cdh

Hell.. Even I've homebrewed with nibs a few years ago... one of my tweaks to my abbey dubbel recipe. Nibs and sweet orange oil turned out pretty well... at least better than the present batch that used raisins and an ancho chile. Definitely not worth $15 a bottle... few beers are.

I've observed some downright stupor-inducing brownies that clearly has vegetable matter included therein. And damn, were the stupors I observed profound, at least judging by those I observed experiencing them. Time appeared to have neary stopped as far as those observed were concerned. I've also observed that some folk don't get the munchies... claim that everything tastes like cardboard and eating just isn't worth it. Not that I'd know any of this first hand.

The familial Thanksgiving oyster preparation is really simple, and really good at emphasizing the oysteriness of good oysters... Scallop 'em. Casserole dish with a shallow layer of crumbled crackers (saltines if you're feeling plain, ritz if you're feeling fancy) with a few pats of butter, covered by a layer of evenly spaced oysters, salted and peppered and otherwise spiced as you see fit (spritzed with Pernod mist, or otherwise) [... repeat until casserole full] moistened with the oyster juice, though only slightly... too much moisture and it gets gluey... and topped with butter pats, then baked until crispy and golden brown. Have fun!

In your context, absent tone, I'm not seeing insults. Were the tone a gum-cracking, finger snapping, tut-tutting, mmmmmm hmmmmmming, or otherwise insulting tone, then yeah, but "have a nice day" could be insulting in one of those tones too. So, given the words reported, with no attached tone of insolence, I see no insult.

I know that Hopewell is just outside of Princeton... as is Princeton Junction... I'm guessing that geographical nomenclature phenomena like that are localized, so Hopewell Junction should be someplace close to Hopewell. There's a Hopewell NJ, and a Hopewell Junction NY - I can't find any reference to a Hopewell Junction NJ (not that this has anything to do with project making 16 year old girls blush) OK. No Wawas for him, then. too bad. Anybody in NY know of any delis that have automated order taking devices?

Yikes! It is actually a really good system that allows the deli people behind the counter to concentrate on making the sandwiches rather than having to take orders, write them up and then make sandwiches. It also has the benefit for the orderer of displaying all possible sandwich ingredients as buttons, thereby facilitating new and interesting combo creations. You've got the POS terminal in front of you, and can do your own additions/deletions.

I know that Hopewell is just outside of Princeton... as is Princeton Junction... I'm guessing that geographical nomenclature phenomena like that are localized, so Hopewell Junction should be someplace close to Hopewell.

Since you are so dead set against any form of interpersonal interaction in the process of ordering lunch, you might want to find places that allow you to order directly from a machine, which serves as intermediary between you and the back of house. Having mentioned geography like Hopewell Junction, I'm guessing you're in NJ not far from Princeton. If so, seek out a Wawa. They've very recently installed touch screen ordering devices at all their deli counters. That way you can order a good and tasty hoagie or other deli sandwich, and never have to trade words with a potentially insolent human being.

Onetik Bleu de Brebis too.

Agreed that before you get all worked up, you should analyze their processes and attempt to tailor your order in such a way that it causes them the lest hassle. Did you consider that asking "without cheese" may have been a stalling tactic while trying to determine if there are buttons on the register for "bare burger" and to add toppings rather than subtract them? You may have been locking horns with their process engineers who figured that everybody wants a burger with everything EXCEPT x y or z, rather than a bare burger with x, y and z. If the buttons are set up to subtract rather than add, your method would, of course, flummox the order taker.

May have to take you up on that offer at some future Pizza Club adventure. How's gentian as a post pizza digestif?

a very reasonable thought indeed.

yeah, we've got a good thing going here, but we're nowhere near as systematic and regular as a publication with a dedicated critic and a budget. The Times wrote up at least two restaurants a week, every week, with a thorough description of the offerings, space, ambience, etc. I don't think that we're up to that pace here. As a matter of fact, our discussions often spring from the choices of the Times reviewers and the tangents that lead from them. We'd need to get into the drivers' seat and be much more active to provide as useful a service as the Times has... That would involve lots of people getting off their collective asses and writing comprehensive reviews here of places they've been recently.... which would be great if it happened... but you're more likely to get reviews like this (which in fact describes last weekend's amusements): "Braved the elements to go out to Astoria to eat at Kabab Cafe on Steinway St. Place was packed upon arrival, had to wait about 45 minutes for a table to open up. Chef/host Ali was a gent and offered myself and companion a glass of wine to ease the wait. Beautiful and well executed mezze platter, and excellent lamb breast in pomegranate sauce. " Different in quantity and quality from a proper review, and probably not as useful.

Well, if the Times is going to drop the ball like this, they're leaving themselves wide open to serious competition. That review is useless. What other NYC publications might be able to snatch the crown away from the NYT and become the premier source of serious food reviews in NYC?

St. Agur

Check out NYCBeer.org and have a look at their homebrew resources. Nothing in Manhattan but lots of options in the near suburbs. No idea how accessable by transit they are, but maybe they might deliver.

Had a taste of mine in its flat state. It is very nearly there, but I think I'll await the weekend to bottle.

No real trick to the candied limequats, I don't think. My procedure was: Put 2 cups sugar and and 1 cup water in pan, and heat until the sugar dissolves into the water. Wash the limequats, halve them, and throw them into the syrup. Bring the syrup up to boiling. Remove the limequats and heat the syrup to 240F. Add a little tiny bit of cream of tartar. Throw the limequats in and turn the heat off after about 5 minutes. Fish the limequats out and spread out on parchment paper. Sprinkle lots of sugar all over them and toss them around so that they're evenly coated. Voila! I then candied some ginger in syrup, and now have candied limequats, candied ginger, and syrup that makes a mighty nice ginger ale when you mix it up with some seltzer and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Lucky you indeed. Beautiful pictures. Any chance of getting a handful of seeds from you? If the things are calamondins, then they're cold hardy up to and including the DC area... was surprised to see a citrus growing in the Dumbarton Oaks gardens, and looked it up, and it was some variety of calamondin. Spikey, though. Is your tree full of thorns? All this means that I can at least get one going quite well in a large pot and only bring it indoors for December through February. And here is a snapshot of a handful of my candied limequats. Tiny little things, but soooooooo yummy.

Limequats are little tiny lime shaped things that you could, if you wanted to, eat whole like a kumquat. They're pretty tart, with just a hint of bitterness. I love candied citrus, and these things seemed like an ideal candidate for the process. As to where they're from, I got them in the exotic fruit aisle of the Wegmans in Allentown, PA. Central Market has expanded to Houston, no? They'd be your best shot at getting some that I can think of.

In recent citrus hunting, I found myself in possession of a handful of Limequats (xbreed of lime and kumquat, apparently)... and the thought of making candied citrus came to mind... yummy. Make sugar syrup, cook it to about 240F, drop in halved limequats, and allow to boil for a little while and cool.

The brew was going like mad all week, and has now settled down and the frothy head has all but dissipated. I think I'll give it another blast with the hand blender to rouse and stir things up, and aim to bottle next weekend. As to McGee, nothing definitive, however, in his section on malt, he does say that ater malt is kilned, it can be stored for "several months" indicating that even whole malts are perishable. no reason why is given, however.

Really? I was wondering about this and don't really have a clue. My issue with the coffee analogy is that coffee is all about the volatile oils and such that can either go rancid or dissipate. Since sugar lasts forever, and malt extract lasts forever, why wouldn't cracked malt also last forever. How much of the stuuff extracted from malt is not sugar, and of that stuff, how much of it is vulnerable to oxidization, rancidity, etc. I wonder if Harold McGee's encyclopaedic book has a chapter on malted grains and such. Will have to pull it out and check.

Mission accomplished. About a year ago a friend reported to me on his meal at Veyrat's Ferme de Mon Pere. Dishes served were as follows, with my friend's personal reactions noted.

A friend ate there a year or two back and emailed me a complete review of the place and the 15 or so course meal he had. I'll see if I can find the email and edit it to a postable format.