weinoo

If you have a good recipe for al pastor, why not try it out in your regular oven first?

Quite a few of the restaurant supply stores have nice selections of china that you can see and hold. I've seen just the items you're looking for. There's a big one on the northwest corner of E. Houston St. and Bowery, one on Delancey and Forsythe (ne corner), WIN Restaurant Supply at 318 Lafayette, just north of Houston, one on the corner of Allen and Canal (nw) and others along E. Broadway and lower Bowery.

Oh, they just cook good food. How long was your wait on Saturday night, or did you have a reservation?

Ellis' book has been on my bookshelf for at least 30 years.

What in the world produced this rather bizarre judgment? One thing I can think of is that it is sure a hell of a lot easier to walk into Pegu Club and (for now, at least) Pouring Ribbons than it is PDT. They're much more accessible.

Spirituous is a good word... . It's a really great menu.

That flavor matrix is a nice idea.

Pegu Club is usually a good place to start as it gives you an idea of how the scene developed. And the drinks are almost always superb. I think Pouring Ribbons, which is a nice sized space and not overrun would be a great choice, and we really enjoy Experimental Cocktail Club - great room and a friendly staff with excellent bartenders. Acme -which I love for the food (just ate at the bar last week), is free pouring like crazy, and I don't think the cocktails measure up to the stand alone cocktail bars mentioned in this thread. They could be better if they were made with more care, but that's not what it's about at Acme. I'm sure Death & Co. is still great, but we haven't been in quite some time, as many of the original staff have branched out into other projects.

Really? According to Dave Arnold and Cooking Issues: Do read on, however, as it get much more wonky.

Le Cirque will, I'm sure, retain its coterie of blue-haired regulars no matter how many stars it has or hasn't. I can't remember if I've ever been (maybe a luncheon at one time or another), and certainly never in its heyday.

Most of the coffee I brew at home is considered very high-end; perhaps not best in the world, but the roasters from whom I buy tend to seek out fine product. I haven't tried the Esmerelda from Panama, but I'll keep an eye out for it. Did you get it already roasted and if so, how fresh was it when it got to you? I'll often brew a really fine coffee two or three different ways to see what I like best; pour-over, French, maybe even siphon if I feel like getting that equipment out. Since coffee to me is a morning/daytime drink, I hardly connote it with wine or whiskey - I don't know if that answers your question, however.

Well played sir The thread is digressing into nitpicking. Actually, that's how it started. After all, what are annoyances other than nitpicking?

Nina Simonds' Asian Noodles (Deliciously Simple Dishes to Twirl, Slurp and Savor) should fit the bill. All the basics, with description of various types of noodles, how to use and cook them, recipes, etc.

You know what I'd like? How about the wine/wait person to ask me, the customer, whether I'd like to refill my glass on my own. That would be a step forward.

What would you prefer they do? How about wine/wait persons constantly topping off one's glass in the hopes of selling more wine?

But you already did . The most important thing to know is that Italians will argue about food and the way it should be/is prepared, no matter if they're from the north, south, east or west. As a matter of fact, they will argue even in the same household!

Let's find out. Now, back to the topic at hand...no matter where you live in this country (USA), there are bound to be local ingredients. Cooking with those can, in my opinion, only make your cooking more "Italian."

In another topic discussing Italian food vs. Italian-American food, this came up. What is the origin of the term "Sunday gravy" for what is essentially a tomato based sauce? And where did it start?

How can you say tasting menus are over, when places like Eleven Madison, Brooklyn Fare, Atera et. al. are impossible to get into, and offer only tasting menus? By the way, not that I disagree with you on your final point (and isn't Pok Pok a pain in the ass to get into as well?).

In a piece near and dear to my heart in this past week's NY Times, Mark Bittman takes on the snooty trappings of not only fancy, high-end restaurants with exorbitant tasting menus, but loud music, uncomfortable chairs and long lines to dine in places just because they're so hip you can't miss them. Starting off with some humor I can relate to: Then, who wouldn't love this... Speaking of the above, one of our favorite restaurants in DC (Dino's) has all sorts of snacks ready for you, if you dine at the bar. Continuing to take 'em down a notch... And what likes is right up my alley too... Is he right? Do you have the same complaints as he does? And - do you have a local joint where you can get just what you're looking for?

Yes, great point.

At this point in our evolution, I don't agree with this at all. Great olive oil is available everywhere, be it from Italy, Spain, Turkey, California et.al. The tomatoes in my farmer's market this summer are amazing. And I'll put the fresh seafood I cook with (Maine lobsters, Peconic Bay scallops and Long Island littlenecks being just 3 quick examples) up against the best stuff from anywhere. As Marcella, Giuliano and Mario taught all of us Italophiles early on, the dish is about the pasta; anything else is condiment.

They look tinned and the tin looks like it's in pretty good shape. They kinda look like older Mauviels. $150 would be a great deal. There are a few places that do retinning: East Coast Retinning Metal Man Restoration Rocky Mountain Retinning Atlantic Retinning and so on.

Here's another bit of advice: leave "the wife" home when shopping for the kitchen, especially if you do the cooking.

You and I are pretty much on the same page, Scoop.