weinoo

This is kinda what the place I order my beans from does...George Howell. They roast one or two single origins for espresso, as well as offering a more classic espresso blend. And they'll take certain beans up to French and Viennese roast level too. I've had such great luck using them; beans arrive literally within a day or two of my ordering and their roasting. And they get some wild, crazy expensive coffees as well - I haven't tried any of those, which can run into the hundreds of dollars a pound.

Is this similar to what we see in restaurants as the classic dim sum dish, pai gwat, which are evidently steamed? If so, do you have an IP recipe? I worked for a woman, in my second or third job out of college in Silicon Valley, and she would bring these in for lunch; they were awesome. Her recipe included, if my memory serves me correctly (ha!), dried bamboo shoots, as well as the technique of blanching the ribs first.

Do you really need to stir water?

I'm gonna take a ride and pick some up. I happen to really like the Burundi and Ethiopian coffees also! What beans does he generally do as an espresso roast?

Truly classic.

Spaghetti with Pèrigord black truffles...I did get a nice-sized one from Regalis. Just a big salad alongside.

I think you had the answer here... Not saying anything about the food, what I will opine about is the amount of stuff on the plates. My goodness, it reminds me of Floribbean plating of the 90s; that is, if it can fit on the plate, put it there!

For sure - we had a car, cuz we were staying in a b&b and wanted to do some exploring. I think we even went to an old plantation somewhere.

And qualify Drago's by saying I wouldn't necessarily go to the one in the hotel; rather, the OG.

Hmmmm - well, if the first restaurant is any indication, maybe look for some more updated stuff? 13 years is a long time in the restaurant world! I'll mention Drago's!!!

One place discovered and utilized (only occasionally, as it's expensive) during the pandemic has been Regalis Foods. Their product is exemplary, so when they present a sale (which isn't that often), sometimes a few clicks happen. For New Year's this year, they were offering a nice price on Black Pèrigord truffles (the white truffle season was not happening, as the prices were insane), as well as on caviar. Splurge for New Year's eve and a few dinners, as it appears we'll be hunkering down again. Last night...

I'd ordered and received a bunch of stuff on New Year's Eve day, from Regalis, as they were having a free shipping deal with certain items. So in addition to some caviar and Périgord black truffles, I also scored some black truffle butter and a Jidori chicken (to try it out). Here's the Jidori chicken, ready to roast, stuffed under the skin with plenty of truffle butter and thin slices of Périgord truffle. You should have heard (maybe you can guess?) the cursing as I made my attempts at trussing this bird; I'm way out of practice, as I don't really truss chickens any more, but felt it would be a good thing to do with this beast, and we (the bird and I) finally settled on an old Julia method, literally using a trussing needle after failing with no needle (something I used to be pretty good at!)... Et voilà! The bird was rested for a good 20 - 30 minutes before carving, and the pan (and its fond, @rotuts!) made for a nice jus, which was served alongside the carved bird... Some of the breast carved without the skin for certain diners (yet the skin might've been enjoyed in the kitchen). Served with a nice, simple green salad. Oh - and this... Pommes Dauphinoise. Forgot to mention the starter for the dinner above (and for which there's no picture, cuz the chef is a dope)...Oeufs brouillés à la truffe. Eggs with truffle shavings and peels, cooked to a custard-like consistency in a double-boiler, served with toasts.

@Chris Hennes - how'd you decide where the two of you will end up eating and drinking this week?

Shit. RIP, Tim.

Was it the market on Catherine Street, a street I often refer to as blood alley? The even had duck legs and duck livers at one time!

When it's stock making time, I often (or used to often) venture to a market in Chinatown, where I was able to buy old stewing hens - 2 for $5, and worked great as a stock starter. I was thinking maybe at some of the Chinese markets they get some special Bobo birds? Oh, now checking the web site as well, I wonder if It might be worth a trip to Williamsburg, and their retail market. Much more product. Of course for really great Euro style birds, I don't think one can do better than LaPera Bros. If one can deal with bringing home a warm, freshly killed chicken.

Indeed, the Flannery stuff is something I plan to utilize a bit more, since it's so beloved and always looks great. But I also have the luxury of a "neighborhood" butcher and a high-end "neighborhood" butcher, both located at Essex Market and within a 5-minute walk. the high-end butcher, Ends Meat, has great product. The regular butcher carries mostly battery stuff, but does carry Bobo chickens, which are from the Hudson River Valley and slaughtered in accordance with halal. They work in a pinch.

While Wild Fork certainly seems to be beloved here, I'm still attempting to make my purchases (of pork and beef and lamb) from small, and if possible, local producers. And there are times when I want stuff that's fresh and not frozen, since freezer space here is not easy to come by. So I've yet to succumb to the wild fork prices and marketing. I imagine it's only a matter of time.

The ever-present @rancho_gordo for us too... Black eyed peas, Carolina gold rice, and roasted cabbage. (There was a bit of duck leg meat I threw on top of the plates before serving). The night before, I had a ton of leftover giant rib eye (including bones). So... The soupy party of Uzbek lagman; goes into bowls with cooked pasta. Many recipes exist; I make mine a little differently than this one to be sure, but it's a nice baseline. Some are made with lamb, and I'm sure goat has been used.

In our federal government, that's called RIP - retired in place!

Sorry for not responding sooner. For fruit, I fully agree with you as to picking out my own. Though I've had some very good fruit from FD, and let's face it, whatever you're picking out at WF or the other place, it's still mostly coming from far away, especially at this time of the year. For vegetables and herbs, I've been pretty lucky with FD; and if I'm not satisfied with product, they're quite willing to refund. I also buy stuff from specific farms; those which are local, organic, and carried by FD. In the "meat department," I buy the locally raised, and heritage products - no complaints. Their butchery might not be perfect, but I can get a "petite" heritage pork shoulder roast, and be quite happy either roasting it, or repurposing it for stir fry, stews, etc. They carry lots of chicken "brands." I'll leave that up to you to decide what you like; none of them blow me away, but they certainly work for meals. Cook's Venture, which has been discussed elsewhere is OK, and is their high-end Snowdance Farms. Neither is as good as Joyce Farms, which they'd carried for a while and which I hope comes back. I limit my seafood purchases to wild, unpeeled shrimp (though this week I got wild, peeled shrimp by (my) mistake, and they were perfectly fine. In the heat of the summer, I avoid buying any seafood, but in mid "winter," I'm less worried about handling. I have purchased wild Alaskan king salmon that was excellent, and live lobsters when they've had sales with no complaints. Same with clams, mussels, etc. - they'll all arrive just fine. Deli - all just as OK as your local Wegman's, I'm sure. Groceries are groceries, and non perishable food items tend to be a little more expensive, so it's all caveat emptor as far as that goes. The convenience and not having to deal with going shopping have been a godsend. I have a delivery pass (I think it's like $40 for 6 months), so all my deliveries are made on the days when there's no extra charge for delivery (Tues - Thu). Any other specific questions, let me know, and if I have a clue, I'll answer!

This is the only way I'll do them (hard and soft boiled) too.

Only when cooking for 20+

Yes, really good! We were the only ones there at lunch (it was late and mid week), but they double checked our vax and ids, and told me they were all boosted as well. We may go tomorrow night for dinner...via car service (remember when we used to call them black cars?).

Took a ride out to the beach (Coney Island, that's the Cyclone, above) yesterday, for a walk on the boardwalk, since this is our favorite time of year for the beach. And I love amusements parks (especially Coney) when no one is having fun...there's something quite sinister and scary about them. Instead of the Russian/Georgian/Uzbek food I was thinking of for lunch, we decided to head to Bay Ridge, for some food not quite from the Caucasus, to a place which came highly recommended from a friend. They have an interesting wine program, but what caught my eye... was the Mezcal and tequila program. Not that I was drinking anything except Mexican coke - it was lunch time, after all, and I was driving. And evidently the mezcal prices are not bad (as I checked in with a knowledgeable friend, who wanted to know what they were getting for Del Maguey Tobala - $14 an ounce, which isn't bad, considering the bottle price)! I started with a soup, and this had to be one of the best, if not most unique, chicken "soups" I've had in quite some time... more like a stew, and called sopa Azteca on the menu, so thick and rich. Delicious. Followed by tacos for me, and I like how the tortilla is somewhere between totally crisp and soft... and Significant Eater's favorite, enchiladas... Great stuff...wow. Also - they are so nice! The masa is made fresh in house, and those tortillas are amazing. It's also used in any number of dishes, not via tortillas. I look forward to a return trip, maybe even via subway, for dinner. Cause I really want to drink here too. Coszcal de Allende