Busboy

Maybe I think sweet with duck because it's the only meat I tend to get a chance to get sweet with. Though there's a thing Keller does with leeks and butter -- I'd have to look it up, but the butter isn't melted so much as emulsified around the leeks -- that goes spectacularly well with duck and maybe a little of that duck demi-glace. I will try the alternative rendering technique next time I get my hands on a couple. They last pair didn't come with feet, but since I buy them in a vast Asian market, I'll bet the feet are available somewhere.

I wanted to get duck fat rendered with the idea of getting some confiting done and had a similar question. We ate the whole duck -- we'll get around to confiting eventually now that we have a quart of fat in the firdge -- but this is a dead simple and excellent recipe that works for any part you care to cook, and better for the breasts. First, once you get all the edible bits off the carcass, roast the remains in a 250-300 degree oven until you've rendered all possible fat off the bones and given it a roasty flavor. Use the carcass to make a rich stock. Sprinkle whatever you're cooking for dinner with some store-bought 5-spice powder (or make your own, if you're ambitious) and let it sit. Skim the stock and cook it down to maybe a cup. Add a quarter bottle of red wine and a little honey and cracked pepper and cook it down to a syrope, tasting and adjusting as you go. In frying pan, make a savory pear "sauce" -- heat some shallots in butter, throw chopped pear in and cook it until you have the texture you want, adding salt, sugar, cinnamon or whatever strikes your fancy. Cook your breasts (saving that fat!) plate them on top the pear and drizzle liberally with the honey/red wine sauce. The flavors have a naturally affinity for each other and the 5-spice powder -- which I dusted on on a whim -- really makes the dish.

If you find yourself at the well regarded Anne-Marie Cantin in the 7th, around the corner from the Rue Cler market, they will offer to cryovac for you, and I'll wager that the other higher-end cheese shops do, as well.

As a fellow tourist to NYC, I urge you to spend time learning the subway. Aside from rush hours it is fast and relatively relaxed, you meet the most interesting people (OK, not always a good thing) and once you get down with it, you are free. Mastering the the local/express dance (riding two stops, changing to the express, and then going many blocks and changing back to the local): key. I have no idea how two people can eat in New York restaurants for $64/day, but best of luck. Surprised nobody's mentioned the great New York pizza parlors. Also, along with the mention of Zabars, keep in mind that it is near Museum Row. Work up an appetite with the two-mile hike someone suggested, check out some priceless art, and grab a baguette and some cheese. One of my best meals in NYC was when we lucked into a hotel room at the Grammercy Park with a view of the Empire State and the New York Life (I think) buildings. Our son was sick, so we ate cheese and bread in bed, accompanied by decent but unexceptional wine from the hotel water glasses. Every now and them my wife would nudge me, or vice versa, and we'd have another sipe of wine and marvel at the astounding view. I hate Midtown, I'm hard-pressed to think of eating in New York for $64/day, but there is the potential for something marvelous everywhere you turn in that town. Have fun.

The event was a little fun and a little like work. If you've ever been to a "Taste of [City]" you kind of know the pushing and shoving and mix of people who know what they're doing and the people who don't (and me in between the extremes). Very democratic, but not conducive to introspective swirling and spitting. Plus, after tasting 50 young wines or so (a pittance by serious tasting standards), I'd ingested so much oak that I my mouth felt as though I'd been french kissing cordwood. There were a lot of tables featuring forgettable swill -- perfectly drinkable stuff but not worth accumulating in quantity. "Tortoise Creek." I think not. And a lot of disappointments. I don't know if I'm just picky or if I have an oversensitive price/(subjective) quality ratio, but there was a reasonable quantity of "you get $30 for this?" stuff. Biggest surprise was Lois Latour who, for whatever reason, I'd always thought of as kind of a mid-level hack. But we walked (via palate) from Chassagne to Marsannay and on to Chablis and we were impressed, particularly with the whites. I got a half caseof the '02 Chassagne "Morgeot" for $45/per which is not necessarily a bargain but, having paid more for white burgundies I liked less, I was pleased. The steal of the night was a case of Chablis Vaillons '04 for $17 a bottle. I won't embarass myself by attempting winespeak, but to hit that sweet spot between licking a wet rock and sipping fat-ass chard for less than $30 was very nice. (see, JohnL, I don't just bitch about high prices, I bargain hunt, too) Was a little disappointed by the Guigal offerings, but plunked down for a case of the cotes du Rhone Rouge for $10/per as an excellent quaffing wine. The Baumard wines didn't grab me, or grab me enough to buy any on a limited buget,which was disappointing. The "tres Special" Savenniers was intriguing but, in the bustle I just couldn't spring for it. The other offerings seemed a little thin. And I bought a half-case of Morot Beaune 1er Cru, offered by local legend (I'm not sure how far his reach extends, but he's worshipped like a god in DC) Robert Kascher. The event was held in the French Embassy, but in kind of an anonymous, modern reception area. The place you really want to get into is the Ambassador's residence, which is across town and lookslike it was shipped in brick-by-brick from the Loire Valley. I've always been intrigued by the idea that the French and German embassies are right next door toone another (as the Turkish and Greek Embassies are). But, if the room was a little austere, the limetless quantities of cheese and charcuterie brought a bit of the campagne into the city. All in all, less fun than I thought, but educational and, if I could buy a case of "laying down" wine and two cases of "priced like Wednesdy, but tastes like Saturday" wine a couple or three times a year, and have a chance to learn more about good wine, I'd be a happy man.

It's still a fearsome foursome at the four star level, looks like I'll have to finally spring for dinner at CityZen. Citronelle was a no-brainer and it looks like Tom thinks that rumors of The Inn at Little Washington's demise are premature. Blue Duck -- just six months old or so -- appears to be this year's phenom, rocketing into the big leagues, along with Ray's the (Instant) Classics, around for only two. Apparently in this game old dogs not only learn new tricks, they do them better than the new dogs. (Both McBride at Blue Duck and Landrum at Ray's have notched significant successes before). Also new-ish in in the "Hot Spots" category with (among others) our new "official" Best Indian, Rasika, and a rejuvenated Blacks. In the "Ethnic Standard Bearers," I still think that the restaurant next door to Four Sisters, Viet Royale, is a noticably better spot, but maybe, this time, everybody else in the world isn't wrong. Just this time. Seeing El Chalan mentioned reminds me of my friend who dated the waiter there, the guy with the long pinkie nail who gave us all pisco sours free. What on earth would a straight Peruvian be doing with a long pinkie nail like that? PS, does Belgian really count as "ethnic?" If so, why not the three-star Marcel's instead of the two-and-a-half star frites factory Mannequin Pis? New Chef Nathan Beuachamp ably fills local legend Ris LaCost's clogs, keeping 1789 a three-star "old reliable." (Whither Marcel's?) Vidalia, Kinkaid's and Obelisk all seem to have come through what some saw as mid-life crises, the first two with the help of significant plastic surgery. I Loved Vidalia when I was there with Sconz recently. I don't get to Obelisk much but on my last trip I was impressed not just by the food but by the gracious welcome-- my wife and I showed up spontaneously and ill-clad-edly after a movie we'd wanted to see sold out. We inhereted a canceled six-top in the center of the room were treated kings despite our decidedly more plebian appearances. All the girls and some of the boys tell me that Johnny Monis at Komi is a "chef to watch" whethers he's behind the line or not. There ain't no barbecue in the Greek-Med kitchen, but he is sure 'nuff smokin' -- Wahingtonian Magizines "50 Most Beautiful Washingtonians 3-stars in the Dining Guide in the same year. Tune into eGullet next week and ask Chef Jose Andres what it's like to have not one, not two, but three restaurants in the Dining Guide, including the groundbreaking tapas joint (with Andres' Tapas cookbook displayed prominently in the dining room) and "delicious deal" Jaleo. The other two-timer on that list: Landrum and Rays. The other Andres' restaurants on the other lists? Cafe Atlantica, with "chef to watch" Katsuya Fukushima (almost as cute as Monis -- I think my wife chose these guys) and "Washington Original" Minibar. My favorite pick of the issue? The Hitching Post in "neighborhood treaures" which, until yesterday, was favorite undiscovered place. Also Montmartre, for years the only decent restaurant on the Hill. And also Cashion's, since I have a gift certificate for Cashions and I don't want Ann to spit in my soup for not mentioning her. Anyone else? Who got shafted? Who lucked in?

I thought No. 9 Park looked pretty expensive, but I find dining in Boston expensive in general. One possible compromise: go there late and just eat in the lounge. About this time last year I ended up with some white truffle gnoccis that were stupendous, and probably the best steak tartare I ever ate. One great thing about the North End is that the energy will really keep your kids in a good mood (busy cities always did it for mine, anyway). Plus, you can go to dinner then walk them around about the time they're getting antsy, and take them someplace different -- to one of the coffee shops -- for dessert. (I also think that ethnic restaurants are much more kid-friendly than yuppie places, too). More info here.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will report back. JohnL, too bad you're not in DC as I have an extra ticket.

A buddy of mine has flipped me a couple of tickets to a French Wine Society tasting/buying opportunity to be held tonight in DC, and I'll probably drop a modest amount of money on stuff to restock my cellars. I would much appreciate any opinions on what vintages or regions to avoid, and which to focus on (ie "'03 Loires suck, but '05 Alsatians rock") and any commentary on producers that are worth seeking out. A full list of the wiones to be tasted is here. My general approach is to seek out mid-priced wines that can benefit from 5-7 years in the basem ent, but don't need 20 years in climate controlled storage to prosper. Also, alkways on the lookout for the great $10 bottle of quaffing wine which -- given the number of village wines from the South being offered -- may well be there tonight. Lastly, does anyone know Domaine des Baumard? I am particularly interested in trying their Savenniers.

As a (semi-) reformed smoker smoker I tend to notice someone lighting up in a restaurant the way I (as a former bachelor) notice an attractive woman walking in -- with a bit of happy nostalgia. That being said, during three weeks in France this summer, I hardly noticed any smoking at all, certainly not in the better restaurants. As we were travelling with my daughter, our time hanging out in cafes and bars was limited; maybe we just weren't in the right rooms to smell that distinctly French parfume of Gitanes and pastis. But, to a large extent, this almost strikes me as much ado about rien. I do hope there will be some exception for bar-tabacs, however. Somehow they have become lodged in my mind as the French-est of French establishments, moreso even than the grand restaurants, and I would hate to see their numbers decline or their owners -- the inevitably slightly cranky, determindly non-English-speaking old guy with a sly smile and an opinion about politics and football -- forced into another line of work.

I have a question I haven't been able to find an answer to on-line. In the French Guide, Michelin has categories called "Bib Gourmand" and "menu economique" which designate a restaurants serving very good food at a very good price. I believe Bib Gourmands offer 3-course menus of 25 euros in the provinces and 30 in Paris (or thereabouts) and menu ecconomiques are even less expensive. We eat at a lot of these in France; they tend to be "fine dining" establishments offering pretty serious cooking -- though they are less formal than the starred places -- and are generally true bargains. No one really needs Michelin to know about Chez Panisse or The French Laundry, but a guide to the local Bib Gourmands would be extremely helpful. Does anybody know if the SF guide has included these?

A neighborhood restaurant has to have a price structure and reservation structure such that neighbors can go there on impulse. If you can't say, "screw it, I don't feel like cooking tonight," and walk over to the place without checking your bank balance or begging for reservations, it ain't a neighborhood joint. And just because some visiting/commuting foodies are seeking out a restaurant that meets the description above, doesn't make the place a destination restaurant. If my wife and I head into New York and hit Grand Sichuan, that doesn't make it "destination." When a lot of people like my Aunt Beth start hunting down Grand Sichuan, it's a destination restaurant. And note that there are a lot of restaurants which are neither.

Depends what time of day you called, and how good the pizza place is. 7PM? Expect a longer wait. More than an hour is tough, though, at any time. Perhaps more to the point, the time it takes for delivery is likely only loosely correlated with how cold the pizza is. More likely it's the queue at the pizza oven slowing things down. If you get pizza delivered or carry-outed regularly, it's well worth spending 20 bucks on a pizza stone. Call in the order, put the stone in the oven and turn that sucker up high. Five minutes on the hot stone, and the pizza is back to life, including a crust that crunches delightfully at each bite. Plus, it eliminates the stress associated with worrying if your pizza is going to be cold (when you should be relaxing with the game or, in my case, House).

The New York Times has made it easy to access his articles here.

I have been asked to make Buffalo wings, the problem is they need to be really simple. I like this recipe above because it doesn't have spices added. Things like various pepper powders and powdered garlic and onion are very hard to find in Japan and my students balk at having to buy a bunch of ingredients they don't know what to do with. So I need some answers. Butter or margarine? mixture? What kind of hot sauce? most recipes say Frank's or a Louisiana hot sauce, I am not familiar with anything except Tabasco. What is the difference? In Japan tabasco is widely available though I have seen a Crystal brand at the 100 yen ($1) shops. Do you mix the butter and hot sauce togther? One recipe I read has you dip them in the butter first and then the hot sauce.. ← You're fortunate in that your instincts are leading you towards a great batch of wings. Truly excellent Buffalo wings (and I binged on them this weekend) don't involve spices and powedered garlic -- just margarine and Franks, melted together. Do not use butter! Franks, btw, is less hot but more tangy hot sauce than Tbasco. I think Crystal would be a reasonable substitute.

I thought it was just me and my inferior taste buds. ← Perhaps it's just the way my favorite chinese restaurant makes it, but I've always thought the sauce for General Tso's Chicken had a definite "kick" to it. It's spicy and not at all comparable to the mild sauces in Sesame and Orange Chicken. ← Orange flavor chicken is supposed to have plenty of dried hot red peppers in it, I think. Not so? ← My version of orange and sesame chicken both had kick. We didn't have General Tso's, but I equate Kung Po chicken with the General except with "colour" (bell peppers, etc). The flavourings and base for the sauces were different, but they all had chili peppers. ← Kung Po is generally has no orange flavor, is less sweet and, of course, has peanuts. Pan: I have had Kung Po with bell peppers but despise it. Reminds me of PF Chang's.

Check Asian or Latin markets.

Speaking as a tourist and not a New Yorker: Times Square is already Hell on Earth; that place has been going downhill ever since the peep shows closed. Ruby Tuesdays (which surprises me with its awfulness every time I end up there) will have no discernable effect on what is already a sanitized, coroporate theme park except, perhaps, luring a tourists from Bubba Gumps. When they open a 10,000 square foot Ruby Tuesdays in Alphabet City -- that will be the end of civilization.

My experience is that we need the Pinot Noir to make me look good. Sometimes it's worse: Sometimes we need gin. On the larger question, I think it's a pleasant break from wine ads, which are almost inevitably cheesy and predictable: affluent and middle-aged -- but attractive -- couples in tweed-ish clothing sharing a spectacularly insufficient quantity of wine around a fireplace or a picnic table. That, or something cleavage-oriented. Yuck (not the cleavage, just the lack of imagination).

A friend of mine sent the same thing around, but with the punchline "that's what the beer is for." As with similar Internet things, it's difficult to tell which came first, but I think they're both funny.

Falling back on the "there's a vendetta" argument is damn near always glib. And the domino theory from trans-fat ban to smoker-style lawsuit is a stretch, to say the least. Not that there aren't, I'm sure, vultures circling, but that doesn't mean that everyone who share's their views shares their motives. Given that you are the one with the detailed allegations, I'd suggest that the burden of proof lies with you. By the way, one can be pro-business and still acknowledge that the record of sins is quite long enough to justify a suspicion and occasional government action. Corporations are profit-making operations with little conscience or judgment beyond that specialty -- and you can argue that that's not really their job. But someone needs to regulate them, or their instinct to make money will lead to them fix prices, sell tainted meat, engage in factory farming that pollutes grounwater and displaces third world peasants, poison the air and water and all the other actions that brought big government into being. It's tough to draw the line -- hence the importance of debates like this -- but blind trust of either side is unwise. But in this case (and most cases) the big money is opposing the regulation. Unless you can convince me that the olive oil cartel (EVOOPEC) is behind the trans-fat ban. I think that, barring further evidence, we have to go with the "overzealous regulator" explanation for this and the salt bans.

But wont it have to involve new FDA rules on food ingredients ? We are talking going after some of the largest, richest companies in America with the best connected lobbying groups in Washington DC. Cant it really be done without getting watered down till its meaningless ? ← No, it doesnt have to involve the FDA rules..As the smoking ban doesnt come from any federal guideline. The lawyers behind this know exactly who is involved.. There is a movement in America to demonize big business.. Whether its Big Tobacco, the Food Industry, or the Wallmarts.. They go head hunting.. They put some poor slob against a huge faceless, mean corporation, and some jury is bound to give them a few million.. Its not really about protecting people with laws.. Its about making tons of cash off of mean old corporations.. ← Essentially as glib an argument as those made by fat-banning do-gooders. Given that this is a regulation rather than a lawsuit, there appears to be very little money to be made. In fact, it's the restaurant owners talking lawsuit. And, in an age where large corporations unarguably wield immense power, the system fails to function without some sort of opposition to powerful interests (not that I detect any anti-trans-fat-trust crusading in this action). And I'm interested in hearing why big tobacco should not be demonized. Anyway, I'm with Fat Guy -- whose handle alone should give him cred on this -- in that this is a barn door we don't want to open, and that science changes it's mind too often to overreact now. (I recall how, when my firstborn was born, there was vast scientific eveidence proving that letting babies sleep on their stomachs reduced crib death. By the time my second was born, the weight of evidence proved they had to sleep on their backs. Or maybe it was the opposite.)

Sounds like a great excuse for buying him an expensive decanter some Reidels for the hollidays -- so he'll feel more obligated to share. FWIW, I still remember a 1970 Mouton as being one of the best wines I ever drank. That was many years ago, so he'll be drinking a very different wine. Maybe his girfriend will be as nice as mine was, and fall asleep on the sofa after her first glass, leaving the rest to me.

We do them in demitasse cups and try to do a heavily spiced variety -- more as amuses than a proper course. Warm tomatoe soup with roasted cuman and lime is a favorite, so is ginger/carrot.

One thing about wine: once you move from ignorance to a state of reasonable knowledge and -- importantly -- trusting your own tastes and preferences, it gets a lot easier. I wish I had the time and money to get to the level of comparing, for example, Bordeaux from St. Julien against those from Puillac in a given vintage, but just getting to the point where you recognize the names and grape varieties allows you to carry on intelligent conversations with wine salesmen, sommeliers and the like. Don't despair if you don't become a master sommelier. In addition to the other good advice here, I'd recommend plonking down money for a good, general "encyclopedia" of wine -- maybe one of those coffee table kinds with the glossy photos, and consulting that whenever you have the leisure and inclination to open a decent bottle. You pour a glass of Chateu-neuf-de-Pape, take a sip and, as the wine sits in your mouth look up the region, the grape variety, maybe even the producer and vineyard (those exhaustive Robert Parker Jr. buying guides are useful for this, too, though I often can't afford the wines he reviews). It's not detailed information, but it gives your brain a little to hang onto, so the next time someone talks to you about it, you're listening to what they say, rather than asking yourself "what does the Rhone have to do with this and what the heck is grenache?'