Busboy

I spent a few years working as a waiter and perhaps you Canadians are a little closer to the old Enlish class system than we Yanks , but I never encountered a superior attitude towards the kitchen. We hated owners, managers, investors, poor tippers, women who pulled out calculators to split their checks and people who came in late and ordered dessert, but the kitchen staff never came up. As for wages, I never once met a waiter who gave a shit what anyone else was making, unless it came out of their pocket. The argument over who "deserves" what is endless and pointless. Should waiters make more than line cooks? Should football players make more than teachers? Should CEOs make more than PM's? As long as people are willing to work in the kitchen for what owners are offering, that's what they're going to get paid.

Thanks for the good recs, houkah, and welcome (belatedly) to eGullet. I look forward to hearing lots more good stuff from you.

Walter Nichols -- who seems to be spending a lot of time in the Old Dominion these days -- weighs in with a nice piece on Ron Turner's Turner Ham House's efforts to turn wean gourmets off their serrano and proscuitto, and sell them cheap, plentiful and delicious Virginia Ham in today's Post Food Section. Hams available at 540-896-7487 and on line. (And Ron, if you're reading this, let Candace Cansler, executive director of the Conover, N.C.-based National Country Ham Association, know that we proscuitto-eaters are not going to line to wrap something called "Premium USA Hams" around our melon balls. Sounds like a pickup truck ad (note that we like pick-up trucks but we don't drive them) or, worse yet, some kind of weird election year hoo-ha. We're sensitive to the notion that plain old "Country Ham" isn't bringing in the big bucks (though I have one in my fridge), but try "Handmade American Ham," "Artisanal American Ham," "Traditional Virginia Pork"...something that evokes timeless quality and all that, not generic boosterism. Good luck!)

I didn't notice that they had any scallops this time during what was, admittedly, a cursory journey through the shellfish. I hope to hear that they are back and in better shape than before after your visit today. I am also eager to hear your comparison versus Super-H. I have heard Great Wall is bigger/better, but haven't been to Super-H and so can't make that call myself.

The only time I can actually remember stiffing a server actually Christmas morning (yeah, I can be that much of a jerk) when the server at the restaurant at the airport made it abundently clear with her every action, word and look that she didn't want to be there, she didn't want to serve us, and if she had to do so, she was going to make breakfast as miserable as possible for all involved. So, I would say, some degree of active malice -- as opposed to sloth, indifference, incompetence or snobbery -- is required to get the tip down to nothing.

Thanks so much for the information Busboy. I'm trying to imagine that wall of seafood; overwhelming indeed. Just a couple of questions: are they Metro accessible? Do they have a website? Live seafood, pork belly and chicken feet sounds like heaven to me! ← They don't seem to have a website and, sorry to say, I think they are far from Metro, though one of our Northern Virginia types might know something I don't.

I can't really speak to that -- I just gave it a once-over. Looked pretty good for steam-table stuff -- better than the Panda Express in a Mall food court -- but hopefully someone else has actually looked closely and tried something.

Finally got some fish at Great Wall of Fish and I may be too spoiled ever to buy fish anywhere else. The tanks, while not quite pristine, seemed better maintained than in the past and I had the gentleman behind the counter net a couple of sea bass for me, scale them and gut them out. It sucks to be a fish, I guess. I'm an eye guy when I check fish freshness -- my wife's a gill girl -- and, while I've had some pretty fesh fish in the past, these babies had startlingly bright eyes, even the day after. And the fact that the cost just $6.99/lb -- I think they run $10-12/lb at the generally reliable Whole Foods was an additional bonus. We made crispy fried whole fish with one -- the flavor was excellent -- and the other is on hold, though expected to give us at least one more day before it becomes problkematic. While looking over a the fish, I noticed a couple of women looking over the turtle selection, and I had to wonder, what does one look for in a live turtle that's soon to be dinner? I have expected one of them to rap the shell with her knuckle, like you would a melon, to see if it was ripe. In addition to the prepared foods section, they now have a wine selection, which I did not have a chance to look ofver as the place was bumper-to-bumper, perhaps in anticipation of the New Year.

I'm not surprised. I find most inexpensive California wines (and I mostly drink inexpensive wines. Dammit) to be bland, insipid, and often downright nasty. And "good" Californians are often ruinously expensive. If I'm buying cheap, I usually look for something Spanish or South American, and if I'm going a little upmarket, I like the Aussies and even some French (Alsace, Rhone, Languedoc). Of course, if people are leaving behind California for that Kagaroo swill, it's clearly all about marketing and perception and not at all about the wine.

The one and only time I ever tried to use food to lift a crush into the consummation phase (usually I just relied on booze, charm and bad judgement on behalf of the target of my affections), I kicked the roommate out and cooked the only upscale thing I knew how to make: panfried steak with a shallot-wine pan sauce. For two college kids, it was actally a pretty good meal, and I had the candles and soft music going (I still remember the radio station playing "Psycho Killer" while I was trying to make the post-dinner move. Sadly, I struck out badly. I felt better, though, a couple of years later when the lady in question came out.

Chateubriand -- very old school, man. Reminds of my homecoming date back in the 70s. I was pretty sure it was the height of romantic elegance at the time and indeed, my date was impressed. I think it's time to revisit the dish.

Greeks have gyros and meat, cheese and spinach pies available on countless Athenian streetcorners; pizzas are Italian; French "delis" are full of ham and cheese combinations on baguettes that resemble in every way a Gallic hogie and neighborhood frites joints; and the Brits have their porkpies. On the other hand, BBQ is by no means an eat-on-the-run dish, and other classic American dishes include gumbo, chowder, Sunday dinner with fried chicken and biscuits ,and my old favorite: steak, baked potato and iceburg lettuce salad served on Sunday after church. Beware easy generalizations.

The hot dog needs no defense or explanation. It simply is, glorious in its simplicity, sublime in its endless variations (do I crave bleu cheese and scorched onions today, or cole slaw an mustard? Koshoer, or something with a little pork?). Roosevelt served them to the Prince of Wales, Ignatius J. Reilly served them to Bourbon Street tourists and I served them to my children, each of us harboring a guilty glee in presenting so plebian a food to our betters, each with a warm knowledge that our guests would be relieved and delighted to encounter so humble and fulfilling a treat. Explaining a hot dog is like explaining a joke or a Matisse, pointless and exhausting. Those who do not understand hot dogs should merely accept that they have a unresponsive point in their pleasure centers where others do not -- a numb culinary nipple as it were -- and move on to other, more personally exciting gastromic erogenous zones. As for the rest of us, we'd like a little mustard, please... (P: I have been lead to believe that the phrase "hot dogs" was one of those "freedom fries" constructs that sprang up in WWI and, among other things purport to explain why Berlin, New Hampshire, is pronounced Burr-len by the locals. I also like the baseball stadium appellation: "red hots".)

Make that seven spaces left, as the Mrs. and I are craving some jellyfish and duck tongue. Question: does one eat the whole tongue, crunchy bit inside and all? Or do you slide the flesh off the cartilage with your teeth, as though trying to eat a miniature corn-dog without ingesting the stick?

In yesterday's Washington Post: Garlic Seafood Soup. "This delicious entree soup owes its complex flavor in part to -- of all things -- banana. It breaks down during the cooking, which helps to thicken the broth, but not before bestowing a sweet-sour taste and its fragrance. Speaking of which, there's also a fair amount of garlic, but what do you expect from a grand champion winner of the Gilroy (Calif.) Garlic Festival? " For those in a hurry to make some savory banana stuff, note that this is from the "Dinner in 45 Minutes" feature.

Has the oyster pan roast from the Grand Central cookbook for dinner last night. Damn good. But not as good as at the Oyster Bar.

For those of us who spend the majority of our oenological hours drinking wine, as opposed to tasting it, esoterica like that in the article is irrelevant. Wine and cheese go wonderfully together, therefore, we will continue -- in our blissful ignorance -- to pair them promiscuously, in a bizarre variety of permutations, as often as possible. If asked to sit in judgment at a tasting, we do, however, promise to restrict ourselves to water crackers.

Huh. I was thinking about posting a "whatever happened to that guy who ran Papillon?" thread when I stumbled across this. Though it was before my eGullet days and thus there are now written records, my wife and I were blown away by a tasting menu a few years back at Papillon -- though disappointed that we didn't get to slurp appetizers off anyone's back or wear a blindfold at any point. I've been waiting for Paul to resurface and, based on the reports here, looking forward to maybe getting another taste of his cooking next time we journey to the Big Ap.

Some brand new updates in this thread.

Others have much more Parisian restaurant experience than I, but I took my parents to Le Petite Troquet in the 7th and thought the food was excellent and that the room was as quintesentially Parisian as the come. A tiny little spot, and a Michelin "Bib Gourmand," ie a good value/good food spot. La Patronne speaks excellent English, if that is a worry, and is very warm and welcoming. A quick google suggests that it's been "discovered" by Americans, if that is a consideration. A fodor's discussion here. 28, Rue De L'exposition 75007 , PARIS 07 ème Tél: 01 47 05 80 39

Wednesday/Thursday, Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote two articles, one entitled “Intimate Service” about catered meals at home that featured: Ghislane Arabian, now head of “production” of Passion Traiteur, 145, bvd de Valmy in Colombes, 01.46.49.45.50 who has 50 cooks and 40 pastry chefs under her. ← Ribaut must be wife-hunting or something -- or maybe he just has a soft spot for women who can weild a cleaver -- but he had another piece this week featuring women chefs here.. Featured are Rougi Dia, just 29 and of Senegalese descent, who is apparently putting out excellent modern twists on classic preparations at the quite pricy Petrossian in the 7th; and Sarah Peronnet who is whipping up wonderful stuff in a Lyonnaise-type bouchon in the shadow of Notre Dame. The article appears to imply that both may get a nod in the next Guide Michelin (though, my French is lousy and I may be wrong). Meanwhile, fellow LeMondien Stephan Davet waxes poetic in a feature piece about Helen Darroze,here.. Could there be a trend?

Bad news, dude. The 'Hawks ain't goin' to no Super Bowl (though a Husky is). You may as well just send out for a pizza. Here in the other Washington, we're already perfecting a chicken wing recipe that -- even in its primitive form -- is already proven to bring victory to the 'skins. There is no defense for improved iteration we're serving Saturday.

Not a cookbook and the descriptions are brief, but most areas of France seem to get their own little blurb in LaRusse, listing characteristsic dishes, wines and traditions. For less-famous regions, it strikes me a s good place to start.

Thanks. We are looking in the Barjac area now, as well as a little north of the river in Ardeche proper, having spent the weekend googling extensively. Does anyone know of any guides to market days in the northern Gard southern Ardeche area? Thanks.

Thanks for this. One of the problems we're having is we can't tell if one town/village is more desireable for whatever reason than the other. Does Uzes have a better market than Ales, for example, or is Vallon Pont-d'Arc the place to be? It seems as if every square inch of Provence has been documented, but there's not nearly as much information about the country further west.