Bond Girl

The cyanide comment is completely irrelevant and adds nothing to this off-topic conversation. Glutamates are used because they somehow work to "enhance" the flavor of the foods to which they are added. The unfortunate side effect is that there is a population of people who are hypersensitive to it. I don't recall ever reading about culinary benefits from adding cyanide to food. ← I would continue the discussion on the almond like scent of cynide but it is off topic.

According to my GP, glutamates is an amino acid that encompasses a whole range of compounds. And there aer various form of glutamates that are far more complex than mono-sodium glutamates. Mono-sodium Glutenmates is just one of them..it is a single sodium molecule attached to the glutamate molecue. (like simple carb and complex carb. while they are both carbs one is apparently better for you) Yes, glutamates is naturally produced in some fruits and vegetables but they tend to be more complex glutamates then monosodium glutamates. (for your info both tomatoes and mushroom also contain naturally produced cynide but does that make you want to sprinkle cynide powder in your food? Does it? Just because it's natural?) 3 grams of MSG is a fraction of the size of 3 grams of salt because MSG is a heavier compound. I know most chinese cooks just sprinkle indiscriminately, like the way they use salt. There are countless studies on people being sensitive to mono-sodium glutamates but who are okay with other glutamate compound. That sensitivity level varies from person to person. I get migraines. The kind that makes you want to shut out all the lights and crawl into bed. I went through some extensive testing isolating one food item at a time. There was at one point when i stopped eating all nightshades. Yes, I do get them when I indulge in the occasional thai eating, but I know well enough to have pills on hand to battle the ensuing pain.

Here is a study in the effect of MSG, apparently most people feel it at the threshold of 2.5 gms. http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcont...t%20of%20MSG%22 Oh right, then again, these test subjects might be collectively lying too....

PS. My headache has been isolated by a couple of allergist and my GP. I guess those opinion doesn't matter and are false...As Dr. Nathan here will tell you.

Aren't you assuming a bit here? Saying that MSG headaches does not exist is like saying PMS does not exist. I try to stay away from that stuff because it has given me a headache since I was a kid. Whenever I do end up eating it, I follow up with 6 advil pills every two hours for the next 8 hours.

He is a good person and an excellent chef. I can't wait until he opens his own restaurant. Either that, or we'll have to all get luxury catering.

So, you are saying that it is worth paying extra for modified, inferior product? Would you like to buy a bridge from me? It looks luike the Brooklyn bridge, but just slightly different.

When I stopped in the other day, the girl inside said they are the same as the Zabb in Queens. The 13 street space is small, so may be a full menu like the Zabb in queens is not possible?

Ruth, you could always send them to me....

My point exactly. So Nathan, wanting to customize his food to the right degree of sweetness, may have to look elsewhere.

Okay, so the menu is kind of limited right now as the restaurant gets up to speed....but as the Queens location kicks ass when it comes to Northern Thai food, I have great hopes for the Manhattan location. And, it's a block away from my house!!!! Will report back after deivery arrives. Zabb Thai 244 East 13th Street 212-529-8770

The Momofuku menu actually says "We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items." I guess I missed that part....don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against carnivores. In fact, they make the best dining pals. Eating with them means I get to steal the veggies off their plates.

All the ingredients are pre-made, so it's like getting a burrito at your local Chipotles. I guess, you can say, I don't want rice in my, but you can't say I wish the rice were cooked with a pinch of salt or something like that....

There you go. Just as I predicted. It's a place for strict carnivores.

As a vegetarian, I was never that crazy about Momofuku. But, I was willing to put all other prejudices aside and try Ssam. There were three items on the menu and ech one has a vegetarian version: The Ssam which is the rice flour wrap at $9, the rice bowl at $13 and the buns, which was similar to those served at Momokuku. "You are paying $9 for a burrito?" My friend Gary said. "That's f.....g expensive! I don't want you calling me up whining that David Chang overcharged you later." Well, after trying one shitake mushroom burrito, I won't be whining about being overcharged for my burrito. I will, however, be whinning about it not tasting good. There is something off about the shitake mushroom wrap. In the words of a very dear friend: "It's not delicious!" The Ssam sauce tasted too acidic with nothing to balance it. There were some endamame in my wrap that seemed out of place and the white kimichi tasted onion-y and left a bad after taste on my tongue. I ended up picking the whole thing apart and eating the mushrooms and endmame separately and throwing out the rest. Then again, those liking Berkshire pork may have better luck then me. The place is packed on opening night. Go try it, just because I don't like it it doesn't mean other people won't. Momofuku Ssam 207 2nd Ave.

Dinner at Buddakan is surprisingly good. Service was better than expected. The tuna tartar needs salt, and the sweet and sour eggplant has too much pineapple in it. But, order everything that contains crab, and the mapo tofu is to die for,

11 Mad Park has the making of a true great restaurant both in food and service. I had dinner at 11 Mad with two of my former interns tonight, and had several high maintenance requests: 1. the two kids are below drinking age in NY State 2. I promised to visit a vegetarian friend in the hospital after dinner and wanted to bring her some food. Here is how 11 Mad Park rise to the challenge: We sat down to a quartet of amuse that made impressive introductions to the meal to come. A flavorful seafood soup followed its heels that further teased the palate. The foie gras appetizer was truly amazing, and the sashimi trio was absolutely lovely. There was a delightful crab salad as well that defined the word "delicious". Entrees were a lovely salmon that made my dining companion cooing in ecstasy, and a lamb chop that was gobbled up in a few seconds. For my part, the loup de mer was beautifully sweet and intricately exceptional. As for desserts, Nicole Kaplan out did herself. Every time I eat her desserts, i am impressed with her creations. I had the incredibly fun strawberries macaroon with ice cream and pop rocks. It made me feel like a kid again. Across from me, my two dining companions were devouring a cherry dessert and a chocolate mousse. And, there was a chocolate souffle that can compete with good sex. The staff actually came up with non-alcoholic drinks to pair with the meal. And, they boxed up a salad of heirloom tomatos and watermelon, and a gnocchi with squash blossoms and olives to go. They even gave me some bread to take away. I could not be more impressed with the caliber of food and service. And, the staff's willingness to accomodate blew me over.. ps. My sick friend made everyone in her ward jealous when she opened her two boxes of dinner. It liven her spirit considerably and for that I have 11 Mad park to thank.

Come on! You don't even eat meat or poultry! That's coming from a very biased perspective. Half the items on the menu would be lost on you. Some of the best items they had were ones that had pork in it. ← But a good dimsum chef should not be so limited. I didn't say it's bad, it's just not great..

This argument holds water if you happen to agree with Eddie. I don't happen to think CB's dim sum is anything to write home about. (sorry Eddie) I had better Dim Sum in Asia. The kind of Dim Sum I talked about doesn't exist here, just as the French will tell you that a real Michelin 3 star does not exist in new York. So just because the French food I had in my neighbior is bad, it doesn't mean that there aren't great one's out there.

What is available to you is not representative of a whole culinary tradition. Would it be fair to tell you that I hate all French food because what is available in my neighborhood is greasy, heavy and bland?

Our society and the current lifestyle that we have in New York does not permit the type of Dim Sum that was described by FG, it simply costs too much because of its labor intensity. When Dim Sum was first formed, it was served to the extremely wealthy Chinese who has armies of servants at their disposal. We all know that modern day economics does not allow for that even in the most over populated of all countries where labor is extremely cheap. Most of the Dim Sum we eat in Chinatown and elsewhere today are factory produced because it's cheaper that way and we can all afford it. I would like to invite anyone who dismisses dim sum to imagine making it by hand...one piece at a time....then he oe she can tell me how simple the food is.

I don't think you would have a problem as well. I do think that the meater eater's dilemma for not being satiated is psychological. If people pay attention to how they feel, when they eat, they would know when they are full...(and conseqently not over eat). Beans are a good source for many vitamins and nutirents and you are already on that....so there's no real need to pop all those supplement pills. As a side note, if you haven't checked out Rancho Gordo's selection of mail order beans, corn and chile, you probably should. He's on eG and has one of the best recipe for vegetarian Pozole. I like your attitude about rice, pasta and bread...and also about cheating. It's sensible. If you cut out everything, what's the point? You'd might be healthier (and for that the jury is still out) but you won't be enjoying anything.

For smoke flavors, s bit of smoked chiles goes a long way. There's several Californian companies that makes some kick ass ones...I'm not a vegan though....love ice cream way to much.

Ease yourself into it. I have friends who did the dramatic switch and ended up getting sick....what happens is that your body goes into adjustment mode, and the weakened immune system make you more vulnerable to colds and other temporary ailments. But once that's over, you'll feel much better. I was raised as a vegetarian, so I had the reverse when I tried to eat meat. I eventually gave up. That being said, I will be happy to share recipes and thought with you. PM me as well.

Bad service can affect the food. If a plate of fried calamaries was not served promptly, the crunchiness can disappear, turning a plate of good fried calamarie to yucky calamarie. The same goes for hot soup that can go cold, if the server wasn't on top of it and my personal pet peeve of melted ice cream. Let's not mention the server that completely ignores the order all together. Not too long ago, I had refer a couple of out of town friends to DB Moderne. Granted they were not the sharpest dressing crowd, but their money was as good as anyone else's. One person in the party is on a strict no cholesterolel diet, and ask the server to hold the sauce on a cod dish. The server said rather condescendingly, "would you prefer to order something else? Because I just can't imagine the cod without the sauce" Where upon my friend replied "no, the cod is fine, just hold the sauce." The server returns with the cod drowning in the sauce. When my friend complained, her said, I thought you said the cod is fine..... So does service matter? I think so.