KatieLoeb

Sono Motoyama offers her review of Amada in today's Philadelphia Daily News. Another rave.

This is interesting to me. I'm more about thinking of the larger, more flavorful oysters like Blue Points as being the "entry level" oysters, and the more subtle flavors of a Kumamoto or the lively metallic flavor of a Belon being a taste you have to acquire. In my experience, with oysters there is no gray area. People either love them or hate them. For most folks it's a textural issue. If you can't handle the bigger more "ordinary" varieties like a Blue Point, then you just don't like oysters. The finer points of a smaller more delicately flavored species will just be lost on you, I think. This of course speaks only for raw-on-the-half-shell presentations. I've certainly met folks that like fried oysters and can't fathom eating one raw. A good friend of mine once said, "Why would I eat something that looks like it fell out of a cow's nose??" Again, these are only my opinions based on my experience eating oysters myself and managing an oyster bar. YMMV.

I confess I'm always drawn to the roast pork when I go there, so the thought of ordering a sandwich has never crossed my mind. Perhaps one of these days I'll get around to trying that and seeing if it can compete with Tierra Colombiana's Cubano, which is righteous IMHO.

Bob: I buy my gravlax salmon from Ippolito's. Theyll let me pick a fish and then filet both sides off for me so they match up like perfect little puzzle pieces. Works like a charm. Not sure if the fish is farmed or not, but the quality has never disappointed. I bought my last batch from them before Thanksgiving, not realizing they were indeed open on Sundays (a very good thing to know) until Greg told me in another thread.

I just rolled in the door (and I literally mean rolled) from our first DDC dinner at Lechonera Principe. Oh. My. God. I'm so full! Dinner tonight was a raging success. The owners could not possibly have been nicer or more accomodating. We feasted on all manner of Sancocho soup, pasteles of both plantain and yuca, roast pork, rotisseried chicken, swordfish, arroz con gandules, salad, meat pies, tostones, bacalaito fritters and flan for dessert. Everything was insanely delicious. The restaurant and their staff treated us like family. Really. A wonderful traditional Puerto Rican Christmas feast. And I get to do it all over again tomorrow night! YIKES! My favorite suprise for the evening was the owner's special ""Puerto Rican Moonshine" that he made just for us. A homemade sugar cane rum soaked with all sorts of dried fruits and spices and then combined with coconut milk and heaven knows what else. Kind of like a tropical eggnog. A real treat and a lovely addition to an already groaning table. The tostones were also a revelation. I've never had them crispier or less starchy and the garlic mojo sauce that went with them was positively addicting. There will no vampires in my general vicinity for weeks, I am certain. The meat pies were also delicious and the pastry as light and flaky as any I've ever tried. I am off to bed now, undoubtedly to seesaw on my bloated little belly when I roll over. I hope it doesn't wake me up.

Ok so we have the BoH and bar staff for "Restaurant eG" now who is going to take care of the FoH operations. ← I call Bar Manager!!!

I was thinking of trying to cure some tuna, just to see how it would work. It's going to give off a LOT of liquid. You'll have to turn and drain it more frequently and possibly cure it for an extra day or two to draw all the moisture out. If you've never made gravlax before you'll still be pleased with the end result. I've done it both with fresh and with frozen fish and there was a noticeable (to me) difference in texture. The gravlax made from previously frozen fish wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as that made from fresh.

Here's a funny trick I learned from a chef. You know how you can tell wild salmon from farm raised salmon? The farm raised salmon have fins that have little divots taken out of them. When there are hundreds of fish struggling in the same man-made tank they tend to bite each other and take bites out of each others fins. Wild salmon look more pristine and perfect because they haven't been subjected to that.

Then before I and my many supporters run out of breath, and for the Love of God, GO GET AN ENTRY LEVEL JOB IN A RESTAURANT!!! I have no doubt it will not seem nearly as glamourous once you've actually put in the time. Unfortunately, the reason the failure rate is as high as it is, is that everyone that likes to eat thinks they can do it. Much like Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland and Company singing "Let's Put on a Show!!!", every clown that ever sat down in front of a paid-for entree thinks they can own a restaurant. Think of every single expense you think is a fixed monthly expense, and I promise you I can make your list thrice as long without breaking stride. Think of every single expense you think is a variable monthly expense and I promise you on all that is holy I can think of variables that never hit your radar screen. Do I need to go on?? I'm truly not trying to piss in your Wheaties here. I just think that given what you've told us, there's a lot of room for you to learn what's really up. Do you really believe that any of the people you wish to emulate just accidentally fell into the business? Or showed up one day with an impressive academic resume and nothing more and ended up being brilliant restaurateurs?? Just because there are folks willing to bankroll you that think you're a smart guy (and I have no doubt you are) doesn't mean you won't lose their money without meaning to. It isn't predictable, predetermined or pretty. It just iz. And it's so much harder, and more importantly, vastly more expensive, than you think. It don't work like that. Ask anybody.

Thank you! I learned something new...

Karen: Thanks for posting that link. Good article. I've worked for two out of their three restaurant picks. Is this town too small or what?

Qu'est-ce que c'est? What is a French memo board? Do you have a picture of your magnum opus?

Zuke! How can I thank you for posting the picture of the Gegenbauer stand at the Naschmarkt? I was just talking about this very thing the other day over HERE in the Adventures in Eating forum. Awesome photo. It's hard to describe that stand (I understand they also have a regular shop somewhere else in Vienna) to people because I've never seen anything like it anywhere else in the world. I'm already enjoying this blog so much! I look forward to sharing your family holiday with you. And the little one is just darling!

I have to agree my inebriated binge at Blue Ribbon (with you) was the best and highest class drunken food experience ever. What a great place. Think they'd franchise to Philly??

cchen: I still don't see where you've stated any actual restaurant experience, even being a busboy during summer vacation in high school. Since you are still rather young, I'd strongly suggest getting a part-time job in a restaurant in the near future and asking to be cross-trained in various functions. It will be an invaluable learning experience for you that no academic or even industry related administrative/internship experience will be able to replace.

come on down and ask him about them. one of the fun things about sk is that shola is not secretive at all about techniques or ingredients, and he'll totally tell you how to make them yourself. ← Since I got this anniversary gift, I've been tryin', man, I've been tryin'!!! ← Chris: We PhilleGulleteers are anxiously awaiting your arrival. I'll ask Shola about availability in the New Year on your behalf when I see him next. It's true that while the food at SK is beyond compare, the most fun (along with good company and wine) is having the chance to pick Shola's brain on how he conceived the dishes, what went into the preparations, how and where he sourced some of the more unusual ingredients he uses, etc. Having a private chef at your disposal (particularly one of such an advanced level of skill) is not an opportunity many of us have. It's akin to strolling into the kitchen at Per Se, leaning on a gleaming stainless steel counter and sipping on your glass of wine while Chef Keller tells you how he created your dinner and plates it in front of you. That's the real show right there. Eating the food is only completing the experience and making what you've learned really sink in.

I can easily make six figures..... doing something I hate. When you have a passion for something (food), and work hard at it, I truly believe that success will follow. ← That's why I do it too. Just warning you before you've sunk as many years in as I have...

Dear Carman, of Carman's Country Kitchen, one of the sassiest women I've had the pleasure of knowing, has a sign on the wall of her restaurant that reads: "A Fool and His Money are a Great Date!"

I hope Le Passage uses a really good brand of sour mix. Just any old bottom-shelf sour mix might make for a less tasty drink. Kurt ← Why oh why would you mix anything with Louis XIII??? Gah! Dumb bitch could've bought herself a right fine entire bottle of Cognac for that price. Not Louis, but still... Too many people have more money than taste. All of these cocktails are an excuse for the restaurant to ream the customer and fool them into thinking they're getting something special for their money. It's done with food too. There is a restaurant here in Philly that sells a stunning number of $100 Cheesesteaks on a daily basis. If you figured out what the actual cost of the ingredients were and then multiplied to get a normal cost of goods you could see just what kind of a rape this really is. And the most ironic thing is that the type of customer that buys this fancies themselves such a savvy and sophiticated consumer. Pathetic. Getting shamelessly ripped off and paying top dollar to have it happen.

He may outsource that to a consulting firm, in which case you need to find out who they are. Or more likely is he does that himself with his CFO and COO. Maybe you should concentrate on finding out the names of the Finance and Operations Directors of all of the larger restaurant groups and send your resumes directly to them. They're still going to ask you if you've ever worked in a restaurant though. It's not like manufacturing widgets or working in a bank. The MBA is pretty useless with no practical knowledge of how the place functions. And the pay scale sucks. With an MBA from Columbia you could make six figures. Why on earth would you want to work in restaurants for no money and no benefits???

They have these at Tabla, in New York! I just externed there, and these were on the garde manger station. I was so excited, because I'd never heard of them before. They look like grubs! But they're crisp and crunchy, very reminiscent of water chestnut. Nut much flavor, IMHO. Great texture, though. Also, Prune is serving cardoons these days. They said they order them from Baldor's. I used to have a loquat tree in my back yard in New Orleans- they're popular as an ornamental. Once made a loquat sauce for deep-fried duck. That was good! Is there any pleasure equal to the discovery of a previously unknown comestible? ← Yes - they do look like grubs -ewwwww! I prefer to think of them as little corkscrews to get that maggot-like image out of my head. They are very tasty though. I had them at the Tasting Room awhile back. Glad to hear that other chefs are finding interesting ways to use them. I've personally never seen them here in Philadelphia either on a menu or at a market. Wonder if I can get them here?

Great news! How does this place compare to Maoz Felafel on South Street (where I had an atrocious service experience)?

Oh yeah, mon. That is the nectar right there. Color me envious.

Paloma aka Le Bec-Mex is reviewed in the 12/15/05 Daily News.

I really love salsify, which is used to make Schwarzwurzelsalat, a very common salad available in every heuringen in Austria. Love celeriac as well and think it works well as an addition to whipped potatoes. My all time favorite forgotten vegetalbe has to be Crosnes, or Chinese artichokes. I've only had the pleasure of trying these once, but they were absolutely delicious. Little corkscrews of crunchy goodness with an earthy yet sweet flavor not unlike a cross between artichoke and water chestnut.