weinoo

More like a brisket cut?

Taking over a space which previously housed a KMart, it's in the historic Wanamaker Building at Astor Place... I checked it out yesterday, specifically to see the specialty fish market, described as follows... It was mostly impressive (where the Japanese fish guys were working), though in the area where one can purchase the same fish one can purchase most anywhere (Atlantic salmon, swordfish, etc), it was less so. I was wondering if @KennethT has checked it out yet, as it's closer to his abode than to mine?

They'll be fine just like this!

Sorry - I do get antsy/cranky on football Sundays!

Are they pre cooked, or frozen raw.? Either way, I imagine sous vide will give you the most correct and even result.

Not a bad town for a meet up!

Apparently, you'd already ordered the grinder before you asked only this:

I'd go back! If you haven't been to Gerald's Bar, it's quite worthy!

Working on the non-paella style Spanish rice, to be more like some of the rice we had in Spain. Here, with mushrooms, decent attempt. Round bone shoulder lamb chop, pan cooked, with some sliced off for Significant Eater's plate. Pan jus. Roasted Brussels sprouts.

You have a lot of other things to take care of in your life, @Duvel! When that auto coffee maker gives up the ghost, try a Techni Vorm... It looks so much cooler!

This I might have cryptically mentioned: Your temperature sounds about right to me. You did run hot water through the filter before you used it? And, as @blue_dolphin mentions, it may just be that you're not used to that flavor profile...I actually find even the medium roasts too roast-y for me, at this point.

I don't know if it was always the case, but most any restaurant in Chinatown specializing in seafood would have them. My local at the corner, Wu's, has a tank full of them right now. And I'm pretty sure if I walked 10 or 15 minutes, I could find a Chinese supermarket with tanks full of live ones.

Any of the 5 or more Chinatowns in NYC are loaded with Dungeness. Live. They are ridiculously expensive these days... https://www.aquabestnyc.com/products/dungeness-crabs

Yeah, it's sorta glorified cat food.

One of the more fun ways to get to San Sebastian (if you're already on the continent, I guess) is via the high speed train. From Paris, for example, the train takes about 4.5 hours, though there is a little quirk in that the train you take from Paris only goes as far as Hendaye, which is on the border with Spain. Hop (or crawl) off the TGV high-speed rail, and onto the Eusktren, and you're in San Sebastian in another 30 minutes. Even though flying from Paris to San Sebastian is much faster, getting to the airport, getting from the airport, dealing with security, luggage, etc. etc. I find the train much more roomy and relaxing. Heading into Basque country. It's pretty beautiful. And for this trip, we almost pulled out all the stops, staying in one of the nicer hotels, in one of the nicer rooms. Which afforded this view, of one of the most beautiful cities we've been lucky enough to visit... La Concha. The view was actually quite similar to the view we had from an AirBnB on our last trip, but said AirBnB was unavailable this time. I love the beach writers and artists; some of the most ephemeral writing and art around. Lasts only as long as the tides allow! One of the "issues" we faced during our stay in San Sebastian was that a number of the places I'd planned to dine at were actually not available. Not because they were booked. But because they were "cerrados por vacaciones." Bastardos! Also, I have no idea who that person is, but she was following me everywhere! Don't worry - we were still able to dine regally, and on our first night, we certainly did... At Gerald's Bar, new to us, but not new... Kind enough to give us a menu in English (have you tried to read Basque?!). We were hungry. And wanted to compare the paté with some we'd had in Paris. Maybe it was even better here? Grilled leeks and pears...amazing what some heat will do for a pear. This was simple and fantastic. Significant Eater quite enjoyed her tagliatelle (chef trained in Italy for a while, and this was a great, housemade tagliatelle). On the other hand... My pork chop, from a pig raised on the hills above Getaira, was astounding. Tasting better than it looks... Postre. Mas pera. Believe me when I say if I could get a meal like this, at this price here in the states, I might be ecstatic. (I can't, so I won't be). After a fair amount of rain in Paris, it was lovely to see and enjoy the sun in San Sebastian for 2 days, though the rains came here eventually. Gandarias is fine for what it is, old school (with both a pintxo bar and a sit-down restaurant), open on Sunday night, not closed for vacation, and pretty good food. We'd had a good time once before, so off we went... Delicious pig products. Shrimp from Huelva, simply cooked on la plancha. Sweet as can be. Para mí, a big hunk of lamb shoulder, with crispy skin - oh man, this was good. Para ella... Rodaballo with lotta garlic, and no one in Basque country is shy with olio! Beautifully cooked fish. Did I mention it started to rain, after 2 days of almost perfect weather? That doesn't mean it isn't still gorgeous, and a faint rainbow even appears every now and then! This is the Urumea River, which can get angry looking when it's stormy. It sometimes gets surfed by crazy people. So how was this trip different from our previous trips to San Sebastian? The one big difference was that we stayed in a hotel, which is not generally how we operate. The hotel also offered quite a lovely breakfast, which we indulged in. That meant lunch wasn't always necessary, and it also reduced our pinxtos intake, as we wanted to enjoy somewhat fancier meals in the evening. However, it didn't stop us from enjoying a great lunch at a place I'd be clued into from a previous AirBnB host, located within the sparkling Merkatua San Martin. It's called Maun Grill Bar, and two guys cook and serve fabulous food out of their tiny, well-appointed (kitchen geeks would enjoy this place!) space. Grilled and braised artichokes and celery were so different and delicious. Getting the most flavor out of this tomato salad, by torching it. Great idea. Scallops roasted in their shells, with their roe and a spicy ginger-y sauce thing. Carabineros, simply grilled. One for each of us, though I might've eaten another; they're just so good. This all kept us well sated until dinner at Antonio Boulevard (we did indulge in Antonio Bar's pinxtos on Tuesday). Tuna belly, piparras, pimento, anchovie on toast, drowned in olive oil. More artichoke hearts, this time with jamón. A favorite were the clams and rice with green sauce. Here's where I learned that I am probably overcooking my Spanish rices by a little - all the rice we had in Spain was a bit more al dente than I have been able to achieve, but I'm working on it. I didn't realize that their famous meatballs (quite good) would come with potatoes, and we ordered a side of potatoes as well. Note the salad, similar to every other green salad we had in Basque country; i.e.: lettuce and onion. I think we've had enough, no? OK - maybe a wee bit of queso to finish. Lovely, casual meal. Our final night in San Sebastian was not to be so casual, and off we walked to a restaurant which had been recommended to us by the chef pictured above, at Maun Grill Bar. It would be Casa 887, whose chef is from Brazil and where the cooking is slightly more fusion-y (but only slightly). The amuse was almost classic. Red tuna "nigiri." Just great. Pork gyoza, served in the style of Mission Chinese Food. "Glass peppers" drowned in olive oil. Significant Eater had to have some more rice, this time with those great red prawns from Huelva. Wow. And I had the special wild sea bass, which was rightly cooked and right up my alley. I'm pretty sure we drank dessert here, along with a scoop or two of ice cream. Great find, and I'm glad to have asked chef for some recommends. As mentioned, it rained, but that never stops us from wandering. It's only water, after all (and we don't use umbrellas!). Decisions, decisions. Gotta walk to get coffee... Whether it's at Old Town Coffee Roasters, or... Simona Specialty Coffee. Here's our hotel in the rain. We stayed at the very top, in a room with a private terrace. The rain keeps a lot of people off the beach, though some hearty Basques were swimming every day... And even though the view from our room when it was raining wasn't too bad... When the sun broke through, it was even prettier... On our final walk back... Might be Jupiter. Till next time... Oh - I forgot to show this... Couple pushing a baby stroller into Casa 887 on our final night. That's either a very ugly baby, or...a fucking dog!

You'd boil or steam it, as you would a lobster. Nothing is ever going to taste as good as cooked from live product, but just as I suffer with picked and packed blue crab meat to make crab cakes, the packed product works in a pinch.

John passed away on November 29, 2023. John hadn't been here for quite some time, but that doesn't mean he wasn't writing about food on his blog; mostly about his beloved Paris. I'd missed him on our last two trips to Paris, as he was unable to continue living there over the last few years, starting when the pandemic started. His advice was always welcome and kind. And I'm proud to say that he would ask me for advice, when he was coming to NYC for a visit, conference, whatever. His daughter posted this on his Facebook page: RIP, my friend.

It almost looks flank steak ish.

I'm wondering which restaurant is the one in the opening picture.

To expound, I loathe when people keep their hats on inside restaurants, and I loathe even more when people keep their baseball caps on inside restaurants, and when they're on backwards, well - take them out back and dispose of them (the people, not the caps). AND DON'T PUT YOUR HAT ON THE FUCKING BAR!

I like to plop my toes onto the table. Welcome to the 2020s.

Well, obviously it's a time for lists, as 2023 draws to a close. I'm not a big fan of lists, but since someone already broke the ice, what the heck?! Though I wonder - what if a chef/restaurateur opens a restaurant in December? Why shouldn't that count? Why not wait until 2024 to enlighten us with what was best in 2023? Anyway, I digress... I haven't eaten at Mads' newest, which tops Esquire's list, but I hope to at some point soon. I like Mads (and even got to work with him once), like his food, like his philosophy about food and no waste. So Ilis is definitely on my list - of places to try. As to the other local (to me) places, I've been to two of them multiple times - they're quite good and are places where spending money doesn't hurt, as it can when one has a bad meal, or receives bad service somewhere else. That is - they know what they're doing and they understand that the restaurant business is about taking care of customers properly; not every restaurant can say that! Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America 2023

So basically unless a restaurant uses the open table platform (like, if it uses Resy), it can't be considered one of the best? Which is just ridiculous.

That will be fine! It's a nice gift - why not try a medium roast coffee along with one of the darker roasts they offer? Even if he doesn't really like the medium roast, it can easily be blended with the darker roast to get something of a profile of coffee he likes.

None here either; plenty at Trader Joe's, local supermarket, and via Fresh Direct.