weinoo

Interesting, as I think some of the best of the produce I've eaten and you've mentioned have come from the USGM - but anything can happen! We'll keep you informed on who has what this coming growing season!

Just out of curiosity, what's the excess involved with pickled raisins? I didn't know you could buy pickled raisins but I've made them in the past and thought they were tasty. They seemed like a natural pickling candidate, overly sweet and mostly dehydrated. They suck up the pickling liquid, soften and the sweetness is balanced by the vinegar. Personally, I find it a vast improvement over a stock raisin. Not bashing your opinion, I'm just trying to understand the criteria for "excess" in that case.Okay everyone - lighten up... http://youtu.be/yYey8ntlK_E

I'm having a little bit of trouble understanding this...what vendors are disreputable or what have you bought that is worse than supermarket stuff? Most everything is available for a taste, isn't it? And I've never met a vendor who, if you were to tell them that the corn you bought last week sucked, wouldn't make it up to you. I mean we all know there's no outdoor growing season here during January and February, and apple harvest takes place Aug - Oct, so stuff we're buying in March was harvested some time ago - but that's the case even with a lot of stuff in the supermarkets; either that, or it came from 6,000 miles away.

Zen anything.

The following things are starting to bother me... Pickled Raisins. I mean, we all love Ideas In Food, right. But... Smoked everything. I like toast. But do I have to watch it on TV? See-through toaster. Got any?

Brophy Brothers' in Santa Barbara is awesome.

If it's available at any of the greenmarkets, it will be available at Union Square. The "ethnic" stuff you can find is the stuff that's growable fairly locally. Don't go looking for plantains, yuca, ginger root, etc. But epazote in the summer, all the Asian cabbages, Persian cucumbers, and so on, are available during their growing seasons.

Rockaway Tacos. But they still need help recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

I don't know how to even weigh in on this topic, I guess because I don't drink drinks which I don't like. Of course, to try to convince people that they might like a drink they don't like is a tough sell. But - as Amirault points out, maybe it's in the execution. Don't like a Bronx cause of the orange juice? Try a South Bronx, and squeeze a blood orange. Don't like a Manhattan? Is it perfect? Sweet? Dry? Twist? Cherry? Rye? Bourbon? Antica? M & R? Dolin? Don't like a Saz? Help!

A more important question is: do you peel toward yourself or away? Those who peel towards themselves might indeed like the Y-peeler. I peel away from myself and have always used a swivel bladed peeler for that task. Also, I don't really find myself in the position of peeling pounds and pounds of things, so my hand doesn't get tired.

Chabad-certified Schmurah. Because nothing screams exclusivity and Jewish wealth like the need to spend 21+ dollars a pound on shit that tastes like building material. http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/265986/jewish/Order-Matzah-Online.htm Hey - have you seen the cost of a lulav and an etrog lately ?

One of my first blog posts was about Streit's matzo factory, located on the corner of Rivington and Suffolk streets for the last 90 or so years.

The Jewish holiday of Passover is rapidly approaching. That means, at least in my neighborhood, and in many others, matzo starts appearing in stores in great numbers. Now, when I was a kid, there were basically two kinds of matzo: egg and plain. Now, as an adult ( ), I find literally dozens of different matzos in the stores. Every year, there are more and more. The classic, whole wheat, everything, egg, onion, garlic, egg and onion, garlic and onion, etc. etc. etc. So - what's your favorite? Brand? Style? Whatever.

I'm with Amory & Darienne on this one - I've used an OXO Good Grips for a long time - every now and then I take a chunk of nail off, but hey... Cook's Illustrated's faves are the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, a Y-shaped one and the Messermeister Pro-Touch Fine Edge Swivel Peeler.

Have you tried the Kettle baked chips? They are a very respectable snack chip, with no fake ingredients. Not yet, but I will. I think the Whole Foods where I shop has the whole line of Kettle.

But seriously, how are any of these (baked rice chips ) as good as "crisps?" Just face it, we eat these things because they're "healthier" or we like to think we're being virtuous, but nothing is as good as a real potato chip.

You gotta face facts - there is no good alternative to "crisps." Have an apple.

When in Rome...

This is a good point...no one was complaining about the snobs behind the bar when these serious cocktail places started opening. We who are fond of well made food and drink were cheering loudly. It's only when the masses started showing up at the serious cocktail places that we heard from the masses that these places are snobby. As I said above, plenty of places to drink if you need a vodka/soda.

While nothing else is screaming for your attention more than rye or gin, what if you have a guest who asks for a Jack Rose? Or a daiquiri? Margarita?

So this happened... The "original" Malacca seemed a little bit more assertive, heat wise - they're both the same alcohol content, however. The new stuff just tasted a little smoother, more tropical - if that makes any sense. Didn't try them in any mixed drinks, however.

Two bottles?! I took all that was on the shelf and could comfortably carry. Well, to be fair, only 3 bottles . Yes, Astor.

So, ummm, I came into this today: And I'm wondering - what are your favorite drinks to make with it?

Check out Ruhlman which is where I saw the wet-cure. And I did mean frozen. Welcome to eGullet, too.

Hey, don't diss the NY Post. It's got a good sports section.