Suvir Saran

JD, many thanks for this great post and the link.

Rachel your recipe sounded lovely. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us. You are most kind.

Another point of similarity across many cultures I think...

As I speak with old friends and make new ones, I see that Sunday meals were held in greater esteem in many a homes. Funny to see this be the case across cultures.

Actually Suvir, I was hoping someone else would come up with a recipe! I'm decent at the conceptual aspects of cooking, but I'm still working on the fundamentals of actually making things. Now you have the recipe... What else would you need? Post and I am sure there are many here that will help eagerly.

For reasons best left unknown .... I can only say that Gael Greene may have eaten at Fiorellos more recently than many on eGullet and NYC. Gael is not sparing in her words... It is hard to please her. She likes quality and cares for it. Fiorello is great for antipasto and serves amazing Pizza when I have eaten there. Maybe they knew my dining companions and sent us very fresh stuff... But then again, it was better than most such foods I have eaten anywhere. But I would think that someone doing as much business as Fiorello would not have an opportunity to let food get stale. But who knows about these things....I have eaten a few Pizzas in Shelly Firemans many restaurants.. and across each of them, the pizzas have mostly been very good. IN fact the Foie Gras pizza at Shellys New York used to sate my hunger for Foie Gras and good pizza at the same time. Go figure... But none of this is good enough excuse for you being served a poor meal. I am sorry. I am sorry you had a bad meal there. I am sorry that the soufflé for which you paid a substantial sum of money was also not good. I think most of the money was paid for you were eating it at that venue. But there is nothing worse than a soufflé that looks dark and chocolatey but has no chocolate flavor... Even store bought chocolate pudding can become pleasing all of a sudden. When you find yourself in the area again, and if you want to give Fiorello another chance.... Let me know.. maybe I can call the management and tell them about your not so great experience... I am sure any smart management team would want you back to wow you over... Or, if you give me some warning.. I can call Scott and see if he can prepare a tasting menu for you at SQC... He is a brilliant chef.. and even better when doing stuff like that. It also does not hurt that he makes pastries better than many chefs who are made to do pastry in even some of the finer restaurants. I keep hoping someday more restaurant owners will understand the need to have great pastry chefs working in their kitchens and also to respect these chefs as much as they do their savory chefs. That will be the day that diners will finally experience a meal that is great in all accounts. (Note, far too many restaurant owners hire untrained chefs and give them lofty titles of pastry chef, but in reality that title means little if anything.)

And those of you that have not followed the Diwan threads in the NYC forum, should read through them if you want to know more about Master Tandoor Chef, Hemant Mathur. His food has only recently been given a rave 2 Star review by Eric Asimov in the NY Times. Few mortals can cook better while working with a Tandoor.

I am sorry you did not enjoy Fiorellos. It can be very good when good I guess. I have enjoyed some nice meals there. Also the brownies that Restaurant Associates purchases are usually quite good... What kind of souffle did you get? Do take me up on the offer to have Scott Campbell do a tasting for you.. He is great when doing stuff like that.. It would be a pleasure for me to make that happen. Have a good T Day.. and weekend.

We're extremely pleased to welcome noted food authority, restaurant creator and operator, trendsetter and master chef, Ed Schoenfeld, for an eGullet Q&A on Thursday and Friday, December 5 and 6. Ed Schoenfeld is a man known simultaneously for making the best potato salad of a lifetime, the best matzoh ball soup, and the best Chinese food in America. In his milieu as culinary expert and jongleur, and as one of New York's best maitre d's or hosts, Schoenfeld has emerged as master performer, director and producer, pulling together the different components of the restaurant world and remarkably making the whole greater than the sum of the parts. The ultimate foodie insider, the man who knows what really good is, a guy that can conceive, create and operate -- these are a few ways that Eddie Schoenfeld has been described. A man Tim Zagat calls for advice or a lead, Schoenfeld knows where to find the best bistro in Nice as well as the best banana cream pie in LA. Ed Schoenfeld is a man Ruth Reichl as restaurant critic of the New York Times, enthusiastically describes as reason enough to change her plans with whom to go out and have dinner, who Gourmet Magazine calls the Chinese Food Curator, who Gael Greene of New York Magazine calls her own Chinatown guru, and who Arthur Schwartz of New York's most listened to radio food show, Food Talk, calls the ultimate powerful insider in New York's food and restaurant community. As a young man Schoenfeld set out to become the preeminent food authority of his generation, the James Beard of his time. According to a Sunday New York Times Magazine profile, Schoenfeld had earned his culinary Ph.D. by the time he was in his early twenties as a protégé of the great twentieth century Chinese master chef, Lo Huey Yen. Regular trips to France's three-star Michelin restaurants, combined with a compulsive quest to discover the greatest practitioners of New York's different cuisines have helped him earn the reputation that he has today. Equally at home with Jewish home cooking, Asian food, fine French and Italian cuisine, as well as traditional and contemporary American food, Schoenfeld has taken this breadth of knowledge and has used it to become one of the top restaurant creators and operators in the country. Schoenfeld started his career at the top. His first job was to set up and ultimately operate what turned out to be one of the most influential Chinese restaurants in the United States. Uncle Tais Hunan Yuan opened in New York in 1973 and within weeks was lauded, receiving the New York Times's highest four-star rating. While Schoenfeld's passion was cooking and great food, his day-to-day work for the first ten years of his career focused on operating the dining rooms of some of New York's finest high-end restaurants. It was here that he developed a reputation for knowing how to recognize and please New York City's most powerful and discerning clientele. "Schoenfeld knows everybody," was whispered throughout the industry, and as he moved from one restaurant to the next, his customers followed. In the early '80s, Schoenfeld moved from operating dining rooms to creating and operating new restaurant businesses. From 1983 to 1985, over a brief period of 18 months, he created and opened four new restaurants, which caused the New York Times to refer to Schoenfeld and his partner David Keh as "the Barnum and Bailey of the New York restaurant scene". Working with celebrated designer Sam Lopata, Schoenfeld's creations were noted not just for their terrific food and personalized service, but for their creative interiors and cutting edge marketing strategies. He opened New York City's first gourmet Mexican restaurant, Cafe Marimba, which was widely recognized for its delicious and authentic regional Mexican dishes, as well as its dramatic decor in the style of one of the world's greatest contemporary architects, Luis Barragan. Auntie Yuan, which opened in May 1983, was a beautiful and visionary restaurant. Featuring the cooking of four Chinese women chefs, the restaurant was an harbinger of the trend that arrived in Paris several years later, Cuisine de Femme. Auntie Yuan featured a tasting menu of small portions of the chefs' specialties served one course at a time, a style of service currently in vogue among top chefs. A cover story in New York Magazine, titled "Restaurant Madness," prominently featured Schoenfeld's next creation, Pig Heaven. A Chinese restaurant with an irreverent yet chic barnyard decor, Pig Heaven featured great barbecued meats, the dumplings of Madame Chaing Kai Shek's personal chef, and top quality Sichuan cooking. In the spirit of the decor, Pig Heaven offered coffee mugs with undersides resembling pig snouts that made the drinker look aptly "snooty," and to get an order delivered, patrons simply dialed: 212-PIG-IT-UP. Safari Grill opened a few months later and became the city's hip, casual-chic, high-energy spot, with serious Californian cooking created by star chef John Terczek, the original executive chef at Gordon's in Chicago. In 1986 Schoenfeld entered a new phase of his career working for New York City real-estate mogul Howard Milstein. The Milstein organization used Schoenfeld to develop restaurant concepts for vacant commercial properties that they hoped to lease. Working with such famous designers as Adam Tihany, David Rockwell and Randy Croxton, Schoenfeld developed plans for a Champagne and caviar bar, a multi-concept restaurant for the lobby of the former Biltmore Hotel across the street from New York's Grand Central Station, and eventually came to operate the Food and Beverage department of Milstein's 1400-room hotel located in Times Square. In 1990, Schoenfeld returned to the restaurant scene and opened three new restaurants over a period of 3 years. The instantly successful Vince and Eddie's was a charming American bistro in a New England country inn setting. It featured updated versions of classical American home-cooking in an intimate room with a working fireplace and a garden. Vince and Eddie's regularly turned tables four times in an evening. A year later, the same group opened Fishin' Eddie, a contemporary seafood restaurant with an Italian accent. The following year, Schoenfeld created Chop Suey Looey's Litchi Lounge, a restaurant far ahead of its time with a unique tropical drink program and state-of-the-art contemporary Cantonese cooking. After selling his interest in the Vince and Eddie group, Schoenfeld moved forward as Director of New Business Development for New York City's largest privately held restaurant company. In this capacity Schoenfeld created The Java Shoppe, a new style coffee shop in Times Square, and Knot Just Pretzels, a gourmet bread pretzel bakery located across town in New York's Penn Station. He also ran a test kitchen and developed recipes for a roast chicken and traditional American barbecue concept. Schoenfeld supervised the architectural and interior plans for all these spaces as well. Starting in 1996, Schoenfeld developed a restaurant consulting practice. At the well-known luxury department store ABC Carpet and Home, Schoenfeld took over the high volume restaurant called the Parlour Cafe and redesigned the food preparation methods to overcome the limitations of an all-electric kitchen. At the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Schoenfeld was hired to locate a top quality chef and management team to meet the increasing demands of the hotel's sophisticated Chinese "high rollers." In 1998, the Hong Kong Tourist Association brought Schoenfeld to Hong Kong to taste and to report back to them on what restaurants he deemed exciting and excellent. They used his notes for visiting journalists as a primer to help guide them to their city's culinary delights. Back in New York City, Schoenfeld started developing one-of-a-kind restaurants for Manhattan owner/operators. Jacks Fifth, Thalia, Our Place, Shanghai Tea Garden, City Eatery and Ping's each used Schoenfeld in various capacities, and subsequently were all highly regarded and well reviewed in New York City's restaurant and food world. Schoenfeld was featured in the 1999 PBS series Jewish Cooking in America, and has been regularly quoted as an authority on the restaurant world by the New York Times, New York Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications. Currently, Schoenfeld is in the early stages of writing his first book about the Chinese food world and is presently working as a consultant on several upcoming restaurant projects in his hometown. He was the head of a nationwide restaurant group, Club House, where he brought his New York savvy to diners across the country. He has also recently worked as a consultant to Opera, a new and trendy Chinese restaurant in Chicago. And he is a very nice guy.

Thanks Jinmyo! I shall make some myself. I love these so much that I often end up drinking several glass fulls at one meal. The restaurant makes more money from my beverage tab than from dinner.

What kind of grape leaves are used by members when making stuffed grape leaves?

Tandoori Cooking The Tandoor has been known to the Indian region for many thousands of years. It is as old as its culture. A cylindrical clay oven that heats upto a very high temperature, it cooks unlike any other oven. The coal embers provide for a flavor that is at once very tasty and scrumptious. The meats and vegetables cooked in the tandoor are different from other grilled stuff in their recipes. Tandoori foods are very simple to prepare and very light. Attention is paid most to the marination and the cuts of meats. Even though the tandoor has been used in India for centuries, it was only afer the partition of India and it's getting freedom that one has seen a reintroduction of tandoori foods. Today foods cooked in the tandoor are the prominent dishes on many Indian restaurants. The famous Indian flat breads (naans, kulchas, parathas) are prepared in this clay oven. The naans, stuffed and layered and plan parathas, kulchas and rotis are made in minutes in the tandoor. Tandoori chicken, that famous rose colored (since many outside of India use coloring) grilled chicken cooks into a flavorful, crunchy and moist textured meat in just some quick minutes. The secret to this dish as also to many other tandoori recipes is mostly in the marination. Grilled shrimp, succulent lamb chops, seekh kababs, malai kababs and slamon tikkas are some of the other famous dishes. PS: The above is some text I had on my website about Tandoori foods.

Nina I was thinking of you.... how funny Wondered if you read the thread on Apple Chutney and got the recipe. I go to Little India when in need of spices later in the evening.. They used to be open later than Foods of India. The owner is a man who grew up in the Islands... very kind person... and would even deliver for me when I gave him enough warning. The spice are of better quality than Kalustyan for sure, but not even close in freshness and cleanliness to Foods of India. Mr. Sinha, the proprietor at Foods of India is a hawkish man and it has served him well. You may want to make a trip to his store next time you are in that hood. Happy Thanksgiving!

Kalustyan is a TERRIBLE store to buy Indian spices. Inferior quality (compared to Foods Of India, the store south of them) of spices are packaged and sold to those not very familiar. The Middle Eastern fare is now very lack lustre. Many items are not as fresh as they ought to be. What a shame... It is not the store I first visited 10 years ago. Foods of India, the store just south of Kalustyan may charge a penny or five more per pound for some spices, but is far cleaner and selling far fresher ingredients. Arun Sinha the owner is a Spice Nazi if I have met one. Very proud of his offerings, he makes no compromises in quality. When certain spices are not available at the very minimum standard wanted by him, he chooses to simply delete that item from inventory till the correct quality can be brought back in. While it may seem an irritant to some, for one like me, it is a perfect reason to give him my business and respect. Florence Meat Market is great for meats. Ottomanelli is great for well priced cuts and also is a great place to order stuff that may not be readily available elsewhere. I love the Citrus I can find at Balduccis.... But I have not gone there in very long.. And I heard something about it closing.. Has it already? Is it really closing if it has not? What a shame that would be/is. Liza had once suggested Chelsea Market for mangoes. I have found some good produce there... But it is inconsistent.

Hey - this is a prime example of something else that could be converted into a quesidilla. Absolutely! In fact many of those that have eaten Quesadillas in my kitchen seem to think they are sublime made by me. And I really do nothing special. Just some pico de gallo, some guacamole, some cheese and fresh tortillas. And now this idea you give.... yummmm...

WARM POTATO SALAD Aloo Chaat Serves 4 This is Delhi street food at its best. You’d buy it from a vendor selling made-to-order snacks (“chaats”) from a cart stocked with a variety of prepared foods that he tosses together at the whim of the customer. It would be plated on a large, dried leaf with a toothpick as a utensil. According to your specification, the vendor would add more or less of one of the chutneys, more or less spice and hot chili. I often serve aloo chaat at parties as one of several appetizers. It also makes a good lunch, with an egg; if you find yourself eating it that way, count on serving only two from this recipe. Traditionally this is made with “chaat masala”, a rather complex spice mixture, but I’ve simplified the recipe by omitting it and adjusting the quantities of chutneys to compensate. 1 1/2 pounds (about 4) red boiling potatoes 3 tablespoons canola oil 2 tablespoons Green Chutney (page 000) 2 tablespoons Tamarind Chutney (page 000) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 fresh, hot green chili, chopped (optional) 1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon garam masala (page 000) 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. Simmer the potatoes in water to cover until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Chill, then peel and cut into 1-inch cubes. 2. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, covered, turning the potatoes with a spatula every 3 or 4 minutes, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. 3. Put the potatoes in a bowl with all of the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve hot or at room temperature. I have posted this recipe in the Thanksgiving thread as well. But this seems like a more appropriate thread for it to be.

Not that you asked... But I am posting my recipe for Aloo Chaat. Looking forward to reading about how you make it... Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours rstarobi. WARM POTATO SALAD Aloo Chaat Serves 4 This is Delhi street food at its best. You’d buy it from a vendor selling made-to-order snacks (“chaats”) from a cart stocked with a variety of prepared foods that he tosses together at the whim of the customer. It would be plated on a large, dried leaf with a toothpick as a utensil. According to your specification, the vendor would add more or less of one of the chutneys, more or less spice and hot chili. I often serve aloo chaat at parties as one of several appetizers. It also makes a good lunch, with an egg; if you find yourself eating it that way, count on serving only two from this recipe. Traditionally this is made with “chaat masala”, a rather complex spice mixture, but I’ve simplified the recipe by omitting it and adjusting the quantities of chutneys to compensate. 1 1/2 pounds (about 4) red boiling potatoes 3 tablespoons canola oil 2 tablespoons Green Chutney (page 000) 2 tablespoons Tamarind Chutney (page 000) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 fresh, hot green chili, chopped (optional) 1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon garam masala (page 000) 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. Simmer the potatoes in water to cover until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Chill, then peel and cut into 1-inch cubes. 2. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, covered, turning the potatoes with a spatula every 3 or 4 minutes, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. 3. Put the potatoes in a bowl with all of the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Spicy Bread and Tomato Salad This refreshing salad is unique in a couple of ways: It's made with whole wheat bread, which adds nuttiness, and it's got a warm, spice-infused dressing. Use a hearty bakery loaf rather than packaged sandwich bread. Servings: 4 Ingredients 12 thick slices whole wheat bread, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 15 cups) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 large onion, halved crosswise and sliced 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped Salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt, stirred until smooth 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped 1 medium European cucumber, peeled and cut into small dice Juice of 1/2 lime Steps 1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the diced bread out on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast for 6 to 7 minutes, or until dry on the outside. Remove from the oven. 2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add the onion and jalapeños, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cayenne pepper and the yogurt. Add the toasted bread and stir gently to coat with the dressing. Stir in the tomatoes, cover and cook until the bread is softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently stir in the cucumber and lime juice and season with salt. Spoon the salad onto individual plates and serve. -- Stephanie Lyness and Suvir Saran Food & Wine Magazine Bread in Indian cooking thread

Grilled Chile-Cheese Toasts Fresh spices and jalapeños add a twist to these open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches. Serve them with a mixed green salad for a satisfying lunch. Servings: 4 Ingredients 1 pound whole milk mozzarella, shredded 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 medium tomato, finely chopped and drained on paper towels 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Salt and freshly ground black pepper Twelve 1/2-inch-thick slices hearty whole wheat bread Steps 1. Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, mash together all of the ingredients except the bread. 2. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them until lightly browned. Let cool slightly, then turn the toasts over and spread the mozzarella cheese mixture on top. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until melted and lightly browned. Serve hot. -- Stephanie Lyness and Suvir Saran Food & Wine Magazine Recipe from thread on Cheese in Indian cooking

All of this is making me Hungry!

I think I smell Ed Schoenfeld as well. Who else could be so eloquent about food.

Sounds correct.... Thanks for posting the recipe Rachel. Hope you and the rest of our gang on eGullet has a great Thanksgiving tomorrow.

And how do you make these Rstarobi? They sound delicious!

Not sure of the steak... but my dear friend Ed Schoenfeld took me there once long ago, and since, they have been my butchers of choice. I have fed many a foodie and not so food obsessive friends and only heard rave reviews.. even from the toughest of them. What is best about them is that for one as meat phobic as me (about cleaning and cutting), they do all my work for me.. and with a smile. The Keema (minced meat) I get there is amazing and makes my Keema recipes as special as people make them out to be. Not sure how good the Newport Steak is... But they could not be more polite and deliver better product at least in my book.

I had a friend I really love and respect and consider close go to Cafe Luxembourg last night. I was shocked that they were still open (not really, but shocked someone this CHIC and HIP would go there). Upon pressing for details as to why he picked CL, he said he wanted to take his mother to a place that was least threatening in any way. Comfortable, simple, good service and close to home. I have never enjoyed it... but so many do swear by it for the same reasons as my friend. But Compass would be my first choice if I want a medium priced meal and good food. Ouest is very good. And SQC for personal reasons... would be my first choice any day... I could eat there every night.. But I live downtown....