weekday & counter service only, try Sweetings in the City.

Superb, compulsively readable, leaves other food mags in the dust (except Simple Cooking, but who knows when the next issue of that will come out...)

Some of the suggestions here will work for you - that poster was requesting moderately priced (entrees under $25) - you?

Second Julie Sahni for this!

I miss Grand Dairy

It's true there didn't used to be, especially if you didn't want to travel to Queens, but things are looking up:

I know broke people who tip generously, and wealthy people who tip stingily (the latter always infuriate me).

Second vote for Totto Ramen - really terrific. Only been once, had the miso ramen. Just superb. Note: we had to wait nearly an hour on a summer Sunday at 7 PM. I'd say it was definitely worth it, but it migh not be to you. Just a warning.

It's funny how green bell peppers evoke such strong emotions... my mother can't stand them either. To me they don't taste very different from poblanos. Maybe it's like that cilantro thing where certain people have a trigger or something in their DNA? On the greens being immature reds... this goes for any chile, right? Thai bird chiles, for instance - the greens are younger than the reds. However they are both necessary. I enjoy both green and red bell peppers. But I find the red peppers much sweeter. To my mind the green peppers have a bitter, more earthy & complex taste. Not hugely so of course - we're talking about green bell peppers. It goes without saying: YMMV.

I suspect we can agree that cooking is not like chess. I realize that I was deliberately being provocative in that post - but if you go back to my original post about Child and David, I think my point stands. Personally, I tend to be a recipe-follower instinctively, and I need the kick in the butt that writers like Thompson and David give me to make me rely on my own senses and intuition. There's room for both approaches - it's not a dichotomy.

The question is - are you learning to follow rules, or are you learning how to cook?

I DREAM about British convenience store sandwiches in the triangular plastic molds. They are so ridiculously good compared to anything you can get over here. Cheese and pickle, egg and tomato, ham and cheese, egg and cress, you name it. Just fantastic fast food. Clotted cream to die for. So jealous.

A radius of a mile takes in a massive swathe of midtown and uptown Manhattan - 20 short blocks = 1 mile. And 5 long blocks = 1 mile. Still, as you point out, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. So in that radius, off the top of my head: J.G. Melon - Excellent burgers & fries in a preppy pub environment - E. 74 and Third Ave. Katsu-Hama - Japanese grill - Berkshire pork cutlets, pumpkin, cabbage, burdock salad - E. 47 between Fifth and Madison Viand - Classic NYC Greek coffee shop, tiny, orders executed uberfast & with precision, look for Bill Weld lunching there - E. 61 and Madison Lusardi's - Excellent northern Italian, pushing the upper range of your price, pastas are $22-24, rabbit is $25 - a real sleeper of a restaurant, E. 78 and Second Ave. If you can stretch another quarter-mile south, there are two superb Sichuan restaurants on W. 39 between Fifth and Sixth: Szechuan Gourmet - 21 W. 39 Lan Sheng Restaurant - 60 W. 39 Obviously if you go there, make sure to order only from the Sichuan sections of the menu. They feel compelled to offer the full range of American Chinese dishes that tourists want to order. Hope these ideas help!

See 3 posts above.

The baseline's been 20% in NYC for as long as I can remember... at least since the early '80s. When I journeyed down here from Boston back then, friends warned me to be aware that the 15% I was used to was insufficient in the Big Apple. Since then it's spread to most big metropolises - at least the ones with higher costs of living. To Pedroinspain: Yes, you are correct, "tipping" in the United States is a way for waiters and waitresses and others who can legally be paid less than the minimum wage to make up a normal salary (or at least a salary equivalent to the minimum wage). It is not the same as tipping in other countries. Whether it's a smart or fair system, it's the one that's in effect, and it seems unlikely to change anytime soon.

Went to Luger last night for the first time since they opened the new dining room (yes, it's been a couple of years since my last trip). Shrimp cocktail, sliced tomato and onion with blue cheese dressing, steak for 4 medium rare, hash browns and cream spinach. Followed by a chocolate sundae and of course the gold-foil chocolate coins. Wines were a 2007 Groth and a Mondavi Cab. Started with Beefeater martinis. The steak was very good. The best I've had at Luger? No, but not the worst either. The filets in particular were particularly seared and crunchy, and that's not my favorite part of a porterhouse - but they really stood out this time. The strip was excellent, musty & rich throughout most of the loin on both porterhouses. Not the out-of-body experience I've had there on occasion, but still joyous & heartwarming. I plan to return again soon.

If you're looking to automate the mortar and pestle, you want a wetgrinder rather than a mixie. They use grinding stones rather than metal blades. They are not as versatile as mixies, but they are better for things like curry pastes where you want to crush the ingredients rather than chop them. I'll second Jenni's recommendation for the Preethi Ultra Pride+, and suggest you check out this thread: Ultra Pride Wet/Dry Grinder

It's Julia Child versus Elisabeth David... the former really introduced ultra-precise measurements to cooking, while the latter left things deliberately vague because she believed that the best cooks learn by trial and error... by taste, smell, seasoning, intuition, changing & altering according to the season, availability of ingredients, the history of the cuisine, and many other variables. As David Goldfarb points out, it's impossible to be precise about many things - for example if you gave a certain weight in grams of minced garlic, that might not be right for a given recipe - is the garlic large and new-world? small and Asian? purple skinned or not? at what time of year was it bought? and how old is it? All these differences affect the flavor of the ingredient and how it eventually combines into the finished product. There's room for scientific cooking and intuitive cooking. Personally, I love David Thompson for his "vagueness" - his recipes encourage experimentation and urge you to use your senses - especially your sense of smell and taste - Thai food requires endless rebalancing of seasoning to keep the bold flavors balanced and in check with one another. That doesn't make it the ideal cookbook for a beginner. I began cooking with Julia Child's The Way To Cook and that has much to offer too. (Of course there's baking, but that's an entirely different ballgame.)

It's not just the cut, it's the menu, the style, and the experience.

Yes, but only to the extent that it's greater than the minimum for exceptional service, and less than the minimum for truly awful service. 95% of the time you will be leaving 20% (arguably 15% away from the coasts and Chicago), because the employers and the state assume that that amount is part of the waiter's living wage.

Ah interesting. I will give this a try.