KatieLoeb

Babette' Feast Like Water for Chocolate Big Night Tampopo Soul Food

Thanks, Ivan. Definitely the best offer I've gotten in some time. I didn't mean to upset anyone, but my whole argument is that Parker's 100 point scale is precisely that - Parker's 100 point scale. To imply that it's some sort of objective thing is, by definition, simply not true. It's not whether I agree with it or not, it's simply not what it purports to be. Sure there might be some "value" in it, but that's only once I figure out whether Mr. Parker's tastes are anything like my own. Unfortunately, I have neither the personal bank account nor the free reign over my purchasing budget to test that theory to where I'm comfortable taking all Mr. Parker (or anyone else for that matter) says as gospel. And yes- I agree with Steve Plotnicki when he says that it's about market segments. The problem is that by blindly following the "experts" and their "ratings" we are feeding into the cycle that keeps the average consumer ignorant, and keeps funneling money into the pocket's of the Goerges DuBouef's and the California Chardonnay "hit-me-over-the-head-with-an-oak-two-by-four" producers contingent, and the California Zinfandel producers that might as well be labelling their 17.8% alcohol products as Port!

Does anyone besides myself think that a subjective scale based on ONE PERSON'S TASTE is an absurd concept to take as gospel? Yes - Parker is a wine "expert", but I hardly think his opinion is the be-all and end-all that everyone seems to think it is. I think trying to "rate" wines is also kind of a silly endevour. I've found that many of those highly "rated" wines are also heavy advertisement purchasers in whatever glossy four color wine magazine you wish to fill in the blank with. More often than not, the wines that I personally am fond of do not have a marketing department or public relations campaign or television or radio advertisements backing them up. Wine made by farmers that have real dirt under their fingernails is always a better bet than that which is hyped or over-hyped by the wine press, the so-called experts, or the competitive clique of collectors and wine auction attendees that collect wine like animal head trophys for their library walls. It's usually a lot more affordable too. Perhaps if I was of a different socioeconomic level this nonsense might matter to me, but I find that I can still function professionally by actually TASTING the products that my purveyors bring around, reading the wine press for information but not ratings, and just drinking a lot of wine on my own. If I find things I like that I think will be a good match on a wine list, will perform both economically for the restaurant and make the customer's feel that they've tried something interesting that enhanced their dining pleasure and didn't leave them feeling ripped off, then I've accomplished what I'm trying to do.

I have a bottle of this at home that I purchased in Bratislava two years ago. I'm still afraid to taste it! I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it, but I guess the idea of smuggling back the "forbidden drink" was too much for me to resist. I smelled it and it was pretty scary. A braver friend of mine tried a tiny bit and said it made Robitussin taste like the "good stuff"! I'd love to find a set of antique absinthe spoons. I guess if one is going to do this properly, you have to have the proper acoutrements. Now, if only I could find that Victorian Opium pipe...

I also find them spectacular with roasted suckling pig. NOW you're killing me... This isn't a pairing I would've thought of off the top of my head, but it follows logically that riesling would compliment roast suckling pig as it goes so well with other Alsatian or German pork based dishes. I guess I don't get to have roast suckling pig often enough Now I've got a jones that can't be helped. I must go find something remotely suckling pig-like on the way home now. Perhaps I'll stop at the local Cuban restaurant for some pernil. Not exactly the same thing, but sort of fulfilling the function of "food methadone" at the moment

dlc: Sounds truly amazing. Even though the "eau de Vaseline" sounds disgusting, it lends such a lovely complexity to the wine. I absolutely adore a good auslese or beerenauslese with cheese, or with a rich foie gras. MMmmmm...I am having a Pavlovian reaction just thinking about it . The last time I had the pleasure of such a phenomenal pairing was at a dinner I attended in November 2002. For the first course we were served a Terrine of Foie Gras and Unagi served with Grapes pickled in Verjus and a Roasted Chanterelle and Eggplant Salad with Jurancon Sauce. The wine was a Poniatowski 1989 Vouvray "Vin de Tris". The "Vin de Tris" is the first picking of the 1989 vintage (supposedly one of the two best vintages in the last century for Loire Valley Chenin Blanc). The grapes had been affected by botrytis so it had both a glorious sweetness as well as a nice acidity behind it. The perfect wine to compliment the richness of this dish. If you can find a bottle of this wine near you I highly recommend it. Nectar of the gods...

I'd be willing to bet this would work with the cardboard roll from the inside of toilet paper as well, and probably more cheaply...

dlc: You are a lucky person indeed. Riesling that old, and particularly from a producer as fine as Zind Humbrecht, is always a treat. Did you find that it had developed that mineral and petrol-y "eau de Vaseline" secondary aromatic that often comes with Riesling of that age? It sounds spectacularly delicious. The Zind Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Pinot Gris is on the list here at my restaurant, but alas, is the 1998 vintage, so it won't have arrived at the glorious state that your well kept bottles have. Do report back when you crack open the other mags!

I had a lovely Thai dim sum brunch with a friend I was visiting in D.C. at Rabieng. I thought the flavors were bright and delicious and the presentations quite nice. Not terribly expensive either, for the quality. There was also an interesting Asian market in the same little strip mall where I was able to buy quite a few hard to find ingredients. Neat little shop.

Andrew: I stand corrected! The bistro in question is at the WESTERN end (sorry - I got a bit turned around in my thinking there) of the Croissette, all other details remain the same. I did remember another detail. There was a very cool bar sort of caddy-cornered to this, and closer to the ocean called Vol au Vent. Great place to sit about and sip Pastis. Have a great trip!

I do a pretty mean Ribs in Chinese Black Bean sauce in the slow cooker. The important thing is to get the butcher to put the ribs on the bandsaw and cut them into 2-3" lengths. I then cut them down to two "riblets" per piece. I drop the ribs into the crockpot with 2/3 cup low sodium tamari, 1/3 cup dark soy sauce, 1/4 cup sherry or rice wine, chopped garlic and ginger to taste, and 1/2 cup fermented black beans. I will occasionally add a little chile/garlic paste if I feel like having them a little spicier. Let these cook most of the day and then add a slurry of cornstarch and water for the last hour to thicken up and coat the meat. Pretty tasty and quite easy.

Is this a requirement of your insurance company, or the airlines? Just curious...

Fear not Maggie! The damage is long over - the meds wore off after about seven months, but man was that a Looong seven months! I completely understand now about women with serious PMS problems or post partum depression and other hormonally induced forms of temporary mental states. Really.

Andrew: I spent a summer in Cannes during college. Admittedly this was quite some time ago but I shall try and describe as best I can. There was a small bistro/bar at the eastern end of the Croisette, at the bottom of a street that went sharply uphill. Big sign outside with an octopus on it. Makes the BEST Soupe de Poisson I have ever had. It remains the standard by which I judge all others. This soup was a transforming moment for me. Suddenly I understood Provencal cuisine in a way in which I had not before. Miraculous stuff - thick and positively teeming with fish flavor, with really tasty rouille to float atop en croute. Yum! A food memory I thank you for bringing back to me, even if I haven't been any help with your lunch dilemma

Dale DeGroff's Craft of the Cocktail. It's more up to date than Mr. Boston and still includes all the classic, Prohibition era and beyond drinks.

Cathy: I tried to look up Cherrydale Farms for my next fix. It seems the candy company is located in Allentown, PA but the only other info I got back on Google was about fundraising using their candies and products. Need to find a local retail outlet before the next lunar cycle is over

Ron: Riedel now has a line of "commercial grade" glasses that are MEANT for restaurant abuse. You can drum the suckers on the tabletop and they won't break! They are slightly less delicate than the machine stemmed glasses but can be put through the dishwasher in the proper rack. Amazing! They aren't completely undbreakable as they will break if you drop them on a concrete floor or throw them up against a wall, but they DO hold up far better than anything else I've seen. Here is link for local distributors Riedel America. Cheers!

Fellow Sister Sufferers of the Lunar Cycle: Ah - what an interesting and amusing thread! I am right there with you on most of this stuff. I've found my red meat cravings tend to be Post-MS, as I think my body is craving iron. The cure for ALL THAT AILS YOU when suffering from PMS is Chocolate Covered Pretzels! Sweet, salty and crunchy all at once! Nothing could possibly be better. I don't usually get the ferocious mood swings (although have occasionally been caught baying at the moon ) I did have the unfortunate experience of having this problem induced by some medication I was given after a surgical procedure. Lupron can make you utterly insane. I was completely out of control. I was lashing out for NO reason and there was NO telling what could set me off. One minute I was weeping at sappy commercials on TV and the next minute I was Xena Warrior Princess ripping out your lungs and handing them to you on a platter. Good grief! Imagine me looking at you sweetly and saying "Mood swings? [Voice goes to gutteral demonic growl and increases in volumel] "WHAT MOOD SWINGS!!!" It was like having an out of body experience - I could see it happening but was powerless to prevent it . I wouldn't wish this on my worst female enemy. Truly. Thankfully my doctor was kind enough to prescribe something to "balance me out". I always say there's nothing a good physician and well trained pharmacist can't solve between them! Comfort food is a wonderful thing at this time as well. Big honking bowls of mashed potatoes, ice cream, pudding, etc. And barring that, a couple of shots of Cognac are always a good thing...

You have to speak to the nutritionists immediately. Whomever said that the hospital decides your "dietary category" and then there are no deviations from it was correct. This is no doubt the only way to administratively manage so many sick people at once of course, but makes things quite difficult for folks like your father. Make certain that they understand his dietary restrictions and that he does LOVE the scrambled eggs, omelets etc. Tell them NO seasoning and get their permission to bring in some homemade or commercial Indian seasonings that he WILL eat. Certainly if having them prepare absolutely plain boring omelets that he can season to his own liking will get him to eat some protein, they will be happy to allow it. A sick patient eating vs. NOT eating is kind of a no brainer, even for the rigid and bureaucratic environment of a hospital. It sounds as though the staff there has been quite accomodating so I am certain you would have some luck with this approach. Best wishes to you and yours, Katie

Suvir: My mother spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals in the last years of her life, so I am quite familiar with the horrid hospital food dilemma. More often than not, getting her to eat anything that came on those sterile trays was a feat in itself. I used to smuggle in her favorite things (that weren't "off" her dietary restrictions, of course) just to get her to eat something. Perhaps you would have some luck doing the same, in addition to educating the hospital staff on preparing his favorites. Although your assessment that being a lacto-ovo vegetarian leaves nothing but a wasteland of choices in "American" foods is not inaccurate, perhaps there are at least a few things that are already on the hospital menus that your father might learn to like such as egg salad, fruit compotes and puddings, fresh vegetables and salads, soups, etc. Maybe you can ask the nutrition staff to see their entire "repetoire" of menus and pick some things off of there that might be more to his liking. Even if you can't make special requests on a daily basis, perhaps if you befriended the nutritionists as well as the chef, you could get some inside information in advance letting you know which days particular items will be available. Best of luck with this latest dilemma. I am sure you'll solve it in a typically creative manner...In fact, you already have!

Wow. All such interesting points. I agree on one hand about the implicit put down aspects of using the term "ethnic", but again, I think that depends on whose doing the talking. I, as well as I'm certain many other folks here, use the term "ethnic" to describe "foreign", "non-local" cuisine. But again, does a cuisine qualify as "non-local", depending on one's locality? For example, is Indian food less "ethnic" in London, than it is in New York? Is Indonesian cuisine less ethnic in Amsterdam than it is in Paris? Is Moroccan cuisine less ethnic in Paris than it is in Philadelphia? I think there's also a thread of colonialism in the history of "ethnic" cuisines that no one has touched upon yet. And now that many of those immigrants from former colonies are well established and less "ghetto" than in previous times, does that make their cuisines somehow less "ethnic" in the places that the culture of the particular ethnicity is more pervasive? Since the United States is basically ALL immigrants (with the exception of Native Americans - and how come that's a cuisine that doesn't stand on it's own??), my example doesn't hold up as well here. I have no evidence for this, I merely wonder if someone could answer this question for me that might live in a place that has a large population of former "occupied colonists".

Hey Andrew: Right off the Allegheny exit of I-95 North is the Krakus Market at 3150 Richmond Street. They have an extensive selection of Eastern European groceries, a good butcher, and great frozen pierogies in about a dozen varieties handmade by little Polish ladies. I don't know much about their baked goods, but it's the only place I can think of that might have what you're looking for. If they don't have it, perhaps they can point you in the right direction.

DDC Rodizio dinner on March 1 is a SELL-OUT I'm told. If anyone that has RSVP'd needs to cancel please e-mail Gary Kritz at blackcloud11@comcast.net. I'm not certain if we have started a waiting list, but if you're interested, RSVP to Gary and he'll get back to you as soon as he gets back into town. Thanks and looking forward to seeing everyone there. Best, Katie

Now you've got me utterly distracted from my job. Here's a list of other stuff I thought of: Radishes Red Leaf Lettuce salad Red Onions, roasted Red Snapper Red peppers, stuffed Red skinned Potato salad Red Grapes Radicchio Thai Red Curry sauce Anything with cranberries Red Currants

Umm - not to be too obvious but, how about pasta with marinara sauce? Tomato soup? Red velvet cake was definitely my first thought. Yum - Red dye #5 in abundance!