Bond Girl

way to go Nick! Will get Jersey friends to save me the article tomorrow.

I go with cooking each vegetables separately. The overall result has more depth of flavors, but it all depends on what you like. As for authenticity, I don't remember haven't eaten any Ratatouille that's mush like anywhere in my travels through Provence.

In New York, there is the Blue invasion; Blue Ribbon Blue Hill Blue Fin Blue Water Grill As Boy Toy commented recently, everyone is blue these days.

Plax, don't you agree that whole "naked girl covered in chocolate sauce" is just the chespeat gimmick? can you believe the guy actually thinks he's creating "ART"?

This reminds me of something a young chef at Lucca in Boca Raton taught me. You chopped some garlic , onions and fennel. Drop some pepper corns, thyme and bay leaves in that condiment. Place tuna back into dish on top of condiments and cover in olive oil. Bring to a simmer on stove top and then to a shiver for 2.5-3 hours then cool and can it or refridgerate. In the summer I would keep a whole batch in the fridge, and make salad and sandwiches with it.

The Saturday events consisted of a not so interesting wine event for the trade, and demonstrations similar to the ones described by Plax on Sunday. Alice Waters was very sweet, but it's just boring listening to her go on about market vegetables. and, she said the exact same things on both Saturday and Sunday. For those interested, here are some pictures. The saturday night sub-zero dinner was by far the most interesting event foodwise. I picked the dinner with vegas chef Julian Serrano, hosted by Pat Riley of Miami Heat and Clicquot inc. because as a New Yorker, my opportunities to experience a Vegas chef is limited, and I love basket ball. The dinner begin with a tour of the Heat locker rooms by Pat Riley. This is followed by four amuses paired with krug Grande Curvee: Salmon with Tropical Fruit Salsa, Seared Sea Scallop with Caviar, a mushroom tarlett and candied baked apple with Stilton cheese and walnuts. The salmon was the most interesting of the four, and the candied baked apple was the tastiest, both are thrived on contrasting flavours. The mushroom tarlett and sea scallops were brilliantly executed, but on the bland side. Main dinner menu started on a light note with a stone crab salad and green apple champgne vinaigrette paired with a '89 Krug vintage. The champagne had a medium bodied flavour that worked with the stone crab that shined with the clean crispiness of frisee and green apples. The second course was a cuminj dusted sea bass on top of a bed of bitter greens, served with '88 krug vintage. I don't particularly like the '88 vintage as it was too full bodied for my taste. But, the intense flavour of the cumin was nicely balanced with the bitter greens. This is not an inventive dish, but it was well concocted. I skipped the Lamb Roti and the Parmesan potatoes that followed, but not the Krug Rose that went with it. As a person who does not like pink champagne, even I had to admit that this is a lovely champagne that truly sparkled. The grand finale of the dinner was the dessert which consisted of a vanilla cream panna cotta with a raspberry pear strudel, with this, the chef successfully takes you through a circle of sensations starting with a citrusy poached pear to a delicate cream pudding to a intense fruit pastry with a tart raspberry sauce. Each one element is fairly simple, but together they create a compexity that is rarely achieved. The sub-zero dinners were sold at $300 a ticket, and the food I had was worth every penny.

Okay, here is the gossip column take on the SoBe festival. I flew into Miami on friday morning for the three day festival, looking forward to a weekend of excessive eating and drinking. An interesting note is that I was on the same flight as Dana Cowin. I remember last year when Drew Nieporent was raving about the first class flights and hotels, so it seemed kind of strange to see Dana Cowin in the economy cattle class with the rest of us. The friday night bubble Q party was hosted by Moet and Chandon and Norman Van Aken. The program loosely described the party as a big barbecue on the beach with lots of champagne. Norman greeted all the guests at the lawn of the Delano Hotel with grill shrimp and Chorizo sausage on a skewer and a conch ceviche. The conch ceviche was sharp and refreshing against the sweltering heat, but it was difficult to eat since it was served in a shot glass. After much struggle, Norman told me to "Throw it down like a shot." Did anybody ever tell him that that's not exactly the easiest thing to do when you are in an evening dress, trying to make a pretense of civility? Out on the beach, the smell of barbecue wafted through the air, and there were Moet stations with fluted glasses and mini champagne bottles everywhere. Notable were the succulent barbecue sea bass from Claude Troisgros, which was a departure from the heavy red meat barbeque, offered by everyone else. The sea bass was smothered in a sweet tangy sauce. It was very tasty but lacks complexity, so I was bored with it after a while. More interesting was barbecue lamb from Dan Fearling of Mansion from turtle Creek, which paired lamb with a lime couscous and rice salsa that is slightly spicy with a hint of green herbs. Douglas Rodriguez roasted two pigs but by that time I had way too much food to consume anything else. The party was like a celebrity chef circuit. I was immediately accosted by Eric, the Sou Chef at Le Bernadine, who introduced me to Marcus Samuelssen, Douglas Rodriguez, Michael Lamonaco, Ming Tsai and Claude Troisgros. Bobby Flay came with his actress girlfriend, Stephanie March (Law and Order). I smoked a cigar with Eric Ripert, who wanted to go enjoy the ocean. Instead, I went off to the after party with Laurent Gras and his wife, where there was more booze, this time from the vodka companies. I watched young chefs like Aaron Sanchez exchanged phone numbers with beautiful model looking women. This is about the only party where tall attractive male models felt inferior to average looking chefs. one guy even apologetically said to me: "We are models, but we are very nice people." The little Bernadine Sou Chef told me his room number at the Loews and asked if we could “hook up” for the night, adding that he pays his girls very well. I told him that I don’t play with minor leaguers and that he couldn’t even begin to afford it. Despite all, it was a beautiful evening, and beach parties are always fun. “This beats Friday night dinner service,” Mrs. Gras said to me as I head out to get taxi. And, it certainly does.

Campbell's apartment in Grand Central Station.

As an avid cigar smoker, I am sadden by the law. I don't begrudge those who want a smoke free environemnt to eat in, but by the same token I don't want my right to enjoy a good cigar being infringed upon. I believe a good medium is when a restaurant have separate areas for smokers, but NYC has banned that as well. Looks like private clubs and cigar bars now will get a good amount of my business.

Two days before: Sweets, sweets and more sweets. I once munched through four servings of chocolate souffles at Le Cirque. The actual day: Sushi, ramen, spicy fries, rice and beans with lots of salt. No sugar! Plus, a good Victorian period flick like "A room with a View".

Don't have it if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

A very nice port, or baileys. But, I'll probably have to quite soon due to new ban on smoking in NYC. Need to find a good private cigar club now.

The tapioca pearl desserts I had was the perfect finish to my meal at 66. It was a very simple idea with great execution, the base is a concoction of coonut, lime with a hint of pineapples and mint. What I like about it is the effortlessness of it all. The ovaltine pudding I am not crazy about, but everyone else seemed to like it. It's essentially what you get when you put chocolate and bananas together, it's a tried and true combination, that's as popular as tuna tartare these days. The Vivian Tam uniform is nothing to write home about either, then again, I've never been a fan of her design (Too passively asexual). I agree with Ed that JG is not running on all four engines just yet, but he will because I think his greatest strength as a chef lies in his understanding of creating subtle yet complex flavours that works together. Also, the dishes are very well executed, that is what I like about the place. It is also a good divergence from the average fare in chinatown, which tend to have the same menus everywhere. Since I don't eat meat, I can't tell you the difference between fresh kill and frozen. Secondly , as someone who has seen farm animals slaughtered, this is something I rather not think about. Even though this may seemed like a generalization, but I think we chinese see chinese food very differently from Americans see chinese food. My theory is that because we grow up with Chinese food, and possibly seen so many variations on the same thing that we crave for something different and some thing new. I don't know if this is the appeal of 66. What I do know is that most of what I had in 66 tasted fresh and elegant. It's a new twist on Chinese food and in my opinion better executed than Sweet n' Tart, and more inventive than Dim Sum a Go Go. That is more than what I can say for a lot of chinese meals I had in the past.

I agree with Wilfrid, I really don't see the point of ordering off the menu unless there is some sort of medical or dietary restrictions. I'm allergic to red meat and hate birds with a passion, so I might make a request once in a while like 'hold the chicken in that" or 'can you take out the bacon' etc. Usually, I just head for the items on the menu that I can have. Some restaurants such as 11 Madison Park might even ask "is there something you don't like ...." when ordering the tasting menu. Usually, I find that most restaurants are more than willing to accommodate when you are reasonable and I dined at more than a fair share of restaurants in New York. It's one thing to ask for no bacon on your eggs, it's another to try ordering gumbo in a Japanese restaurant, even if you know the chef there is capable of making the best gumbo in the world. Otherwise, why go to a restaurant when you don't like what's on the menu?

I use and read recipes for inspiration and pairing of flavours that I would never thought of. I also like to collect different variations of the same recipes just to compare them. I have a tendency to cook the same things over and over for a few weeks straight until I get it right, which means lots of tweaking and experimenting. Also, by the time I get it right, I won't ever eat it again for the rest of the year. I started cooking when I was 13 using recipes (my mother is the worst cook in the world), so I can't imagine my life without them.

Cabby, I don't know enough about wine to comment on this, but the wine list is the size of a book, so I'd guess it must be pretty good because reading it already made me dizzy. or may be it's because i can't get used to the idea of Chinese food with wine. Although this might sound like a bad generalization but JG is a frenchmen at heart, and wine rates pretty high in his scheme of things. The designer labled couple at the next table did order a bottle of wine with lots of pomp and splendor, but that doesn't mean they can tell the difference between a 64 chateau Lafitte and Joes's Burgundy bottled yesterday. The bill for two people including a large bottle of Pelligrino water comes out to $94.00 not including tip.

It's about $40 to $50 per person if you order entrees. It is worth it for special occasions, it's also the only time i would go. Good luck on your date.

Yes, there were condiment sauces at the table in little white dishes. As for Pan's question...Sure the prices at 66 probably reflect the Richard Meier interior, and the church street rent. But, I think it completes the whole dining experience. For us women, it means not being grossed out at the thought of the bathroom, not worrying if the cashmere sweater that took us months to pay off will be wearing the grease stain from the table. It's a more relaxed dining experience, because of all the frills that comes with it. At the end of the day, despite how we stress food, ambience matters. Chinatown or flushing is great for family outings, friends get togethers etc, but if a guy took me there on a date, I'd be pretty damn pissed off. How romantic does he expect me to feel under a flourescent light with greasy tables, waiters banging chinawares around, and chinese music blaring above us? Having said that, I think the food alone at 66 is more than worth it. Take the Shrimp Hargow, for example, if you get it at a Dim Sum irestaurant in chinatown, it's probably priced at $3.00 to $3.50 for four pieces. What you get is a tiny lump of dumpling, laden with salt, shrimp bits that tasted of freezer burn, and quite often they have not been cleaned properly so you see bits of black sand, and shrimp shells, huge clumps of ginger, lots of MSG. In 66, four pieces of hargow will ran you $6.00. But, you get top quality shrimps, that actually tasted sweet and fresh, it not chopped so fine that you can actually taste the snap in the shrimp. No black sand, no shrimp shells, No MSG, seasoned just perfectly, with delicate hints of ginger. Everyone at the table agrees that they'd rather pay more for a product more superior in quality. Like I said, it's not chinese comfort food. Don't go if that is what you are expecting.

Had drinks at Vong once, about five years ago, and got some appetizers, but was not terribly impressed.

Went to 66 last night, it's very much the scene the newspaper predicted. Lots of designer labels, tall modelish women and un obstrusive but cool music. The organization is still a little off (we were made to wait 30 minutes for our table.), but the staff was very courteous, and the service impeccable. We ordered the shrimp hargow, which was like the traditional kind of dumplings served in traditional chinese dimsum, only ten times better. The shrimps were succulent, with a delicate hint of ginger, accompanied by soy sauce spiked with five spice powder. Also ordered were a different version of shrimp dumplings which was not at all Chinese: shrimps with foie gras, formed into a quenelle like texture, but it takes fusion cuisine to the next level. Entrees shared with the garlic lacqured fried chicken and steamed black bass with lotus seeds and crispy rice. I hate chicken, but it was said to have paper thin skin done to a crispy perfection with the consistency of a pecking duck skin, while the meat was moist and tender. My black sea bass sits in a bath of sweet and spicy malaysian flavour broth. It can be a little spicier, but that was quickly fixed with a dose of chili oil. Desserts were a lime coconut tapioca pudding which shine in its simplicity and provides a perfect palate cleanser to the chinese flavours. And, an ovaltine and banana pudding that I didn't think was so great, but everyone in the table seemed to love it. Don't go if you are looking for traditional chinese comfort food. But if you are looking for something a little different, 66 will change the way you see chinese food.

Make a japanese somen and put them in the soup for until they are cooked through.

Is this Minute, or large pearl? They sound fabulous. I use the regular small pearls found in boxes on the supermarket shelves. It's a lot cheaper in chinatown but sometimes it just ain't worth the trek.

Suvir, Here are two of my favorite tapioca pudding recipes: The first is a traditional tapioca pudding. You need 2 cups of milk for about 1/2 cup of tapioca pearls. 2 Tbs of butter, Vanilla bean or extract and about a quarter cup of sugar. you combine all the ingredients and cook the tapioca until they are translucent. I sometimes like to give it a twist by throwing in spices like cardamon or saffron, or use coconut milk instead of whole milk depending on my moods. The other is a twist on the traditional malaysian dessert. You boil the tapioca pearls in water for about a minute, then turn the fire off and put the lid on the pot to let it cook in hot water. Once most of the pearls are translucent, you drain them and rinse with cold water. The original sauce is made with palm sugar, pandan leaves and coconut cream, but I just use maple syrup heat up with coconut milk and drizzle it over the tapioca. This is especially good with topped with fried bananas.

I steam them a bit, then roast them at 400 F tossed in some olive oil and garlic. This way it's more tender on the inside. Add a bit of bacon for meat eaters. I also like blanched and then stirred with butter and a squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

I love Valhonra for chocolate souffles and small cakes, but I actually prefer something like ghiradelli or Guytta (sp?) for things like brownies. I think the cocao solids are lower, so the flavours are less intense. This way you can indulge in huge squares. The last time I made brownies with Valhonra chocolates, my guests were bouncing off the walls after consuming them.